Steve Plotnicki

Hey Roger Degorn is a lovely man. I have found that older white wines from Burgundy and Alsace often need decanting. I don't know why a fully mature wine that has been in bottle for 12-17 years would need it, but I often find they need a good 30 minutes in decanter to open. And not all growers are the same. Up until about a year ago, my Raveneaus from 1989 and 1990 needed mearly an hour in decanter. And Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles always needs a decant. Young white wines do not need decanting. As for Savennierres, I was at La Feniere this past February and I wanted to order a 1985 Coulee de Serrant and the sommelier insisted it needed at least 2 hours in decanter and he wouldn't serve it. And some Alsatians, especially Clos St. Hune love the decanter.

I have that Paul Kovi book. And The Splendid Table is one of the greatest cookbooks written. But I find her next book to be of much less value than Splendid Table.

Adam - Come on don't you have the Moro cookbook? I don't have the Turkish book here. And I won't be in that location for two weeks. But I think there is another copy available. Do you want me to check for you?

Judy - You need to come out to my place in the Hamptons as so many of the books you mentioned are sitting on the shelves there. Next time I am out, I will make a list of some of the stranger books I have. Or you can come over to my apartment in NYC and we can walk around the corner to Kitchen Arts and Letters. How about the books by the Chamberlins with all those great photos. And I agree with you about Joan Nathan. It's the greatest. And the Georges Blanc Seasons book is excellent. How about Penelope Casas? How about the category of cookbooks written by service organizations, etc. One of the more precious books I own is the cookbook prepared by the old woimen who live in the Jewish Home for the Aged in Istanbul. The book is leather bound, and prints the recipes in both Turkish and English. The book starts with an inscription that says that these are the recipes their ancestors brought with them from Turkey to Spain 500 years ago and they want to make sure they aren't forgotten. It's quite precious.

Fat Guy - Though they might share a similar/same name, the chef at Blue Hill couldn't possibly be the guy who posts here. The Blue Hill Guy was one of the sweetest and nicest guys I have met. And the guy who posts here, despite his knowledge is......well. Unless it's the same guy and he changes his name to Michael Hyde when he gets home.

Sorry Fat Guy. Nothing can be more repugnant to me, the son of a Holocaust survivior, than what has happened here. Since the management here won't stop outright personal attacks and remove them from the site (which is what would happen on almost any other site,) there needs to be a way to deal with people who have done what Suvir has done, and now what his friend Sweetpea has done. And in instances where there is no solution via the moderators, in my experience this is quite an effective way to deal with flamers who won't stop when asked. It's a cold peace, but peace nonetheless. And it is quite easy to fix. Right now what I see is a thread full of personal attacks, accusations, name calling and allegations that have no basis in fact. All which were said over the objection of a number of people. And not only that, they are from a moderator on the site. Those posts can be removed/retracted and an apology given. Otherwise I have no use for the guy and I would strongly prefer that he does not get involved in my threads. Like I said. I have asked nicely. John Whiting - And your acceptance of someone calling me a Nazi, and seconding that will hang around yours. I'm surprised at you.

What is outrageous about not liking someone and not wanting to be in a dialogue with them? I have no desire to be in a conversation with someone I dislike intensely, who has put up a freind to come onto the site and call me a Nazi. I just won't tolerate it. Now if I may, can we get back to the topic of cookbooks? But you should know I intend to do my best to exclude Suvir from the conversation so decide whether you want to participate given that is my feeling about it.

Suvir - Please do not respond in the threads I post. I really want nothing to do with you and I don't want you poisoning discussions like you have done with others. I know I can't force you not to post, but everytime you do I will remind you about it and the ensuing argument will make the thread disintegrate. If you had any decency you wouldn't. Please keep your distance. I have asked you nicely.

What does Lord Michael Lewis have to do with Blue Hill?

Beachfan - You can combine a visit to Ampuis and the Cote Rotie producers with a meal at the Cote Rotie restaurant which is right in the heart of town. The chef Manuel Viron is always preparing Stuart Yangiar, who you must know off of the wine boards, a delicious vegetarian meal. Thing is, the restaurant is scheduled to move from Ampuis to Lyon sometimes in September and I'm not sure which location he will be in when you get there.

Wilfrid - Don't you remember that I said so to Cabrales after he left our table. I know who my wife would find cute. And I won't tease Yvonne with the story of Rocco DiSpirito coming to talk to us last week at Union Pacific either.

John - In addition the recipes in the Wells book all work. It's one of the few books where they actually tested the recipes first. Do you not have the Louise Bertholle book? It's quite amazing. Cathy L. - Yes both the Roden and Madison books should be on the list. Let's see if I can list some categories to get the topic going. How about a Mexican book? Dianne Kennedy? Rick Bayliss? Zarella's first cookbook actually is quite good. Kennedy is the standard but a little dry for a spicy topic. New England - Jasper White's book from when he had his own restaurant is a terrific book and has a good recipe for everything from clambakes to pot roasts. Mediterranean - As I had mentioned elsewhere, I cook more from Joyce Goldstein's "The Mediteranean Kitchen" and "Back to Square One" than any other cookbooks. They feature every type of Mediteranean cuisine imagineable. From Portugal to Sicily to Israel. All easy to make recipes that are in line with home cooking. And how about the Silver Palate Cookbook for straight ahead home cooking.

