JohnnyH

Thank you!

Thanks once again to everyone who helped out here -- I've already made it to a couple of the places mentioned (I think Dublin Pub is destined to be the local hang), and I've got plenty of places to try in the coming weeks. Now I've got another question: Where are all the specialty shops? I'm particularly interested in finding a good butcher and I'm dying to find a fishmonger. Any help here?

Thanks for all the suggestions -- please keep 'em coming...

Just moved to Morristown from NYC, and to say I'm feeling a little disoriented would be putting it mildly. Any help finding the places that will make me feel more at home will be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for the good restaurants of all price levels -- from burgers to white linens. Also need to find a couple of bars worth wasting my time in. Can anyone help?

The family of a good friend of mine actually owns the Wharf Rat -- the Olivers take their beer VERY seriously. The food is good; the beer even better.

I appreciate all the responses -- my thanks to all. Looks like I'm in for a conversation with the landlord...

I had the exact same problem not long ago. Had, that is, until I found this most wonderful innovation: the ratzapper. The Ratzapper. Kills mice dead. Oh, and you've got way, way more than one mouse. You'll realize just how many more when you see how often you empty this little beauty.

I'm about to move into a new house with a good-sized kitchen and a decent stove, but alas, no exhaust hood over the range. I have no intention of changing the way I cook, but I'd rather not smoke the place out. Anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably priced range hood that can be installed with relative ease and -- hopefully -- won't require a separate external exhaust? We're renting the place, not buying, so I want to (have to) avoid major construction projects. Thanks for the help...

Personally, I hate it when a server brings me a drink and walks away without taking away my empty glass(es). Last thing I want is a trophy case...

I think this is one of Bourdain's favorite haunts, if I am not mistaken. I wouldn't be at all surprised. If you've never been, you must.

THE place to go for a mind-bending burger in NYC is Corner Bistro, corner of West 4th Street and Jane. Don't get scared off when you see the line; just grab a beer and join the crowd waiting for a table. You won't believe how good it is -- one of the few places that actually deserves all the hype it gets.

I've been "doing" Atkins since about January, and I'm wondering if anyone else who's tried the diet has had an experience similar to mine. Overall, I'd have to rate my experience with regard to losing weight as extraordinary. After the first few weeks, I was used to the plan and it really wasn't a hassle to stick with it. I had lost a total of 30 lbs. by mid- April, and I've been able to keep it off -- dialing foods that were intially off-limits back into my diet, making sure to keep all things in moderation. Herein lies the rub: I had a physical last week, part of which was, of course, blood work. Long story short --Not good. Cholesterol levels fairly through the ceiling (250 total ). The last time it was checked was in '98, but back then it was all the way down at 150. Atkins' critics have long predicted this kind of reaction, but Dr. Atkins himself always refuted their arguments by touting his own studies that showed cholesterol levels actually going down in people that followed his plan. High cholesterol does run in my family, and I'm reluctant to blame my experience on the diet. Anyone else have a similar -- or, for that matter, entirely different -- experience?

Thanks for the great intro, I'm looking forward to brushing up on technique with you next week. Question, though: is there a point when we might be able to add a shrimp or fish stock to the syllabus?

Pint glass and a shaker tin, baby.

I'm in trouble -- I live on 14th between 2nd and 3rd... (edited for a typo.)

That is my new favorite recipe. Sometimes I leave out the chicken and just make sausage "scarpariello" - must have foccaccia for dipping all that delicious sauce. Are you using the recipe from her Italian-American book? If so, what others have you made? Everything I've tried from that book has been awesome. Yep, straight from the book. Actually, that's not quite true. I watched her make the dish the day before yesterday on her program; she does a couple of things differently than what she describes in the recipe. For instance, she doesn't remove the chicken pieces from the heat as they brown. She leaves everything in the pan as she adds garlic, vinegar, stock, etc. I ended up kind of splitting the difference. First time I made it, and it was unbelievable. I haven't had her book long, so I'm only starting to work my way through it. So far, I've made the scaripiello, the short ribs with barolo, carrrots and onions, veal scallopini and a bunch of her sides. Love her.

But squid is so cheap to buy, any restaurant that serves less than a mountain can be accused of price gouging.

What about the hotdog with the fish cake crumbled on top as seen on Holly Moore's webiste. I could have easily lived the rest of my life without imagining that.

Agreed! Sausages are better in almost every case. The only time hot dogs work for me is at a ballgame, though you can get sausages at Yankee Stadium now too...

Tonight, the lady and I made a beautiful chicken scarpariello (a la Lydia), with brocolli rabe and a really nice Bogle petit syrah (not at all expensive and totally recommended).

Perhaps in all started with the Bard, and his unforgettable works The Merchant of Bacon and "As You Like (Your Bacon)."

What about the Salinger classic, "The Bacon in the Rye"?

Is there something wrong with the avatars or am I the only one not seeing them?

If there were no bacon, it would be necessary to invent it.

It wasn't beer -- it was Smirnoff Ice, bought when my fiance's 20-year-old cousin came to NYC for a visit. And it's still there.