Dinners this weekend

Thanks for all the recs - we went to Maryann's in Tribeca, Capsuoto Freres and Gentleman Farmer.

MaryAnn's and Gentleman Farmer were just great, although the stuffed quail at GF was a little too precious - quail stuffed with venison sausage, goat cheese and a proscuitto wrapped fig. Sort of like a turducken - too many good things smashed together for no good reason. But the ostrich steak and our apps were lovely, and the service was great. I was psychologically prepared for the small space so that wasn't much of an issue.

Maryann's was noisy and fun, with really nice food - the carne asada with hangar steak and a cheese enchilada covered in mole - yummy!

Capsuoto Freres was good French food but was eerily empty, as was its neighborhood. But the escargot, duck confit and cassoulet was really good.

Valyn in Manhattan

Dinners this weekend

We are regular New York visitors (from Boston) who've decided to go to NYC this weekend on a whim. I'm looking for some new or off-the-beaten-path places to go. We're looking for:

* Friday and Saturday nights
* In Manhattan
* French, Mexican, Spanish, Italian, game
* No high-end please
* Have to be able to get in this weekend
* Money isn't a big issue but I'm not looking for Per Se prices either
* We're packing light so we'll be smart casual (no jackets)

I'd appreciate any and all recs.

Thanks ever so,
Valyn

Valyn in Manhattan

Par boiled and frozen carrots and parsnips - now what?

I belong to a CSA and was awash in carrots and parsnips. I kept some fresh in the fridge, but just didn't have room for all of them. So after a bit of research, I cut them into chunks (two-bite size, roughly), parboiled them and froze them in baggies.

I pulled some out and roasted them last night with a bit of butter, honey and rosemary and was truly unimpressed with the results. The parsnips were mushy (I added them to the carrots after the carrots had been in the pot for about 10 minutes then cooked another 15 minutes on 400), and the carrots were cooked through but tasted boiled. There was no caramelization on the outside of either vegetable as there usually is.

So what am I doing wrong? Is this the wrong way to cook parboiled root veggies? Would appreciate any feedback, suggestions or commiseration.

Thanks!

Valyn in Home Cooking

Group Dinner Recs in Miami

Thanks everyone for the recs. We ended up at Altamare in South Beach and were very pleased. They took care of us, and the food was very nice. The vegetarian was pleased (the vegan was a no-show).

Valyn

Valyn in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Group Dinner Recs in Miami

My board of directors is having a meeting at the InterContinental in Miami, and I need a rec for a group dinner on a Monday night.

There will be 10 of us, and we all work in the travel industry so everyone is a pretty sophisticated eater. But we do have at least one vegetarian (no meat or fish) and one vegan so it will have to be a place with a decent choice of menu items for them.

Price isn't too much of an issue, and I'd favor restaurants that cater to professionals rather than tourists - we'll all be in business casual wear.

We can cab it anywhere within about five miles.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Valyn in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

North End on a Thursday night?

birdy30, thanks for the Bruins info (I'm not a hockey fan so don't keep up with them).

Fortunately, we're going Thursday Dec 15 and there is not a Bruins game in town that night!

I have a res at Marco, and we'll decide Mikes v. Modern after dinner.

Thanks to all for the recs!

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

North End on a Thursday night?

A couple friends are coming into town next week and want to eat in the North End. We're in the burbs so only make it into the North End every now and again, so I need a couple of recs.

Cost is a factor - I don't want to blow them out of the water at Mamma Maria or Prezza, but they're both pretty sophisticated foodies so I don't to go too down market either.

They will eat anything but are devoted carnivores and big eaters, so dinner will include apps, entrees and desserts (although I might just take them to Mike's for cannoli for the full north end experience), plus wine.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

parkerxt, seems to me you got what you paid for - junk. Sueatmo is right - lots of old unseasoned Lodge pans on ebay for not much money.

Valyn in Cookware

Sunday dinner rec in Hollywood

A group of us will be in town this weekend for a conference and need a place to eat on Sunday night. There will probably be six to eight of us.

