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slkinsey

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by slkinsey

  1. Great NY Noodletown is best known for non-noodle dishes. Although it is not in the name, I would argue that Otto is ostensibly a pizzeria and yet pizza is the weakest thing on the menu (I'd be happy to go there for a meal that didn't involve any pizza).
  2. Special salts really only have an effect on flavor when they are used as "finishing salts" and find their way into the taster's mouth undissolved. Kosher salt is simply regular mined salt milled to a larger grain size, and sea salts are by law something like 99% sodium chloride. The unique sensations of eating different sea salts come primarily from the size and shape rather than the chemical composition of the salts.
  3. Smoking and alcohol consumption does dull one's sense of salinity... I'd be curious to know which NYC chefs smoke (or their line cooks) and whether it correlates with the levels of saltiness in their food. Do you have any scientific support for this? I ask because the last time I did some poking around as to the effect of smoking on flavor perceptions (flavor being the combined impression of taste, smell, temperature, mouthfeel, common chemical sense, etc.) the indications were that smoking does not particularly affect taste. Here's what I wrote: Since salt is one of the five tastes detected by the taste receptors, I don't think smoking should affect sensitivity to salinity. With respect to alcohol, I don't think I've ever read anything scientific demonstrating that habitual alcohol consumption affects the sensitivity of taste receptors. Exposing the tongue to high proof spirits can have a temporary anesthetizing effect on the taste receptors, but this is relatively short lived (very cold temperatures have a similar and similarly short-lived effect).
  4. I think of Pink Gin somewhat the same way I think of Death in the Gulf Stream (although DITGS is a longer and more intensely flavored drink): as a digestive or perhaps as a short, bracing stimulant for the appetite.
  5. Nice! I've been meaning to post about this place as well. I've been there three times, and I think there's a good chance that Eric's been there... oh, I don't know... maybe 25 times since his first post to the thread. It's all outstanding. I can confirm that the razor clams are off the hook delicious, and also remarked to Eric that I thought the dumplings were unusually tender and juicy. Another must-have in my experience is the ox tongue and tripe with roasted chili/crushed peanut vinaigrette cold appetizer. Even people who would ordinarily not like either tongue or tripe loved this dish. Eric's beloved diced rabbit and peanuts with chili garlic black bean jam is also a must-try appetizer. In the main dishes, I've had the lamb iteration of the fish fillet dish Steven describes above. It's more or less the same as GSIM's braised beef fillets with chili sauce, only it's possible to get it with beef, pork, lamb or fish. Eric, like Steven, has also had the fish version and reports it as outstanding. Don't miss out on the braised whole bass with spicy hot chili and scallions. I saw several other tables eating this and couldn't resist. It's rewarding. They have another, less spicy version of the dish with Sichuan chili miso that sounds interesting. I've also had what I think was stir fried fresh pork belly with chili leeks. It could have been double cooked sliced pork belly with chili leeks. . . or at least it was similar to other "double cooked" pork belly dishes I've had. In any event, their preparation is outstanding. Definitely more savory and delicious than the iteration at GSIM. I do miss the gigantic menu and some of the more poetic dishes at GSMI, and Szechuan Gourmet doesn't have (or at least doesn't advertise) fresh killed poultry. But so far everything I've tried there has been at least comparable to GSIM, and several items have been better. I expect I'll be back many more times.
