jogoode

They sell both, as well as heroes and pasta, like Di Fara.

You weren't kidding when you said weekly! Must have just missed you on Monday. I was there with six other people and the check was about $100. Can't beat that. Food was great, as usual, but with the rennovation, the room has lost its charm.

Agreed! They're awesome. And, as you said, one of the great things about them is the owner's willingness to take requests and order things for you.

Looks great, Kristin! I'll have to give it a shot. Do recommend going light or heavy on the umeboshi?

Dude. You go to Peter Luger, and you have a burger? ← Hey, you have to have something to accompany your porterhouse instead of that odd tomato-onion salad. And it's only $6!

It is green and was cooked with pork. But different piece of this vegetable were different shades of green, which makes me think it might be a green onion. But then again the pieces were wider than those of green onion. Maybe it was a leek. The Enchanted pork was like double cooked pork, except the meat wasn't as fatty. The waitress said the Enchanted pork meat was from a fatty portion of the leg, whereas (though you might know better than I would know) double cooked pork is made using meat from the belly.

I see this vegetable often, but I'm never sure what it is. I asked a waitress a few nights ago, while I was eating a dish of "Enchanted Pork," littered with this vegetable. It looks like it's been cut from a stalk. I typically see it cut into little, flat green rhombuses. It could very well be a regular old leek, but I can't tell. Any ideas?

Welcome, Benito! I've passed by Lucien countless times and have always wanted to try it. Here's Asimov's review from 1998. Another one I've always wanted to try is Quercy, in Brooklyn.

This just in... Source: Teuwen One Image Chef Roussel will serve his version of Galette des Rois from 3 January 2005 to 9 January 2005, during "the week of Epiphany." Seven fifty per slice; whole cakes are $42 and serve six.

And there's Gavroche.

I agree, menton1! Here's one thread that discusses bistros. A new bistro, Jolie, has recently opened in Brooklyn, on Atlantic Ave. Bacchus is another bistro on Atlantic, a little farther east. In the same basic area, there are a ton of bistros on Smith Street, only one of which I've tried: Bar Tabac. It's dark and cozy, and served me a good skirt steak.

Hey, what did I do?

Typically, chefs in the US don't have access to most of the highest quality toro (from Japan, Long Island, Spain, where ever), because Japanese chefs are willing to pay so much more for it (and can get a lot more for it in Japan). Of course, when you have clientele willing to pay Kuruma's prices, you can compete with Japanese buyers and get premium fish. As for Masa, he's not serving nearly as much fish for sushi as Yasuda and Kuruma, because of his menu and because of customer volume. Now, caviar, truffles, and fugu seem to be a larger part of his cost. And Todd36, have you any experience judging frozen tuna against fresh? As I understand it, the high-tech freezing doesn't noticably affect quality, when the freezing and defrosting are done right. So how much does it matter that tuna is frozen? I've seen a sushi chef freeze a giant clam to -83 degrees and bring it back to life by defrosting it! For fun, from Tsukiji: Whole tunas, frozen Blocks of frozen tuna

Here is the second Japanese reference to garlic's effect on stamina that I've heard. Do some Japanese believe that garlic increases one's stamina?

I like Ba Xuyen (4222 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn 718.633.6601) for banh mi. One of the best bangs for your buck this side of Dumpling House. But today I tried the "classic" at Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches (150 2nd Street, East Village) and was very impressed. I'm happy to see this thread. I don't typically seek out Vietnamese in NY, because I've never heard an unequivocal rave. (Can't afford to be a trail blazer.) I used to like a little Vietnamese place near my college, in Poughkeepsie, NY. It's called, surprisingly, Saigon Cafe.

