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You deserve more positive feedback. I thought I learned a lot from that report on Gramercy Tavern. I don't know what you meant by "not pristine," however. This is the definition from http://www.m-w.com, my favorite online dictionary, despite the aggressively flashing ad that's there now. I usually use "pristine" in the second meaning.

Robyn, can you give any more details about the Chinese restaurant that seats 4000 people? Wow!

It's between 100 and 101 Sts. on the west side of Broadway.

Suzanne, I don't drink coffee and until now, had no knowledge of whether that truck made good, bad, or indifferent coffee. What I do know is that I get that strong gasoline smell every time I go to the 6 train in the morning. It smells like a truck running its motor continuously while idling. And yes, it's worse than the usual traffic pollution and people smoking upwind from me. Somehow, the taco truck on 96 St. manages to make everything without all that continuous pollution; why can't Mud Truck? I begrudge all of you for helping to keep them in business, and that's the last thing I plan on saying about them, except for a parting shot: Suzanne, don't you have any decent coffee in your neighborhood? Carry on. [where's the smirk emoticon?]

The other day, there were two wine tastings when I was at Astor Wines here in the East Village. The more interesting of the two was a sake tasting. Three sakes were on offer, and I quote the names from the "Sake Descriptions" sheet they gave me, in the order I tried the sakes: 1. Akitabare "Koshiki Junzukuri" Northern Skies 2. Kamoizumi "Shusen" Three Dots 3. Masumi "Okuden Kantsukuri" Mirror of Truth I preface this by stating up-front that I am not a sake connoiseur and have usually just had inexpensive hot sake from time to time in inexpensive-to-moderate-priced Japanese restaurants in New York. Nevertheless, I would like to share my reactions with anyone who's interested. From what I remember, the Akitabare was strong and dry, something like sakes I've had in restaurants, though perhaps a bit better (I may have indeed had this one before, however). It was OK and would have been fine to drink with a casual Japanese meal, but I wasn't impressed. I did not like the Kamoizumi. It's meant to taste like mushrooms and does, which might be really interesting for cooking but just doesn't work for me for drinking. It's like having a mushroom-infused wine. Yuck! On the other hand, the Masumi was awesome! It blows away the cheap sakes I've had before. It is so smooth, complex, subtly fragrant, delicious! At some $23 a bottle (with smaller -- third-size? I forget -- bottles available for $9), it is not cheap but there's no doubt that I will look for it for a special occasion. I now know for a fact that sake can be every bit as good as a fine grape wine, at least at the price range that I've experienced fine grape wines. Here are some descriptions of the Masumi. From the "Sake Descriptions" sheet: From Astor Wines' website: I'm sure more experienced sake drinkers have favorites that are levels above this one in quality and price, but if you want a recommendation of something other than grape wine in the ~$25 range to take to your next special occasion, consider this sake. It was a revelation to me.

Krista, that's cool that you wrote that article, though it's showing up too small to read on my monitor. Have you compared the pollo a la brasa at El Malecon's 97th/Amsterdam and Washington Heights branches?

If that's true, that's despicable and inexcusable.

Up to this point, I've just been watching this discussion on the sidelines, because I haven't felt I had much to contribute to it. But on this point, I imagine a different translation: "Cuisine is when the ingredients [things] have the taste of what they are." In other words, it seems to me that the meaning of this statement is that true cuisine is not artifice that makes things taste like something other than what they are, but a type of cooking in which the result is that everything tastes like what it is -- fish should taste like fish, chicken like chicken, spinach like spinach, etc. Do you disagree with my interpretation of the statement? Because if my translation is accurate, it brings in a whole other interesting topic, which is whether haute cuisine started off with an ethos similar to the Italian emphasis on fresh ingredients largely standing on their own and ended up giving way to artifice. I don't have an opinion on that but would be interested in watching that debate from the sidelines, as well.

I hate that truck and would never get anything from it because of how much their generator pollutes the air. I have to pass by that truck often to get the 6 train. So I'm sorry if their coffee is good, because I wish they'd go out of business. Really, that truck is a pet peeve of mine.

