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I met Aida on the plane to Madrid for Madrid Fusión 2008 and saw her fairly often there. She is the real deal - intelligent with a great presence and knows food. I expect big things from her. Hiring her has actually restore some faith in me for the Food Network. I hope they utilize her talents well.

Another reason this analogy doesn't hold is that the cell phone has nothing whatsoever to do with the meal in front of you or one's dining partners. The camera, on the other hand has a direct relationship to that meal. While some may not have their meals enhanced by btaking photos of the food or restaurant, many clearly do. I am one of them. If nothing else, it encourages people to notice the skill and craft that goes into setting up a plate, rather than just digging in. While the ultimate objective is food that tastes good, food that is beautiful to look at as well, goes a long way to enhance the dining experience. I also believe in the old maxim that a picture tells a thousand words.

As my eldest son readies himself for starting his college education at my alma mater, our second son, a rising H.S. senior has started his search. My wife took him to Charlottesville, VA last February to start that search, but another school that has captured his imagination is Tulane in NOLA. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to revisit this fine city, my first since 1994, so we arrived here this past Wednesday for a quick visit. Having this topic started by Daniel, provided plenty of timely inspiration. Along with the advice of a few NOLA locals, I managed to narrow my choices down, regrettably having to omit quite a few worthy possibilities - but then there is plenty left to explore should my son wind up at Tulane! We flew down on USAir. Having had an early lunch at our airport prior to departure and the non-existent state of nutrition on most domestic flights nowadays, we were both somewhat hungry upon our arrival in this steamy city. After checking into our hotel, the Renaissance Pere Marquette, we opted for an early dinner at Cochon before heading out to Metairie for a New Orleans Zephyrs game. We walked from our hotel, arriving just after 5PM local time (6PM on our internal clocks). This was a transitional time for the restaurant with plenty of open seating. Being in a city of cocktilians, I started with an interesting and delicious one from the menu, the Mulefoot, which consisted of Hendrix Gin, lime, mint and ginger beer. We opted for a strategy of ordering a number of the smaller plates and splitting a main course. There was plenty to choose from. we would have liked to have ordered one of everything, but as it was we approached Danielian heights, though without the purchase of the cured meats. fried alligator with chili garlic aioli This was a tasty dish, although the fact that it was alligator was more of a curiosity than a taste revelation. It could just as easily and successfully have been chicken, rabbit or pork. boucherie plate This fine plate consisted of some of Cochon's charcuterie handiwork. I enjoyed the head cheese most. wood-fired oyster roast This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Normally I am partial to raw oysters, however, these were perhaps the finest cooked specimens I have eaten to date. hen and andouille gumbo Very nice and rich - my son ate most of this. crawfish pie This was a nice dish, though it got lost amongst the others. fried rabbit livers with pepper jelly toast I could eat a lot of these! pork cheeks with cornbread bean cake & mustard cream Perhaps I was getting full, but these were less enthralling than I expected. Compared to the other dishes, this lacked flavor. eggplant & shrimp dressing Simply sensational - perhaps the best dish of the night! louisiana cochon with turnips, cabbage & cracklins Another awesome dish, everything simply harmonized beautifully. I can't recall ever having more delicious cabbage. pineapple upside-down cake- cornmeal cake with coconut-lime sorbet & dulce de leche Nice, though the sorbet was a little crystally and light on the lime. chocolate chicory mousse with red pepper flakes Awesome flavor, my son and I fought over this one. i can understand why this place has become so popular and highly regarded. They do a number of things very well in an extremely unpretentious atmosphere, yet with very good service. More to come...

This is the kind of place that would be a real treat to have in one's backyard, so that one can eventually try every flavor and flavor combination and truly discover favorites as they are so good. We stopped by yesterday and had to make some difficult decisions. I went for a cup of cream of coffee and cream of chocolate, while my son went for the brightly colored pineapple/strawberry combo. We also got to taste the tart lemonade. What can I say, but that they were all good. Tasting the lemonade at the end was wonderful, though I think a whole cup of it would have left my mouth puckered for some time. I too missed the condensed milk, which in retrospect, would have been particularly good on the coffee/chocolate Sno-Bliz. The bottom line is that this place is a treasure and absolutely perfect for a city like New Orleans.

Favorite flavors? I hope to get there either tomorrow or Friday.

