slkinsey

I should hasten to mention that there are plenty of opera singers out there with relatively pedestrian voices who are nevertheless having huge careers based on their other strengths (acting, networking, looks, whatever). Ferrets are likely to be leagalized in NYC sometime soon, actually. There was already a referendum by the City Counsil back in the Guliani days, but the mayor vetoed it and there were not enough votes to overturn him. Bloomberg has indicated that he would sign off on it if it comes up again. Basically it's a political thing involving the Board of Health -- somewhat lengthy and complicated to explain. Anyway, I doubt that the cops are going to walk past the college kids openly smoking marijuana, not to mention the local crack dealers, to knock down our door and arrest our ferrets. More info at NYCFerrets.com

K will respond, I'm sure... but there are no formal requirements for being an opera singer, per se. You just have to have the right mix of vocal talent, looks, dramatic ability, interpersonal/networking skills, political savvy, luck and in some cases, the willingness to have sex with certain highly connected people in the business. Some people are stronger in some categories than others... but most successful singers have a pretty high aggregate score.

Appreciate your comments, Robert. Any inside look into the kitchen you could give us would be greatly appreciated. Please post your thoughts and impressions (not that you have a ton of time on your hands, I'm sure ).

Upcoming great first-time productions to see at the Met: L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers). Very funny/accessible Rossini opera. All star cast: Olga Borodina, Juan Diego Flórez (probably the #1 light Rossini tenor today), Ferruccio Furlanetto. Performances on March 11 and 17. Rigoletto. Very famous tragic opera. Lots of familiar hit tunes. Very good cast featuring Ruth Ann Swenson as Gilda and Ramón Vargas as the Duke. Performances March 18, 22, 26 and April 1, 6, 9. Salome. The music might be a little freaky and advanced for first-time attendees, but it is a very powerful, dramatic and sexy opera. Chances to see super-hot soprano Karita Mattila dancing around in practically nothing do not come along all that often. Superstar cast featuring Mattila in the title role along with Matthew Polenzani, Siegfried Jerusalem and, starting on March 31, Bryn Terfel. Performances on March 15, 19, 23, 27, 31 and April 3, 7, 10.

Little known opera facts for NYers: 1. You can get a seat at the Met for as little as $25 dollars... standing room for as little as 11 or 12. 2. There is a plot synopsis in every program, as well as on the Metropolitan Opera Company's web site (here is a synopsis of tomorrow evening's performance of L'Italiana in Algeri). 3. In front of every seat (usually affixed to the back of every seat in front of it) is a little LED screen which can be turned on and off. This is the Met's proprietary Met Titles system. When activated, the screen displays a real-time translation of the opera.

Pictures from September, 2003. They are a good bit larger now, and their markings (masks, etc.) have evolved as they matured.

There is a similar thread from a while back on Swiss chard that has some interesting and applicable ideas, like this:

From today's NY Times: The Second Avenue Deli is celebrating its 50th anniversary by rolling back to the 1954 prices! On Monday, March 15, from 11:30 AM to 8 Pm, sandwiches will be fifteen to twenty cents and main dish platters will be $1 to $1.25.

JJ and I were quite taken with Red Breast 12 year old at the Seppi's Whiskey Dinner. All pot still whiskey. Big flavor. Heavy mouthfeel. Powerful long finish.

As was explained to us by the charming Sheila Golden at the Seppi's Whiskey Dinner, this is more or less bunk, but it is preserved to a certain extent in American "Irish" pubs. After a lof of distilleries closed, the only two operations left were Jameson's and Bushmill's. Now, it just so happened that there Bushmill's is located up in the North (where most of the Protestants are) and Jameson's in the South (where most of the Catholics are). Back in the old days it was perhaps true that Catholics drank Jameson's and Protestants Bushmills, but this was entirely out of necessity. Due to distribution issues, it was very difficult to obtain Bushmill's in the South and vice-versa. This really is no longer the case in Ireland, and plenty of Catholic Bushmill's drinkers may be found. However, given that many Irish immigrants came to the US during the years when Irish distilleries had limited geographic distribution in Ireland, this tradition evolved in America. The only places you're likely to see it are in insular, provincial Irish American communities in certain areas of Boston, etc. IMO, it's no more Irish than green beer on St. Patrick's Day. I don't know why anyone would think that about Harp and Bass, since Bass isn't Irish (it's brewed in Burton-on-Trent).

