Pan

which cuts of beef? i think it's safe to say that lamb has a "stronger" or at the very least "more gamey" flavor (and i think they're one in the same here) than just about any cut of beef popular in the US. No dispute here. But if you've ever tried lamb denuded of fat, you might agree with me that it tastes a whole lot more like beef (e.g. very high-quality stew beef, though I couldn't isolate a cut for you) than lamb not denuded of fat.

Are there practicing Chinese Jews in Kaifeng nowadays?

I don't want to eat any live meat, thank you very much!

I can understand that. Many of the folks on these boards are really knowledgeable and critical, and I like that because I can trust their recommendations.

Easy for you to say. You were one of the stars of the show!

I think I was sick or something. I wanted to go but, honestly, I doubt I could have added much to it. I seldom cook anymore and I have some doubt that anything I brought would have been of comparably high quality to the things people made and brought.

I think they're both great, and so are Neapolitan pastries, but there's a little bit of comparing apples to oranges here, isn't there?

I will run this past Matthew. Thanks, everyone.

Why buy? Seriously, why are you asking me that question? Would it be polite for me to tell my friend that he should just bake the pie himself and shut up? Besides, I doubt that there are no good places to buy pies in New York; you just don't know them. I've known Veniero's for many, many years. I haven't been there for some time now but they always seemed the same to me - reliable but not amazing compared to what's possible. There's actually a place on Mott St. nearest to Canal on the east side of the street that I like better, to a point. Here's my standard: I've spent time in France, Naples and other parts of Italy, and Budapest (many, many Hungarian pastries are pretty much Viennese pastries, though I don't know what the differences are between the styles, overall). Having had fantastic pastries in all three places, I still think that the rum balls at Lafayette are fabulous and the pastries at Something Sweet are the real stuff. Though some of the Italian pastry places I've been to in New York are quite acceptable for an occasional stop on a date, they just don't compare to any old place on Via Toledo in Naples at all.

Thanks, Katherine. I think I can picture that.

This question is from a friend of mine: For the tarts and cream puffs, I recommended Lafayatte on Greenwich St. as a French bakery I know and like (though I've so far had nothing but rum balls there) and Something Sweet on 11th and 1st for a delicious Viennese take on these. But that leaves the pecan pie. I think my friend would do best to go to a delicious black Southern-style place for pecan pie. Do you agree, and what would you recommend? I'd be particularly interested, for his sake, in places uptown. He lives in Washington Heights and many parts of Harlem would be a nice walk or short trip for him.

Oyster of a chicken? What, exactly, is that? For the record, I like fishheads, goatheads, chickenheads - basically, the head of anything I like to eat, generally. The flesh thereof, though not the brains, at this stage of my life. Eating a monitor lizard head, though - or any other part of a monitor lizard - isn't something I want to do in this lifetime. I have childhood memories from rural Malaysia of giving monitor lizards a wide berth and being a bit scared of those huge carnivores that eat chickens and could eat a baby if it were close enough to them. Besides, as New Orleanian friends of mine used to say, they are ugly with a capital UGH!

You're welcome, Suzanne. What exactly is integument? Cartilege?

My father was on a very low-fat diet for some time and got used to getting all visible fat off the lamb he cooked. Most of the distinctive taste of the lamb is in the fat. Denuded of fat, lamb tastes a good deal like beef, but maybe a very good cut.

Claire took the words right out of my mouth. Maybe someday I'll fulfill my long-held fantasy of visiting Samarkand and Bukhara, but I doubt anything I ever do will be as adventurous as Ellen's fantastic voyage.

But seriously, that piece by Ellen is the best report I've ever read on eGullet. I can't wait for the next installment.

