malcolmjolley

While we're getting scared, see also this article for Sunday's Observer Food Monthly, which documents lower nutrient counts in foods since the development of higher yields through chemical fertilisers and feeds:

Not that I disagree, but a foodie who must be reminded to make toast occasionally must either have Alzheimer's, grand cultural divides to cross, or is simply a poser. ← That's Nigel Slater shamelessly plugging his eponymous memoir.

While it's true that nearly everyone who fits the description of "foodie" hates the word, there has yet to be introduced a substitute.

To celebrate OFM's fiftieth edition, we asked some of our favourite bon viveurs what they considered most essential to do before they died. Nigel Slater assesses the wish-list, from Nigella Lawson dismembering a chicken to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall boiling a freshly-laid egg and Gordon Ramsay sniffng white truffes There must surely be additions and edits to this list.

OK, I was getting VERY, VERY worried the Elizabeth David hadn't shown up in the thread. Omellette and a Glass of wine is a fine collection of her magazine and newspaper work, but if I was going to chose only one of her books it would French Provincial Cooking or Mediterranean. Lancelot: that list is screaming for Matt Kramer's Understanding Wine (the revised ed trhat came out a fewe years ago).

Hmmm...I've never had the burritos, I just stick with the tacos. Maybe I should have said that in my post. Sorry.

Great complement to Gina Mallet and Last Chance to Eat in the LA Times. I actually started another thread on this, sinc ethe article is really about a the popeularity of "food fit": http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=67330 Edited to correct my double posting.

Had their pickerel: pan sauteed in butter and evoo, finished with a sage butter foam. With a side of fresh foraged fiddle heads with evoo and lemon, and smashed potatoes with ramps and parsley. Certainly worked for me. :)

My wife and I stumbled into Bouchee by accident a few years ago on an overnight on the Pacific Coast drive down to LA from SF. We had no idea about it, it just looked like a decent spot for a quick Wednesday night dinner. Plus we had actually eaten at the French Laundry the night before, so weren't really looking or expecting much. It was excellent. I know I had an abalone dish and my wife had a "sand...?" - help what's the little California fish - plate that was excellent with a half bottle of some really light Chard. Both were fantastic. I can't remember our mains - I probably had whatever steak or red meat plate was on offer. I do remember a fantastic Central Coast Pinot Noir (this is BEFORE Sidways!), though. And I remember the bill being quite reasonable, all things considered.

Is something up with this year's VinExpo? I have receive two notices today that exhibitors are pulling out: 1) ICE (the main Italian trade body), and 2) Inniskillin (a large Canadian producer). Could be completely unrelated. Decanter.com article suggests Italian producers will still be there. Just curious.

Best argument I've heard! ← Amen.

Cheese Boutique, Whole Foods, pretty much any higher end grocer.

Gérard Michel, a biochemist from Burgundy, has produced a kit costing €40 (£27) that he says can restore the original taste and bouquet.

Do you know where Riverdale Farm is? Sort of tucked away east of Cabbagetown to towards the Don Valley. Here's the site: http://www.friendsofriverdalefarm.com/

Cool. We get so worked up about sea food, when we live about a 1,000 kms for the ocean. We should focus more on our fresh water fish. (Mmmm...pickerel...).

Hey, cool! Thanks, Wayne. Nice to see the tradition is still alive. I'll have to go get a sandwich and check it out! I always try and catch the Beyond Burgers segments. Anything interesting comming up? (Maybe worth starting a thread in the Toronto forum?)

I saw the film recently. It's wonderful, but it's about as subtle as a Michael Moore movie. I am an honest to God believer in terroire and small handmade wines by makers who care and all that, but his argument is cheapened by his technique, and I think a very unfair portrayal of Parker. He puts Parker out as a champion of Californian (i.e. big bad new world evil corporate) wine. But Parker started and made his true mark by writing enthusiastically about the Rhone. (Shameless plug: I go on about this a little more in this week's Gremolata.) It's too bad. I still loved the film, but the first thing I have to mention, to those that ask, is that it's way biased, and probably unfair. Then, I say, go see it anyway – I chuckled the whole way through.

VERY, VERY, VERY PLEASED! Huge congratulations to Gina and Natalie!

Mexitaco at Bloor and Shaw (www.mexitaco.com). IMHO is as good, if not better than Santa Barbara's fabled La Super Rica. A good friend of mine who grew up in Maccallan Texas, and lived for many years in NYC, swore it was the bext he had outside if the lone star state. Started by two brothers from Mexico City, the food is the "Federale" - or so I gleaned when my frined got into an animated converstaion in Spanich with one of the owners. So there!

I don't want to double post, so please see this re: early releases: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=911928

I was at the Dupont & Spadina LCBO this afternoon and they had all their April 30 Releases out for sale! With one exception, a Cloudy Bay, which they actually posted a message about, saying it would only go onsale at 9:30, because of strong demand. I knew this sometimes happened at out of the way stores, but they seemed quite open about it. Is this a new policy or a maverick store?

Arugula is a staple at our house and I'm a fan of very good fruity evoo, juice of a lemon and raw garlic... ...but I'm afraid mere mention of arugula/rocket propels me to plug shamelessly Gremolata's infamous "Arugula vs. Rocket Poll" and commentary thereon by eGulleters Farmer Dave and Paula Wolfert.

Freckles, Please let us know how this goes. As the thirst for wine grows, I suspect a lot of these old regulations will come to the fore. It will be interesting to see how the LCBO adapts.

Where's Bourdain? He NEEDS to be on this thread, fast!

There are worse sins in the world. We all have to pay our bills, and I'm pretty reluctant to start casting the first stones. It's true, though, that a lot of devoted fine diners look to the gastronomic world as a refuge from marketing and overt consumerism. Any chef who goes into one of these deals ought to be wary of losing this trust. If the product in question is good enough to satisfy the chef and his/her customers, then it's fair to say no harm done. But of all the chefs mentioned in the WSJ article, Julia Child comes out looking the most trustworthy, and the next time we her old partner Jacques Pepin reaches for a can, won't some of us wonder how much was paid? It may be worth revisiting the thread about Jamie Oliver's troubles with Heinz from earlier this year, especially Bourdain's posts: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=60363.