Gifted Gourmet

more on octopi and their cork baths ... probably more reality-based than superstitution ... thanks, Evan, for revivng an old but fascinating thread!

At any rate, it is over for another year ... and my 'treasure hunt' to locate my stashed away chametz dishes and pots has resumed .. usually takes me a few weeks to restore order to my once-perfectly sane kitchen ...

from the Washington Post: M Is for the Many Meals She Made Oy, the guilt (in a Jewish home anyway) ... yet another interesting tribute for Mother's Day ...

Actually I found a number of different restaurants in New Bern, NC ... click right here .. enjoy looking over what appears to be good options on every price level!

aticle from the Washington Post on this topic As The Cynical Chef himself reported earlier in this post: Has anyone else in the southeast collected ramps in this very short season?

While hardly a "gimmick" in the conventional sense, this will most certainly assure continuing success in the coffers of McDonald's: article from NYT Business section Table displays, hmmmm... a new approach with some actual value or just another thing to be read and dismissed as we much merrily on our Big Macs??

What exactly did your grandmother make with her butter and fat (aren't they the best ingredients anyway?? )? Any specific recollections? And I really enjoyed the part of your post about "creating something spectacular" with your mother! and the little dance! Beautiful!

article: Louisville Courier-Journal What special gift did your mother give you in terms of culinary skills or even a love for some aspect of cooking? My own example? My mother didn't like cooking at all ... and, from that, I learned to love all things connected with food ... Thanks, Mom, for letting me find my own way to this complex, yet thoroughly exhilarating and deeply rewarding, "new world"!

article here

article here To me, it is more a matter of whether one likes the chicken product ... apparently, I am too easy to please... and I do miss that whirling bucket ...

Dear God in heaven, pastrami on Levitra! size does matter after all!

Let me start by saying that almost, if not all, of your questions can be answered by reading some of the recent threads in the Southeast region forum ... eG discussion on restaurants both inexpensive and expensive ... Watershed thread .. upscale southern cuisine Woodfire Grill .. California-inspired seasonal dining The food is great and ranges from simple southern fare all the way up to continental dining. Good restaurants now abound in Atlanta ... our farmers' markets have everything, both American and from all over the world .. ethnic produce and dining have grown phenomenally ... and yes, there are lots of gyros .. and variations there upon! yes, gyros .. yes, souvlaki .. yes spanokopita .. yes, ouzo! Look over the SE Forum and see what specific issues and concerns you may have ...

Dear Ducky, Since when does it matter what anyone other than you think about what you are ordering and eating? It is your life and no one's opinion of that life is meaningful save your own. Order what you want and enjoy yourself ... why not? You are paying the tab ... life is short .. enjoy yourself and forget anyone else's opinion (either verbalized or silent). When I learned this very important lesson in life: "you can not possibly control anyone else's opinion", I was incredibly freer! (I do listen to my doctor's opinion but that is about it!)

Absolutely! Have to try everything to see how it is made by someone other than myself ... it allows me to indulge my whims and fancies ... No longer the "volume eater" I was in my youth, this seems to fulfill the same purposes ... no more "all you can eat for ___$" ...

The answer for me is#1 tapas ... my dining companions know that I am a diehard "sampler" and want to try a little of everything .. in this way, I can accomplish my objectives and be satisfied. and there is #2: tasting menus ... that has been the other answer to my overindulging in a taste of everything as well!

Good for you! I think you will be quite pleased with the food there! Embassy Suites in Buckhead is quite centrally located and you should have no problem getting transportation in its environs. As per your comment about finding upper-end restaurants in the Buckhead area, there are a number of options ... more momentarily, if this is what you wish ... fine dining option$$ similar theme, but with more info on the individual links

Most impressive! Because I was in the cake decorating area of catering at one time in my life, and did some stuff for kids' birthday parties, I know how detailed and time consuming this must have been! At that time, there were no gummy fish available so I had to make them out of different colored icings for my "Aquarium Cake" ... Beautiful! What were the reactions to this work of love??

I have never baked bread ... I assume that all bread can be purchased at either a reputable bakery or grocery store. Yeast kind of scares me ... too hot? kills it .. too cold? it doesn't do anything ... Yeast and I are not on speaking terms ... and I am no Lionel Poilane ...

Finding a loaf of highly esoteric Armenian Barbie Doll bread during Passover is no mean feat .. ask me something more general next time, Elie!

Can you elaborate on this succinct comment? I would love to hear about the food there.

Okay, Food Tutor and therese! I knew Pittypat's was horrific for the theme alone and haven't been there in years ... that is why I mentioned South City Kitchen right afterwards ... hardly an afterthought either. I honestly would rather see both John Talbott and Company, as well as Chef Russo try to locate and go to Watershed, about which much has been written here .. that said, I was trying to keep within the boundaries of the hotels mentioned. Apologies yet again for saying a word about Pittypat's .. better they should eat at the long defunct Woolworth lunch counter (scene of the sit-ins in the 60's).

If I understand you correctly, John, you are looking for something which "says" Atlanta" .. did you want antebellum south or maybe something on the order of "soul food"? and walking distance from which hotel (or area) .. downtown is not terribly compact. If it is southern cooking, there is this: Pittypat's Porch which is centrally located. and then there is South City Kitchen

Possibly something like this: barbari bash? or maybe even this one? scroll down for recipe!

Las Vegas Review Journal updates ...

The prices, and this is just a rough estimate, look pretty much like this: appetizers are between $6-8, main entrees run from $18-22 or so, and desserts $6-8 .. the wine list is extensive but reasonably priced. Well worth your time to check it out .. do make reservations though!