DG14973's Profile
A few general questions about eating in Tokyo
To find your way around Tokyo, I highly recommend the Tokyo City Atlas, a bilingual guide published by Kodansha (http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/4770025033/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5303927-7600704?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193236988&sr=8-1). It's a little pricey, but it's worth it. As a non-Japanese speaker, I had the same concerns about finding restaurants and their exact addresses. I would not have found many of the recommended places on my list had I not had this Atlas.
Even with this guide, I would still get lost on occasion. I could usually figure out the neighborhood section and block without any problems, but many of the buildings are not marked with their numbers, so I would sometimes find myself walking around the entire block until I found the right place.
If you're going to be in Tokyo on a Sunday, make sure you try to find out beforehand whether or not any of the places you plan to go to are going to be open. My friend and I sought out two different lunch places on a Sunday over the course of at least 2 hours, only to find out that they were both closed. (Keep in mind that Tsukiji Market is closed on Sunday morning as well.)
In addition to the many recommendations already listed here, you might want to check out Sora no Niwa, a tofu restaurant close to the Ebisu station (http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/550/restaurants.asp). It's a little tricky to find, but I thought that it was worth the search. In addition to getting the yuba and/or the freshly-made tofu, check out the pork belly--it's a stunner.
Calphalon Stockpot - Amazon sale
Don't automatically assume that everything made in China is substandard. I realize it's a prevalent news issue right now, but it's also important not to overgeneralize.
Calphalon Stockpot - Amazon sale
I haven't used this particular stockpot, but it's gotten a lot of positive reviews in the past. It used to be available from Amazon at that price all the time, and assuming that the pot is up to Calphalon's relatively high standards, it's a great bargain.
A 12 qt. is a good size for a small stock pot. You should be able to make a decent amount of stock (or soup) for 2 people.
Unmissable restaurants
That's a very difficult question to answer, because both places were outstanding. I had 2 kaiseki dinners at Kinmata, and 1 kaiseki lunch at Hyotei. My experience at Kinmata was slightly more inconsistent--the first dinner there was probably the best meal of the 3, but the second dinner, although excellent, was maybe the weakest. Part of the reason is that we had a repeat of some the same ingredients from the prior evening (conger eel, tilefish, barracuda--not that I was complaining!), so some of the novelty was gone even though the ingredients were prepared and presented entirely differently. But the food was still incredible, so this is just nitpicking.
Hyotei also had some courses that really impressed, including the freshest, best salmon roe I've had; an amazing soft-boiled egg that was perfectly prepared; and a stunning dessert of fresh fig encased in gelatin with pomegranate that was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip.
Basically, you really can't go wrong with either.
Unmissable restaurants
When I was in Kyoto a few weeks ago, I had many fantastic meals:
1) Hyotei: a 350-year-old restaurant near Nanzen-ji that serves exquisite kaiseki meals. The 8-course lunch was a revelation of refinement, although it's quite expensive ($200 per person). http://www.hyotei.co.jp The New York Times has a good article on Kyoto dining, and includes a great description: http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/travel/17kyoto.html?pagewanted=all
2) Izusen: a restaurant within the Daitoku-ji complex that serves traditional Zen Buddhist cuisine. I don't think I've ever had a vegetarian meal that was as flavorful as this one. http://www.bento.com/kansai/rev/7095.html
3) Misoka-an Kawamichi-ya: a famous soba restaurant that has been open for 300 years. I had one of the best soba lunches of my life here: with fishcake, quail eggs, yuba, and a Japanese mushroom that was bursting with wonderfully earthy flavor.
4) Kinmata Ryokan: I stayed here for 2 nights and was treated to an amazing array of dishes. The innkeeper is supposedly considered one of the finest chefs in Kyoto. He used to work as a fishmonger at the nearby Nishiki market, and reportedly has the inside track on the freshest ingredients. You don't have to stay at the ryokan to experience the kaiseki meals here--there is a separate restaurant area downstairs. http://www.kinmata.com
There are many other great places in Kyoto that I unfortunately didn't have a chance to try. But I would certainly recommend all of the above places to anyone who is fortunate enough to visit.
