Recent Comments

From Serious Eats: New York

Alan Richman, M. Wells, and the State of Service

I sent this to Mr. Richman at GQ but since you asked for feedback I will also send it to you and it went as follows:

Mr. Richman,

I smiled when you said that you were not recognized as a food critic because even I would recognize you Mr Richman, even living as I do in Montreal, because you used to have a show on the Food Network when it was just a baby at about the same time I had a baby.

Yes, Montreal is where I live and eat and here we take the fleur de lis very seriously because if you know the history of Quebec then you know that the English vs the French is a politics we stay away from. However, it would be painfully clear to me that Hugue was definitely wearing what he always wears as a badge of honor that he is a French Quebecer.

I have never had the occasion to eat at Au Pied du Cochon primarily and only because my husband will not eat the food that makes Picard famous - it is my loss, although truthfully I find Poutines a most disgusting dish to eat even and especially with foie gras as an additional topping let alone the cheese curds.

The internet is an easy place to be rude and faceless. I have had my share from people but usually those of repute understand and accept that emails written need to be put into draft form for at least a week before they are sent so that the writer has the opportunity to read and re-read it several times before it is sent. Something only people of our age have quickly come to realize - our life experience has taught us a few things the young will never have the advantage of. One being typing a letter and then reading it for mistakes, before the carbon goes into the garbage; sadly, is a lesson that will never be learned , ever. This is a knee-jerk generation ,where and for, that email is a very dangerous tool to have on a computer. I have been a victim of it as I have been the cause, too.

Opening a restaurant is like having a baby; we don't raise our children to be bad. We do the best we know how and hope they turn out as contributing adults in society - Just as a budding restaurant owner invests big bucks into the hardest business known to mankind, with intentions for it to succeed. No chef or investor puts that kind of capital and investment into a restaurant for failure. When a critic makes or breaks such a business it borders on the criminal, to me. (did u know that banks in Montreal will not give business loans for restaurants w/o huge guarantees and even then the chances are slim and mostly none.)

Obviously it is not criminal and it is words, but these words can kill a restaurant. I agree with you having had such a horrible time. I also think the owner needs to learn that the customer is always right, even if that customer is a critic. So when a critic writes a sad piece as you have written here I hope you have done it with the sole intention of being a mentor in this review. As well, Mr. Picard, upon hearing this accusation would definitely call in his good friend for a serious talk. I think, if your intentions as critic is for the good, you should let Martin Picard hear of this accusation because I am sure he would have a long talk with Hugue and his new wife. This is an accusation that goes far beyond the critique of the food.

From Recipes

'My Father's Daughter': Gwyneth Paltrow's Grilled Tuna Rolls

I concur with Mario Batali when he said 'she's a lovely girl if you can relate to someone who thinks $880.00 is a deal for a pair of shoes'; it's kind of hard to relate to her cookbook even from one like me who loves a great Louboutin replica. Hey, when the movie roles begin to dry up we can always revert to Food...Food is the new go-to career when television and movies are drying up

From Recipes

Matzo Toffee With Almonds

I don't want to boast but a friend gave me her recipe which I have not seen on the net and so I posted it: http://eyezinacookbook.com/?p=5537

I needed intervention the day I made it; addictive

From Recipes

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

I love that you use parsnips...my mother-in-law was horrified when she saw me use this but then again my grandmother was originally from Russia. I use turnips too but depending on my mood I will always use at least one whole onion, peeled. Then I sneak the onion out of the pot once it is soft and eat a bowl of chicken soup and the onion(s). No lemon or potatoes in my chicken soup and the chicken is always eaten for lunch the next day or in salad. Never in the soup with a matzoh ball. BTW 2 hours is too long; really an hour and a half..but this is how I know"

if the chicken after cooking tastes too good the soup will be not so good but if the chicken is tasteless it means the soup is going to be a hit. so depending on how your chicken tastes is how long u leave it boil.

See more comments by blondee47 »

Recent Posts

From Talk

Dog Treats Pig's Ears

See more posts by blondee47 »

Recent Favorites

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling

See more favorites by blondee47 »

Recent Polls

blondee47 hasn't answered any polls yet.

Recent Quizzes

From Serious Eats

blondee47 got 22% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Apples?

From Serious Eats

blondee47 got 60% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sushi?

See more polls and quizzes by blondee47 »

Recent Comments

From Serious Eats: New York

Alan Richman, M. Wells, and the State of Service

I sent this to Mr. Richman at GQ but since you asked for feedback I will also send it to you and it went as follows:

Mr. Richman,

I smiled when you said that you were not recognized as a food critic because even I would recognize you Mr Richman, even living as I do in Montreal, because you used to have a show on the Food Network when it was just a baby at about the same time I had a baby.

