slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Isn't it viande fumée a l'Américain?
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I'd say we got there sometime around 7:45 or 8:00, and left around 11:00. Tuesday probably just isn't a busy night.
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The fact is that, unless you are a duck, it's not entirely possible to draw any 100% definitive conclusions. All we can do is rely on as much evidence as we can gather. But, it has to be the right evidence. What I have observed on the anti-foie side is a pronounced tendency to anthropomorphize and a failure to take into account the fact that duck physiology/psychology differs markedly from human physiology/psychology.
As far as we can tell with any reasonable certainty, based on an understanding of duck physiology and psychology and relying upon whatever other scientific investigative means are at our disposal, ducks raised for foie gras do not seem to suffer any more than other animals raised for slaughter. The author did not observe any overt signs of undue distress on the part of the ducks who were being subjected to gavage. Just about the "worst" thing he seems to have observed is that the ducks tend to pant as a means of cooling themselves down and have some difficulty getting around for the last few days before slaughter, when they are at their very fattest. This strikes me as not dissimilar from anything one is likely to observe in animals who are being raised for slaughter in their final days (say, a cow in the feedlot).
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Went to Churrascaria Tropical again last night, and it continues to impress. Hands-down it is the best lamb and pork to be found in any NYC-area rodizio. The lamb was sprinkled with rosemary and nicely pink on the inside, and the pork was literally dripping with juice and coated with some kind of garlic glaze. These two meats are done so much better than any other rodizio is doing that there is simply no comparison. We also had several meat items I've never had before. For example, in addition to the usual turkey wrapped in bacon there were chunks of fillet mignon wrapped in bacon. There was also a dish the server called "fillet with garlic" which was, as far as I could tell, slices of picanha (including a nice strip of fat on the top) rubbed with garlic and roasted on a skewer. Delicious! He also brought out an impressive piece of "prime rib" that looked like it belonged in an episode of the Flintstones (I am not sure that it was what we would normally call prime rib at all). It was the approximate size and perhaps half the thickness of an accoustic guitar body, whatever it was.
What impressed me the most was the consistently high quality given the fact that my party of seven comprised most of the customers in the restaurant. Normally a rodizio has to be packed with customers and really moving the meat to get this wide variety of meats and to get meats that haven't been overcooked and dried out. This is a must-visit place for NYC carnivores.
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The stainless steel deck pizza oven is the standard pizza oven across America. AFAIK they are allmost all gas-fired ovens. Here are some representative examples.
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I would think that the efficacy of a float would be a bit minimized due to the fact that a Swizzle is consumed from the bottom of the glass up through a straw.
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May I suggest looking at "HandAmerican's Glass Smooth & Ceramic Steels". Price is no factor as you won't find better products of this kind anywhere.
I both agree and disagree with this statement. I agree that these are fantastic products. I own both the glass smooth and ceramic steels from HandAmerican. I disagree that price is no factor, however. Fortunately, this consideration seals the deal in HandAmerican's favor. $35 for a smooth steel by HandAmerican? A smooth steel by F. Dick will cost close to a hundred bucks! Everyone should have the glass smooth and ceramic steels from HandAmerican.
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In general, AFAIK, the Swizzle in the form we know it dates from the mid-19th century (before that, the West Indies had no reliable supplay of ice, a sine qua non for a proper Swizzle). The earliest mentions I've seen call for rum or gin--both quite popular in the British West Indies--sugar, ice and, almost invariably, bitters. Barbados' once-famous "Green Swizzle," beloved of all P.G. Wodehouse fans, was evidently the recipe to introduce limes to the mix. Beyond that, if old-school swizzlenomics was an engine for innovation, I haven't seen it (unless you count tipping in a splash of curacao as innovation). In other words, I think George's rules are exactly right, historically speaking, with one exception: traditionally, swizzles were made by the pitcher as well as by the glass.
Based on the foregoing, it sounds like an additional rule "should include bitters" might be included.
