Over the weekend I cooked pork shoulder for the first time. When I pulled it out to shred, it smelled very much like a farm. Very um, barnyard-y. I've not had this experience with tenderloin or chops, but on occasion I've had ribs they were very "porky" for lack of a better term. It wasn't TERRIBLE tasting, but I prefer the aforementioned "cleaner" smelling and tasting cuts of meat. This was picked up at a regional supermarket with an in-house butcher, was not old from what I could tell, etc. Is this common and how pork shoulder is supposed to taste?

Curious as to whether anyone has been here yet? Seems like they have a pretty decent chef (credential-wise) and the reviews are good but a few appear to be shilling from what I can tell. Presentation seems kind of dated, but that's not really what matters. I wish there were more purely sushi restaurants around here rather than pan-Asian style.

If you are near Woodbury, Woodbury Deli and Catering has a FANTASTIC apple pie. Highly recommended. Too late to order one for Thanksgiving at this point I'd imagine, but it's worth ordering anyway!

Has anyone been here? It was recommended by a chef of a restaurant I frequent. Menu looks very nice, chef worked at Noma, but yelp reviews lean toward really mixed reviews on service. Any recommendations for dishes from recent meals here?

Hey all, was wondering if anyone know of an Italian bar/restaurant that will have a good game day atmosphere for the final vs. Spain? Any of the boroughs are fine, but I will be meeting up with friends from Brooklyn, so that would be a priority. Are there any good spots in Carroll Gardens, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, etc.?

Hey Rae, looked this place up as I'm looking for a place as well. Were a lot of people focused on the match? Or was it very casual watching because they happened to be there at the time it was going on? Looking for a place with halfway decent food and a gameday atmosphere where an Italian fan isn't in enemy territory.

Daniel is close to unbearably stuffy for me. Treated like garbage nearly from start to end. Never again.

I love both but I'm much more of a fan of Babbo's atmosphere than Del Posto's...I find the latter too stuffy and dainty (but if you're looking for a formal atmosphere and the menu appeals to you more at Babbo, there is the upstairs). I also think that Babbo still remains one of the best values in the city, particularly their pasta menu, which I don't think has increased all that substantially in price for a number of years now (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). The only downside of Babbo for me (haven't been in over two years I think) was the maitre'd who to me is a huge jerk. I'm not sure if he's still there. Bald man.

Not even top 30...it's perfectly serviceable and well executed like you said though.

You're right about Forcella now that I think about it and remember the space in back of the oven. They decided on Don Antonio, hope it's good!

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone! I love Motorino, I recently had the fried pizza at Forcella and it was fantastic, but it doesn't seem like a good spot for six people unfortunately (that I can remember anyway). Don Antonio seems to have a solid antipasti menu which helps. Perhaps I'll try to steer him in this direction...

Hey all, trying to help my brother in law out on short notice. He's trying to find a place for Friday before an event at Radio City (which is at 10PM) for dinner. In terms of cuisine, fairly safe along the lines of New/Traditional American, Italian (a great Neopolitan pizza place included, has anyone been to Don Antonio), perhaps Spanish. Anyone have any ideas? No more than a bottle of wine will be purchased, if at all.

Not surprising. Thought it was terrible.

Awesome report, uhockey. Don't post much but I read your blog quite regularly. Agree with you on pretty much everything above, but regardless of style, I think John's is pretty poor...the ingredients just all-around are subpar, and I don't think the style of pizza necessarily means it shouldn't make use of the great ingredients places like Co., Motorino, etc. use or that a style should be given a pass. I think even "for what it is," John's simply isn't very good. The appeal to me is mystifying...you can find that slice in every run of the mill pizza place in the tri-state area. I guess the old school thing is kind of cool, but that's about all I can say about the place.

Hey all, I want to make a sauce that calls for demi-glace, but at this point, I don't really have the time required to make it. I was wondering, does anyone have a favorite storebought one, or is the difference in taste between homemade and storebought so vast that it's best to avoid? I've read that Williams Sonoma's isn't too bad. I'm aiming more for the consistency that demi-glace provides than a taste I suppose. Most of the sauces I've made are kind of runny, so I'm hoping for something more syrupy. Is demi-glace the best way to achieve this, or can I do prepare something else that'll achieve similar results?

