jen kalb's Profile
Lunch stop on drive from Bologna to Brescello?
my apologies in advance for making recommendations based on book listings and not personal experience - would Viadana (the location of Osteria da Bortolino (2 gamberi, Slowfood), closing day Thurs, be too far? Or you could stop in Reggio Emilia or Parma; distances arent so great.
ps are you sure Ai Due Platani is closed for Mon lunch?all the online sources I see still indicate its closed for Dinner that day
May 2012 Cookbook of the Month: "Food of Spain" and "Moro: the Cookbook"
If anyone lives in Brooklyn and is interested in nora chiles, or what I think are noras, at any rate, you should check out Coluccio's on 60th St which is selling these gorgeous, burnished burgundy items ($39 a pound, in long strings, they will sell as many or few as you need
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Tapas and First Courses Thread
Grilled Chicory with Sherry vinegar and ham, Moro 118
Great combo, deep flavors with the charred, bitter endive, dressed with a dressing made of reduced sherry vinegar (I used tarragon and some spanish sweet vinegar, not being able to find my sherry), blended with a crushed garlic fresh thyme, salt and olive oil and served with thin-sliced ham. this was great with crusty bread, we wiped or plates with every drop.
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Tapas and First Courses Thread
I made this dish for two tonight as part of a light dinner. 3 eggs, 10 shrimp, cut in half 6 thick asparagus spears cut into 1 in pieces and parboiled. To make the recipe, fry garlic scapes (I used a chopped scallion and some garlic chives) until starting to caramelize, add the parboiled asparagus and fry for a couple minutes, add the shrimp and cook briefly only til barely pink, add the eggs and chopped parsley and cook quickly. I thought this had a very fresh. elegant flavor, really quite delicious and I would recommend if you have the makings on hand. served with the Grilled endive and serrano ham dish from Moro (separate report) and some crusty bread.
Help, No Time, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi and Honeymoon
ps you can also look for the websites of site contributors Katie Parla, Elizabeth Minchilli and Maureen Fant - who have recommendations on their respective websites and also in the case of the first two apps which can be downloaded. If you look up Micaela Scibilia, she has an i-phone app for Venice, if you are an I-phone user
Help, No Time, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi and Honeymoon
If you search each place - or even look at the threads in related discussion right next to this column - you will probably get enough ideas to get you through. For Amalfi, Id walk over to Atrani and visit La Paranza (seafood) - we liked it a lot. There is also a fine bakery in the amalfi town square, near the cathedral.. Personally the places we liked most on our most recent visits were Da Mario and Il Fagioli in florence, Trattoria Monti, Armando Al Pantheon in Rome, and Anice Stellato and Alla Zucca in Venice. Like I said, read the threads and hope you will post back about your experiences.congratulations and have a lovely trip.
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
I pulled out his Straits Chinese cookbook and remembered why it was annoying - he wrote it when in London and seems to have some kind of a tie in to a dried spice producer - consequently, many of the recipes call for things like powdered dry galangal, lemongrass and belacan. this alternates with recipes that call for things like ginger blossoms, local fishes and belimbing (sour star fruit) which cant really be found here
He has other more recent books (like Shiok!) out and there and there are some other pretty good books (even the Periplus) covering singapore cooking. .
need suggestion for tonight
ps the steak we had at Al Pompiere a few years back was not a thick rib steak etc such as we would expect in the US - nor was it a big bloody fiorentino - but it was a very beefy and tasty cut of meat - but its been a few years and they may not be offiering it now so thinking about this some more, I would not count on it as a steak destination....
need suggestion for tonight
Have you been to Trattoria Monti yet? Its in your area and very good , but you would need a reservation.
Il Pompiere in the Ghetto has steaks, artichokes and a nice atmosphere (set in an old palace)
Pipero al Rex is near you - would be a more expensive meal, however (I havent visited but others here have praised)
To our CH friends in Bologna
an opportunity to help for some - report on effect on parmigiano factories
http://www.dissapore.com/
Going to Rome June 3rd through June 7th! What and where are the can't miss places for a food lover?!?
If you have not been to Rome before, my best advice is to review recent recommendations and trip reports here and see what restaurant recommendations strike your fancy. Its a big restaurant town, and there isn't any one must go. If you then tailor your request a bit more - with your desired price range, neighborhood or type of food (creative? traditional roman?) you may get more of a response.
At this season I would keep my eyes peeled for wild strawberries - in any of the major public markets or the smaller street markets scattered through the city.
which markets you should visit really depends on where you are staying/what will be convenient to your touring plans.
Lovely season for visiting Rome, Enjoy!
Settimio al Pelligrino and more from Rome
wondering what you ate at Osteria al Pistoia - from the name you would think its Tuscan.
enjoying your report!
is there an equivalent TRAVEL site like CHOWHOUND (we need a "TRAVEL-HOUND" site)
I used Indiamike extensively when I was planning my India trip - its a great forum, with better coverage than Fodors for example - but at least when I participated, it wasnt a great source of info on eating for people seriously interested in food, Also, by and large its not geared for travelers who want to travel in relative comfort and style. India is a huge fascinating country and I just wish there were better travel resources for it.
is there an equivalent TRAVEL site like CHOWHOUND (we need a "TRAVEL-HOUND" site)
Id say Fodors is the best in this connection especially with regard to itinerary planning, and trip reports, but Im not sure there is any place that combines this with reviews and commentary that show much connoisseurship, like Chowhound can on the food side.
