193593 Sun Feb 03 06:22:09 -0800 2002 30 18 Manhattan 0 1033146 The dinner at Funky Broome was a success from the food point of view. I think AbbyLovi is the person to report on the $ for chowhound aspect. There were 17 "reservations" and all 17 were in attendance. About half in attendence have been regular posters. Others accompanied the c'hound regulars except for one who is a "newbie" mostly reading but who I think we will soon be hearing lots from their Turtle Bay perspective. Also Dave Feldman's guests will hopefully start reading and writing too. Being the designated camera person (a new digital toy I got for xmas) I will be posting some snapshots but it will take me a few days. If anyone absolutely does not want to be identified in the pictures please e-mail me at wray AT imailbox DOT com. I heard everyone stating their appreciation during and after the meal but still on behalf of all the c'hounds who attended I want to thank Abby, Dennison and Eric Eto for planning. They said that what we had was essentially Funky Broome's mid size banquet menu to which they added a couple of choices. I will recap the menu here for all with some comments for those dishes where I can think of something to say. I hope others will add their comments and corrections. By the way, this process is made much easier because Abby thoughtfully and efficiently printed up a menu for each of us as well as the post Eric made a couple of days ago. Abby with her timely updates and reminders along with Eric and Dennison who mostly helped in the chow side of the gathering have set the chowhound banquet preparation and planning bar very high for those who follow. Although I must admit I have not attended any of the many previously held in NY so I am no authority. On to the chow: ~Appetizers~ Marinated Goose Intestine -- a very refreshing salad like dish. The lightly vinegary dressing and sprouts (just the stem w/o the bean/head) provided the base flavor. The intestines slices were like large flat noodles that had soaked up goose or duck fat. In fact David Sprague suggested that squemish diners should just be told they were eating noodles and they would be happy. Crispy Squab -- generous big platter, very tasty skin, the very dark sweet meat was a new discovery for me, the few of us that went for the heads got a special treat. I must say that I first took a head and timidly ate the crispy skin. Then after seeing Nina bite the top off a head with relish and urge others to try it, I took another head and took a big bite. Ummm. All Good. This is a first for me to join the chorus of: ummmm. brains, ummmm, creamy. In this case particularly good with the contrasting crispy skin. Prawns with Walnuts -- Which included broccoli and the prawns were dipped in mayo before being placed on the platter. The nuts were crunchy and sweet, hopefully some of the people who were ooohing and aahhhing about this dish will say something. Smoke Meats with Jellyfish -- the jelly fish was cut like linguini, with a vinegary dressing and the smoked meat was somewhere between a head cheese and a peppered salami. This appetizer came a little late and we all had our soup and several of the entrees were on the table before it arrived. But once on the table, I think we cleaned the platter pretty quickly. Dried scallop, bambo pith and seafood soup -- a soothing muted but rich taste to bridge us to the main entrees. ~Main Entrees~ Abalone with Oyster Sauce -- also included were a generous amount of shitake mushrooms and some type of chinese rabbe. I can't say much about this dish except I got 3 helpings. How to describe the abalone? Well it was not like chicken. Special Funky Broome Twin Lobster -- with minced pork on a bed of noodles soaked with XO sauce. The lobster was good, the noodles and the sauce were excellently piquant, not fiery. Crispy Whole Chicken with Preserved Vegetables -- a dark green bed of salty chopped pickled vegetables were a nice addition to the chicken. Stir Fried Norwegian Fish Filet with Minced Pork and Shredded Snow Peas -- Although nearly every dish in this little banquet had its adherants, I think this dish truly had universal acclaim. At least it did amoung the 5 people sitting closest to me. And although Eric said he thought it was a regular menu item (a few of the dishes we had are not, only being served as part of banquet meals) later looking at the menu while riding the train back to Queens we could not positively identify it. I go to such length to explain that because to me this is one of the main the dishes that would bring me back to FB again and again. The white fish (I am pretty sure was not cod) had a clean fresh taste, the mince pork were bits of ginger flavored succulence and the snow peas were julienned and crunchy (seemed more like green beans than snow peas to me, at least it was diffent than the very flat pea pod usual as snow peas). A smokey char gave the dish a very nice