shane's Profile
BEST FONDUE NYC??...
It opened on Friday. I'm a regular at La Sirene. I liked this new restaurant a lot. Most of the favorites from La Sirene are available. For the fondue there is a choice of cheese or meat fondue. We chose the meat. You choose a type of meat (hanger, filet or a cheaper option I don't remember) and a type of oil if you want to upgrade from soy. We chose hanger and soy. It was accompanied by a vegetable plate (same as from La Sirene) plus 4 delicious dipping sauces: Bernaise, peppercorn, Roquefort and another. The peppercorn sauce was amazing. I ended up using bread to eat the leftovers. For dessert there was a chocolate fondue with fruit. I'm haven't tried much fondue so I was expected a really heavy cheesy dish, so I was very pleased with the meat fondue. It's also BYOB like La Sirene which should be a huge draw for the East Village. The interior is typical french bistro, significantly less cramped than La Sirene.
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La Sirene
558 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013
Taureau
127 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
(Most) winery clubs are for suckers
I have occassionally seen their wines at Union Square Wine in New York. But nothing is listed on their website right now. But you really can't beat the online prices if buying by the case.
(Most) winery clubs are for suckers
Navarro does have a wine club of sorts.
http://www.navarrowine.com/prerelease/
Momofuku Ko Wine Pairing ?
I had the cheapest wine pairing and enjoyed it but as usual with wine pairings I wasn't blown away. The Scholium Prince in his Caves was the exception as someone else noted. There was an article about the sommelier in the Times Magazine a while back which was really quite off-putting.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/a-generous-pour-momofuku-ko-sommelier-christina-turley/
Seeking authentic Irish food
You'd actually have a pretty hard time finding most of those in Ireland too to be honest. I've never seen crubeens on a menu at home (and my friends freak out when I order pig's feet here). And I've never even heard of drisheen (well after googling it I guess maybe it's the same as black pudding).
Pasta prices at Peasant
I had dinner last night at Peasant, not having been there for several months. The pasta was great as usual. I had the orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage which is delicious. My friend always gets the tagliolini with bottarga (roe) which is even better. But I was very surprised to see the pasta prices have hugely increased. They now range from $24 to $28, which is slightly more expensive than the secondi oddly. I have a recollection of them being in the $14 to $18 range. Am I just mis-remembering?
Is Le Sirene One of the best inexpensive restaurants right now in the city?
Maybe a bit of both: http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/the-feed-blog/restaurants-bars/2010/02/la-sirenes-didier-pawlicki-to-serve-fondue-and-more-in-the-east-village/
Is Le Sirene One of the best inexpensive restaurants right now in the city?
yeah, i agree. didier told me that the new chef started off as the dish washer there when he was 16, which is kind of cool. his new fondue place in the east village is due to open next month and will also be BYOB.
Is Le Sirene One of the best inexpensive restaurants right now in the city?
You really have to factor in the free BYOB. That could save hundreds of dollars for a large table.
I've been there lots of times. The food is good. Some dishes are really good (Cassoulet, Goat Cheese Tart), others less so. I like wine but I can't afford to pay $200 for a nice premier cru Burgundy at a restuarant. So instead I pay $50 for it at a store and enjoy it at La Sirene. The prices are definitely marked up becuase of the free BYOB so I don't think it's necessary to tip extra based on the price of your wine. Nevertheless I don't think I've ever tipped under 30%.
Beijing Duck
Just out of curiosity: do people really say Beijing Duck? I've only ever heard it as Peking Duck. I always assumed it was a historical relic like Siamese twins or Prussian blue.
Organic potatoes
Are you sure Whole Foods doesn't have them? I've bought them at Tops in Williamsburg and at my corner bodega a few blocks away. I would have expected Whole Foods to carry everything they do. Both stores distingushed the organic potatoes by putting stickers on every potato (which are actually a pain in the ass to remove).
Lombardi's Pizza a Bust
i agree. i don't think lombardi's is as bad as is being portrayed above. i've had mostly pretty good pizza there. i do usually have to tell them to make it well done however to get a nice char on the base.
Don Giovannis or Johns Pizzeria where would you go?
i also like angelo's on 57th. i've only ever had delivery for big work lunches but even then they were pretty delicious. the base has a nice char and i like the tomato sauce. the sausage one is my favorite.
not that i know really but i would assume that any pizzeria near time square is going to be awful. also pizzerias tend to be one trick ponies so i would stick with the pizza.
