Sneakeater Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Huge assumption. Unless you mean it's a huge assumption I've ever reached adulthood. Which I can't disagree with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 It seems to me that if you really care about cuisine, you should decry the narrowness of our current diet -- not gloat about it as St. John did. I can't tell from reading Cuozzo that St. John really gloated about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 I think chicken, pork, and salmon represent sufficient variety for any normal appetite. There will always be those who grub after raccoon, puffin, and rattlesnake. And restaurants faddish enough to pander to such perversities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 You're not the REAL Wilfrid. What have you done with him? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 I rip my mask off and stand revealed as... WILFRID1 😈 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 I am okay with the idea of G&T as a chophouse. Trying to resurrect it as old-school Southern seafood palace, you are just going to get an unsatisfying facsimile, unless someone amazing is hired for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I don’t have a problem with it, either. My problem is with speaking derisively of the older, clearly superior dining culture. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Adrian Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I don’t have a problem with it, either. My problem is with speaking derisively of the older, clearly superior dining culture. Enjoyed a greater variety of meats is not a priori evidence of "clear superiority". There's a lot to be said against dining via the wayback machine as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rich Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 In spite of Wilfrid and #1 revealing their secret identity, there is a lot to be said for Gage & Tollner. My family has significantly invested in the project and though I don't totally agree with the "chop house" format, it may be the safest opening concept. Like Sneak, whose secret identity will soon be revealed, I agree with the "clearly superior" older dining culture. Dined for the first time at G&T some 11 years after birth and though I didn't have whale, the choices were extraordinary. Had the scallops with a wild rice concoction and a glass or two of red wine. Heaven was nearby, but chose G&T and it's marvelous cheesecake for dessert - topped with fresh berries (straw, black and rasp). Was introduced to Perry Como, had a sip of my grandfather's espresso with anisette and fell asleep in the family Desoto on the way back to Astoria. Took one of my first serious dates there three years later and life was never as good before - though after was a revelation beyond words. Cotton napkins and tablecloths - the defining moment of civilization. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rich Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Just for the record, the above post was written by one of my secret identities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 My family has significantly invested in the project and though I don't totally agree with the "chop house" format, it may be the safest opening concept. Don't you (and or your secret family) know enough to stick with a sure thing...the ponies? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rich Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 "...you're my older brother and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again... ever..." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taion Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Menu offerings in 19th Century New York were incredibly extensive. There was game from up the Hudson Valley and from the Mid-Atlantic and the South. There was a range of meats, poultry, and seafood far beyond anything seen in our lifetimes. Terrapin was a beloved delicacy. What I wonder is – how the heck did the logistics work? Like how do you manage inventory for so much perishable stuff, especially given the lack of modern refrigeration? For the seafood especially. We've noted that even Frenchette sometimes has freshness issues. How could they possibly have managed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 They didn't care as much? And they probably used some pretty intense sauces to cover up "minor" freshness issues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rich Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Actually refrigeration wasn't that much of an issue. Ice was plentiful and an iceman was a noble and necessary profession. Large iceboxes were common and had excellent insulation. Should read some books on old storage methods used in the United States during the second half of the 19th Century - fascinating Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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