bitter accent. A small discussion could not confirm exactly the source of the char. There were black flakes scattered all through that we at first thought to be black beans. Maybe they were black beans, or maybe something else. Pea Shoots with Salted Eggs & 1,000 Year Old Eggs -- The pea shoots were garden freshness and greeness embodied. (Can you tell which dishes I liked?) The eggs were diced up into little quarter inches blocks. Their saltiness, boiled-eggness balanced well with the nearly ethereal lightness of the lighter than spinach, tastier than watercress shoots. (Did I mention that I liked this dish and if I could have figured out which "to go" carton it was in, I might have mugged David Sprague to score the remaining few ounces). Seafood Fried Rice -- lots of eggs gave the rice a yellow tint. Someone (Eric Eto?) suggested that there was crab broth involved, but definately generous amount of shrimp and crab and other seafood laced the rice. A Chinese paella? Braised E-Fu Noodles with Black Mushrooms -- I had some of these but was so stuffed and trying to finish eating the heaping helpings I had taken of my favorites I barely tasted these. ~Dessert~ Sago with Coconut Milk -- small tapioca beads in a coconut cream, light soupy mildly sweet. I had 3 bowls. Fresh Fruit -- some fresh (green melon, strawberry) some from can (peach and probably lycee) We were so full that I don't think we could have appreciated anything more elaborate for dessert. About 2/3s of the group went to an Italian bar on Baxter (was that Forlini's?) where drink (a little) and conversation (a lot!) flowed. As mentioned by others about other chowhound gatherings, meeting fellow chowhounds is very interesting and, for misanthropic me, very encouraging. I may loose my misanthropistic tendencies after a couple more of these shindigs. Sun Feb 03 06:22:09 -0800 2002 0 wrayb 1 1033147 Hey wrayb, Sounds as if you all had a great time! Even though I didn't attend, I too want to thank those who organized it and those who attended. I myself am mostly a lurker here, and mostly because I can barely remember ingredients in the dishes I eat, which leaves me a tab handicapped in terms of offering decent reviews. But... I would have loved to attend. What a nice way to spend an evening and support the board! I'm on the island and would have made the (60 minute) trip in regardless of the time it took or where you all chose to eat. (Although a glass of wine would have been required to get me to touch intestine :) My son has been home with the flu all week and I was considering just showing up, but his fever raged on yesterday and there was no way to get a reliable sitter for that many hours. So. I hope you all organize a few more of these again. It was a surprise to me you didn't have more participants. Wonder why that was..... Could it be some aren't comfy with the idea of meeting online acquaintances? I'd hope not; not in NY. Sun Feb 03 08:32:56 -0800 2002 1033146 0 TR (formally T) 2 1033180 Hope your son is better soon. As for number of people attending, perhaps the date 02.02.02 being relatively unique and only about 2 weeks notice caused some who wanted to attend to have had prior plans. And the location may not have appealed to all. But I feel that a dozen to twenty is good number as it made the whole thing quite managable and still allowed for a relaxed informal atmosphere. I hope no one had to stress too much during the planning phase. During the meal at least all seemed smooth and not demanding on the organizers. Even with there being "only" 17 people and with most people going for the after dinner drink I feel I got the meet only about half the attendees. Beyond the "my name is" stage, I mean. The best answer for this is to have gatherings happening often in varied circumstances and types of places. Also there are others besides the very competent trio that brought us to Funky Broome who have organized group dinners in the last few months so this is not an unusual event. It is just the first one in NYC to include giving $ to help cover the cost of this site. For those who wonder about how the fund raising part played out during the meal, it only was focused on briefly at the beginning and then again even more briefly at the end of the meal. At the beginning, included with the printout of our menu that Abby handed out, there was a note of appreciation from Jim Leff. And at the end, when money was being collected to pay for the meal, $ for food went to one person, $ for the site went to another. It was not like a fund raiser testimonial dinner. People already knew that by accepting the invitation they were expected to make some contribution. It isn't tax deductible. More like people pooling money together to do something together. Here's the money for the food. Here's the money for the server and bandwidth. Quality Time was spent getting to know people, asking little followup questions to some