NYT Articles on Food, Drink, Cooking, and Culinary Culture (2005–2011)

[BryanZ]

thanks russ.

please see their website and check out the "about" section.  they claim to have imported kobe beef.  i wonder what that means.

←

The steaks could in fact be imported from Australia. I believe Snake River has a branch out there that has some pure bred Wagyu cows. I read this somewhere, perhaps on another thread, but can't be certain.

If this is the case, it's creative menu writing to be sure.

[russ parsons]

The steaks could in fact be imported from Australia.  I believe Snake River has a branch out there that has some pure bred Wagyu cows.  I read this somewhere, perhaps on another thread, but can't be certain.

←

that sounds like my story, too (it's snake river ranch vs. snake river farms). but that certainly would not qualify as "real kobe"

[M.X.Hassett]

In addition to the regular wagyu, Craftsteak is one of only a handful of restaurants in the United States that gets a kind of super-wagyu that is raised in Australia by Snake River Ranch, a sister company of Snake River Farms. This is the stuff that scores at the very top of the marbling charts. Look at a piece of this beef and it almost looks like there is more marbling than meat.

from Russ' article The Los Angeles Times: Truly, madly moonstruck, October 12, 2005.

[Lordof7]

The Cuke! A seemingly interesting combo of gin or vodka with cucumber and mint, topped with sparkling water. The full recipe is here. (I don't know if I can post the full recipe here, but if the link goes down, I will.) The little story write up is here. My vote was for the classsic Gimlet (with Rose's, for ease. A summer cocktail shouldn't require much effort!) But this one sounds good. Runners up were the Gingino (sounds great!) and the L'alhambra.

As I look a little more at the dining section, it seems to be a special on drinks and cocktails. A nice blurb on ice (yep, ice), as well as NY whiskeys and cachaca. Looks good!

[Jean Blanchard]

Thanks for the recipe link. Looks great! Take it from me. Hendricks and cucumber is a really nice, clean taste. Can't wait for Friday night!

[cdh]

Remniscent of the mixological escapades a friend and I have been experimenting with lately... cocktails that taste like salad. Lots of amusement with the vegetable juicer, notably cucumbers, watercress, and mustard greens. Gin, a bit of lime, a splash of simple syrup, and some interesting drinks come out of it.

[ned]

Remniscent of the mixological escapades a friend and I have been experimenting with lately... cocktails that taste like salad.  Lots of amusement with the vegetable juicer, notably cucumbers, watercress, and mustard greens.  Gin, a bit of lime, a splash of simple syrup, and some interesting drinks come out of it.

←

Dude.

Good work.

This sounds very promising.

Partculaly the bitter greens.

[JAZ]

I had a cucumber gimlet quite a while ago at Cortez, a San Francisco restaurant and bar known for its cocktail menu (not sure if it's still on the menu, though), and a basil gimlet last week at Rye, a newish SF bar.

So, naturally, I decided to blend the two -- I muddled cucumber and basil with gin, then added a little simple syrup and a splash of green Chartreuse. It was good; but it's important not to get it too sweet. I thought at the time it would also be good with a splash of soda as a tall drink.

[eje]

Reminds me of fatdeko's Rathbone Sour, which I've been meaning to give a spin.

Even picked up some thai basil last week with that intention. Hmmm... I wonder if it is still OK.

[JAZ]

The Rathbone sour doesn't seem to have anything sour in it -- did I miss something?

[slkinsey]

I think he forgot to mention the lemon juice in the recipe.

[Mayhaw Man]

Well, you could skip that pedestrian gin or vodka and do something a little more exotic and have a Pimm's Cup

[cdh]

Ahhh... but Pimms tastes like fruit, not like salad. Using Pimms would make a drink too close to that spinach and strawberry salad with poppyseed dressing all over it.

But then again, maybe a little strawberry liqueur and frangelico are just what a spinach juice and lime base need for cocktail to taste like a salad.

Edited June 22, 2006 by cdh (log)

[JAZ]

Remniscent of the mixological escapades a friend and I have been experimenting with lately... cocktails that taste like salad.  Lots of amusement with the vegetable juicer, notably cucumbers, watercress, and mustard greens.  Gin, a bit of lime, a splash of simple syrup, and some interesting drinks come out of it.

←

I had a rum based drink with muddled red jalapenos and yellow bell peppers a while back. It was great.

[fatdeko]

The Rathbone sour doesn't seem to have anything sour in it -- did I miss something?

←

Yeah, I inadvertently left the lemon juice out of the recipe post, but quickly posted again to include it. I prolly should have edited rather than post again/more.

SAM: Did you ever receive the book? I got side tracked (hospitalized, actually) right about when I shoulda mailed it, but later (much later) realized my untimeliness. I happened to be in NYC for something MOTAC-y and dropped it off at Pegu one night, apparently missing you by 10-15 minutes.

myers

[jpr54_]

check out the Dining Out section of todays NYT's-

a nice article on tea and teabags

[rich]

Absolutely awe inspiring.

