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scottie

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Everything posted by scottie

  1. I'd like to hear more about the good food available in Jersey, and less about cars. I thought the food was the point of all this.
  2. This reminds me of an article about ortolans I read recently. I fail to understand why these animals must be hunted, rather than raised domestically. It seems like, if they taste that good, but their numbers and habitat are diminishing to the point where they require legal protection, then perhaps it would be a good idea to start a dormouse or ortolan farm. Maybe the wild ones taste better?
  3. Yeah, mine were awful, too. I also had to cut them open with a knife (having in the past opened fresh ones the way you describe), and inside the flesh had shrunk- it was not filling the cavity, as it should. Also, the texture was kind of watery, kind of grainy, due to the freezing. And the flavor. I think the tannins from the rind seeped into the flesh, making it taste really bitter and nasty. What a tease! Overall, very disappointing.
  4. I just bought a bag of frozen 'steens today at Bangkok Center Grocery, 104 Mosco between Mott and Mulberry streets. $6 for 2 lbs. I hunted around the fruit stalls for awhile, but I didn't spy any fresh ones, so I gave this place a shot and there they were in the freezer. I was a little disappointed about this, but decided to get them anyway. Now they are defrosting in my fridge and I really hope they turn out better than the ones Jammin got. At least I have some good longans now, at any rate.
  5. Where in Chinatown? Were they available at a lot of different places? Have you had a chance to try them yet? Aren't they always hard on the outside? I can barely contain my excitement! I had mangosteens a few times in Indonesia, over a decade ago, and they were by far the most delicious fruit I have ever had. I can't wait! Thanks for the tip!
  6. This is totally fascinating. I'm all for sea bugs and mudbugs, I'm curious about the tarantulas (which are supposed to taste very much like shrimp), and I've heard there are some large ants/ termites in Southeast Asia that taste like bacon. If it tastes like bacon, then that's a land bug I could get behind. Scorpions are supposed to be good, too. I'm sure this book has been mentioned on eG many times before, but here's a link to Man Eating Bugs , which I used to own and which is really fascinating. I seem to recall the description of Giant Water Bug as sharp and acidic, which is not nearly as appetizing as fruity and salty. I wonder what makes them so salty? It's just the roachiness that really freaks me out.
  7. Eeewwww!!!! I know, I know, I know I'm not supposed to say that, I know that people the world over have long enjoyed this cheap and easy-to-procure source of protein. I know that insects generally contain much more usable protein than does meat from mammals or poultry. But where I come from, "water bug" means "roach." Was that the reaction you were looking for?
  8. It seems like Estonians do a lot of foraging, for mushrooms, berries, etc. When you go foraging, is it typically on public lands? Private lands? Do you have to pay a fee or get a license? The sale of foraged foods is pretty strictly regulated here. In some places or for some things you have to get a license or a pass, for example to forage for mushrooms in the state forests of Oregon. I think there you have to buy a day pass. In other places, there is a strict season, and if you are caught foraging out-of-season, you can get fined. For example, in areas of the southern Appalachians there is a limited season for ginseng, aka "sang", to reduce over-foraging. Did you ever do anything with your green tomatoes? Here is how I make them: Heat a cast-iron skillet. Slice tomatoes to about 1/4" thickness. Dredge the slices in seasoned (salt and pepper, maybe a little cayenne) cornmeal, or in a mix of cornmeal and flour. Add bacon fat to the hot skillet. When the fat is hot, put in a few slices- don't overcrowd. Let the tomatoes cook for a bit, don't stir them around. Flip them over when the bottoms are nice and golden, then cook until the other side is golden, too. Be careful not to burn them! Cornmeal burns pretty easily. Drain the fried tomato slices to a plate lined with paper towels, then serve while hot with some spicy mayo or whatever dipping sauce you like. Remoulade is traditional. You can also fry them in butter. These are really good when hot. I like them for breakfast with fried eggs.
  9. I'd say bear qualifies as fairly exotic here in the U.S., or at least unusual, although there are certainly a few people around who hunt it and eat it. Heck, even venison and rabbit qualify as exotic to a lot of people. I have known people who were seriously freaked out by the idea of eating rabbit. Fortunately for me, my dad did a lot of hunting when I was kid. He never brought home a bear, though! So, can you buy bear meat in the market in Estonia? How about horse?