chow discussions and enjoying the banquet: the food. I look forward to more of the same. cheers. Sun Feb 03 18:52:49 -0800 2002 1033147 0 wrayb 1 1033148 Thanks, Wrayb. I hadn't hoped to read a rundown of last night's festivities so soon! You captured the essence of what sounds like a most convivial and delicious evening. I had seriously jockeyed around trying to figure out if I could possibly make the bus trip down (9 hours) and make it back for a very full day on Monday. In the end I decided to hope for another such get-together in the future. But I sure was thinking of all of you at the appointed hour. Thanks for an excellent writeup. And the biggest thank you to Eric, Abby, and Dennison. Hate to break it to you, Wrayb, but you don't sound misanthropic in the least. Pat Sun Feb 03 08:49:55 -0800 2002 1033146 0 Pat Hammond 1 1033151 As the finance-woman for the evening, I would like to proudly report that we raised $650! This number could potentially be even larger! We've had a couple of non-attending hounds who said that they were sending checks and donating on-line to help us to our goal. I will give a recap in a couple of days. Anyway, I would like to say that I had a wonderful time. Would you believe that we have not one but two more chowhound event is in the works!? Sun Feb 03 09:38:53 -0800 2002 1033146 0 Abbylovi 2 1033153 Way to go ! You guys are terrific to organize and enjoy such an event . But a question how is the status of the site. Did Chownews subscriptions hit the mark ? How is Chowalert ? These fundraisers are great and a fun bonus of this community in terms of meeting people. I see it across the country on everyboard .Buttons , t-shirts etc ? But please tell us will the site survive ? Sun Feb 03 10:22:26 -0800 2002 1033151 0 bonetired 3 1033156 I am by no means an expert on the financial status of the site, but I do gather that we are still in grave danger of losing chowhound. ChowNews and ChowAlert subscriptions have not hit their "mark," nor have they even come close to sustaining the site. ChowNews and ChowAlert are quite literally the future of the site. By subscribing to one or both of these valuable resources, you are helping to ensure the future of chowhound. These WEEKLY emails are chock full of tips that even the most vigilant surfer could easily miss. ChowNews is priced shockingly low at $15 for six months. 58 friggin cents a WEEK for an email that will just blow you away. How priceless is a resource that will ensure that you never have to eat another bad meal again. I'd easily pay 10 times that amount. I would urge everyone who enjoys chowhound to at least check out a sample copy of ChowNews (that is if you have not already). I've attached a link to ChowNews below! Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/index.htm?837 Sun Feb 03 11:48:54 -0800 2002 1033153 0 Abbylovi 4 1033157 Thanks for the info . Yeah Chownews is a steal. But maybe the site should give an update how "grave "the situation is ? If Chowalert and Chownews is literally the future of the site ...how far away is that future ? People wanna help and sometimes they need concrete goals. In principal its not really our business but as people are rallying to help maybe they need targets to reach. Sun Feb 03 12:03:06 -0800 2002 1033156 0 bonetired 5 1033164 bt-- Of course it's your business! I'd rather not get into a huge rambling thread here on a board dedicated to chow in Manhattan, and I've avoided discussing our situation generally on the site because what happens is that, since we're inherently a group of know-it-alls, a few hundred people with highly assured opinions re: what we "need to do" surface and expect me to engage with them (I currently have about ten minutes free time per day, so it's impossible for me to do so...though anyone in special position to help re: tech, server-for-ad barters, or financials please email me, address above), when I'm already working extremely hard on a number of fronts with smart high-powered people to help ensure Chowhound's survival. It's hard; there are no simple solutions, the economy sucks and bigger-name content sites than us are tanking right and left (actually, our traffic at this point puts us in a tier with the biggest names). I do owe "Good Will" contributors an email with an update (again, time's the problem), but here's the deal in a nutshell: about .1% of our users came to our aid when we were in a panic situation in early december. That was enough to get us over a hump and pay expenses for a couple of months...hence our continued existence. Word is slooowly getting out about ChowNews, and it's nearly at break-even ...though we'd hoped to make a profit and use that to pay some server and tech expenses. People aren't much signing up for Chow Alert, but we've not pushed it. It's a specialized product, for hard-core hounds, whereas ChowNews is for all. So we're still moving backwards, but not at as perilous a