slkinsey

Interesting comment, Todd. I suppose it is true that technique is critical. But what baffles me is that the technique is also incredibly easy to master, at least up to the "doesn't suck" level, and even up to "damn good." It certainly didn't take me a lot of training to make better-than-I've-ever-had-in-America espresso on my Rancilio at home, and I don't exactly dedicate a great deal of energy to maintaining or refining my technique. So, what this tells me is that making good-to-very good espresso, assuming good raw materials, really comes down to three things: keeping the machines properly maintained and calibrated, giving the staff some kind of minimal training and, most important of all, making sure that the staff actually cares. I got an espresso recently at Regional that, while not as good as I make at home, was good enough to be in the top 1% of NYC restaurant espresso.

Andy's comment upthread reminded me to touch on this. I've really been getting into rum these days myself. I actually quite like the Barbancourt white rhum. It's got a bit of the rhum agricole flavor that I like quite a bit, but does make it different from regular white rum distilled from molasses (rhum agriole is distilled from sugar cane juice rather than molasses). If you're so inclined, you might try a real Daiquiri: 2 ounces of white rum, 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon of superfine sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar then shake with ice and strain. Or, for a tall drink, I like a Rum Swizzle: 1.5 ounces white or light rum, 3/4 ounce fresh like juice, 1/2 ounce Falernum (or simple syrup or the infused simple syrup of your choice), 3 dashes Angostura bitters; serve over ice in a tall glass. On the simple side, there's always a Ti Punch, or if you like dark rum, try an "Eighteenth Century Cocktail." At least it doesn't have a doleful, needy expression on its face like the cod.

Nice looking fish. How are you baking it? Just open in the oven, or are you covering it with parchment or something like that? Also, did you leave the bones in or debone the fish? It's a little extra prep work, but ever since I read about it in one of Marcella Hazan's books, I've been all about baking whole stuffed fish that I've deboned "from the inside."

Actually, I would argue that the cuisine at Babbo is Italian. It's not the same as you would get in Italy, because Italy is highly regional/microregional not only in cuisine but in cultural outlook. The cooking at Babbo is no more different from "Italian food in Italy" than the cooking in Milano is different from the cooking in Napoli. What Batali has attempted to do is create a restaurant that treats New York City, including its people and its ingredients, like "another region of Italy" and to cook Italian food that reflects that regionality. This is exactly what an Italian chef might do who left Pisa to open up a restaurant in Modena. Unlike the Italian-American cooking at, say, Carmine's, I think most Italians who dine at Babbo would recognize the food as being "Italian" even though it does not attempt to slavishly duplicate dishes from Italy out of context. I am by no means an expert on Ethiopian culture, but I am given to understand that there is no longstanding tradition of "fine dining" as distinct from "regular people dining" (including more elaborate preparation and presentation, more expensive and perhaps unique or rare ingredients, more highly developed dining rituals, etc.) the way there is in, say, France. This is to say that the rich people in Ethiopia may have been eating better, more expensive versions of the dishes that "regular people" were eating, but fundamentaly they were still eating more or less the same dishes or the same kinds of dishes, and that the overall style was the same. But let's stay closer to home. Is there a longstanding, nonimported tradition of "Mexican fine dining" where rich people in Mexico are eating Mexican foods, including unique dishes, ingredients and styles of preparation and service, and otherwise dining in a context that is distinctly different from the way the "regular people" are eating? Looking at China, on the other hand, we have clear evidence that there was a distinctly different, nonimported traditional luxe dining culture for the aristocracy.

Any restaurants make an espresso that doesn't suck?

They sometimes have them at Citarella. And IIRC, I've seen them many times at Sea Breeze on Ninth Avenue.

I think one of the things that Stan is saying is that the characteristic elements that go into what is Filiipino food and food culture do not lend themselves to the classic "NYT 2 Star model" (whatever that may now mean, given the past year). And that a restaurant would have to give up a certain amount of Filipino-ness in order to comfortably fit that mold. There is no denying the fact that certain styles of dining and certain cuisines (notably French and neo-French) lend themselves to the "starred review" model than others. I have argued in the past that it would be somewhat difficult for a truly Italian restaurant to receive a four star rating in the NY Times. With respect to something like Filipino food is the likelihood that there is no well-understood native concept of "Filipino fine dining" as there is, say, "Chinese fine dining" (despite the dearth of restaurants actually exploring that in NYC). I can't say for sure whether there is a hairarchical dining structure with an identifiable native cuisine for wealthy people in the Philippine Islands, but I suspect that there is not one. This is similar to, say, Ethiopia, where there are not huge differences between "rich people food" and "regular people food" in terms of dishes prepared, etc. (obviously the rich people may tend to eat more food and more expensive foods like meats).

