bloviatrix

Well, Rachou is thinking of turning the space into a brasserie. In that event, you'll probably be able to continue getting your cassoulet fix.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the charcuterie. I've never ordered it, but my husband loves that stuff. I wonder though - how would the chorizo be for rendering the fat and using within a recipe? Any opinions? The Black Hat at Shallots is a molten chocolate cake. Actually, it's not bad - I had it on sunday night. I didn't make that connection with the name. Very funny.

Have you seen the Far Side cartoon of a cow in a dungeon. He's chained up and there's a dungeon-master holding a whip. The punchline......the truth behind whipped cream.

Tomato and Mozzerella Tart with Basil-Garlic crust.

Raspberries with vanilla whipped cream. -- I bought 2 pints of raspberries at the greenmarket yesterday. My husband reminded me that I had some heavy cream in the fridge and requested that I whip it. He's a genius.

I don't know if this is a case of them partnering with someone incompetant. Park East has long had a catering arm and this restaurant might be a further extension. As for the menu, Ceasar is quite common on a meat menu. I've seen it at plenty other meat places. Regarding the ice cream - there's the assumption that people know that it's soy based, again it's no suprise. As for fusion, this menu is very typical. Look at the Shallots or Levana menus (links above).

I just learned of a new kosher restaurant - Park East Grill. They're owned by Park East Kosher Butcher, which is the most upscale kosher butcher shop in Manhattan. This is where I bought my $100, 6 lb brisket - back in 1994. The mark-up on their wine list is obscene ($109 for a wine that retails for $22). But the menu looks interesting.

I'm eating a Macoun. It's nice and crunchy, and with a sweet-tart flavor. (I broke down at the greenmarket and bought some apples.)

Poor Eagle Hunter, humiliated. BTW, how were you feeling at this point? Any lingering signs of sickness or had the "horse blood" tea worked miracles?

There's an abandoned station on the 1,2,3, & 9 line at about 90th street. As the train goes by you can see it all covered in grafitti. Apparently, someone gives a tour of the station -- the only way to access it is by having the 1/9 stop at the platform.

I wonder if my saute pan was too small for all the zucchini? It's a 10" pan. I sliced the zukes in the food processor using the 2 mm blade to ensure even thinness. The pan was packed with zucchini slices - I was afraid I concerned going to lose some to the range top. I sauted everything for awhile. And there was a bit of color. Then, I used a slotted spoon to transfer the zukes from the pan to the bowl. Because the quantity of mixture was so large I used 2 qt souffle dish. I wonder if the dish is part of the problem. Fortunately, this was for a casual weeknight dinner - just the husband and me. It was a bit drippy but very flavorful. I guess I'll try to perfect it next summer.

Wow, I'm impressed. How long did that take?

Yeppers! Where Diet Vanilla Coke has a mild taste of vanilla, Diet Pepsi Vanilla seems to be more in your face, like "I got yer vanilla right here, pal." I think my taste buds must be on the fritz. Blovie handed me a glass and said "drink." I thought it was diet Cherry Pepsi, but turns out it was Diet Vanilla. Has anyone else noticed this similarity? Or is it just me?

I made the flan for dinner tonight. Although it tastes good, I had problems with it. I used about 3 pounds of zucchini - which was way too much - it's was very difficult to saute it all. Then, the mixture of zuke, cream and eggs was too much for an 8 x 4 pan, so I went with a larger dish. Did the water bath, and although the top was firm, it was all runny in the bottom. I'm frustrated.

I created my technique after reading an article by Amanda Hesser in the Times (1/19/00). She gave a recipe from Greg Sonnier of Gabrielle in New Orleans. I place the duck in a dutch oven along with diced root vegetables, some sprigs of thyme and salt and pepper and put it in the oven at about 300 for 2 1/2 hours. Then I pull the duck and vegetables out and strain the fat. I save the fat for future use. Roast the vegetables at a high heat and quickly crisp the skin of the duck in a saute pan.

That spoon is wonderful. What a great keepsake. Ellen, your story is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

William Grimes reviews Rocco's on 22nd St in today's Times.

I don't want to cause any alarm, but this article ran into today's Times: Police Fatally Shoot Home Intruder (A Large, Furry, Four-Legged One)

I have a subscription to The Observer and this it first time I've noticed Bryan Miller's byline. Is this a new gig for him? Or is it me, not paying attention, as usual?

Roasted Steelhead Trout and cauliflower.

If the brisket isn't good, what about braised short ribs? The Le Creuset will be the perfect medium.

That's me baby-- suave and sophisticated man about town! Love the powder blue jacket. Very stylish. Clooney has nothin' on you.

Suzanne, you're one of the few that realize the Levana started as a bakery and dairy place. People are suprised to find that out. I remember going there for sunday brunch back in the early 80s with one of my Great-Aunts. As an aside, Levana Kirschenbaum, who is the name behind the restaurant, gives classes. She teaches at the JCC on the UWS and had a series at Lincoln Square Synagogue. She also published her first cookbook last spring. I've incorporated a lot of her recipes into my rotation - I give her credit for my love of artichokes. If you're looking for a kosher cookbook to give as a gift, this is nice one.

Thanks for all this wonderful info. What kind of food is Trevere? I remember seeing a kosher Italian place on the upper East side (meat), but cannot recall the name or the precise location -- so never got to try the place. Could this be it? Would love to take my husband out for osso buco. Trevere 84 is Italian. I believe they focus on Roman cooking. There's also a Trevere in the neighborhood which isn't kosher, so you have been careful with the names. Another meat Italian restaurant on the East Side is Domani. I haven't been there in about 5 years, so I can't comment on their menu. Domani is owned by the guys who owned La Fontana. La Fontana was a tiny, 8 table restaurant that was wonderful -- their sweetbreads were outstanding. I could never figure out how they made any money because they had what seemed to be one seating. Of course, it's long gone, so that answers a lot of questions.

How about overpriced, then? I recall from what must be a fair number of years ago now that a typical dinner there cost at least pushing $30, for sucky food. That might have been as many as 10 years ago, actually. I'm not sure what the prices at Kasbah are, but Kosher restaurants will tend to be more expensive than their treyf counterparts. Especially when it's meat. Kosher meat is more expensive. The cost includes the shochet (the slaughterer) and the fact that a significant portion of the animal can't be sold. Additionally, kosher ingredients tend to be more expensive. There's the cost of hiring a mashgiach. And you'll only be open 5 nights a week (maybe 6 in the winter months when shabbos ends early). Finally, a lot these places don't do the volume/turn tables over with enough frequency. It's not just restaurants. When I read on this board the prices people pay for meat and chicken, I'm amazed. I pay $12/lb for first cut brisket - and that's cheap! (One day I'll post my story about the $100, 6 lb brisket) Duck is $5/lb (I checked out the price yesterday). I might be able to get my hands on foie gras for Rosh Hashana and it's $59 for 6 oz. Kosher chicken, on sale, or outside of Manhattan, will cost $2.49/lb.