Charles Smith

Had another in a series of very good dinners at Lupa last night, highlighted by the special I ordered- porchetta. As described by the server, a small organic, nicely killed pig is de-boned, then laid out "flat." The arms and legs are then removed, ground and made into sausage. The sausage is then stuffed back into the pig, which is then roasted and served in slices. Each round slice is sausage, and pieces of the rest of the pig, fat, tenderloin, crispy skin, etc. Absolutely delicious. Cheers, Charles

I got them at Chambers Street!- my favorite store in the city.

These were 2001 Nigl's- The first was a Veltliner Privat, a "better" vineyard, and the second was his Gruner Veltliner- same grape. I mostly agree with Steve's wine assesment- the SB was a good start- The Nigl's were very good wines that were good, but not great with the food, the Kabinett was excellent, and while I love ZH's wines, I was disappointed in this one went with the food- I've also had better examples of the same wine form the same vintage. overall, we drank very well.

uuh, I'd suggest Diwan, if they like Indian food.

I'll just add my thanks to those above- simply an astounding meal, both in taste and amounts!

great question. I'll be interested to hear SG's response in terms of the vendor/price, but there are many who believe the vintage is overhyped, the wines overextracted and better young- I'd love to hear the restaurant's reasoning on both issues

My wife Allison and I had dinner at Blue Hill with Southern Girl Friday night- it was the first visit to Blue Hill for each of us- I don't mean to speak for my companions, but we all thought it was a terrific dinner with impeccable service. SG handled the reservations and had informed the restaurant of our E-Gullet membership (I'm not sure how), which I'm sure contributed to the evening- We were seated at the back of the long banquette in a very comfortable table for 2 and were happy to let Mike and Dan cook for us, as offered. Amuse #1: Fennel Soup with apple and celery foam Served in a shot glass, the contrast between the warm soup and the cold foam made this dish- the soup wasn't overwhelmingly fennel-ish, but a nice start. Amuse #2: Pistachio goat cheese and quince on pappadum Simple and very tasty 1st course: Spanish mackerel with coriander infused bouillabaisse and leeks- Con Class ES 2001 I'm not sure of the intentions of the course order, but we followed a richer dish with a less rich dish for the fish and meat sections of the meal- The mackeral was just warm, the oily-ness of it set off nicely by the bouillabaisse- very good. The wine was not much without food, but picked up well with the dish and was a good complement. 2nd course: Wild striped bass with parsnip puree, squash and fennel broth- Heissenburg Gewurtztraminer Alsace 97 This was my favorite dish of the night- one side of the bass was crusted and the overall sweetness of the fish was offset by the parsnips and fennel. I had something very spicy in my dish which sparked the gewurz- best wine of the night as well. 3rd course- Steamed Foie Gras w/ fall vegetable garbure, "fairele Chabrot"- Henri Brunier Le Pigoulet Rouge 2001- Rhone Back again to a richer dish to start off the meat selections of the meal- this was foie gras in broth- the texture of the foie was luxurious, as expected,- none of us had had steamed foie before and raved about this preparation- each of us received this dish in a different style cast iron pan- a nice touch. Terrific. The rhone made for an interesting match- legions away from the typical sauternes pairing, but the wine's funkiness worked very well. 4th course- Milk fed capon with roated root vegetables, brussel sprouts and wild mushrooms Charles Mara Zinfandel Resrve- Martinelli Jackass vineyard Some at the table were a little disappointed that we weren't served a darker meat for the final savory course- our server told us the story of the farm on which the capons are raised and the effect of feeding a lactose intolerant bird milk- as in cabrales' dish above, some of the pieces were skinless, while others had a well crisped skin- The flavor of the capon was excellent, with a nuttiness to it that makes it a significant step up from other poultry- I love brussel sprouts and these were very good- the mushrooms were not a significant presence in the dish. Great stuff. I'm not a zin fan at all, but the Mara was a good example- not overly alcoholic, not overly extracted. On to desserts- 1st dessert- 24 hour Apple Terrine with gingerbread ice cream worked for me- the apples were smooth and grippy, and the flavor was intense- the ice cream was a little spicy- a great start to dessert. 2nd dessert wave: We each were served a separate dessert and rotated them around the table Poached quince w/ vanilla cream caramelized almonds and pear foam- this was a layered parfait, served complete with a parfait spoon- this was good, very good when you could mine out an almond - Bosc pear soup with fromage blanc sorbet- The soup was the best part of this dish, rich and full of pear flavor- the pears were average- they seemed "over marinated" (SG's comment) and tired- - Concord grape financier with grape sorbet and vanilla ice cream- some corn flour made for a delicious cake- my favorite dessert of the lot- simple and pure, with excellent flavor definition. - Quinta do Infantado Organic vintage character Porto- nice, nothing spectacular. Overall, this was one of the better meals I've had this year- It's a lovely room and the staff's enthusiasm for the food and their ability to educate is top notch- The service was outstanding. My wife noticed the impact of the serving temperatures of the dishes- a very good example of the thought that goes into a meal at Blue Hill. We had a lovely visit with SG, picking up where we left off after our chance meeting at jewel bako a month or so ago- looking forward to seeing her again, as well as our next meal at Blue Hill. Cheers, Charles