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I've used a food mill, yes. It's okay, if not as good as a ricer. You do have to be very careful about doing small amounts at a time so it doesn't end up gluey from being overworked in the mill.
As for the blade, I assume you are actually talking about the disk. The medium disk is just fine.
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The QPS, is so named for the Angostura that crowns it.
Wasn't the QPS actually invented in Trinidad?
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London parks:
Alexandra Park
Green Park
Hampstead Heath
Hyde Park
Kew Garden
Primrose Hill Park
Regents's Park
Richmond Park
St. James's Park
Syon Park
As far as I know, the Queens Park Swizzle is not named after anything in London. Rather, it is named after the Queen's Park Hotel (which is likely named after the Queen's Park Savannah) in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Are you thinking to switching to a London-inspired name because of the gin? NYC has got some pretty famous parks too, and some association with gin. How about calling it a "Central Park Swizzle?" Perhaps if you subbed applejack it would be a "Palisades Park Swizzle?"
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The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, on Arlington Street.
Ah, the very first "fancy restaurant" I ever visited. At least back in the late 70s it was über-old school. Roast beef carved tableside, etc.
They remove the thighs/legs first and transfer them to a cast-iron pan that is whisked away to the kitchen for further cooking.Interesting that even at the Ducasse level there seems to be a feeling that it's impossible to cook a whole bird of this size all in one go and achieve perfect breasts and thighs/legs.
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Yes. I think the whole idea that Psaltis should have been "bigger and more important" before writing his book is a mistaken premise. After all, who was Tony Bourdain before he wrote Kitchen Confidential? A guy who had worked around at a bunch of not-very-noteworthy places while battling drug addiction and who then finally worked his way to some chef gigs at some not-very-noteworthy places. I mean, Les Halles is nice and all, but it's not exactly one of the top places in the city, never mind the world. It's unlikely we would be talking about him as much as we have on the merits of only his work in the kitchen (and indeed we have had precious little discussion about this aspect of his career) whereas we most certainly have discussed Psaltis's restaurants, and he is preparing to open another that we will likely be talking about. The argument can be made that Psaltis has, even at this young age, accumulated a more distinguished resume as a professional cook and chef, and is "more important" now than Bourdain was when Kitchen Confidential published.
None of which is to take anything away from AB, whose resume suits me as just fine. My point, I guess, is that if you're okay thinking that AB had enough credits to write Kitchen Confidential (and don't forget that his book was not without controversy, even if he didn't name as many sacred cows), then you should be okay with thinking that DP has enough credentials to write Seasoning of a Chef.
Ultimately I think Kitchen Confidential is better writing (or perhaps a combination of better writing or better editing), but that's neither here nor there on this particular point of debate.
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Awesome. To get the party started, here is one in a dolsot
I'll be interested to hear about the uber-traditional components as well as the more common ones. I've had this dish many times in NYC Korean restaurants, and will admit to being surprised to read in these forums that an "authentic bibimbap" is supposed to have certain ingredients, since I've had it in so many different variations.
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holy shit.
I'm glad someone said it. I've been thinking of making a comment, but this is all that comes to mind right now.
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He asked "which of the better known or well thought of pizzarias use a wood-fired brick oven, & which use a coal-fired brick oven. . . (note: NOT interested in those with gas-fired ovens)." That rules out DiFara, as it is a gas oven place. DiFara obviously belongs on any list of NYC's best pizzerie, but not on a list of coal and wood fired pizzerie.
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Yes, this is a very odd and, to my mind, somewhat sad aspect of Dom's personality -- one that hints at a certain kind of narcissism under the exterior of the humble artisan. Not only has he to my knowledge made no real attempts to pass on his expertise, experience and craft to his children, whom he uses as gofers in his Brooklyn shop, but he seems to have actively resisted. You'd think that Domenico DeMarco's kids would be so experienced and steeped in their father's techniques by now that there would be little difference between a pizza from his hands and from his daughter's. But, as far as I know, he is the only one who has made a pizza at DiFara since the doors opened.
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What pan would you be using for these things instead of a saucepan? I've been using one because that is what I have now (though it is ready to be retired).