Yes, Montreal is where I live and eat and here we take the fleur de lis very seriously because if you know the history of Quebec then you know that the English vs the French is a politics we stay away from. However, it would be painfully clear to me that Hugue was definitely wearing what he always wears as a badge of honor that he is a French Quebecer.

I have never had the occasion to eat at Au Pied du Cochon primarily and only because my husband will not eat the food that makes Picard famous - it is my loss, although truthfully I find Poutines a most disgusting dish to eat even and especially with foie gras as an additional topping let alone the cheese curds.

The internet is an easy place to be rude and faceless. I have had my share from people but usually those of repute understand and accept that emails written need to be put into draft form for at least a week before they are sent so that the writer has the opportunity to read and re-read it several times before it is sent. Something only people of our age have quickly come to realize - our life experience has taught us a few things the young will never have the advantage of. One being typing a letter and then reading it for mistakes, before the carbon goes into the garbage; sadly, is a lesson that will never be learned , ever. This is a knee-jerk generation ,where and for, that email is a very dangerous tool to have on a computer. I have been a victim of it as I have been the cause, too.

Opening a restaurant is like having a baby; we don't raise our children to be bad. We do the best we know how and hope they turn out as contributing adults in society - Just as a budding restaurant owner invests big bucks into the hardest business known to mankind, with intentions for it to succeed. No chef or investor puts that kind of capital and investment into a restaurant for failure. When a critic makes or breaks such a business it borders on the criminal, to me. (did u know that banks in Montreal will not give business loans for restaurants w/o huge guarantees and even then the chances are slim and mostly none.)

Obviously it is not criminal and it is words, but these words can kill a restaurant. I agree with you having had such a horrible time. I also think the owner needs to learn that the customer is always right, even if that customer is a critic. So when a critic writes a sad piece as you have written here I hope you have done it with the sole intention of being a mentor in this review. As well, Mr. Picard, upon hearing this accusation would definitely call in his good friend for a serious talk. I think, if your intentions as critic is for the good, you should let Martin Picard hear of this accusation because I am sure he would have a long talk with Hugue and his new wife. This is an accusation that goes far beyond the critique of the food.

From Recipes

'My Father's Daughter': Gwyneth Paltrow's Grilled Tuna Rolls

I concur with Mario Batali when he said 'she's a lovely girl if you can relate to someone who thinks $880.00 is a deal for a pair of shoes'; it's kind of hard to relate to her cookbook even from one like me who loves a great Louboutin replica. Hey, when the movie roles begin to dry up we can always revert to Food...Food is the new go-to career when television and movies are drying up

From Recipes

Matzo Toffee With Almonds

I don't want to boast but a friend gave me her recipe which I have not seen on the net and so I posted it: http://eyezinacookbook.com/?p=5537

I needed intervention the day I made it; addictive

From Recipes

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

I love that you use parsnips...my mother-in-law was horrified when she saw me use this but then again my grandmother was originally from Russia. I use turnips too but depending on my mood I will always use at least one whole onion, peeled. Then I sneak the onion out of the pot once it is soft and eat a bowl of chicken soup and the onion(s). No lemon or potatoes in my chicken soup and the chicken is always eaten for lunch the next day or in salad. Never in the soup with a matzoh ball. BTW 2 hours is too long; really an hour and a half..but this is how I know"

if the chicken after cooking tastes too good the soup will be not so good but if the chicken is tasteless it means the soup is going to be a hit. so depending on how your chicken tastes is how long u leave it boil.

From Serious Eats

A Sandwich a Day: Smoked Meat at Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen

A true Montrealer knows to order their smoked meat Medium: just say 1 to go and 1 to eat here....and you don't need to inspect it because it always comes the same way!!

From Recipes

Cook the Book: Braised 'Red Cooked' Wings, Shanghai-Style

Hi Michele, I made this yesterday for the family as you directed. My glaze wasn't red, in fact it was an ugly brown; I suppose from the rendering of the fat from the chicken wings, as it cooked. What did I do wrong and how come the glaze never thickened?

From Sweets

Mixed Review: Manischewitz's Honey Cake

If one takes a look at any boxed cake mix usually the second ingredient or third is sugar. That in and of itself should make a person think twice before buying it....when I think cake mix and boxed I think sugar sugar sugar

From Talk

Which celebrity chef is more "Celebrity" than Chef?

the question should be the other way around...Which one isn't? (isn't more celebrity than chef meaning which one is the chef...oh fuggedaboudit....)

From Serious Eats

Serious Cheese: Spring Brook Tarentaise and the Vermont Cheesemakers' Festival

Would you have any idea of the cheesemaker who sells the cheeses called Batman Cheese who is Vermont based? They were at the farmers market downtown burlington one weekend when I was there and I wanted to buy cheese but then had a Dental emergency that took over my enjoyable walk thru the market.