  6. I don't think these are "speakeasies" in any sense other than (usually) being small and not copiously signed/advertised. And I think the "modern speakeasy" meme is one picked up by the press more than deliberately promulgated by cocktail bar owners. Dave Kaplan of D&C touches on this when he explains that some places have rules "because speak-easies had them and speak-easies are in vogue " on the one hand or because they're "simple guidelines of etiquette" on the other hand. -- the implication I take from this is that the former is silly and the latter is useful. Of course speakeasies (which is to say, places to get illegal booze during the Volstead Act from 1920 to 1933) were likely horrible places to get a drink after stocks of pre-Prohibition booze ran out. But I'm not sure that modern cocktail spots are trying to emulate them so much as some of them are trying to evoke a time still associated with quality mixology in America. This is mistakenly thought to be the Jazz Age, but more often than not the actual iconography comes from the post-Prohibition period (e.g., the Thin Man movies) or from the (Nineteen) Teens. As to your larger point, I'm sure that many a saloon was a rough and ready place back to whichever day one would like to harken. But I don't get the impression that anyone is furthering the belief that cocktail bars during the previous great cocktail ages were like monastaries. Sam Ross at M&H/Little Branch does say, "Everything we do is a throwback to the early 20th century . . . The bartenders are inspired to bar-tend at a different level . . . We're seen as a draw for the place." But I don't see that as quite the same thing as creating a false mythology. I assume you are thinking of this: I think you may be misreading this part. They're not talking about a doorman making arbitrary choices based on appearance to keep out the Red Bull and Vodka drinkers. They're talking about keeping out the Red Bull and Vodka drinkers by not offering any vodka and not offering any Red Bull (among other things). I'm not sure where you are getting the idea that they are regulating shirts and pants and things like that (one customer at PDT made a joke about Oxford shirts). All I see is that some places ask men to take off their hats or disallow baseball hats. kiliki, no cocktail bar of which I am aware has group size limits that are arbitrary or capricious. Rather, they are simply not willing to cram too many people into the space in order to accommodate requests that they accept parties larger than they can handle. I understand that this is somewhat different from most bars that adopt a "cram as many people in there as possible" approach -- but I, for one, am grateful for the limitations. I guess I don't quite understand what your example is supposed to be showing. Are you saying that the larger of your two preferred cocktail bars will seat a table of 5 but won't seat a table of 6? If so, this may simply come down to a difference of opinion -- you may think the table can accommodate 6 but they may not agree that it can accommodate a party that large at their standards. Certainly at good restaurants, there is a limit to how many people they are willing to cram in around a table.
  7. Honestly, these standards aren't generally particularly high. They're only considered high compared to the deplorably low bar set by behavior in most bars. Compared to generally-accepted standards for behavior at any restaurant operating at a similar price point or luxury point (or really anything North of a roadside oil-barrel barbecue pit) the expectations at these cocktail bars are quite reasonable and not particularly stringent.
  8. Audrey Saunders has been known as the Queen of the Tom & Jerry around here for some years. I've seen her make up the batter a time or two, which she does quite nicely using a food processor. Her adaptation can be found in Dave Wondrich's amazing new book, Imbibe! As I recall (I don't have the book in front of me) the yolks are beaten up with sugar, spices, etc. and the whites are beaten up separately. The two are then combined to constitute the batter. Nothing is cooked. Individual portions are made by putting some batter in a cup with the booze, and then adding boiling milk. bostonapothecary: Thinking of your zabaglione/spiced rum concoction (and leaving aside the fact that I believe the main spirit in a T&J is cognac), it seems like a lot more trouble than Audrey's method, and sounds like it wouldn't be as good. Perhaps this is for long-term stability purposes that you propose this method? I think the method I have described is stable for as long as a day.
  9. I think there are a number of reasons why these rules exist in cocktail spots. These are the most important two: First and foremost would be the society-wide decline in mannerly behavior and understanding of how to conduct one's self appropriately in different settings. It's sad that a cocktail bar striving for a refined and civilized atmosphere has to caution customers against "hooting and hollering" and hitting on women at the other tables, but it's also a fact that they do have to caution customers against these behaviors. This brings me directly to the second major factor, which is that for most people a bar is not thought of as a place for a culinary experience so much as it is thought of as a place to get intoxicated, and it is valued more for its ancillary accoutrements (great jukebox/DJ/live music, pool tables, pickup scene, scantily clad women dancing on the bar) than the quality and variety of the libations it provides. This inclines some customers towards certain behaviors that they would never practice in a restaurant (see above-mentioned hooting, hollering and inter-table wooing). When these two issues are combined, the proprietor of a "really great, comfortable, inviting place to get a very well made cocktail" is inevitably confronted with prospective patrons who are not there for the right reasons and who aren't able or willing to conduct themselves in a way that allows the other patrons to enjoy the space and have a very well made cocktail. Sadly, many such individuals are neither aware that they should behave differently nor even conversant in how to conduct themselves appropriately in such a setting. To respond briefly and generally to other points raised in the thread: These expectations, either explicitly stated or understood and "enforced" as needed, have nothing to do with the "velvet rope" practices of certain nightclubs. A serious cocktail bar may not admit a bunch of half-in-the-bag girls in cutoffs and bikini tops, but they're not going to admit people based on how attractive they are, or the brand of a man's jacket. I should also point out that some of the cocktail bars that have limitations on the size of a party they will accept are the size of a postage stamp and simply cannot accommodate a larger party.
  10. Considering the thread we had recently on a customer who was asked to stop using a laptop in a cocktail spot, this recent LA Times article on "rules" in cocktail spots strikes me as timely and interesting: The new rules of cocktails -- If you want a brilliant drink in a civilized bar, you can't stand up, drop names or wear a hat.