The soup dumplings are Joe's selling point, so they are must-try. Elsewhere people have recommended the braised bean curd over spinach and their eel with yellow chives. They also have a steamed chicken dish with a light sauce that Eric_Malson recommends highly.

Would that be Ayrshire bacon? The rolled/sliced one in the center at the bottom?

Soon, soon. . . I'll try to make sure to do some kind of writeup here when the opening comes. Im given to understand that it's in the "no one ever sleeps" end stage these days.

As far as I have been able to learn, falernum was invented by John D. Taylor in the late 19th century. The original name was "velvet falernum." Later, in the 1920s, the John D. Taylor company produced a variant called "white falernum" that was lighter and less distinctively flavored. As far as I know, it is no longer produced. Both contain alcohol. I would think that the original velvet falernum (which is anyway a clear "white" liqueur) would be the one to use in tropical drinks. There is also no need to make your own falernum. The original John D. Taylor velvet falernum is available for sale in the States (I have a bottle), and Fee Brothers makes a nonalcoholic "falernum syrup."

Great post, Dave. There is definitely something to said for the entire ritual that goes into making a cocktail, and the Old Fashioned is one where it comprises a signifncant part of the process. I had an OF sitting at the bar at Milk & Honey a few weeks ago -- stirred with one big lump of ice cut from the block, with the twist cut to order and trimmed of pith, sugar and bitters muddled, etc. It took a long time to make, and watching the process was just as good as enjoying the drink.

This is something that is covered in Gary Regan's book The Joy of Mixology : The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft. He identifies a class of cocktails he calls "New Orleans Sour" consisting of base liquor, Cointreau and citrus. This includes the Sidecar and Cosmopolitan as well as the Margarita, Brandy Crusta, and many other popular drinks. In fact, this is one of the easiest formulae to use in creating drinks all'improviso. Think dark rum + Cointreau + lime or gin + Cointreau + lemon with a dash of bitters, etc. That said, not all New Orleans Sours are created equal. I don't think that anyone would argue that a Sidecar isn't substantially more complex than a Cosmopolitan. For starters, there is simply no way a citrus-flavored vodka can bring the same range and depth of flavor to the table as a Cognac. The whole "citrus vodka with citrus liqueur with citrus juice" thing is also a bit monochromatic and not particularly compelling. Then there is also the problem with the way the Cosmpolitan is usually mixed, which is to say heavy on the sweet. Some bartenders even use simple syrup to bump up the sweetness. So, in the end, you're often left drinking a pink glass of vaguely citrus flavored alcoholic candy. On the rare occasions that I have a diehard Cosmo drinker in my home, I've varied the formula by infusing some lemon or orange zest into a few ounces of either gin or aquavit for 5 minutes or so, and using that instead of citrus vodka. It makes a signirficantly more interesting drink, and most people won't even notice that it isn't vodka. They just notice that the drink is more complex and interesting.

El Diablo. Now I have to get cassis? Do you cocktail peeps have any idea what you've done to me? You should be able to pick up a little bottle of it, and you can just get rid of it when you go back home. And if you think the booze collection is getting out of hand, you should take a look in my apartment. I've got liquor bottles literally filling two cabinets and one full closet. . . and I still have a few cases salted away in the walk-in closet. The scary thing is that my collection is miniscule compared to Dave Wondrich's. I swear, if you pried up the floorboards in his house you'd find bottles under the floors. The even scarier thing is that Dave's collection is probably dwarfed by Ted Haigh's.

It depends on your outlook. Is it great compared to 99.99% of the pizza you can get across America? Absolutely. Is it great compared to 90% of the pizza you can get in NYC? Absolutely. Is it great compared to the other old school coal oven pizzerie in NYC (Patsy's East Harlem, Grimaldi's, Arturo's, etc.)? Not really. Is it great compared to the top pizzerie in NYC (Franny's, Una Pizza Napoletana, Patsy's east Harlem, DiFara, etc.)? Absolutely not. There is a very short thread on Lombardi's here. Lombardi's was also visited by the NYC Pizza Survey (discussion here). Other NYC pizza talk here in THE BEST: NYC Pizza Favorites.