Indeed, the first few times people from New Jersey mentioned White Manna to me I thought they were saying "White Manor," which made it virtually un-Google-able. When I finally got taken there for the first time I said, "Oh, it's White Manna!" I had the same problem with the Chinese restaurant Cathay 22 in Springfield, New Jersey. I thought our friends were saying "Cafe 22." ← In which case, I believe that the creators of White Man(n)a came up with a really good homage/ pun on White Castle, a company they improved upon and surpassed.

Aha, I never knew manna is white. And their buns are indeed, "bread tempered with oil." - Tempered, oozing and dripping "oil" all over my shirt. ← I stopped by the White Manna in Hackensack yesterday with my 8yo son on our way down to Philly for a b-day party. We thoroughly enjoyed the cheeseburgers and the fries, which came directly from the fryer - I don't get the disrespect shown here, but that is another question). As for the name, I'm curious as to which came first, White Man(n)a or White castle? There are a number of similarites, though clearly Manna is better. The significance, though is that one is a takepff on the other. "Manna" is how someone from NJ would pronounce the word "manor." So instead of "white castle," we have "white manor" or vice versa. Either way, I think it is a clever pun by whoever came second (I suspect WC) and a nice nod to the inspiration.

Mas Pau, I believe, mean's Paul's Farmhouse in Catalan. I think what you see is that there is a lot of competition in Catalunya for the traveling dining dollar with very few places that are worthy getting mentioned. I can think of a few places off the top of my head that rarely get mentioned besides Mas Pau - one being Nando Jubany's Can Jubany in Vic and another, Aligue in Manresa.

The problem is, Judith, the economics of food are quite complex. Not everyone can afford the justifiably expensive peaches of Frog Hollow, but varieties of good peaches should be available - at least regionally- at fair prices. Why is cheap food cheap? In some cases there may be economies of scale that do make a difference, but are those actually sustainable? In other cases, governmental support places artificial economic advantages to subsidized food products, generally of the large scale industrial variety. What would happen if those supports were removed and there was a truly free economy when it came to food? What would happen in the third world if cheap American grains were not dumped there making it difficult for local farmers to compete? You are correct, Judith, that economics are key and few people can afford much of what is currently considered a luxury item. But economies of scale are important for a biodiverse food supply as well. Boutique foods of extreme quality are important to build markets and demand and to experience maximum enjoyment, but it won't really make a difference until the mainstream is able to economically embrace foods that are good, clean and fair. There may be other organizations that have a similar agenda, though I know of none that have the global presence of Slow Food or the relative influence of the organization. I think that it is important to not let personal issues stand in the way of achieving legitimate goals. Though my own views do not coincide 100% with many other members of SF, I am finding it to be not too difficult to have a voice within the organization. For me personally, I do not know that I can find the time necessary to make a huge difference, but I feel like I could if I were able to spend the time and energy necessary. I know that I have the ability to make a difference locally where I live.

Slow food is a member organization. It is up to the members to make of it what they will. The politics to me beyond the politics of food are, to me, secondary. I started a convivium with my son, because I wanted to make a difference and be able to direct and be a part of what it does and how it does it. I also believe in the basic motto of good, clean and fair. I believe that their approach right now taking the message to the young in schools is an important one. Steve, where we disagree on the interpretation of Kummer's statement is that I do not feel that it excludes those people (I am one) or anyone else. However, if that demographic is the only one involved or taking it to heart, it is not enough. Sure, the choice of words could have been better and yes, I think they have been foolish to not embrace the Ferry Plaza FM, for whatever reasons. Neither of those things detract from the basic goals SF is trying to accomplish. Your stories on Erika Lesser disturb me, but I believe in giving each individual the benefit of the doubt, and will form my opinion based upon my own experience.

I keep thinking there is some kind of communication problem but with this, a board member speaking to the NYTimes, I now have no doubt SF has a basic disdain for the US. Or they are completely nuts. What possible kind of reaction do they expect from a comment like this? Link to the entire article, including a great quote from eG's Steven Shaw. ← Steve, I understand and respect your disdain for Petrini and Slow Food as well as the (incorrect IMO) attitude and disrespect displayed towards the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, but one of the biggest criticisms lobbed against Slow Food USA and one they are trying hard to change is the appearance of being an elitist organization geared towards a single demographic - the one highlighted by Kummer. As wonderful as it is and as much as I do not begrudge any of the farmers getting the prices they deserve, as a whole the market is not reflective of the broader appeal that the organization is trying to achieve. While it sounds like a slap in the face to the market and that demographic, I don't believe that it was intended as such to either party. The fact is, though, Kummer is correct. If that is what the event is, it will have failed. Slow Food needs to broaden its appeal, its message and its success beyond limited demographics. It has to become more mainstream for it to ultimately make a difference. FWIW, I will be meeting Erika Lesser, the Executive Director of Slow Food tonight and spending a good portion of the weekend with her. I will try to get a better feel for this then.

