docsconz

Man, it's going to be tough getting older YT! Just think when you turn 40! There aren't too many restaurants that i would rather spend my BD at than Alinea, especially since the restaurant and I share the same day! One of these days I will get there for that - maybe for my 50th! But hey, where are the pics of the meal?

I haven't been to Mugaritz yet, but Arzak was not particularly formal. In fact most restaurants in Spain are not overly formal in my experience. I would definitely do at least one of the top haute cuisine retaurants while in the area. Opinions vary widely as to which is the best. I enjoyed Arzak very much when I was there in 2004. La Brecha market in central San Sebastien is a wonderful place - especially the seafood vendors. As for Pintxos bars, I would recommend Bar Bergara, although half the fun is doing a crawl and eating whatever catches your fancy.

I have a reservation in May. Nobody said anything about relocation on the phone when I made the reservation.

Hi Mark and thanks. The green salsa, Salsa de Huacatay or "black mint" was fairly ubiquitous, especially in the area around Cusco, though I did not encounter it in the cevicheria. We also did not get a baguette nor did we miss it. I believe that this is the salsa tht you are referring to: I was hoping to get to a cevicheria in Lima, but because of a reservation snafu, we passed on our opportunity for a different restaurant (at which I had wonderful ceviche). Someday when I get back to Peru I plan to spend more time on the coast and perhaps in the Amazon jungle.

Las Machitas - Cevicheria I was discussing Peruvian fod with our guide when the conversation turned to ceviche. I mentioned that we were planning on going to a cevicheria when we go to Lima. He told me, that despite the fact that Cusco was located in the mountains, they had excellent ceviche there and that he knew of at least one place to rival the retaurants in Lima - "Las Machitas." Being in need of a place to go for lunch that day, I invited Julio and Julian (our driver) to take us there and have lunch with us. Las Machitas, which literally means "young, female macho types," is located off-the beaten track of tourist Cusco no-where near the Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately, I do not have an address or contact information, but was glad that we had the ride and the company. For reasons that I will get to later on in this thread I can't compare it to a Limeñan cevicheria. What I can say is that it was one of my absolute favorite meals of the trip. The walls were covered with swords made from swordfish swords. It made an interesting, though somewhat creepy tableaux. The lighting was sunlight filtered through a green translucent roof. This too contributed to a somewhat offbeat setting. Fish broth. This was provided much like an amuse and was absolutely fantastic! The second photo shows the broth with added chili pepper. The chili added some real heat. It was unnecessary for enjoyment of the broth, though it didn't detract from it either. Chicha Morada. This soft drink made with blue corn and pineapple was somewhat sweet but very tasty, reminiscent of a lambic beer without the alcohol. It was somewhat addictive too and a good match for the seafood. Chicharron de Camarones Basically fried shrimp, these were fried whole. Though it was a bit of work to get the meat, the flavor was impeccable. I enjoyed the added crunch of parts of the shell as well as sucking out the heads. Mixed seafood rice, this was related to Spanish paella, but not a paella. It seemed to be almost a cross between paella, Chinese fried rice and a rice casserole. This contained bits of fish, squid and scallops. Mixed seafood chicharron. Though this overlapped with the chicharron de camarones, it ws a nice adjunct as it contained a number of other elements including a different kind of de-shelled shrimp, octopus, and several different kinds of fish. We also had fried calamari, which was also excellent. No.3 son loves fried calamari so we generally try it when it is available. Mixed Ceviche. This was absolutely delicious with a nice variety of seafood similar to the fried version above. I would have liked to try a few more varieties/styles of ceviche including tiradito, but we already had a ton of food. Leche de Tigre Tiger's milk, the ceviche marinade, made a wonderful end of the meal cocktail. I could get used to that habit! Hot peppers and limes. As with the broth at the beginning of the meal, sliced chilis and lime were available on the table to add to one's meal as a condiment.These chilis had a deceptive bite to them. No.1 son took a bite of one, wasn't too impressed with the heat, then proceeded to eat the whole piece with seeds! It didn't bother him initially, but within a few moments of finishing the job, his mouth exploded with fire. Fortunately this was at the end of the meal as it took him a good part of the day to rid himself of the capsaicin numbness! View out the front of the restaurant. This photo gives a good sense of the odd greenish tint of the lighting that I mentioned above.

Well, in the foreground from the right, we have ground turmeric and ground chilis, I daresay. ← Quite possible, although they both might be ground chili or aji. Unfortunately, by that time, the time was getting to be an issue. I did buy some of that cinnamon as well as cardamom seeds.