Actually, in Italy it is traditional to make insalata Caprese with less-than-fully-ripe tomatoes called pomodori per insalata ("salad tomatoes"). Sometimes they have quite a bit of green, and they're always a little crisp rather than having the full redness and soft ripeness one typically sees in the US.

Sidecar Fizz?

L'Asso 192 Mott Street At Kenmare Street 212-219-2353 Lombardi's 32 Spring Street Between Mulberry and Mott Streets 212-941-7994

El Diablo.

I like Noilly Prat, too. Although I think I slightly prefer Cinzano over M&R for the sweet/red style. I especially like that they're inexpensive enough to have around for guilt-free cooking purposes. The Vya products, which I love, have so much more flavor than the usual vermouths on the market that you really do have to scale the recipe accordingly. Whereas you get a good balance of gin flavor to vermouth flavor in a 1:1 Tanqueray-to-Noilly Prat Martini, I might go more 2:1 or 5:2 for a similar effect with Vya. Do we consider Punt e Mes a vermouth? It's kind of right there between vermouth and amaro. Anyway, I've really been liking a Brooklyn-inspired cocktail they make at Milk & Honey called the Red Hook, made with rye, maraschino and Punt e Mes.

Here's the relevant passage for posterity: I'd be interested to hear from those in a better position to understand Moroccon cuisine and culture than I whether they think the use of a pressure cooker means that a "new style of quick Moroccan cuisine" is emerging or whether it's simply a way of shortcutting and ultimately shortchanging the historical cuisine. I'd also like to hear thoughts on whether pressure cooking will eventually make slow tagine cooking a historical footnote, or whether there may be some backlash and return to using a tagine. In my own limited experience, I haven't found slow cooking with a tagine to be all that difficult or time consuming. Put the ingredients into the tagine, slap it on the stove with a low flame and a heat diffuser then come back several hours later and eat it.

I suppose it depends on your definition of "authentic" -- a topic that has been the subject of some debate in these forums of late. I don't have a hard time believing that younger urban Moroccans use pressure cookers rather than clay tagines nowadays. But I'm not so sure that makes it "more authentic." Indeed, I imagine pressure cooking was hardly known in Morocco fifty years ago. To make a comparison, most young urban Italians nowadays buy fresh pasta that is made by a machine at the "pasta fresca" store instead of making it by hand at home. Does this mean that handmade fresh pasta is "inauthentic" and "for the tourists?" So, to a certain extent, I'm not sure it really matters what the current generation of younger Moroccan home cooks are doing today. If they're using pressure cookers instead of tagines, it's only a sign that this wonderful, complex, slow cuisine may be losing some of its uniqueness and glory to the pressures of modern lifestyles.

Bruce, not only can Luxardo maraschino be used to make an Aviation, many would argue (and I among them) that Luxardo is the best maraschino and therefore makes the best Aviation.

The article says: This seems to imply that Noilly Prat produces vermouth for the American market in America. I'd be interested to know where she got her information. As well as I can recall, bottles of Noilly Pratt say "Product of France" on the side. I would be shocked to learn that there is really a difference between Noilly Prat manufactured for the US and the Noilly Prat manufactured for France and Europe. Here is some good information on the process, for those who are interested. As for The Hersh's thoughts on more expensive vermouths (i.e., Vya). . . I think you'll find that if you try Vya you'll see that it's good for a whole lot more than just Martinis and cooking. Indeed, I would consider using Vya for cooking somewhat of a waste. Vya on the rocks with a twist, on the other hand, is a great drink. I also enjoy "Reverse Martinis" with Vya. In other news, the Noilly Prat web site has a link to a nice article about vermouth and Audrey Saunders: I've tried the infused vermouth, and it's really nice.

Yea, there are good reasons to go with 2:1. The problem with using it, to a certain extent, is that many of the new recipes call for simple syrup at 1:1. It's easy to make without heating, overpours aren't as much of a concern and the bar will likely be ditching any unused simple syrup after service anyway. The problem is that it doesn't necessarily follow that a half ounce of 2:1 simple syrup has the same sweetening power as a full ounce of 1:1 simple syrup. One ounce of 1:1 simple syrup contains about 17.75 grams of sucrose. A half ounce of 2:1 simple syrup contains only about 14 grams of sucrose. So you have to be careful in executing a recipe to make sure you know what kind of simple syrup you should be using and adjust accordingly. This is an issue when attempting some of the old-school drinks including citrus, until you read their recipe for simple syrup and realize that they're using a supersaturated syrup.