If you think that's interesting, you should hear me trying to talk Kathleen's mother through PC problems on a computer with an operating system we don't have in the house.

Kathleen and I actually met on the job... on the real job that is. Which is to say, on a gig.

Yes they are sending this stuff to the US. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be 2.5 mm. Mauviel's 2.5 mm stuff still has the traditional straight rim like this and the 2.0 mm stuff has a rolled rim like this. Looking at the two pans above, the 2.0 mm pan looks like a pretty rotten deal considering that it is the same price as the 2.5 mm pan! Here is a similar pan with the stainless steel handle (also 2.0 mm). This pan is actually more expensive than the 2.5 mm pan! You can see examples of all four lines of Mauviel's stainless lined copper (2.5 mm/iron handle, 2.0 mm/iron handle, 2.0 stainless steel handle and 1.6 mm/brass handle) here.

Hmmmm... what is "fine dining" and what is "fine dining in New York" (and does NY have a distinct style of fine dining) and what separates fine dining from really good dining. A lot of interesting fodder for discussion, and these questiona may merit their own thread. I'll inject another point to the debate: to what extent is one's concept of "fine dining" in NYC and elsewhere dependent on the French model of what a top restaurant experience should be?

With all due respect to Ursula Ferrigno, that is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard with respect to cooking ingredients. Right up there with using ultra-expensive sea salt for salt-baked fish and pasta water. That said, and as Soba suggests, there is good extravagance (aceto balsamico tradizionale, A-grade foie gras, white truffles, even things like artisinal Italian pasta asciuta and heavy stainless lined copper cookware) and there is bad extravagance (see above). The point, I think is that you don't waste your money, but rather spend it in places where it will make the most impact.

Will you clarify this? I'm not quite visualizing it. Did he hold the string at both ends and pull it down the length of the peel to sort of separate the dough from the peel after the toppings had been applied? Exactly. Stretched the string across the peel using both hands. Pulled the string tight against the peel. Ran the string down the length of the peel, under the dough, to separate the dough from the peel. After accomplishing this, went immediately to the oven.

One thing we saw at Patsy's in re to the pizza sticking to the peel. As you can see, they load two pizze at a time. Right before taking the pizze to the oven, the pizzaiolo stretched a string over the peel and ran it under both pieces of dough.

I've done both. In fact, currently I am without the soapstone as I lent it out and do not expect to get it back. The soapstone produces much better results -- especially for my kind of use. In general, I think it's too much hassle to go to all that trouble for one pizza. These days, whenever I make pizza it's because I'm having a pizza party at my house, in which case I am likely to be making 10 - 15 large pizze. When using a baking stone, there is a significant problem with the baking stone losing heat over time, and pizza #5 takes 4 times longer to cook than pizza #1 (there is some discussion about this problem on a professional scale at Grimaldi's in the NY Pizza Survey thread. This is simply not a problem with a big chunk of soapstone. Rather than putting the oven on self-clean, I would suggest turning on the broiler if you have a regular gas oven with the broiler underneath. With the baking stone on the floor of the oven and the broiler firing more or less directly into the stone, you should get all the heat your oven is capable of producing.

The only thing I have seen that even remotely reminds me of your specifications is All-Clad's Copper Core line. It is a core of copper fully clad in stainless steel. I assume the stainless is magnetic. Yes. Paderno Grand Gourmet Looks pretty sweet, no?