clip. If people want to help, they're invited to buy generously from ChowMarket. If you don't see stuff you want (or if you're subscribing to ChowNews and realize the $15 cost is a tiny fraction of its real value) take a look at the "Good Will" page for a way to beef up your order and inject some direct support into our operation. It's not about targets at this point...it's about scrambling to survive. I believe in this site (am turning down all sorts of personal career offers in order to devote full time to keeping it going), and all of us behind scenes here are fighting hard for it. In addition to providing essential financial support, your ChowMarket orders boost our energy, because they tell us we're not the only ones fighting for this great community, this unique and necessary resource. ciao Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/ Sun Feb 03 14:06:02 -0800 2002 1033157 0 Jim Leff 6 1033193 hey alpha dog! nice marketing duck. You have numbers I am sure . How far are you from them ? we care thats all. Sun Feb 03 23:53:14 -0800 2002 1033164 0 bonetired 7 1033209 Thanks for the concern, but please reread my previous message -- it's pretty clear about our current situation. There are no specific magic numbers. Mon Feb 04 13:36:56 -0800 2002 1033193 0 Jim Leff 6 1033259 I have no wish to take up precious chow space but alpha dog ..if you are almost at a break even on Chownews then you have some figure you want to hit to continue. Its not my BUSINESS but if you even told site users you at a 30% of your goal for example you might get some rally . This economy does suck and selling things is hard. I admire your work and tenacity things will turn around. Tue Feb 05 07:58:39 -0800 2002 1033164 0 bone tired 2 1033162 Wow, amazing, Abby. You know, our overhead is sooo low around here that that take-in will make quite a dent in this month's expenses. Thanks to all the NY hounds. Sounds like an amazing night (Wray B's write up was awesome). Sometimes (ok, LOTS of the time) I wish I could be just a user of this site! ciao Sun Feb 03 13:49:42 -0800 2002 1033151 0 Jim Leff 2 1033217 Ok, the final numbers are in and we took in $690!! Mon Feb 04 15:24:42 -0800 2002 1033151 0 Abbylovi 1 1033155 we came we saw we ate and conquered. This was an incredible opportunity to sample many things that as a party of 2 or 4 would take 10 or more visits. Compliments to the menu selectors. Hopefully we can dive into some other great spots or be spotted in some other great dives. Sun Feb 03 11:48:42 -0800 2002 1033146 0 suzanne camhi 1 1033158 Nice to meet so many chowhounds last night! Nina must have been Chinese in a previous life, chewing on the squab head and all. Did you know that in Taiwan there are street stands that sell nothing but? The Smoked meat in the "Jelly Fish with Smoked meats" was, according to the Chinese menu, pork hocks. That may have explained the perfectly round transparent ring around it. I could eat that pea shoot with salted duck egg & 1000 year old egg everyday. Sometimes one gets pea shoots that are too tough, and you end up with a plate of unchewable green mess. Last night's was perfection. I was a little underwhelmed with the E-Fu noodles because I think they over cooked it. E-Fu noodles is the grandfather of instant noodles, except when done right it's quite flavorful and has great texture. This is probably the only minor flaw at last night's dinner. Of course, it being the last course, I was unable to eat much more anyway. All in all, it was a great success. Thanks to Abby, Eric, and Dennison who made a special trip beforehand to talk with the manager for the special menu. The rest of us just showed and have this amazing flow of food brought to us. A special big thanks to Dennison for bringing us the giant Sake, and the not-yet-available-in-the-US Australian sparkling Shiraz! After the dinner four of us started talking of Ping Pong and ended up at the Arcade on Mott watching the Dance Dance Revolution, the only aerobic arcade game I know. (We didn't mean to miss the drink afterwards with the majority of the chowhound pack. We just lost track of where you guys went as we talked Dance Dance Revolution....) I was once again too intimidated to try, but enjoyed watching the swift-footed young men do the amazingly complex and fast routine. Maybe this can be a part of one of the many more Chowhound activities to come? Sun Feb 03 12:21:54 -0800 2002 1033146 0 HLing 2 1033161 Yes, the dinner last night was a smashing success. Thanks to all who attended and donated -- we did really well, particularly considering that it was our first ever NYC fundraiser. Thanks especially to Suzanne and Kenny, who kindly brought that giant bottle of sake which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. And much as I'd like to be the sole importer of sparkling shiraz into the U.S., I can't lay claim to that. It's pretty commonly available at better wineshops