We are staying at the Westin Diplomat and Crown Plaza and would like something close, preferably walkable, and on the water, as we're all coming from landlocked (and colder) places.

We have one vegetarian and all others will eat anything. Some in the party are not overly adventurous, but the food should be good quality with a decent wine list.

Any recs would be gratefully received.

Thanks!

Valyn in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

La Voile

We were just there last night, and had a great meal - foie gras, cassoulet, l'entrecote, chocolate fondant. Nice wine by the glass menu, and good service.

In the winter when the patio is closed, it can get a bit claustrophobic in there, but the staff manages the tight space pretty well.

We will definitely go back.

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Dinner near Berklee Performance Center?

Thanks all for the recs. We had dinner at La Voile on Newbury, and it was great. The night's special was cassoulet, perfect for the snowy weather last night.

And Zucchero was just fantastic!

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La Voile
261 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Restaurants near Berklee College of Music

Thanks for all the recs! My partner loves French so I've made us a reservation at La Voile, and will report back.

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La Voile
261 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Rosa Mexicano coming to Boston

I am SO excited! When I lived in NYC, we ate at the original Rosa on 1st Ave and 60th again and again and again. Whenever we visit NYC, we go back and the food is still great, service is still polished and the tableside guac is yummy and the frozen pomegranite margaritas are killer. I can't wait to visit the place in Boston.

My only comment about Rosa is that the original in NYC is very homey and comfortable, unlike the newer stores that are much more modern. The waterfall in the DC store is just odd, and the store on Columbus Circle in NYC is impossibly loud. I'm guessing the Boston location will be of the latter variety; too bad, but the food will still be good.

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

Ritcheyd, I'm the OP for this thread and my experience with eBay buying cast iron pans (I'm partial to old Lodges) have been fine. Here are some things you can do to ease your angst:
* check the sellers reviews from previous buyers
* ask for more pictures of the pan, including close-ups. If you're concerned about pitting, say so and ask for photo proof. If the seller won't accommodate you, find another seller who will.
* I found sellers generally didn't know factory pre-seasoned from originally unseasoned pans, and they generally have no idea of the age of the pan.
* don't overpay. There are some ridiculous prices on ebay for cast iron. Set up some saved searches for "Griswold" and "cast iron" and see what shows up. I bought three old Lodge cast iron pans in great shape, each for under $20.
* do your research on those numbers you list (Google them) then be very specific about what you want or you'll be disappointed. Sellers can't read your mind.

No matter what you buy, any used cast iron pan should be sanded, scrubbed and re-seasoned by you. There are other posts in this board about how to do that.

Good luck!

Valyn in Cookware

Dinner near Berklee Performance Center?

We have tix to Zucchero on Saturday night at BPC, and am looking for recs for dinner before, somewhere within walking distance.

We'll just just about anything, and price isn't too much of an issue. We'd just have to be out by 7:30ish to get to the hall by 8pm.

Thanks!

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

Help! Need to give a gift certificate to a Milwaukee friend but I don't live there!

KoolWhip and Sailing77, thanks to both of your for your recs. A gift card from bartollattas is in the mail!

Valyn

Valyn in Great Lakes

Help! Need to give a gift certificate to a Milwaukee friend but I don't live there!

A friend did a HUGE favor for me and now I need to thank him. He and wife live in Milwaukee so I thought I'd get him a gift certificate to a nice date place, fairly upscale (no chains but not the best place in town either). They are foodies and fairly adventurous, and while I have no idea where in the city they live, he travels often so won't mind driving across town.

I live in Boston so have no clue where to start. Any suggestions for me?

Thanks very much,
Valyn

Valyn in Great Lakes

Brussels conundrum

I know the OP has already gone to BRU, but I've been following this post with interest and ate quite well this week because of it. I am not a vegetarian but I eat like one sometimes, and there's so much beef available in BRU that the occasional veggie meal is welcome.

