yvonne johnson

Sounds like a place I must try. I'm a sucker for wild boar. Very reasonably priced too.

Jarnac, 328 W 12 (at Greenwich), 212/924-3413 Grimes is correct in one way. This is a very pretty bistro. Understated peachy colors and a nice staff. Grimes is incorrect, in my view, in praising the food. Even the house cocktail that Grimes likes isn’t great. Maybe the night he went it really was a splash of cognac and crème de cassis in the sparking wine. The night we went the proportions appeared to be reversed. Duck rillettes with toast and mustard: could be described as delicate. Not much duck flavor though. The house gravlax tasted good. I went for braised veal. When taking my order the owner said that this was a fatty piece of meat, and suggested it wasn’t to everyone’s liking. I went ahead as I’m not averse to fat. It wasn’t fatty, it was tough and had no flavor to speak of. My husband and friend both went for the cassoulet. This must’ve been cooked at the earth’s core, as it needed a good 15 minutes to reach a temperature that wouldn’t scald the tongue. Reports ranged from very good to OK. My fruit tart looked as though it had seen better days, that re-heated look. Our Cockney friend who loves her “afters” and will eat almost anything sent her coconut-chocolate cake back, saying “this is worst cake I’ve ever had!” She said it was dry and hard. The owner apologized and said it shouldn’t have been like that. www.jarnacny.com On a positive note, reservation made though opentable.com worked extrememly well.

Well, I waited and waited for the guidelines, but just couldn't hold out any longer, so went ahead on my own:) Last night we tried the Domaine Chandon Napa Valley sparkling wine. On first tasting I thought, "I expected Moet & Chandon White Star to tatse better than this!"--that's because my husband had opened the wrong bottle! So, Domaine Chandon it was. Very fizzy. If you hold it to your ear, there is quite a racket. Not dry enough for me, as it warms up in the glass it gets quite sweet. OK for the price I guess. So, what should I have been looking for? Also, come on egulletarians--join in. Here's the list again. We might try the White Star tonight. AMERICAN Domaine Chandon Napa Valley Brut NV (พ.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York) Roederer Estate Brut NV (ภ.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York) Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 1997 (ษ.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York) FRENCH Pommery Brut NV (ห.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York) Moet & Chandon White Star NV (อ.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York) Mumm's Cordon Rouge Brut NV (อ.95 at Sherry-Lehmann New York)

According to Leslie Brenner's "Fear of Wine", the call for brut champagne is quite new. Historically, the French liked it on the sweet side. However, they exported a lot to England and the English liked it bone dry. The French thought this odd, so they called the dry stuff "brut" (="crude or raw". About sums up the English, some might say).Brenner goes on to say this "is also why 'extra dry' appears in English when it appears on champagne bottles."

We visited friends in Hoboken last night and went to City Bistro, 56-58 Fourteenth St, 201/963-8200. To begin I had very decent crab cakes atop black bean relish. Others were chuffed with the soups: French onion and, a second, cream of mushroom. For a main course, I ordered the special diver scallops. The scallops were large, nicely sautéed, and arrived at the table still maintaining a little bit of crispiness on the outside. They came with a few al dente vegetables, and a cream sauce that didn’t overwhelm. The scallops were very fine specimens and surpassed, in quality and in the cooking, the ones that I had recently at Gramercy Tavern (and I kid not!). My husband’s steak and potatoes with a hint of blue cheese on the crust were reportedly very good. All four of us were happy with the meal. Portions on large side. Reasonably priced: around 趐, including two bottles of wine and tip.

The Clarissa Dickson recipe sounds good. My husband cooked pheasant a few years ago, and made confit with the legs. Not as a means to preserve them for months--we ate them right away!

I think butter was mentioned a while back. The one brand we buy is Lurpak, unsalted. I really like it. I've never made my own butter. Thought about it, though. Yes, it is really insane that we were brainwashed by the experts into believing that marg was better for us. If I were allowed only 3 things to eat, I'd choose bread, butter and cheese.

For Christmas and New Year, we're going to try some of the suggestions made by the Two Steves. http://www.egullet.com/cgi-bin....%20Beer (Another plug for the tastings! Can we extend the tasting period till the New Year....afterall, New Year's Eve is a big champagne night.)

I was wondering if people had started tasting the suggested wines and champagnes? Two Steves, I am going to buy a couple of the suggested bottles for Christmas and New Year. (I was also wondering if people have missed the announcement?)

I had successfully blocked out our one night (one night too many) stay at the Peacock Inn (Princeton) in the spring...until I read the above. Thanks Helena :) The inn is a dive. On no account stay there! Glad we didn't eat there. Les Copains (Princeton) where we did eat wasn't up to much, though it would be unfair to say it merited a bummer award. Maybe it has improved. I don't think it was that long open back in March. This is a neat idea, Rail Paul. Maybe New York could do with a thread on bummer meals.