For example, I think a quick cooked tomato sauce or Alfredo sauce can be done very well in something like an 11 inch curved sauteuse evasée or sauté pan. For a longer cooked tomato sauce I'd probably reach for something that would be good for making a stew or braise, like an enameled cast iron casserole.
I plan to buy some Falk pieces very soon, specifically an 11" saucier and 11" fry pan, both per your recommendations. Re: pasta sauce like Alfredo, I can see from your comments way upthread that making quick cooking pasta sauces in the saucier and then adding the pasta to the saucier at the end would make sense.Exactly. And if you have these pieces it drastically reduces your need for a large expensive straight gauge saucepan.
I have a question about something I read in Allton Brown's book "Gear for your kitchen". He notes "My favorite pot: a 5-qt casserole. The perfect vessel for making a batch of tomato sauce or braising a pot of collards. If I could only have one pot (meaning a deep, two loop handleded device) this would be it. Mine is made by All-Clad." (looks like an MC2 from the photo). He goes on to say that it is important to get cladded rather than disk-bottomed for this pan "because the heat needs to be evently distributed all the way up the sides."I'm not sure that I agree with Alton that the heat needs to go all the way up the sides, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I also disagree with his recommendation of All-Clad. Personally, I'd go with Staub or some other enameled cast iron.
From the above description, I realize I am confused about a nomenclature and am unsure as to what the difference is between a saucepan vs. a "pot" (though pot seems to be a rather generic term). Alton specifically refers to his as a casserole, which I gather is different than what you mean by a saucepan. Is that correct? Are the differences only in size--or is there a shape difference too? What would one cook in one vessel but not in the other? Given whatever you feel each vessel is best used for, do you agree with the idea of a casserole being straight gauge?If you read through the class again, all the differences between a saucepan and a casserole are explained, along with recommendations for different design types. I don't think there is any hard and fast rule as to the difference between a "pot" and a "pan" -- except that I would say as a generalization that "pans" have one long handle and "pots" have two short handles. In the home kitchen, a saucepan also tends to be smaller in volume than a casserole, as we typically use casseroles to do braises, stews and large volumes of things like Ragù Bolognese, whereas we're not typically making 6 quarts of Bordelaise sauce in a gigantic saucepan at home.
Finally, I have had an oval Le Creuset French oven. I admit I don't use it a lot because I don't know exactly what to do with it. In terms of what kinds of dishes one would cook in it, is a French oven the same as a casserole?This is an enameled cast iron casserole in an oval shape, which makes it good for cooking certain things that wouldn't fit very well in a circular pot. You could certainly use it to cook tomato sauce, braises, stews, etc. -- anything you would cook in a circular one.
I have seen a few posts upthread in which people commented that they find the interiors of the Falk Culinair to be "greyish" on the inside and thus not to their liking as they find the greyish color impedes their ability to judge changes in color/browning.Two things here:
1. I don't agree that the slight grayness of certain Falk pieces in any way inhibits the ability to judge color. This is especially true since the pieces that have this interior color are pieces that should not be used for browning things anyway (more on this below).
2. The only Falk pieces of which I am aware with a matte finish are the regular straight sided sauteuses evasée (for making reductions and sauces). All the other pieces I have used have a brushed interior finish that is quite bright.
I know that you have some Falk, and also I see you mentioned that you have some All-Clad MC2. The interior of the MC2 is not shiny stainless, but rather, it is sort of matte due to a pattern of concentric circles in the metal. As I am familiar with the look and color of the interior of an MC2 pan, I was hoping I might ask you to take a peek into the interior of your Falk and MC2 and tell me if they look similar in color and finish?Yes, it is similar in terms of brightness.
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They both use regular stainless steel deck ovens.
Sal & Carmine's is very good for what it is, a neighborhood slice joint, but not a destination pizzeria.
