docsconz

As an Anesthesiologist I found the utter lack of anesthesia very interesting. Also interesting was the relative lack of antisepsis other than an alcohol wipe. It also seemed as if the incision was not sutured closed. I wonder if this will be the next PETA target after foie gras

In honor of St. Patrick's day and all things Irish, I got to thinking about the plethora of Irish origen names on the vineyards of Bordeaux. The list includes names such as O'Brien (Haut-Brion), Lynch, Smith, MacQuin and others. Indeed some of these names may not be Irish, but I do remember hearing about this or reading about it some time and I believe there is an interesting story to this. Does anyone have any more information or references? In honor of the day I will be opening a 1995 Pavie MacQuin Sant Emilion tonight

French cooking is wonderful, but then so is Italian. to dismiss Italian cooking as over-rated is patently absurd and most likely made by someone who has never experienced the real thing or cannot appreciate it by way of cultural bias. To risk over-generalizing, the best Italian food is all about the purity of the ingredients, while most French cooking is about technique. That is neither to say that Italian technique is bad nor French ingredients good. The empases are different, but equally valid.

They don't all taste the same. The difference is whether or not they are truly "free range". True free range chickens are indeed different. The problem, I believe is that in the US the definition of "free range" is pretty broad and there is still a lot of homogeneity in the feed, especially since the term has developed some cache wich in turn leadds to extra cash. For the most part what is called "free range" in the US is still essentially a masss market product. The way to get distinctive chicken in the US is to know one's producer and how they raise their birds. hether they compete with Poulet Bresse is another question and one I hope to answer for myself later this summer.

One other interesting point on balsamicos is that there are distinct nuances depending on the wood used for the barrels. For example balsamics storeed in cherry wood are particularly good with fruit such as strawberries, while those from juniper are better for pairing with meats.

I had the pleasure of tasting a couple of different 100 year old balsamicos in Modena. They were indeed heavenly. I tried to buy some, but they were out. The prices were much lower there than in stores here. This was still a relative bargain and one of the few I found there. Reggio Emilia does indeed have its own balsamico and its own traditions and bottles. This is still excellent, but not up to Modena's in my (admittedly limited) experience.

The book "Balsamico" by Pamela Sheldon Johns is a great treatise on the subject. Balsamico Tradizionale from Modena only comes in onetype of bottle. $40 in the U.S. would be very cheap for a Tradizionale. Expect to pay $100 on up for this in the U.S.

Interesting question. The folks at the DMR lab have established that there are usually 3 or 4 species of shrimp per sample, sometimes as many as nine. It is the northern atlantic environment after all so before I dig into Marilyn's info to find out more, I'd speculate that they are pretty much the same. Especially since you recognized the similarity between the two. Doc, did you have any dishes while in that area that included local shrimp? If you did, were they prepared in a way that reflects Catalan/Basque cuisine? ← Just got back to this thread. Unfortunately most of the shrimp that I saw were in the markets and not on my plates - at least not in a way that specifically stands out in my memory now. That is not a slight on the shrimp since I had soooo much good food there.

We recently had dinner with another couple at one of my favorite restaurants. we had super service and food with extra foie gras thrown in. We split the bill other than the wine, which I paid for. Fortunately, I had not yet written down my tip, when I heard the other couple mention their tip of 15%. Rather than embarass them or the waitstaff, I left 25% on mine.

What was being done to these morels? Were they simply being dried? Great photos! Thanks for sharing them.

Patrick, No offense taken. This is one of the most brilliant posts I've ever read on eGullet! Your post is absolutely cogent, well researched and extremely well written. As I said, I am not one to generally assume that "natural" is necessarily better. It would be difficult in my field of medicine to think that way and it certainly is not borne out in practice. You have managed to make me rethink my view of pesticides, at least as far as human health is concerned. Of course, that is only one potential consequence of synthetic pesticide application. Other potentially more significant consequences involve the effects intended or otherwise on the environment and the very balance of predator-prey adaptations you discussed.

This is not insignificant. From the article:

Imagine how much better we would be without the chemicals and pesticides in our food Now I am not generally a person who prefers something simply because it is "natural". After all, many poisons are natural. However, one potential advantage of many "natural" i.e. non-synthetic "pesticides", especially ones inherent in the plants we have been eating for generations, is that our gene pool may have adapted to those particular plant defenses. Indeed many, such as the chemical capsaicin, have become culinarily desirable in their own right. I doubt that will happen with too many synthetic pesticides.

The creator of the Ames Test is actually Bruce Ames. This may or may not be the same person. This is not meant to criticize the statement, just to set the record straight.

That sounds really good.

Sounds like a good combo to me.

Wow! I have read this thread with great interest and distress. It would appear that something is rotten in Southern California! There must be a major aspect of this story that is missing whether it be from the powers that be or from David. That statement is not meant to accuse you, David. It is simply a statement of logic. Somewhere there is information missing. It is either from them or from you. Why this? Why now? It makes absolutely zero sense unless htere is some other aspect to the story. Is it personal? Is there graft? Why do the big chains get to sell and not "the little guys"? It would certainly seem to help the chains bottom lines if they had the market cornered. Have there been any publicized adverse events from wild mushroom sales in California or elsewhere recently? what do the people involved have to gain from this? It certainly does stink. David, are you a member of Slow Food? If you are, or even if not, you might wish to get them involved. Unfortunately, Whole Foods is I believe a fairly significant contributor to the organization. I don't know if that might make any difference. Good luck.

I love those words "albedo" and "flavedo", especially the latter. I never heard them before.

Any idea what the desserts are like?

How does one apply this enzyme and how does it work?

My goodness, those are beautiful photos! How does this enzyme effect the consistency of the fruit?

To say that if one doesn't like the price of the wine, don't buy it, is I think missing the main point of much of the discussion here. I don't believe anyone here is saying that a restaurant shouldn't strive to be profitable or that it is unreasonable to mark-up wine or bar drinks. The question is how to do it most effectively so that the restaurant makes a profit and the consumers feel that they have been treated fairly, are happy and will continue to return. Most people are saying that there is indeed a line (not particularly thin) between a reasonable markup and an exorbitant one.

What struck me about this dessert was not that bacon was a component of it - that would have been pretty cool in its own right but not necessarily novel - but it was the centerpiece. It was the star of the show and it worked as a dessert. Obviously, due to the work of pastry chefs such as our own Michael Laiskonis and Will Goldfarb (aka akwa) as well as others, the boundaries of savory components as part or complete desserts have been greatly extended. I think this is much more difficult than extending the realm of the sweet into the savory courses and that much more satisfying when successful..

That is, as usual, very well said, Sam, but let me rephrase the question. I want my favorite restaurants to be profitable enough to stay in business so I can enjoy them, but I also want them to be reasonable enough for the overall meal cost that I can enjoy them often. How does a restaurant balance the costs and charges such that they can accomplish that? At some point "the law of diminishing returns" must kick in with regards to prices whether they be wine or food such that incremental increases in per unit profit lead to decreased overall profit because of decreasing sale volume.

The latest Saveur has a mouthwatering article on bacon, including peanut butter bacon chocolate truffles (salted peanuts, peanut butter and bacon inside, then covered in dark chocolate). Also bacon baked until crispy with brown sugar. I'm dying to try both of these. We need a drooling smilie ← These do sound good. Is the sugar crisped bacon intended as a dessert item?