jaybee

After collecting the answers it might be good to retate the list as a poll. For me the answers are: Nobu Babbo (again) Bernadin (again) Blue Hill (next week) La Fleur de Sel Grammercy Tavern Chantarelle Bouley Le Cirque L'espinasse I recently ate at Le Bernadin after a ten year lapse. My reaction was that the food was extraordinary. Exciting, delicious and different. The whole experience (@$150 person) was a memorable meal and well worth three $50 dinners elsewhere. Le Cirque seems so much a circus that I feel I must experience it at least once. I don't expect to be dazzled by the food.

There are more than few places in New York that serve terrible food and such small portions too.

Your Chapelle link shows up black type against ideep purple and is all but unreadable.

I use bourbon mainly in mint juleps. Maker Mark does a good job, but Wild Turkey seems to taste best. I haven't develped a taste for bourbon on the rocks (too sweet).

Steve, a clarification please. Are you sayng that you think the '91 La Chapelle is not to your liking or that "you can't figure out" all the Jaboulet La Chapelle? I've had many bottles of his wines and never found them less than very enjoyable. I recall a '69 that was spectacular, a '75 that was excellent. Lots of fruit, big and powerful with rasberry notes are my recollections. But that's just from memory. I'll look them up in my cellar book and see what I wrote at the time. I do think they took a huge leap upwards in price in the 80s that makes them a questionable value relative to alternatives.

Helena, that is my experience. the French brand is very thick and unctuously rich as creme frais should be. A little goes a long way. I've used it in cooking (sauces) with blinis and caviar, and on the side with tarte tatin and it excels in all uses. The American version is more like a sour cream with a less pronounced taste. I have the same reaction to their butter.

Word has it that a French chef/restauranteur is opening a restaurant called Aix on the southeast corner of 88th and Broadway (formerly the home of "Boulevard" restaurant). He is currently chef at a hotel restaurant in NYC. Anyone know anything more? His name begins with a "V" (Vignatt or some such).

I posted on the other Alsace thread of yours a comment on a meal we had at the Auberge d'Ill several years ago. I'll try to report in more detail.

We spent a pleasant four days in the Strasbourg, Colmar area several years ago. These included a dinner at Auberge d'Ill and one at Maison Kammerzeller. I am almost ashamed to say that I have more vivid and mouthwatering memories of the gigantic platter of Choucroute Royale at Kammerzeller than I do of our meal at Haeberlie's place. I could probably reconstruct the meal at the three star place, if I dig out the bill and the carte, which my brother-in-law always manages to cadge at these places. I'll try to do so. I do recall an incident that accompanied the meal. We asked the manager of the mountain inn we stayed at the night before to call the Auberge d'Ill to recomnfirm our reservation for a party of six on the appointed night. Arriving at the restaurant we discovered our booking cancelled due to no call to reconfirm. Obviously the place was full. The Maitre 'd listened to our pleas and was convinced to call the hotel in the Jura. He discovered the fault was theirs (telephone service had been disrupted) and promptly (and graciously) created a smallish table for our party in the little remaining space in the dining room. We did have an enjoyable meal. A post script on the meal at Kammerzeller. That night, a fete was held in the cathedral, which is right next door to Kammerzeller. While we ate, the gargoyles spouted flames and colored smoke from fireworks while an amplified voice from within intoned medievil warnings about Satan and the the horrors of hell. This did not deter us.

Boatman, there was a thread here a few months ago about butter. The search function may reveal it to you. I buy only L'isigny butter. It is available in New York (not what you asked) at Zabars and (I believe) at Fairway and Citarella. I don't know what "gourmet" dairy or food shops are in NJ, but if there are any at the highest level, you'll probably find L'isigny butter there. And believe me, you will taste the difference.

Several years ago I took a bunch of sour cherries, pitted them and put them in a large jar with a mason jar type top. Filled the jar with cognac and a few tbsps of sugar. I put it on the table with a small ladle and some cookies after dinner. They are yummie. As the level goes down, I add more stuff. keep it on the sideboard, cool and dark place. It's been going for five years now. mmmm.

You can always put a pot on the griddle for heat too. I figured I rarely have more than four burners going at once and on these babies, there is enough space between burners for really big fry pans. So, Jay, why didn't you want the griddle? I love the look of the Garland; a mean cooking machine!

