jogoode

I was given a small glass of the wine with biscotti. It was extremely sweet. I can't say I know anything else about it. Sorry, Brad.

Thanks, guys. Is every wine you drink with dessert considered a sticky? I tried passito for the first time yesterday and it impressed me as very sticky -- and also not particularly interesting -- the way a late harvest wine served for dessert does not.

Hey, that sounds really good. What's in it, just syrup and cream?

I like such specific questions. Markk, are you just craving a simple lobster dish or do you have another intention? A few weeks ago, I had broiled lobster, served with corn on the cob, at Blue Ribbon Bakery. It was good, but far from great. When I want to satisfy a craving for lobster I usually go for a lobster roll, though I know that's very different from what you're looking for.

Glad you had a good experience, Soba. How was the lamb tongue served?

Ahhh, now I get it. Thanks, balmagowry! Whenever I come across any talk of fried clams on Holly Moore's Website, I've noticed that he mentions whether the restaurant/shack includes the clam belly in the fried clams. I thought that the belly was some extra, tasty bit I had never eaten. But now I see why you might be annoyed if your there are no bellies in your fried clams.

Maybe the open kitchen will provide entertainment and you won't mind eating alone this time. I really like eating alone, especially if there's that kind of entertainment (i.e. watching sushi chef). Are morels a spring thing in NY? I can't wait for Canora to get a hold of them.

loper, How do you pronounce geoduck? I've just been saying GEO-duck. Your answer will save me a world of embarassment...

Thanks for all the info, everyone! I definitely enjoyed eating the siphon. And I'm excited to go back to the oyster bar and eat my whole bucket the right way. Now, how do I know if my clams have their bellies attached? On a few of the clams' bodies, I noticed a black, shiny thing. Was this the belly? And are razor clams those that look more like rods than clams? If so, I had my first in Italy this summer. I was in Liguria when I ate them, but later in my trip I also saw them wash up on the coast of the Adriatic. I enjoy geoducks when they're the topping for nigiri sushi; they are called mirugai (in Romanji). I also like akagai, often called "ark shell clam" in English. Any info on ark shells?

So I order a bucket of steamers last night, at a respected oyster bar, and I get very tasty clams but also a lot of unpleasant grit. Beside the bucket, on my plate, were a little cup of clarified butter and a mug full of clammy broth. I tried different methods to avoid the grit. For example, I thought that if I soaked each clam in the broth, I would get rid of the grit but that didn't work. Soon I realized that I'd been gobbling the entire clam, each of which had what looked like a funny little black tail. For some reason, I started holding the "tail" between my fingers and eating the clams. As I pulled on the clam with my teeth while pinching the tail hard, the clam and tail went in my mouth, leaving between my fingers a part of the tail -- it was like I removed the tail from its sheath. When I ate the steamers this way, poof, no more grit! Did I stumble upon the right way to eat a steamer, by avoiding this gritty portion, or did I miss something obvious? Or did the restaurant fail to properly clean the clam? How do you guys eat them? (I enjoyed dipping the clam in butter much more than I thought I would.)

Thanks for the notes, futronic! Were all of these wines were sampled at a tasting or were some purchased? Also, what is a "sticky"? Sorry to ask you two such a neophyte question, but I've seen this written a couple of times recently on the site and am interested to know what it refers to. Thanks.

bourdain, How long was the meal?

Hi silentbob. There aren't four different menus, but four different categories from which to choose on the menu. So, you can mix and match. More than a few people here have recommended ordering a tasting menu, though I'm not sure if you can lose either way you go. Has anyone ordered from Le Voyage, the part of the menu that focuses on the cuisine of a particular country? I've always wanted to see what Carmellini does with these dishes, but I think it makes more sense to explore the French options first.

Thank you, Ed. When the weather is better, I hope to explore more of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge. Any notable Chinese spots on 8th Ave in Sunset Park ,or in the Avenue X Chinatown?

Here is a link to Kathleen's excellent article. (Registration takes thirty seconds.)

Sorry if this was obvious to everyone else, but I just found out the difference between "freshly killed chicken" and regular chicken. A friend was asked on the phone whether he'd like "fresh or frozen" Au Zhou chicken! When it was put that way, my friend, usually a cheap skate, lunch-special orderer, chose fresh. They never ask me whether I'd like fresh or frozen; I always tell them what I'd like.

I'll add to our list the excellent grilled sweetbreads I had at Argentine Pavillion a couple of days ago.

Mr. Cutlets says La Focacceria, 128 1st Ave. I think the sandwich costs less than $3!

Aha! Will they serve me all the apps at once or might they serve 5 apps as five courses? Now back to Veritas...I'm excited to go and sit at the bar. How were the sweetbreads?

Hi Lreda, I've always wondered whether ordering a lot of appetizers instead of an app and a main, as I always want to do but never try to do, is hard on the kitchen. I imagine that you're a good person to ask! Is an all-appetizer dinner or lunch a reasonable request to make? Is it better to do at the bar or a table? Thanks!

There is one small table, but almost everyone takes out. I sat at the table and watched the line form. Since customers seem to come in waves, you can probably sit on an off hour.

Sam, This is the method you were telling me about at the whiskey dinner, right? It looks incredible.

That NJ butcher shop was profiled in their November issue. I have it at home and will try to dig it up for you when I get back from work. For future inquiries regarding Saveur, give their office a call and they'll help you find the shop. They are great about helping subscribers and readers seek out information about past issues.

I have to hit this place this summer, during the final leg of my planned two-month-long road trip! Really though, Varmint, posting those pics is a mean trick to play on me, languishing in NYC without pitmasters or mustard greens.

I've hit a couple of the grease trucks. Last time I was in New Brunswick, it seemed like every pizza shop/deli was serving "Fat" sandwiches, at least twenty different versions. A few years ago, rumor had it that if you finished something like three of those sandwiches within a certain amount of time you got one of your own creation named after you. That might explain the proliferation of sandwiches names and types -- I only remember seeing ten a few years ago. A good grease truck sandwich can be the ultimate eatin-like-a-college-kid indulgence, but a bad grease truck sandwiches is really bad! -JJG, fellow ex-New Jerseyan