cabrales

Steven -- I didn't sample enough of the cuy to answer your questwions with confidence. I thought the saltiness of the meat was intrinsic to the cuy. Note I took in perhaps one bite of each of the skin and the flesh. I did take pictures using my non-digital camera.

Wilfrid, Nina and I sampled the Ecquadorian specialty, cuy or guinea pig, at Salinas Restaurant in Brooklyn yesterday. It would be better to say that Wilfrid and Nina devoured two approx. 20-cm long whole guinea pigs, while I nibbled on a small piece of skin and meat with much difficulty. It took much of a 1/2 bottle of 1997 Lynch-Bagues for me to take in a little portion of the intrinsically salty meat and semi-crispy skin. The small bit I took in was from the more "normal-looking" part of the body of the animal. Meanwhile, the head-intact (at least originally) guinea pigs were being sampled by Wilfrid and Nina. The body of the animal had liver, heart, kidneys and other interior parts intact, and these were soon gobbled up by Wilfrid and Nina. The hind legs; the front paws (Nina chomped at them happily and recommended them to Wilfrid); the meat near the throat of the animal; the brains (extracted after the animals were decapitated); the eyeballs! I leave the cuy taste to be described by my braver dining companions. The cuy dish tends to be available only on weekends. It is $30/animal, with potatoes included. The dish is called Papas con Cuy. Pre-ordering is generally required, and the item might be unavailalbe on particular weekends. Apart from the cuy, the other dishes sampled were average-minus to poor (Ceviche Mixto, or mixed ceviche with corvina fish, shrimp, etc. -- this was cooked, instead of raw, and not particularly acidic; fried rice variety, etc.) The exception was Goat Stew in Beer with rice, which was good-minus. Not sampled was an intriguing Tree Tomato (Tomate de Arbol) Milk Shake ($3). Wilfird's Beloved ate fried fish; his baby and Beloved's relative also did not sample the cuy. The restaurant lacks meaningful air conditioning. We were advised that some air conditioning was available. However, it was not adequate. 499-5th Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-788-9263

Malawry -- Please know that, while I am happy for you regarding the standing and it would be great if it could be maintained, there are things that sometimes crop up and that could be beyond one's planning and I would not be disappointed if for some reason things didn't pan out exactly as you would hope regarding the standing.

I appreciate Basildog cannot indicate which member dined with him, but, if the member is an active poster, could he could consider providing a summary?

Hmmm -- another eGulleteer dined at Basildog's?

tommy -- Most of the restaurants I care more about are French, in cuisine style or inspiration if not actually located in France. I do not eat frequently at Italian restaurants, whether in the US or on my travels (as I choose to travel to France much of the time). I was attempting to limit my views to the restaurants that I care most about. On the makeup point, I was seeking to articulate that women who wear make-up would not benefit from applying the hot towel to their face area. Thus, fewer diners than the entire dining population are likely to choose to use hot towels, recognizing that women with make-up might nonetheless use hot towels on their hands.

John -- Thanks for the update. I was unaware of Robuchon's plans, although I am disappointed the restaurant model he has chosen would appear to be rather, shall we say, different from Poincare and Jamin.

Steven -- Well, the introduction of hot towels at Italian restaurants wouldn't meaningfully affect me.

It would be unfortunate, for me, if hot towels were introduced into French restaurants. First, some diners use hot towels to wipe their face as well as their hands. In the case of women with make-up (myself included), the facial area is not included in the area potentially covered by the hot towel. Second, if the hot towel is utilized for purposes of making sure the diner's hands are clean, a diner should attend to that himself. Third, if the purpose is to refresh, the temperature would be distracting and might even if unhelpful if the diner soon picks up the stem of a champagne glass or other glass for his aperatif. Fourth, providing hot towels would add to the workload of the dining room team, because it would be inappropriate for the towels, once used, to be left sitting on the table.

Kikujiro -- Thank-you for taking the time to include the menu in your post. It gives me a further sense of the restaurant.

Note at least certain of the recipes from the Great Chefs Magazine can be obtained from the series' web site: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/greatche...ppetizer91.html (Asparagus in Ambush recipe included in the magazine) http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/greatche..._dessert02.html (Chocolate Brownie Souffle with Bitter Chocolate Sabayon from Bardley Ogden of Lark Creek Cafe, SF, also included in the magazine)

Steven -- When you have a chance, could you consider discussing what you intend by the word "before" (e.g., to anybody in my life; in English or en francais aussi?; taking PMs with other members into account or not; taking into account Q&As or not). Note that for me, in general, subject to certain exceptions, I find my own lack of personal familiarity with the techniques of cooking to subjectively be an impediment to cooking in my case.

southern girl -- Since I do not cook, I generally prefer food magazines that have more of a balance towards non-recipe articles. The magazine would be more attractive if I could cook and have some possibility of executing the recipes included. That being said, I would probably buy a couple more editions of the magazine. Note, however, that I buy almost all available food magazines.