Well... because the tin wears off eventually, whereas it does not with a stainless lined pan. Also, you have to be much more careful about regulating the temperature of a tin lined pan. Tin melts at around 450F, and it doesn't take too much preheating to get a saute or fry pan up in that temperature range. You get a tin lined pan up to 500F and you've got a retinning on your hands. And, of course, you have to be carefull with using metal utensils, etc. Now, for a professional cook who really knows what he's doing and who never stretches the tolerance of the pan, they probably work okay. But for a home cook, I just don't think it's worth the extra hassle and the limited usefulness with respect to high temperatures. This is not to say that you should throw away your old heirloom tin lined pans... just that I wouldn't recommend buying any more of it. With all due respect to Rocky Mountain Retinning, I don't believe for a minute that a tin lined pan could survive decades of regular use in a home without needing to be retinned. I know plenty of people who own old tin lined copper, and most of their stuff started to look patchy only a few years after retinning. This is, of course, another argument against tin linings: you have to keep on paying throughout the life of the pan. When you figure in the cost of retinnings, a stainless lining is actually less expensive. The only thing I can think that would extend the life of a tin lined pan is to be extra careful about the hardness of the utensils used with it (I would recommend heatproof rubber spatulas instead of wooden spoons) and to be very diligent about never using more than medium heat and never preheating the pan. This is a tough one, as the main usefulness of tin lined copper, IMO, is for saucemaking and that generally requires a whisk. I can't be sure, but I think I saw some nonmetalic whisks and Apex spatulas at Bridge Kitchenware. You might consider giving them a call. I don't know how expansive this is, but I think it's complete bullshit. You're talking about an oxidized layer that is maybe a few atoms thick. I can't believe that it impacts the thermal properties of the pan one iota, and if it does you'd have to have superhuman perceptual skills (not to mention cooking skills) to tell the difference. Many experienced chefs, of course, believe a lot of things that are total bullshit ("searing seals in the juices," anyone?). If I were a betting man, I'd bet you're right about the insistence on bright copper being a holdover from the hardline French days. That said, it's relatively easy to keep copper bright with a Scotch Brite pad and some Bar Keeper's Friend, provided you don't mind a brushed finish (probably okay for a working pan, but I wouldn't do it to an heirloom piece). Welcome to the Gull, Henry. Hope to see more of you around on the boards!

No health risks asociated with aluminum cookware. Probably nothing to worry about in terms of stocks either. However, stainless steel is a lot more versatile as you don't have to worry about reactivity for other applications.

There was one on the menu, but they weren't pushing it. Cheeses chosen by the same guy as Celeste.

