GDSwamp's Profile
When the host is late serving the meal - also rude? Is it ok for guests to leave?
Yay for freia. Agreed on all counts.
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
No but now I will (when I get a chance). There's (clearly) a ton of stuff in the city I don't know about. I stay in my work's rental cottage in Karen when I'm in town, which means I'm a bit isolated. Now I'll add Loresho to the list of neighborhoods I need to check out. Wish they'd finish up on that new edition of the A-to-Z.
Which reminds me, SLS, you'll probably want to get a copy of a book called the Nairobi A-Z, which is a sort of Thomas guide (if you know L.A.) for the city's roads. I'm not sure that even Google maps has yet covered all the intricacies of getting around the city. Joseph -the driver about whom I just emailed you - will also have good advice about which roads to use and which to avoid, at least for someone new to the city.
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
SLS, it looks like you live in my old neighborhood (north slope), which I know because I was looking at your profile and trying to figure out how to send you an email with contact info for the great driver I use when I'm in the city without a car ( in case you'll be needing a ride from the airport ). Let me know if that'd be useful, and if so, where I can send the information.
Anyway knowing you're in Brooklyn reminds me how much I miss real bagels when I'm in Kenya. You can get a "bagel" at Java House (local chain of coffee shop / cafes), but it's really just a piece of round bread with a hole punched in it. Not sure there's much you can do, though, except learn to make your own.
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
Well, that would be great. And I'll bring chipotles.
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
My problem is that I'm only in town for short periods at a time, so it's not reasonable for me to order wine by the case. Your advice will hopefully be very useful to the OP. For myself, I need more friends in the city to follow your lead in wine purchasing, and then invite me over to help them consume the stuff.
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
Seems like I've been drinking with the wrong people...
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
waytob - thanks for the syrup info. Knowing where to get that particular foodstuff means more than, maybe, it should.
SLS - agree definitely with WTB about bringing in loops - or anything really. My approach to customs at Jomo Kenyatta has always been to smile, wave, and keep walking. If you do actually end up having your bags checked, I suspect they'd ignore your cereal. And if, finally, they both inspected your luggage and confiscated your Froot Loops, well, it's not the end of the world, I hope (not like losing your bourbon).
Also - per waytob's helpful input on the syrup issue, you might want to post a follow-up question on where to go for specialty foods in the city. Even the different Nakumatt locations can have different selections, and then there are some kinds of foods that you'll only find in a few stores. waytob will know a lot more than I do (I'm just a frequent visitor for work), so I'll be interested in what you find out as well.
Finally I want to amend the alcoholic-beverages discussion to say that, although it's true that decent wine can be had in Nairobi, the standard is pretty far below what you'd easily find in any major US city, and the markup for the good stuff is extreme. My understanding is that the Wines of the World shop in Kileleshwa has good bottles, but at exorbitant prices. So you might want to add some wine to your liquor-cabinet suitcase.
(by the way I just googled Wines of the World to recheck the neighborhood and found it referenced on this web site - http://www.wordofmouth.co.ke - which might be useful. At a glance I see listings for things like Italian supermarkets, bike shops, etc.)
Moving to Nairobi from US - foodstuffs to take?
I'd like to know where waytob is getting maple syrup - I've not seen it and although I've heard of people getting it, I think the price gets very high (much like the markup for specialty liquors that (s)he mentions).
If you cook with a lot of different herbs and spices you may want to bring some of your more obscure favorites. The major spice companies here tend to offer a selection that leans toward flavors found in Asian and Middle Eastern cooking (as opposed to European). So there's plenty of cumin, not so much savory or chervil. It's also sometimes hard to find unground, unpowdered spices, like whole black peppercorns, mustard seed, etc.
More generally, I'd say think about what kinds of things you like to cook and eat and then amend your post with some more specifics. For example, there's not a strong latin-american food culture in Nairobi (that I'm aware of) so if you cook much mexican food I'd think about bringing canned chipotles. But not knowing what your food inclinations are I'm not sure what other items to recommend bringing.
The selection at the markets here does seem to get better all the time, and the basic standard of produce and meat and such is very high, so you won't suffer much even if you have to make some adjustments. I don't know about Nestle's morsels though.
Great NY Noodletown ginger-scallion sauce - makeable?
Made it tonight. Solid recipe, very delicious, takes no time at all and makes a lovely translucent-green oil.
the greatest pizza ever
Stella's crust is seldom soggy in my experience, so if you tried it only once and were put off by sogginess, maybe give it another shot.
On the other hand if you've tried it multiple times and still have a sogginess complaint, it's possible we have different definitions of "soggy", and then we're really screwed.
Anyplace in Philly Chinatown comparable to NY Noodletown?
hey hey, this sounds good. I'm going.
Great NY Noodletown ginger-scallion sauce - makeable?
That's true. And there's one recipe online here:
http://www.salon.com/2010/06/19/ginger_scallion_sauce_recipe/
that has you heat the oil and then pour it over the scallion-ginger mix. So maybe I'll try that one first.