Tommy, you're just not tipping him enough He is a class A jerk- He used to be at Coco Pazzo and was a jerk there as well. Yvonne- I'm thinking of having dinner at the bar their tonight- thanks for the great report. Cheers, Charles

I might like the appliances in that Viking kitchen, but I would hate cooking in it- who wants to walk more than 2 steps from fridge to counter, etc??? I love my current galley-esque kitchen (open to the dining/living room) but want a second dishwasher, a separate freezer, the counters and stove raised 6 inches (I'm 6' 4") and the vent rasied accordingly. Six burners, a wood burning stove with rotisserie, a small wine fridge, a second sink, a built in coffee maker, and a breakfast counter long enough to actually eat breakfast on. Cheers, Charles

Steve- Great reading!- Thanks.

While the food is not to the level of the starred places, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a tapas meal in the old quarter of San Sebastian- it's a food obsessed place and the depth and diversity of the dishes is pretty amazing. One could easily do a 45 course tasting "menu" across 8-10 places, complete with txacoli (local "green" wine)- a very satsifying evening, IMHO. The market is worth a serious visit as well- one of the best in terms of overall quality in Europe. I think it is out of season, but the local delicacy is baby eel- worth seeking out if available. I also hope you make it to Bilbao. The museum is worth visiting even if you don't go inside.

apple risotto (from Batali cookbook) braised pork tenderloin broccoli rabe good dinner.

They have a number of Gaja Barolos and Barbarescos on the list- very expensive and not my favorite producer, but the older versions would be very interesting with the Truffle menu- there are also some older Riojas which might pair well as well as some older, albeit very pricey, burgundies. Cheers, Charles

Cabrales- The Truffle menu was $280- Besides the farfalle dish there was an egg dish, and a foie gras dish among the others- I don't recall other specific details. Best, Charles

My wife and I were celebrating our 2nd anniversary this weekend and chose ADNY on Saturday night as the place at which to celebrate. We had a great time, but the overall experience was mixed at best. Our reservation was at 8, we arrived on time and were escorted directly to our table. I thought the room décor was awful- the Pollock-dripped musical instrument sconce is just plain ugly. Our first interaction was a drink-order taker, with a heavy accent (not-French) who ran through (at very high speed) a list of three different champagnes by the glass, inclusive of the dommage- I picked up on the vintage bit for the Pommery and we enjoyed a 1989 Louise- delicious, a little young yet, but starting to develop some of the scotch-like finish that I love in older champagnes. We were brought gougere at this point, which were good, but served at room temp- would have liked another one, but never got the chance. I asked for the wine list at this point. Next came the menus- there are very few actual non-tasting menu choices- 3 apps, 3 fish, 3 meat (this is how they are divided on the menu)- there were 2 tasting menu options- a seasonal option and an Alba white truffle tasting menu. The a la carte choices were 2 or three courses, plus amuse, plus dessert. We decided to go with the 2 course option, with an additional shared course of farfalle with truffles. I ordered the game confit en croute followed by Veal Sweetbreads and Loin. Allison ordered the roasted langoustine alongside spinach lasagna, followed by the venison, seasoned with juniper berries. I continued to ask for the wine list, to no avail. Next, we were brought the dessert menu- they need to get the order in early, because they are all individually made- I chose the Baba, and my wife opted for the pear/caramel soufflé. Still no wine list. I asked again. I was then told by the captain that they preferred to get in all of the food orders, then they would hold the meal until I made a wine selection. Still, however, no wine list. After about 5 more minutes, I saw the captain heading towards us empty handed- he reversed field, then sent over the sommelier, who returned with the wine list, and a recitation of everything we had ordered, but no explanation of the inserts in the list (similar to the tasting menu inserts) - (I’m a wine geek- I want the wine list alongside the menu, if not first- this was very annoying to me) Very deep list, extremely over-priced- I was hoping for an older bottle of Burgundy- I pointed out a few options to the sommelier and was guided into a ’98 bottle of Roumier Morey St. Denis- he didn’t like how the older options were drinking, didn’t offer similarly priced options and convinced me that the Roumier was the best option for what we were eating. Out came the amuse- Chicken rillettes, over toast with some greens. Large amuse, and absolutely delicious- a nice, livery note, and great texture contrasts. Great stuff. Next up were the apps- Allison’s was excellent, the langoustine was perfectly cooked- extremely tender and a nice match with the lasagna- My confit was appropriate and I loved it- nothing spectacular, but simply delicious. The Roumier was a decent match for both. Next up were the truffles- During ordering, I had asked that we share them and got a reply of “excellent”- Allison was brought an empty plate, and I was served a smallish portion of farfalle, in a mushroom sauce, with truffles shaved on top. We waited for a minute or so, and then realized that it was up to me to serve Allison her portion- this dish was also excellent, fresh mushrooms, and 2 mushroom “quenelles” within the farfalle and properly ethereal truffles- a great memory from our honeymoon in Tuscany was re-lived with this dish. I was not completely happy however- I don’t mind serving Allison her share, but any number of other places, from USCafe to Lupa will split a past for you in the kitchen and serve 2 separate servings. I was also disappointed not to have the truffles shaved in person- the aroma of this is one of the main reasons to get the dish. Right upon the heels of the truffles (the pacing throughout was too close) came the mains- Allison made a much better choice- the venison was excellent. The juniper gave a dish a fresh tinge that elevated the dish from your average venison to something excellent. My dish was mediocre. It was a curved row of veal sweetbreads interspersed with pieces of veal loin. The sweetbreads were excellent and the loin pieces were awful- fatty and chewy. I complained, and was offered a replacement dish in exchange, for which I had no use- I was already pretty full. Extremely disappointing course. Then came the parade of desserts- 2 bowls of cookies, then the already ordered desserts- The pear soufflé was excellent, as was the Baba- A lovely sour cream sorbet topped with pepper was followed by the candy cart- we had a madelaine and called it a night, with much lighter wallets. Overall, ADNY suffers from extremely high expectations that it did not come close to meeting. Bring me the wine list when I ask. Have enough depth of choices on the menu so that I we don’t have to double up on pasta in order to have a seafood appetizer and the additional truffle course without paying another supplement to get caviar. Don’t charge me $15 for the three course tasting plus the $75 supplement for the truffle dish. Split our pasta in the kitchen so I don’t have to split it onto a cold plate in the dining room with my utensils. Have the drink order taker know the champagne well enough so that the descriptionsdontallruntogthersothatIcanbarelyunderstandwhathe’ssaying. Cook the veal so that it’s tender. We had a great time, and a lovely anniversary weekend, but overall were let down by ADNY. Thanks for reading!!!