Ate there last PM with bergerka and ewindels. What a great place and what a great bargain! When we arrived (around 7:30 on a Saturday night) the place was jumping. The host took my name and suggested we take a drink at the bar next door where he would find us when our table was ready. The bar is a typical self-consciously downdown-drab-hip place. We had "gimlets" that were made with fresh lime juice. Not really a gimlet, of course, but a nice refreshing drink nonetheless. Anyway, this gives you a good picture of what the staff is like at Bianca: after around 15 minutes I noticed that I hadn't seen the guy from Bianca come in to the bar to fetch anyone, so I decided to poke my head out and see what was what. As it so happened, the host was standing in front of the restaurant taking some new names for the list. He looked up and immediately said, "Don't worry Sam, I haven't forgotten about you. Your table will open up soon and I'll come in to pick you up." Didn't have to refer to his list to remember my name or anything. And, true to his word, he came in to get us about 5 minutes later. The room is small and was completely filled, which one would expect at 8:00 on Saturday night. Our table was quite comfortable, but we did note a few two-tops along the back wall that looked a little cramped. So, the meal started with some very nice bread and a puddle of excellent, green evoo. For antipasti we split the gnocco fritto and the sauteed fegatini. The gnocco fritto (always referred to in the singular, for some reason, even though there are always several to a serving) was a plate with six warm, pillowey, rectangles of biscuit-like dough fried in olive oil and served with either salumi or cheese. We opted for the salumi, and got some nice pieces of sopressata, prosciutto, mortadella and coppa. Nothing like draping a piece of salume over a warm gnocco so the pork fat melts into the dough. This dish was absolutely corrrect. The star of the antipasti, however, was the sauteed chicken livers glazed with balsamic vinegar. Simply put, this dish was perfect... and perfectly huge! Take warning, no one person should order this antipasto. There must have been 20 chicken livers! The livers were cooked just right. Pink in the middle with a light texture, and without that aggressive "livery" flavor of overcooked liver. The sweet balsamic vinegar mingled with the cooking liquids exuded from the livers to make a simple sauce. The dish is presented with a mound of livers poured over three pieces of bread, and we found ourselves emptying the bread basket to soak up all the sauce as we finished the livers. To be honest, if one is going to go the antipasto-primo-secondo-dolce route, the chicken livers alone would be plenty of antipasto for a party of four. For the primi we split two dishes. First was a nicely done taglierini ai frutti di mare. This had excellent, firm pasta, a nicely spicy tomato-based sauce and good seafood (shrimp, clams, mussels, squid). The shellfish were, in the Italian style, still in the shell. It was a very nice dish, appropriately sized and quite tasty. My only criticism is that the ratio of pasta to condiment wasn't high enough. There should have been, in my opinion, about 25% more pasta and 25% less other stuff. It is a testament to the quality at Bianca that this truly minor defect made the taglierini the worst dish of the evening. We also shared a nice plate of gnocchi con fontina. These were nicely light potato gnocchi (slightly green, so I assume there was some spinach in there as well) served in a creamy and ever so slightly funky fontina sauce. Gnocchi are not easy to do well in a busy small restaurant, and these are among the best and the lightest I've had in the city. Certainly they blow away any other gnocchi one is likely to get at this price point around here. For the secondi we each had separate plates. ewindels had cotechino con purè di patate. The cotechino was simply poached and presented in thick coins around a modest mound of pureed potatoes. The sausage was excellent (probably from Faicco) and the potatoes were very potatoey -- rich without being overly filling and buttery. Apparently a little parmigiano reggiano is the secret to the potatoes. You couldn't taste it, but it certainly made its presence felt. bergerka had pan seared thin slices of fillet with oven roasted potatoes and rosemary. Very nicely done. ewindels and I couldn't help thinking that it would have made one of the best steak sandwiches ever. The meat was cooked on one side anc nicely red on the other, so it didn't result in the well-done mess one normally expects from shaved meat. This helped it to retain a good beefy flavor (which is saying something, considering that it's fillet). I had salsicce con fagioli -- three small, flavorful sweet sausages (again, probably from Faicco) in a dish of tender white beans with tomato, garlic and onion. Everything gave evidence of havng been cooked together for a long time. The dish was peasantey satisfying, and I'm thinking there had to be a bit of veal glace or something in the beans because the intensity of flavor was great. For dessert we shared three dolci: a ricotta cheesecake, a tortino di cioccolato and ciambella con mascarpone. The ricotta cheesecake was light and lemony, moister and less crumbly than most examples. The chocolate mousse cake had a deep chocolate flavor and came with a dense, irregular scoop of whipped cream (we at first thought it might have included ricotta or mascarpone, because the texture was not light and it looked almost grainy, but the host explained that they achieved the texture by whipping heavy cream by hand only). For me, the ciambella was the best. Three slices of a crumbly traditional yellow cake with a scoop of liquor-infused mascarpone cream over the top. A little glass of vin santo and it would have been perfection. All of the above, plus two glasses of quotidien but acceptable chianti came to only $120! We tipped a generous 25% and still felt it was a bargain at $50 each.

Although I grew up in Boston, both my parents are from the South. Squash is a major staple of the Southern diet. The Kinsey dinner table featured a lot of squash. This, combined with my mother's ironclad "you have to eat at least a bite of everything" rule and "you don't have to like it, but you do have to eat it" philosophy means that I have tried pretty much every type and preparation of squash at least 50 times. The smell of pureed acorn or butternut squash is still enough to make me gag. I have no doubt that I could overcome this aversion a la Steingarten, but I am confortable with my prejudices. (That said, I always try it again if I get squash as part of a dish at a fancy restaurant.)

I hate squash, so I really don't know what they're doing with it. I've just noticed it on practically every high-end menu I've seen in the last 6 months.