jogoode

Not that this is necessarily significant, but the Thai book I cook from is by an Australian author, David Thompson. The cilantro I buy comes with the roots attached, and I have for years been throwing them out! I'll have to go with your strategy, snowangel, and use them whenever I can.

I've been making a some Thai food lately with my new mortar and pestle -- though I'm still working up to attempting a curry paste. Probably a silly question, but many of the recipes I have call for cilantro root -- is this simply the little root I see when I buy cilantro at the market? What other cuisines use the root and how do they use it? Why is it preferable in some recipes to the leaves or stems?

That's right near me. Thanks! I've never seen cauliflower as big as the one you mentioned. And green peanuts? Sounds like they sell some pretty interesting stuff. Sorry if I missed this but where is the market at 97th? That would be a lot easier for me than Union Square. ← It's on 97th between Columbus and Amsterdam, north side of street, closer to columbus. It's held of Friday morning. Despite the rain, I went to market this morning. And my trip to a long time because I was chatting with all the farmers. Came home feeling soggy and loaded down with stuff: A massive cauliflower from Kernan Farms. It's bigger than some small dogs!! Assorted apples from Locust Grove. Some are for eating, others for applesauce. Carrots and green peanuts from Bialas Farms. I got the last bag of peanuts. They're done for the season. Apparently they were a major hit and they plan of growing them next year. A raisin-walnut loaf and onion rolls. Allen also tossed in a loaf of 8-grain, just because. By the way, the week of Thanksgiving, the market will be held of Wed, Nov 24th instead of the usual Friday. ←

Sorry if I missed this but where is the market at 97th? That would be a lot easier for me than Union Square.

I had a great meal at Oliveto when I was in California this summer. I'm from New York, so I can't provide rate Oliveto in context. But here's a picture of the chef's salumi; perhaps it will tip the scale!

If I was going to try to get a bead on a new Greek place, I'd look at the grilled fish and the octupus, looking for freshness, quality of preparation and simplicity. ← This restaurant is a bit different in concept than the Greek I'm used to -- it doesn't serve simple grilled fish, unless grilled branzino with braised veal, artichokes, dandelion greens and avgolemono counts as simple .

If Onera's still serving that offal tasting, I'd try that. But that's probably not the best way to get a sense of the place. Gael Greene mentioned the raw meze and the "open" moussaka as standouts. Please tell us how it is -- I'm very curious.

I agree with the eel suggestion. Though everything you get will be great, the eel at Yasuda is just so different from the pre-cooked, warmed-in-a-toaster-oven variety that you find at even supposedly "good" sushi places that it's worth your making sure you order it. Also, Yasuda is a tuna specialist, so try a few grades and types of toro. All this Yasuda talk is killing me, so I made a reservation for dinner next week. . It has been too long...

Thanks, all: You've saved my pancetta! I am actually surprised that pancetta keeps so long in the fridge. I had thought that since it's not smoked it would have a significantly shorter fridge-life than smoked bacon.

I assume pancetta, or anything with a high fat content, doesn't take well to freezing. Am I wrong? I can't eat any more of this pancetta! (Well, I can but I shouldn't.)

I thought I was the only one crazy enough to take pictures of convenience store food! I was very impressed with the food in the Japanese "convenies" (as my friend in Japan calls them). I had a few good breakfasts -- mostly inari sushi, futomaki and onigiri -- while I was in Japan. Also, most of the supermarkets I visited, including those in Fukui-ken, where I stayed for ten days of my trip, had food of higher quality than we have here in similar supermarkets in the US. My friend suggested that the disparity had to do with Japan's more efficient system of food distribution, but he's not a reliable source. The selection in Tokyo: Breakfast on the ground:

I remember hearing about this place! Is that porchetta sandwich as good as it looks?

Thanks for this report, bpearis. I ate lunch there several weeks ago and was underwhelmed. The food was not as vibrantly spiced as it was at Mina. But it was still good. I had begun achaar (sweet pickled eggplant) and fish kofte curry (fish meatballs) When I mentioned to Mina (I think it was her) after the meal that the menu had changed, she said she'd be happy to make any dish from Mina's menu. I'm very happy to hear that it's finding its step. What is Halim, by the way?