["T"]

Anytime the NYT writes a positive article on tea it must be looked upon, from those of us in the biz, with an approving nod and a thankfull smile. But, for those who truely enjoy tea the same way wine, whisky/whiskey and brandy lovers enjoy those beverages, tea in the loose form is the only way to go.

I know the arguements about the messy dealings of wet leaves and assorted complications and how teabags are sooooo much simpler in this stressfull and "oh where do I find the time" world we chose to make for ourselves. And this is the beauty of orthadox loose leaf tea. It forces one to take the time to prepare properly and enjoy fully. Think of it as naptime for adults. A nice break in the day.

[cdh]

I was reading the NY Times Op-Ed page recently and found this piece by Nora Ephron. Is it just me, or is this the most grating, whiney, annoying bit of self-indulgence ever memorialized in print?

Poor Nora is annoyed at sea salt, and at pepper grinders, and at glassware selection for her Pellegrino, and at the size of dessert spoons, and at servers who dare to speak to her and her dining companions. Her "problems" only afflict those fortunate enough to dine regularly at white-tablecloth restaurants, and for more well-adjusted diners, I'd doubt they're problematic. What possessed the Times to print this drivel? It belongs in her diary, where it will be safely locked away from the rest of the world, so nobody else has to put up with it... or do any of our fellow eGulletiers share her concerns?

Edited September 15, 2006 by cdh (log)

[bandregg]

W O W !

I agree with exactly one of Ms. Ephron's complaints, which is Waiters asking about the food before you've really been given a chance to taste it and take it all in. But, man of man, the rest of that piece is the most self-indulgent crap I've read in a long time.

From, "We’ve been at the table for exactly three minutes and somehow we’ve managed to empty an entire bottle of Pellegrino." Right, except it's still there, just in your glasses. It isn't gone!

To, "it’s not what I consider salt. It’s what’s known as sea salt. (Sea salt used to be known as kosher salt, but that’s not an upscale enough name for it any more.) Sea salt comes in an itty-bitty dish with an itty-bitty spoon." Which is just factually wrong and seems to point out that she lacks proper muscle control to use that small spoon.

I'm also having a hard time wrapping my mind around someone who a) wants Pelligrino, and b) would rather have pre-ground pepper and table salt.

Given the titles of her previous works and their categorization by Amazon as humor it's clear that she's trying to be funny, really trying, really really trying. And failing.

[Sneakeater]

Her "problems" only afflict those fortunate enough to dine regularly at white-tablecloth restaurants,

←

Most of the non-hard-news items the Times prints concern only those who are of the type fortunate enough to be able to dine regularly at white-table restaurants. I remember when I was a lower-middle-class teenager starting to read the Times instead of the tabloids, I couldn't believe there actually existed a world that corresponded to the one in which its features appeared to take place. It seemed to be written on another planet.

[Fat Guy]

It was a weak and ignorant piece from the standpoint of the food-knowledgeable minority, however I bet it resonated with the majority. I hear all of those complaints, often. If I'm giving a presentation about my book to a live audience at a Barnes & Noble, you can be sure a middle-aged lady's hand will shoot up and that she'll gripe about the lack of salt on the table or something along those lines. I'm just surprised Nora didn't include the "it's so dark I need a flashlight to read the menu" complaint -- that's the one I hear the most.

[Nancy HM]

Gee, I thought it was readable and funny. A nice break from the relentless doom and gloom on the editorial page.

[Shannon_Elise]

May I please have the 45 seconds it took to read that piece back? I could really use it to apply lip gloss or tie my shoe - both of which are activities I find more enjoyable than that. Does she really want to see the salt shaker, with its rice to keep it from clumping that looks like small bugs, on the table? And could she please insert the word Pellagrino in her piece one more time? I don't think the 50 times it was included was enough.

In all seriousness though, she makes it clear that this happens at most of the places she goes out to and that certain courses and utensils always suck. Then why does she still go out to dine? Even the flow of the piece seemed jagged and uneven to me and left me with the worst question to have after reading an editorial or opinion piece: "What was the point?"

[slkinsey]

The article by Florence Fabricant is entitled Tea's Got a Brand New Bag

Here is a short quote:

Look closely at a conventional tea bag in your cupboard or in the paper cup from the local deli. Chances are that instead of leaves it is filled with indistinguishable bits, the detritus left after tea leaves are sifted and graded. The tea industry calls it dust, and the beverage it makes is likely to be rusty-looking and often bitterly tannic. But it no longer has to be, nor is it necessary to brew a whole pot of tea to achieve something better tasting.

Perhaps the surest sign that the tea world is changing is this: Lipton, the world’s largest tea company and a division of Unilever, will start selling tea bags containing long leaf teas in supermarkets nationwide next month.

Instead of paper, the leaves will be enveloped by nylon mesh bags in a delicate pyramid shape.