I remember a time when Juniors Cheesecake was generally considered one of the best desserts in the city, but then I am showing my age. It still has a nice nostalgic component to it though. I wouldn't turn one down even if I no longer go out of my way for one.

While it would be helpful to keep track of what goes into the pantry and additional automation as has been suggested on this thread would be an improvement, that is only half the equation. Subtracting what is used may be the more difficult half to get a handle on as it is less subject to true automation.

All of that is somewhat intuitive except for the cream of asparagus soup. although that sounds like a wonderful addition. Is that traditional or a creative variation? I may be wrong, but I don't believe Latin American empañadas typically have that soup base.

You are correct about the tripe and yes, intestines are traditionally used for sausage casings. Funny thing, is I didn't see a lot of sausage or other charcuterie around, though I'm sure it exists. I wonder if they have other uses for them?

Kee's Chocolates are on Thompson St. not far from Mariebelle or Jacques Torres and probably better than both for bon-bons and truffles.

Do they ship? Are they online?

They look lovely, Doddy. What is in them besides chicken? This is yet another similarity in the cuisines of the Philippines and Latin America.

Or was that odoriferous? My second job ever was in The MPD. When I was seventeen I worked as a valet parking cars at The Olde Homestead.

Sounds interesting. What does the MPD stand for?

I did mention them at the end of my post with the offal photos. I did have the opportunity to have them at the end of my trip and I will show and discuss them them. I was surprised that they were not more ubiquitous than they were. I did have skewered meats at the hotel in Macchu Picchu, but they were not the classic anticuchos made from beef heart. Certianly the prevalence of cow hearts at the market are an indication that more than a few people must be buying and eating them!

Cusco Market Part IV These are the last of my Cusco Market shots. Somehow we missed the poultry section of the market. That is unfortunate as i tend to find them particularly fascinating. We also missed fish, but I'm not sure if there was a significant one there given its location. Busy lunch counter. I did not get close enough to see what they were making. Boiling fresh choclo or corn on the cob. This was actually disappointing as we bought some. It was fairly tasteless. We didn't even finish one ear between us. My wife was particularly disappointed as this was something that she remembered with particular delight from when she visited Cusco in the early 80's. Bulk spices. I'm not sure what most of the items are, but that is some beautiful cinnamon in the back. More. Sidewalk vendors. Cow's milk cheeses. I was surprised to find little in the way of sheep or goat's milk cheeses. Bulk dried corn kernels. Lots of delicious bread. Back to more fruit. Later in the trip we had the opportunity to visit a small outdoor market in the Altiplano town of Huatta near Lake Titicaca.

Some restaurants get to a certain level then coast. While there is some benefit of the predictability for diners who have never been to a restaurant before and comfort level for those who have, there is also a loss of energy and vitality that goes along with that. It is that energy along with incredible creativity that makes Alinea as outstanding as it is.

Have they ever had a meal like what they would have there?

The reason I suggested lunch at J-G was because you can not get that kind of experience for that kind of money anywhere else or at any other time. At $12/plate the value is incredible. It is also less intimidating at lunch. Obviously, you know your kids best, but really great cooking like that can open up all sorts of possibilities. We took our then 6yo and older sons to the now Michelin 3-star L'Astrance for lunch in Paris. It was great fun for us seeing how much he enjoyed the food there.

Doesn't sound good...

Great work indeed and thanks for sharing this with us. How do you qualify a "budget restaurant?"

According to seriouseats.com DiFara's pizza is one of the latest victims of the NYC DOH's new found zeal for at least temporarily closing restaurants. DiFara's is supposedly closed for a number of "little things" like not wearing a hat or gloves.

Otto would certainly be a good choice, though I would not substitute it over one of the classic pizza places like Grimaldi's or Patsy's. Another plus of Grimaldi's is the great view of Manhattan and yet another is the proximity around the corner to the original Jacques Torres Chocolates.

Doddie, I'm not surprised that the Cusco market would be similar to a Filipino one. With the Spanish connection and trade between the Philippines and Peru under Spain, I would think that there would be many similarities economically, culturally and politically. One already mentioned was the importance of roast suckling pig. Michael, if you are referring to what I think you are, then yes, those would be large intestines. I specifically did not label the photos, because I thought the overall impression here would be diminished by focusing on the specific anatomic elements present. The salient feature to me is that somehow, someway there is a market for each and every part of the animal. One photo that I did not get that I really wanted was of the woman selling live frogs. She was one of the few who refused when I asked if I could photograph her or her frogs even after I offered her a tip. The snouts interested me too. I have absolutely no clue as to how they are used. I would absolutely appreciate any illumination anyone can shed on this.