Happy blogging, little ms foodie! We're all looking forward to getting a glimpse of your eating life .

This might sound silly but the right amount for omakase is whatever amount you'd like to spend. Higher price means more luxury, not better fish. I usually order five to ten pieces a la carte -- I can't leave without having uni, hotategai and mirugai. Then I ask Yasuda to suggest fish. I've never spent over $80 per person. Your first time there will be a revelation whatever you choose to spend.

It's no egg yolk ravioli -- thanks for the pictures, eunny! -- but I made my first carbonara tonight after lurking on this thread. I used pancetta, linguini (all I had on hand), one whole egg and an extra yolk, pecorino romano, and parmigiano. And ground pepper. It was very successful! I had some scallop scraps left over from the other night, so I seared them in the pancetta fat and added a little jus.

Sorry, emilymarie. I only know the Mexican food in Poughkeepsie, and I haven't eaten there in a few years. But if you plan to be in Poky, PM me and I'll tell you what I've got.

Sitting at Yasuda's end of the counter is where you want to be, and people compete for the pleasure. But I've heard from many reputable eaters that the other chefs are excellent, so don't despair if you can't get Yasuda. And please report here if you go, DanaT!

Absolutely! I'm planning my annual trip to Yasuda, so I was wondering what fish are in season now and were there any fish that the chefs were particularly excited about?

Thank for your report, Milla. This subject is one of great interest to me. Here are a few threads in which at least one of the two restaurants are discussed. Here and here. I applaud you for emphasizing the differences in the two restaurants and not coming up with a final verdict -- "Such-and-such is clearly the better of the two!" -- as I'm always tempted to do. I prefer Yasuda by a large margin, but don't think one is better than the other. I was not impressed by Kuruma's rice, and the piece of fish atop the rice is far too big for my taste. But I am ready to believe that different people prefer different rice. Do you think the quality of the fish at Kuruma was higher, or do you think that the sushi at Kuruma simply emphasizes the fish, while Yasuda's emphasize the rice? With bigger pieces, the flavor of the fish is more overt, but not necessarily better. Thanks again for sharing. It's rare to get anything approaching a blow-by-blow account of sushi meal. But just because there are more components to discuss in each dish at Per Se, doesn't mean I'd rather hear about each one than about each piece of sushi at Kuruma or Yasuda. And because there aren't a dozen components, I think that it is harder for a writer to summon a description of Yasuda's rice or nori that captures their pleasures.

I love my hometown and the quirky college campus where I spent more years than I should have, but you are better man than me for surviving 5 days in that coop. Great report. ← Did you mean to write coop or co-op -- not that there was much of a distinction in this particular co-op?

You could try to hit Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which is on your way. It might even be worth a whole day. And then you won't have to actually go to Poughkeepsie! But seriously, Poughkeepsie has some great Mexican food, if you end up not wanting a fancy dinner. Let me know if you're interesting and I'll post details.

Thanks, Dean! This reminds me that I'd do anything to score a copy of the picture menu. The last pic is beef panaeng. It's a ubiquitous dish, but done so well at Sripraphai. When they get it right -- when it's spicy enough, and therefore not overly sweet -- it is one of my favorites dishes.

I can accept Fat Guy's contention that the main review should be reserved for restaurants of a certain aesthetic. Sripraphai certainly doesn't fit into the historical aesthetic. Yet if it's in the $25 and Under, it doesn't get the right treatment in my mind. I want it to be handled by someone who is already credible to me. So, as he also suggests, perhaps it belongs in a feature or one of Ed Levine's incomparable round ups. That way, it reaches its intended audience and gets the space and analysis it deserves. I am still not convinced, however, that Sri's being reviewed represents an assault on the star system. It just means that on those rare occasions when Bruni reviews a best-of-its-kind joint you have to adjust your conception of star ratings. Not so hard.

Are you calling my dad funny looking? Because if you are I'll kick your ass.