  11. Gianduja chocolate is, more or less, a paste made of chocolate and hazelnuts (and sometimes almonds). Nutella is a brand name for the gianduja made by the company Ferrero. It was originally called "Pasta Gianduja," was then rebranded as "Supercrema" and then rebranded as "Nutella." Nutella is distinguished by being a creamy and spreadable gianduja. Other iterations of gianduja are much more dense. Gianduja is also the name of a commedia dell'arte character.
  12. There is little doubt that across-the-river Jersey is part of metro-NYC. It's unfortunate that it's in a different state, else the NY subway system would likely have naturally expanded in that direction as well, and traveling over there would be no different than travel to Queens.
  13. I should point out, for the sake of accuracy and perspective, that it's around a 2 hour round trip by subway from Mitch's apartment and Sripraphai. I should also point out that, while I may be taking the opposite side of Steven's argument in some cases or pointing out where I think he's minimizing the public transportation hassle, I am doing this in a general way. Personally, I am not at all immune to the allure of culinary trips to Jersey. I've gone there on profitable and fun trips with Steven many times, and would do so again. Not so sure I'd make the trip of my own volition via public transportation, though.
  14. Let's examine this... The "Tube" program I have on my Palm Pilot, which is updated on synchronization and has proven very reliable over the years, estimates 15 minutes from Mitch's station to the West 4th Street station (including waiting time). Figure 10 minutes walking time from Mitch's door to the subway station. Figure another 10 minutes of walking/waiting time to get from the West 4th Street station onto a PATH train to Hoboken. PATH says it's 10 minutes from the 9th Street PATH station to the Hoboken PATH station. Figure another 10 minutes minimum walking time to a Hoboken culinary destination. That's 55 minutes one way from Mitch's door to a Hoboken culinary destination, for an approximate round-trip time of 1 hour and 50 minutes. An hour of eating and/or shopping brings the round-trip commitment to right around 3 hours (+/- 30 minutes for transportation karma). The PATH from 9th Street to Newark takes around 35 minutes, so that makes the round trip door-to-door transportation time around 3 hours for a total trip of around 4 hours including an hour of shopping and/or eating (+/- 30 minutes for transportation karma). "Tube" estimates 30 minutes from Mitch's station to the Port Authority Station. Figure 10 minutes walking time from Mitch's door to his subway station and another 10 minutes to get from the Port Authority subway platform to the Mitsuwa shuttle bus. The Mitsuwa shuttle bus leaves around once an hour on weekdays and around twice an hour on weekends, so tack on another 10 minutes of waiting time. At this point, it's 60 minutes from Mitch's door to sitting in a departing Mitsuwa shuttle bus. Mapquest estimates around 25 minutes from Port Authority to Mitsuwa in perfect traffic. Let's call it 30 minutes in typical traffic. At this point, it's a 90 minute door-to-door trip, which works out to a round-trip time of 3 hours. Let's say +/- 30 minutes for transportation karma, and the round trip transportation time is between 2.5 and 3.5 hours. Figure an hour of shopping and 15 minutes waiting for the return shuttle bus (which is an inevitable minimum, due to the scheduling of the bus) and we're talking about a 3:45 to 4:45 time commitment to go to a Japanese grocery store. One can argue that these are "just estimates" but they are estimates based on published information and the +/- 30 minutes should easily handle any reasonable variability (I'm not saying that it couldn't happen maybe an hour faster on a "miracle day" when every train/bus is waiting for you in the station and there is no traffic, but that's an atypical outlier).
  15. I've done creamed onions a few times, loosely following a Julia Child recipe for glazed pearl onions where the onions are cooked in stock until the stock evaporates away and glazes the onions. Finish with a little white sauce*, cream and grated nutmeg and it's a done deal. Works very well in hash as leftovers, too. I wonder if this dish is less commonly made these days due to (1) bad memories of bland, mushy 1950's influenced "white food" and, (2) the hassle of peeling so many tiny little onions. * Extra-thick thick béchamel freezes well, and only needs to be whisked into a little hot milk or cream for situations where you only want a little bit of it and might otherwise be disinclined to make such a small amount from scratch.