As of the time the eGullet Pizza Survey checked out Patsy's, they were selling slices. If that changed, the change must have been pretty recent. Seems like someone should go down there and investigate, or call them . . .

Foodexile, would it be inappropriate if Fat Guy or someone else were to argue that a critic has a greater obligation to explain his/her negative opinion than his/her positive opinion? Though, honestly, I wouldn't agree with that point of view. Maybe we should discuss this more in the Bruni thread.

I can see the photos now, as well. Very good report! The thing that's disconcerting to me is that they give you large plates with very little food on them. Did that strike you one way or the other at the time? How would smaller dishes have worked for this food?

I'm looking forward to this ongoing thread, tetsujustin, but the photos aren't viewable right now. Here's the message I get when I try to view them in a separate window: Perhaps you'd consider using ImageGullet? Thanks, and welcome!

I like the pollo a la brasa at the Mancora on 6 St. and 1 Av., but I don't know if it will meet Atomic Lunch's specifications. I always liked the Dominican chicken from El Malecon better than Flor de Mayo's, though. Better sauce, and I assume it's still cheaper?

Thanks, Janet. I've passed by that racoon statue loads of times but haven't gone in.

Great post as usual from you, Oakapple. Why do you suppose they didn't do the tasting menu that night?

Adam, thanks for the information about the derivation of the word laksa. I had no idea. Andrew, pigs are very commonly raised by sedentary non-Muslim populations in Malaysia and Indonesia. Bali, where babi guling (very spicy long-roasted -- really, sort of barbecued -- pork) is a delicacy, has been mentioned, but I believe that almost every other non-Muslim people in the region eats pork. I was a guest at a second burial (a kind of celebration that occurs about 60 years after a person's death) in the Toba Batak land in Sumatra in the 1970s, and the main dish was two slow fire-roasted pigs, again very spicy. Adam again, I was under the vague impression that in ancient times, the Canaanite farmers raised pigs, whereas the Jewish pastoralists raised sheep, and that the prohibition on Jews eating pig meat was in part a way to distinguish them from the neighboring non-Jews (much as is the case with the prohibition on eating a "kid seethed in its mother's milk," a dish that still exists among non-Jews in the Middle East and North Africa). Please disabuse me of this notion if it's incorrect.

Babiemindy, welcome to eGullet, and please give us some recommendations for dim sum in Flushing.

Yes, the Portuguese had already taken over parts of India (e.g., Goa) and Malacca by the early 16th century. Sure, there were many Muslim traders in the area. OK, whatever. Too tired to argue. All the best,

Chilis in Asia? I would imagine that chilis from the -- ahem! -- Americas were introduced into Europe by Spanish traders. Now, if you're talking about spices (including black pepper) that grew in what's now Indonesia and India, for example, then you have a much better argument for the strong contribution of Muslim traders.

Please tell us which Peruvian chicken places you've already tried in New York, and good luck on your quest!

I've been thinking that it's been too long since we've had a gathering of Society members for dim sum. I'm thinking that it would be a good thing to pick a place that seems to meet a consensus in this thread and arrange a get-together, perhaps on Christmas or on some other convenient late morning (best at or before 11) or, failing that, early afternoon up to 1 P.M meeting time. We'll take pictures and post descriptions of and comments on each plate. Feel free to PM me if you're interested, and I'll keep a running tally off-line. All Society members are welcome and may bring guests. I suppose I like Jing Fong best from among the places I've tried that roll carts around. Sweet & Tart is good for sit-down-and-order-off-the-menu dim sum, though there already was a gathering of members there some time ago that elicited a lot of comments. I'd be persuadable for trying a place I haven't been to yet, though, and I've also enjoyed Golden Unicorn and Harmony Palace (though the latter is best in the early morning for breakfast; at least the one time I went there that early it was calm and the service was excellent).

If you ever make that, you have to do step-by-step pictures. Is that a deal?

Janet, please tell us about Kenka. That's a new one on me.

The lights aren't dark, but it feels very homey (heimish, in Yiddish parlance) in terms of people of good taste. Very pleasant place.