jogoode

Aside from the taro leaves, kare kare, and seafood noodles, we had milkfish with tomato, onions and ginger, pork with liver sauce, and lumpia. The pork with liver sauce, in a very sweet vinegary sauce (I guess it had liver in it, too), was my favorite of those last three dishes. As for taro leaves, it seems oxalic acid is the irritation culprit. To avoid incidents like Steingarten's, the leaves have to be boiled for a long time before they're eaten. I don't know why the taro dish tasted so African, but it did. I supposed I've only eaten them in an African food context (Nigerian, perhaps?), but I don't remember when exactly. They have a neutral taste, like collards or chard, but, judging from this dish alone, they taste earthier, almost musty. Does anyone know anything about how African countries prepare taro leaves? Mapquest works. The restaurant is near (I think right next to) Zabb Thai, the Northern Thai place I've been dying to go to. Actually, Robert and I were supposed to eat there, but it was closed. Its being closed didn't bother him in the least. "Don't worry," he said, sensing my dismay. "We're in Jackson Heights."

I had the great pleasure of accompanying Robert Sietsema to Karihan Ni Tata Bino, which, he writes, means "The Roadside Snack Shack of Uncle Bino". During my visit, we had the laing, which he describes accurately as I loved this dish! We also had the kare-kare stew, which was more vibrant than the versions I'd tried before. I'll try to report on the other dishes I liked when I can find my notes. The only dish we had that I wasn't fond of was some sort of noodles with seafood, which tasted dull and suffered from mediocre ingredients. They deliver, and at lunch we saw them loading a gorgeous roast pig, the subject of the Voice article's photo, into a huge bag or box, presumably to be transported to a party. I wish I had been at that party. Karihan Ni Tata Bino 71-34 Roosevelt Avenue 718.426.6201

So glad you liked Yasuda! I had the same response to his sushi: I had known that sushi was supposed to be about the rice, but I'd never tasted what this meant. In regard to Kuruma -- and this applies for all sushi bars -- never be afraid to tell the chef your spending limit. I supposed there are some chefs who when given a limit of $60 would serve you eight pieces of toro and rush you out. But a good chef will be happy to serve you less ostentatious fish and cuts of fish. The few times I went to Kuruma during lunch, it was nearly empty. So you don't have to feel like you're displacing a big spender at the bar. Each time, I've ordered a set (about $30-40) plus a few extra pieces. You can tell either chef Uezu or his assistant, who incidentally is very interesting to talk to, as she is a she and is from, I think, the Dominican Republic, about your spending limit.

I'm sorry, but I forget whether Toronto is the Canadian city known for its excellent Chinese food. If it is, then these trucks might be significant, because I haven't come across any other Chinese food trucks near campuses in my search. Not exactly what I'm looking for but interesting nonetheless. If construction at GMU takes as long as it does at Vassar, where I went to college, then they'll be around until the class of 2030 graduates. Perhaps college students will develop a taste for the trucks and they'll stick around campus instead of haunting construction sites.

most of the food trucks at penn, here in philadelphia, sell cheesesteaks of some sort or another. the quality varies, as you might imagine. ← It seems to me like the offerings at Penn and other Philly schools go beyond cheesesteaks. It's the most diverse food trucks presence I've come upon.

I'm not necessarily looking for local cuisine -- though I'd love to find a truck selling po' boys and boudin at Tulane. I'm looking for any notable food trucks, and especially those whose food is connected in some way to the culture of the college or the culture of the state that the college is located in -- is it likely that Grease Trucks would exist anywhere but NJ? I don't think it's too much to ask for a brat cart in Sheboygan! Actually, I'm surprised Ben & Jerry's doesn't have carts on UVM's campus.

We even have a thread about them. (Some of those names should definitely be banned.) This story says that some of the trucks were shut down for health violations. I'll admit to eating a couple of these sandwiches a few years back. A very guilty late-night pleasure: a bacon cheeseburger topped with fried, onion rings and mozzarella stick.

Is that true? Too funny! Definitely not but perhaps that has changed? You... of all people Jo - may be able to answer that one. But what the heck would a truck serve to Vassar students? ← Vegetarian and vegan stuff produced by farmers whose ingredients are organic, and whose clothing is made with organic wool or cotton by union workers.

