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Now that does make a lot of sense.

So you just go because you're in the neighborhood? Aren't there other options? Or do you go to celeb gawk as well?

Can someone post the basic method and ingredients?

Now officially out of beta and open to the world at large. Anyone have thoughts on this? Obviously, cnet is trying to make a major splash here. Personally, I think The Grinder - a roundup of foodblogs - is pretty cool and worthy of a spot in my RSS feeds.

Oh yeah. The URL is: http://www.chow.com

Chow Magazine is now back - in its new online format. Right now, the site is in "beta" and you need to be invited by Chow to log in and play around with the beta. I think that all Chowhound members got an invite, but maybe it was random. I haven't really looked into it at all. Chow was acquired by CNET soon after the Chowhound acquisition. It looks like the two sites will be complimentary with Chow providing the editorial side of things and Chowhound providing the community side. Like any good web2.0 site, though, there are community features built into every article, recipe, etc (in the form of comments). The design of the two sites is very similar in terms of color usage, logotype, etc. I never read the print version, but judging from the two-day old beta site, they're trying to strike a balance between high-end food and mainstream fare - wrapping it up with a young, hip feel. (In some ways, it kind of reminds me of the new Martha magazine, Blueprint, only about food instead of decorating). My first impression is that the content is a little dumbed-down but, again, I haven't dug very deep. Anyone else have thoughts?

Ate there today and have to say that for $9, the burrito was quite a deal. I love pork belly, and momfuku know how to make it. I found the decor a bit soulless (too bad - I quite like the original momofuku's interior) and the layout a little confusing - but I think as they flesh it out a bit it will come together. What's up with the giant Nike ad, though? Some sort of art? It's a poster-sized old shot of McEnroe emblazoned with Nike logos. Are they subsidizing the place?

Think it's possible to smoke pork belly? I know, I know...that's bacon. But bacon is cold smoked, right? I'm talking about smoking it barbeque style - using a Weber Bullet - at like 225 degrees for a few hours. I'm sure someone has tried this. Any luck?

Great...thanks! Looking forward to hearing what you find. One thing I've found in planning this trip is that Norwegians are very friendly and helpful. We've actually turned down offers to stay for free with complete strangers!

Great! Thanks for the information. If we do make it to a farm I'll be posting pictures here.

My wife and I will be visiting Norway for 10 days in June and would like to visit at least one small-scale cheesemaker while we are there. Does anyone know of any near Oslo, Bergen, or Kristiansand? I found the website for the Association of Norwegian small-scale cheesemakers (Norsk Gardsost) but unfortunately do not read Norwegian, so it is of little use to me. Any other suggestions for local food experiences are also welcome. Thanks in advance. edited to say: too bad there's no way to edit the descriptions of posts

Anyone else been lately?

For hard cheese, the first I made was Montasio out of Ricki Carrol's Home Cheesemaking book (which I suggest picking up - it's a great beginner's resource). The resulting cheese was, um, boring. But it was cheese and that was certainly a step in the right direction. During my apprenticeship we made cheese every day using milk from the farm's small herd of cows. Assuming you don't have your own herd, you'll probably have to buy milk. Whatever you decide to get, stay away from anything ultra-pasteurized. It's actually impossible to make cheese from UP milk - the curd never sets (I know this from experience). This rules out most of the mass-market organic brands. If you live in a state that allows consumer access to raw milk, get that. It will make tastier cheese, and it's actually easier to work with. I made a soft-ripened cheese at home last week and was mostly successful. It's now aging in my little wine refrigerator (bought specifically for this purpose). We'll see if it actually turns out the way I was expecting. Next time I make cheese I'll try to document the process in this thread.

I've made cheese at home a few times in the past - and just finished a three-month cheesemaking apprenticeship at Bobolink Dairy. I plan on doing some more home cheesemaking - using some of my new-found knowledge - while I figure out a way to do it professionally. Perhaps we can use this thread to document projects? This way we can all learn from each others successes and mistakes.

I live in Williamsburg (3rd stop!) and face a dearth of decent supermarkets and produce. There is a green grocer with ok stuff, but it's often past it's prime and selection is limited. The local C-Town is sketchy but ok for canned goods. Meat...not so much. Plus, it's expensive. FreshDirect's arrival in my neighborhood means access - at last - to a wide variety of produce and meat at a decent price. My wife and I find ourselves shopping from FD about once every week or two (usually two) and supplementing at the local stores. I've never had problems with poor quality produce or meat, but I have had stuff sent to me that I'd never select on my own. I once received a cabbage the size of a basketball, for example. I have never seen one so big and, try as we might, my wife and I just couldn't get through it all. Other times I've had mismatched portions. Two fish fillets, for example, one much larger than the other - making even cooking difficult at best. Overall, though, I'd be really bummed should they go under.