Once-in-lifetime NYC dinner: Four Seasons vs. others
The thing is, none of us actually know enough about the parents' preferences to say whether they would prefer the Four Seasons to the other places mentioned on this thread. It could be that they prefer the old world New York places, and if so, that's great--they'll go to FS and have a terrific experience. On the other hand, they might actually want to go to a place like Per Se or Daniel, but might not know about them because they haven't been to NYC in a while. Who knows?
In any case, I don't think most of the posters were intending to wax pretentiously or show off their knowledge--they were just trying to be helpful. NYC has so many wonderful places that it's always fun and interesting to share stories about them.
Once-in-lifetime NYC dinner: Four Seasons vs. others
Interesting. I haven't eaten at Union Square Cafe in a while, and I haven't heard the most recent news--it's a shame if the place has gone downhill.
When I mentioned the restaurant, I was thinking less about the atmosphere and more about the great service and the restaurant's unique ability to please a large cross-section of diners (still?). You're right in that there are certainly more spectacular venues out there, Eleven Madison Park being one of them.
Once-in-lifetime NYC dinner: Four Seasons vs. others
I agree with some of the other posters--I wouldn't do the Four Seasons. There are so many other amazing restaurants in NYC that have long surpassed the Four Seasons.
In addition to the examples already listed, you could try to get a reservation at Per Se. I also love Bouley, Jean Georges, and Daniel--you can't go wrong with any of those. And there is always the great American standby, Union Square Cafe.
french press vs stovetop coffee maker
I have both, and will use one or the other depending on the kind of coffee I want. Having both is not decadent, especially compared to owning an espresso machine. French presses and moka pots are both inexpensive devices that are much better than drip machines.
Budget SS 12qt TALL (deep) stockpot - too much to ask ?
Because you're looking at a relatively small stockpot (12 qts.), I don't know if anything in that size would be all that tall, assuming that the width is of standard large burner size. As long as the width of the stockpot is of that size, you'll be fine. The larger the capacity of a pot with fixed-width, the taller it will be.
I don't know Toronto too well, but you might want to do an internet search to check for a good restaurant supply store in the city. Those stores will typically sell good-quality cookware and equipment for a fraction of what retail stores would offer.
Why is it so difficult to find good espresso in restaurants?
Around 5-6 years ago, William Grimes wrote a good related article in the New York Times about the lack of good espresso (in general) in New York. The basic gist of the article was that New York and other American cities simply don't have the same coffee culture as other places (i.e. Italy), where espresso-making is valued as more of an art. One NY restauranteur said something along the lines of "Basically, the guy who cleans off your table is the same person who makes your espresso." States-side, it's generally viewed as more of a menial job.
That doesn't necessarily explain why, if a skilled amateur can make a decent cup at home, a high-end restaurant can't do the same. But many customers don't really seek out high-quality espresso, nor do many know what it really tastes like either (esp. if they're accustomed to going primarily to Starbucks for their coffee). So they won't question the flavor/quality of the espresso they get, and there is no incentive for the restaurants to improve.
Frank Bruni's review of Perilla
I ate at Perilla about six weeks ago, and I found it very interesting to see how Bruni's impressions differed from mine. I really enjoyed my meal--I had the duck meatballs and the cod main course, and I sampled my friend's duck main course. I found the food to be really delicious, and the execution simple, but well thought out and elegant. So I was a little disappointed to read Bruni's fairly-positive-yet-overall-lukewarm review:
"It’s earnest, endearing and just a bit of a snooze: a classy neighborhood place with more pull than Mr. Dieterle’s cooking — accomplished but hardly riveting — justifies."
It's true that the food doesn't exactly dazzle creatively, but obviously I don't think that was the goal that Harold was trying to achieve. While Bruni recognized that the restaurant was taking a low-key approach, he nevertheless seemed to be expecting something much more exciting and innovative than just solidly well-prepared, delicious food. In a town like New York, talented chefs like Dieterle are a dime a dozen, so naturally it's pretty easy for a guy like Bruni to become pretty jaded.
All I know is that as an ex-New Yorker who is now living in DC, I've been craving flavorful, tastefully prepared food with a reasonable price tag for the longest time--and I had that in spades at Perilla. (Maybe Harold should move to DC--he'd get so little competition down here!)
