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babyluck

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Everything posted by babyluck

  1. What was different about the selection when they first opened?
  2. Best (tie): Indian Lake in the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, there was so much runoff this year that it tasted like lakewater. Gravity-fed spring water at the El Monte ecolodge in Mindo, Ecuador. Worst: The church camp I went to as a kid in the Catskills (sulfur), NJ when the processing plant in Sayreville floods. I even drank tap water in Haiti () accidentally and it tasted better than Westfield on a good day. Hey, when it's hot out and I see a garden hose, I automatically drink from it. No, I didn't get sick -- that time.
  3. Is that a trick question? The only one that comes to mind is the Mai Tai -- Vic supposedly added it in the '50's because the quality of Jamaican rum had gone downhill. Personally, I drink it straight.
  4. YOU SUCK! MWA HA HA HA HA... At least there's something good about being on the wrong side of the tracks. It was definitely worth a shoe full of swamp muck. Mmmm, spicy pork...
  5. Lee, you should check out Beachbum Berry's Grog Log & Intoxica. I have both and they are excellent, with great discussions on suggested rums and substitutes for unavailable ones (Cuban). I'm more of a Don the Beachcomber gal myself, but I'll overlook your choice of mentor. Personally, I use (based on taste, value & availability in my area): Any white PR rum except Bacardi Mount Gay or Cockspur Myer's Appleton St. James (St. James is a Martinique rhum agricole) Bacardi 151 as a poor substitute for Demerara overproof The introduction to the first book is a little out of date (or inapplicable to the Northeast US) because it talks about Martinique rums being the hardest to find and Demeraras very easy. That has not been my experience -- all the liquor store guys tell me they all used to carry Lemon Hart and they're not sure what happened. I have one who's supposed to be ordering it for me, though. I'm definitely not an expert, but this list has worked well for me as a foundation for mixing vintage tiki drinks. (All of the recipes you mentioned except Gun Club Punch are in the first book.)
  6. You guys are gonna be so jealous. I just discovered I can WALK to Han Ah Reum from work. It would take 2x as long to drive because of the construction. I went there for the first time just now. Didn't have time to see the whole place but I gave the mall a once-over and covered the produce & meat sections of the market, then had lunch at the food court. Had the spicy pork w/ rice -- yes, I got the warning "you know it's spicy, right?" -- it was not too spicy and pretty darn good. I like that utilitarian lunch-counter feel so I was right at home and the cashier was very helpful and sweet. Went back w/ ginger, tofu & 2 packs soba noodles (buy one get one free!) for less than $5. Wish I had more time & the weather was better for walking. Next time I'm going to park next to the tracks and walk over from there so I can carry more! -- Sorry, AFC, there's somebody new in my life, and his initials are H-A-R.
  7. So, anyone know if La Viet is still open? How about Pho Quyen (also in Plainfield on Watchung Ave) -- anyone been there?
  8. Mike: What's so interesting about Fujiyama Mama when you've got Hon Bang down the street and Fuji across the way? Blecch. It reminds me of Friday's. But to Shermar's original question, most of the places we're talking about are way too far to be convenient. For produce, NOTHING beats the Asian place on Rt. 1 3m south of Walmart in North Brunswick (N of Finnegan's Lane). The quality is so much more consistent than the AFC. It's one of those places marked just "JERSEY FRESH FARM MARKET" or something like that. Mostly produce & meat/fish (haven't gotten fish but hear it's good). Limited selection of overpriced dry goods. Florist. Indian grocery in the place around the corner -- nothing special, but it's very convenient because you can drive through one parking lot into the other.
  9. Well, you might want to rethink that after you hear about the scene he made in Chef Central. We did go on Saturday, the traffic wasn't too bad, and we were there for 2 1/2 hours. Apparently I was being too negative about the stupid, overpriced, useless crap-destined-for-yard-sales he was picking out, so we had a few stage-whispered arguments, tried avoiding each other for a while, then he started throwing rubber spatulas. I guess I should be glad it wasn't the Ming Tsai series ceramic knife he wanted to buy that was in his hand at the time. My mistake was that I let on that the gift certificate was really intended for me. If only I hadn't said that out loud... Anyway, I was pretty much like a pig in shit until the spatulas came flying; maybe that's why I was so grumpy by the time I looked at the foodstuffs, but I was pretty disappointed. I cannot understand why 4/5 of the stuff was prepared food. Why would I be there if I didn't know how, or choose to spend the time, to make my own cookies, salad dressing, sauce, etc.? I'm not saying I always take the time, but if you've just bought a pasta roller for your KitchenAid, it's kind of hard to rationalize "let me pick up this JAR of sauce for my homemade pasta." Is it really frequented by so many people who have a passion for decorating their kitchens to make them look professional? The size of the oil/vinegar section was the same as in Town & Country in Westfield and it's a LIQUOR STORE. I would like to see the oil/vinegar section tripled, basic ingredients (not Ernest Hemingway's Papaya Molasses Champagne Marinade -- when's the last time you saw a recipe calling for that?) from major world cuisines, a better selection of grains, every herb & spice known to man -- you know, your basic dream gourmet shop for cooks, with authentic products at reasonable prices. From what I saw, the selection of Asian ingredients at ShopRite is better, and the brands are the same. Then there was the liquor. With so much going on, I sidestepped the wines, but looked closer at the hard liquor after seeing a sign saying something about them being carefully hand-selected by the staff. I thought there might be a chance that they'd have Demerara rum or another elusive ingredient for our vintage tiki cocktails. Nope. Six or seven flavors of Cruzan white rum, and that's about it. I know I'm not the arithmetical mean. My taste is so far adrift of average that anything I like is immediately discontinued, shut down, or cancelled after one season. But I expected more from a store for serious home cooks. On the plus side: so far, my favorite purchase is the fig balsamic vinegar flavored with orange and vanilla. It's exactly the kind of thing I usually pooh-pooh because I'm in favor of basic ingredients that can be flavored at home. But for some reason, I had to buy it and I'm so glad I did. I made a vinaigrette with walnut oil last night and served it over strawberries & canteloupe on mint leaves & red leaf lettuce with cracked pepper over all. It was so damn good. It's really sweet and flavorful so it would be fine by itself over fruit, and it's pretty thick too. I let him buy a long-handled Zippo and a Zyliss chopper, and after he ate my dinner last night I think all was forgiven.
