slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Keith, did you read the reviews on Amazon before you bought it? They're all pretty condemning. When several reviews mention that they only awarded one star because there was no lower rating... that's usually a pretty clear sign that it's a piece of junk.
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I'll try to find out the name of the Epoisse-like cheese next time I'm there.
I am almost positive it will turn out to be Affidélices. This is a specialty cheese made by Fromagerie Berthaut in Bourgogne, which makes some of the best Epoisses to be had. Essentially, Affidélices is an Epoisses de Bourgogne that is washed with Chablis instead of marc. It is also a little smaller. I have found excellent examples of Affidélices at Fairway on 74th street.
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One of my friends is expecting his first child at any minute. I believe he's considering placing order to celebrate the impending arrival. He's already trying to figure out how early he can begin introducing the child to "the nectar of the gods." (his words)
That will be so cool! Tell him he should buy a bottle in one of those cardboard tubes so he'll get the full brochure. Man, I'd sure love to have my own cask of... eherm... twenty-eight year old scotch right now.
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I've never been to any of JG's other restaurants. Are Jo Jo and/or Vong worthy contenders at their price points?
It's been a while for me, but as of 3 years ago I'd say they definitely were. Back then, though, JGV was running only three places, not 7 or however many it is now.
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Bruichladdich is good stuff. It's probably the lightest and least emphatically peaty Islay malt, and therefore does not accord well with my personal preferences, but it is a very well done scotch. Interestingly, for the cask offer one may choose either regular Bruichladdich or "Port Charlotte" as the base spirit. Apparently Port Charlotte is a relatively new secondary distallate at Bruichladdich, and it is quite peaty. I'd probably choose this for the cask offer, myself.
Prices are as follows:
- Barrels - 200 Bulk Litres
- Refill Bourbon £775
- Rum (very limited availability) £895 - Hogsheads - 250 Bulk Litres
- Refill Bourbon £995
- Refill Sherry £1,050
- Fresh Sherry £1,100 - Butts - 500 Bulk Litres
- Refill Sherry £2,100
- Fresh Sherry £2,195
The casks are stored free of charge for the first ten years, and thereafter for a small premium charge (currently £20 per annum for a hoggshead).
- Barrels - 200 Bulk Litres
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In any event, I think we've played out this fork of the discussion and would like to see us getting back to whether there are any similarities between the state of Jean-Georges' culinary empire and Fonzie waterskiiing over a shark.
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coughy, if history is any indication, you will soon be told that you simply don't understand the subtle approach of Blue Hill.
Well, coughy, you probably don't understand the sub-- HEY! Curses, Tommy!!
Seriously, though, people who are expecting "big, bold flavors" and "exciting" food are probably not going to like Blue Hill as much. That's not their thing. On the other hand, maybe it was something else that didn't do it for you at Blue Hill. coughy, what was it that you found underwhelming?
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A friend brought over a bottle of Bruichladdich single malt the other night. In the packaging was an interesting brochure. Bruichladdich is offering a program whereby you can buy an entire cask of scotch right out of the still, age it with them as long as you like and have them bottle it however you like. Sounds like an interesting idea... although it will take 15 to 30 years before you see any real results, so it's a long-term investment. Would be a wonderful gift for a newborn son or daughter. Who wouldn't want their very own cask of 30 year old single malt for their 30th birthday?
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Well... it's a subtle distinction. The Thai element was watered down and then it was watered back up with the French element... or was it the other way around? Either way it's... er... fully watered.
Seriously, though, and what I think Tommy is getting at... any "fusion cuisine" can be seen as "watered down whatever" depending on one's perspective. On the other hand, one can look at it as something that is neither Thai nor French but something different with elements of both traditions that stands on its own. The point, I guess, is that if one goes in experiencing the food from a Thai or French perspective, then it will tend to taste watered down because it does depart from those traditions.
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I went for the dessert special, semlor, an almond-enhanced sweet bun split and stuffed with cream. In a more religious and stern Lutherna time, it was only served on Fat Tuesday, but now appears soon after Christmas and stays through Lent.
Was just talking about these in another thread. I've always known them as "Shrove Tuesday Buns." My father says he learned about them when he was a postdoc in Upsala, that they are traditional for Shrove Tuesday but eaten throughout lent in Scandinavia. The way I always had them was with hot milk poured over the filling before the cream was put on top.
Thanks for telling us about Ulrika's! I, too, love herring in all its glorious forms, so I'll definitely want to check this out.
By the way, Ulrika's has a web site. According to the site, they won "Best Herring in New York" from the NY Press in the annual "Best of Manhattan" survey. They even have recipes for some of their dishes, including the award winning "herring kiss."
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The advantages, as I see them, are that it seems to season more quickly, and that it is more "nonstick-like" than rough cast iron. I hadn't considered the cleaning element, but it might make a difference.
I assume they machine the pans on a lathe.
Given the low cost of cast iron, it might be interesting (and affordable) to buy three similar skillets and compare regular cast iron, pre-seasoned regular cast iron and polished cast iron. Anyone up for it?
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Wagner kind of fell off the map for a while in terms of cast iron cookware, but now they seem to be back. One of their most interesting products is the polished cast iron skillet. This is where they start off with a regular cast iron pan and then machine the inner surface so it is smooth instead of rough like most cast iron. I actually prefer this to regular cast iron and encourage anyone interested in acquiring some cast iron to consider it strongly.
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I will never eat maccheroni and cheese from a box.
I will never eat at a fast food or major chain restaurant in Manhattan.
I will never, ever try to keep up with JJ, Soba or Eric Malson in an all-you-can-eat restaurant.