Fried, second day's X-mas pudding is delicious. (Wilfrid, are you sure you're a Brit?!) In some ways it's better than first day's, especially if, as Adam stipulates, it is a clouty dumpling (none of that factory stuff). Fry slices in some dripping till it's crunchy on the outside.Alternatively, leftovers can be made into a trifle a la sister-in-law. Pudding on bottom, custard in middle then cream on top.

What I'd do for a decent pub. I've found zilch in New York. I'll suggest four. 1. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, 145 Fleet St. It goes back to the 14th Century. Dr Johnson and Dickens frequented this place. 2. Lamb & Flag, 33 Rose St. Used to have fantastic cheese (maybe still does). 3. Bunch of Grapes - 16 Shepherd Market. Oh the days. I'd skive off my university classes and spend an entire day at the Vidal Sassoon training school, which used to be on Queen st. It took an entire day for a cut b/c the trainees had to get permission to cut each and every hair, but it was with worth the 5 quid. Well, maybe. Anyway, I'd meet my chums afterwards at the Bunch of Grapes, and they'd say. "That's different". By closing time, it was, "How did they get your hair to look like fluorescent orange duck feathers?" 4. Been mentioned above, but The Lamb, Lamb's Conduit St, is worth a visit. Very pretty bar. Pity about the Young's beer. Some pretty pictures of pubs: '>http://www.gotennis.com/wimbledon/travel/pubs.asp

You rarely see kidneys on menus in NY. My husband loves them and when he saw them offered as a main course (it may've been a special) at Montrachet a while back he went for it. Problem was a big plate of rare kidneys on their own ended up being heavy going! Red Cat serves spectacular liver.

I consulted Bayless & Bayless's "Authentic Mexican..." which is really good, by the way, and it appears the generic name for the deep fried tacos is "tacos dorados". However, there are regional variations. In northen parts of Mexico these are called "flautas" (flutes, after their shape) and filled with pork. In Guerrero (South), "taquitos" are filled with ricotta.

I recommended Patria above, but as I’ve been since posting I want to change my rec to “highly recommend”. I’m going again tomorrow. DiCataldo who succeeded Rodriquez knows what he’s doing. I totally agree with Grimes that initially he didn’t, but he is now in gear. Baked oysters with watercress and the tuna ceviche with coconut milk were very fine. They don’t sparkle quite as much as Rodriquez’s fried oysters or his fire and ice ceviche did, but DiCataldo’s main courses really beat Rodriquez’s. I had tender short ribs with salsify and caramelized leeks. One of the nicest dishes I’ve had in a while. We had a strawberry cake and bread pudding, and both were delicate. I see they do a ฤ.01 prix fixe lunch Monday-Friday. For dinner, the mains run ฦ-ะ. The dining room is less noisy than before. The music used to be very loud. Toned down makes the atmosphere more relaxing. As I said before, this is a place a teenager would like, I think. Excitingly different. (Edited by yvonne johnson at 1:22 pm on Dec. 7, 2001)

Hi, Not Thai, but close. Melati (on Great Windmill St, I think) serves very good Malaysian. Great soups. Maybe Simon will chime in as he's been more recently than I have.

Yes, Wilfrid, my husband's dish at GT came with marrow as well as some foie gras and thin, though richly flavored, broth. As for the venison, I've had much better at Le Madri (several years ago tho') and The Tonic (previous chef). Also surprising was the tiny amount of reduction that came with it. Also, why not go for venison that's aged a bit, instead of something that could've been any bland cut of meat? (Edited by yvonne johnson at 11:11 am on Dec. 4, 2001)

Scottf: Me too. I enjoyed your report. I was at GT last night (I'll try and write a report when I get a decent moment), and I agree with your wife's take on dessert. I had the chocolate-caramel tart with caramel ice cream. "Intense" couldn't sum up how over the top this was. It was barely edible. After two spoonfuls I feared that some more would permanently glue my mouth shut. When our waiter cleared the plate she said that some out of towners ask for seconds of this dessert! OK, maybe I've got a few mins. Here goes. Amuse: The tiny toast with foie gras. Good. Could've done with more Amuse 2: Marinated halibut with sesame toast. Good to very good. Clean tasting, and simple. I went for the scallops with pumpkin & Sichuan peppers. The scallops were unremarkable. They'd been sautéed, but the pumpkin sauce made them soggy. This might've been a poor choice on my part. My husband's sweetbreads were soft and delicious. My main was venison with cabbage and chestnuts. The last was not very evident. Again, this was unremarkable. The venison was nicely cooked in that it was rare, warm through, browned on the outside. But it was tasteless. Not gamey in the slightest. At this point I thought I might be going insane, and asked my husband to taste my venison, and he agreed with me. He also agreed about the scallops, and we don't always agree. My husband went for the short rib and fillet steak. In common with Scottf's wife's rendition, this was tender, quite flavorful and the accompanying potatoes were very good though my husband didn't find the dish superlative. We had a cheese course. For me, this was the highlight of the meal, especially the yews blue from Chatham (I think), and the goat with ash was excellent too. My husbands tart tartin was excellent. The dining rooms at GT are lovely, the service was competent and when we commented on the cheeses, the cheese man (fromagier?) was brought to our table for a chat. Nice touch. St Julien les Fiefs de Lagrange 1995 was terrific. I've been looking all over for this as we had some in France this year. This was our second time at GT, and, overall, neither of us was blown away. PS: Glad you liked the Corner Bistro Burger! Totally agree. Superb.

