Dovid's Profile
Bravo Pizza - now Kosher!
I think French fries are served because you can get them stuffed in a falafel in Israel, and guys who learned in Israel are a ready market for this.
Mold on Hanging Salamis
I had heard that white mold on salamis is harmless. As a child, I don't recall anyone in my family taking precautions, and we always had several hanging in a closet at any one time.
Freezing Cholent
A waxy potato like a Yukon Gold freezes well, as do small red-skinned potatoes. It is more common to use Russets in cholent, but these get watery when defrosted. I've tried putting Russets in last when making the cholent so that they are only partially cooked when they go into the freezer. The intention was to finish the cooking after they have been defrosted. This didn't seem to help that much. They were still mushy after this treatment.
I have had a good potato-less cholent that was made with parsnips instead of spuds. Parsnips freeze well, and don't disintegrate into the cholent but they still absorb the flavor of the meat.
Kosh in Stamford, Connecticut
Thanks. Hopefully, it will be good enough to bring in diners from the general population. As a Kosher outpost, it will need this as a cushion more than a place in Manhattan would.
Kosh in Stamford, Connecticut
The deep-fried pickles are a nod to the owner's Atlanta upbringing. But jambalaya made with ketchup? That sounds like a school lunchroom innovation.
While it doesn't sound like a destination restaurant, how would you compare Kosh to places with similar aspirations in Westchester or the City? Also, does the sports bar aspect affect the experience in the dining room, either through the noise or the distraction of the big screen TVs? The thought of eating with ESPN flickering in the background has kept me away so far.
To make a go of it, I assume that the lunch trade will be crucial. Has anyone observed if it is busy at lunch?
Little Lads 41 Delancey
I have not found them on the usual lists. They may just be vegan, and uninterested in getting certification.
Meatballs Shabbos Day and other Blech related questions
Some crockpots have a warning not to use an extension cord. I am wondering if a dimmer switch would be a safety issue.
When I was growing up, everyone had a Shabbos hotplate. There was no on-and-off switch, and no knob to adjust the temperature. They cannot have been that hot as they were left on all night and all day.
While you could take a regular hotplate, and cover the knob to prevent someone from adjusting it on Shabbos, I don't know what the low setting would be.
Business Lunch - Midtown Manhattan
Wolf & Lamb is quiet enough, at least for Manhattanites. Abigael's can be funereal. Abigael's would be a good choice if you want your table seated away from others. They are pretty accommodating about this.
Advice on Thanksgiving trip to center city Philadelphia
Mama's Vegetarian is consistent, but dingy and the tables are not that clean. When the table aren't clean when they open for the day, then you have got to wonder about their standards.
Chalev Yisroel Boxed Mac N' cheese
Mac and cheese freezes well, and is a real convenience.
Need to fine-tune my cholent for 12/16 (Meat question)
Did they do this on Shabbos? I would see an issue with putting in vegetables such as raw onions that would get cooked by the hot cholent. Or perhaps this was on Motzei Shabbos.
Need to fine-tune my cholent for 12/16 (Meat question)
I use Guinness Stout for stews but find it gets bitter in a cholent. A Black Lager would not overpower the cholent.
Adapting Turkey recipe for salt content
I never have attempted a whole turkey, but I have brined kosher turkey legs, It is worth the extra time.
A Beef Smoking Sukkos
I thought the reason you put a pan of water under the meat is to catch the fat drippings, and to prevent them from igniting. Supposedly, fat when it burns is a major source of carcinogens.
I have heard that flareups from the grease actually contribute to the flavor of the meat.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf NYC
I heard that the pastry is always fresh but that the plainer items are the better bet. The specialties are said to be super rich and cloyingly sweet.
The store at B'way and 39th often seems overstaffed.
kosher fish sauce
I have been told by a Thai co-worker that it is a common misconception that nam pla is flavored with shellfish. Different brands may have a squid or shrimp on the label, but this is not understood by Thai consumers to mean that either contains squid or shrimp. My co-worker, by the way, is allergic to shellfish, and has not encountered a brand that bothers him.
Yummy Yummy Falafel
Yummy Yummy is a reasonable option for lunch if you are in the area (on Lex between 55th and 56th). There is no airconditioning, but the whole front of the store is open to whatever breeze might be blowing off of Lexington. The place seems to be fairly clean. The best option when you get a falafel is to pay $2.50 for a side salad. This way, you can pack what you like, and as much as you like with the falafel.