Growing up in a kosher home is a huge disadvantage for positive food memories. But I can muster up a few. Cold pot roast sandwiches on a hot summer Saturday afternoon at Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn. Not only were the sandwiches good, but they evidence the schizophrenic behavior of American Judaism because they are the result of not being able to cook on the Sabbath. So a pot roast was cooked before sundown on Friday, and one could eat it the second day (which tasted better by the way.) But despite the no-cooking rule on Sabbath, which necessitated the bringing of leftovers to the beach, my family was perfectly happy getting into the car and driving there and spending money, all things you are not supposed to do on the Sabbath. I wonder if this breaking of the rules made the sandwiches taste any better? I also recall my grandmother making two things really well. Fantastic garlicky spaghetti sauce which she used to claim was the result of a well-seasoned frying pan that she fried up the garlic in. And she used to make terrific cheese blintzes. My mother also had a cousin who made fantastic stuffed cabbage in the Eastern European style, sweet and sour with raisins. They used to send jars of the stuff home for me.

Flowers are the best because nobody can have too many flowers. But if you are expert in wine (ahem,) then for as little as $10 you can buy somebody a good Cote de Rhone. So many people like wine, but know nothing about it. And when they get a bottle from somebody who does know about it, are usually quite happy.

Nina - While the Copeland books might be good books, they certainly they aren't essentials for a cookbook library. I was trying to draw the distinction between useful and necessary.The Julia Child French cookbooks, now those are a necessity for any well rounded collection.

Maggie - I think one of the nicer places to take lunch in London is in the bar at Pont de la Tour. Back in February I ate Sunday lunch there with my family and it was really good. The food is pretty much simple grills, plus there is the usual Conran raw bar. But the room is a great one with light streaming in, and a beautiful view of the river. And this time of year you can eat outside. Not sure if it fits in the budget but I recall it as not being very expensive. Better than being in some dark interior room on a nice Sunday. Also, if you are a rather large group (say 15-20), Kensington Place has a private room just behind the dining room that we have used for wine tastings. I'm sure for Sunday lunch you could cut quite a good deal with the restaurant for the use of the room along with a set menu.

I'm going to disagree with the Mark's books, some of which I own. I never thought they were really top quality books. I think there are better books written on almost every region.

I agree with the Paula Wolfert Couscous book and might I add her "The Cooking of Southwest France" to the list as well.

Jon - Well what makes the Patricia Wells book (in fact most of her books) different is that most of the recipes comes from bistros. Just flipping thorugh the book, 6 out of 11 appetizers are from restaurants, four out of 12 soups, 17 out of 22 salads etc. It not only functioned as a cookbook, but as a restaurant guide because it gave some insight as to what she thought were signature dishes at bistros all around France. Bistro Cooking is sort of the modern day successor to the Louise Bertholle book, which lists almost all of the famous dishes in France, by restaurant during the 70's.

Cabrales - I will second Akiko's post. The top marrow in the city is the "Grilled Marrow Bones" are at Prune on 1st Street. I would run, not walk there if I were you. Rib Steaks are pretty good too.

In the "Chefs as Writers" thread a subtopic developed about classic cookbooks and I thought it deserved its own thread. Here are some books no cookbook collection should be without. Louise Bertholle - Secrets of the Great French Restaurants Richard Olnay - Simple Cooking Patricia Wells - Bistro Cooking Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby - The Thrill of the Grill Harold McGhee - Science of Cooking Robert Carrier - Great Dishes of the World There are loads more. Feel free to post your list.

Blind Lemon - Why would you eat sushi rolls at Nobu when there are so many interesting looking dishes listed that are exclusive to the restaurant? Clearly you didn't read the guide of unusual dishes I posted earlier in this thread because you didn't order any of the dishes. Roger - Personally I am not the biggest Nobu fan in the world, but you have to give him credit where credit is due. Dishes like Spicy Creamy Crab and Miso Rubbed and Grilled Tuna have loads of wow factor to them. If they didn't, it would just be another sushi bar.

Robert - My second point comes down to that Ducasse would be a better experience, if what he was known for was his food, instead of being known for providing a three star experience. People like you and me (as well as many others here,) we want more than a delicious meal. We want inspiration. We want "that dish" if you know what I mean. That one passage in the solo that makes the music surge (the right word) to surprising heights, just to steal a concept from jazz. Ducasse is so measured, everything is so perfect. That's why the joie de vivre you're looking for isn't there.

A.H.R. is the correct answer. Put an X in the secret square.

I'm going to post a decanting thread on the wine board.