David Leite

I just finished reading it, and I, too, found it helpful. In fact, I used many of the pointers about how to get a good table and how to make the restaurant staff love you, and they worked. I had especially good luck with sommeliers, to whom I must have always looked like a doofus because I glazed over when they started talking. Recently I took Steven's advice and took an interest in what this one sommelier had to say, his suggestions, etc. Well, he became my best friend. The book also offers an unvarnished look behind the swinging doors in restaurants, giving even the casual diner a greater appreciation of what really goes into the making of his dinner. So much as been written about how to cook, how to bake, how to entertain, but so little has been written about how to dine out, and "Turning the Tables" fills that void. Here’s wishing you the very best with the book, Steven. David

Not that I can add anything, Wendy, but when I was teaching a cooking class this past weekend in Aspen, we made the Swiss chard tart on my site. One thing to keep in mind, which I noticed all the students didn't do: make sure to cook down/wilt the chard completely so that it's tender. The chard we had was particularly tough, and it wasn't pleasant eating. I made it again and used only the leaf part (minus the stalk and major veins), and it was much better. David

Oy, I hope we get some posted soon. I'm traveling this month to St. Petersburg, and Linda is down with food poisoning. David

Michelle, please let me know how it turns out. I always appreciate more feedback. Happy 2005. David

Thanks, slbunge.

There is the other side of this issue: that being recognized as an important critic can foster WORSE service. I was a front waiter at the grand opening of Restaurant Lafayette, way back in the Stone Age. Jean-George Vongerichten was this skinny kid who was commanding the kitchen with Louis Outhier somewhere on the periphery. One day the manager lunged at me and told me that Bryan Miller (I think it was him) was seated in my station and that he HAD to have incredible service. With that he shoved me onto the floor. I had a number of years experience as a waiter (Windows on the World, the Quilted Giraffe, etc.), but I grew nervous. To make matter worse, the manager hovered over the waitstaff so much, inspecting dishes, buffing the cloches that covered the plates, etc., that he got in the way. Now, a single diner doesn't need a squadron of waiters at his table, but the manager thought so. Yet he felt we were by turns ignoring then doting too much on Miller. By the time he left, we were strung out. I KNOW we gave him horrible service. The restaurant got four stars anyway…but that was despite out best efforts. I'm sure Miller either got a laugh at out antic or was as stressed as us.

albiston--I think you nailed it right there. But even if the academia has a cream-based recipe, I'm still a purist. I have a question for some of the people on this thread (and it may be the start of another thread): What is your opinion of Grana Padano vs. Parmigiano-Reggiano? And I mean good, properly aged (18 to 24 months) Grana Padano. Not this 12-month stuff they try to pawn off as "Poor Man's Parmigiano-Reggiano." David

Albiston, I agree wholeheartedly: cream shouldn't be used, and it's a lazy way of making the dish. I heard an interesting theory as to how cream got mixed up in there. WW II GIs who were fond of the dish, returned to the States and, in order to recreate the creaminess of the sauce, turned to...cream. Don't know if it's true, but it's certianly a colorful idea. David

The indvidual cups are sold in many markets in Portugal and in Portuguese enclaves here in the States. I bought my at a kitchen shop in the Azores, only to find out that Tuscha Gifts on Ferry St. in New Jersey also sold them. David

Yeah. I saw the designs for the different rooms, and they're incredible. Great colors, sleek designs, wild wall treatments. Can't wait to go. David

docsconz, Great pictures. I think what makes these so much better is that you eat them while they're still warm. I would like to say that I was able to walk out with some to eat later, but that wasn't the case. I never got as far as the car. Whenever I had pastéis de nata elsewhere, they were always cold, and a mere imitation of the pastéis de Belém. David

I found out yesterday the article is to appear in today's paper. Visit the LA Times food section.