Great NY Noodletown ginger-scallion sauce - makeable?
All good thoughts, on a worthy topic. I'll take your master-batch experiment suggestion, and will possibly try out multiple chopping methods as well.
Now do you have a recipe for homemade char siew?
Great NY Noodletown ginger-scallion sauce - makeable?
I know that that's basically it, but
that's it?
I'm only (faintly) skeptical because:
a- that's more or less Chang's recipe but his ends up with a slightly harsh bite where the GNYN sauce is sort of sweet. I wondered if there might be a little sugar or other sweetener in there.
b- I also wondered if the unbelievable compelling deliciousness of the sauce might be due to a little help from MSG. I spend a decent amount of time in countries where MSG is a standard condiment and I love the stuff and think the weirdly moralistic stance we have on it is... weird. It's a seasoning. So if there's MSG in there, I want to know so I can put it in mine.
But if you're confident, fourunder, then I guess I should just try again with a big pile of scallions, ginger, oil and some salt.
the greatest pizza ever
The pizza at Stella (2nd just about South downtown) can stand with the best pies anywhere. And a nice thing (with regard to your goals for the man in your life) is that their pepperoni is terrific but pies are small, so you can order a frillier one alongside if you want. Plus there are in-betweeners on the menu with frilly-sounding ingredients and solid, old-fashioned pizza goodness, and good salads and small plates as well.
Great NY Noodletown ginger-scallion sauce - makeable?
I've made David Chang's ginger-scallion sauce, but Great NY Noodletown's is better. Does anyone have a recipe they think gets it right? I live in Philadelphia now and for some reason our Chinatown doesn't seem to have a joint like GNYN, so I'm going to see if I can do it at home (though I'll never beat the prices).
Going to make steak tartare - who's your best, most trustworthy butcher? And can (s)he cook?
I love steak tartare but it's not a dish you see often around here. So I want to try making it myself.
Obviously I want the best, freshest beef possible, and it'd be a bonus if the butcher who provides it would offer good advice on the best cut to use.
Who are the best, most food-knowledgeable butchers in town? I'm in Mt. Airy but I work in Center City and I'd travel (within reason) to get great meat from a helpful purveyor.
Anyplace in Philly Chinatown comparable to NY Noodletown?
Yeah, I have to get out to Sang Kee. The one time I want (to the Wynnewood location) they were out of duck. So i'll have to try again.
Anyplace in Philly Chinatown comparable to NY Noodletown?
Just met friends in NYC at Great NY Noodletown, where we had amazing delicious simple supercheap plates of sliced roast duck, chicken and bbq pork over rice with big spoonfuls of absurdly good ginger-scallion sauce. $4.75 for a heaping plate, I ate it all and could've eaten another plateful.
I've been a Philadelphian awhile but still don't know our Chinatown well - are there places I can go for a similar meal?
Am I alone here: underwhelmed by Zahav?
Wife and I are right with you. The hummus(es), laffa and pickles are fantastic. The cocktails are also great. But the hot dishes are not only small but, on average, aren't that exciting. One way to think of it is that Zahav can be one of the best cheap early dates in the city: if you go for happy hour and get just cold salads and hummus, you can have a great meal and great drinks, in a very nice room, for not much money.
Good food in good walking neighborhoods in Pittsburgh?
Ok, well, I haven't left yet, Burghfeeder. Anyplace else I should know about for breakfast before we settle on Pamela's (Cafe Raymond is closed...)
Good food in good walking neighborhoods in Pittsburgh?
Thanks for the ideas Jay F (and Chowrin). We tried to go to Piccolo Forno but they were closed for some reason, so we ended up at Dish Osteria based on a friend's rec, where we had a really enjoyable meal and good cocktails.
Most exciting food of the day, though, was definitely the lunch counter at the back of the Polish deli next door to the Penn Avenue Fish Co on the Strip. Maybe the best pierogis - fried crisp in tons of butter - and kielbasy I've had. No frills but none needed. Maybe this is run-of-the-mill food for people who live here, but it was really exciting for us. I could eat there every day for a week (and end it with a nice heart attack on Sunday).
Had a great time at the excellent Nat'l History museum. All in all a really good day in the city.
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Dish Osteria Bar
128 S 17th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Piccolo Forno
3801 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
What do you eat when you drive to Pittsburgh?
I'm leaving Mt. Airy at 6ish tonight and driving to Pittsburgh for the first time. It'd be so nice if I could pull off for dinner at a real burgers stand, or a non-chain diner, instead of a food court.
Anyone out there have a favorite place off of the turnpike?
Good food in good walking neighborhoods in Pittsburgh?
This weekend my son and I are visiting my wife in Pittsburgh, where she's working for a month. She hasn't had a chance to explore the city at all (at ALL), and I've never been, so we are pretty clueless (or: open-minded) about where to go, what to do, and what to eat.
I have heard good (but sort of vague) things about the city and in my head I see us walking around some interesting neighborhood, looking in stores or a museum or gallery or something, and stopping for lunch or dinner in a place that serves good, homey, Pittsburgh-y food (whatever that might mean).
