Welcome back. I'll have some noodles and dumplings in your honor.

Ciao! Those oranges from California are wimpy compared to the real deal.

Fava beans and ramps - at your service... http://tastytravails.blogspot.com/2011/04/pssssttheyre-baaaack.html Happy trails!

Man - you're as grouchy as me. I could use a pb knife!

A: - Don't shop at lunch. B: - Pizza and pasta area is the way to go. C: - Enter 23rd St. side. D: - Don't go at lunch!

That's one way! But try just making the "simple" by subbing pom juice for the water - saves a step and makes for a more concentrated grenadine. And yes, the booze acts as a preservative...should last a few weeks in the fridge. Of course, if you're only making a cup or so at a time, it's not necessary. And then maybe a Jack Rose!

Nor any of the other problems they claimed it would cure. BTW, try just mixing the actual pomegranate juice with sugar 50/50. Shake like the devil till all the sugar is dissolved. Or heat till it is. Add 1 T of neutral spirits (gasp = vodka). Refrigerate. Real grenadine.

Have you heard what happened to the company that makes POM?

Nice.

I've been eating a lot of cheeseburgers...but I usually remove half the bun to make them stress-free!

Limes?!! Then it is definitely time for a rickey or two. Perhaps a daiquiri? A Last Word? You're on the Chartreuse kick, after all. The world is your oyster, now that you have some fresh limes! Here's one I just noticed...The Brandy Shake 2 oz. Brandy or Cognac 1 oz. lime 3/4 oz. simple Almost a brandy sour with lime instead of lemon! Cin-Cin!

The Champs is a nice cocktail - I know you love that Chartreuse! Sours are great too. How about a Rickey or two? Make 'em with bourbon or gin, and I bet they would be delicious with some of the bitter sodas available in Italia!

I vote for visiting you in your garden. But only if I get to use the pitchfork...my back is already killing me. Seriously though, the thing I miss the most from my years (18!) of living in California (well, other than the earthquakes, drought, fires, hellacious traffic and being gainfully employed) is my backyard garden and three, count 'em, three, Meyer lemon trees. Year-round garden, as a matter of fact. Now I have to head to the Union Square greenmarket - just because. ciao, ciao

I WANT that tomato in the picture - what variety is it? I often just heat up some olive oil with minced garlic till it barely colors - then, I use that hot oil and pour it on a cup or two of minced herbs to bring out their flavor - toss the hot pasta and a spoonful of pasta water in, and it's like an herb garden in full bloom!

I bought a "few" ears at the farmer's market on Essex St. this morning. It'll go well with the classic macaroni salad we're bringing to a neighbor's 18th floor terrace tonight to watch the fireworks over the Hudson! It ain't Montone, but then again, what is?

Hey, you forgot the bitters!

What?! You didn't try the Smoked Sable salad with an outstanding bottarga agliata? Or any of the roasted meats? For shame! http://tastytravails.blogspot.com/2010/0/pulinos-bar-pizzeria.html

Okay, we'l give it a try next time we're in Philadelphia...but that cornicione just looks a little suspect to me. http://tastytravails.blogspot.com/

With a nice, icy-cold martini is my preferred methodology. And with Significant Eater.

The tri-tip is well known in California; it's used for the famous Santa Maria Barbecue (a town just north of Santa Barbara), generally cooked over red oak and served with pink beans! I first saw it (and took it home and cooked it) in NYC at Citarella's, and I'm sure Jeffrey can procure. It's beefy flavor and tender texture make it a real winner! The bigger question is: "What cocktail did you have before dinner?"

Yes, I am! So, were the walnuts candied? This may be my next gelato, since I've seen some figs at the market called Whole Foods. And this pizza guru, a New Yorker? Cause I don't know if it counts if he/she isn't...just ask Mr. Lombardi. Can that thing in the picture really be called a pizza?

Hey Jude, I think we're thinking along the same lines these days - and the tomatoes (so far) from South Jersey certainly seem to taste okay. Check out the "sugo" I made just the other night... http://tiny.cc/xOooB

I think it might be as simple as Italy being one big ethnic market. After all, when you go to the weekly market in Citta di Castello, I'd venture a guess that 80 - 90% of the shoppers are Italians. And economies of scale are of a different paradigm in Italy, I would imagine, since the country is so much smaller geographically. Of course, these are all just guesses on my part. My final guess is that Italians simply wont pay more than they think the product is worth, whereas at the Union Square greenmarket,. people are so blown away by the quanlity and variety of produce that they don't even think about the price.

Well, I think one reason why our US farmer's markets tend to be more expensive is economies of scale. Most, if not all, of the farmers at farmer's markets are small. Their overhead is high and the amount of labor they expend is tremendous. Growing an acre of lettuce is a lot more costly than growing 10,000 acres of lettuce. But in NYC, as you know Jude, the differential between farmer's markets and "supermarkets" is not that great. Good farmer's market tomatoes at $3.50 a pound are worth it; crappy supermarket tomatoes at $3 a pound are not. If you're a smart and savvy shopper in NYC you can get deals. Even Whole Foods has things on sale every once in a while. The multitude of street corner vendors (I wrote about my guy here...http://tiny.cc/OsXuQ) often have the best prices - perhaps they can be seen as the equivalent of the little farmer's markets in Italy. I've been getting wonderful peaches and apricots and cherries; pineapple, canteloupe and more, all at prices well below that of the farmer's market, Whole Foods and, gasp, Fine Fare (our local grocery). There are great prices to be had at "farm" stands in the wilds of Brooklyn and Queens and the Bronx. That's where the larger ethnic groups shop. Real estate is a heckuva lot cheaper in the outlying boroughs than in Manhattan...that's just the cost of doing biz. And I think the bottom line is that the farmers charge what the market will bear. If no one buys the tomatoes at $3.50 a pound, the price will come down; or, the farmer will stop growing them.

Oh, you've come back to reason!