bloviatrix

For meat to be kosher, the cow must be slaughtered in a specific way and then the meat needs to be preparedas follows. Once that's done you can begin to corn it.

That goes on at our shul every week at the end of services. The Rabbi gets up and says "if anyone is in need of meal, please come see me." I know there a people who are always bringing home strays. As a matter of fact, last friday, while running last minute errands, I ran into a friend who said "J better not bring anyone home tonight. We don't have enough food." We've been known to drag people home from shul, but it's always people we know and feel like have a spontaneous meal with friends.

You want to come to me? And here I'm thinking your meal sounds equally as delicious as Gifted's. I ran into a friend when I was at the kosher market earlier today. She had just spoken to a mutual friend who stated she was coming to me for dinner tonight. Now, I know I'm making a lot of her favorites, but still -- it came as a bit of a shock. Oh what the hell, the more the merrier.

The water is being kept at a simmer. A quick check with the thermometer reveals it's less than 212 degrees. As for the salt content, hmmm, I'm using a kosher brisket which means it was salted and soaked before the corning. I guess we're just going to have see how it tastes when it's done. This was a cheap piece of meat (for kosher) - $28 for 3.5 pounds. So, if it sucks, I won't have a problem tossing.

Where do you come up with 15 pages? I've only got 6.

GG, your dinner sounds perfect for a hot, steamy day. And the pie --- mmmmm, I like pie. I'm actually on top of things today -- my parents are coming into the city for Shabbos. They very rarely come in for an extended length of time, so this is a big deal. Dinner tonight: Sweet Corn and Potato Vichysoisse Warm Corn Bread Tuna Tartare (my mom has a fear of raw fish, particularly tuna, so I want her to taste just how wonderful it is) Roasted Rainbow Trout, smothered in charmoula Tomato Mozerella Tart with a basil-garlic crust Steamed Asparagus Apricots, poached in moscato d'astil with a choice of cinnamon ice cream or mascarpone/honey/nutmeg Drinks will be mint ice tea and a Baron Herzog Clarksburg Chenin Blanc '02 Lunch tomorrow will be served at room temp: Corned Beef, cooked sous vide then coated with a pineapple-ginger glaze A big salad w/slices of grilled chicken breast Dilled potato salad Roasted Corn and Black Bean salad Strawberry-balsamic sorbet for dessert More mint ice tea and strawberry lemonade to drink.

My husband can't remember the name, but I assume it's on Elmora Ave near the other kosher places. Essentially, every dish tasted the same. I think they made one gloppy sauce and doused everything in it.

I'm making a corned beef for lunch tomorrow. As I pulled it out of the packaging from the butcher I noticed that it was in a vacuum packed bag so I decided to try something new (for me) and cook it sous vide. Does anyone have any experience with this? Anything you want to warn me about? I'm not going to kill my parents, will I?

Mongo, I'm nominating you to blog again then next time you go back to India. Please, please, please take us with you. :beg:

I've been asked to post the following from my brother, whose registration hasn't gone through yet: hi guys... i just got turned on to this site by my sister, a serious food junkie... to all you with complaints here about Carrabba's and specifically the Centreville store, i DO have an association with Carrabba's corporate and have forwarded this entire thread to the folks in Tampa... I must say, I find your overall remarks very distressing.. Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola love food just as much as you do… That passion for cooking and hospitality is what brought them to the attention of PBS, who gave them their own cooking show which is going into its third season, and to thousands of people who think Carrabba’s is the best Italian food they ever tasted. At Carrabba’s Johnny and Damian’s original family recipes are made from scratch daily using the finest ingredients from around the world. Fresh ingredient s are the basis of all the food at Carrabba’s.They have searched the world to find the best marsala grapes from a local family in Sicily for their marsala sauces. Their extra virgin olive oil comes from olive groves that are hundreds of years old in Catalonia, Spain. They chop their garlic fresh every single day, and only use only California fresh garlic from Gilroy because it’s the best. Their sauces, soups, and salad dressings are handmade everyday. There’s no shortcuts, nothing freeze dried or vacuum packed at Carrabba’s. Just good authentic southern Italian food, cooked with a lot of love. To those of you who have enjoyed Carrabba’s, hope to see you again; to those of you with complaints, please contact Carrabba’s directly… you concerns are very important to the company, and we’ll strive to address them. Please visit Carrabba’s website at carrabbas.com to learn more about Johnny and Damian, their heritage, and their commitment to delivering you the best dining experience they can offer. --alporcini

Here are the kosher chinese places that I can think of in Manhattan: Eden Wok on W. 72 btw Columbus and Amsterdam Mr. Broadway/Me Tsu Yan 1372 B'way (37 & 38) Esti-hana W. 79th btw Amsterdam and B'way Gan Asia - corner of Amsterdam and 93rd Eden Wok and Estihana serve both sushi and chinese food. The food is ok (how's that for damning w/faint praise?). Gan Asian (take-out only) serves Thai and Chinese. I'm more partial to the Thai offerings. And their dumplings were awful. I've never eated chinese at Mr. Broadway. I'm sure there are places in Queens and Brooklyn, but I can't help you there. What ever you do, stay away from the place in Elizabeth, NJ. It's the worst food I've ever eaten!!! In my experience chinese isn't that big in the kosher community anymore. It's been replaced with a sushi obsession.

