Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

OK, this is the thing with sourdough. The regular yeast thats used in regular bread, such as back on the east coast and many other parts of the country (and the world) wouldnt raise the bread out in california. ( back when california was first being settled) so they had to use a different type of bacteria (yeast) to make the bread rise. It has to do with whats in the water. This yeast made the bread taste sour. Hence the name sourdough. This also made cooks make totally different recipes for Pizza etc. I love breads and pasts. So for my own taste I like pizza and breads back east like in Pennsylvania, or new york. I live in Utah now and they dont have any breads or pizzas that I like. So Im not happy (but I'll live)

Inspite of the pitfalls, I love RW. I find that, if I arrive early (even without a reservation) for lunch and look well put together, I almost always get seated. On the one or two occasions when this strategy failed, I did get seated at my second choice restaurant.

I agree with the praise for Danny Meyer's restaurants. I go to Gramercy Tavern during restaurant week and during the rest of the year. I always feel welcome.

Besides Gramercy Tavern, I love Aquavit and Oceana. The salmon at Aquavit is transcendent. The food overall at Oceana is subtle, beautifully presented, and memorable.

One place to avoid is Grayz. This is a midtown restaurant owned by Gray Kunz, a celebrity chef. It is located in a former Rockefeller townhouse. Aside from the historical interest, I have little good to say about the restaurant.

The staff at Grayz resented serving an inexpensive meal. For each of three courses, there were only two selections. There was loud Hispanic music. The food was bad.

What can I say? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I just found this website not so long ago.
I find all of you so very refreshing and funny.
Doesn't appear to be a food snob amongst this group.
To Shnauzer_mom -- I'm with you with the vodka and pomegranate.

My humble opinion...we are works in progress and sometimes we digress.
The 11 are a good jumping off point.
Bon Sante!

That is reality tv for you: completely full of bullshit....reality television on all levels is truly the dumming down of america and as for cooking reality shows; it is shameful for the industry also on all levels and all shows...especially but not limited to the food programming shows on the Food Network.

Oh c'mon! Petrozza had WAY more experience--but Christina is definitely doing well for a young'n.

You know, I avidly looked forward to this show all season; not because the food is awesome, but because the drama tastes great!

Congrats Christina!

Does anyone really take this show seriously??

I have never watched this show and can't take Ramsey or the show seriously. After reading "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse," a real life story of a talented home cook who started a food revolution, I would much rather watch her do anything. Those early days at Chez Panisse would make for much more entertaining comedy.

Plain yogurt with active cultures + frozen blueberries + a drizzle of honey = mmmmmmmmm. A favorite dessert and a healthy snack that even my picky kids love. Try it!

@carosene,

you'll have better luck with turmeric if you use a small amount of it in a long cooked dish and add it at the beginning. the bitterness takes a while to cook out.

I highly recommend River Cafe for lunchtime restaurant week. Great view, amazing food with several different options ( not just two ). And afterward you can walk over the bridge or lay on the grass under the bridge and enjoy a lovely day.

SF sourdough isn't ideal for everything but just because you can get a passable (not great, but passable) loaf at every supermarket on the west coast doesn't mean that it has ruined every other kind of bread. I live in NYC and don't think that the lack of good bread in local markets and bakeries is because of all the rye bread baked in the area. I think his anger is really misplaced on this one. Of course, I also have no idea who he is or why I should care about his opinion so whatever.....

There are various degrees of "sour" in sourdough breads. SF Sourdough is defined by a tartness that a French sourdough doesn't have. Starters that are rye based tend to be much more bitter than starters made with wheat. All too often in commercial bakeries all across the world, when a baker makes sourdough he/she is also using a flavour enhancer that is intended to up the "tang factor". As the proud caretaker of several home grown starters, I have a few that are very sour but I also have a few that make breads that have such a subtle tang that you would never know it was a sourdough based bread. It is all about the starter...