slkinsey

Sounds very tasty! BTW, if you search PR Newswire for an article and then right click on the appropriate search result to "open in a new window" you get a unique URL for each release, like this one. The whole six-column, slow-drip filtration thing makes me suspect that they end up with something that is, for all intents and purposes, completely flavorless ethanol at the end -- which is probably a good thing when one is planning on adding other flavors. I am curious about this text, however: "Flavored with elixir of ___" strikes me as code for "we dump in a few gallons of ____ flavoring," don't you think? I mean, if it were infused with roses, etc. don't you think they would have said "infused?" Then again, I suppose there is some question as to whether infusion is the best vodka flavoring process, or is practicable on an industrial scale.

Grinder ordered. Will report back on results.

Since I am about to purchase a fairly powerful meat grinder, I plan to experiment with grinding all the ingredients finely (especially the bones) before adding the water and proceeding with the stock. My guess is that the flavor extraction will be faster and the gelatin extraction will be much greater.

And I say: mucilaginalicious! Yes. Andrew: YOU I like. Sam: Wait, he says "mucilaginalicious" and you like him better than me?! Aw, jeez...

I think a warm plate makes a big difference, too. Omelettes are really at their most fluffy when plated just slightly underdone. When the omelette is plated on a warm plate, the gentle warmth of the plate itself finished the cooking of the eggs.

I was interested to note that the NYT article mentioned that all white truffle oil is synthetic, not that all truffle oil is synthetic. I wonder what this means about black truffle oil?

One thing that I can definitely say about the UWS restaurant scene is that practically every halfway decent middlebrowor higher restaurant to upen there in the last 5 years or so has been a huge success. This, I think, speaks to the desire of UWSers to have a better dining experience nearby. Now, that said, I do think it's true that UWSers -- especially those with money -- are used to traveling to "destination" restaurants, and this may color their receptiveness to such places in the 'hood. What I think the UWS really wants is more places like SQC and Aix, not so much places like Daniel or Mix.

As my favorite talking alligator would say: oog! No. Sam's golden rule of food #1: never eat something that can be described as mucilaginous.

Personally, I think these are both horrible methods for making a martini. If one is going to use so little vermouth (that would be, what, 20:1 if not higher?), then there is no point in using vermouth at all. I would be willing to bet that no one can taste the difference between an "in out" or "wash" martini and straight gin stirred with ice and strained. 8:1 is, IMO, the highest reasonable ratio for a gin martini -- and I reserve that ratio only for very delicate gins and/or strong vermouths. Typically, I'll go 6:1 or even 5:1.

Last PM Eric Malson, bergerka and I decided to make some martinis and compare Hendrick's to Citadelle. All martinis used Vya white vermouth and were mixed at an 8:1 ratio of gin to vermouth (this seems like a vrey high ratio, but Vya is a very flavorful vermouth). So... we got our materials together Into the cocktail mixer for a light stir Garnish with cucumber slices (these are the Hendrick's martinis) Et voila! The cloudy appearance is due to frost on the glass, which had just come out of the freezer. The results were interesting. We all, I think, liked Hendrick's better. It seemed more subtly flavored, more refined and had a silkier texture. The mild cucumber flavor was right there in the front of the mouth, and there was an interesting hint of rose in the finish. Interestingly, we all agreed that, while Hendrick's does not have an immediately identifiable juniper flavor or aroma, it still had a taste that was immediately recognizable as "gin." Citadelle, on the other hand, was more upfront with the juniper. We liked Citadelle as well, but I think we all felt that it was less complex amd a little clunky and unsubtle compared to Hendrick's. Citadelle did not have the silky texture that Hendrick's had, and there was a definite, although not unpleasant, alcohol taste which Hendrick's did not have (interesting, since both are 88 proof). This is not to say that Citadelle isn't a good gin. It has a nicely heavy mouthfeel and, perhaps due to its more assertive flavoring, a good finish.

I have the first one. It was initially purchased for making dog food so it had to be able to handle bones and all (chicken and turkey though, not rabbit as in Hest88's cat food). I'm very happy with its performance, both for the dog food and for human food. It is very heavy though so it's not too "portable". Does it have a reverse function? No but it also has never jammed...not even while feeding chicken quarters (bones and all) through it. I can't imagine that just meat would cause it to jam up. Okay, good to know. As detailed in my first post above, I want a grinder specifically for grinding up poultry, etc. including the bones. What you describe is exactly what I would like to be able to do: quarter a chicken and feed the quarters right through, bones and all. It's interesting that the lower priced grinder has a reverse function while the stainless model does not.