  16. Here are some posts from 2001-2003: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=3900
  17. I could see the point of a bar that might serve multiple dozens of Ramos Fizzes during weekend brunch might invest in a paint shaker modified for cocktail shakers. But, this contraption would hardly stand up to such use. I also have my doubts as to how well the appliance could really shake a cocktail. As for prasantrin's hypothetical example of a cocktailian with such debilitating carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, or rotator cuff problems that shaking was impossible, I'd suggest that handing the shaker to a friend would be a better solution. Failing that, I'd stick to stirred cocktails (most traditionally shaken cocktails that do not include egg or cream turn out reasonably well if stirred). And, actually, even stirring is not strictly required. I've done Martinis using cracked ice where I've simply let the spirits sit on the ice for a little while, given it a single stir and strained into the glass.
  18. I'm sure there are certain cocktailian applications for which pastis is a better choice than absinthe, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Also, with respect to Herbsaint (and with all due respect to it's city of origin) I'd put this one fairly near the bottom of my list as an absinthe substitute, which is how pastis and pastis-like spirits are typically used in cocktails. If you can't get actual absinthe, I'd suggest Absente brand as a good substitute (certainly much better than Herbsaint, IMO).
  19. I've had this problem so many times that, like Mitch, I have taken to writing up a menu and also a process list so I know when to get dish X heating up on the stove while I serve dish Y. I actually do worse about this sort of thing in more in formal dinners. I remember one time when the Fat Guy family was over for dinner, and I proceeded to burn through about two and a half baguettes, which I kept on putting under the broiler to toast and then would promptly forget about until alerted by the billowing clouds of smoke issuing forth from my oven.
  20. These are my main TG leftovers. I also make turkey a la reine in crêpes with the braised leg meat. Since I debone the whole turkey and cook the components separately, I make stock with the raw bones. Most of this goes into sauce making for the big dinner and moistening the dressing, but there's occasionally some left over. In that case, I like to just have it as a broth with rice. I agree that carcass bones don't make an appealing broth. Turkey hash is good, but I agree that it's not as good as corned beef or brisket. It's also a good way to use up other Thanksgiving leftovers (buttered peas, creamed onions, roasted carrots, etc.).
  21. I'm not sure how you mean this. Fat, of course, is not a required component of the Maillard reaction. On the other hand, fat is very useful in providing good thermal conduction from the pan to the protein, and may also facilitate Maillard reactions by, in effect, serving as a medium through though which the various components necessary for the Maillard reaction are introduced to one another (e.g., one often finds that the second piece of meat browned in the pan browns more rapidly than the first -- this is because the pan contains Maillard precursors from the previous piece). I suppose your post reinforces somewhat the point that you and Janet are making: that books, or posts, that presuppose certain knowledge may also be perceived to contain certain "holes" (cookbooks from 150 years ago clearly presupposed a lot more basic cooking knowledge than they do today, with instructions such as "prepare in the usual way," etc.). All of which is to say the section of text I quote above demonstrates that it's harder to write something "without holes" than one might suppose, considering that most readers would take the above to mean that fat is a necessary chemical component of the Maillard reaction.
  22. Last night I had: 2 oz : Rittenhouse Bonded 1 oz : Carpano Antica Formula 1 dash each : Fee's Barrel Aged, Regan's Orange, Absinthe
  23. My guess is that something like it (cooked cheese-stuffed jalapenos) has been around for some time and probably has no single inventor. I mean, it's not rocket science. Their ubiquity (and the name "poppers," which is a registered trademark) probably came about when Heinz started to distribute them in frozen "ready for the fryer" form. I note that jalapeno poppers became ubiquitous right around the same time as deep fried breaded mozzarella sticks and deep fried breaded mushrooms (both also sold by Heinz under the "poppers" trademark).
  24. This is a very good point, and it's the sort of thing that is often difficult to make properly understood to that one guy opening his laptop at a table in a back corner. To a certain extent, I can agree with Chris that his one laptop in the corner with the screen turned down low wasn't likely to bother too many people. But, at the same time, presumably we all agree that a restaurant bar with several open laptops during the cocktail hour isn't the sort of vibe that is likely to broadcast "cocktail spot," and surely we all agree that it's reasonable for the owner to take steps to protect the image he is working hard to project for his restaurant bar. Perhaps the owner might have something to say to a guy who came in wearing a tank top and running shorts (just because there is no posted "dress code" doesn't mean that owners can't have certain expectations as to minimal dress code). For me personally, if I were the owner of a prospective cocktail spot or wine bar attached to a restaurant, my thoughts on things like laptops would have a bit to do with the time of day. I would be much more tolerant of a guy tapping away on a laptop at 3:30 in the afternoon with a coffee, beer or glass of wine than I'd be of the same guy at 8:30 with a Negroni.
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