jogoode

db is now serving a choucroute on Mondays says nymetro.com's Restaurant Insider, which for some reason I can't figure out how to link. I had heard they were serving choucroute a month ago and asked when I went. They said they weren't. I'd really like to try it.

I didn't know that! I thought the hero-boy part was the main shop's sandwich offshoot. Now I have to do some comparing, huh?

As long as the bread's good, I'll give it a shot and try hard to compose a sandwich that's not too salty. I don't think Levine mentioned it. But I can't get to the NY Times article because it has become pay only. We need to make a list on eGullet of his recommendations for bagels, heroes, ice cream, etc. An "Ed Levine recommends" thread. Heroes that I can remember Brooklyn Bread Caputo's Melampo Mike's Deli That place in Queens that looked awesome Salumeria Biellese (though the good stuff might only be accessible to those in the know -- and not me)

Overly salty, that's very bad. How was the bread?

I agreed with Asimov that many of the dishes are way undersalted. The soups especially. On another note, I went back to Zaytoon's for my shawarma sandwich. After I got the sandwich, I noticed that there was no enormous hunk of shawarna spinning on the rotisserie, next to the spinning chicken shawarma. When I got home and started to eat the sandwich, the meaty tasted pasty, almost mealy.

I finally made it to Melampo, on a quiet block on Sullivan Street, last week. I had such a simple, wonderful sandwich: just mozzarella, capicolla and arugula with Melampo's awesome vinaigrette on crusty semolina. I'll certainly be back to Melampo, but I overheard a customer, a regular, praise the sandwiches at Manganaro, in Hell's Kitchen. Manganaro is near my office, but I don't want to make the trip without someone else's recommendation. I did a search on eGullet and found only mentions of the place. Anyone?

Katy Sparks now heads the Compass kitchen, replacing Andelbradt, according to the NY Times. She's changing the menu...

I agree, though I'd have to try more of the menu to make a general judgment. I say that only because of my jonah crab appetizer, which was mostly about the crab to me. Yet for me everything else, especially the Maya shrimp app, approached the "new taste" that Bux referred to in his last post.

Thanks for reinvigorating this thread, eatyououtofhouseandhome. (I think you might be one of the only eGullet members who has a user name that cries for a nickname. ) Recently, I've been going to Zaytoon's, the Middle Eastern place on Smith. I had THE BEST shawarma sandwich there a few days ago for dinner. The meat was tasty and juicy with charred edges. In general, the meat they serve is cooked nicely and is aggressively seasoned. The pitas there are great and I love their labneh (combined with mint and topped with olive oil), moudardra and foul (pronounced "fool", not "fa-OOL" as I've being saying it). Their menu describes the moudardra as a "Palestinian" dish of rice, lentils and onions. Theirs is the most rice-intensive version I've had, with very few lentils. The other version I'm familar with is that at Kalustyan's, which is largely lentils. Pan, or anyone, any idea whether there is a Palestinian version that is mostly rice? I enjoyed there Kibbeh, too, though it was my first time eating Kibbeh so I can't judge its relative quality. There pitzas, however, look a little cheesy. In Gourmet's New York issue, it highlighted Sunset Park Mexican. I've done only a little exploring there. Anyone have any favorites?

Thanks, Joe. The huckleberries were, on the menu, "mountain huckleberries." Huckleberries on mountains are always in season, didn't you know that? As for white asparagus, what is its season? I've heard chefs can get it from France, Italy and Germany, but I'm not sure what the temperatures are like in these places now. Any ideas?

Her birthday is earlier in March, but we can only celebrate that weekend. She'll let me loose, though, I think.

I had a fine lunch at Citarella yesterday. My buddy and I chose to order pre fixe, which at $35 was a great value. I ordered oysters, which were large an very tasty. My friend ordered the calamari; it was lightly breaded and mixed up with chopped pickled hot peppers, cubes of serrano ham and frisee. The squid was tender but the breading could have been crisper and a few of the pieces of ham were tough. The flavor of the dish, however, was well balanced and addictive. I had redfish in "hot and sour" broth. Since I was expecting hot and sour, I was upset when it was neither hot nor sour. But the more I slurped it, the more I liked its complexity. I tried to guess what was in it, but coriander was all I could come up with. It came with skinned cherry tomatoes, which were surprisingly very flavorful (isn't summer tomato season?), water spinach and hon shimeji mushrooms. The water spinach and the mushrooms were both limp and lacking a bit in flavor, but I still enjoyed the dish overall. My friend's skate was awesome, though the "grain mustard sauce" tasted only a little of mustard -- chervil (or tarragon) dominated. The thin, but not skimpy, piece of skate was very fresh and cooked well. The mussels, artichokes and shitakes scattered around the skate were welcome additions. I had a warm chocolate cake that must have used seriously high quality chocolate, because it was far from the one-dimensional chocolate sludge the warm chocolate cake usually brings. The other dessert was a warm vanilla cake (a cakier cake ) with good vanilla ice cream and vanilla gelee flavored with citrus. Interesting textures, temperatures, flavors. Comfortable place, too. It all felt very casual.

