alacarte

No. Unless it's done right, i.e. no slime. But it so rarely is done right. So I'm back to "No."

I love the pictures with your weblog, Pim. Question -- in the picture taken in your car, what is that sitting next to your sandwich? It looks like a mini chocolate Bundt cake, but it's hard to tell. edited to add: oh, duh, I now see that you specify that it's a cannelé de bordeaux. what's that, please?

I have to say that out of all the threads on eGullet, this one makes me the hungriest. And around here, that's high praise. I really have to try Amma soon.

How about a hazelnut filling, a la Nutella?

I've been checking Regina Schrambling's site occasionally for updates -- I figure she has the inside track on the NYT food critic dog race. Unfortunately, she doesn't name names, you have to read between the lines.

The more I read about this, I find that I have the same reaction over and over again: a brief flash of excitement at some of the new and creative offerings, and then a thud of disappointment when I remember that this is just a big ol' shopping mall. Yecch. But how I would have loved to while away my lunchtimes here when I still worked in midtown and lived on the upper west side! I think it's going to take a very powerful draw to lure me to the Time Warner center now that I'm strictly a downtown girl.

Thanks for the info, hannah. I'll be spending some quality time with this resource for sure! I understand that Jefferson was quite the gastronome, that he had very specific ideas on what he liked to eat and how he wanted food prepared. If that politics thing hadn't panned out, I bet he'd have been a very interesting chef.

I'd love to see the article, looking forward to it. What is Baco? I'm assuming it's NOT faux bacon bits.

Nancy -- wow. Thank you for those links, I've never seen them before. Both of those actually allow you to search by food or topic (i.e. apple pie, chocolate), and include scanned images of the pages. This is especially wonderful because so many old cookbooks are literally falling apart at the seams, and this preserves not only the recipes but the pictures and layout too. As you can tell, I'm really excited about these sites! As long as I'm posting....I mentioned hardtack in my piece, but neglected to reference Barbara Haber's excellent book From Hardtack to Home Fries. It's anecdotes rather than recipes, but I recommend it if you've got an empty space on your bookshelf.

The Wall Street Journal discovers POM The article mentions "The Crimson Cosmo" at Luna Park San Francisco (vodka, Cointreau, and POM); "The Pommie Margarita" at Range Restaurant in Aspen (tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and pomegranate syrup); and the "Pomegranate Mojito" at 40 Sardines Park in Overland Park, KS (crushed mint, sugar, lime juice, pomegranate seeds, Bacardi Limon, pomegranate juice, soda water).

I've tried cherimoyas. I'd advise you to try one or two before you invest in a whole box. I agree with tryska's assessment that they can be hit or miss. When you get a good one it's nice, mildly-flavored. The taste reminded me a bit of papaya or pomegranate. We once got a bad one, I think it was just over-ripe. It tasted a bit like strong cheese; my father-in-law described the taste as "tangy," not in a good way.

We all have our favorite cookbooks -- sometimes new, sometimes old, and sometimes very old. I've been collecting vintage cookbooks -- and cooking from them -- for a few years now. More on that is in The Daily Gullet, click here to jump to the article. Do you collect vintage cookbooks, pamphlets, or recipes? Do you have any historic recipes to share that you can't find in modern cookbooks? In my opinion, recipes handed down from great-grandma (or grandpa) count too. +++ Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

Do we know yet where the greenmarket will be held? As an aside -- I discovered yesterday that a co-operative greenmarket is held in the lobby of the Prince George Hotel on W. 28th Street. (???!!??) From what I could see it's all indoors and is pretty expansive -- must be about 25 tables set up in the lobby. Alas, I was there too late to see which vendors attend, or what type of produce is sold. Anyone else heard of this hotel-lobby greenmarket?

The extension program sounds like a win-win situation.

I didn't even know such a thing as a wine-advisory firm existed. The full article is available here (Wall Street Journal -- probably subscription required).

chocolat(e)

Oh, thank goodness!

Who knew this was such a cult item. I just bought a Le Creuset dutch oven too -- French blue, 3 1/2 q., round. I love it. It's just beautiful. I haven't used it yet. Glad I read this thread first, I didn't realize it required seasoning. I also just learned that it requires special silicone utensils -- are those really necessary?? I haven't been this happy with a piece of kitchen equipment since I splurged on a shiny new copper paella pan two years ago.

Starbucks. Starbucks. Starbucks. I like Starbucks on its own merits, but I've had an aversion to Dunkin Donuts ever since a colleague came to work, opened his D-D cuppa joe...and there was a cockroach floating inside. EEEUUWWWW!!!!

No one should argue with JJ on fact-checking.

Word. I give Grimes credit for taking himself out of the reviewing game when his enthusiasm ebbed. I don't think the Burros review has done much harm to Casa Mono. When I walk by the restaurant, I see that it's still packed night after night.

The package has arrived!!! (Thanks much for the offer, Marlene. Very kind of you to offer to put me out of my misery.) I tried my first Coffee Crisp yesterday. It reminded me a bit of a the "Whatchamacallit" candy bars they have here (perhaps in Canada too?). Oddly enough, I found it not coffee-flavored enough for my taste. I'm going to wrap up a bunch and present it to my brother-in-law, who is originally from Toronto but has been living in NY for the past few years.

Tir na Nog. It's Irish comfort food, with some American-isms (read: burgers) thrown in. Very good Shepherd's Pie. Make a reservation, it's been packed to the gills every time I've been there.

A sharp review and a good read. I agree that the best cookbooks are the ones that make us hungry. This is taking it to the next level of the senses. Extra points for using "Karen Finley" as a verb!

Really. Airline Meals you have to click on the left-hand nav bar to get any pictures. It's not a pretty site. Some would say that airline food is not a pretty sight. I like the "meals of the 70s" area. Bring on the disco ball.