Since it's late May, the town is awash in asparagus and I had a great dish last night in the Park Side Bistro. It's in a dead part of town, deep in the European Quarter (I was here for some EC meetings) but the food was wonderful - slices of white and green asparagus with morels and a poached egg, all in a lovely broth in a big bowl. And the service at this place was very nice, polished and professional. The clientele are all well-off Euros and Americans working at the EC.

I looked around for moules but they are apparently out of season so the better restaurants didn't serve them (although most of the tourist traps do - wonder where they get them). I also went to a local chain Steak Frit (I wanted to go to Le Fourneau but it was closed on Mondays) where I had a very nice steak and extra good frites. Tonight I went to Lola and had a really good meal - more asparagus (when in Rome...) with pancetta and another poached egg (I love eggs) and some house-made terrine de foie gras. I ate at the bar and the service was excellent, even though the bartender tipped an entire glass of rose on me. My two other glasses of wine were on the house and she and the manager were very apologetic and gracious. I go home to Boston tomorrow so it's not a big deal, but I won't be wearing these jeans on the plane!

I loved the Place de Sablon and wish I hadn't discovered it on my last night. I'll be back in a few months and that will be the first place I go!

Valyn in Europe

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

So an update - I bought a 12-inch unseasoned Lodge skillet from a highly-rated seller on ebay and at my request, he posted pics for me of the pan on a flat surface, of the lodge imprint on the bottom and several close-ups of the interior of the pan.

The pan is in great shape, just a bit of surface rust, no pitting and it's not in the slightest bit warped. It will be easy to strip and re-season.

I paid $18.80 including shipping. New (pre-seasoned) pans of this size sell for $15 on Amazon, so I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

BUT it's not a 12-inch pan as he advertised, it's a 10-inch which I already have! So now I have two good unseasoned 10-inch pans but no 12-inch. I've found a 12-inch on ebay and have put a bid on it.

The moral of this story - take care of your unseasoned pans. They will get harder and harder to replace!

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

Will47, on that page it clearly states "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

Will47, I have an email from Lodge saying they quit making unseasoned cookware in 2006. So if you can find new unseasoned Lodge it will have been sitting on a shelf somewhere for at least five years

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

So has anyone bought cast iron from this company - http://www.bakertowne.com/621/3pc-Set-Cast-Iron-Pans-8,-10-&-12-Inches-New-Unseasoned.html? Any feedback?

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

HI Abimom. I can't find those pans on Boscov's site - they only carry Lodge now and all are pre-seasoned. Better take care of yours!

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

FYI to all, I contacted Lodge directly and asked if they still sold un-seasoned cookware. Here's the response I got:

We no longer offer the un-seasoned cookware. All our cookware is now pre-seasoned.

Thank you,
Customer Service
Lodge Manufacturing Company

How short-sighted.

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

Coincidentally I do live in Boston, so thanks for the recommendation - I've never heard of the place but will check it out!

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one looking for unseasoned cast iron.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I live in Boston but am from the south so I'm going to send out an email to all my aunties to see what might turn up. Given everyone's struggles on this board, I'm thinking I take every pan that's offered by the old girls!

Valyn in Cookware

Where to find an unseasoned cast iron skillet?

I have an old 10-inch skillet that I love but sometimes it's just not big enough. But I cannot find anywhere online to buy a skillet that is NOT pre-seasoned. I'd prefer to season my own.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Valyn

Valyn in Cookware

One Special Night in Boston

I must disagree about Bistro du Midi. My husband and I went there for dinner on a Saturday and while the room is pretty and the food is good, the service is uneven to be polite and it was SO LOUD in there we ended up eating most of our meal in silence rather than shout at each other across the table.

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Bistro du Midi
272 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

Valyn in Greater Boston Area

One-star restaurants in/near Beaune?

We're going to Beaune for a week, and my husband wants to eat at one of the one-star restaurants in the area. I've turned up:
Hostellier de Levernois
Le Charlemagne
Le Benaton
Loiseau des Vignes

Any feedback on any of these? And any other suggestions for restaurants, one-star or otherwise? I'd appreciate any input!

Thanks!

Valyn in France