Ah, Babbo! Good point, Soba. I was trying to think of a casual three star.

On Monday, I had lunch at Oceana with slkinsey. I had been planning to go for a long time, and couldn't because of work. I was hoping to meet the chef, Mr. Gallagher, but he wasn't there. Despite that, slkinsey and I had a great lunch. I didn't take notes, so I'm sure I've omitted or distorted some of the components of our dishes. I tried to use the online menu only when I was at a loss, because I'm not sure how current it is. I started with the salad of jonah crab. This was the finest crab dish I've had at a three/four star: the crab's taste was very clear and amplified by the "herb veloute" surrounding it. I detected tiny stripes of blackish-purple in the deep-green veloute, which I think was olive puree. Small touches like that showed up throughout the meal – we clearly didn't try every dish but I would guess that these touches appear in most of Gallagher's creations, surprising the diner and making each bite slightly different. (Mrs. B, posting back in June about her meal at Oceana felt similarly about the Rollettes of Diver Sea Scallops (not on the menu now)). She said: Arranged around the mound of crab were balls of piquillo pepper, each about the size of a small marble. They were subtly sweet, cool and added textural contrast to the crab. On top of the crab was a beautiful, thin shaving of dried piquillo pepper (it might have been the skin) that was shaped to resemble a crown or a rose. I dismissed it as silly garnish until I tasted it: here the taste of the pepper was concentrated, sweet and smoky. Another surprise in both texture and taste. slkinsey had the tartare of yellowfin tuna, with horseradish sorbet and marinated daikon radish. I wrangled a bite and thought it was an excellent tartare, which is so often the dullest option for an appetizer, one of the most exciting I've tried. The fish was cut into cubes, about 1/3-1/2 of an inch, and therefore retained a meaty texture. The daikon was tender and acidic. The taste of horseradish and the chill of the sorbet were welcome surprises. (The online menu lists the sorbet in its description of the dish. While we were eating, however, Sam and I weren't sure where the horseradish taste was coming from. I used to like memorizing the menu's descriptions of the dishes I chose, so I could identify exactly what I was eating; now I find it's more fun to try to forget what's coming, so I'm surprised by what I get.) Sam and I first thought the flavor of horseradish was coming from the tiny cubes of dark green gelee he found as he toppled the tartare. But we couldn't tell exactly what those cubes were, but, to me, they were another example of Gallagher trying to make every bite different. The taste of horseradish, by the way, was stronger than it usually is in haute dishes, assertive and nose-filling without crossing the line and dominating the dish. We were given an extra course of roasted "Maya" shrimp.(This article from The Wine Spectator tells us that they're from the Pacific coast of Guatemala.) The shrimp were very sweet and cooked until they were tender enough to cut with only a bit of pressure from a fork. They were served with curry oil (British-style, curry-powder curry, I think), cauliflower puree, two deep-red segments of blood orange. Underneath the two shrimp were little shreds of something acidic that I couldn't identify (the online dinner menu suggests that these might have been pickled ramps.) I loved this course and thought it was a great contrast to our cold apps, warming and richer. On to mains… Both of us had a very difficult time turning down butter cooked sturgeon with white asparagus and cardoons. If (when) I return, I'll be sure to try that dish. For the main, Sam had halibut -- with hen of the woods, truffled grits and brussels sprouts in a chicken liver jus -- was excellent. I had only a bite, but that chicken liver jus was reduced so much that it had Sam constantly sticking his spoon in and smiling as the sauce coated the spoon. I didn't love the combination of skate and pastrami, like I thought I would. But the mustard emulsion was excellent and I would have liked more of it and less of the sweet huckleberry sauce. Hidden under the large piece of skate, bursting with pastrami, were walnuts (or pecans, I couldn't tell), a surprising, dense crunch. The cabbage was silken and portions on the outside of the skate were crisped. A very interesting dish, overall. We also ate lots of bread, which was all great, especially a very sour sourdough. The wine list is a lot of fun to look through; I like to ogle the big names. But it also offered at least 50 half bottles, and modestly priced fulls. We ordered a half bottle of a nicely acidic Trimbach Riesling 1999, which our great waiter helped us pick. The service was seamless: completely unintrusive and very helpful. (Surprising because I thought, on the whole, the servers and hosts were unusually young.) I was also impressed with Carmichael's desserts. On a triangular plate, with four equal-sized triangle sections, the hot chocolate trio featured an ultra-light chocolate fritter, coated with sugar and sitting in a pool of red fruit syrup. (Guesses as to what red fruit it was, anyone?) A perfect little warm chocolate cake waded in a passion fruit syrup, and a chocolate pot de creme -- without any embellishment -- was the richest I've had. The section in the middle contained an extremely high-fat vanilla ice cream, perched on a tiny tart shell. Sam had a sticky toffee pudding with walnut ice cream and pomegranate sauce. The bite I had was great, but I'll let Sam describe this one, and the halibut. The kitchen also sent out a third dessert(!): a huckleberry creme brulee, which our waiter said was Oceana's signature dessert. It was wonderfully rich, but tart huckleberry syrup helped me eat more of it than I thought I could -- though at this point in the meal I was ready to pass out from fullness. Does anyone else feel more stuffed than usual after a meal at one of these places? I could finish thirty of the appetizers, but once the mains and desserts come... There should be an appetizer tasting menu -- does anyone know if that would mean a lot more work for the kitchen? The lunch lasted about two hours and was well paced. If I could've stayed for another half hour without eating, I would have done it all again.

