Masa, the very expensive Japanese restaurant at the Time Warner Center gets four stars from New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni: Sushi at Masa Is a Zen Thing.

Simply put, Masa engineers discrete moments of pure elation that few if any other restaurants can match.

It also becomes the first Japanese restaurant in New York to garner four stars from the Times since Hatsuhana in 1983. Bruni's experiences sound incredible, and yet as much as I love sushi, I can't fathom spending $350 per person (not including tip, tax, or drinks) to experience it. Not even if I saved up a dollar every day for year. It sure sounds yummy though. Maybe someday someone will treat me to a dinner there. That would be ideal!

I can't say I've really tried much frying at home, but according to the New York Times Minimalist, Mark Bittman, "[f]rying lends itself to home cooking..It does everything you want cooking to do. It makes food crisp, tender, gorgeous and golden." He says so in his article, Hot, Sizzling Temptations, Freshly Fried at Your Stove.

Sadly, we've been trained to deny our love, even become ashamed of it, because frying is supposed to be unhealthy. And, the naysayers contend, it's a pain, it's expensive, and it's messy.

Hogwash. Try it once, and you'll be hooked. And on your second try you will come pretty close to mastering the art of frying.

Be sure to check along the sidebar for four frying recipes. I want to make the onion rings, yum!

I have been on a Brussels sprouts tear lately (see You do learn something new every day from earlier this month), eating them as much as possible. As is my way when I find something I love, I eat it non-stop until I almost grow sick of it. Luckily the season for the item usually passes before the damage is complete, and then I have nearly a year to recover. Case in point: bread salad. But I digress! Back to the sprouts…

I've been preparing them at home in my skillet with brown butter, and I've thought them quite delicious. Imagine my surprise when I was out dining earlier this week at one of Manhattan's nicest restaurants and I was served Brussels sprouts with a dish — and they were prepared just as I do them at home! That's given me the confidence to share my recipe with all you Brussels sprouts fans out there. Presenting Megnut's Brown Buttered Brussels Sprouts.

For those that aren't fans, here is the sheet music to We Hate Brussels Sprouts. Perhaps you can write a lyrical accompaniment?

There's a great interview with my hero Thomas Keller at Epicurious.com. In particular, his musings on passion and community echo my feelings and experience with food. (Interview questions in bold):

One of the great things about bistros, and not just about bistros but about cooking and dining in general, is the sense of community. Do you feel that?

It's a real social interaction, whether you're cooking or whether you're eating. You have to feel comfortable in your environment. In the restaurant, we enjoy doing what we're doing together. That's really one of the wonderful things about being in a kitchen environment where there's a common vision and a common goal and a common respect for what you're doing. It's like nothing else, it really is.

And that passion translates to the food?

You have to be emotionally attached. I cook because it fulfills something inside of me, satisfaction, gratitude, making somebody happy. It's all wrapped up in those emotions, and eating should be the same. I understand in modern society we can't always be emotionally connected to what we're eating and what we're doing, but there are those moments when we have to sit back and appreciate it and say, "Okay, this is that moment where I'm just going to relax and have this event."

At the end, Keller closes with one of the best things I've ever heard:

"I think one of the true meanings of success is creating a memory for somebody."

Also included are menus, a cooking demo by Keller, and a video tour behind the scenes at Per Se all accessible from this page. I really need to start saving for a Per Se visit.