  10. My mother has a bottle of shagbark hickory syrup which someone gave her a few years ago. It's from southern Indiana, and apparently it is produced in a manner similar to that for maple syrup. I gotta say, it's kind of weird. Anyone else run across something like that?
  11. I just thought of another one, often-overlooked but surprisingly good for the price: Northsquare Located in the Washington Square Hotel, on the NW corner of Washington Square Park, and right across the street from Babbo. They have a nice, quiet lounge that would be perfect for a large party, if you all want to be able to hear each other.
  12. So, Mambwe, have you had any luck yet? You know, if you're willing to consider a very short commute into Brooklyn, Dressler's pretty good for the price. It's right down the block from Peter Luger's. My family once had a large-party meal there that worked for everyone and fell within your price range, though I must say it was rather difficult to converse with everyone at the long, smack-in-the-middle table.
  13. I am thinking between $1000-1500 for the meal. Some people coming don't eat seafood or anything that is too wild. So, I just want a place that would appeal to everyone. We did this once before for another family member and it was at the Water Club and it went over fine. So, something with food similar to that would be fine. Nothing like WD-50 or too ethnic. Please let me know your idea!!!! ← $1000 for a party of 10 at EMP? I assume you mean before tax, tip and booze.
  14. Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking, for a foodie book group. Short and sweet. CarrotTop, my husband's mother gave him the Pat Conroy cookbook years ago. I found it in his old bedroom when we were visiting two years ago. It is a gem! I love the stories, especially the one about meeting a young Frank Stitt on an airplane.
  15. Hey FG, I know you like Tabla's Bread Bar. How do you feel about bread service there? Downstairs in the Bread Bar, you have to order your bread, which makes sense because that is the central focus of the place. It comes with ghee brushed on it already. The Sourdough Naan comes with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. The bread goes out before the rest of the meal, along with any chutneys ordered, unless specifically requested to accompany the main dishes. Your gratis starch is a bowl of spiced popcorn at dinner, which I believe is not automatic at lunch but will be given on request. Upstairs at Tabla, you get some pappadums and two dipping sauces upon seating. You then get bread for the table upon ordering. The amount and variety depends on the number in your party. I don't know whether this bread is replenished throughout the meal automatically or on request. I think it depends on whether you have orderd the 3-course or one of the tasting menus, in which case you will get bread midway through.
  16. No kidding. That smear looks like poop on a plate. And while we're at it, can we please stop with the garnishes on everything? I like obscure microgreens as much as the next self-styled gourmet, but I fail to see how a tiny sprig of microcilantro elevates a bowl of rice. And that big ol' sprig of rosemary they still use in the land beyond the outer boroughs is NOT attractive.
  17. Yeah. Sometimes I think the entire kitchen is going to be staffed by externs one day soon. There's a way to cut costs!
  18. I suspect that in many cases they will just train immigrants who are willing to work for less. Will the food quality suffer? Most likely. The recent turnover in my former workplace led to a kitchen full of inexperienced cooks. This directly impacted the food quality. For example, every cook is expected to chiffonade herbs very finely to garnish the dishes from his/ her station. In times past, if Chef thought the cut herbs weren't up to par, he'd throw them out, saying, "What is this? I can't use this shit. Do it again." But now he's just happy to get any herbs at all in time for service. This kind of thing stretches the sous chefs even further, because they often end up doing the herbs or whatever little prep work the newer cooks don't get around to or don't do properly. So I guess it gets done one way or another, but it's not ideal. Now, do finely chiffonaded garnishes actually affect the flavor/ quality of the food itself? That is a topic for another thread. It was just an example of how an inexperienced kitchen turns out inferior product.
  19. Thank you for posting this. Here in NYC, at the 3-star restaurant I just left, the dishwashers make minimum wage and the line cooks make about $10/hour, give or take .50 cents. We had a trail a couple of weeks ago, the guy was offered a line position- at $8/hour. He said no. If you think it's tough to make a living on those wages in Texas, imagine trying it in New York. I honestly don't know how most people survive, though I for one was eating at least 2 meals a day at work. I was working about 60 hours per week, so overtime does come into it. We also had bennies, including dining vouchers redeemable at any of the restaurants in the group, which is kind of cool. One guy who just went from line cook to Sous said his paychecks are the same now as when he worked a 50+ hour week as a line cook. He also works much longer hours now. So it seems to me that the sous chefs are actually the hardest-working and most underpaid, given their hours and responsibilities. I would not want to be a sous in that kitchen. The union kitchens here pay about $20- $22/hour for line cooks. But many of us who are serious about the industry, and our roles in it, will work crazy hours for a lot less money. Not to mention putting up with the constant beratings and other unpleasantries that come with the territory. Did I mention that this restaurant group is considered one of the best 100 companies to work for in America?