That weekend is the weekend I'll be celebrating my girlfriend's birthday. And she can't even look at the photo Sam took of the spicy beef tendon, so I doubt our offal excursion would make a good birthday present. But if we plan carefully, I'm there!

Scott, sorry if I'm not understanding you, but Bux tried to emphasize that Le Bernardin is NOT a simple seafood place that, as you say, "rings the best wholesaler in town." Further, that list bit trivializes, in my opinion, the task of the chef's developing relationships with fisherman and wholesalers. As far as I know, Esca, for ex, serves very simple seafood, but if you think that all Pasternack is doing is calling a wholesaler and ordering some fish, you are way off. Secondly, I do believe you're experience at Le Bernardin was underwhelming. I don't think anyone is doubting that. But I would recommend returning, despite the expense -- maybe for lunch. The barely cooked salmon at LB, and the bass in peking duck bullion, are dishes I'll remember for a very long time.

I am almost positive it will turn out to be Affidélices. This is a specialty cheese made by Fromagerie Berthaut in Bourgogne, which makes some of the best Epoisses to be had. Essentially, Affidélices is an Epoisses de Bourgogne that is washed with Chablis instead of marc. It is also a little smaller. I have found excellent examples of Affidélices at Fairway on 74th street. I'd be surprised if it the owner included any cheeses that weren't Italian, but you never know. Also, I'm not sure how he'd serve a small portion of an Affidelice, since that cheese is so runny.

The small plate is $10 and gives you 5 cheeses. Then there is a larger one for $20 and an enormous one for something like $35.

Made it to Celeste this weekend. Probably my seventh time there and I still haven't tried that tagliatelle, pecorino, shrimp and cabbage dish. I can't not order the Paccheri Vesuviana: "large tubular shaped pasta with ricotta and tomato." The fritto misto di pesce, with squid, shrimp and an entire small mullet was as light and greaseless as ever. I had the small cheese plate. Since the owner wasn't there -- tending to Bianca, perhaps -- the waitress told us we could feel free to eat the cheeses in any order . I received no description of the cheeses, but an assortment of the same high quality. I showed up at 7:30 on a Saturday and got a table for two in 5 minutes, though the restaurant was busy, as usual. They offer about 12-14 wines by the glass, all $5. Total for two was about $60.

I've stumbled into both of those pork dishes during my delivery at work odysseys. Great dishes, though they could both use those rice cakes because that bacon-pork (it's pork belly, right?) is rich. Going with six people would be great -- unfortunately I've done the exact opposite, ordering one or two dishes by myself for lunch and eating the leftovers for dinner. The sour strings and the kung bao are the only dishes I've ordered more than once. Never had the cabbage with red oil, only without. You're down for a trip soon, Soba?

Actually, judging from past accounts of his eating prowess, I think his presence means you could have doubled your number of dishes ordered. I doubt I'd live up to my rep at GSI. At Sichuan, pizza and fancy places, I can never make an impressive showing -- unless you promise we can stay all night. I really need to try that tofu and that rice cake dish. Do you try to order a couple of "greatest hits" everytime you go? It's so great to finally have pictures on this thread...

Very nice pics, Sam! The beef fillets in chili sauce looks like it works better at the restaurant than delivered, when it is bathing in that red oil. Wish I could've come. Next time...

Very cool!

Pampano I ate at Pampano Taqueria a while ago. It was good, not great. I just read you review in the previous posting. I was hoping that you would have reported on one of the fish tacos. It seems like the review in the post was really pushing the quality of the fish there. Which makes sense because of pampano's focus on seafood in the higher end restaurant. Did you get a feel for any of the seafood there? That's good to know. I'm not sure where I'd heard about the place. But it wasn't the Post. Too bad, because I would have given the fish or shrimp tacos a try. Maybe I should go back.

Mantis shrimp is often served bearing roe -- because of this, I've heard, the female is more desirable to chefs. Sounds like a very interesting place. Is there an omakase with a focus on sushi? If the regular menu predominantly cooked dishes or sushi?