around the States -- it just hasn't been hyped yet (to my knowledge) as the great fun bargain that it is. Wait and see though, 'cause my prediction is that it'll get a nice writeup in one of the food glossies within the year. Wrayb noted afterwards that the sparkling shiraz continued to work even as it lost the chill and the bubbles dissipated. By the end of the meal, it had transmogrified into a perfectly decent still shiraz. My favorite dishes were the two crispy poultry dishes, the twin lobster and the fish. The fry guy at Funky Broome knows his business -- both the squab and the chicken featured skin done to perfection. Light, perfectly crisp and delicate, they were a delight to eat. The twin lobster is a fine idea that ran the danger of being too complicated to the palate if not done right. I was really intrigued at the description and was blown away by the dish. It was truly festive and celebratory in appearance and well balanced, with the natural sweetness of the lobster and pork set off beautifully by the XO noodles. (Piquant's a good word, wrayb.) The fish, No. 75 Stir-Fried Sliced Fish w/ Minced Pork on the standard menu, was a winner as others have noted. It would be the centerpiece of a non-banquet meal for a small group, but unfortunately got a little lost among the swarm of dishes in the enormous spread. Its complex flavors only served to highlight the freshness of the fish and the snowpea bits brought a clean crisp feeling which unified the dish. The best part of the gathering from my standpoint was the confirmation that members of our community are truly as gracious, charming and generous in person as they are on the site. I'll admit to having being a wee bit nervous about getting so many strangers together, but I really shouldn't have been since we all share the common bond of chow. There was much laughter and many happy groans around our tables, which is the whole point of this site that we all love so much. Thank you one and all for a truly enjoyable evening! Sun Feb 03 13:14:02 -0800 2002 1033158 0 Dennison 3 1033163 Speak for your side of the table, Dennison! The stir-fried fish filet with minced pork and shredded snow peas was treated with iconic awe in our wing. For me, it was the best dish. What struck me about this meal is that almost everytime there was a filip, it worked. As wray points out in his treatise, the pork in the fish filet dish turned out to be essential; the texture of the snow peas perfect. The bamboo chutes with the marinated goose intestine were as good as I've ever eaten. The combinations involved in the lobster dish, as Dennison mentions, made the dish a never-ending source of discovery, ending at the bottom with lobster- and XO-flavored noodles. I've never met a jellyfish I didn't like, at least when it was on a plate, but the addition of smoked meat was inspired. It also struck me that they executed well with dishes that I wouldn't have ordinarily ordered. The prawns with walnuts, or as Eric Eto said before the dish came, "prawns with Hellman's mayonnaise," was wonderful, and not just because of the high-quality prawns -- the "mayonnaise" was wonderful. The abalone might have come in humble oyster sauce, but it was lovely. Pea shoots are a particular favorite, but I was a little disappointed with the salted eggs and 1000 year-old eggs. I was the last person to get this plate, and maybe the eggs had left the building, but I tasted neither the salt nor the 1000-year-old eggs. I was disappointed in the seafood fried rice and E-fu noodles. But then again. Maybe I was just full. And maybe I was just having too much fun talking to all the other Hounds at the table. Thanks Abby, Dennison, and Eric, for organizing a great dinner. Who got the leftovers? Sun Feb 03 13:52:23 -0800 2002 1033161 0 Dave Feldman 4 1033165 Yes the salted and 1,000 year eggs were very quiet in the pea shoot dish. I accepted them as a condiment towards the great taste of the shoots. Could they have been more of an equal drawing individual attention of the palate? That would be interesting. Since there was lots of seafood fried rice left over perhaps we could get a "left overs report" from someone. And Dave, you said your stomach and appetite was just recovering from recent illness. I can vouch that you had plenty of appetite. Was your body happy to be back online? Sun Feb 03 14:31:34 -0800 2002 1033163 0 wrayb 5 1033167 Hmm, last I saw of the leftovers, they were headed off with wrayb, eric and dave. Since you don't seem to be feasting on the leftovers today, wrayb, we can only assume that one or both of the other two guys will be eating really well during the game this evening. I'd like to hear a report also. I was disappointed in the seafood fried rice. The dish I've had there several times before is a lot more subtle, with each grain of rice plumped with a hint of seafood broth. The dish is normally more austere looking, not overly eggy like