Tiffin Wallah closed by health dept, making repairs
The NYC Dept of Health has a website where you can look up your favorites:
http://167.153.150.32/RI/web/index.do;jsessionid=3D16B2434E13AFC783E1E451DB231664?method=goldenAppleList
A common problem is to not to keep hot food hot enough, and cold food cold enough. In comparing the inspection reports for the places I visit, I am always surprised by how a place that appears clean (the tables are always wiped down) gets the same rating as the roach-infested dive that you get coffee from. A place that is struggling financially would be expected to cut corners in many areas, but I am always impressed by how the places that cost $$$ and are always busy also don't get it right when it comes to food safety.
Which Kosher restaurants in Manhattan are open after Pesach?
Which Manhattan restaurants (dairy or fleischig) will be open chol hamoed?
Bagels Upper West Side
You can check lists such as Shamash's for the status. H&H Bagels is on it but I don't see Absolute Bagels on their list. Since even recently opened places are represented on Shamash's list, I would say you that you would need to visit the store itself to ask to see the certificate on their wall.
http://www.shamash.org/kosher/search.php?Recno=00128&Comm=two
looking high and low for fulim (aka green broad beans) in NJ
Would these be green fava beans with the skins still on? Chinese markets would have them in the frozen section.
Ideal Friday night meal in Chicago
Although the request is for takeaway, does Chicago have any prepaid Shabbos meals available? I remember hearing years ago of the Ritz Carlton offering a five course Ashkenaz Shabbos dinner that was under someone's supervision.
Kosher in Philadelphia- ASAP
Mama's Vegetarian is fast and efficient. However, the place is dingy and depressing. The tables and floors are quite dirty, even when the place opens for the day, which does not bode well for the kitchen. One good thing to note, though, is that the guys behind the counter who prepare your food remove their rubber glove before handling your money, and seem to have been trained on at least this part of food safety.
There are several Chinese vegetarian restaurants with Conservative certifications. This may mean no onsite supervision, and they are open Saturdays. Admittedly, this is par for the course in smaller US cities.
New Restaurant Cherry Hill NJ
One of my pet peeves about Chinese restaurants is stale rice and microwaved rice. Rather than make it fresh every day, the stuff from yesterday gets reheated or kept overnight in the rice cooker. No rice can stand up to such treatment without turning into Uncle Ben's Instant. It loses all taste.
Amba Falafel , Kosher in the San Francisco / Oakland Bay area
That is 10 minutes from where I used to live. It will be a great boon for the frum in that area. It will probably be seen as more out of the way by San Franciscans and tourists than if it was in Elmwood.
Latke pointers
What kind of potatos do you use? The ones my family used were plain old russets, the mealier the better. Maybe these have a lower water content?
As for thickener, leftover mashed potato works well. The idea is not to make potato pancakes, so use only a small amount.
A little vinegar will help the potatos keep the color. It doesn't take much, and I don't think you will taste the vinegar after the latkes have been cooked.
Many people crowd the pan with too many latkes at a time, so the oil temperature is too low, resulting in oily, soggy latkes. It pays to go slow. Better to let them wait for something they will enjoy than to hurry the cooking.
As for grating, you can use a corncob holder to get the smaller pieces grated without making the dish fleischig (just joking).
I find a lot of people undersalt their latkes. Potato is like a sponge when it comes to salt, so oversalt a small portion of the latkes before cooking a trial run.
Four entrees at Le Marais
When pre-ordering selections for a large party, you are best to avoid anything that will suffer from being cooked in advance and held in a warmer. For example, chicken could dry out under this kind of treatment, becoming the proverbial awards banquet rubber chicken, but even steak doesn't hold up that well. I would grill them about this.
Gottlieb's In Williamsburg
As for heimische food, I wish that there were fleischig Kosher places serving typical shtetl cooking of Ukraine, Poland, Russia, etc. I have walked past a treif Polish home-cooking restaurant in the East Village, and wondered if a Kosher version exists anywhere in Brooklyn.
aufschnitt in brooklyn?
What I used to see referred to as aufschnitt was a variety of different lunch meats/cold cuts rather than any one specific kind. Pepper loaf/pimento loaf, pickle loaf and olive loaf would be examples of kinds of aufschnitt.
