Stone

I'd suggest skipping Pinot Blanc. I had a very mediocre meal there. I ate at Market as well. Very good food, but surprisingly small portions. Good bar/pub atmosphere

What's atmosphere like? Sriphaphai-spartan?

This thing if fucking hilarious.

Stone, Go further north. Not south. woodburner This is for a weekend place. Gotta take that drive into consideration.

i'm looking at a place about 10 miles south of rhinebeck. (Hyde Park/Pleasant Valley area.) Rhinebeck is already out of my price range.

I hope to buy a weekend house near Rhinebeck. I'd appreciate any suggestions on where to dine in the Rhinebeck/Hyde Park/Pleasant Valley/Red Hook/Milan area. (If anyone knows of a good contractor/home inspector, I'd love that info as well.)

You know what I think would be a good Costo challenge? Trying to get throught the check out line in less time than it took to shop. In fact, I'd be happy if I didn't spend twice as much time in the check out line than shopping.

This sums up my experience last night perfectly. Incredibly meaty ribs, desperately in need of more flavor. Overly pulled pork, in need of more flavor. Light, crispy hushpuppies, in need of more flavor. And obscene basket of cheese fries, in need of more flavor. (Was that Velveeta?) Large room. Good sized portions. (The ribs were too . . . uniform. They looked like they came out of a box.) Nice staff. $100 before tip for three people, 4 drinks and way too much food. This place reminded me of Red, Hot & Blue in Arlington, VA. A few more thoughts. I was surprised that there were no combo platters. I would have liked to try the ribs/pork/brisket. The waiter mentioned that the ribs were smoked with sauce. For the KC style, he said that they kept putting sauce on during the smoke process. This seems odd. A thick sauce will only inhibit the smoke from getting into the meat. And any sugar in the sauce will risk burning. The waiter made a big deal about my friend having a choice between slaw and beans. She chose the slaw. It was a tiny ramekin. Odd, given the importance the waiter attached to the choice, I expected it would be a more substantial portion. Slaw's almost free. Spoon it on. The beans were good -- not at all mushy. And we all loved seeing deviled eggs on the menu, but none of us ordered them.

My friend's wife is vegan. He's driving himself nuts trying to find restaurants they can eat at. Where are the good vegan places in Manhattan? All I can think of is Zen Palate, and I'm not even sure that's vegan.

Is this the old JWest?

As luck would have it, Ben's Chili Bowl has a website. Their signature product appears to be chili. They do list a half somke on the menu, but it is a chili half smoke, but it comes after the regular chili hot dog. I don't think that DC has a national reputation when it comes to half smokes. Most all of the half smokes you get down at the corner cart are made by Sabretts which is a national brand made in New Jersey. I would be willing to bet that Ben's Chili Bowl does not make its own half-smokes (they probably get them from Sabretts). What is it that is made better in DC than anywhere else (food item that is)? Could it be that DC has no "signature dish." I'm glad to know that Ben's Chili Bowl is still around. I worked in the neighborhood back in 1990 -- before the subway stop opened -- and Ben's was pretty much the only place to eat. Oh -- the signature dish for Elmsford is definitely the tuna sandwich, with relish, and crumbled potato chips on toasted rye.

Admin: an archive of 2003 discussion on Otto Enoteca Pizzeria may be found here. I went back to Otto last night, and the food was excellent. At first, I was surprised at how bustling the bar was. And how young. Almost like it was a village hot-spot. It seemed to be filled with a lot more than just people waiting for tables. We had a table of 14, packed a little too tight, but I'm not sure where else they could have put us. We started with three types of appetizers. A cheese plate, that I didn't sample, but everyone enjoyed. A nice tray of sliced prosciuto, and other cured meats. Very good. The mixed cold antipasto was excellent. Six little cups of stuff: sauteed broccoli rabe with cheese, marinated cauliflower, marinated chopped mushrooms, eggplant, beets, and some of the plumpest, tastiest olives I've ever had. They were excellent. Next came out a plate of little shrimps, and some amazing fried potato triangles. We had a good range of pizzas as well. Four cheese, pepperoni, margherita, mushroom and clam (topped with little clams still in their shell). They each tasted great. And, more importantly, Otto has definitely gotten the crusts closer to the real thing. The first time I had Otto pizza, the crust was soft and unimpressive. although the pizzas are still very thin, the crust was now more robust, chewier and flavorful. And the gelato is still wonderful.

Next time you get out to San Francisco, take a drive down the coast to the Pacifica/Pescadero area. It's artichoke country. Stop by Duartes (pronounced Doo'-arts, they're Portuguese) in Pescadero. Artichokes all over the menu, damn fine Bloody Marys, terrific cioppino and excellent homemade pies.

I'm available if anyone needs a date.

Thanks Tommy. Anyone know where I can find this rack for a lot less money. While we're at it, anyone know where I can find this rack for cheap?

That's what I was looking for, but the one I saw at Costco didn't seem as nice as ones I'd seen at people's houses. Maybe there are two versions out there.

Worms

Are you kidding. Anyone who thinks apartments are worse in SF has never been to NY. I had a 1400 sq ft duplex, 2 bedroom, with 2.5 baths, roof deck, parking for a car & motorcycle, laundry in the unit, and a huge kitchen. For $2375. In New York, it would have been $4K easy.

I'm unpacking in my New York kitchen. Oh, the memories of San Francisco. 6 deep kicthen cabinets, large under the counter storage, a walk in pantry. Now. Not. Anyone know where I can buy those nice chrome kitchen shelves? The one I saw at Home Depot were pretty cheap. They looked like plastic.

A french friend of mine told me that there's a tradition over there of serving "French" onion soup at that end of the night on New Years Eve. (They probably don't call it "French" onion soup.) He made some one NYs eve. It was awful. Little more than sliced onions in water with butter melted in it. Really. He was adamant that this was traditional.

the 1927 cookbook of the United States Navy. If I ever need to outfit a destroyer for a three month tour or cook for 1500, I'm ready.

Join now. It's a little freaky. Isn't it?

all of this must be placed in context -- decent Chinese food is very, very hard to come by in San Francisco.

Anybody seen concrete countertops? My friend has one, and it gets water stains. He's always yelling about wiping up any spills immediately. What's the point?

I went to Boxers today for the early game. I was promised great wings. Lies, lies, lies. We asked for them extra crispy, they were barely cooked. The sauce had a honey sweetness that doesn't belong in a wing. The burger was o.k. But the fries were undercooked.