Soccarat Paella - AWFUL
I go pretty often and love it there but then I'm a night owl and rarely get there before 10:30 PM. I wonder are they having issues with crowds at prime times? I can't imagine that this will get any better given that their wine bar next door just opened. I have to note that I have never had a bad paella there. They have always been perfectly crisp and the last few bites are to die for.
Bringing Wine Back from France Through JFK - NY State/Customs query
i would verify that with air france. i think their policy for coach (voyageur) class may have changed recently to one free 23 kg/50 lb bag and a 50 euro fee for a second bag.
http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/guidevoyageur/pratique/bagage_en_soute.htm
T-Day Postmortem: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Wow, that is fast. That's about 8 minutes per pound at the cooler temperature. That would fit in pretty much with the time I observed and mine was unstuffed and at a slightly higher temperature. Next year I'll just be brave and trust the meat thermometer. This year my main problem was that the turkey was done an hour and a half before I expected, which totally screwed up my schedule. Had I taken the turkey out of the oven then it would have been stone cold by the time my guests arrived.
T-Day Postmortem: the good, the bad, and the ugly
I have had the same problem for the past few Thanksgivings. I usually buy a small heritage turkey. This year it was 9 lb. I allow it to come to room temparature (no brining) then roast it at 475 for 20 mins and then reduce the oven to 350. My oven thermostat is tempermental so I have a separate internal thermometer to make sure. Ok here's my problem. Every year the inner thigh of the bird reaches 150 after about an hour at 350, so 1 hr 20 mins total. Most recipes I see (except from the Agriculture Department) say that 150 is good for a juicy turkey, but not a single one mentions such a short cooking period. Most say 15 minutes per pound after the initial hot blast, which would be 2 hr 15 mins for my turkey. Afraid of poisoning my guests I left the turkey in for an extra 45 minutes (still 30 mins less than the recipe calls for) at which point the meat thermometer was close to 170. The turkey was OK but definitely dry. Anyone else have similiar experiences with small birds?
Truffle oil or salt in NYC
i don't mean to rain on your parade, but did you know that the vast majority (possibly all) of truffle oil is totally synthetic; i didn't. it's like spraying pledge on your food.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/16truf.html
Good wine bar/list near 46th and 6th for my friend the Ambassador
how about the bar room at the modern?
http://www.themodernnyc.com
Cognac burns my palate
OK maybe this is totally obvious and stupid but I was at a bar this weekend and I decided that instead of having my usual cheap gin and tonics I would upgrade and have a few Remy Martins instead. There were delicious but now it's Wednesday and I still can't brush the back of my upper teeth because my palate in inflamed and sore. Does everyone have this problem? Does one get it from neat whiskey as well?
Champagne at around $10
can you suggest a few? i really can't think of a champagne i've enjoyed recently under say $50. i live in NY though, so we may have inflated prices.
Champagne at around $10
i would disagree given the price points of those wines. i haven't come across a $30 champagne that i thought was decent. the blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs from schramsberg are wonderful at that price (scharfenberger makes chocolate).
Skate Wing
also, one thing about skate that i always did find curious is how many people call it "skate fish". it always seemed a little odd to me kinda like when people use someone's last name too frequently. but then again cod fish and tuna fish are also used (but not salmon fish or halibut fish!).
Skate Wing
hmmm, i can't say i can recall when i first had skate. i'm not a huge fish eater, but i do look out for skate on menus especially when the sauce pairing appeals to me. will have to reconsider that now however after taking a look at monterey bay aquarium list.
Skate Wing
i didn't realize people considered skate to be unusual nor was i aware of the sustainability issue despite listening to several programs about it. jean georges has this amazing skate dish with chateau chalon sauce which is to die for. what do you mean "how did you find out what it was"? if you brought me to a fish market i probably couldn't tell a cod from a haddock or a plaice or a tuna for that matter; i suspect most people are equally ignorant.
30th bday restaurant where they will sing happy birthday
if the request is old school italian and singing...
Christmas Turkey - where to source in NYC?
I would check with Whole Foods to verify. I don't recall seeing a whole turkey at the Union Square Whole Foods outside of Thanksgiving. I was there two nights ago and had a quick look around and all I saw was whole chickens and turkey breast.