I went to Red Apron this morning...unfortunately they didn't have much left in the way of whole sausages, but I picked up some coppa. It's excellent, but unfortunately $5 for just 1oz! A little steep for a regular purchase, but I was told soppressata would be coming soon, which I'm really excited for.

Had the chocolate milk and croissants this morning. Really wonderful!

Awesome, thanks so much (and to you, ipsedixit, as well)! Can't wait to try the croissants and yogurt/chocolate milk.

Where do I get those at the market? I thought I saw a yogurt/milk stand but don't remember the name. Is YoLite the farm/dairy name? I don't see it listed on the market vendor list.

Hm, I will try that market as well! Any notable items there?

Awesome, thanks so much! The Dragon's Breath was at the Keswick Creamery stand. I had some and liked it a lot, although it might be a touch overpowering with the heat. I picked up their cheddar and the Blue Suede Moo after sampling them. Really great stuff!

After further research, I picked up the sausage from Cibola. I'll be frying a couple tonight for dinner. Thanks for the tip about Red Apron, I missed that that stand and have been looking for cured meats in the area. The lady at the register for Cibola gave me a crazy look when I asked her if she had any soppressata (as in, "what's soppressata?") or something similar. Somehow she didn't even know what it was!

I will have to look into the rest! I knew I should've picked up some empanadas.

Hey all, went to the Dupont Farmers Market today for the second time (well, last week I went through it quickly because I had errands to run so I didn't buy anything) and really enjoyed myself. Picked up some cheese from the Keswick Creamery, honeycrisp apples from Toigo Orchards, sweet Italian sausage from a place I can't remember (they specialize in buffalo products though, it seems), and some pears. There was a bread stand at the back of the market that had quite a long line, so I passed on it, but now I'm kind of regretting it as there are no good bakeries around my area. I think it was called Atwater's, has anyone had their stuff? Just curious as to what everyone's favorite vendors and specific items are (especially meats and cheeses!).

Actual pastry. Their Italian name is (thanks to the Manhattan chowhound side!) is pesche dolci di pasta brioche.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paoletta...

I will call Villabate. I don't recall seeing them the few times I've been, but thank you for the reminder!

Hey all, was wondering if someone could help me track these down. I'm not sure of the name, but on family vacations to Calabria, they were on all the pastry trays I went. They are cakes rolled into the shape of a peach and dusted pretty liberally with sugar on the outside. They look like this:

http://images.marthastewart.com/image...

Would someone know where to find these? This is for a friend who lives in Park Slope who is willing to travel quite a bit for a really good example of one.

Hey all, was wondering if someone could help me track these down. I'm not sure of the name, but on family vacations to Calabria, they were on all the pastry trays I went. They are cakes rolled into the shape of a peach and dusted pretty liberally with sugar on the outside. They look like this:

http://images.marthastewart.com/image...

Would someone know where to find these?

Agreed. I just went there for the first time the other day. Then again I never understand the hype over Italian subs. Besides the bread and occasionally the condiments, they all sort of blend together to me and generally source from the same companies (Boar's Head). I find they put so much stuff in the sandwiches that you can't discern any differences between the meats and cheese. I can understand people finding this appealing from a value-standpoint, but I think sandwiches from Italian delis suffer quite a bit from this. I'd prefer a thinner bread and considerably less meat, I think the flavors come through better that way. There's nothing about the G-man that I couldn't replicate with ease at home, really, so I guess I just don't understand the appeal. I do, however, like the store overall and appreciate that it's sadly part of a dying breed.

I'm in Adams Morgan.

Hey all, I just moved to DC. One thing I've seen quite a bit of from going to Safeway, Giant, and Harris Teeter is that the produce is mediocre (downright poor at Safeway, which is right down the street from me). What farmer's market is generally considered the best for produce? I've read that Dupont (correct me if I'm wrong) is the largest one, so by sheer size of the selection I feel like I'll have the best luck there. Either there or Whole Foods, I suppose. Any thoughts?

I can't wait to try this. Anyone who's been - can you tell me about the fruit flavors they have? I've always liked L'Arte Del Gelato more than Grom because they generally have a lot more fruit-based flavors to choose from (although I don't live in NYC and am not a regular, so I don't know what their typical selection looks like) when I've gone. Would also be interested in sorbets as well!

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L'Arte del Gelato
75 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014

Grom
233 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

Ah, thanks for the correction. I really enjoyed it...it was great alongside a tomato salad.