A few more- Either Bar Veloce- one of 2nd Ave. near 9th street, the other on Cleveland Place Posto Acconto- 2nd St. between A&B all 3 are exclusively Italian wines, with have 30+ choices by the glass- excellent cheese/meat option at all 3 as well. Cheers, Charles

Steve- Thanks for the report. I eat there for lunch fairly often- it's close by and a reasonable, yet "impressive" place to take visitors. It's amazed me that it smells so good inside, yet is so mediocre- it's the great nose, bad wine syndrome. . Pulled Pork sandwich is OK, as are some of the sides. From the look of it, it's a franchise waiting to happen- despite the quality. Cheers, Charles

The best success I've had with "gyro-like" taste is with leftover sliced leg of lamb- especially if you use oregano as part of an herb rub, and or sliced (frozen) olives slivered into the meat- it replicates the all-day long spinning on the stick bit. EVOO, onions, peppers, in a pan, throw in the sliced/shredded leftover lamb, serve with tahini or tsitiki (sp?)- made with Total, or plain Emma- a Swiss brand that is thin (Total is thick) serve on pita or naan if you can get it fresh (Kalustyan's here in the city) one of my favorite leftover meals. Cheers, Charles

Ron- That's a great story- LOL!!!

Cabrales- Arzak's a short taxi ride out of San Sebastian- not sure which hotel is closest, but any of the seaside hotels would be a reasonable distance. Berasategui is approx 5-6 miles from San Sebastian, if I recall correctly, although I did not eat there :-(. I did not have the opportunity to eat at the kitchen table, but I did get to witness a very emotional breakup that made the evening very interesting. I hope that's helpful Cheers, Charles

I recently retruned to NYC from my annual trip to southwestern PA (Uniontown)- My family runs a business there and we have a weekend of meetings each year surrounding my departed grandmother's Oct. 18th birthday- It's a great time to be in that part of the world- the foliage is amazing and it's buckwheat season. Part of the trip is breakfast at Braddock's Inn (or Glissen's) on route 40 between Uniontown and Farmingdale. It's $3 for up to 6 buckwheat cakes. Sausage or country ham is $2 extra. the cakes are delicious- light and a little grainy, with a distinct buckwheat flavor. I can still taste them ! Cheers, Charles

I'll bring a bottle or three of aromatic whites to try with the food.

I'm paranoid about poultry and wash obsessively after cutting it, etc. but that's nothing compared to my insistence that anyone doing anything in the kitchen has to wear shoes.

I hesitate to add this, b/c I haven't tried it and I think the others are right, but the only Italian white i would even consider would be Valentini's trebbiano d"abruzzo. it's a very funky wine (in a very good way) and well worth trying if not with truffles. current vintage would be '96. If you can find Valentini's red, his montepulciano d'Abruzzo, any vintage, would be an excellent match for truffles- but he doesn't import it here, and it is very hard to find. I also love aged sangioveses or Super Tuscans with truffles- an older Percarlo or Pertimali brunello works well.

This is a great idea- I hope I can attend- thanks to Suvir for taking on the challenge. Cheers, Charles