  10. Thanks, guys. We're considering going up there tomorrow afternoon -- I'll let you know!
  11. I heard that too, through my French bosses who knew her for years. I have been there a few times, most notably on Dec. 23rd 1999, when I got a marriage proposal. That night, Michel's bouillabaise was pure nirvana -- to this day, I have never experienced fish cooked to such perfection. Everything on the plate could not have been cooked a microsecond shorter or longer. I said yes. Between the fish, the wine, and the glow of the moment, I was in another golden world until the waiter placed a plate with 4 raspberries on the table (we had a bottle of champagne going, needless to say) and said "Raspberries." It was absurdly funny at the time. Catherine was obviously touched by the sight of young people in love. Earlier in the meal she fully gained my admiration. The waiter had bunched up the tablecloth a tiny bit when placing my escargots. I really hate tablecloth bumps for some reason, and I tugged lightly at the edge, but the way the table was set it didn't do anything. In a split second, Catherine had crossed the room to our table, moved a few things out of the way, whisked the cloth to hospital-sheet tautness, and replaced everything where it was. I was utterly charmed by her obvious drive for perfection, not just the appearance of it. I do hope the poor waiter didn't get his knuckles rapped or anything later -- the tablecloth bump was his only error all evening. I thought Michel was in the kitchen every time I was there (between 1997 & 2000). Does anyone know when they switched? Because I've had the bouillabaise twice and the duck twice, and each one was perfect on one occasion and fell short (of perfection only) the other. Is it still open? Anyone been there lately?
  12. My DH got a $100 gift certificate for his birthday from people at work. I had never heard of it before, and all I can find on the net are discussions of Iron Chef demos and people bemoaning the prices. (After I found out what it was, I told him to thank them for getting ME a present for his birthday -- in 7 years he's cooked me one full meal and it was frozen ravioli, jarred sauce, bagged salad & bottled dressing. He's darn good at rolling sushi, though, as long as I prepare the rice.) So, how excited should I be? It sounds like it will at least be a fantastic sensory experience. But I have a bargain hunter's mind and can't stand overpaying. Is there anything you've bought there that is super-special? Should I go there RIGHT NOW on my way home from work? How much time should I allow to browse the whole store? What time do they close? Any sales?
  13. Yes, it was a Chinese restaurant until '99 or 2000, with a $3.95 buffet. I used to go there for lunch when I had no one to eat with because they had the coziest one-seater stuck in by the front door. Thailand is a big improvement but I thought it was pretty standard. I think I'm ruined for life because my first Thai experience was in San Francisco...
  14. I would agree with that assessment - for me it's really convenient and homey and I'm glad there's a place like that nearby, but I wouldn't make a special trip if it were further away. But I still love it to death!
  15. I love the Chippery! I've eaten there about 8-10 times over the past few years. I always get the clams & chips or a crab cake sandwich. The clams & chips (waffle fries) have always been perfectly crunchy, which is a big thing for me (the reason I will ONLY tolerate Popeye's for fried chicken). The crab cakes are good but not great. I also like the clam chowder but I won't try to deny that it's just seriously thinned out canned stuff. I just prefer thin brothy soups and especially hate thick chowder that mounds up in the bowl like mashed potatoes. Theirs is bland but always nice & hot, and comforting to the belly. I have been to Arthur Treacher's pretty recently (there was one still open until last year on the way to my aunt's farm - we stopped 2x a year) and I can tell you your memories are probably better than the real thing. Not a trace of crunch, icky oil taste -- I always got carsick afterwards although they did have my favorite hand soap in the bathroom -- the green stuff that smells just like Neutrogena Rain Bath. I've only found it one other place in the world and I must admit that when the restaurant finally closed I missed the soap more than the food. The only other good thing about it was that you could smoke. Okay, back to the Chippery. It's certainly very good for NJ (not counting the shore). They keep their oil clean. No tummyaches (and I have a baby ulcer, which I keep on a strict diet of chili sauce, french roast & cigarettes, so I'm pretty much constantly in some amount of pain). They are an extension of the local Vo-tech and staffed by shockingly courteous & efficient high school students. One admission on my part: I'm quite sure my love for the Chippery is due in part to my weakness for independent dive-y spots. The decor is of the peeling woodgrain/clipper ships kind. There are two "dining rooms" -- if I remember correctly the front one is bluer with intensely bright flourescent lighting, and the back one is depressingly dim and browner. It makes most respectable people in Westfield say "I only get takeout from there - who would EAT IN at the Chippery? Teeheehee" and well, that just makes it even better for me because it's one of the few places in town you can get away from THEM. It's been 6 months, erie -- I hope you've ventured in by now. If not, the next time you get a craving, go in -- I promise nothing bad will happen.
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