I recently purchased the inaugural issue of "Great Chefs Magazine", which is described as being related to the Discovery Channel's Great Chefs series ($5.99). eGullet member Marc Cosnard des Closets is noted on the cover as furnishing an article on "Navigating the New". Marc is among the contributing writers to the magazine. A sample of contents: -- Steamed mussels recipe, and Vanilla Parfait, from G Perrier of Le Bec Fin, Philly -- Corn flan, and Baby Rack of Lamb with French-fried Shepherd's Pie, from D Burke of Park Ave Cafe, NY -- Cedar planked salmon, Veal Steak with Jerkey Sauce, and Asparagus In Ambush with Ozark Country Ham and Crowley Cheese with Parsley Sauce, from L Forgione of An American Place, NY -- Quail Farci with Black Truffle Risotto, from Julian Serrano of Picasso, Vegas -- Rack of Lamb with Black Bean Sauce and Salad, and Swordfish Porcupines and Chayote Remoulade, from Michel Richard of Citronelle, DC A good 85%-plus, in my assessment of the magazine consists of recipes from tapings of the Great Chefs series, with accompanying summaries of chefs' biographies as appropriate. Marc furnished a piece on MICRI, the "miracle sauce base" or a neutral sauce base that Chef Miguel Sanchez Romera of one-starred Restaurant L'Esguard in San Andres de Llaveneres (Sant Andreu de Llavaneres in Catalan) has been pursuing. MICRI is "a gel derived from Cassva, a starchy root vegetable also known as yucca or manioc . . . . MICRI is odorless, colorless, tasteless and fat-free. . . ."

Jinmyo -- Thanks for the input Have any members visited Blue Ginger? Are MT's shows indicative of the type of cuisine offered at the restaurant?

The following is an MSNBC update regarding proposed legislation that may be pursued with respect to the banning of smoking in bars and in restaurants with fewer than 35 seats. http://www.msnbc.com/local/WNBC/A1283585.asp?0si=-

Patricia Wells reports on the new, still reasonably-priced restaurant created by the former chef at Les Olivades. The restaurant is called Flora. http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/iht.htm (see the bottom of the article)

Matt -- When you have a chance, could you consider discussing the vegetarian menu you received?

I purchased the ABC card for the remainder of the year at a 75% discount. The total price was $6.

Is it a myth that even artificial sweeteners properly stored might have unhelpful potential health consequences?

I'd appreciate a description of R Blanc's tomato water. There was a BBC program involving Blanc advising a fan in part by phone on how to prepare a seared turbot (?) dish and an elaborate dessert with a caramelized sugar "cage" over white peaches. The appetizer involved tomato water, which Blanc assisted the dinner host in preparing while at Manoir and for which Blanc utilized a recipe in one of his cookbooks. Johnsons -- Thanks for your report. I have never stayed the night at Manoir. When you have a chance, could you consider describing the residential common areas? Were they relatively traditionally decorated or more modern in conception?

Adam -- Meneau's indicative menu is linked: http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/carte.htm The oysters in a gelee of seawater dish: http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/sommaire3.htm A tiny depiction of the cromesquis of foie gras dish: http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/in...dexcuisine3.htm The dish is described in an English language book, possibly "Goose in Toulouse".

Bux -- I believe Loubet serves very good meals to his diners, despite service inconsistencies. And I might add that dissuading certain potential diners from making hotel reservations might be best for all parties involved -- those who are dissuaded may be more inclined to end up cancelling the reservation in any event, resulting in lost revenue not only in terms of the room, but potentially also in terms of the lost profits on meals the occupant of the room would have generated. It was always evident to me that restaurants have to have profit maximization as one of their primary objectives. I stress, not for the first time, that *it may be profit-maximizing not to fill a restaurant*, depending on marginal costs, marginal revenues, the demand curve, etc. So, lest diners who choose not to visit a restaurant believe that the lost patronage is necessarily detrimental to the restaurant, please consider basic economic theory: destination restaurants do not offer fungible goods and services prevailing in the economic model of perfect competition. They are oligopolies or, for the special ones, potentially closer to monopolies arguably. The monopolistic profit-maximizing quantity is, under basic economic theory (utilizing that for now), lower than the perfect competition quantity transacted. In my mind, I could not ask cuisiniers to embrace a model of generosity when I do not volunteer to "donate" extra money to the restaurant. Having an expectation with respect to receiving extra food or different food without extra payment is akin to saying that is part of what makes a good restaurant. While it is always nice to receive special things without payment, that is a bonus when it happens. It is not an entitlement, in my assessment. Finally for now, I'd like to add that I don't worry about imperfections in service as much as other diners might. If it's not something I can change (e.g., the people carrying trays to those actually serving me) and it does not destroy the quality of the cuisine, I just accept the situation. In fact, few things except inappropriate cuisine bother me in a restaurant. I don't mind what other diners are doing or look like (e.g., smoking cigarettes or cigars) particularly. I don't mind paying a lot for a meal, assuming all diners are subject to the same rules (or I receive better treatment). I don't mind eating at odd times, if necessary to secure a reservation. I don't mind traveling long distances for a meal. I don't mind being told I have to forfeit deposits if I don't show up. I believe diners should guarantee reservations with a credit card (i.e., that that is an appropriate practice) and should be charged at least the sums charged by certain restaurants. I don't mind small tables or little room between tables. I don't mind very expensive bottled water or wine pricing, although I am not averse to BYO. I don't mind table turning in the UK or in the US. I am not indicating any of these things I don't mind occur at Moulin. I am noting it's the cuisine that's key.

Adam -- Consider visiting the Reims cathedral, including the beautiful Marc Chagall stained glass windows.

Robert -- Please know that I respect and trust your views. I am merely trying to ask whether there might be alternative, more "benign" interpretations.