From Serious Eats

Taste Test: Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips

You missed the best : Solea Olive Oil Kettle Cooked chips

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'

Ruhlman.com for its integrity and professionalism and its pictures

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Japanese Hot Pots'

As a teenager I was on ski patrol at Mont St. Saveur in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. Always being weight conscious I would eat a salad for lunch at the chalet and would leave the hills at 4 o'clock Sunday's to beat traffic into Montreal and get home to my mother would have made her standard Borscht complete with flanken and tomatoes and onions and cabbage. I would scoff down two bowls and then lay down to watch sunday night tv....this was a routing that lasted from my early teens to my late 20's..... that borscht...and those ski hills..

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Dishing Up Vermont'

It is not a state but in Quebec, my province, the ultimate food is foie gras hands down!

From Serious Eats

Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?

eggs in a hole...Dunns rest. in montreal used to serve these with bagels instead of toast and the egg went obviously into the hole.

From Serious Eats

Serious Green: A Preview of 'Food, Inc.' in Theaters June 12

fifteen years ago sitting at a dining table on a cruise ship our tablemate discussed his job as a meat inspector for the government in a city i do not remember. He told us then, that if we even had the slightest idea of how meat is prepared produced and packaged for consumption we would never eat meat again. He refused to tell us, to him, it was not a subject to be spoken at the dinner table it was so disgusting.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling

This is a recipe my mother in law, a holocaust survivor, has always made for my husband - it is his favorite....she said she was making it forever...do any of your readers find this familiar and if so, what it is called?

We call it Grandma's Special Pineapple Cake

1/2 lb sweet butter room temp soft
1 c sugar
1 egg, well beaten
2 c flour
2 ts vanilla or vanilla sugar packets
2 sq semi sweet chocolate melted
2 cans pineapple crushed and drained
4 tb flour
2 egg yolks
1 c sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:
for dough:

combine 1st 6 ingredients into a bowl and crumble with hands till mixed
through. Lay on bottom of pyrex dish leaving some dough for garnish

Filling:

Combine the next 4 ingredients and place on top layer.

Then roll the balance of bottom dough into
strings and cover the topping with it in x's or lines

Bake 1 hour at 350 F

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling

Oh and one more: I was a latch-key kid in grade school which was down the block from where we lived. Each day at lunch school would let out and together my friends and I would walk home for lunch. There would be a can of Campbell's condensed tomatoe soup opened standing in the pot to be used: into which I would empty and fill with one can of water....and an egg salad sandwich in the fridge

Timing everything just right for me to meet up with the kids for a walk back to school and having been able to finish watching Johnny Jellybean on tv...(for all your canadian readers aged in their early 50's)

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling

My fondest memory is walking into the house after school on Friday's when my mother, after coming home from work, would stand at the gas stove and stir-fry Brains with onions or greben as we knew them to be.

Then she would place it before us as we sat waiting for dinner - growing up for dinner my mother always made sure we had an appetizer, main and then dessert. We had to remain sitting until all of us had finished and my father would allow us to go.

Unfortunately I never carried on the tradition of an appetizer and dessert and now at age 52 with kids out of the house - I am sorry I did not.

For all you young mothers...keep tradition!!

From Serious Eats

In Videos: 'I Went to Eat at Alinea Tonight'

Adam, try to practice what you want to say before taping...your hesitations are distracting your speech is so slow that it becomes annoying about half way through, which is when most people probably turn it off.

But I love video blogs and I think your premise is great.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 63: Do All Doctors Want to Be Food Writers?

Ditto for my brother-n-law and he had to give up all alcohol...which brings me to another point...what if a critic or baker gets Diabetes? How would that affect his/her job?

From Serious Eats

Served: The Ballsy Waitress

I thought if you are not 21, that you cannot work where Alcohol is served?

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: ''Wichcraft'

Tuna salad, tomatoe, swiss cheese or norvegia, and a slice of canned pineapple : grilled

2 different flavored cheeses and the canned pineapple slice for the sweetness

From Recipes

The Secret Ingredient: Pomegranate Molasses

really well written and interesting post...cannot wait for the next secret ingredient...lately i have been pursuing preserved lemons....

See more comments by blondee47 »

Recent Posts

From Talk

Dog Treats Pig's Ears

See more posts by blondee47 »

Recent Favorites

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling

See more favorites by blondee47 »

Polls

blondee47 hasn't answered any polls yet.

Quizzes

From Serious Eats

blondee47 got 22% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Apples?

From Serious Eats

blondee47 got 60% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sushi?

See more quizzes by blondee47 »

About blondee47

Website: http://www.eyezinacookbook.com

Location: Montreal

About: I write a food blog

Favorite foods: filled wafers are my absolute weakness

Last bite on earth: a package of chocolate wafers