Pan

Yeah, that really is a surprising answer.

Seems like that might present an opening for some enterprising soul at McMurdo Sound.

Bux, I also have found Guide Michelin useful in Europe, especially France. My comment wasn't a criticism of Michelin but an observation about where most tourists stay in Manhattan.

There's also an Indian Pickles and Preserves thread on the India board.

If so, they'd better locate a bunch of them in Midtown, n'est-ce pas?

...but isn't the fact that you brought this up a little incendiary, to start with? No, it's topical. We're having a discussion.

I've had various Mughal-style dishes with pillau that have raisins and almonds or pistachios in them. I remember getting stuff like that often at Bangles restaurant in Kuala Lumpur in the 70s. Sorry, no recipes.

A joke? I'm always the last to find out. And that's all I have to say.

How do gas stoves without pilot lights work?

Besides, the "Damn, another New Yorker" crack was mine, and quite obviously a joke.

I know I've enjoyed a blog when I say to myself "It's over already?"

Questionable relevance??...Do you know how much relevance foreign influence has on the indian cusine?Then we have to stop DISCUSSING about Kababs & Chicken Cafreal coz that have foreign influence. Somebody can vouch for me? I think you missed the point. How relevant is Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Laotian cuisine to India?

Fat Guy, I somewhat disagree with you that Totonno's is in a completely different category than DiFara's. Joseph B said that Totonno's is sort of akin to DiFara's with a coal oven, and I think there's some substance to that. Their crust is thicker than the Patsy's/Grimaldi's crust, and there's more sauce on the pizza. But of course DiFara's toppings blow away Totonno's, though the latter's toppings were good, especially the white and mushroom pizze. And I think we simply have to agree to disagree about sauce. In no way do I feel like the amount of sauce on the pizza at Totonno's makes it other than excellent pizza.

There's a Chinatown in Lyon?

Homemade Campbell's soup? Is that a little joke?

Thanks for the news, K. To both editors, I wish you the best of luck and much enjoyment in your new positions! And may you bring credit upon your institution.

I enjoyed meeting you, too, kurl! I wasn't disturbed by the amount of sauce. It was very tasty sauce. And the mushroom flavor on that mushroom pizza was wonderful! Plus, the crust, though of moderate thickness, tasted very good. If Totonno's was in my hood, I'd go at least twice a week. Overall, I like both Grimaldi's and DiFara's better - Grimaldi's for the overall quality of the thin-crusted pizza and their lovely fennely sausages (the sausage at Totonno's was tasty but though I at first thought it was comparable to Grimaldi's, I ultimately think it fell pretty clearly short), and DiFara's for their truly special toppings like baby artichokes, porcini, baby eggplants, and so forth. And the regular slice at the East Harlem Patsy's is also delicious. But I have to say that atmosphere counts for something, and I don't think I've ever experienced a nicer atmosphere in an American pizzeria than I did this afternoon at Totonno's. It's owned by a family that's proud, friendly, and talkative; they don't rush you out; they give you excellent service; and it wasn't crushed with customers (though I guess it would be in the summer). And the walls reminded me of Katz's, with all the pictures of the family and of celebrities endorsing the pizza, historical events that have happened since the opening 80 years ago, and press clippings. On food alone, at this point, my ranking of the "big 5" is DiFara's, Grimaldi's, Totonno's, Patsy's, and at a distant 5 - falling out of the rankings - Lombardi's. The reason I rank Totonno's over Patsy's is pretty clear: Their toppings are immensely superior by comparison. All of the toppings we had today were good. The primary flavor of the pepperoni was a strong bite of hot pepper, but I felt that had a good effect as an accompaniment to the sauce. The plain pizza was delicious, even if probably inferior to Patsy's. And the white and mushroom pizze were terrific. By contrast, Patsy's does one thing fantastically, but don't get any toppings when you go there.

No leads, everyone?

Are you looking for the Burger Club thread? But if so, since it's 57 pages long, on which page did you post your report?

Translation: kain buruk sebulan tak basuh=bad cloth that hasn't been washed for a month nampak=see

William, when I was in Beijing, it seemed like beer was served more often than tea in restaurants. I'm guessing that in Qingdao, that might also be the case. (In the general area of Shanghai, it was much more common to be served tea in a restaurant.) Do most people drink beer with meals in restaurants (and how about at home)? Also, do people eat rice or noodles more often? Are noodle soups common in Shandong? Are jiaozi common? By the way, I was in China in 1987, so I'm aware that many things have changed since then.

Wow, you hold your drinks well! I assume the place is kind of pricey. How much per cocktail?

Vanishing, eventually, but not vanished as of yet. The Times will need to decide just how money-driven everything in the newspaper is. "Informal dining" for $73/person is expensive - nay, unaffordable, if you ask me! (And it sounds like without the wine, it still would have been about $50, which - sometimes pushed to $60 - is about the most I'd normally spend on a restaurant - once every couple of months or so.) But this is probably not the best thread to pursue that particular tangent further, so we'll all have to wait and see what happens in the near term and react accordingly. More importantly, thanks for the report!

Asimov managed to write a mostly positive review that seems to me to damn with faint praise: Yet he does suggest ways to order well. I'd love to hear from other people who've tried this place. Is it worth the walk from 1st Av.? I love mojitos, so maybe I'll go over for a drink and some appetizers or something one of these days, or even go for a meal with the idea that it's an accompaniment to drinks. Now, there's a novel idea.

I'm trying to understand the star rating. Good food -one bad dish -most of the desserts -(garbage outside+overly direct lighting+overly cold temperature) = 1 star? Sounds pretty fair, I guess. Still, the review was mostly positive, overall.