I'm researching a story on food carts and trucks on or near college campuses around the country, trying to find carts serving food that is appropriate for the location. That is, are there food carts in UC Berkley selling veggies burgers? Are there carts in Sheboygan selling bratwurst? In Maine selling fried clam rolls? But the location-appropriateness doesn't have to be so obvious. In New Jersey, for instance, there are the infamous grease trucks, which may or may not still be operating. Very Jersey. In Gourmet, the Sterns wrote about Hot Truck, Cornell's most famous food truck. The universities in and near Philadelphia seem to be blessed with the most numerous and diverse food carts: Check out this thread. Were there food trucks where you went to school?

It's not that it's harder; it's that I feel worse doing it. Yet, come to think of it, I'm not sure if the comp is the issue. I'd feel as badly if I had a bad meal and was compelled to criticize a restaurant with a sweet old momma in the kitchen, who has come out of the kitchen throughout the meal to tell me how much she loves to cook. The separation of editorial and ad is ideal, but as we know, it's not always a reality. If Ms. Nichols's magazine holds itself to such high standards of integrity, I applaud it. But it's no secret that news organizations allow sponsors to influence their coverage. And as I said, the sponsors don't necessarily buy positive coverage as much as they use their infuence to avert negative coverage. This ethical ideal fails in other industries, too. As we all know, in big brokerage houses the arms with public information and the arms with private information are not supposed to communicate. That would be unethical and unfair to investors. But they often do, and there are entire departments within the firms devoted to making sure both arms comply. What I think Steven was saying earlier is that if you trust that a newspaper can remain ethical when confronted with a decision that risks enormous sums from advertisers, why wouldn't you trust a reviewer who has to make a similar decision on a smaller scale? Mr. MacDonald brings up an interesting point. I think we've been talking so far about big budget pubs. So, how does a smaller publication compete while maintaining ethical standards? The Times or D Magazine are able to righteously criticize an advertiser. That ad space can be filled easily enough if the advertsier pulls out. But how about a small newspaper, who is struggling to stay in the black?

I don't think restaurant critics are the problem. To my knowledge there are very few, if any, restaurant critics whose meals are not paid for by the publication that they work for. How could a restaurant bribe Frank Bruni? He's bankrolled by one of the most moneyed papers in the world. (Of course, the papers fund critics' eating to avoid potential conflicts of inerest.) The writers who are most vulnerable to the influence of comps are freelancers (and bloggers and people who post restaurant reviews on the Internet), anf freelancers write the majority of magazines. Free meals don't always buy positive reviews, as in positive "restaurant reviews": they buy coverage. Invite twenty freelancers to your restaurant's opening, and in the next restaurant round-up in such and such magazine, there you are. It is an unfortunate reality of the business that creates a barrier to entry for restaurants that either can't or won't comp. (I've also heard stories about editors and writers writing positive things about a restaurant, and then calling the week after publication to request a comped meal and getting angry when the restaurant won't oblige.) But then a freelancers' position is precarious. How can a freelancer keep abreast of a city's dining scene without eating out a lot? How can a writer afford to remain a freelancer while eating out a lot? What can you do to maintain your journalistic integrity? The first step, naturally, is honesty. I certainly feel worse about criticizing a restaurant that has given me free food, but I'll do it anyway. The second step is full disclosure. When I am comped at a restaurant or event and report the event on these boards, for instance, I make sure to disclose not only that the meal was free, but that the restaurant paid for it. If the disclosure is full, then the reader has information with which to judge the trustworthiness of the writer's opinions. Yet disclosure of this sort is not possible when freelancers are published in magazines or newspapers. Imagine an editor allowing the sentence, "The squab was perhaps the finest I'd ever eaten, though I must admit I was treated to it by the restaurant's publicist." I have been taken out to restaurants by publicists and have gone to press dinners. But when I'm invited, I make sure the publicist knows that I can't and won't trade coverage for a meal, as Steven explained earlier.

Check out this event on the eGullet calendar: The Whole Pig: Everything but the Oink at Lupa. If only I could take Friday off! This would be a great way to kick off the continuation of our offal tour.

Here is the thread on Mr. Bruni's reviewing. Let's take any discussion that centers on his reviewing there.

Glad you had a good meal, though I'm surprised you weren't impressed by the red curry. I've found it too be their most consistent dish. I usually have it with either chicken or pork. Next time I go, I'll make sure it's an off-time, so I'll have more control over which waiter or waitress I have.