Pittsburghers (Pittsburghians?) - do those kinds of neighborhoods (with those kinds of restaurants) exist? If so, where should I go, and what should I eat when I get there?
Great (or good) road food between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh?
I'm heading out of Philadelphia around 6pm tonight and driving w/ my little boy to meet his mom in Pittsburgh. I figure we'll be looking to pull off and eat sometime between 7:00 and 8:30. It'd be great if we could do that eating at a real burger stand, or a rib place, or anything that's not a rest-stop foodcourt.
Anyone have any places they love, or like, or mostly like, that are near the road?
Standing Rib Roast: Jacques Pepin destroys the NY Times.
Haha. This is great. I'm curious how your mother knew Claiborne and what she disliked about him. He's a bit before my time but I imagine that the way my friends and relatives invoke the Wisdom of Bittman gives an echo of the Craig Claiborne era.
The other comments are also interesting and very welcome. I appreciate cowboyardee's and biondanonima's ideas about the how the heat-retaining quirks of a given oven could mess with the efficacy of the cool-down cooking method.
It's true that if you had (especially) one of those thermometers where the probe sits in the meat and attaches by cord to an external readout, it would take a lot of the guesswork out of cooking a roast. But then, the whole point of the Seranne/Claiborne method was supposed to be that if you simply used the per-pound chart printed with the article you could count on a perfectly cooked roast without doing a lot of opening and closing and poking and checking. If you have to jigger and rejigger the technique to account for changes in oven-manufacturers' insulation standards, the presence of a pizza stone, etc., then it's not much of a worry saver.
I was impressed, in contrast, by how Pepin's method seemed to immune to those sorts of little variations. His actual recipe was for a six-lb. roast (after trimming) while mine was closer to eight. But he said that after the hour at 400, the internal temperature would be 85-90 - and it was. And the best thing was how uniformly rare-side-of-medium-rare the meat was after it rested at 160. I'll have to try it a few more times to confirm, but I'm hopeful that I now have a genuine surefire recipe.
One addendum: When recipes call for a major downward change in temperature (as, in this one, from 400 to 160) I'm never sure whether the writer is taking into account the time it takes for the oven to lose heat. In this case, when the roast had finished cooking at 400 degrees, I opened the oven door and left it open a good long time before setting the temp to 160 and closing it again.
Standing Rib Roast: Jacques Pepin destroys the NY Times.
Earlier this year Amanda Hesser had a compelling article in the Times about standing rib roast; compelling in the sense that, after I read it, I felt compelled to try the recipe that Hesser was promoting. It was a resurrected technique from a 1960s article by Craig Claiborne (borrowed, in turn, from former Gourmet editor Ann Seranne) that called for roasting the meat for a short time at a very high temperature (500 degrees), then turning off the heat and letting it coast in to perfect doneness as the oven cooled.
Hesser's write-up offered the recipe as a lost and rediscovered treasure, and I got all squirmy and hungry looking at the crisp-fatted, dark brown roast pictured in the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/magazine/30Food-t-000.html
So I tried it, and when it produced a gray, dry, grimly overcooked roast I tried it again. I am not a pro by any stretch, but I think I'm a better-than-competent cook, and there aren't many variables in Hesser/Claiborne/Seranne's recipe to screw up. Still, I figured I must have done something wrong on the first attempt and so I was hyper-vigilant the second time around. The second roast was grayer, dryer and tougher than the first. Worse, the recipe instructs you to "allow the roast to remain in the oven until oven is lukewarm," so once you added time to bring it to the table, gather guests, carve and serve, I had a tough, gray, dry, and cold roast, which translated to a lot of depressing leftovers.
I still think I must have done something wrong, since this recipe has to have been tested many times, successfully, on the way to being printed and reprinted. But whatever I did must be a kind of mistake that plenty of folks could make.
Anyway, this weekend my family got together to celebrate my sister's birthday and she requested a standing rib roast. This was now a more-or-less dreadful assignment, but I decided to try out a method, this one from Jacques Pepin Celebrates. Our 7ish-pound, three-rib roast got 30 minutes at 425 and an hour at 400, after which I dropped the oven to 160 and let the meat rest inside, uncovered, for an hour.
God, it was perfect. Lovely and brown outside, rose-red all the way through. And the long spell resting in the warm oven meant that the roast was warm throughout our meal.
So I strongly recommend the Pepin recipe to anyone who's interested (it's available via Good Morning America here:)
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Holidays/recipe?id=6942580
And, since I still think I must've blown it, I'm very interested to hear from anyone who made the Times' recipe work.
Substitute for instant tapioca in sour cherry pie?
yeah, it worked really well. I should add that I had pitted all my cherries into a tupperware and let them sit for just a bit before I got started on the filling. So when I did the part where you cook a cup of the cherries w/ the sugar, I also poured in all the cherry juice that had collected. It works nicely because you get to cook down the juice without overcooking the actual fruit.