Also check out Bica do Sapato. Yes, it's sleek and ultra-cool and is a haven for some of Europe's jet set, but the food was very exciting. Unusual combinations, different techniques applied to traditional ingredients, etc. Fausto Arioldi is doing some interesting and worthwhile things there. David

Chromedome, Glad you like them. They aren't as close to the orignal as the recipe I got from Alfama Restaurant in NYC. That's the recipe I used as a basis in the upcoming LA Times article, which is being reschedule for a later date. To be truthful, and anyone who has ever eaten the pastéis in Belém, nothing can match the original. For one thing, the ovens are susposedly set to 400 degrees centigrade. I checked, doublechecked, and triplechecked with the owners, and they never wavered. Granted, I wasn't allowed to test them, but I don't ordinararily have a thermometer that reaches to 800 degrees F. Also, the dough, which is puff pastry in theory but is made with room temperture ingredients, is at once more fragile and more resilient. But I'd be curious to hear your comments when the article is finally posted. Thanks, David

Chefette, I couldn't agree with you more about Lisbon. When I was there recently for an assignment for Bon Appétit, I found the same thing. It is coming alive, thanks to the influx of money, trade, and tourism. The Lisboetas are grasping the concept of competive business and are offering better services. The food, too, is moving in interesting directions. I'm sure there'll always be comidas tipicas, because that's the heritage of the country, but I believe that as younger chefs who are infleunced by other parts of the Europe and America take the helm, we'll see a shift in the cuisine. All the people I interviewed said they believe that within the next decade Lisbon will be one of Europe's hottest food and tourism destinations in Europe.

Hi AndieP, Yep, it's worth a gander. The book is just bent enough, and he's just obsessive enough, to keep a smile on my face. I'm going to mention it on my site at the next update. Hey Suzanne, refresh my memory: How do you (singular and/or plural) know Reichl was making stuff up? I'm sure there's a thread here, but a long day's journey in the car has left me brain dead.

Me, too, and I'm loving it. Reading it gives me a sugar itch, which is probably why I'm barreling through it.

Galleygirl, The recipe will be in the next issue (June) of Bon Appétit. I wrote a piece on Lisbon called "Going Home to Lisbon." The recipe came from one of my favorite restaurants, Bota Alta, which means "high boot." It's in a neat neighborhood called Bairro Alto. David

Susan, So glad the test went well. Although Linda is in charge of it, I still worry about the whole thing. We agonize over what recipes to put into test. Anyway, since I'm here, I thought I'd jump in: last night I made a cucumber and orange salad with piquant dressing chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne pepper. (very good) Dinner was a Cajun chicken stew (only so-so). Both were from this issue of Gourmet.

Thanks.

I do, but can't give it out until after it's published, which will be early May. Will keep you posted! David

galleygirl, Be still my heart. Being Portuguese I grew up on this stuff, and it's always wonderful to hear other liking our food. Can't say I love octopus stew much, but I swoon at the thought of bacalhau à Braz. When I was in Lisbon last year, I had some of the best I ever ate at Bota Alta in Bairro Alto. The restaurant, which means "high boot", is a classic and serves only comida authentica (sp). The dish was incredible. And to think I'm having penne alla vodka for dinner tonight. Gotta buy me some bacalhau tonight to soak overnight for tomorrow. Best, David

Has to. Otherwise there no way that Rocco can overcome the obstacles, run the gauntlet, and rise to the occasion to be the hero in the end. (Cue "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music.) If it's true he's getting a five-day-a-week cooking show contract, it's not because NBC looked at the entire second season of the "The Restaurant" and decided he was a total ass. He has to come out of this triumphant in some respect.

Ah, but then where's the drama [read: new season and hundreds of millions in advertising] if he actually kept close tabs? One does have to wonder, though, how much Mark Burnett has kept the players in the dark so that there is conflict. No conflict, no show. No show, no gonzo sales for Rocco and no promotion of Chowderow's other two dozen restaurants as promised by Burnett. I don't trust the premise at all; it's too easy to editorialize and lead the viewer simply by inserting one clip instead of another. Still, no amount of editing can hide the character of both Rocco and Chowderow.

The guy has lost it. There is nothing wrong with selling out—as he says he has done in the New York article—if that's your goal, which it is with him. But what makes me cringe with embarrassment is that he's constantly pouting and giving the "poor me" victim speech everywhere. You can't have your meatballs and eat them too, Rocco. I attended the taping of Lynne Rossetto Kasper's radio show last fall that featured Gourmet's special culinary NY weekend. Rocco was a guest and was trying to suck sympathy from the audience. He ACTUALLY said something like, "Don't you feel bad for me?" Uh, no. He shilled himself, whored his mother (who I genuinely think wants the place to succeed), slithered up to anything in a skirt, and he wonders why people don't like him. He comes across as a petulant, spoiled child who can't get his way. His absolutely voracious need for the spotlight and fame is overriding all common sense (and baser urges, as seen in the Jennifer section. Ick!). Too bad he'll end up being a humorous footnote in the burgeoning chef-as-celebrity phenomenon—he is a talented chef. Or was.