Stone

My parents have a large samovar that my grandfather brought over from Russia. They turned it into a lamp, but supposedly it can easily be returned into a working samovar. For some reason, it's on the list of things I get when they kick. With my luck, they'll probably dawdle on for years and no one will be drinking tea when I finally get it.

Interesting. For me orange juice falls into that strange category of "foods I just don't care about." There's stuff I love and stuff I hate. Orange juice is neither. I never order it if I go out for breakfast. If it's there in front of me maybe I'll drink it. But I rarely buy a container. I don't dislike it, I don't especially like it, it's just sort of there. I bought some a few weeks ago for I forget what reason, and now a 3/4 full container is going to sit in my fridge until it gets bad. A new topic on "foods that simply do nothing for you"? I was just talking yesterday about how I don't like fresh-squeezed oj. It's usually weak, overy acidic and lacking in any sweetness. Give me Tropicana anyday.

That's a bit strong, don't you think? Perhaps, like many people, he feels that in a pc world, it's still o.k. to poke fun at one's own kind.

i think Plumpjack in Squaw is the best choice for decent food. I've heard there are some good higher-end places hidden in North Lake Tahoe. I never really looked for them, so don't know. I find everything else to be very disappointing. It's o.k., but there's little by way of real, good simple food. Rosie's in Tahoe City is popular, and I've eaten there a bunch of times. Almost every time, however, the food was cold. Nawty Dawg is decent bar food. There's a good pizza place down in Homewood (can't remember the name. It could be Pianellas that someone else mentioned.) There are two swiss-style places. I understand that one is pretty good (fondue, etc.) and one pretty bad. I haven't been to either. The River Something at the bottom of Alpine is o.k. Avoid Sunnyside. It's not good.

Everyone I ask says "Strip Clubs." There's got to be something else to do. What's a Mons Venus?

On the subject of how you know when you've lived in San Francisco too long . . . I found that on Sundays I loved to get a fresh loaf of pugliese, three smelly cheeses and a bottle of wine and then settle down on my couch to watch football.

Dude. I'm talking about things to buy in NY. Go back to your own forum.

Does anybody love over-cooked green peppers?

1) Eggplant Caponatina (sp?) at Otto. (beer) 2) Olive Oil Gelato at Otto. (beer) 3) Blackened catfish, kale and a bloody mary at Great Jones Cafe. (beer) 4) Shredded beef szechuan style and cold noodles with sesame sauce from Szechuan Hunan Cottage. (84th & Yorkish). Egg rolls from Charlie Mom. (Who knows where they come from, but come they do when I call them.) (beer) 5) Chicken Parm sandwich from Luigis (54th & 8th). (beer) 6) Bacon cheeseburger and beer at McHales. (beer) 7) Sausage pizza at New Pizza Town (77th & Bway). (Yes, it's not the best, but it happens to be perfect for me.) 8) Beer (The "simple" life folks. Not the $250 white truffle tasting a Foo-foo-le-poos.")

everyone I take to Chinatown wantss to go to Joe Shanghai. I walk along, and when the line is inevitably too long, I drag them to Wo Hop, kicking and screaming down the stairs. They love it.

Ahem, I had to step in to provide a little inside perspective that might help all the UNI haters. Indeed a challenging top-shelf sushi item, especially since it is highly perishable, and since people like Stone don't order it UNI doesn't move nearly as much as the usual suspects. Oh, sure. It's all my fault. I'm not one to judge. But you're a freak.

Steamed vegetable dumplings. I've never had one that was more enjoyable than eating a soft lump of mulch. Uni. I just don't get it. Coldplay. Why oh why does anyone want to listen to that guy whining over and over and over. It's like taking an elevator to a funeral. I used to hate olives and raw tomatoes. Now I can eat olives by the dozens and, with a little salt, eat tomatoes like the love apples that they are. What about you?

Attributed to Jay McInerney (the Bright Lights Big City guy): Cabernet is to Merlot as Lennon is to McCartney.

Yes... it does. Although the generic "it's for TV" answer still fits. Mama had to appear to live in that apartment for TV, and it was also more dramatic for TV if Rocco slept elsewhere. When Rocco decided to take over the kitchen, he said that he'd sleep there if necessary. Of course that was the same night that he left the kitchen to cruise the gals at the bar and then went home early. I think Rocco is of the opinion that sleeping at the restaurant = effort, and if he sleeps in the restaurant he can spend the evening schmoozing and signing autographs. But if anyone calls him on it, he can say, "hey, I care, I'm sleeping at the restaurant."

The problem may be that a pork roast is different from a pork shoulder. The shoulder is a tough, fatty piece of meat. It's meant to be cooked low and slow (225* for about an hour per pound) so that the collegen in the muscle fibers transforms into gelatin. The shoulder is then ready for pulling If you go too fast, this doesn't happen. A pork roast, on the other hand, is, I believe, from the loin. It's a much more tender cut. You just want to get it up to temperature and then slice it. If you tried to cook a shoulder with a roast recipe, that probably won't work. You don't get the pulled pork texture, and the shoulder meat is too tough for a roast. I'm guessing that the cast-iron skillet was close enough to the live burners that it heated to over 300*. I'd put it in the oven at 225 and let it for about two hours or so. Then wrap it loosely in foil and put in an a warm oven for an hour. It may be ready for pulling by then.

Anyone try those jellybean flavored chocolate candies?

Love Jelly Bellys. Won't eat any other brand.

I think the entrees were around $22. They also serve pretty good pizza for $15ish I think. But I was quite far from sober, and someone else picked up the check.

I went here late last night and it was excellent. The menu is all Italian and, yes, the poor waiter has to translate the whole thing. I started with Pulpo in Purgatorio. Grilled baby octopus in a spicy broth. The octopus were terrific -- crunch, fresh and tasty. The broth had real bite without being over powering. I also had an app (can't remember the name) of prosciuto wrapped around a chunk of mozzerlla and baked. Very simple, very good. The white asparagus were terrific. Large shoots, tender and full of flavor. What I liked best was the bread. Homemade (I believe) with a thick crunchy crust. Instead of butter, they offer a wooden dish of fresh ricotta. It's wonderfully decadent.

As long as it's clean and well-light, I'm happy that it will be moving into the Astor Hair Cutter's old space.

Aren't onglet and hanger steak one and the same piece of meat? I thought that as well. Perhaps it was just a confusing evening all around.

A friend of mine drove me through town the other day, pointing out the good eatin' places. Ignorning her advice, I went to the Rhinebeck Grill (which she described as "really disappointnig"). It was really disappointing. HEY PEOPLE! GOOD BURGERS ARE EASY TO MAKE. What I was served was a thin patty, terribly uniform so as to suggest that it came frozen in a box of 16. Good waffle fries though.

It's Spanish for "appetizers served for entree prices."

So how does one get salt out of the ears? Why, you just rub your ears with ground veal when you're making meatballs. What a silly question I like to clean it out with a flattened piece of pizza-dough. Gotta get that dough way in deep to get out all the little grains of salt. Then I put the dough straight onto the panini grill.

Has anyone been here recently? There are two reviews of the place on Citysearch. Both (written a few days apart, though possibly by people in the same party or just a shill) lambasted the owner saying that he was an arrogant asshole. They weren't so keen on the staff as a whole. The food review seemed to be just o.k.