Need help choosing all-clad pan
In general, All-Clad is significantly more expensive than Sitram (although Sitram's Catering line is not inexpensive either). Sitram is great cookware--I don't know if it's necessarily better or worse than All-Clad, but it's certainly a much better value--and it more than meets most restaurants' needs, let alone those of most home kitchens.
Need help choosing all-clad pan
It's true that Cuisinart pans aren't All-Clad clones (neither are Sitram pans, for that matter), but that doesn't mean they don't do as good a job. All-Clad is good stuff for sure, but it's expensive, and most restaurants will not even bother buying such high-end cookware for their kitchens because it's not cost-effective.
Plenty of great cooks turn out spectacular food with brands like Sitram, Wearever, and other sandwich-bottomed pots. The far more important differentiator is cooking technique. While it's nice to have really good equipment, it's not essential--and it's certainly not the best option if you're on a budget.
Need help choosing all-clad pan
I'm not sure if getting an entirely new pan is going to help you with your problem with the flame on your gas stove. That said, based on your preferences, I'd suggest you get a medium-sized stainless steel saute pan--maybe 3 qts or so. Saute pans are generally used in favor of fry pans whenever more liquid is involved; the sides are higher than a fry pan's so less liquid evaporates off.
If you like to saute vegetables, pan-cook fish and caramelize onions, the saute pan should fit all of those needs. You can also use it to cook tomato sauces, which you really can't do as easily in a fry pan. And if you do want to use a fry pan, you still have your cast-iron skillet--which is a great multipurpose tool, by the way.
All-Clad is good stuff, but very expensive. There are many other brands that are a fraction of the All-Clad price, but will do just as good a job. So if you have limited resources but can't decide, you can always buy both a saute pan and a fry pan from a brand like Sitram or Cuisinart, at the same price or less than the cost of one All-Clad pan.
Mauviel cookware: non-copper lines
I've been a big fan of Mauviel ever since I used a friend's Inducinox saute pan (on a gas stove, not an induction stove). The heat control was fantastic--as good as any pan as I'd ever used.
Unlike Mauviel's ubiquitous Cuprinox line--the very expensive copper-based cookware--the Inducinox line and other non-copper lines of Mauviel do not appear to be readily available in the US. Among the few places States-side that carry non-copper Mauviel are Zabar's in NYC, J.B. Prince in NYC, and La Cuisine in Alexandria, VA.
I'm interested in picking up some non-copper Mauviel pieces, and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them. I know of the Inducinox line (for induction stoves, but usable on all stoves), a Pro-inox line that is a standard 3-ply aluminum/stainless steel (and supposedly similar to Sitram Profiserie), an all-aluminum line, and a "Cook's Style" line that is supposedly 7-ply(!), and includes an induction layer.
In particular, if anyone has any experience with the 7-ply Mauviel cookware, I'd be interested in hearing their thoughts. At jbprince.com, the 7-ply stuff is cheaper than the Inducinox, so I wonder if there is any difference performance-wise. Thoughts?
(And please.... no All-Clad recommendations! I know it's good, but I'm just interested in Mauviel here.) ;-)
Sitram / Paderno in the UK?
I would check two cookware suppliers in New York: Bridge Kitchenware (www.bridgekitchenware.com) and J.B. Prince (www.jbprince.com). Bridge sells both Sitram and Paderno; J.B. Prince sells Sitram and Mauviel. Both offer reasonable prices, and accept orders from all over the US; there is a good chance that either would be willing to ship to the UK as well.
large roasting pan
I know of the Cook's Illustrated article that you're talking about, but I can't remember their recommendation. That said, here is an earlier CI article that recommends the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel roasting pan for $100. I don't know if the latest CI roasting pan article recommends the same one, but the Calphalon is definitely more moderately priced than the All-Clad.
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/JA05_Cookware.pdf
Ovens - How Many?
I think it's great that you have the opportunity to renovate your kitchen, and by all means, you should try to turn it into your dream kitchen if you have the resources. That said--do you really need a double oven? Most people, including a lot of chefs, make do just fine with only one in their home kitchens. It's definitely convenient to have more than one, but it certainly isn't necessary.
As an extreme example of cooking and entertaining with limited space, check out this article:
http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9502EFD61E3EF931A1575BC0A9679C8B63
Obviously, most chefs (including the one from this article) would prefer to have much more space. But it's an interesting example of what may be achieved even within severe constraints.