I haven't had a stellar meal at Sripraphai since the renovation. I've been six times. My theory is that since Sri had to hire new waiters to deal with the increase in covers resulting from the renovation, my requests for Thai spicy from these new waiters were not taken seriously. From my jungle curry to my catfish salad, all of the supposed-to-be spicy dishes lacked their usual vibrancy. Plus, my orders haven't been filled correctly at least half of the times I've been since the renovation. Has anyone noticed something similar? (Edited for spelling)

Why do you think these restaurants are on "autopilot"? Have you had many poor meals in a row at any of these restaurants, or are you basing this judgment of, say, Lupa on one bad experience? I ask because the use of "autopilot" suggests you think that because Batali's attentions are elsewhere, his restaurants are left in the hands of line cooks or something. As far as I know, Mark Ladner is still chef at Lupa. And I doubt he's sleeping at the stove. I'm not saying that these restaurants aren't underperforming -- that could be true. But autopilot is not the right word. I'll be boring and choose Dinosaur Barbecue as my pick for most overrated. I heard a lot of good things about it on eGullet and was disappointed to two times I tried it.

Peter Luger's rocks. Name a better steakhouse (piece of meat)... ← In this month's GQ, Alan Richman write about "10 Restaurants that Still Matter". He mentions French Laundry, Inn at Little Washington, and Commander's Palace. Though the article is neither detailed nor interesting, it's worth mentioning here because one of his ten picks is Sparks!

Aha, found the Times article! The bakery that I was refering to is Downtown Atlantic, 364 Atlantic Avenue, near Hoyt.

I'm not much of a cupcake eater, but I did try the bakery on Atlantic Avenue that was recommended in the Times cupcake survey a year or so ago. I was impressed, especially by the icing, which had a texture closer to butter than to buttercream. I've eaten a few Magnolia cupcakes over the years because my girlfriend likes them. I don't think they are worth the great praise they received for a while years ago, but I don't think they deserve the acid backlash they receive nowadays. I haven't tried many muffins, but have come to enjoy blueberry muffins from Balthazar, which I buy from the nearby Oren's Daily Roast, and those from Almondine, across from Jacques Torres's DUMBO chocolate shop. The bottoms of Almondine's muffins have a thin layer of crunch that I usually look for in a good muffin top, or at least one that's not supposed to be crumby. But I've never seen this kind of bottom in another muffin. I wonder how they do it?

Here's an interesting piece about Craig LaBan, the food critic for the Philadelphia inquirer, that touches on many of the issues raised in this thread.

I love HD's coffee ice cream. I moved recently and was excited to see a Haagen-Dazs store around the corner from my new apartment. I figured that I could buy cheap pints; I can't. In fact, pints are even more expensive there than they are at the price-gouging corner store. Why is this? Luckily, my supermarket of choice (Fairway) sells pints 2 for $4.

Welcome to the eGullet Society, Julles! I'm glad you had a good time in New York, even if you were dissappointed by Luger's. I'd love to hear what you thought of Blue Hill and Babbo.

I went to Malecon for dinner yesterday and Pan's right: it's cheaper. Dinner for three, with way too much food, was $17. The whole chicken roasted "Malecon style" ($9, and it comes with rice and beans or yuca or a bunch of other stuff) looked amazing rotating in the window with dark brown skin. The skin was deliciously crisp in many parts, unlike at Flor de Mayo, where the skin was not fatty or soggy but definitely not crisp. The chicken at Flor de Mayo was more moist, but not by much. The real difference was not qualitative but categorical. Flor de Mayo's chicken is clearly rubbed with some mix of spices before cooking; Malecon's doesn't taste like it's rubbed with much more than salt and pepper. The flavor of FDM's rub permeates the meat of the chicken, which I liked a lot, but the spiced chicken isn't ideal for rice and beans. I prefer a more basic chicken to go along with them.

That sounds like the one. Thank you. Will have to visit and sample their tendon. ← After a few recent trips to Grand Sichuan, I'd say that Szechuan Gourmet's tendon is not one the level of Grand Sichuan's. But I did prefer SG's version of "sauteed and dry string beans".

While eating Grimaldi's for lunch today, I decided that I had to ammend this statement. I might have been there on an off night; the plain pizza today was great, crust and topping.