...more recent posts
quick Greece notes:
Santorini food was not so good, overpriced and lack luster (amazing town we stayed it, one of the most beautiful rooms we have ever rented), even the fish tavernas on the water were just ok compaired to the north, one place was cool to me called Koukoumalvos where we ate langostines in white chocolate sauce (lime, fennel seed, ginger) and lamb w/ coffee sauce w/minted yougurt but the grape leave pasta was not helped by the wacky combo of smoked salmon and mint and zucchini TO ME......
Athens/Thessaloniki you could not find a bad meal if you avoided the tourist spots, we ate so much awesome taverna food, and had one 4* yummy nite that was a meal of 2003 for sure (sea urchin risotto to die for, grapeleaves stuffed with langostines, squid pesto "pasta" on tiny fried potatos, a soup with mushroom/truffle balls, mullet over eggplant, grouper in a tomatoe/carrot broth that made me lick the bowl, great wine guy and the bill scary cheap compaired to NYC prices (and all we got special price treatment was on the wine but just slightly) @ Varoulko, 14 Deligiorgi St, Pireas....and a few 2* meals also.....
FYI: Morrell's Restaurant review from today's Diner's Journal. Wine's the thing, some good deals to be found.
Soup blog. I haven't tried any of the recipes, but it looks like it might be good. Nice looking site in any case.
San Jose Merc has coverage of Vietnamese cuisine today.
the slanted door
Vietnamese food in the south bay
south bay restaurant list
2003 James Beard Award winners announced.
NYMag Readers Poll Winner Best Meatballs is one of my 4* Dishes for 2003 also:
Best Meatballs
Il Gattopardo
33 West 54th Street
212-246-0412
It used to be that the humble Italian-American meatball never went anywhere without its constant companion, spaghetti. Recently, though, thanks to the surge in popularity of a more authentic southern-Italian cooking—or perhaps because of creative differences with its former pasta partner—meatballs have gone solo, assuming leading roles in restaurants from the Rocco DiSpirito–revamped Tuscan to Frank DeCarlo’s Peasant spinoff, Ápizz. Our award, however, goes to the unimpeachably authentic Neapolitan version at Il Gattopardo. Made from veal and beef and wrapped in an almost translucent Savoy-cabbage leaf that seals in the juices and makes for cute little bundles that resemble Shanghai dumplings, they’re much lighter than their Americanized cousins, airiness being the mark of a good meatball. Salerno-born chef Vito Gnazzo serves them three to an order as an appetizer on a bed of baby greens with a fragrant thyme-white-wine sauce—one bite and you’ll never think of them as spaghetti’s sidekick again.
Our buddy and fellow blogger (oh yeah, and he imports wine or something) Joe Dresner is getting a little attention. Word is this article will be picked up by a major media outlet.
seafood watch: choice for healthy oceans
Went to Restaurant Daniel for some wine (GREAT) and some snack's (OK)
We have a lovely perchlorate vinaigrette tonight.
Me? I'm just curious what Jim's going to eat on his birthday.
New York Times WD-50 review.
Kind of short? Or does it just seem that way on line? Obviously Grimes likes it.
(you can use fmhreader/fmhreader to sign into the Times)
Eating by Numbers 2003 Top 5
Grand Sichuan Midtown 8 Visits
WD50 5 Visits
66 4 Visits
Wash Park 4 Visits
Minnow 3 Visits
Usually I say only good things, but my lunch few days ago at Markt (great beer) was terrible and made me very pro flow.......last night at Mermaid Inn, couple yummy things, the rest very standard, will not give it a 2nd try......The Minnow in Brooklyn keeps me coming back, on Monday I did the $25 food and wine special, what a deal!!
so far i have kept one of my New Years resolutions, I have not been to Lupa all year yet.....
Did the "66 / WD50 Doubleheader" again last nite.....this time the Chefs from Kai were dining at WD50 so my 3 fav spots were covered.....also we were not the only one's whom went to 66 and WD50 last nite, we saw a lady eating at WD50 that was at 66 (ok she was only having drinks at 66).....p.s. best $80 wine buy in the city is at WD50 with the 1993 Mascarello Monprivato, please drink it and help support traditional Barolo!!, NO BARRIQUE!!....
The new cold carrot (ginger, cucumber, pistachio) soup at Alias is possibly the best soup I've ever had.
is that really wylie getting a little prickly on lockhart steeles site? can anyone confirm that email address? if so, i would like a gooseberry tart too.
At
Gabrielle, a small quiet spot in Mid-City NOLA, had smoked chicken gumbo, specifically to compare it with my own creation, which is not bad.
However it's clear I didn't know the meaning of smoked chicken. I tried making do with some wood chips in a propane grill at low heat. Theirs carried a strong, smokey, woody flavor that permeated the gumbo. Perhaps I should bring a proper smoker back to CA from LA on my next trip.
They also schooled me on roux. I've made roux only a few times, and go medium dark, being somewhat timid about ruining it. The deep, toasty flavor of their gumbo was the sign of a steady hand on the whisk.
Keeping with the local theme, I had redfish with a crawfish etouffe. The fish was fresh and cooked over a very hot grill after being coated with an excellent mixture of spices. It wasn't overly hot, just intense. The etouffe was light and flavorful. Perhaps the best I've had.
D had eggplant, lightly battered, fried, and served with a roasted red pepper sauce. It was inventive veggie fare with a French touch to the balance of flavors in the sauce.
Next time, I'm trying the rabbit. But the duck with wild mushrooms looked interesting too.