alacarte

maybe you can mail-order some from Kalustyan'sor another Indian or Middle Eastern food web site. (edited to add link)

what a bummer, G.G. I bought the double-chocolate-dipped macaroons too. I was planning to save them for a few days, until I was good & sick of Passover food & needed a treat. Right now, I'm staring down a canister of Manischewitz Cappuccino Chip macaroons. Not bad. For macaroons. ah, Gifted Gourmet, I mis read your earlier post. You had the double-dipped matzah -- I have the double-dipped macaroons, which I opened last night in your honor. They're pretty good, almost like black forest cake, although I checked the ingredients & there are no cherries in there. Kind of tastes like it. Which worries me a bit.

My favorite part was from the pork rinds section:

word!

what a bummer, G.G. I bought the double-chocolate-dipped macaroons too. I was planning to save them for a few days, until I was good & sick of Passover food & needed a treat. Right now, I'm staring down a canister of Manischewitz Cappuccino Chip macaroons. Not bad. For macaroons.

If you can take food out from 'wichcraft and eat it at your office or home or even Union Square park, it's not bad. I liked the tuna/fennel/capers sandwich too. I really liked their homemade chocolate cupcake, which looks like a Hostess cupcake but tastes much richer. And their cappuccino is suitably strong. Agreed that the second-floor dining makes you want to smack the truly annoying, pretentious, loud clientele. From what I've seen, the business looks pretty strong. Every time I've been there it's always bustling.

How disappointing... Pennyroyal mint grown nearby apparently keeps the little blighters away. Thanks, Naomi! I'll have to try that with my next herb garden planting.

I take it these are unsweetened? Soba The fish gelatin marshmallows are sweetened, Soba, which makes them marginally less disgusting. To be fair, they don't actually taste like fish. However, they have a disconcerting tendency to change texture as you chew them -- one second lovely fluffy marshmallow, the next you are chomping on gritty bits of fish bones.

what fun. I haven't been to Saratoga Springs in years. Racetrack in a big floppy hat. I've been dying to go to Chez Sophie, I'm even on their e-mail list. I'd love to join you if I can get my act together the same weekend you're going. If not, me and my big floppy hat will be there in spirit.

I've been to A&M once -- I loved that we were able to order an entire head of iceberg lettuce with bleu cheese dressing. Their sides are family-sized.

My lovely windowsill herb plants were over-run by aphids, so I don't grow anything these days.

Bring back the Automat!

Oh no . Roasted red pepper cream sauce on pasta - topped with sauteed scallops - is one of my favorite dishes. Will you give the roasted red peppers a reprieve because I'm using cream and pasta too (pretty please )? Robyn I'll give you red peppers as "in" if you'll make sun-dried tomatoes go away. Deal?

Most of this is too wistful to be considered bitching, IMO.

Great blog, Mayhaw. I love the conceit of starting and ending with a crawfish boil! what's this, please?

Jonathan & Moby, thanks for a striking presentation. Can you please give us more of the "backstory"? How did you come to this opportunity to spend time with Adria, what happened when you were there, why you decided to use the storytelling format you did (and the challenges of getting that together)? Also, did you take all the photos, or were some supplied by El Bulli?

If you're serving manchego, don't forget the quince! how about a bowl of Spanish olives?

my vote for most disgusting kosher candy are the marshmallows made with fish gelatin. YUK!

Maybe it's a matter of re-educating the public?

and here I thought this thread would be about steak cooked BLT style, a la Chicken-Fried Steak.

Joe, I was doing the final leg of my Passover shopping yesterday at the Kosher Marketplace (Broadway btw. 90th & 91st) and they were selling boxes of the Shmura Matzo you're looking for. It's high up on a shelf, so it's easy to miss. I think the kosher shops likely are open only today and tomorrow (until sundown), and then Sunday and possibly Monday before closing down for the duration of Passover, so your window for getting a fix is kind of brief.

I'm looking forward to baking the petit fours in the back of the Baking With Julia book.

oh, NO. Isn't raw food over yet?

I haven't been there, but I understand that Oceana's pastry chef is fabulous. And the entrees get good reviews too. edit: I didn't read the full list of requirements. Oceana is in midtown, so it's too far for you to walk. But you might want to consider it for the future. Blue Water Grill has good desserts too, though nothing out of the ordinary.

There's a roving tamale vendor that works the 26th Street flea market on the weekends. I've never tried the tamales, but he seems to get a fair amount of business. Plus he has flavored shaved-ice in the summertime.