bloviatrix

Well, I tossed the old liquid and made a fresh batch. But, Blovie is intrigued at the idea of using the pickling liquid in a bloody mary. He's going to try that after we eat the new bunch of pickles.

Definitely available free of charge through most public library systems (it may take an inter-library loan request to get it). Problem? It's on microfiche. We'll someone with really good eyes not to mention plenty of patience and loads of time to spare. I surely don't have the time or inclination to do this project, but I can't imagine a library that has microfiches or/and microfilms but no machine that magnifies them for the viewer. Anyone in New York who wants to take on this task will probably spend a lot of time on the 3rd floor of the 42 St. research library. The only problem I foresee is that photocopying from microfiches is expensive, and that combined with round-trip subway rides is considerably more than $1 per article. And I can't foresee any library lending microfiches/-films for use outside the library. One other thing to consider....whoever volunteers for this project should have a strong stomach. Just thinking about microfilm makes me feel queasy.

BTW, the tomato people are Eckerton Hill Farms.

The Burger Joint aka Big Nicks at Bway and 76th has been around for a long time. Recently, while reading a novel published in the 80s I discovered a reference to it. While not a restaurant, but does anyone know how long Williams B-B-Q, the chicken place just off the SE corner of B'way and 86th has been there? It looks like a total throwback and my recollections go to the late 80s. The smell of the chickens roasting that wafts out of the shop is just heavenly.

I have now gotten it in my head that it would be fun to do a meal with an apple theme -- apples in every course. Am I making too much work for myself? If you see a thread in the Cooking section for apple suggestions, that's me.

Tonight's dinner is: Vichysoisse, my ode to Julia Child Lemon Sole coated in cornmeal flavored with chili powder and pan fried Sweet Corn from the market Green beans Bread pudding with cranberries that smells so divine I want to eat it now!! We'll drink white wine. Haven't decided what. Lunch tomorrow is the usual salad.

Try calling 311, they might have an answer for you. I know the farmers at 97th street will be there on friday even though it's the start of Labor Day weekend.

I prefer KK when they're piping hot. However, I will admit to a weakness for DD's chocolate cream donuts. There's something about getting covered in that fine powdered sugar and the chocolate filling.

Nancy, Welcome to egullet!! That tzimmes sounds fabulous. Will you be cooking just for immediate family? Or will you have guests as well? Coincidentally, this afternoon we received an invite for one meal during the holiday. Since the holiday segues into the Sabbath, this now means I only have to cook for 5 meals.

If you go to Union Square on wednesday, Eckerton Farms (it might be Hill, can't remember the last name) has good tomatoes. Their stand is on the Broadway side of the market facing the park. I bought 3 pints of assorted cherry, sungolds, etc two weeks ago that we went through very quickly.

Can I re-use pickling liquid? I've got several cups sitting in the container from my last batch which was devoured and we were wondering if it's safe. The recipe contained white vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, dill and pickling spices.

They had a jazz combo playing music at 97th Street this morning. It made the whole shopping experience feeling even more civilized. Anyway, today's purchases included: Challah and rosemary sourdough rolls Dill Heirloom tomatoes Eggplants Greenbeans Nectarines Basil Kirbies Leeks Potatoes Romaine Lettuce Corn I forgot to pick up zucchini. Oops.

Do we think the photo will be of Keller only, or with Benno?

I guess I've been in denial that the holiday is quickly approaching, but yesterday I paniced. There was a big sign in the butcher stating last day for orders is September 5th. This means I have about a week to put together my menus so I can determine whether I need any unusually large pieces of meat. So, for those of you cooking -- what interesting dishes are you planning? And how many people are you cooking for?

For egg yolks -- ice cream. Some recipes call for as many as a dozen yolks. Then of course, there's lemon (or any variety of) curd. And some mayonaise calls for yolks only.

Enjoy the great rating. Hopefully it will turn more people on to all of your wines.

I can't help but wonder if the Museum of Television and Radio has some of the shows in their archives.

There are a lot of little old ladies who are upset. I had an opportunity to meet him last week, he's very knowledgeable, and incredibly patient with his fans.

My two best food experiences were in Venice. Looking back, I can't say that the food was that outstanding, but it was the setting in which we experienced it and what brings back the memories. Our hotel was located on the Bacino Orseolo, right behind Saint Mark's Square. The dining room overlooked the bacino, which is essentially a parking lot for gondola. Each morning we would go down for breakfast. They had the most amazing coffee in the world, and what made it even better was the milk the came with it was served heated so the temperature wouldn't drop. And the biscuits were light and lemony. We would sit at our table and look out at the gondoliere preparing for the day and just feel transported. No cup of coffee has ever tasted as good. Then one day we stopped to buy some produce at the market by the Rialto bridge. It was late May and already the fruit was looking ripe and lucious. We picked up some strawberries and nectarines found a fountain with potable water to rinse the fruit and made ourselves comfortable watching the hubbub of the market. Watching the little old ladies bargain with the salespeople was so much fun -- despite not understanding Italian we were able to follow every negotiation.. As for a formal meal, that would be my dinner at Le Grand Vefour. I went with one of my girlfriends -- it was her dad's treat for her 22nd birthday. We were completely out of our league, but the waitstaff treated us like royalty. And the chocolate souffle is still the best I've ever eaten.

Martin -- had you designed serviceware before this project? If not, what was it about the project that piqued your interest?

One of my friends made this Chilled Cantaloupe Soup this weekend. Despite what the directions say, let it sit for at least 24 hours so the flavors have a chance to meld. It was very refreshing.

Thank you for giving us a ring side seat as Alinea comes into existence. I wonder if there's been any thought as to putting all this documentation into a book when it's completed. I think this would be a wonderful addition to any library.

