docsconz

Speaking of Ferran Adria, how much have he and his brother Albert influenced your cooking? Who do you look up to and get inspiration from profeessionally? Is there anyone person who you would consider as having been your mentor?

I like to get them there, but I'll have them shuck them for me and I'll eat them then and there. I usually get a dozen littlenecks too. Both are great with just a little lemon. ← You mean in some of the seating just outside? I am assuming you don't mean standing over the oyster tank. I never thought of doing that (sounds like a great idea for a brief snack while shopping). ← That is precisely what I mean only I don't always get a seat! It's great for a quick snack when in the neighborhood. The workers there can shuck a whole lot faster than I can although I don't shy away from the chore.

This is what I love! You make things that are not intuitive work. Not only do you make them so that they are delicious (red bell pepper madeleines? ), but in fascinating forms like the trufffles and the miso brulee. Thanks for the photos.

I like to get them there, but I'll have them shuck them for me and I'll eat them then and there. I usually get a dozen littlenecks too. Both are great with just a little lemon.

This whole approach stems from a belief that if a lot is bad then none must be best. It is a very defensive approach given that it is difficult if not impossible to determine at what point alcohol becomes a problem for the pregnant mother and the fetus. It is not unlike a lot of defensive medicine that is practiced. It is a lot more difficult to prove that a bad outcome was the result of advice not to drink any alcohol than saying it is ok and have a pregnant woman take that to mean free rein with alcohol and wind up with FAS.

Rogov's article is a good one and comes back to the saying that my late father (also a physician) instilled in me when I was growing up, "Anything and everything in moderation."

To go mignardises! That is something I could have used on more than one occassion. Great idea!

I would tend to agree, but undeniably different, as well. ← I would tend to agree as well at least as far as Per Se (I haven't been to Cru yet), but as Bryan says it is undeniably different. I would not necessarily expect all diners to agree with Bryan and I, though. Per Se is significantly more elegant and the food more straightforwardly accessible than WD-50. personally, I find WD-50 to be an extremely comfortable restaurant with a very nice NYC vibe. The food is right up my alley - it is fun, intellectually stimulating, beautiful and, of course, delicious. Per Se would be the better choice for a business dinner for which one did not know the proclivities of one's dining partners, but for a dinner in which all the diners are excited about food and creativity it is my opinion that WD-50 is the better choice.

Artisanal Cheese Shop in NYC has wine pairing recommendations for their various cheeses on their website. Quite a few if not most have recommendations with white or sweet wines. I always used to think that cheese meant red wine. It is only relatively recently that I have discovered otherwise.

Sam, you say that this is a work "in Progress". It looks beautiful and delicious. What further tweaking do you think it needs and why? Thanks for doing this. It has been fun and very informative.

It sounds like the hike won't be quite as long, but it will still be a hike!

But Bryan, you've beaten me to the punch by actually cooking sous vide

Moderator's Note: Although the initial premise of the topics were somewhat different, the two topics on Trader Joe in NYC were merging in content so I merged them in actuality for organizational purposes. This is now the sole topic about Trader Joe's in New York City.

I don't disagree with you totally which is why I said what I did in the last line of my post. Chains are not necessarily crap, although I consider your choice of MacDonald's a poor example. My issue is with total homogenization and standardization everywhere one goes. If they were all of the highest quality it might not be so bad, but unfortunately they have a tendency to glorify mediocrity.

I couldn't really tell if she liked it or didn't. She certainly wrote some positive things, although the tone came across to me as negative.

It is discoveries like this that make life fun and interesting. Thanks for sharing. Did you buy anything? What particularly stood out in your experience?

