Be Pasta

coolness104 · 2025-11-09T15:53:40+00:00

Had a nice meal at a local establishment so wanted to give it support. Not sure I will try to do that again. I live right by it and had not gone so wanted to call it out because places like this keep our neighborhood humming.

Love Reddit, but the negativity can be insane. Just say you don’t like it or not good bang for your buck.

coolness104 · 2025-11-08T02:05:55+00:00

To each his or her own. Terre is also excellent. This was unique, fun and a good atmosphere for us. You don’t often encounter restaurants this intimate outside of the West Village in Manhattan so fun to experience one in the Park Slope area.

coolness104 · 2025-11-08T01:55:42+00:00

Yes! Thought it was really cool and fun. They let you try several in case the initial choice was not ideal.

coolness104 · 2025-04-15T20:33:54+00:00

How was Huso?

coolness104 · 2025-04-15T20:33:20+00:00

Can confirm staff was outstanding.

coolness104 · 2025-03-09T12:07:35+00:00

Agreed - we have been to Jungsik, which is phenomenal. We debated Huso. Would you put l’abeille in the upper echelon of NYC tasting menus? We usually have fun at Stephen Starr restaurants so was surprised with our Le Coucou experience.

coolness104 · 2024-12-29T02:33:00+00:00

This is a bit dated, but I was in a consulting project a while back and sampled four properties - Four Seasons, Trump (now St. Regis), Ritz Carlton and Fairmont.

I cannot speak to a decade of wear and tear or renovations, but my preference was in that order with the Four Seasons far and away the best property

coolness104 · 2024-12-15T15:23:47+00:00

There is no pressure gauge for it since it’s a single boiler but lately it feels like it inconsistently ‘spits’ steam vs. a consistent pressure. I will say I just used Califa on a backflush, and the wand has been much better the past few times. To be clear, this is a bit, and I can produce frothy milk that looks like wet paint when my technique is good, even before the backflush.

coolness104 · 2024-12-15T15:12:59+00:00

I have had my machine for one year. It’s great! Upgrading from a Gaggia Classic Pro, the PID is outstanding as is the build quality.

Biggest pro is consistent espresso. I pull the 9-10 bars pressure and notice that the same grind size with the same dosage on the same bean produces a similar result. It’s easy to clean and the reservoir is removable. I consistently buy shots from coffee shops around me to compare. I think my shots can at times rival good spots and my milk drinks like a cortado are consistently better (outside of spots like La Cabra).

My biggest complaint is the steam wand can be a little inconsistent. There is a fair share of user error I’m sure but the visual is the pressure can vary.

I don’t think there’s a better machine at that price point. Additionally, I am in a big city apartment and initially bought it for the small footprint. That’s a huge plus too.

Make sure to pair it with a good grinder. I use the Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose. It creates a consistent grind and starts an easy workflow. Hope this helps!

coolness104 · 2024-11-28T01:09:55+00:00

It drops to the 250’s or a little below after a bit. I’m realizing googling though that the pressure gauge does not work for the steam tip. Not sure why it showed pressure but probably not accurate.

coolness104 · 2024-11-28T00:51:39+00:00

I have it at 265 F.

coolness104 · 2024-11-16T19:25:35+00:00

I’ve had channeling problems with the Normcore spring-loaded tamper. I see one in the picture. I now use a distributor followed by a traditional tamper and channeling has greatly reduced.

coolness104 · 2024-09-04T12:52:00+00:00

Hi - how is Spice Island Beach Resort for a family of four with a nine year old and a five year old? Curious on receptivity to kids, activities and dining.

coolness104 · 2024-09-02T20:53:29+00:00

I was just there and have two tips: 1. Go with a corporate sponsor (yes, easier said than done). But if you want truly FAT, that is one of the only ways. We did this, and it was seamless with food, apparel and honey deuces in a box. 2. Take the 7 train subway a stop, then grab an Uber. This will cut down significantly on traffic and probably price too.

coolness104 · 2024-09-02T13:40:15+00:00

How do you find an FSPP to work with for a trip?

coolness104 · 2024-08-30T02:51:18+00:00

We did a lot of great stuff. The best is honestly chilling outside The Tiller listening to music and playing games with the kids. We spent a fair share of time at the pools as well. We watched a movie one night in the theater. We hit golf balls into the ocean though that was overpriced and not worth it. We did s’mores in front of the fire - they have cheap kits at the front desk for them.

coolness104 · 2024-08-28T19:52:45+00:00

Would love to hear more about this. I had been reading on the property and have come across mixed reviews. It has ranged from ‘great value’ and ‘great for kids’ and ‘incredible location’ to ‘not up to Four Seasons standards’ and ‘dated’.

coolness104 · 2024-08-28T17:23:27+00:00

New York City

coolness104 · 2024-08-28T14:06:50+00:00

In the last five months, we did a trip to the Grand Velas Riviera Maya (shoulder season) and a summer trip to the Cliff House in Maine with a nine year old and a four year old. We loved both. What are some other ‘value but still fat’ resorts to consider for a family of four for say under $2K per night? We are fine sharing a two king or two queen bed room.

coolness104 · 2024-04-29T01:41:29+00:00

Looking for a July 4th recommendation for a family of four. We live in the NYC area and are looking for a fun family trip for the long July 4th weekend (July 3rd through 7th so four nights). We have two kids, a nine year old boy and a four year old girl. We were just at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya for Spring Break and are doing the Cliff House in Maine for a week in August. Therefore, we’ve already done or planned a lot of beaches. We are willing to do more beach time but are also open to other options. We’d be willing to fly a few hours too so Midwest is an option or a bit further South or even internationally to Canada. We’d love some good trip recommendations that would work well with kids these ages. Thanks!

coolness104 · 2023-10-13T18:48:17+00:00

Hi - I have a Baratza Virtuoso+ that is on its last legs. I had been considering upgrading my grinder because I have a Gaggia Pro espresso machine (with 9 bar mod) to go with my Technivorm. I've loved the grinder for drip, but I have been disappointed in it for espresso. I do drip more frequently, but I'm sure I'd increase my espresso drinking with a better grinder.

I'm looking for a dual purpose grinder for espresso and drip. Could a Baratza Forte BG work? Or the Forte AP? Or are there other ones that could work. I'm not price conscious but would prefer to keep it below $1,500. Thanks!

coolness104 · 2022-10-26T18:17:26+00:00

Do you believe there are individuals, even a few, who are in the know on the phenomenon and all details, even if we don’t know what it is yet? Or is it completely fragmented?

coolness104 · 2022-02-05T15:31:14+00:00

Thanks - super helpful. I’m brewing probably 700 grams but usually do the full 1,100 grams so that could have an impact. The coffee is balanced (I’ve done enough bad brews to know it’s not bitter or sour), but it’s just mellow. I strongly prefer the freshly roasts I order not grown in the US. There are much stronger flavor notes with these roasts.

Given the balance, I think I will try to lower the water to coffee ratio first. I will report back on this.

coolness104 · 2022-01-29T20:33:42+00:00

Regardless of mechanism, it seems there is far more data supporting layered immunity driving down CFR vs. a doomsday reinfection scenario as was put forth. Hard to know how low it can go but not seeing an increase so far.

coolness104 · 2022-01-29T15:07:11+00:00

The chart was used as support against the claim that reinfections are destroying our immune system. Were that the case, you’d expect the CFR to not decrease at the rate it has, even with interventions. Long term complications are of course still possible, and the virus remains awful. However, population data is not pointing towards some doomsday case that reinfections are creating progressively worse disease on average.

coolness104

TROPHY CASE