I went back and caught up onthe thread. The Garland, how many burners? Propane or natural gas? The one with the griddle? I switched several years ago to a Viking four burner with the griddle in the middle. Propane, 'cause we don't have natural gas in the country. It is a wonderful thing to cook on. I expect you'll be very happy with your Garland. I installed the twin fans in the hood, the largest capacity I could get. They work wonders. No matter how much smoke i generate, it goes right up and out.

How do you handle yellow waxy buildup on the floors? I joined this late, so some remedial information. What kinds of stove, oven, refrig. are you putting in? Will you add a salamander? an indoor grill? What are you doing for storage of big pots and their covers, a real thorn in my side in the kitchen. We've refreshed our kitchen in the country in three stages. replaced the range/oven, replaced refrigerator and thre builtin cabinet, refinished the bar and surfaces. The new refrigerator, with the freezer on the bottom makes such a huge difference. No bending to see what's in the fridge. all's at eye level. The range has a griddle big enough to cook twelve pieces of french toast or sixteen hamburgers at once. Makes a big difference with a gang there. I hate garbage disposals, and wouldn't have one on a bet. If I had my drithes, one thing I'd add is a water tap over the stove for filling large pots to cook pasta. Too late for that now, but I'm thinking of an extension with a hose. I'm always looking for storage and pantry ideas. Never enough.

Cheesy, I will eschew any lascivious comments and compliment you on your definitely uncheesy choice of wine. May your tongue be so weighted for many years. (where exactly is one's tounge, anyway? )

Zie Gazzat, Steve. Good sound byte. Interesting show. Brilliant concept (The Guide) brilliantly executed. My toque is off to Nina and Tim. They did it right, no matter what fault you find with the product, it's a hell of a business and meets a need a lot of people have.

Dear Lidia, I was one of your earlest customers at Felidia's back in the early 1980's and the food just captivated me. I enjoy your PBS shows and learn a lot from them. One dish I enjoy so much is linguine con vongole. It is the essence of simplicity with few ingredients, yet few people make it really well. Would you descibe your technique for this dish and include "do's and don't's", specific ingrdients (type of clams, etc)?

At the recommendation of my nephew, a budding professional oenophile, I tried a 1999 Pesquera. Shipper, Classical Wines rom Spain. A big, powerful and rich red wine that will hold its own with any dish. Fills the mouth with flavor, fat and fruity with undertones of plums, little tannin and smooth with a fat mouth feel and dry finish. Drank this with a well charred double rib-eye and marinated tuna steak. Perfect with either. This being my first taste of this grape I'd be appreciative of any recommendations others may have, information on vintages, growers, ec.

John, I have a large (16" wide), shallow (2" deep) glazed crockery dish that is mean for slow oven cooking of paella. From your description of a cassole, it seems this would work to form a crust, deliver moderate heat evenly and not dry out the contents. Not that I wouldn't like the excuse to buy yet another cooking implement. Would this work?

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Soba, I had sort of tired of this dish, probably die to the lackluster preparations available in New York. My last night in Beijing, I asked my client to take me to a restaurant that serves the ultimate version of this dish. He took me to the place that suposedly created it in the 19th century. They had six separate brick wood burning ovens going each hildoing several racks of ducks. They probably served 200-300 an hour! They have a huge duck farm of their own to supply them. How good could it be? So good that I would go back to Beijing just for that meal. The meat was succulent and richly flavored and the skin was like a savory confection. My client was not up for eating any meat that night, so I consumed nearly the entire duck myself! I will ask him if the restaurant gives out a recipe or technique card.

Soba, I had sort of tired of this dish, probably die to the lackluster preparations available in New York. My last night in Beijing, I asked my client to take me to a restaurant that serves the ultimate version of this dish. He took me to the place that suposedly created it in the 19th century. They had six separate brick wood burning ovens going each hildoing several racks of ducks. They probably served 200-300 an hour! They have a huge duck farm of their own to supply them. How good could it be? So good that I would go back to Beijing just for that meal. The meat was succulent and richly flavored and the skin was like a savory confection. My client was not up for eating any meat that night, so I consumed nealry the entire duck myself! I will ask him if the restaurant gives out a recipe or technique card.

Thank you , John. I see I have my work cut out for me. What was MFKF's opening line in her piece "How to cook a wolf"?--"First, get a wolf....

We may have the makings of an eGullet cook book here! What great menu ideas.

John, could you be persuaded to share your recipe and techniques? Fall is only a few months away and I would like to practice over the summer for a fall cassoulet dinner.