  20. That is really tragic. I hope he beats this. A couple of Alinea's co-owners were in our restaurant last winter, and they talked a lot about what a great guy Grant is. He is especially inspiring because of his youth and talent. My thoughts are with him.
  21. De Stefano's Steakhouse just opened in Williamsburg, and holy cow, is it good! My husband and I just went for dinner tonight, and we were blown away. We were very impressed, and my husband said it was the best meal he's had in months, which is saying something. They have a good appetizer and salad selection, followed by a steak selection that includes porterhouse, filet, skirt and hangar. Hubby got the T-bone, I got lamb chops. They do not have any fish entrees. They have two pasta options, one chicken and one vegetarian. The meat is where it's at. They also have the typical sides. We started with an amuse of devils on horseback- or is it angels? -Prunes stuffed with nuts and wrapped in bacon, presented with a garnish of gooseberries and fresh red currants. Hubby had the beet salad, very straightforward with red and golden beets, goat cheese and mesclun. Well-executed and not cutesy at all. I had the "Chef's salad", which included artichokes, asparagus, parmesan, pine nuts and currants, on top of mesclun. The ingredients were fresh, the nuts toasted, the artichokes not from a can. The parmesan could have had more flavor. But it was a good salad. Mr. Scottie's t-bone was perfectly cooked to medium-rare, closer to rare than to medium. So tender we were not given steak knives. My lamb chops were huge and perfectly cooked, as well. Each entree came with sides of potatoes and carrots, but I didn't try them. We ordered the broccoli rabe side, which was fantastic- not overdone at all, spicy with red pepper flakes and garlicky, and definitely bitter, which I love. The owner, Joe DeStefano, came over and introduced himself and checked up on us and the food quality occasionally. He wanted to make sure the meat was cooked to our liking- he's afraid his chef cooks the meat a bit too much on the rare side. We assured him our meat was cooked perfectly. He also comped us dessert, a delicious tiramisu and a fantastic ricotta cheesecake, both homemade by a lady in the neighborhood. Truly fantastic. This meal was excellent and the service was top-notch. We really want to get the word out about this place. The location has been in the DeStefano family for three generations; these are old-school neighborhood people, and they are doing it right. Check it out: DeStefano's Conselyea and Leonard Lorimer Stop Williamsburg, Brooklyn
  22. We love Sammy's, for the experience as much as (possibly more than) the food. It's a blast! And the chopped liver is great. My husband has a great story about the first time he went there: he and a buddy, who knew the place, had won a bunch of money at the track. They walked in and announced "We just won $600 and we're here to spend it- give us everything!" They even got the bottle of vodka frozen in a block of ice. We once thought it would be fun to take some out-of-town guests there, but they were pretty well horrified and only ordered salad, if you can imagine. As much as we enjoy it, we find that once a year is about as much Sammy's as we need. You definitely have to be in the mood for it.
  23. Externs are supposed to be covered by their school's insurance, but of course this is more difficult in practice. A coworker of mine has been in a long battle with her school over an injury that happened during her stage. She was supposedly covered by the school's insurance at the time, but they of course have been dragging their feet on paying the medical bills. I think adding them to the payroll in order to qualify them for worker's comp would be a good way to CYA. You're paying worker's comp insurance anyway, right? Plus they should probably be in the system for other reasons, even if you're not paying them squat. It makes it official.
  24. A professional-quality heat-proof rubber spatula A whisk A fish spatula- LamsonSharp makes a good durable one A whetstone I use a spice grinder every day but you might not need one Paring knives, definitely, but don't waste your money on an expensive one that will get lost, stolen, or messed up. I buy the $5 Messermeister ones. I started this career at age 32. I think your guy was right to advise you against school. It's not worth the monthly student loan bill, especially considering how little you'll be making. You might have to work for free for a little while, though. The first month will be tough, but what doesn't kill you in this industry only makes you stronger. Good luck!
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