Train from Rome to Naples - What about lunch?
have to check the opening hours, though. If you are going to haul yourself over the the Capella Sansevero you will be walking right past a lot of worthy signts and eats. Why not have your lunch get down to Positano and allocate a bigger block of time to actually visit central naples on the way back, Then you can stop at one of the Pizzerie in the centro before heading back to rome..
Park Slope lunch with Dad
Scalino is a new one on me, interested in hearing more.
I differ on the Istanbul Park adana kebab - the version I had was fairly boring. I dont know if they are making their own bread again - that made all the difference.
If Dad likes Chinese or Middle-Eastern, Tofu on 7th, with its Szechuan dishes, and Mr. Felafel both have very good food informal formica decor..
Taking Food From Italy into the US (Customs?)
we carry olive oil, jams, liqueur, and wine routinely in our checked luggage back from italy . after carrying cushioning material in the past, we have concluded that dirty cloths wrapped firmly and thickly around bottles are perfectly good cushioning material. You can bag the item too if you are insecure.
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Fish, Poultry, and Meat Thread
We had a leftover last night with some brown rice from the frig - its hard to microwave tuna without overcooking it but it was still very good if a little less red in the middle.the contrast of the parsley and lemon against the sweetness of the onions and sherry really brings out the flavor of the dish.
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Fish, Poultry, and Meat Thread
ATUN CON OLOROSO, TUNA WITH OLOROSO SHERRY, MORO p. 198
This dish was a fairly simple and also successful marriage of grilled tuna with a mess of oloroso-flavored caramelized onions. The thick tuna slice are firstrubbed with crushed garlic and salt and then marinated for an hour in 1/3 of the medium sweet oloroso. i had only dry oloroso so I used a scant tsp of sugar with the recipe. Three large spanish onions are then thinly sliced and sauteed in olive oil until caramelized. I used less oil so this stuck occasionally, but the addition of a little water loosened it up again. Took about 1/2 hr per recipe. The remaining oloroso was added and the sauce cooked until the liquid was absorbed. I set aside until it was time for final preparation of the dish
The tuna is then removed from the marinade and fried (or grilled) to just shy of the desired state of rareness or doneness. Here the recipe instructions lacked precision, calling for the tuna to be fried briefly on both sides - so consult your experience or other resources on the time. the onions and remaining marinade are added and all is reheated together briefly and served out onto a plate, then scattered with chopped parsley. The recommended squeeze of lemon really made a difference in bringing out the contrasting flavors in the dish. Make sure you add enough salt ( we wound up using the salt shaker fairly freely)
Fine flavor, and a dish we will make again.
ps I feel like someone else wrote an account of this dish but I couildnt find it - maybe I had composed it in my head!
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Soups, Vegetables, Starches, and Legumes Thread
I dont know if FOS includes it but some sauteed garlic cloves improve this dish. - and its good with watercres or broccoli raab too, per versions served in southern italy, where the spanish/moorish cuisine had an influence.
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
Yes Terry Tan has Nonya background is based in Singapore and is has been writing books on Singaporean and other related cuisines for many years now.
I think I bought Straits Cuisine 20 or so years ago in London.
Looking for International Market and Best Coffee Beans in Venice
for your coffee, you might look for Caffe del Doge - their original cafe is near the Rialto Market
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=caffe+del+doge+venezia&fb=1&gl=us&hq=caffe+del+doge&hnear=0x477eaf0a53526f1f:0x407098715915fb0,Venice,+Italy&cid=2783140457291166489&ei=d5S7T4aiI-G16gG3yuHWCg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=1&ved=0CJgBEOIJMAA
Ive also seen recommendations for Torrefazione Costarica, on the Strada Nuova in Cannaregio, but havent actually shopped there.
I think Id look in some of the larger Venetian supermarkets for your horseradish or bring it along with you. The dried mustard should be available in the supermarkets. the main "spice store" in Venice is Drogheria Mascari, also near the Rialto, you could check there also for your items.
May 2012 COTM: Food of Spain and Moro The Soups, Vegetables, Starches, and Legumes Thread
Made this paella last night and it came together very nicely and pleased our family group. Its also a very pretty dish with the freshly cooked spinach. I do agree that the pork was not a big enhancement - I used some boneless country spare rib meat and it was a little bland.
I didnt have nora peppers so soaked a dry mexican chile, but it dod not add much flavor. Daughter commented that this could have used some spice, end everyone salted vigorously.
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
this pretty much summed up the reaction of daughter and her boyfriend. Seems like it was a real mess. In addition, the only food available was full plates rather than sample size, which really limited the appeal of the event. Problems with the beer too, payment methods, etc. you name it, amateur night. She left, he got sunburn waiting around in the sun.
Where to buy a chocolate Kouign Amann in San Francisco on Sunday?
just want to mention that I sampled the La Boulange version earlier this week (Fillmore street about 9 am) on my lightning visit to SF and it was a totally forgettable routine pastry, like any old commercial puff pastry product, no noticeable carmelization or buttery/salty quality. Not worth the investment, at all. Im still waiting to have a "real" kouign amman .
Talde...is it worth it?
Ive been reading all these threads and still cant get a feel for the inherent merit of this restaurant or whether we would find it worth a visit- would we be talking about it if there hadnt been the Top Chef exposure?