Earlier today I tried my hand at some eggs using a limited time cooking approach. I took two eggs and put each of them into separate buttered ramekins and a third I left in the shell. I put them into the CVap at 147ºF set for 75º. I checked on them after 47 minutes. They appeared to be done, so I removed them from the CVap. I added salt and pepper and put my spoon into the yolk. The yolk was delightfully runny, though the whites could have been slightly more set for perfection. I cracked the egg in the shell and placed the egg into another ramekin. Interestingly the yolk was more set in this egg, having the rubbery consistency described elsewhere. The white meanwhile was set similarly to those in the ramekins. All the eggs were delicious.

The other night I cooked sea scallops at 130ºF for 10 minutes, then quickly seared them. While the sear could have been better, the texture and flavor were excellent. I added a little lemon zest and covered them with some Saran wrap while they were in the CVap.

Could you explain where you got this information. It is not consistent with the information I have. For example, Food Chemistry by Hans-Dieter Belitz, et al. says on page 561: "Egg white begins to coagulate at 62C and egg yolk at 65C." In fact. I don't think I've ever read anything saying that yolks coagulate at a lower temperature than whites. Plenty of us have made "spring eggs" with set whites and liquid yolks using a temperature controlled water bath. ← McGee supports what you have to say. On page 85 of the latest edition of On Food and Cooking he states: Given that, I don't see why my quest for an overnight egg cooked at 147ºF with a somewhat coagulated white and a runny yolk should be so elusive and certainly not impossible.

Nice job, Rob, thanks! I'm looking forward to reading about all your projects. Good luck with the restaurant.

Il San Pietro is a marvelous place to spend a few days though. I too found the food there very good, albeit unspectacular.

Interesting information, thank you. I was basing my quest on this post. I will change my focus as what you say corresponds to my experience. I'm glad that the issue is not the CVap itself.

My pleasure.

Would have been the same reason one hangs beef. Hanging removes excess water moisture making the flavors less diluted. It also allows enzymes to go to work tenderizing and flavoring the meat. Lamb, pork, etc is generally regarded as not needing to be hung and aged like beef. Some people do like to give it a day or two though, which is just enough for slight effect on a small animal. ← I could not imagine this lamb being any more tender or flavorful than it was. Dave, how old/big was the lamb that you purchased? ← He weighed 16 kilos dressed out. He was (is) very tender. Could be that Rob is a traditionalist as I can't imagine that two days would make a huge difference. I'll have to ask him next time I see him. Welshmen are different in any case. ← He was then just a bit larger than mine, which was about that weight live.

Sounds like a great meal. Wither goes Chef Wabeck?

www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org Very near the French Quarter. If you are able to partake in a cocktail, I would recommend visiting Chris McMillan at the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel (the Mint Julep, of course) or Lu Brow at Cafe Adelaide (her brandy milk punch is terrific.) ← Thanks! I'll be staying at the Pere Marquette so that should be easy.

Not bad if it had to be purchased. Montelena has been amongst my favorite Napa cabs for years. Cos D'Estournel isn't a slouch, either. It will be interesting to see what changes come, if any.

Would have been the same reason one hangs beef. Hanging removes excess water moisture making the flavors less diluted. It also allows enzymes to go to work tenderizing and flavoring the meat. Lamb, pork, etc is generally regarded as not needing to be hung and aged like beef. Some people do like to give it a day or two though, which is just enough for slight effect on a small animal. ← I could not imagine this lamb being any more tender or flavorful than it was. Dave, how old/big was the lamb that you purchased?

Glad to see that Don Alfonso is still living up to its reputation. I had a lovely meal here with my son back in 2002.

Any theories as to why this is such a challenge? It certainly doesn't seem intuitive given your experience thus far. Just as a point of comparison...here's an egg that I tossed into a regular oven at 150F for approx 2 hours. Given the heat transfer characteristics of normal ovens...I'd guess that it's what you might be targeting in terms of the final texture (i.e. 147F)? http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2248/235983...5e56769.jpg?v=0 ← I have no doubt that the right consistency can be achieved. I have been hoping to do it with the utmost ease, so that the eggs are ready when I get up in the morning.