alacarte

I sure hope not, Lady Mendl's is lovely, if overpriced. Roz, you are a great source of info! Suzanne -- I think that the ground-floor establishment you're referring to is CiBar (you guessed it, a cigar bar). I passed through the nabe last night -- Cibar was thriving. And lots of folks clearly had not heard the news about Verbena yet. Lots of confused yuppies standing on the sidewalk outside the closed gate, desperately cell-phoning their dining companions... It looked also like Spinoza had closed down? At 7PM the place was dark & all the shelves emptied. But if it's the landlord's daughter's establishment, that makes no sense (unless she's planning to move into Verbena's former space? Horrors! )

Nabe gossip: these particular Irving Place landlords have been a problem for some time. The excellent coffee shop that now resides at 52 Irving (I think) used to occupy the space that now is Spinoza, a cut-rate coffee shop. The old coffee shop was driven out because the landlords didn't want to renew their lease -- they wanted to rent to the restaurant that became Irving on Irving (the same restaurant that closed down about a year ago, and never came back). So now, 52 Irving is thriving a couple of blocks further north. And the greedy landlords now have a block that's pretty much empty, except for the sub-par Spinoza. Personally, I'm surprised that the block association isn't up in arms. They are pretty active about what changes to the Irving Place blocks.

Clark Wolf, a New York City-based restaurant consultant, will host a reading of excerpts from the James Beard Papers on Tuesday, October 21, at the Fales Rare Book Library at New York University. Photographs and some of the original letters will be on display to celebrate the collection in this, Beard's 100th birthday year. For info: (212) 998-2596. (source: Food Arts magazine)

I'd like to come too, if I may. You'll be right in my 'hood!

We're in favor of both.

This Mr. Breakfast site is hilarious. What a great find, thanks!

I would love it if Gourmet re-published one of their 1940's or 1950's issues, ads and all, and sent it to current subscribers. I wonder if anyone would notice, and what they would think?

I've wanted to visit Brighton for a long time. mmmm, pelmeni. How did you get there? (i.e. what subway line, and does one go left or right after exiting the train, etc.?)

What a great story, Monica. Thanks for sharing it. Dumb question re: the "$1,175.25 fish recipe." What exactly is covered under that $1,175.25? Is that the cost of the ingredients? The cost of a trip to India? I love "new bride" recipes. I think that's a food culture that's just about lost. Most "new brides" already have been cooking for years before marriage, if one gets married at all, and if one cooks at all. Besides, the household cook is as likely to be the groom as the bride these days.

Yes, I am. But I also tend to use lean ground beef -- judging by Holly's instructions, perhaps I should go for a fattier choice for future burgs.

This is an exciting addition to the digest list. Thanks so much for doing it -- this is something totally off the radar screen for most of us!

Whenever I make hamburgers they always fall apart, so I wind up adding eggs, breadcrumbs, etc. to help keep them together. Holly, would you please elaborate on the proper diner technique for getting the hamburgers to stay in one piece? Is it in the shape, the size, how the patty is formed or cooked? Thanks for a mouth-watering lesson!

Pretentious. Silly. Applies both to the food and the clientele. I've seen all age groups there. Ferociously well-heeled. Decent cheese plates. Surprisingly loud for a place that apparently oozes gentility. Dress up if you go. Bring your status symbols. Obviously, I'm not a fan. Others may differ...

ha ha ha!!! I applaud your bravery and innovation. I've never found an acceptable substitute either. The closest I've found is Stripples, a vegetarian soy faux-bacon product. But it's only good if you can add the product at the very last minute, and if it stays dry. Once it gets wet all the color and flavor just leeches out. So that rules out adding it to a soup or stew, it's just good for crumbling on top of pasta or salad. Sometimes I'll see kosher beef/lamb/turkey sausages, but they tend to be full of sodium, nitrates, MSG, to the point where I wouldn't want to consume it.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the charcuterie. I've never ordered it, but my husband loves that stuff. I wonder though - how would the chorizo be for rendering the fat and using within a recipe? Any opinions?

I was inspired by this thread to try out Le Marais Wednesday night. I'd been to the downtown outpost, but never uptown (though now it's the only outpost). I had the Steak-Frites-Salad plate, which made me happy. The waiter steered my husband to the "chef's surprise" platter. Had my suspicions about it, but it was a very tender cut of the outer round (whatever that is). It wasn't a very attractive cut, but it was very tasty. We also had a salad of duck over frisee, which was wonderful, and a mixed charcuterie platter, which was not -- some rather chewy pates and chorizo. Walking out the door, I was chagrined to see one of the meats from the platter showcased under glass as "beef jerky." Yikes. I'll choose more wisely next time. By the way...did anyone else notice the dessert on Shallot's menu called the "Black Hat"? (This is a name that some also use to refer to orthodox Jews, who tend to wear black hats. It's not really derogatory, though it's not exactly nice either. Does anyone else think this dessert was meant as an inside joke? )

It just goes to show that in today's Atkins-crazy environment, French cuisine has become a thing of the past. (at least, French cuisine as represented by NY-area chefs.)

get some rum & drink Hurricanes!

Boston Globe Digest -- Sept. 10, 2003 Green thumbs and great cooks By Letitia Baldwin, Globe Correspondent Descriptive profile of Chase’s Daily in Belfast, Maine. “Part restaurant and part farm stand” See view in September By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff On dining al fresco in Providence, R.I. Restaurants mentioned include Olga’s Cup and Saucer, and the Gatehouse. Food brings the family together Reunion is a time to share stories, Italian recipes By Clifford A. Wright, Globe Correspondent The author recounts a recent reunion of his extended Italian family, and the joys of eating Italian food. Putting their hands to making cheese By Sheryl Julian , Globe Staff There's sugar in these hills By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent Highlight/punchline: at the breakfast rush, the proprietor’s daughter refers to this pancake joint as “Polly’s Panic Parlor.” Ratatouille celebrates summer vegetables By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent

Thanks for all this wonderful info. What kind of food is Trevere? I remember seeing a kosher Italian place on the upper East side (meat), but cannot recall the name or the precise location -- so never got to try the place. Could this be it? Would love to take my husband out for osso buco.

I hate fish heads too. Also hate being served jumbo prawns with eyes, legs & feelers. A tastefully draped napkin does wonders. You can also ask the waiter to take the plate back to the kitchen to be decapitated.

I'm a big fan of Patria -- though the high price tag keeps me from going too often, I'm a repeat customer, and I've never been disappointed. I especially love their ceviches and empanada appetizers, and you can't go wrong with any fish on their menu. Mmmm...I remember particularly fondly a tuna ceviche with chiles served over shaved ice and coconut, served in a martini glass...they sprinkle popcorn on the plate, everything is presented attractively. Kick-ass mojitos too. Make a reservation, they can be packed full at peak dining hours, but the bar is a pleasant place to wait, you can order apps there too.

office coffee.

Thanks for the write-up, Rail. I really liked the latest issue of Gourmet. I thought it was visually striking, and most of the individual articles were interesting. Though I don't usually like theme issues, I thought this one worked very well -- they found more bisections of food & TV than I would have thought existed. I also got a kick out of reading about how to make muffin tops. My only beef was that the article about how TV chef's restaurants stack up wasn't critical enough -- c'mon, they can't all be perfect.