Jonathan

The doughnuts at Pupatella are not made by Enzo and never have been. They are made (along with the other bread and pastries) by Chris Deutsch (aka Hot! Hot! Bakery).

Chris was a civilian with a real job for many years, but started baking when living in France a few years ago. His stuff is very good and will be sold wholesale soon.

where did I have dessert?

Palena

DC9 is a great little bar (and music venue) and the food is great. One of the best burgers in the city, delicious fries and more of the usual suspects. Nothing pretentious.

Disclaimer: the chef and co-owner is a former co-worker of mine (3 plus years at Palena...so get a freakin' burger already!)

He was a redshirt at Virginia Tech during their glory days. And during a scrimmage he did indeed sack Michael Vick. Twice.

We will miss Logan. He is a wonderful chef, co-worker, peer and friend. And he sacked Michael Vick. Twice. In college.

Our loss is Seattle's gain.

No need to sigh bitterly. You can place an order at the new Palena market for caramels and other things.

Holy Neptune’s trident!

There are quite a few varieties of bouillabaisse, “bouillabaise” being a general term from the provençal dialect of Occitan bolh (it boils) and abaissa (it reduces), and there is no official standard, though clearly Joe’s experience was exceptional refinement and adhered to traditional ingredients and the fabled adage that “one waits for bouillabaisse but bouillabaisse waits for no one.” What differentiates L’Ane Rouge’s bouillabaisses from clumsy fish stews are proper technique (rapid boil) and ingredients. Most important is that the traditional bouillabaisse is not a soup. Any liquid remaining is to be sopped up with the croutons. The salty Reggiano is an interesting garnish since cheese and fish don’t mix traditionally. Were there any marsh crabs?

It originated in Marseille and the addition of potatoes is distinctive to the version of Toulon (which is said to repulse fans from Marseille); the potatoes and tomatoes weren’t introduced until 2 millennia after its Greco-Roman inception. Maurice “Curnonsky” Edmond Sailland claimed that angels carried the first bouillabaisse from heaven to feed shipwrecked saints while others posit that Venus prepared the dish for her husband Vulcan, hoping it would knock him out so that she could flirt with Mars.

My grandfather spoke Occitan provençal and told me of a thriftier saffronless bouillabaisse “aigo-sau” (water-salt) which had fewer species of fish and there is even a bouillabaisse “borgne” (one eyed) egg-xample or “aigo sau l’ióu” (water-salt-egg), perhaps when fish was not within reach (no depth perception). In this country, more often than not, bouillabaisse is a saffron sea-broth soup with turmeric tinted potatoes, fennel flavorings and an indiscriminate swath from the Mayflower Hotel’s seafood buffet -which isn’t to say that they are inherently bad- but probably fall under other regional bouillabaisse substitutes: “aziminu” in Corsica, “zarzuela” in Spain, “cacciucco” in Tuscany, “suquet de piex” in Catalonia or "flotsam & jetsam & shrimps" in Bridgeport, Conn.

who let this guy be a member?

My husband and I are going up to New York in February. We absolutely love tasting menus with wine pairings. We would like to do two...one night at a well-known New York restaurant (was thinking Babbo) and the second night at a less formal, hipper place (maybe in East Village, Nolita, etc). I was hoping for something that was more about the wine...and maybe served with small plates? I know this is specific! Any help? If it helps we are in our late 20's.

Gottino in Greenwich Village, and Inoteca on the lower east side would fulfill your hip/great wine/small plates meal.

i am very interested in ny spicy food event...please keep me posted.

last week i got a jerk chicken platter, fried plantains and a homeade fruit punch and it was as satisfying a meal as i have had in a long, long time.

and the $3.40 jerk chicken sandwich is a lunch time steal.

that was some shitty data entry...l

i have never had a good restaurant cassoulet.

Wow. That is a really harsh statement. I recently met Ellen and she was gracious and enthusiastic. Equinox is an important part of the restaurant community not just because of their quality of food, but their philosophy about food.

The meals I have had at Equinox have always been above par and the service exceeds expectations. Even at lunch they do little things to make everyone dining there feel special.

i never said he or his wife werent nice...or gracious...or enthusiastic...my statement was not meant to be harsh in anyway.

Todd Gray isn't "back," because he was never "gone." We just were looking elsewhere at newer, more flirtatious conquests while he quietly plied his trade, confident that we would return.

i didnt think todd gray "quietly" plied at his trade...his wife, ellen, is a PR machine. (not a value judgment, just a fact)

Looking to find information about working in a kitchen in either France, Italy or somewhere else in Europe. Have had a difficult time finding information on the internet.

Restaurant should be top-notch...should hopefully be able to accomodate an english speaking cook. pay is not important.

Please let me know if you have any ideas where to start looking, as well as any individual restaurants (Joe H????????)

Regards,

Jonathan

with my new ipod , i am hoping that there is some correlation between downloading music and weight loss. other than that, my new years resolution was to read more, not lose weight.

It actually took me awhile to buy a bottle of olive oil because of the high fat content, though it is the monounsaturated fat which is good for you. Of course, very light hand on everything... but what do you suggest using instead? Actually last night i roasted some eggplant with salt, black pepper, garlic and some crushed red pepper... deeelish

you need a little olive oil or butter or pork fat or duck fat or something nice and natural to help lubricate things and bring out the flavors. a little of anything is good for you.

tonight:

chickpea soup garnished with chorizo, roasted cauliflower and parsley

fresh baked wheat sourdough bread

can i come over?

But what impressed me most about Eve (and then later at the PX) was the people. Our waiter was spectacular - offering enthusiastic information about our food selections with a real personal interest. Todd Thrasher's wine selections were spot-on (as were our waiter's) and his drinks (at both Eve and the PX) do not need further description by me here. Every host, waiter - every staff member seemed genuinely to care about what they were doing - creating a real community within the walls of the restaurant. You could taste the care in the food and sense it in the service - I cannot think of a better way to have dinner!

this is true and what helps distinguish Eve from the other restaurants out there.

A Terry Theise import, this thing comes sealed with a BEER CAP - you have to use a bottle opener to get it off, and once it's off, it's off. Picked it up at MacArthur's sale for $8.99 for a liter (a normal-sized bottle is 3/4 liter), and it's a pretty darned good table wine, too - works out to about $1.50 for each 5-ounce glass. A stunning example of the great 2005 vintage at work, even at the lowest pradikats.

Coincidentally, I had my first-ever Gruner Veltliner Trockenbeerenauslese a couple of weeks ago, served by none other than the Theise-meister himself (at CityZen, no less). Remarkable stuff. Surprisingly dark for (if I remember correctly) a 1998 - GV TBA gets brown quickly.

this has been my friends and mine go-to quaffing wine when we get together for a meal and wine. a fin deal indeed.

semper fi.

Good answer my friend, you should be more clear and honest.

i fear i am in the minority and do not want to ruffle any feathers.

is this a serious restaurant or just a place for Roberto to place his staff while his real restaurant is undergoing renovations?

i made a tres leches cake yesterday with a pomegrante-orange-mint topping.