DeMarco's is an attempt on the part of Domenico DeMarco's children to duplicate DiFara pizza in Mahnattan. I understand that they are not getting much in the way of support or advice from their father, who the last I had heard had not even visited his children's pizzeria, and it shows. (Here is a thread on DeMarco's.)
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surely most drinks can be swizzlised? serve them over crushed ice then swizzle 'em.
Is there a standard size for a Swizzle drink? standard glass?
Is the muddling of ingredients allowed pre-swizzle?
Is there a rule as to what a Swizzle can be lengthened with? juices? mixer? etc.
These are all interesting questions. I don't really have any answers, but am hopeful that others among us will be able to offer some pearls of wisdom on this subject.
The only thing I can think of is that I'm not sure that the mere action of swizzling a drink with crushed ice makes that drink a "Swizzle" -- just the same way that every "up" drink in a "V" glass isn't a "Martini." So, for example, I'm not sure taking gin and dry vermouth swizzled with crushed ice and calling it a "Martini Swizzle" would be entirely consistent with tradition. On the other hand, gin, white vermouth, fresh lime juice, simple syrup (or falernum) and Angostura bitters does strike me as more or less consistent with tradition. But I hope others who can speak from a position of greater knowledge will contribute their thoughts on this.
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An ounce and a half of rum? For shame, Sam, for shame. For a true swizzle, you want to double that. Trust me.
Hey, I didn't say it was my Swizzle recipe. Just a Swizzle recipe.
This little Cocktail is a blantent riff on the Queens Park Swizzle, or QPS, I thinks is different enough, that I can, with modestly down cast lash, call it my own. . . . I would call this the Prince Parker Swizzle If I could get away with it.Yes, this is an excellent Swizzle, and partly what inspired me to start this thread. Two ounces of rum, I see. What size highball glass (how many ounces) would you say you're using for this drink?
I think you can certainly call it the Prince Parker Swizzle. It seems pretty different to me:
Prince Parker Swizzle Queens Park Swizzle (scaled)
1.0 oz : light rum 2.0 oz : demerara rum
1.0 oz : aged rum (Cuban style)
0.5 oz : 2:1 demerara syrup 0.33 oz : 2:1 demerara syrup
0.75 oz : fresh lime juice 0.50 oz : fresh lime juice
7 mint leaves 7 mint leaves
3 drops Angostura bitters 3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Muddle mint leaves in highball, Build in highball with crushed
drawing mint up side of glass. ice and swizzle. Garnish with
Add crushed ice. Swizzle. Top mint sprig.
with bitters and garnish with
mint.What sets the PPS apart for me is the fact that the QPS is originally made with a big, dark heavy demerara rum which will taste entirely different from your combination of light and aged rums. That, combined with the unique treatment of the mint and the different bitters makes it different enough to have a different name. Certainly it's a much bigger difference than there is between a Martini and a Gibson.
Swizzles are, of course, not limited to just rum. I'd be interested to hear some Swizzle recipes using other base liquors. How about a Gin Swizzle or an Applejack Swizzle?
Are there any characteristics that we think belong in an old-school Swizzle besides crushed ice and the actual swizzling of the drink? In my observations, it seems like classic Swizzles almost always contain some citrus juice (most commonly lime) and bitters.
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As far as I know, the Giorgione oven is just a small prefab wood-only oven. In any event, it's nothing like the massive technical masterpiece at Fornino. Fornino's oven can go up to something like 1000F (although they don't heat it that hot, and it may even be illegal to do so). Giorgione's seems to stay around 600.
I've been to Giorgione a few times. Thought it was okay, but not worth the trouble of going all the way over there. If I'm going to that kind of trouble, taking the L one stop into Brooklyn and going to Fornino is what I'll do.
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There are many of both. Off the top of my head, and in order of my preference:
Wood-fired
Franny's
Una Pizza Napoletana
Fornino (special gas/wood hybrid oven)
ápizz
Celeste
Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza & Penne
Coal-fired
Patsy's in East Harlem
Grimaldi's
Totonno's
Arturo's
Lombardi's
Angelo's
All locations of the Patsy's chain (not related to the East Harlem pizzeria, and not as good either)
Others worthy of note
Gonzo (grilled)
Otto (griddled)
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1. is it BYOB or do they have a wine license?