I thought I'd bring this up again, Robyn, because I glanced for a second time at the TONY article and noticed a box at the bottom that noted that for the price of the author's Masa meal, one could fly to Tokyo or purchase an old Cadillac, or something like that. But if he's not a sushi chef... ← He makes a piece or two of damn good sushi as part of the dinner set. More to the point, I know he can make sushi if he wants to....(I have an inside source). He's a general chef, which is the same thing I think Masa is. I don't want to start a new thread, but Mr. Sugiyama I think received most of his training at a very famous hotel kitchen, where they served all sorts of fancy stuff. The man who owns Donguri (recently reviewed in the NYT) trained in the same kitchen, although I understand their seniority level was different. I don't know where Masa trained. There are a finite number of very high end Japanese places, even in Japan, and it seems the top chefs trained at a small number of places ← Thank for this info, Todd36 -- really interesting stuff!

But if he's not a sushi chef...

My understanding of the menu and the circles is that everything is of the highest quality otherwise he would not serve it. The cirlces denote the items he is especially fond of, has small quantities of, or are incredibly seasonal. ← Aha! That makes sense.

One of the problems with having the price conversation is that it often dissolves into "I've had this and I think it's worth it" and then "I've had it too and it's not worth it" and then "I've never had it but it could be worth it." The argument ends at what Foodman said: "who am I to tell you you are wrong if you decide to spend your paycheck on it." Unless we can talk about Masa's inconsistencies in service and quality, which I've barely heard mentioned, then we are talking only about whether one person is willing to pay X much for this food. To you a $500 dinner can conceivably be worth it; to my dad, it can't -- period. That is not to say that it isn't enjoyable to discuss our opinions. I can't relate to the "That much just for sushi!" logic. It's a subjective matter, yes, but I leave my favorite sushi bar happier than when I spend comparable amounts on meals at the French and Italian big boys. And to bring out a whole other bag of worms, for all this talk about high priced toro, it should be said that fish is only part of the equation. I've gone to both Kuruma and Yasuda, but prefer Yasuda, because I prefer the chef's rice. I'm not interested in going to Masa -- though Ruhlman's right, if I could afford it I'd be plenty interested in going there and everywhere. For my money, I avoid the pricier cuts of fish at my sushi bar, and I'm definitely not interested in having truffles, foie gras, and caviar anywhere near my sushi.

Let's not do this. You can get sushi dinner from a convenience store for $10; you can spent $300 on dinner at any of the big sushi places. Are they 30 times better? Can you possibly quantify intrinsic worth? Masa is expensive. The question is are you willing to spend that much on what Masa is serving. Mr. Ruhlman is -- he says it is one of his favorite restaurants in NY. If you are willing to spend over $300 a person at ADNY, you can't claim that Masa's prices are outrageous. (Not that you necessarily are claiming that, Robyn , and I'm not trying to single you out.) The question is, Is Masa succeeding at serving what it claims to serve: an experience so good that it warrants the high cost? Unless you've gone multiple times, as the TONY author has or as Mr. Ruhlman has (I assume), it's hard to judge. That's why there are few reliable arbiters of this matter.

The author of the piece is Maile Carpenter, the food editor of Time Out New York. I thought the piece was great -- enjoyable, I mean. (I've never been to Masa, so I can't attest to its accuracy. But I don't think that people, media or not, are being untruthful when they give negative reviews.) What qualifies you, Ruhlman, to say Masa's so great...Oh, right. This is one of the few negative reviews of Masa I've seen in the media. Surprising given the typical response to a restaurant charging this much.

I'm so happy you enjoyed your meal, and thanks for your report! I don't understand the circles. He always often suggests fish that aren't circled, which is consistent with his "if it's not the highest quality I won't serve it" philosophy. So why does he circle certain items? I enjoy that, too! Sometimes, the scallops get sea salt and lemon or daidai. Man, I need to go back...

Dinosaur has never been pretty. ← Hey, I'm not complaining -- if it were pretty, I wouldn't go!

Passed by on my way to Fairway today. The place is not pretty from the outside; it blends in with the block, which is kind of cool. But as I passed it I smelled wood smoke, a wonderful relief from the fishy smell at any other point during the walk. Still, I love that block because of the stunning visual effect created by the overpass that runs with the street. People were in the restaurant, and music was blaring. I hope it's good!

Definitely the green beans!