I believe my disgust with stinky cheese is well documented on this site. And believe me, I've tried to get over it. Just today, I stood in the cheese department of Fairway trying to enjoy the smell, but it just disagrees me. Last week I picked up some pecorino. The first tastes were ok - just salty, but the finish made me gag. I find it tastes like vomit. Other than that, I don't like the taste of liver. But give me chopped liver or foie gras and I'm fine. I think for me a lot of it has to do with the way things smell. We joke that I have scent hound DNA because I pick up all sorts of smells and scent is very related to taste.

Blovie and I had dinner at Solo on thursday night. I came away underwhelmed. I loved the room when the space was Shallots. It was lush and quiet with carpeting and tables spread far apart. It was calming. Solo is loud and brash. The floor is some sort of tile. Tables are packed in tightly -- everywhere you turn you see people. And the room is loud (Jews are loud to begin with, but the tile floors accentuates the noise level). If you take a look at their web site you'll see a design element that carries in to the bread plates and the waiter's attire. It was just too much. Plus, the knives had thick, clunky handles that didn't feel good in the hand. Now, that I got the exteriors out of the way.... Both Blovie and I decided to order the 5 course chef's tasting menu. I ordered the wine pairing that accompanied it. While waiting for the first course we were presented with a choice of bread: olive rolls, raisin-walnut rolls, or rosemary focaccia. They also put on the table a dish with margerine. Blovie and I joked that we were deducting .5 from the score (we've been watching Olympic gymnastics). My gut is that the bread is brought in from Tribeca Oven. I asked my bread guy if they have the account, he's getting back to me. The first course was a single potato dumpling with shaved black truffle, truffle oil and chives. It was served with the Bartenura Prosecco. We enjoyed this. The outside of the dumpling was a bit chewy but the potato was silky with an earthy flavor from the truffle. The wine was drier than I expected from a prosecco, but went nicely. Mache with shaved endive and apple with a light vinagrette. I can't remember the wine that was served. This course was boring. No discernable flavor. Completely unmemorable. Wild Pacific Salmon with grapefruit, tuna wrapped in seaweed and then batter fried with a hot guacamole and mango sauce. Terras de Belmonte, Beiro Interior, Portugal, 2003. This was the most confusing dish of the night. Each component was good, but there was just too much going on the plate. I'm not quite sure what the chef was trying to do. The wine on the other was fantastic. It's made from a blend of 5 grapes usually used in Sherry. It was a really nice light fruity red. Chicken roasted with rosemary and preserved lemon with edamane and dried cherries. Kinneret Ella Valley Merlot (Year?). I tend to stay away from chicken in restaurants. This was ok, but my favorite part was the edamame. Blovie really enjoyed this dish. I liked this wine as well. It was made in the Bordeaux style. Braised lamb shank with fennel and other vegetables. Teal Lake Shiraz 2002 (Australia, can't remember the region). After we ordered we were told that instead of lamb shank we would be served baby lamb chops, but they went with the original dish. I like lamb, but it's not my favorite. However, this was sublime. The lamb was beautifully cooked - melt in your mouth tender. And the vegetables were in a nicely flavored broth. As for the wine, I loved the 1999 Shiraz and horded several cases. Subsequent vintages weren't as good, but it seems like the winemaker has gotten back on track. At this point we decided to sit back and take a break. I asked to meet with the sommeliere as I was curious to get an idea of why he made the choices he did with the pairings. (I should note that some of their mark-ups are obscene. The Baron Herzog Clarksburg Chenin Blanc which retails for no more than $6.50 had a price of $36 Because the mevushal kosher wine universe is fairly limited, if you buy and drink a kosher wine you'll be able to identify the mark-ups which can be turn-off) I was quite interested in the Terras del Belmonte and wanted to learn more about it -- I plan on tracking it down for home consumption. For dessert we each selected something off their dessert menu. I ordered the blueberry springroll which came with vanilla "ice cream" and roasted pineapple and Blovie ordered the Mango sundae with coconut "ice cream," mango sorbet and some sort of praline. Both were enjoyable. The "ice cream" was some of the best pareve stuff I've eaten. We were also brought the Solo signature digestif - a chocolate liquor with passion fruit puree and I can't remember what else. It was a little sweet for my tastes. I then asked if it were possible if we could see the kitchen and meet with the chef. I have a feeling I am the first to ask about seeing the kitchen because our waiter looked suprised and said he didn't know if it was possible. Turns out, it was ok and we were brought back to the kitchen. The hour was about 10 pm and things were winding down. The kitchen is the usual stainless steel and white tile and still had all of its retained heat. The staff is about 25 including line cooks and dishwashers. The chef is a gentleman named Hok Chin. He's originally from Hong Kong. He's worked at Daniel and spent a number of years under Delouvrier at Lespinasse. He said that Delouvrier was a tough taskmaster but he learned a lot from him. We talked about the challenges of cooking kosher -- not being able to use shellfish or butter to mount sauces as well as his plans for the fall menu. They're doing about 160 dinner covers a night. And they started serving lunch last month. I saw a container of fish stock sitting on the pass through -- they make their stocks every 2 days from all the bones, etc. It seems our visit to the kitchen got around because on our way out, we were asked how our meeting with the chef went. I will say the service was quite attentive. I really want to like this place. But, there was just something missing. It could be that the restaurant meal we had prior to this one was at Per Se and everything else will pale in comparison. But I just wasn't wowed. Maybe it's that Mediteranean/Aisan fusion doesn't work so well. I can't put my finger on it. I have no doubt we'll go back sometime in the future. But since the final check (with tip ) is about $280 it won't be for awhile.

I slice the kernals off the ear of corn, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and spread it on a lightly greased baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. About halfway through I toss everything around. The kernals dry out and the flavor becomes intensified.