Elissa

thanks for the generous invite Porkpa and glad you enjoyed your matches. x

Bux: have you been to the new Li Chugn? Is it directly on the SE corner of Chatham Sq. with no English signs a'tall?

your recipe posts have the curious effect of curing my hunger for anything else ever again

Oh, Mei Lai Wah is the coffeeshop next to New Green Bo on Bayard. Could it still be the case that as 'dennison' wrote on chowhound 2001? I'll look for that, and Li Chugn, at Catherine St off Chatham Sq, and their Pai Tsai Ro bao, as per Mr. Ed. Thanks Bux. Visitors coming, you understand: fellow tourists from far away lands.

have you had the AA 2001 roses?

for $8.99: Sumarroca Cava Brut Reserve. Cases are in order, many and soon.

A twenty dollar piece of sea bass arrives at your table with an air that says, 'I have not been swimming in quite some time.' Maybe it's a thirty-eight dollar strip overdone beyond repair. Is your policy is to eat the former land or sea denizen regardless: likely it won't kill you, you don't want to appear rude, and otherwise it will go to waste? Perhaps you dispatch your plate posthaste with the waiter's return trip. Maybe you taste it, then shoot a glare as next your server rushes past. Do you then expect something in exchange, no extra charge, on the double? Ask for lemon or bernaise? I'm curious about how demanding diners practice civility and about chefs' attitudes and reactions towards the same.

will any ol' lime leaf do or is kefir trad?

I'm in Craig's camp, except would prefer a Ribera del Duero with the lamb. Pesquera porkpa: where and when?

the coffee isn't half bad. which is to say, strides and leaps better than starbucks'. and tho i love the joint, it's more for its vibe than its vittels edit: where do i find FG's thumbs down?

i'll give you recommendations if you give me tastes

actually i'm feeling quite cool, but then again jamie inspired me. i'm half way thru his cava, which i must say is better than most proseccos i've had under ten bucks

Gordon: Why don't you cook dinner then? I'll bring the wine

well thanks jamie. the basque white was great too. yet to open the cava.

yesterday i woke up dreaming of (steamed) pork buns and not long thereafter found this thread . eGullet rocks however yesterday's brief tour of both 146 hester (eddie's rec) and manna (as per bux) prooved disappointing. both were baked bao. took a bite of the first, from 146, and tossed it: not much filling, not terribly fresh. found the bun itself without any charm, and in that way quite unlike the woman who sold it to me, who was super nice. the second, at manna, had a good deal more roast pork filling, but was rather too too sweet for my tender palate. after two bites of that, it too flew into the bin. do you suppose the best steamed ones still to be found at the golden unicorn? is mei wah lei on baxter?

Actually mine does not look to be a La Viaillere, as that's printed nowhere on the label. And what the wineanorak wrote up referred to a 1998, not an 1988. I did however note the lightness of the wine in the bottle: its translucency and weight look more pinot noiresque than syrahnese. But what on earth shall I serve with it: Nothing? A plate of chocolate-dipped bacon? Me, naked? Kindest regards.

Recently, at my local Chamber Street Wines, I found a 1988 Emile Champet Cote Rotie, which (along with several other under-$20 bottles, all good) I bought for $35. Any idea why this bottle was so relatively inexpensive? My plan is to open it for a suitor, but I am curious as to what you think would go well in terms of food. Bacon, clearly, a must: perhaps in swiss chard as a side. But as a main...? Your suggestions appreciated

Ah Nevermind.

Fact or Fiction: NBC will soon shoot 6 episodes of its new reality TV show, The Restaurant, starring Rocco diSpirito at his new space, aptly named Rocco's.

Hi Katie! Any excuse for bubbles is good enough for me too: breakfast, for instance. But really, Jacquart beats Gruet in every competition blindfolded. Also, while I have had (mais bien sur) magnificent French Viogniers, I must say that the two domestic Viognier I tried were not, to my palate, potable in any sense. That grape does not translate. xxx

yes just found that article too, thanks. picked mine up at chambers street. however, found within nary a bubble to report. do you enjoy vinho verdes more than albarinos? aren't they the same grape? i have found with relative consistency that the spanish are better crafted, but would very much like to be proven wrong.

Just polishing off a Basque white in spite of the dreary grey day: Getariako Txakolina's Txomin Ttxaniz, which at well under $20 was really good. What sort of grape do you suppose that was? Yum

arugula flowers not nearly as troublesome in nyc

Arthur Lubow on Barcelona

yum: great suggestions Beachfan. thanks