bloviatrix

Jane Grigson suggests gooseberries with osso bucco. BTW, I picked up a pint this morning. I won't be using them until sunday. Do I keep them on the counter or in the fridge?

I'm another fan of Glenmorangie 18. I've also had a number of Mackillop's scotches which I've always enjoyed. I find that matjes herring is a great accompaniment when doing a tasting.

There's an interesting article about the owner of Prime Grill and Solo in The Jewish Week. Click here.

Jewish ... same idea ... My parents spent last shabbat with us. Our topic of conversation for the entire length of dinner (which lasted 3 hours) on Friday night was food.

When is the next festival? While you provide us with "man on the scene" reports? I love the whole room btw. Those wood floors look beautiful. And the grain on the table is spectacular.

My husband comments about it all the time. He just doesn't get it. Especially because of the inverse relationship between the quantity of food I eat and amount of time I spend reading about, talking about, and cooking food. But I think after 9 years I'm making some headway with him. Recently we went to an event where he came up to me and said he couldn't eat the food served because it sucked (this is a guy who usually never says no to food) I also have friends who think I'm crazy. They call me Suzy Homemaker, which personally I find insulting.

Wow. I'm speechless.

It looks like you've found a piece of paradise. I can't wait to hear more.

I use Claudia Rhoden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food quite a bit. It's because of her I added bulgur to my repertoire.

Now that you've described your appliances, would you be willing to post a photo of your kitchen?

So much of Bruni's review echoed comments people have said here. Anyone else notice that?

Ditto. Interestingly enough, I was suggesting L'Impero to a friend about 15 minutes before I read this. BTW, does anyone remember the name of the restaurant that previously occupied the location?

Is the mag available at any newstands in NYC?

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with Evian. It tastes awful. In NY I'm a tap water girl (Aqua Guiliani, Mayim Bloomberg -- the name changes according to mayor). When travelling in Europe it really depends on how I feel about the locale's water.

It's been too many years since I visited the city, but I have a major piece of advice for you. Pick up a copy of the Budapest Atlas in a bookstore as soon as you get there. It will be your savior in getting around.

Has anyone watch the Penn & Teller show on Showtime called Bullshit? They did a segment on all the bottled waters. The best part was when they filled up assorted bottles with tap water (all from the same source) and then proceeded to offer the "waters" to guests in a restaurant. The power of suggestion was amazing. The water sommelier would describe each water as having different characteristics, and then the person would sample. The patrons would then taste and give their opinions. According to them, each water tasted different. Although they all really came from the identical source.

The kosher dogs and knishes at Yankee stadium can be found on the main concourse and the tier concourse at about section 8. Kosher dogs cost $.50 more than the regular ones.

Before my bag burst, I had the water at about 150. My plan was to keep the meat in for about 6 hours. Which leads to another question -- how does one determine the length of time you cook the meat? It's not as if you can stick a meat thermometer into it to determine the internal temp.

The easiest way to see it is at NYTIMES.com. I think last week's review came out arond 9:00 PM. Furthermore, if you can't get online, but you're near a TV that has NY1, Bruni will do a live version of his review at about 9:20.

Sans doute. I even have another a corned beef biding its time in my freezer. Hopefully this one won't explode on me.

The bag I was cooking it in burst open. So, it ended up being cooked the usual way -- which is simmering it in water for about 3 hours. I glazed it with a pineapple-ginger glaze and served it cool. This means the meat wasn't particularly soft. But, it tasted good nonetheless. And, I actually had less shrinkage than usual.

Mea culpa. Unfortunately, my window for editing has past. (Spelling error now fixed -- JD)

It's placing the food in a vacuum sealed package and placing the package in simmering water for a lengthy period of time. Bruce Cole has great piece on it over at Saute Wednesday.

In order to further whet your appetites, I'm going to quote from Marc Basset's review that sets the whole novel into motion. Now, all reader's poofs say not to "quote for publication until verified with the finished book." So, Jay, if you're reading this ---if there are an errors, please feel free to correct them. I don't want to screw up your words.

Corning is a just another term for pickling or brining. Basically, you soak the meat in saline solution with spices. This might help: Corned Beef vs. Pastrami