I have shopped at a few Trader Joe's in the suburbs. I have somewhat mixed feelings about them. I think some perspective regarding Manhattan is needed. This is not so much about quality of products and services as it is about the uniqueness of neighborhoods. I am concerned about the homogenization of the city. It seems that every neighborhood is losing a lot of their respective identitiy. A big part of that identity is local shops. (it is also the architecture--even the buildings--apartments etc-- are looking the same all over town). It used to be fun to "travel" from the upper Westside to, say, SOHO on a Saturday afternoon--now SOHO really doesn't look or feel much different than my own area. I also miss some local establishments like the Nevada Market even though there are still Citarella and Fairway and Zabars. I would also note that sort of mini chains are emerging from what were once NY establishments--Balducci's, Eli's etc.--I believe the overall quality is dropping at these places. What is a positive note to all this is the revitalization of the Boroughs some areas of which look and feel like the old Manhattan. ← This problem is certainly not limited to Manhatten. Towns, cities and even entire regions are becoming homogenized into cookie-cutter existence. While that does provide for a certain level of consistency, it also has a tendency to reduce or eliminate things that make particular areas special. Trader Joe's may not be the cause, but it is a reprresentative symptom even if it may be markedly better than most homogenizing chains. While I do not specifically avoid chains (it is very difficult to in The US in today's day and age), I do ttry to patronize more unique businesses when and if I have the opportunity, especially if they are selling more unique and locally representative quality products.

Andrea Strong gives her take on Del Posto here. She pretty much raves about it. Interesting that they seem to have addressed a few of my criticisms: I hope that they adjusted the prices on the food in the lounge. In any case, I am glad that they seem to have made some of these changes. I always liked Batali's restaurants but was shocked with Del Posto when I was there. Admittedly that was before it was officially opened. More reports like hers and I might have to go back again and see for myself. I would like nothing more than to be able to change my opinion about the place.

So as not to derail this topic, discussion on Urena can be found here. Back to topic- I have not yet had the pleasure to try Chef Goldfarb's work. Are there any particular flavor profiles or combinations that he is especially known for?

I'm not sure this is the case. For super long cooks, perhaps, since a couple hours at 52C isn't likely to make that much of a difference in the context of 28 more hours at around 55C. For fish and other shorter cooking items, however, certain reactions may not take place if the protein only reaches the target temperature for say a few minutes out of a 20 minute cooking process. In my experience, only a couple degrees makes a huge difference in fish, on both the + and - sides. To mess with that wouldn't product very accurate results. ← Yes, but theres nothing wrong with leaving a 20 minute fish dish in sous vide for 3 hours is there? With your more inaccurate devices, your just going to have to cook it slightly longer, thats all. ← Actually, there may be. At the temperatures used for fish, if left for an extended time, contaminant bacteria are likely to have a field day and the potential for food poisoning is likely to increase significantly.

i'm excited to visit and sample the fare next time I'm in NYC. Another interesting looking place mentioned in that NY Magazine article is Urena, what appears to be another hypermodern Spanish influenced restaurant in NYC.

Sam, Thanks for the responses. Are there any concepts that you are toying with in your mind that you haven't done that you are itching to? are there new techniques that have caught your fancy? How did you do those cotton candy truffles that look (and I imagine) taste so good? I must say I love the way you manage to come up with interesting, novel and fun desserts that look awesome and taste as great as they look.

Looks good, but "vegetarian panino with sausage?" Have you been to any of the transplanted NYC pizza outposts like Grimaldi's?

That is still only part of the equation. The other part is the vacuum sealer and the plastic bags. Yes, corners can be cut here too, but these cirners can effect the finished product. Space is probably the biggest issue for most home cooks.

I'd like to pose a question for Sam. Sam, your desserts are always delicious and stimulating, at least by the time they make it onto the restaurant's menu. Given that some of your techniques and combinations are not necessarily intuitive to most of us, how much time and effort does it generally take you to get from an idea to fruition? Have you ever almost given up on a particular item to suddenly find the very thing to make it work? Where do you get your inspiration from? How much of a collaborative effort is there between you and Wylie on either side of the sweet/savory spectrum? OK, I lied...it was a few questions.