alacarte

Bleu, this is a great blog -- I opened it for the first time today and read it from beginning to (what is currently) the end. I too vote to extend this blog, it's wonderful escapism. How often do we get to read about French cafeteria food? Thanks for sharing all of it with us, the highs AND the lows! The pictures are just stunning. Have you ever considered a job as a food stylist or photographer?

NY Times on Stone Barns but you read it here first.

To make up for missing the latest Pizza Club outing, I took myself over to Mardigras Pizza on Maiden Lane, down here in the financial district. Charred-crust fans will disapprove of the cornmeal-dusted crust, but I think they have innovative toppings: andouille sausage, crawfish with Cajun spices and saffron, jalapeno pepper pesto. YUM. I got to chatting with the owner, Manuel Luna, who is not from New 'Awlins. Actually, he originally hails from Mexico City, though he has lived in NY for 20 years. He's also a chef at Joanna’s Restaurant on E. 92nd Street, which I am not familiar with, anyone been there? According to Luna, the peeled crawfish and andouille are brought by truck, direct from New Orleans, and the crawfish is marinated in hot sauce. The blueprint for the Mardigras pizza was created before they even opened the pizza parlor, which has been in operation for about 3 years. He didn't want to share the names of his suppliers.

Sorry the mozz-making didn't turn out as planned. But from what I've heard about slkinsey's pizza, it sounds like you all had a real treat! Which I'm sure was sorely needed after the Lombardi's bomb.

I think you're right. Does Tibetan count as exotic?

good to know I'm not alone in my assessment. oh my goodness -- Mr. alacarte made the same observation about being reminded of The Shining!

That sounds good, Varmint. I think it's often lost on people that it's a good idea to dissolve the sugar or add chocolate while the coffee is still hot, so it blends, and then you try to chill it -- adding sugar to already-chilled coffee leaves a grainy texture from undissolved sugar. I've also made the blunder of pouring hot coffee over ice and then adding the milk -- which of course melts the ice too much so you get watery iced coffee. It's like a mini chemistry set.

Coffee fallacies debunked here, 25 cents!

The parental units gave Mr. alacarte & me a generous anniversary gift -- a weekend at the famed Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. I was really looking forward to this because Mohonk is supposed to be one of the best mountain resorts in the country. We were not disappointed by the grounds -- I have never seen such well-maintained trails, not to mention the beauty of the scenery nature so kindly provided. After a 10-mile hike yesterday, I am paying the piper today. But the food was disappointing. We hadn't booked a table ahead of time, so I didn't mind taking the last seating at 8:15 PM. But all the food arrived overcooked -- woefully burned and dried-out salmon, greens far over-salted, tepid pasta, as though everything had been sitting around since the first seating at 6PM. And the chocolate desserts were sold out by the time we ordered (they must have just sold out, since the tables around us all had the chocolate layer cake the waitress recommended -- not a big deal though, obviously popular items are bound to sell out by the end of Saturday evening -- but it didn't help the experience). That said, the service was very attentive and we weren't rushed out, and the dining room is extremely well-kept and attractive. Has anyone else had a similar experience at Mohonk? Were my expectations too high going in? Is it unreasonable to expect a good meal at a big resort like this? I tend to think that I'm not expecting the impossible, as I've had excellent meals at resorts of similar reputation and size (for example, The Greebrier in West VA had some of the best food I've eaten anywhere).

So, how did the cheese-making experiment go?

If you look at that exterior shot, it looks like definitely some characters there! Sorry the pizza was not up to par, guys. I still enjoyed the slkinsey photo-journal. Katie, I love the idea of an East Coast Pizzapalooza. It's a full day, but Philly is a do-able day trip from NYC.

Yes -- on 9th Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenues. But I can't remember the name, can anyone help?

I think it depends where you are shopping. For example, I like the America's Choice generic brand found at the Food Emporium -- it tends to be of good and consistent quality. However, I don't like the White Rose generic (which is available at the Met Foods in my nabe) -- frozen and canned goods are spotty at best.

Here's alacarte's recipe for The Best Iced Mochaccino Ever (courtesy of 52 Irving coffee shop ) Fill a cup about halfway full of ice. Pour in non-fat milk until it almost hits the top of the ice. Pull an espresso shot (or two), and mix with Ghiradelli chocolate syrup while hot. Pour the mixture over the ice and milk, and stir together so the espresso chills. Add frothed milk on top if the fancy strikes you. do NOT add powdered cocoa on top of the froth. Bleechhhh. sip, enjoy, repeat, think happy caffeinated thoughts I also enjoy the occasional iced hazelnut coffee, extra milk & sugar.

It makes me happy just knowing that this thread exists. I have a dumb question to ask my fellow iced-coffee addicts: Is it true that if you make coffee (or espresso) and then chill it overnight, that it loses its caffeine content? I've noticed that it certainly tastes best when you make a fresh shot and then chill it over ice & drink it right away. Is this some kind of coffee fallacy?

Joe, did you find the rennet and pH paper? I'm especially curious about where one finds pH paper (other than PhD programs, ha ha ha).

This is a good questions. I've always wondered what the "spices" listing means on many products. My best guess is that it's a hedge designed to let manufacturers vary the spices in products depending on what is available and cheapest at a given time. Who me, skeptical?

how will they deal with darker-colored produce like red apples? won't it be hard to read the inked bar code, or will white ink be used?

If you don't get to Totonno's & Coney Island this time around, you should consider joining Pizza Club, I think that's on the agenda soon now that the weather is nice again!

Thanks! It's my pleasure. I'm sure we'd all love to hear what you think of the tour if you go!

Taste of the Lower East Side tour info

I think you can buy rennet tablets at many supermarkets -- I think it's usually sold with the gelatins and stuff like that. You might want to call Whole Foods to see if they have either or both?

Wish I could make it -- will be out of town. But I'll be looking forward to the discussion and pictures. What a great idea! If the mozz experiment is successful, will you be making other cheeses in the future? Look out Artisanal, here comes eGullet.

y'all, the article's running on the front page of today's WSJ. Not sure if this is password-only or not. snaps for the pun-ful title: Flush With Success, Bathroom Attendants Stage a Comeback

Way to go, Monica. Thanks for sharing such a personal piece. And here's wishing you all the best with your new cookbook! Which writers inspired you to write, and to write about food in particular?