jogoode

I'm interested in trying this place, too. Can someone tell me a little about Yemeni food? From the food descriptions I've read here, the food doesn't sound familiar.

I've had only positive experiences thusfar at Momofuku. The soups, while much different from the ramen I've had, have been excellent. And that pork! Last time I was there I ordered the Berkshire pork buns, an appetizer. I was a little disappointed when I saw that $7 bought me only two mini pork sandwiches. But they were outstanding little buns, stuffed with good quality pork, pickles, and a sauce reminiscent of hoisin. These were like a superior version of the Peking duck on crustless white bread that I ate as a kid in NJ. (The "buns", I should mention, were made from a dense white bread that I've seen at Chinese restaurants before. I don't know what it's called. A little help, Pan? ) There were a few new appetizers that I wasn't able to try: braised tripe, salt and pepper dayboat sweet shrimp, and another that I can't recall now.

You're right, snausages2000! I went to Dumpling House at 8pm; what better way to counteract an expensive pizza than with a $4 dessert of dumplings and sesame pancake with beef. I have no problem going to a restaurant and not leaving full. Some people do. I'd rather eat small meals all night than, say, pay $175 for two hours of concentrated gorging at Per Se. If you go to Una Pizza expecting great pizza and keeping in mind that you'll probably need to have a second dinner later, then you'll leave happy. It's about the experience, not about getting full. (And anyway, is there anything wrong with a second dinner? ) I tend to find that charring imparts more of a bitter flavor than a sour flavor. The "sour tang" you describe probably has more to do with the fact that Mangieri uses a natural leaven and a very long fermentation. Those lactobacilli are doing their thing. ← Yes, it was more of a sour tang. Unlike anything I've had.

Yesterday I was one of the diners who packed Una Pizza Napoletana. Just before 5pm, when it opens, I was waiting in front of the restaurant with two other parties, and by the time my order had been taken, the restaurant's eight or so tables were filled. There is a wine list now: three whites and three reds. Four of the six are offered by the bottle and by the glass, the other two, just by the bottle. A few customers had brought wine, not realizing that restaurant now had its license. Corkage is $15. If you don’t want wine –I for one don’t like wine with pizza – there’s gassosa, limonata, and other Italian sodas. The restaurant’s interior is modest, a narrow room whose focal point is Mangieri’s glowing wood-fired brick oven. For all the daunting ideology surrounding this pizza shop -- the takeout menu is more a pamphlet describing the ingredients and methods employed by Mangieri for his pizze than a list of food items; the four food items don’t take up much space – there’s no pretension. The waiter doesn’t offer a spiel; once he sees you’ve tried the pizza, he asks how you like it. From what I observed, about half the customers were trying the pizza for the first time. I am not wealthy, nor do I consider myself a sucker, but I will definitely return to Una Pizza Napoletana. I had the margherita, and it was much more than $17 flatbread. It was not perfect: the center of my 12-inch pizza (a circle with a diameter of about two inches) was pretty soggy. But the rest of the crust was amazing. What flavor! It had the sour tang of char, even though not all of the crust was charred. Some parts were chewy, while others were crunchy. The topping – a pool of San Marzanos, buffalo mozzeralla, and EVOO – was plentiful and intensely delicious. For it and a limonata, I paid $25. A great dinner.

That's not what I'm looking for in a review. But if I were writing for an audience that was perhaps unfamiliar with uni (or rose water-cashew sauce) I wouldn't say, "the uni buerre blanc in which braised eel waded was like a delicate sauce." Can I get an adjective? Or did the uni push or pull or Tkverb the flavor of the eel? (Sorry to imagine such a nasty dish .) ← And it's not a matter of description. You can't describe everything: It gets tiresome. But the examples that I'm taking issue with either betray ignorance or perpetrate inaccuracy -- like Steven's example in the ADNY review about the saddle of lamb. They represent times when description is necessary to avoid inaccuracy.

That's not what I'm looking for in a review. But if I were writing for an audience that was perhaps unfamiliar with uni (or rose water-cashew sauce) I wouldn't say, "the uni buerre blanc in which braised eel waded was like a delicate sauce." Can I get an adjective? Or did the uni push or pull or Tkverb the flavor of the eel? (Sorry to imagine such a nasty dish .)