last night's version. I certainly don't remember raisins being present in the normal dish either. Maybe they make a special seafood fried rice for banquets? Too bad, I was really looking forward to that dish even though I certainly didn't have any more room by that point in the meal for it! Sun Feb 03 14:56:43 -0800 2002 1033165 0 Dennison 6 1033170 well, i can vouch for the portion of the leftovers that i ended up with, namely the pea shoot dish (had i known wrayb was tempted to mug me for it, i might've made a mad dash for a cab or something!) and the e-fu noodles....both of which survived and heated really well as a late lunch today....fortunately, both were light enough not to put a crimp in super bowl-time junk food chowing :) Sun Feb 03 16:11:00 -0800 2002 1033167 0 david sprague 6 1033172 As I was heating up the seafood fried rice, I could smell the smoky salted fish that you don't see in the fried rice. Reheated it was better than at the dinner. Must have just been overshadowed by the quantity of food we got at the time of the dinner. I was lucky to get the lobsters with XO sauce. Reheated the chow fun part of it was extra favorful. I was also able to get more lobster meat out in the privacy of my own home, too. I hope all the other leftovers found good homes. Sun Feb 03 17:05:38 -0800 2002 1033167 0 HLing 6 1033196 OK, OK, I admit it. I ran off with the goods. But after all, Dave F. handed the two heavy bags off to me, and I did carry those bags around for the rest of the evening. I just figured it was mine by default. When I opened the containers when I got home, I was very pleased to have the chicken with preserved vegetables and the seafood fried rice -- and lots of it. It'll make a great lunch for the next couple days. Unlike Dennison, I was very pleased with the seafood fried rice. Again, I want to thank everyone who participated in this weekend's banquet. We're in the process of working on other events, so stay tuned all you other hounds and lurkers. Mon Feb 04 00:14:21 -0800 2002 1033167 0 Eric Eto 6 1033199 Sync on the raisins. I looked at them and said: "Seafood biriani." Mon Feb 04 01:53:58 -0800 2002 1033167 0 Dave Feldman 5 1033198 The stomach behaved. FB goes easy on the salt/soy sauce and oil, in my experience. No different last night. Mon Feb 04 01:51:37 -0800 2002 1033165 0 Dave Feldman 1 1033160 a note re: the photos, when I speak of being identified, I mean of course with either your posting name or for those who don't post: first name. Those just starting to participate can let me know their c'hound handle if they would prefer that. Sun Feb 03 12:39:09 -0800 2002 1033146 0 wrayb 1 1033171 I don't think I can add anything to wrayb's musings on the chow portion of this grand event--i concur about the celestial quality of the "norwegian fish" and that pea shoot dish (thanks for avoiding the temptation to waylay me, wray). I would like to thank the organizers for picking such a terrific menu--the balance of preparations, tastes, degrees of 'adventurousness' and such was absolutely flawless. Thanks also to Dennison for introducing the concept of sparkling shiraz to the proceedings. A generous gesture and yet another notch on the Aussie belt, wine-wise. similarly, my liver and i would like to thank dave for his thoughtful sake donation (!) While the comestibles were grand, I found the camaraderie to be the best part of my first official chowhound outing. It was great to meet everyone and put faces--not always the ones I expected--with the names we see out here every day. Can't wait for the next one (although I may forego head-crunching next time out!) Sun Feb 03 16:20:28 -0800 2002 1033146 0 david sprague 2 1033174 I think it was Suzanne and Kenny who brought the sake. I should have noted the type. I liked it too. Sun Feb 03 17:35:59 -0800 2002 1033171 0 wrayb 3 1033177 oops....maybe i had one too many glasses! thanks suzanne and kenny! Sun Feb 03 17:56:12 -0800 2002 1033174 0 david sprague 4 1033191 While we're setting the record straight on just who supplied the booze, let me just mention that one of the bottles of the sparkling shiraz was brought by the incomparable Abbylovi, hostess extraordinaire, who is already busy conceptualizing the next NYC community-building get-together. Hope to see even more hounds at our next event, details to follow once we get a plan together! Sun Feb 03 23:03:12 -0800 2002 1033177 0 Dennison 1 1033190 I had a wonderful time, as did my very foodie yet non-chowhound companion (who, by the way, knew first of Chowhound from the old Manhattan Users Guide). I absolutely adored the squab heads, which for me stood out, as did the lobster and the fish. I also loved the abalone, with those wonderful mushrooms, and the prawns with nuts too. Thank you Abby, Dennison, and Eric for organizing such a terrific event. I look forward to many more. On to the boroughs! Sun Feb 03 22:51:36 -0800 2002 1033146 0 Nina Wugmeister