FOOD!

[Real Real]

I went to Au Pied Du Cochon twice this weekend...very good. Nothing mindblowing or particularly interesting, but the food is very, very satisfying. Fills the same need that a steakhouse does.

Schwartz' corned beef was good, if not great. Dieu De Ciel's brewpub was terrific.

Got back from WD50 tonight and thought it was all great. We were the only ones in the place for at least 75% of our dinner and the service was impeccable.

Man, how much longer are they going to be able to stick around, if they're only seating one table on a Thursday?

[Casius]

real real- I was kind of wondering the same thing. I'm assuming a lot of people are cutting back on spending the money for expensive meals.

[Real Real]

real real- I was kind of wondering the same thing. I'm assuming a lot of people are cutting back on spending the money for expensive meals.

Especially expensive meals that feature elaborate foods that taste like...frozen pizza or peanut butter and jelly.

Le Bernardin, Keens, and Babbo are going to be fine, I bet - WD50's going to have a rougher road.

[lowrey]

when we were there in october, it was not that full either.

/\Oh, you had the beef tagliata? That's actually one of the few dishes that we didn't order. I typically don't do beef dishes where an acid is featured, so our secondi beef choices were the brasato and lamb. The highlight of that course was the orata for me. Next time your in town we should hit up Animal.

yea it was a definate overkill with the balsamico. the wine list there is pretty nuts by the way, my old man who is a wine enthusiast called it obnoxious

[BECOMING-INTENSE]

Here the other day, i made this smoothie consisting of:
Blueberries, Galia Melon, Pears, Bananas, Orange and Lime Juice,
and yogurt naturel.

The combination I discovered is absolutely gorgeous!

[Diego]

That sounds very good, I'm always doing the classic mango/banana/orange juice/yogurt one and love it so I'll have to try that next time.

Later this week I'll be cooking with some friends at home, we chose to do Hainanese chicken rice .

[Pinoy]

Hainanese chicken rice .

Fond memories of Singapore and Hong Kong when I think of Hainanese Chicken rice... let us know how it turns out!

[Diego]

^It came out great.

Today some homemade pizza:
cherry tomatoes (previously baked with garlic, bay leaf, thyme and olive oil on the inside)
manchego / mozarella
pata negra (bellota) ham
olive oil
sea salt
lots of basil
balsamic glaze (after it comes out of the oven)

[Avantster]

/\ Sounds great, let's see some pics!

Hainanese chicken rice is such a classic.

Finally got around to making confit de canard after getting a good recipe. Had some trouble regulating the temperature but all in all it was a success for a first try.

Pure duck fat, still melting from the fridge



Duck confit with crispy grilled duck breast, glazed turnips and fresh fig

[Diego]

/\ Sounds great, let's see some pics!

Burp... I ate it all great idea!! next time I'll do it.

that looks delicious A, love the presentation.

[Pinoy]

damn..that looks good, Avantster!

finally got my car out of the shop today so I'll be hitting up Animal on Friday night and AOC on Saturday night :) It'll be my first time at Animal– does anyone (DHC, Merz, etc) have any recommendations? :)

[laika]

looks absolutely perfect, Avantster!

making duck is a very satisfying endeavor, for some reason. i like to use the leftover fat to sautee little potatoes. Although I actually think turnips are my favorite accompaniment.

[Pinoy]

i like to use the leftover fat to sautee little potatoes.

this reminds me of a neighborhood joint near my place that serves up french fries cooked in duck fat. heavenly.

[Avantster]

Thanks guys. Duck is certainly one of my favorites, whether it's to cook, or eat.

D, there's also one (thankfully) not so near my place that also makes french fries cooked in pure duck fat. Lucky it's not closer or I'd be going far too often!

[Pinoy]

That reminds me I need to find some tripoux, best offal dish ever. It's imposible to find in spain.

I see we have another organ meats fan!! The other day I tricked my vegetarian friend into taking a bite of sweetbread haha!

Needless to say she wasn't amused.