Happy Thanksgiving

So let me say: thank you. And for any other folks making a turkey and/or stuffing, I hope yours is turning out better than mine :)

Many post to come, but probably intermittently and short, since finals season is upon me once more.

Debate: Immediate Reaction

I just watched the Democratic debate on CNN, and was heartily disappointed. Not in the candidates, but in the debate itself. The structure and the format were tiresome and did not serve me one bit in learning more about the candidates.

Structure -- Why can't candidates get more than 60 seconds to respond to a question? Does anyone really think that a decent answer can be given to any substantive issue in 60 seconds? Why on earth does the press want to promote sound bites over substantive debate? Don't they feel the least bit of responsibility to the public to encourage more ideas, rather than fewer?

Format -- Who's picking these questions anyway? Can we please stop trying to figure out what Hillary Clinton meant by the "boys club"? Look around her at the stage! If it's not obvious to you, then you really should not be hosting the debate. On a related note, can these "moderators" please arrange questions in an order that makes sense? Thank god for the precise, issue oriented, pithy questions of the folks in the audience, or this would have been a complete waste of my time, instead of just a partial waste.

I think it was Senator Dodd who proposed, a few months ago on Meet the Press, that each candidate should square up with a Republican and have a 90 minute debate on ONE topic. That would be fantastic. And let's get some decent moderators in there please, not all these folks who are looking more to boost their own egos than serve the public discussion.

Although, I would be remiss if I didn't mention before the end that, once again, Senator Biden was fantastic. I really wish he could pick up steam. Both Biden and Richardson are refreshingly straightforward in their answers, explanations, and views.

Bouley

I visited this fine dining establishment with my girlfriend a few days ago. It was overpriced and underwhelming. Allow me to explain.

We both chose the Chef's tasting menu, which one would think at a Michelen 2 star restaurant would contain a panoply of culinary delights. Not so. The selection was pretty uninspiring, which was a disappointing start to the evening. Nevertheless, thinking that the wonderful flavors would be sure to impress me, I ordered a nice four course meal.

It started off with a vegetable broth containing a few pieces of seafood (squid, scallops, salmon). Although under-seasoned, the fish was cooked perfectly and was of the highest quality, and I was pretty satisfied. And then it went downhill. The second course was a Rouget (it's a fish people, get with it) that was very well cooked - the meat was tender, the skin was nicely crisped. But the flavor was bland - no spicing or flavoring, and the portion was tiny. Next came the main course: squab and foie gras with cabbage. It sounded great, and even though I normally boycott foie gras (as should you -- cruelty to geese is beyond the pale) it looked interesting enough for me to give it a try. Ugh. The squab was really undercooked -- to the point where I had to send it back to the kitchen for recooking. They sent me back a plate without the squab! Just a piece of foie gras neatly arranged on a bed of cabbage. It was disappointing. I should note here that my girlfriend enjoyed her squab, so perhaps what I was served was an anomaly....nevertheless, it was bad. We both finished off the meal with a chocolate souffle, which was good but not great. It really was more like a molten chocolate cake -- not at all fluffy and airy like a real souffle should be (or at least, what I would expect from a supposedly great French restaurant).

I'm just your average amateur foodie, but this place disappointed. If you're going to pay that much money for a meal in NYC, there are a dozen places you should try first.