I went back to this place for dinner tonight. Pig's heart casserole was delicious. It was sliced and cooked in a tasty brown sauce. I couldn't pick out all the ingredients in the sauce, but star anice was clearly one of them. It had a good deal of fresh ginger in it, plus some tasty green parts of scallions and whole cloves of roasted garlic. This casserole did not include rice and is intended to be eaten without rice. I also had some flavorful broccoli di rabe ("Chinese broccoli") that was listed as stir fried, I think, but clearly was deep fried and briefly dunked in water, as per the usual Chinese restaurant technique. I found out from the guy sitting next to me that water spinach is also available, but only by request (I call it kangkung, but apparently, one must ask for I believe Ong Choy). I poured a little bit of hot sauce into my bowl and dipped pieces of the vegetable into it. My service was very slow tonight, but the food was good.

Pasqua is/was a chain, too; there were lots in San Francisco.

Katie: If you want to go to Cornelia St. Cafe to hear some musicians you like play in their bar downstairs, by all means go. But if you're going there for the food, as of the last time I went, it's quite acceptable but nothing special and kind of pricey for what it is ($18 or something for penne all'arabbiata as of a couple of years ago). I'm an East Sider now, so my knowledge of places in the West Village is limited. I actually eat in Chelsea more often than the Village. My favorite place in Chelsea is Grand Sichuan on 24th and 9th, but if you want Italian, you could do a lot worse than Peppe Giallo (I think it is) on 10th between 24th and 25th Sts. You can have a light, informal dinner there. I won't praise the place to the high heavens, but it's authentic (all the staff speak Italian), and if you want a panino, the tricolore (fresh mozzarella, arugula, basil, tomato) was solid-to-excellent the last times I had it (though it's been a while). They also have a nice garden. Il Bagatto, Lavagna, and Col Legno are all better but somewhat more expensive, and they're pretty far east of where you'll be. Il Bagatto gets loud and crowded later at night (even on week nights), and you'd better reserve unless you want to either risk a long wait or eat at the bar (which I did last time). There are some more quiet rooms downstairs in the bar area, though. Lavagna is a little cramped but very pleasant; reservations recommended. Col Legno is sedate and quiet and you're unlikely to have any trouble being accomodated without a reservation. On food, I would recommend all three but would tend to rate them as follows, starting with the best: Il Bagatto, Lavagna, and then Col Legno. But food isn't the only consideration. If you want yet more wine, I've had excellent luck (?) at both Il Bagatto and Lavagna; Il Bagatto also makes good mixed drinks. I usually don't get wine at Col Legno but when I have, it's been tasty but nothing amazing. If you want to go in a completely different direction, since you'll have to go back to Penn Station anyway, would Korean food be up your alley?

Their takeout menu doesn't list hours, but you could call them at 374-1327.

I stopped in this place at 48 Bowery (entrance in the arcade) for dinner yesterday evening around 7ish. The place is very popular with Chinese people. I had some pretty good Soy Sauce Chicken on rice (next time, I'll try to remember to ask for legs). The menu also includes congee, casseroles, and various other dishes, as well as noodles. Worth a try for a cheap meal, and I plan on going back a bunch of times, as long as I like the food.

I was amazed to find a place on my street listed in "Simply Inexpensive" in the "Dining and Wine" section of the Sunday times. Has anyone been there? Your appraisal?

Malaysians don't drink wine much, especially the Malays, who are Muslims and live in much of the prime durian-growing land in Malaysia. And I'm trying to imagine durian with foie gras; on the face of it, it sounds too rich because you're combining a very rich fruit with a lot of animal fat. Durians have a higher percentage of fat than any other fruit except avocado, I've been told. Does anyone have definitive information on this?

OK, my thoughts on durian: When I was 10-12, I used to hate it. I went back to Malaysia this past summer (aged 38) and no longer hate it. I had a section apiece of three of four durian last month. The best I had was a red durian (not really red, just with a red tint) just picked from a friend's durian tree, and it was truly delicious. Durian does smell bad and the taste is definitely not for everyone. I do prefer rambutan, on the whole. And durian is very rich and filling, so one section was enough for me. But at its best, it is an excellent, truly unique fruit with a complex taste that can be really unexpected.