alacarte

My inner food media curmudgeon was wondering why everyone is writing about these Quizno's ads now, since they've been running for months. Then it was pointed out to me that the New York Times wrote about them a couple of weeks ago, so all the media lemmings are falling into line, with a sudden flurry of articles as if they've just discovered this phenomenon. Damn song is growing on me. Can't get "they've got a pepper barrrrr" out of my head. Must get coffee.

1. Agreed, great map. 2. Someone needs to teach Kenk how the "reply" function works. 3. Can anyone offer an explanation of why some areas use "soda" and some use "pop"?

I'm OK with this trend. Seems like I always have to wait...and wait...and wait for someone to vacate one of said comfy chairs. I'm sure S'bucks has noticed the same thing. Also, have you noticed how stained & crumb-laden those chairs become? Apparently baristas are not paid to vacuum. I suspect some of these crumby chairs have not been replaced since the inception of Starbucks in many areas.

Great photos. I feel like I'm there, except the smell. Am I seeing this correctly -- they use a band saw to cut the meat? Is this typical?

Suzanne, you worked on this book, did you not?

but if they used this to showcase the food at El Bulli, we'd all applaud and call it brilliant.

Has anyone been lately? Has it gotten out the kinks?

Maybe it was cardamom or clove? That sounds like a proper Indian accent for a French-inspired dish.

At a crunchy-granola camp I once attended, they used to serve seitan burgers. Not bad. The vegetarians used to eat them every chance they got, grilled and served like the carnivore burgs.

Maybe (OK, probably) I'm in a curmudgeonly mood, but this article pissed me off. It's an article about a guy who hasn't eaten in a restaurant recently. When you get toward the end of the article, it's revealed that why yes, he HAS eaten in a restaurant. A few times, though not for several decades since. The headline and the first 3/4 of the article belie this fact, buried conveniently at the end of the article. The article also annoyed me because I thought it was disrespectful of Glustein, the subject of the article, and his lifestyle, though not in an overt way. I'd bet that there are lots of people living below the poverty line or living in isolated areas of the country who haven't been to a restaurant lately, or at all. Let the NYT focus on the homeless people who --in effect-- "dine out" EVERY day because they have no kitchen. Leave this poor schlub alone, instead of dragging him to a restaurant he obviously didn't care to attend, and then poke fun at him in a national newpaper for just living his life without dumping the contents of his wallet into restaurateur's pockets.

I always thought it was pronounced "SAY-ton."

I agree. It's the publishers, as much (if not more than) the writers. If the bread-and-butter at most newspapers is the local grocery chain, you can expect articles focused on family-friendly-meals-under-$2.50-a-week to dominate the food section. And very few writers will be encouraged to stray from the formula to write creative and interesting copy.

more on cherimoyas & other exotic fruits in Fine Cooking magazine. Pictures too.

oh, noooooo!!!! I hate when a product I like goes off the shelves. Thanks for the info, beans. Guess I'd better stock up while I still can.

What a great lede to the article:

How difficult is it to get a reservation at Riingo? Is it still too new and trendy? We had dinner last night at Ulrika's, a Swedish restaurant on E. 60th. Nice meal, pleasant experience, great herring sampler app...but it all put me in mind of Aquavit, which of course put me in mind of Riingo.

I'm glad you had a good meal and a good time, Pan. (that smiley baby sounds like a winner. where do we order one of those?) I'm glad you liked the saganaki, I was afraid I'd played it up too much & the reality would suffer by comparison! I'm encouraged that it held up to the "hype." The baklava sounds great. I've never tried it. By the time we get to dessert at Molyvos, I'm always too full!

Blo's observation reminds me -- I went to Williams Sonoma first & then downstairs to Whole Foods. I noticed quite a few items in WF that WS carried upstairs, for less money. For example, high-end chocolate, olive oils, fancy mustards, etc. That said, Whole Foods still ain't cheap.

It has been. in just about every suburban grocery store in NJ! NY isn't the first for EVERYTHING you know! blasphemer.

A favorite friend & dining companion has an even more direct strategy: she will literally lean in to the neighboring table, and scoop up a forkful of their dinner. (as she scoops, she coos, "that looks divine, do you mind if I try...?") But maybe you have to be a woman 'of a certain age' for that approach to work well.

Saganaki is a Greek appetizer of Kasseri cheese that's been fried and then (usually) set aflame with brandy to loud shouts of "OPA!!" from the waitstaff and small scorch marks being left on the ceiling. Happy Anniversary to your parents! Have fun, Pan. Happy anniversary to the parental units! Molyvos marinates their cheese in ouzo rather than brandy, maybe that's why it's so good. They do indeed set it aflame, and then douse the flames with a wonderful lemony sauce (not sure what else is in it). I've sampled Saganaki compulsively at every Greek restaurant I've set foot in, and while many places do a fine version, Molyvos's is the best, IMHO. Some places focus more on the drama of the flames than the flavor. Other places somehow create a rubbery cheese. Molyvos's Saganaki has a more pleasing texture, it's toasty on the outside and firm on the inside, with a bit of "squeak" to the bite but no rubberiness, and the flavors are delighfully complex. If you try it, I'd love to hear what you think!

mmmm.....celery....alongside buffalo chicken wings and bleu cheese dressing....mmmmm.....

Awright. I caved. I was uptown at a dentist appt (look Ma, no cavities! ) and couldn't resist stopping in to check out the Columbus Circle Mall. Here's my report: The Williams Sonoma store is just beautiful. Two stories. Sweeping high ceilings. Ridiculously friendly and knowledgeable staff (will they still be so nice a year from now? I sure hope so). I spent some bucks$$ on impulse food items that I've seen advertised in WS catalogs but never had the opp to check out up close. This store has EVERYTHING, and boy was the joint jumping. The Whole Foods market in the basement -- also enormous, also beautiful, also friendly. Also packed with eager shoppers (where do all these people live?) They have some interesting takeout food items. In addition to the usual sushi bar & cold bar items, they have hot-bar stations labeled "Latin Bar," "Asian Bar," "Indian Bar," with the appropriate ethnic foods ready for scooping into plastic takeout containers. Really interesting concept, I'd love to see it replicated elsewhere. As a bonus, I ran into JosephB and Donna, so I even had friends to eat my takeout sushi with! (how was the opera, Joe?) That said, the rest of the joint was surprisingly dead. Lots of folks walking the aisles and window-shopping, but few people seemed to be actually buying in Hugo Boss and Sisley. (Sephora was the only exception, crazy lines in that store). I've never seen so many salespeople lounging about, smiling like crazy but with little to do. Maybe there's more shopping action on the weekends, or will be once the restaurants open.

I never went. But it's the sort of place I moved to NYC for. Always dreamed of lunching at Lutece, 21, etc. as with editors and the media elite....

I like Tropical Sprite Remix (the one with the funky orange can, not the regular green version), but it seems to be carried in fewer and fewer stores. Anyone know if it's going to be taken off the shelves? Am I the only one who likes it? (even without rum?)