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Mottmott, the Italian word for "square" is quadrato.
When one takes tagliatelli (a fresh strand pasta ~1/4 inch wide) and cuts it across the strand to make little squares, the result is a soup pasta called quadrucci. I suppose this shape could be sauced like as normal pasta, but it wouldn't be a traditional use.
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Okay... seriously. We need to get together a GSIM feast of Biblical proportions.
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We pretty much always have the beef tendon, and it's rare that we don't order the kung bao chicken. Another great appetizer is the cured pork with garlic shoots, and I am very fond of the Sichuan pickled cabbage with red oil. We get those a lot. We also get the spicy double cooked pork fairly often, and the sour string beans. These are all "GSIM classics" as far as I am concerned. There are other good dishes there, the crispy quail, the tea smoked duck... things like that. They're good, but not in the same category, IMO.
The real secret to GSIM, I think, is to make sure you go in a group -- four at a minimum, and six or eight is probably better. That way you can have several of the greatest hits dishes and branch out to several others.
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rgruby, his flagship restaurant, Jean-Georges, is still one of the top places in the City.
Man... he has got one of the all time worst web sites in the business. Flash crap that takes forever to load, and there's no option to skip it.
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Well, that could be an element of it, marthapook. But, that said, there is no indication that Alain Ducasse is having trouble keeping things fresh and current at his various AD/XX, Spoon and Mix places.
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you'll find me there before you'll find me on the 7 train to sriraphiaiaaia, although that's meaningless as they're so different it makes no sense to compare them.
Once again, you have crystallized my thoughts most eloquently.
There really isn't much of a point in comparing a place like Vong to "authentic" Asian restaurants, because I don't think it is designed to immitate them or compete with them.It's interesting that you say you've grown tired of it. I feel much the same way. I don't think it's the case that the food isn't still at the same high level, but I wonder if this kind of overtly Asian-influenced neo-French fusion food isn't becoming a little passé or at least a little less exciting. There was just a big article about the influence of Japanese cooking in NYC. Does that mean it's jumped the shark? Or do you maybe think the quality and inventiveness have gone down now that J-G isn't spending so much attention on Vong any more?
Admin: I think I'm gonna split this off.
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Hmmm... interesting points, Pan. Perhaps this needs its own thread. I always felt that Vongerichten's best food was when he was doing what I felt was fundamentally Western food but with Asian influences. This is what I mostly felt about the menu at Vong, which features dishes like spiced cod fish with curried artichokes; salmon with lentil crust, orange-ginger sauce, wilted endive and sweet potatoes; steamed black bass, cardamon sauce, cabbage and watercress; lobster with thai herb; beef short ribs braised with tamarind, mashed potatoes; crisp squab with egg noodle pancake, honey-ginger glazed pearl onions and so on.
None of these dishes strike me as pale immitations of traditional dishes one might get in Chinatown (although maybe 3 or 4 dishes do, like "crab spring rolls with tamarind dipping sauce"). Also, I don't think one is likely to get something like "monkfish baked with special spices & seeds, potatoes & asparagus" or "warm asparagus salad with avocado and enoki mushrooms" at Sripraphai. If something there vaguely resembles a dish from Vong, I doubt that it involves ingredients at the same level of quality. Who knows, though, I might be wrong.
Of course, part of what makes something like "quail rubbed with Thai spices" cost fourteen dollars at Vong while "crispy quail" costs eleven dollars at Grand Sichuan is decor, service, location, etc. But, considering all that, three dollars is not a big difference.
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It's interesting to me that J-G's last two places, 66 and now Spice Market, have not generally been met with a great deal of enthusiasm for the food. Kind of striking considering that his flagship place, Jean-Georges, was the hottest fine dining ticket in town not too long ago and it seemed like the chef could do no wrong.
Is it possible that the chef has lost his magic touch? Maybe his style of cuisine is no longer hip and current? Or maybe his empire has become too vast, too fast? I fear that this last one may happen to Batali, whose restaurants seem to be growing in number at an alarming rate.
Admin: This thread is a fork in the discussion about Spice Market that was inspired by Bond Girl's interesting review there.
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Dude, you totally have to come next time. Your presence alone means we could have ordered like three more things!
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It struck me that there are no pictures for the vicarious GSIM fans. So, naturally, taking one for the team I steeled my nerves and ate there tonight with Eric Malson, bergerka and a friend:
First were the dan dan noodles. This is beore they are all mixed together, after which they are kind of brownish.
Then we had the Preserved Trunip (sic) Sichuan Style. Spicy, crunchy and pleasantly rubbery.
One of our favorites, Beef Tendon with Hot and Pepper Sauce. Everyone should try this dish.
Stir fried pea shoots. Fat Guy turned me on to these, and they're awesome!
House Cured Pork with Stick Rice Cake. This was incredibly porky and a nicely mild contrast to the spicy dishes.
House Bean Curd with Spicy Sauce (Ma Po Tofu). Soft tofu isn't really my thing, but I have to admit this is good stuff!
Freshly Killed Kung Bao Chicken. The one. The only. Accept no substitutes.
Braised Beef Fillets with Chili Sauce. One of the hottest things on the menu. That light brown lump in the middle of the bowl is a big knob of minced garlic. Tasty!
We finished almost everything
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Jenny, why not start a thread on the undiscovered gems of Northeastern PA?
Celeste
in New York: Dining
Posted
Well... Affidélices is the only "Epoisses-like" cheese out there of which I am aware.
Perhaps it was a good Taleggio or Robiola Lombardia (Robiola Lombardia is a small Taleggio, really)?