Agree. One of the tackiest sites I've seen in ages. Here's hoping chefs using chef2chef.net can put something on your plate that looks more appealing than this mess. But what the heck. I voted.........For egullet!

I don't think I could stomach Bovril. I don't think I made it very clear in my earlier post. Bovril (hot) and vodka isn't my idea for a hangover cure, it's Kingsley Amis's. He called it the Polish Bison. And the "tuft" (rather than hair) of the dog he credits to Cyril Connolly). (By the way), I dina ken fit y'er talkin aboot. Fit's this Opohmelit'sya? Vodka by chance?

Kingsley Amis's "On Drink", another slim volume, is brilliant. One Sunday afternoon a group of us, all hungover, read aloud most of it. We must have excreted all the nasty poisons of overdoing it the night before through our tears of laughter. The chapter on the Boozing Man's Diet goes as follows more or less. Keep drinking as much as before but lose weight through getting a hair cut of donating some blood. As for hangovers: have some hot Bovril and vodka in the AM. Around 12.20PM have the hair (or rather tuft) of the dog. PS: Martin Amis's "Experience" has a wonderful (funny and sad) description of dragging the drunken Amis senior home and being stuck on a traffic island b/c Amis Sr was blotto and couldn't walk. Pity senior Amis is no longer with us.

Scottf: But what specifically made the London places better? I tend to agree with you, but I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it. My thinking is that it is the quality of the ingredients, which are better in the UK. I've not covinced Fat Guy :) This is so funny in a way--what you say about the burger at Corner Bistro. It is my favorite burger in NY, but Fat Guy can't see what the fuss is about! I also agree with you on the Chinese food being better here, in NY. This is an interesting thread. As for Jean Georges, I'll have to disagree with Ellen. I just didn't get it:), though my hisband did. Maybe should give it another try. Le Gavroche in London (which I've been to, tho' years back) wouldn't compare with Ducasse, NY (not been)? Fat Guy, I must respectfully disagree with your comment that: ".. at the top places, and also at places like Craft, you will taste pretty much the best of whatever you're eating." Yes, the vegs at Craft were good, but the cauiflower and pots were nowhere near the top of my league. The best pots I've ever tasted were tiny pots from Egypt sold in Marks and Spencer in UK years ago. Second would be new pots in UK.

How about a more basic question. Where does the food taste best? The ingedients, in my opinion, are not as good in NY as they are in England, France, Spain, Italy. Therefore, no matter what a chef does with the food, it's not going to have full flavor. There are excellent chefs in both NY and London, for example, but one gets tasteless vegs and sometimes meat in the former (despite all the hype about Greenmarkets) relative to the good quality in the latter. I'm always amazed to be reminded of how food ought to taste when I'm in Europe, and how plastic food tastes, by comparison, in New York, at even the high end places. As for the "ethnic" advantage of NY over London, I'm still convinced that for Indian and Malaysian food, London is better.

I'm with those who go for chewiness. A frozen candy bar's appeal is the texture and chew. My fav is 3 Musketeers. I also like my icecream chewy. Keep that half-melted stuff that runs off your plate. There's a wonderful layered effect when it's almost tough! I wasn't sure what a Mallomar was. Here's a link with a pic and a quote "... about Mallomars: They're a New York thing. Seventy percent of all Mallomars sold are sold in metropolitan New York. And they're seasonal, available only from October to mid-March, because they are such delicate flowers they would melt in the harsh spring and summer months. News of the wonders of refrigeration and climate control has apparently not reached Nabisco's New Jersey headquarters." http://www.salon.com/mwt/sust/2001/02/27/mallomars/

Here goes, here's my list: All-Clad 10 inch omelet pan All-Clad pasta pan, that doubles as stock pot All-Clad 12 X 4 inch pan with lid (All above are stainless) Centurion 12 inch frying pan (steel) http://www.lincolnfp.com/Products/Cook/Cen...n/centurion.htm (Thanks, Fat Guy, for link on other thread) 12 inch Calphalon (I think) anodized aluminum non-stick, ridged frying pan (for stove-top 'grilling') Le Creust 8 inch casserole (I always cook my risotto in this) And I guess a little pan: All-Clad milk pan. I'm probably made a gross omission. This article on pans is quite interesting. http://www.winespectator.com/Wine....00.html Looks like Portale uses Centurion pans.