I have the first one. It was initially purchased for making dog food so it had to be able to handle bones and all (chicken and turkey though, not rabbit as in Hest88's cat food). I'm very happy with its performance, both for the dog food and for human food. It is very heavy though so it's not too "portable". Does it have a reverse function?

I actually thought their tasting was ridiculous. They did them at room temperature! One reads comments like "hot" or harsh." Well, duh! Some aspects that might seem hot or harsh or too strong at room temperature might be just right at martini temperature. I don't see any reason to judge any liquor at a temperature other than the one at which it will be served. It's just as silly as tasting a bunch of chilled (or heated) Bordeaux and writing up a comparative review. What's the point?

You're on. But you'll have to bring some Hendrick's too, we're fresh out.

To give credit where it's due, I ripped off the entire garnish and accompaniment idea from the bar at Town, Geoffrey Zakarian's place in midtown Manhattan. As an interesting touch, the cocktail is not even stirred! The bartender simply poured the ingredients into an ice-filled individual cocktail mixer and then bedded the mixer down in a large tub of ice while he prepared the garnish and accompaniment. When they were done, he poured the drink -- no shaking, no stirring.

Um... isn't there an omlette thing associated with Denver?

For Boston, I think you're better off with scrod than anything else. No one particularly eats baked beans there, and clam chowder is really more regional than local. Folks in Wisconsin would probably dispute giving the bratwurst nod to Milwaukee, as Sheboygan is really the Mecca of bratwurst. A lot of places are going to end up with barbeque as the specialty. Certainly North Carolina is famous for two different styles (Western and Eastern), and Memphis, Kansas City, and even Chicago have barbeque styles for which they are justly famous. San Antonio is very well known for Tex-Mex, and "puffy tacos" are a specialty. What about smaller cities that are associated with famous foods? One could argue that the top places for NC and TX barbeque are not found on your list (not to mention the top place for bratwurst, as previously mentioned).

Hendrick's is actually one of the martini gins of perference around the slkinsey household, along with Plymouth and Boodle's. For a Hendrick's martini I like to use 8 parts Hendrick's to one part Vya white vermouth. For the garnish I float a translucently-thin slice of English cucumber in the glass (really need a mandoline for this), and I serve it with a little dish of sliced cucumber sprinkled with Maldon salt.

While this is somewhat tangential to discussion of Union Pacific, it strikes me that this is now the second of Burros' reviews about which we have remarked that the star rating seemed somewhat high given the overall tenor of the review. Perhaps her writing tends to highlight more the negatives than the positives?

I like to roast my chicken spatchcocked after marination in lemon juice, garlic and crushed red pepper.

From todays NY Times... Yummy fresh shrimp from Maine are in! 5.99 - 7.99/lb. at Wild Edibles and elsewhere. Broadway Panhandler (477 Broome at Wooster) is selling Le Creuset at 35% to 65% off the suggested retail price! Through February 29 while supplies last.

Ned, I'd say that if you went to Grand Sichuan in New York City expecting something like your favorite Shanghainese place in Seattle you were setting yourself up for disapppointment. This is especially true given the fact that you didn't really order any of the specialties of the house. I am not questioning your evaluations of the dishes you had, as I have no trouble believing that the lo mein and egg drop soup at GSIM are not particularly outstanding. I would suggest that Chinese cooking is too wide ranging and diverse for any one restaurant to excel at every single dish in the Chinese repertoire. As the name of the restaurant implies, Grand Sichuan is a place to go for Sichuan cooking, and I have never been disappointed by any of their Sichuan dishes. Anything else is like ordering bucatini all'amatriciana at La Cote Basque. To make another example: however good the lo mein and chow mein may have been in your Seattle place, and I am sure it was excellent, I would be willing to bet that I, as someone who is used to the freshly killed kung pao chicken at Grand Sichuan, would be disappointed with their implementation of this dish.

Anyone have any experience with or information about the Northern Industrial tools grinders like this one or this other one?

Fundamentally, with poached eggs and especially with regard to their appearance, there is no substitute for incredibly fresh eggs. Certain results, and consistency of results are possible with <1 week old eggs that are simply not possible with older eggs. This means that supermarket eggs will never really do the trick.

I always finished my braised "bbq-style" baby back ribs under the broiler, brushed with the reduced braising liquid.