They have a wine license
2. just what is the "CLASSIC" italian pizza??In the context of a discussion on this restaurant, it would be a pizza made in the "classic Italian tradition" -- which is to say thin crust, sparsely topped, baked at high temperature in a wood fired masonry oven, individual pizzas rather than "share" pizzas, and most likely featuring certain topping combinations that have become Italian pizzeria requisite standards.
In my experience, the pizze at Celeste were very close to the Neapolitan style when they first opened, but have been modified somewhat due to the pressures of Upper West Side tastes.
I'd say that the pizza there is good, but I wouldn't make a trip there just for the pizza and I'd have a hard time sticcking to pizza and not ordering some of their other dishes which I know to be first rate. For some reason I can't quite understand, a lot of the opening press on Celeste focused on the pizza and made it seem as though it were fundamentally a "pizza place with some other food." This was a mistake because in reality it's quite the opposite. Celeste could easily drop the pizza making and would still be a very good little trattoria. I'd actually love to see them make more creative use of their wood fired oven, maybe roasting some dishes in there.
3. &, what are the basic ingredients of the "la Margherita" & the "neopolitan" pizzas?A Pizza Margherita consists of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil. In the most classic preparations the tomato will consist of uncooked San Marzano tomatoes (they cook in the heat of the oven) and the mozzarella will be mozzarella di bufala (or at least fresh mozzarella). However, in the US it is not uncommon to see cooked tomato sauce and low moisture mozzarella on a "Margherita" pizza.
A Pizza Napoletana consists of tomato, anchovies, capers and mozzarella (although occasionally without cheese) -- sometimes with oregano.
& at the risk of other posts, i have been told DiFara's in brooklyn is the best, hand's down!? hard to beat a place that imports their cheeses & sauces from italy, & grows their own herbs!!!!!Have a look at THE BEST: NYC Pizza Favorites and the NYC Pizza Survey for thoughts on DiFara and other pizzeria. IMO it is hands-down the best place in the City for a certain style of pizza (Italian-American stainless steel deck oven "pizza parlor" pizza). For those people for whom the toppings are the focal point of the pizza, DiFara almost always comes out as the best. Those of us whose focus is primarily on the crust find that DiFara lags behind many other pizzerie (primarily those using wood or coal ovens) in this aspect. Bottom line, though, is that it's a damn good pizza. Perhaps we should continue any discusion about DiFara in the DiFara Pizza thread.
Doug Psaltis
in Cookbooks & References
Posted
I'm curious about something, and I'm not asking this to be snarky, I'm really curious:
Do you suppose that your friend Tony Bourdain hasn't left some unflattering things about himself out of his books, or indeed any items that others familiar with the various situations described might consider significant omissions?
Do you suppose that everything in Ruch Reichl's however many memoirs she has now written is factually accurate, and that nothing others might find significant was omitted and that nothing was made up out of whole cloth?
Since I hardly see how the answer could be "yes," given human nature, do you feel that everything else they say is automatically suspect? Or do you think your thoughts on this particular item may be especially strong due to the fact that the other party is Keller?
This isn't advocacy for Psaltis or his book, I just have to say that I find some reactions curious given, for example, Bourdain's notorious slagging of other chefs -- in particular those who could be seen as competition in the field of food-related television (something I should point out I don't particularly have a problem with).
I'm not saying this to impugn either AB or RR, both of whom are writers whose work I enjoy. But more to make a point precisely because most of us do like them. In a side-related note, I wonder if it were the case that Psaltis were a bit more self-deprecating and if his youthful arrogance didn't come through so clearly, if people would care about this a bit less. Certainly one of AB's strengths has always been to seem like a nice guy while at the same time saying that Rocco DiSpirto is "the most despised chef in New York" or that there are "few New York restaurateurs more loathsome" than Jeffrey Chodorow and he hated him within three seconds of their first meeting.