bloviatrix

I'm jealous. I want a second fridge. Alas, there's no room in my apartment. Enjoy it.

I'm not quite sure I understand your question. There has been kosher BN available for the past 6 or 7 vintages. In past years it's been released the same time as all the other BN. Besides BN, some of the village-specific Beaujolais are available as well such as Morgon. In general, kosher wine has come a long way. Yes, you can still buy jugs of treacle-y malaga. But there are Shiraz's from Australia, Bordeaux and Burgundy's from France, and Barolo from Italy. Part of the reason for improvement is that people's tastes have become more sophisticated. Plus, there are some wine makers, who have become more observant and wanted to ply there trade in the kosher market.

Can you explain why you think that only 5 or 6 restaurants can carry a 4 star rating at any one time. Granted the standards are high, but if a new restaurant is capable of meeting that standard, why should another worthy venue lose a star?

you must be joking! I would never joke about a thing like this.

The pie looks lovely.

I walked into the wineshop all excited to pick up some BN to drink with dinner tonight. But the kosher BN hasn't arrived yet. DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! And the guy had nerve to try to sell me a bottle from last year's vintage. I gave him one of those "what, do you think I'm a fucking idiot?" looks and pointed out that it's not exactly nouveau anymore. Anyway, after calling around, looks like the kosher BN won't hit these shores for a couple more weeks. I'm not very happy.

Thanks for sharing you visit. Any plans to go back? It sounds like fun.

at kings, i think a bottle is about 4 or 5 dollars. at least i *think*. maybe i should double check the next time i buy it! It's about that price for the 8 ounce bottle at the market near me on the UWS. That's why I need to go shopping in NJ.

I don't think it has anything to do with taste. In the amount of time it takes to slice the garlic to place it in the press and squeeze, you can mince a clove. Plus, there's less to clean up.

I would have to say it's the garlic press. I have one sitting in the drawer that has probably been used twice in 8 plus years. It's easier to chop the garlic with a knife. I also have one of those apple slicer things - it's round and cuts through the apple making small wedges but leaves the core in tact. Again, a knife works just as well, if not better. If I was smart I would just toss these things out as they take up precious space.

I have a new favorite - Rhode Island Greenling. I'm liking them better than the macoun. Super tart. With a great crunch.

What a about a square of cake, with a pear half that's been fanned out placed on top. That way, the diner will bring both tastes into the mouth in a single bite. For height, maybe use some cinnamon sticks in a decorative way. Another thought is to dice up the pears (maybe salsa-like) and serve on the side.

I frequently poach pears in merlot, with lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, ginger slices, cardamom pods, and cloves. You could serve that with a cinnamon ice cream or stuff the pears with a mixture of ricotta/marcarpone and dried fruit Or what about a slice of spice cake?

Do you use a thermometer? It sure makes a difference. Of course not. That would mean I would have to think.

Dinner was an absolute disaster. Ok, maybe I exaggerate - it was edible afterall. Blovie bought some flounder, so I made a beer batter and fried the fish. I poured a liberal amount of oil in the frying pan and let it get very hot. But, either the oil wasn't hot enough. Or I should have gone the deep frying route. But the fish got stuck to the bottom of the frying pan. I know it should eventually loosen itself up, but I was afraid I would overcook the fish. The batter than remained attached to the fish was nicely crispy. We ate the fish with a salad of red leaf lettuce, chick peas and green peppers. Tomorrow I need to go shopping.

I've been wanting to try it. Tomorrow I'm doing a big supermarket shopping. Maybe I'll pick some up.

Hesser has no interest in being a restaurant critic. At the 92nd St Y panel on monday night she talked about how much she hated her brief turn doing the job - particularly all the scheduling and getting friends to agree to eat according to her reviewing needs.

Single Malts are very much like wine in that they have so many nuances. Islays tend to be smokey and peaty, Speysides lean toward honey and caramel. But even within a region each distillery will create a different taste. When tasting scotch, try it as you would a wine. Sip, slosh it around. Try to get the flavors.

Today's NY Post contains a feature on Cornelius Gallagher, chef at Oceana. They ask him to name his favorite dish, and his response is "Bistro burger at Corner Bistro."

Here's a link to the review. They also have a feature on Gallagher.

I try to do some cleaning up as I go along. But otherwise, Blovie and I have division of labor. I cook and he cleans. This is the case when dinner is the two of us or if we have guests.

Payard has a recipe for a Banana Loaf made with olive oil in his cookbook. It's very moist.

I was there last night as well. Sokolov was particularly disdainful, pointing out the chefs won't be in the kitchens so the food won't be examplary. We've had plenty of discussions about the "modern" chef who travels between his assorted properies, making sure the kitchen adheres to his vision. Why is it a problem? Look at Ducasse.

Same here. Most of the time, after I cook, I take a small taste and find myself to be full and critical. Unfortunately for me, it's a race to the left-overs, with my husband usually winning.

David Lebovitz has a bunch of persimmon recipes in his book Room for Dessert.