jogoode

I had a lot of trouble removing the skin from the tiny onions; it didn't peel off as easily as that of the big ol' onions I'm used to cooking with. Does blanching with the skins on help make it easier to remove the skin?

Great report, TongoRad. What's the best way to get there from Manhattan? Also, have you tried Dosa Hutt or Dosa Hut?

Can't disagree with you here!

All right, I settled down. Silly to be offended by your post. Shalmanese, I assume by your post that you speak Japanese and have watched the show without English dubbing. Can you tell us anything more specific about the difference between the Japanese judges' descriptions of the food and those of the American judges?

To whom are you referring here? The president of the Asia Society? The senior editor at Zagat? Julie Chen? Though I think your intent is to provoke, it's absurd to say that Americans can't talk about food. It's offensive, in fact, to this food writer -- young though I may be. Perhaps you mispoke or overlooked the real issue: Most of Food Network's audience doesn't want to hear much more from the judges than "Delicious" or "Overcooked". Most substantial comments are either edited out or killed before they begin by the show's producers. ("OK, keep your comments short, Jeffrey. We don't want you to recount the origins of masa in response to Bobby's tamale.")

Hi Robyn, I can't keep track of who was in which episode, but the women I've seen thus far are Julie Chen, a host of the CBS morning show; the president of the Asia Society (most recent episode); Nina Zagat; the president of KB Network News, a PR firm; and Victoria Von Biel, executive editor of Bon Appetit.

I was walking to Fairway yesterday and stopped by Dinosaur for a snack. Don't shop on an empty stomach, they say--so, you see, I had to! It was 3:30, and my mac & cheese and pulled pork were luke warm. The "simmered greens" were hot and good, though I didn't appreciate the three tiny cubes of carrot on top. After reading consistently positive reviews about the pork, I expected better than my somewhat dry, un-porky pork. This summer, thanks to Sir Varmint, I had a taste of the real thing, so I was disappointed.

You'd be surprised how often cooks' bare fingers touch your food in restaurant kitchens -- no-star to three-star kitchens. Fingers are licked as well. edit: Didn't see Jake's comment. Right on, Jake. It deserves note that Steingarten is the only judge who when the camera zooms out doesn't have his hands folded in his lap. He's always eating! As for any lack of detail in his comments, his reputation precedes him; he doesn't have to explain why he likes or doesn't like a dish. If he says it's lacking, I trust that it's lacking. And I have no doubt if he were given the time he could go on for an hour about each dish. As for his cattiness, I haven't noticed it. But I'd welcome it if he would engage the other judges, who on the whole have been either unqualified or clueless. Senior editor at Zagat--What an amazing job of marketing that company has done.

I know you can at Yasuda, and I can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to at Kuruma. Can't wait to read your report!

Sripraphai Tipmanee owns Sripraphai.

The two times I went to Kuruma for lunch, the bar was almost empty. At Yasuda, you can definitely get a seat at the bar at lunch, it just might not be at Yasuda's end of the bar.

I had something like that at Mina Foods once and loved it. Achar gosht, perhaps? I'll try it and report back. ← Achar gosht it was. Despite a bad cold, I had a great dinner at Angon yesterday with three friends. Achar gosht -- big tender chunks of lamb in a thick, intense sauce that tastes of subdued mango pickles -- tasted just as I remembered it at Mina Foods. I had never tried alu dom, potatoes sauced with mlid, slightly sweet Indian cottage cheese, but it was a perfect foil for fiery shrimp dopeaja. One of the cool things at Angon is that each time you order a dish, it's comes to you slightly different. For instance, the halim last night had big pieces of lime in it. Shrimp dopeaja is always different, though I can't put my finger on exactly how. We had two orders of halim, an order of amazing vegetable pakora, fish biriyana, achar gosht, alu dom, shrimp dopeaja, and nan -- more than enough food for $25 per person. I was also happy to see the dining room nearly full when I got there at 8 and stay that way until I left at around 10:45. A few groups even arrived for dinner at 10:30.

Oh no! I really like her food. Now I'll have to find her again. Pearl's chef is Rebecca Charles, but I'm not sure about Mary's (which by the way is opening a branch in Brooklyn). Amy Scherber at Amy's Bread Lidia Bastianich! Odette Fada at San Domenico (is she still there?) Nancy Olson, pastry chef at Django and BLT Fish Mina Azad at Angon on the Sixth Katy Sparks, ex-Compass (where is she now?) Arlene Weston at Maroon's Norma Jean Darden at Miss Mamie's

Maybe we can help without finding a list. 50 Carmine - Sara Jenkins Annisa - Anita Lo Sapa - Patricia Yeo Le Madri -- Patti Jackson Here's an article Andrea Strong wrote on the subject for TONY. How about pastry chefs? Do they count?

I had something like that at Mina Foods once and loved it. Achar gosht, perhaps? I'll try it and report back.

Hey, I missed this post -- thanks, bpearis! Has anyone been lately. I'm hoping to go within the next few days. I'd like to try something new - I can't stop with the halim and shrimp dopeaja. Any other dishes you recommend, bpearis?

Sounds like a curry. Ditto the recommendation for Bangkok Grocery. I was there the other day and that had everything on your list, though the kefir limes where frozen. I bought some of their imported curry paste - Nittaya, the brand is called -- and made an excellent red curry.

Absolutely! One of the best things about eating in front of a great sushi chef is the interaction. It's not for everyone, but if you're curious and enthusiastic -- as you are -- then it makes for a uniquely educative experience. Don't decide this without trying Sushi Yasuda!

Bastard.

He's doing it again this year. And giving a sakura-themed dinner at James Beard House to launch it.

Deluxe Food Market (79 Elizabeth Street) has most parts of chickens, cows, ducks, and pigs. Good quality, too. ← Yeah, but how can you ever tell what the parts that you're looking at? My wife and I go with her father (he's Cantonese) and half the time he can't get a straight answer about what a given cut of meat is... ← I remember there being signs in English identifying the meat. But I do remember these signs being cryptic. The only time I actually bought anything there -- I usually just roam around looking at the duck tongues and preserved quails -- I succeeded in identifying and purchasing pork liver and pork shoulder.

On the corner of Mott St., I think it is Hop Sing or Woo Hop. On the side is a little stand, that this women used to sell hot asian sweet ????? idun know but they are good! Can somebody help me here?! Anybody JP FG HELP! ← I had some turnip cake around there on Friday after a trip to Bangkok Grocery, that great little Thai grocer on Mosco. I also grabbed a few dumplings from the branch of Fried Dumpling on Mosco. The awful specimens I had confirmed what Steven wrote somewhere upthread: If you go to the 5-for-a-dollar places when they're busy and get dumplings straight from the skillet, you're golden. If the dumplings have been sitting around for a while, as mine clearly had been on Friday...

What sort of food stores are in Takashimaya? I've never been to the one in New York -- the one only in Tokyo. Thanks, Pumpkin Lover.

Does anyone have an idea about where I could find cherry blossoms in New York? I'm not sure if they're sold fresh here, but salted or otherwise preserved would be fine. I've tried Katagiri and Sunrise Mart.

Deluxe Food Market (79 Elizabeth Street) has most parts of chickens, cows, ducks, and pigs. Good quality, too.