Trio! Shouldn't that be Alinea? (do they even have a location yet?)

I love that blue enamel stove in the first picture. Does anyone have any idea if that will move with them to the new location? edit: forgot a word

I know I'm getting a bit off-topic here, but I thought the only things in Candor were the gun shop and the cemetary. Who knew you could actually find food there.

What was the other part of the reason? Were they expensive, too? No, the final reason is that the portions were tiny (sorry I couldn't resist). (seriously, I have no recall of prices)

Irwin, I know you've been in the business along time, but as someone who is part of the orthodox jewish community, let me tell you -- traditional food doesn't cut it. It's old. Diners aren't interested. The traditional foods are something you eat at home on shabbos or on the holidays, not when you're out to eat in a restaurant. Many people who eat at kosher restaurants have become significantly more sophisticated over the years. There are large numbers of Ba'al Teshuvahs who once ate treyf and don't want to give up the various cuisines. Plus, there are others, like me, who want to expand their horizons. The demographic for a restaurant like Mike's Bisto is going to be the typical orthodox jewish Upper West Sider or someone who drives in from the 'burbs looking for something other than your typical deli or middle-eastern style joint. The few people who eat there that don't keep kosher will be there because one of their group won't "eat out." A place like Mike's is designed to be a neighborhood place. Most of their business will be on weeknights and week-ends. They'll get a lot of couples out on dates, people going to Lincoln Center, etc. I could see going there for dinner on sunday night when I'm not in the mood to cook. There have been 3 other kosher restaurants in this location over the 8 years (plus one treyf one) but part of the reason they failed was that the food sucked and the service was lousy. If the food is good, people will come and the place will do well. The market hasn't reached saturation point. On the other hand, a place like Solo is more upscale. It will be a place for business entertaining if Prime Grill, their other restaurant, is an accurate indicator. Plus, people will go there for a special occasion. The possible drawback for Solo is location - it's in the Sony building which is Madison and 56th which is mid-town. It won't encourage the same type of spontaneity that a Mike's would have.

FYI - Sirio Maccioni will be a guest on the Leonard Lopate show (WNYC). The show airs at noon. I'm not sure what time he will appear.

Several weeks ago a friend said to me "you'll like this, it's got food in it" and proceeded to hand me a reader's proof of Eating Crow, a novel the new book by Jay Rayner. The book will be published in the US in early August. It's already been published in the UK under the title The Apologist. In summary, the book is about a restaurant critic named Marc Basset, who is known for his sharp, eviscerating pen. When a chef commits suicide by roasting himself in his oven with Basset's scathing (but hysterical) review pasted to the door, Basset feels compelled to do something unusual for him: he needs to apologize to the widow. Basset comes away from the experience on a high and decides to go through his past and apologize to all those he's wronged over the years. After one particulary heart-wrenching apology, Basset comes to the attention of the United Nations and is invited to become its Chief Apologist, trotting the world apologizing for colonialism, slavery, and other wrongs. The book is very humorous. And there is plenty of excellent descriptions of food in the book. For those of you who spend way too much time here on egullet, you'll appreciate many of the references. I read the book over two nights -- it was hard to put down. Eating Crow

Another vote for channa dal.

Looks like another new place is opening on the UWS. Mike's Bisto This location has been the Bermuda Triangle of kosher restaurants on the last 10 years. I'm curious to see how this place will do.

Wendy, it's stunning. Did the cake get eaten, or were people afraid to cut into it?

Frank Bruni's second review as restaurant critic is for Megu. He gives it two stars. I had a chance to see his report on NY1. Essesentially, it boils down to great food, but the menu isn't focused enough -- it's overwhelming. Towards the end of the NY1 discussion, Sam Roberts (moderator) asked Bruni why he thought so many Japanese restaurants have opened lately (Masa, Riingo, Geisha, etc). Bruni stated that part of the reason is that as past restaurants succeeded it inspired others to do the same. He also felt that the current Atkins craze has something to do with it as seafood is very Atkins friendly.

Why not? There are also the kasha knishes. One of my favorites, which you can only find at Mrs. Stahl's is the potato mushroom -- how about trying that? I've aslo seen knishes stuffed with more of a sweet filling. Think like a blintz (cherry-cheese) but more dense. Maybe add some sugar to the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar? Mmm mmm good.

Like them? I loved them! And so did everyone who ate them. I have an order for 500 minis for a bar mitzvah! Hmmm, am I sensing a possible career change?

To me, it goes beyond tasting good. There's something about the flavors that I find comforting. I didn't really start eating Indian food until my late 20s, and yet from the beginning the flavors were like coming home. Now to change the topic... Mongo, you mention the Indian grocery -- is it easy to get the ingredients you need in Boulder? How does shopping compare to LA? Do they have a good selection or do you need frequent care packages from the old country?