bloviatrix

What about a big tureen of a chilled soup? (You don't say whether this is a sit-down meal)

That's classic.

Can I share the bowl with you? A very simple dessert using mascarpone is to blend it with some honey and nutmeg. Then serve with poached fruit. Lick the bowl good.

What about tossing cubes of butternut squash, sweet potato, red peppers, and shallots in a spice mixture of cumin, corriander, cinnamon, and clove and then roasting? Some vegetable tagines are better when prepared in advance and re-heated. What about that? Is fish acceptable in this case? Because chilled salmon that's been rubbed with charmoula is very flavorful.

That's exactly what I was thinking -- what about rabbit?

Sorry not to respond sooner, but I wanted to look at the ingredients of a prepared mutbacha before I got back to you (I couldn't find any recipes in any of my cookbooks). Anyway it's tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and assorted spices -- basically a middle eastern salsa. Sabra Salads makes a version of it that you might be able to find in one of your local markets in case you want to try it.

You don't want to be doing anything other than throwing stuff into the oven to re-heat and opening storage containers. The beauty of a noodle kugel is that you can make it in advance and it re-heats well. You can't get much simpler than our break-fast: Orange Juice (must be Tropicana), bagels, cream cheese, lox, whitefish salad, melon and a babka with coffee for dessert. For the numbers you're anticipating, 40 bagels should be enough.

Wanna ship some gravlax north? If not, can you please post a photo so I can drool over my keyboard? What happened to your fridge that you need a new one??

Although I haven't tried either, what about Eli's or The Vinegar Factory?

I've decided not to go with the all apple dinner. Furthermore, all that meat (plus a corned beef that's already sitting in my freezer) will be for a total of 5 meals. First night I'm hosting anywhere between 3 and 5. Friday night there'll be 7 of us. And I assume I'll pick up a number of strays for other meals. Blovie will be washing a lot of dishes.

If you look at the hard copy you'll see that the review is actually longer than his usual reviews. This one starts on F1 with about 8 column inches and then takes up the standard space inside the section.

Thanks for the links Katie. The recipes look good. Joan Nathan has written her annual Rosh Hashanah article in the NY Times. I awoke this morning to the wonderful smell of chicken stock (using the egci method, of course). Mmmm, heavenly. Veal stock gets made tonight.

Do you have any idea what time they open?

Wow!!! Bruni nailed it. Definitely his best review yet.

Sounds fantastic. You're such a good son. Mom will be shepping nachas. I'm pround to say I got my order in to the butcher!! I ordered: 5 pound, first cut brisket which will be braised w/pomegranate juice and served with an onion confit -- pomegranates are very traditional because it's believed that each contains 613 seeds, one for each mitzvah. 2 chickens - I'm going to do make a sweet and sour sauce for them per Blovie's request Ribeye Veal Roast which will be served with a mango sauce. While I was out I picked up chicken carcasses and necks -- time to make the stock. I'll also be making veal stock.

Jamie, another thought comes to mind....the section on Food in Peter Ackroyd's London, the biography. It's fascinating reading. Ackroyd looks at everything related to food -- from the markets to the waste products.

I actually know where New Bridge Road is (not bad for a NY girl -- pats self on back ). How close is this to Pathmark?

I'm looking for a place where I can buy aluminum disposable pans with either the cardboard covers or the plastic ones. Any suggestions?

The holiday is 8 days away. I think I'm about to have a coronary. I've done bubkis. I've got to finish planning my main courses today so I can get my meat order in.

Thanks for pointing out this article. Somehow I completely missed reading that issue. I really enjoyed that piece.

Although I've never used them, I've heard good things about Henry Westpfal -- 107 W. 30th, 212/563-5990.

I think MFK Fisher's The Art of Eating is essential. Culture and Cuisine, A Journey through the History of Food by Jean-Francois Revel is fascinating and often cited in other books.

No reason you can't tailgate before a hockey game -- in Tampa Seriously, so long as you're willing to put on lots of layers, you can tailgate at any time of the year.

Granted, it's only a movie, but last night while watching Confidences Trop Intimes (Intimate Strangers) I was suprised to see that William, one of the main characters, nuking a frozen diner in the microwave. Granted in a scene where he was entertaining you see him making an elaborate chicken dish but I would think that convience foods are available widely. The difference is probably that those who eat them don't supplement them with lots of other crap.

West End Gate, up by Columbia has been around since the 50s although it's not nearly as divey as it once was. If I remember my history correctly, Kerouac, Ginsberg and others from the Beat Generation hung out there.