chef poncho's Profile
Items for an authentic Malaysian Meal
Anyone know of a place to get some item some Malaysian products anywhere near Boston.....have a chef friend coming in and I'm trying to source out dried shrimp, shrimp paste and curry leaves.
Hanger Steak...Your Help Please
Exactly...good taste similiar, though not exactly, to a hanger. When in shortage, a sub can be made.
Top blades are still a favorite...we used to call them Peddler's or chicken steaks when cut whole...amazing taste when braised.
Hanger Steak...Your Help Please
Have you considered splitting and dove tailing a bottom sirloin? About 12 to 15lbs...cut with the grain at about 20oz, marinade in Jerez, toasted aromatics, roast slow and low and slice against the grain. I've seen the cut at Whole Foods before.
Is Anyone Else Aghast???
It's kind of hard not to laugh at this one.....for Gods' sake pick up a Michel Bras book and compare the food you see to that of the people throwing the proverbial rock from the glass balcony of their kitchens.
Technique?? Ask anyone who helped open Radius and get them to tell you about the cornstarch sauces.....let's get real people.
FULOON CHINESE CHOWDOWN in MALDEN 7/19/08
Wow, the food sounds amazing....I'll have to get there soon.
Sounds like I better not eat for a few days.
Scotch at Bars
I'd have to agree with the sentiment that life is "too short for cheap scotch". Buy a bottle of Lagavulin and sit at home in front of the fire place with a good cigar, a fire and a few friends. That is a very good saturday at my house.
Dealing with food snobbery?
Strange people are strange people. Maybe next week they'll be complaining about something else that has come into vogue. Its like putting up with Yankee fans. We tolerate them because at least they're into baseball. Perhaps we can employ that philosophy of tolerance with the food snobs.
If that doesn't work then just throw crusty dinner rolls at them. Its funny to read the post by WHS about Bouley in New York. You want to talk about a food snob perhaps they should meet David Bouley. I worked for that man for a year and was I swear I could have used therapy for years afterwards.
How many fellow Chowhounders are or have been in the biz?
Wow, I just counted how long I've been doing this and I hadn't done that in a few years. I started out washing dishes during high school at a great French restaurant. Only later did I realize how truly famous the chef was. Worked my way up to some of the best joints in France, USA and Japan and now I'm a coporate chef in charge of 150 accounts.
Making tempura tonight, any suggestions to make it special?
Your tempura batter should look like you made a mistake and have a bowl of cement on your hands with all the lumps in it. Don't mix it. When you pull the products thru it will incoproate the flour into the water. For a twist, try adding some lemon wheels and sprinkle them with a little spiced sugar when they come out of the fryer.
Asking for water at restaurants
Short sighted waiters who pass as water snobs give our business a bad name. But, what I also truly dislike are joints that have the water bottles already on the table "just waiting for you". I've owned a restaurant before and I'll say it again, this was one of my biggest pet peeves.
Anyone remember the name of the NYC restauranteur who started giving away bottled water a few years back? He swore it brought in more business.
Hanger steaks
If you get tired of hanger, try buying a top blade roast and seaming it out and remove the center clear membrane. You'll have flat iron steaks or Peddler steaks as we called back in the 80's. Or cut them into small steaks that are called chicken steaks and can be broiled to very good results. Just another good steak option from the anything but filet club.
Should we try the Federalist???
I couldn't agree more with MC Slim JB. Why do they expect us to pay the same prices to watch the understudy?
Best Oyster Deal
A good time is a bucket of Olympias, grilled bread with butter and some cold Chimay. Hell, I think I'm going to eat some oysters tomorrow.
Veal cheeks - round two
Try Troquet in Boston. They were on their menu the last time I ate there.
Mutton and Goat
I think I remember reading in Frank Bruni's review of Keen's in the New York times that the mutton chop served there is actually lamb. I believe he said they stopped selling mutton some 25 years ago.
Wanted: Great carnitas
I hate to break to you, but I think that short of a trip back to the west coast you're not going to find a place like Carnitas Ururapan(used to be one of my favorites)in this area. In ten years here I haven't found the typical mercado I grew up with.
One bright spot used to be Tacos El Charro in JP. Thats' my recommendation but I'm not sure if its still open.
Exceptional Dishes in Unlikely Places
It used to be corn dogs at the Summer Shack. Washed down with a couple of cold beers.
Creme de Marrons (chestnut cream) in Boston area?
I've seen a chestnut puree in small 6oz containers at Whole food market. Can't recall the brand. I used it in a pinch to make Mont Blancs'.
Bad mussels?
I think cooking mussels for 10 to 15 minutes is quite a long time. Maybe Singleguychef is right and they were merely overcooked.
Babbo - Has This Happened To Anyone??? [moved from Manhattan board]
Couldn't agree more. I worked at one of the best French restaurants in NYC for a few years and the group of reservationists worked opposite shifts. Personally I know of a few times this happened to a group of "VIPS".
un-shucked sea scallops?
I second that warning. Scallops that are fresh in their shell are pretty damn good. We're talking about so fresh that they move when you salt. But, they seem to go faster when they are unshucked. Try calling Captain Marden in Wellesley I believe. I think that is where his retail operation is.
You are likely to not have a good meal at a restaurant if . .
But did you think of trying out the food? It would appear that I'm implying you probably won't get good food at a place with questionable signage or menu translations.
But, I gotta say that some of the best, albeit weird in an Eraserhead kinda way, meals that I've had have been in places where someone's passion for their cooking seemed to get in the way of their business sense.
I mean seriously, one time outside Kimball Nebraska I had the best breakfast ever in this strange place next to the motel I stayed at. The ham steaks, of which I ate two and took two to go, where to this date, some 20 years later, the best I've ever eaten or worked with.
Of course, the only thing more memorable than the ham steaks is the image of the cook working with a cigar hanging from his mouth while he swung a huge scarely cleaver to cut the steaks. He looked kinda like Mel, from Mel's diner, only 50 years older and drunk at breakfast time.
R.I.P, Caffe Umbra
Wow, I didn't know that Laura was closing down her place. She is probably one of the nicest chefs I've ever met in this business- really down to earth. Sad to hear this.
Food Resolutions for 2007
Start getting rid of some of the 1,000 cookbooks that I have.
You are likely to not have a good meal at a restaurant if . .
There is a place I ate at recently while visiting relatives in a small town in PA, that had 3 separate neon signs that advertised "Hong Kong Chinese Food, Taylor Travel and First Trinity Holy Church" all in the same space
The church took over the restaurant on it's closed days and after 9:30pm during the week. Apparently, you could call the travel agent and he would meet you there. The funny part of the story is that the food was pretty good. The chicken feet with black bean sauce was killer. I can't speak for the church service since I left before they set up.
Help deciding between Rendezvous, Troquet, Salts, EVOO
I couldn't agree more with your feelings for Troquet. The food is great and the wine selection is killer.
Baked Fish
Tomato confit, grilled lemon slices, pinch of orange powder, Lucques olives and Aka miso.
Marinade the fish lightly in the miso overnight.
Toss the lemons in raw sugar and let them sit for a few minutes and then grill them. Let them cool and then assemble the parcel.
This was on my menu for a few years.
Restaurants in the Worcester Area
You have my sympathaties about the lack of food options in Auburn. In five years I haven't found anything off exit 10. Worcester really isn't that far.