I can't speak for anyone else, but my objection to his reviews -- and again I'm not as fervent an objector as others here -- is more about wince-worthy ignorance than stars. And as for: "a light and not full flavored sauce with a flavor similar to that found in a typical Indian gravy" That is not what I expect from a Times food writer. This rose water and cashew sauce sounds strange to me, and I expect a description of it that goes beyond comparing it to an Indian gravy. India is one of the most diverse countries where cuisine is concerned. It has something like five distinct vegetarian cuisines alone! (Probably more, but now I'm demonstrating my ignorance.) I can see why, after that discussion of the semantics of the ADNY review, we'd be tired of picking apart language, but that's not at all what I'm intending to do. Remember when Bruni expressed surprise at Donguri's never having had sushi during any of his visits? That's frustrating ignorance and has nothing to do with stars.

Next time, get halim and vegetable pakora.

I think so. If Michael Ruhlman can write books about subjects as diverse as wooden boats, French chefs, and surgical teams, then I'd expect Bruni to be able to do a better job within one subject. He doesn't even have to be an expert himself. If I had been in his position -- and it would have been be a sad day at the Times if I had been -- I would have brought Bux and Fat Guy to ADNY. Also, you don't have to be well versed in every facet of a cuisine to succeed in describing a sauce.

Today Bruni showed that he's not adept at describing Indian food: He took on Bombay Talkie in this week's Diner's Journal. I am often frustrated by Bruni, though I don't feel as strongly about him as many on this board seem to. I've been especially disappointed by his treatment of ethnic food. He should have devoted more than 50 words to details about the food, however uninspiring, and a lot less to playful talk about cocktails. If he had, perhaps he would have done a better job describing rose water cashew sauce -- which tasted like a "curry." What a coincidence, I had wine the other day that tasted like an especially subtle drink. I was also surprised that he didn't mention that Jehangir Mehta, of Aix, consulted on the menu. Reviews and discussion of Bombay Talkie here.

Wild. I have friends who have a similar reaction to Indian food. Glad you liked the Achar Gosht! I've never had the Chicken Jahl Fry; I've wanted to try the Liver Jahl Fry for a while now but haven't gone to Angon with people willing to commit to it. What was the chicken-version like? And which appetizers did you try?

Thanks for that, Rachel and Jason! Does the bar take reservations? In other words, do I have to plan ahead if I want to try the liverwurst?

Too bad, Pan. My stomach is fine after Angon, but needs at least two days to recover from Sripraphai. It's frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan other exciting dinners during the same week as dinner at the place that gives you trouble. I try not to, for instance, plan a trip to Sushi Yasuda within two days after Sri.

No problem ; I finally found the print version. If you check it out, please report back!

You're on, kinsey. And it's more or less in our neighborhood.

Definitely. And not the typical offal either; the chef's using hearts and goat tripe! Also, I couldn't believe it when I saw that the offal menu was only $45.

Beautiful. I've been meaning to try this tasting, and this restaurant, for a while now. But in New York Magazine, Platt said that the tasting had disappeared: When were you there, bourdain?

27 Eldridge St.

Don't say it, Rich!

Peking duck dumplings?! I'll certainly be trying them. ← Finally this place opens. Here's the thread on Rickshaw.

No way menupages or citysearch would have this. All I could tell from the review is that it's on Eldridge Street. Is the address included in the print version?

I guess I knew that . I agree with you here. When demoting a four-star, you need to do a better job of explaining why -- mentioning over-cooked lamb and a bathroom problem doesn't cut it.

I'll repeat what I just said above. It makes no sense to compare star ratings across genres. There is nothing strange about Bruni's rating; whether you agree with it or not is another thing altogether. He is working within the star system and if he feels a four-star restaurant underperforms, then he's obligated to dock stars. If a three-star restaurant lives up to expectations, he's obligated to give it three stars. But if the reader is at all informed, he or she can see that these two restaurants -- with the same star rating -- are not directly comparable.

I had a lot of trouble removing the skin from the tiny onions; it didn't peel off as easily as that of the big ol' onions I'm used to cooking with. Does blanching with the skins on help make it easier to remove the skin? ← I don't know for sure about cipollini onions but with pearl onions, they are much easier to peel if you blanch them for a couple of minutes first. I do think this would work with cipollinis though as I've seen pearl onions as subsititute for cipollinis in various recipes. ← Excellent. Thanks!

(Quoted from the ADNY thread) That's not what the three-star review signifies for Ducasse. Babbo is by its concept a two- or three-star restaurant that has succeeded in earning the maximum amount of stars it could. Ducasse is a four-star restaurant that didn't live up to the reviewer's expectations and thus earned only three stars. The star ratings exist within the context of the restaurant being reviewed. To use these ratings to compare different types of restaurants is not appropriate -- though the tendency to do so is created by the system itself and is one of its disadvantages.