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The Ten Most Recent Comments By stratusgd

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

Check out the Blarney Stone, on 3rd btw. 44+45th. Ok, so it's a dive bar (as midtownlunch.com put it, "in the best sense of the word") - but the burgers are good, and the onion rings are amazing.

It's cheap too, which is a plus.

From Talk

Food Photography: Affordable Camera?

One thing to note:

On smaller point & shoot cameras (i.e., non-DSLRs) don't bother getting anything with a picture size of higher than 6-8 megapixels. Simply put, the sensors in those cameras are so small, going much higher than 6MP drastically increases the level of noise in the image. Also, a 6MP image will give you a very high-quality printout at 8x10" - and will be much bigger than anything you would use on a website.

Other tips: Don't use a flash. Use a tripod when possible. Use the lowest ISO you can for less-noisy images. A slow ISO (shutter speed) and a no flash will probably necessitate a tripod. Look up information on setting the f-stop and how that impacts 'depth of field.'

From Talk

Copying a good idea - Will be in Philadelphia next week

Monk's or Eulogy, for bars. Both specialized in Belgian-style food and beer, have great menus, and longer beer lists. Personally, I'm partial to Eulogy, but I know plenty of people who enjoy Monk's.

From Required Eating

Traitor Joe's?

This is about the same level of breaking news as the Village Voice article a week or two ago that broke the story that Iron Chef American is a produced TV show.

From Talk

Alton Brown's recipes: yay or nay?

I'll just agree with most of the people above - any recipes of his I haven't liked (his mac & cheese recipe comes to mind) were simply a matter of differing tastes - not an issue of having problems following the recipe, or a recipe that was flat-out wrong.

From Slice

De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies, Trenton, New Jersey

Homeslice - Hudson street is still open, at least according to http://www.delorenzostomatopies.com/ - however, if you don't feel like trekking down to Hudson Ave, their 2nd location is the the new shopping center that was build on Rt 33 near the Hamilton/Washington Twp border (specifically, they're near the Maggie Moo's).

However - call ahead if you plan on getting take out. Friends went last week, and were not doing takeout orders - only eating in, and there was a wait, to say the least.

From Recipes

Simply Cornbread

justlikekatie -

My mother is from the Knoxville area - the recipe her side of the family always uses (which has been passed on to us) is probably the same as yours - no sugar! Also, though I've used a glass baking dish in the past, I always use the cast iron skillet I was give several years ago.

From Ed Levine Eats

Ed Levine's Semi-Serious, Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving

Even if I do a lot of cooking, I still enjoy Thanksgiving. Though generally, it's a potluck affair - I only end up doing 2-3 dishes, besides the turkey (cornbread stuffing, cranberry relish, and mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes of some part). The one thing I never do is gravy. Ever. I have never successfully made it, so I normally just buy some from Wegman's or Whole Foods - though the idea of making it from purchased stock is an idea I hadn't thought of.

From Required Eating

Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

Dark meat. The wife takes all the white meat anyway.

Responses to Comments by stratusgd

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

-Shake Shack is great. I think there is too much garlic in the meat, but that's me.
-I also like PJ Clarks (UES).
-People say the Corner Bistro in the W. Village is the spot.
-I eat regularly at Burger in Chelsea and think it's pretty good. I think their turkey burgers are better than their regular beef burgers. And to whomever likes their veggie burgers, FYI: they use Dr. Preger's frozen patties. So, if you like them, you can buy them yourself too.
-My favorite burger joint is Dumont Burger on Bedford in Williamsburg.

From Talk

Food Photography: Affordable Camera?

I bought my new camera today!

Canon PowerShot -- SD870IS Digital ELPH.

I'm playing around with it right now, and my first impressions are VERY GOOD.

I've already taken a couple shots that are better than anything I've ever taken before. Period. WOOHOO! :)

Keeping in mind I'm a photo-newbie, with no idea what I'm doing.

This sweet little point-and-shoot is only $300, but it packs a lot of features and quality for that price. Within my first hour, I've already taken some impressive shots of... my pizza I had for dinner tonight, my guitars, my cat, a plant that's growing on my next door neighbor's patio that may or may not be illegal, and lots of other stuff.

I am very happy with this purchase so far. Is there any way to upload a pic here in the forum?

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

oops, hit the button too soon. the burgers at keens {in the bar only} and the burgers {at lunch only} at peter luger are just superb.

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

i ate at stand once and thought it was really good, but it's awfully pricey.

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

what about stand? ive heard great things about it, but ive never been. however, if i recall, nymag had good things to say about it?

From Talk

Food Photography: Affordable Camera?

I should never go into electronic stores. And the thing, is I KNOW THIS. I went to buy a 32-inch LCD on sale not too long ago, and was sure it was the right model for me. I had researched it, and was confident in what I was going to get. My plan - IN and OUT of the store with my new TV.

Well... Instead of IN and OUT, I was there for 2 hours, and came home with a larger more expensive 42-inch, and instead of LCD it was Plasma.

Before that, I was going to buy a Nintendo Wii just for fun when there's a house full of people -- Today I'm the proud owner of BOTH the Sony Playstation-3 and Microsoft XBOX-360. And I didn't even get the damn Wii.

Don't you see? See why I shouldn't go into these stores?

Anyway, I went to get my new camera, and before I knew it, the excitement of all the bright and shiny technology got me again, and instead of just a camera, I had a $1,000 'hybrid' in my hands. It was a full blown digital camcorder, but also took high quality still-shots.

The wheels in mind are turning..... "Sure, I need this because I want to eventually do my own video segments on the site. Maybe even video reviews. Yeah man, I NEED this. BUY IT - BUY IT - BUY IT"....

Anyway, God Blessed me with a good friend, and that friend came with me this weekend, and reminded me that I was getting carry away... again. He reminded me that I just starting a brand news site, and this was no time to suddenly try to become Steven Spielberg. And that my previous electronic adventures created debt that took a long time to pay for.

So today my friends, I stand before you with the same old 1 megapixel clunker, and I've decided instead to purchase my new camera ONLINE, away from the lure of the hands-on world of the brick and mortar retail store.

I will provide an update, and hopefully a happy ending to this story, soon.

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

Good Burger, 2nd Ave and 43rd St. and other locations, comes with the works - lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, mayo and ketchup unless you request it otherwise. The fries are as good as McDonalds, thin and crisp every time. Have the shakes, expensive but made to order from scratch. A cheese burger with fries will cost you $10.

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

The burgers, fries, everything at Le Parket Meridin. The line is usually long but it moves quickly. Best to go with another person so someone snags a table and someone waits in line. Not many choices but so what? You are there for the burger anyway.

I am hungry thinkig about one.....

Enjoy!

From Talk

Best independent burger in NYC?

Burger Burger, down in the Financial District serves up a great certified angus burger and really crispy fries. They cook them to order right in front of you so there may be a wait but its well worth it. One thing you won't be is hungry after this!

From Talk

Food Photography: Affordable Camera?

I say if you have the money to burn, an SLR will probably get you the best results. However, I take all of my food pictures with a Kodak DX7630 and I think a lot of them are pretty presentable. And I don't use a tripod, but I know that it would help.

Good luck!