Gifted Gourmet

enjoy yourself! Great pictures, Ore!!

Nothing too fancy here tonight ... Potato-onion-watercress soup Waldorf salad with huge raisins/nuts from a Trader Joe's trip to California .. Roast chicken with wild rice stuffing Cranberry-port-citrus filled acorn squash Cherry turnovers ... parve vanilla 'ice cream' Shabbat shalom, ya'll!

I like it for one reason only: I have an innate desire to taste and experience a considerable number of different dishes .... the buffet makes that possible without my having to order a $100 tasting menu ... but I don't expect a lot of quality cooking on this either ...

article from MSNBC What is your personal gameplan to maximize the benefits of a buffet? or are there any benefits? If so, what?? Or do you simply avoid them because you feel that you are not "in control" in this type of a food setting?

After checking culinary dictionaries and thesauruses, I too came up with the same thing over and over: oh, and it is from Austria originally ... nothing spectacular ... © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Wow! You folks are truly increasing my knowledge and enthusiasm for wine exponentially as these posts continue! Thank you for this!

the article from the LA Times This interesting article goes on to discuss the new film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" ... and, of course, "Sideways", with which we are now quite familiar ... but now I have to use this article as a mere jumping off point to ask some cinema-food questions of you fellow posters: Question #1: Do you particularly enjoy a film when it involves cuisine and its aspects/ramifications? Question #2: Your favorite food-themed film? Recent? Past?

aaaaaggggghhhh! You have stolen my "signature dish"! and on a public forum no less!

the article from chef2chef Does this article mirror your experiences with wine service? Ever have a negative experience with wine stewards that you might wish to share?

There is an actual study on the effects of seating positions on heart rates and level of stimulation ... the study details increased arousal? works for me!

Charlotte, from all that I have read recently, has indeed broadened its gourmet options to the increasing delight of the locals! Thanks for this great news!

Here you will find the collection of digests for a number of media which are located in the Southeastern states. This week's Southeast Forum Digest includes, in alphabetical order, by city . . . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has as their lead article this week 25 healthy snacks under 200 calories Snack recipes this week include: Apricot-Oatmeal Bars Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies Strawberry Milkshake Black-eyed Pea Salsa Pumpkin Dip Tofu Bites Vegetable-Medley Muffins Grown-up Party Mix This week in Access Atlanta from the AJC is a new review of Two Urban Licks: Atlanta Creative Loafing has a number of articles worth checking out: * Welcome daydream Mirage's Persian pleasures create an inviting post-holiday variance BY BILL ADDISON * Hospitality, Bangladeshi-style BY SUZANNE WRIGHT * Two's company Atkins Park and Teaspace start the year off right BY CLIFF BOSTOCK * Tavern on the scene Suburban charms infuse Midtown's McCray's Sixth Steet Tavern BY CYNTHIA WONG The Asheville Citizen-Times has an delightful article on citrus fruits which are available at their local farmers' markets: The Charleston Post & Courier has an article which bears reading if these two things go together in your mind: Wine with BBQ turns interesting Hadn't really given this idea much consideration .. until I read this! The Charlotte Observer .. an article you won't want to miss in the middle of winter! Charlotte Creative Loafing articles this week include: * Main Street USA Restaurant offers American favorites by tricia childress * Healthy And Palatable New Year's resolution should include Indian restaurants by tricia childress In January, folks are gung ho about their annual dietary resolutions. Whether it's Atkins, South Beach, No White Food, or Weight Watchers, diet regiments have a nasty way of making their presence known. "I can't eat Italian.... * If It Tastes Like An Orange . . .It's probably octyl acetate by linda vespa * Crunchy fantasy by kim o'donnel It's January. It might be cold. It might be gray. There's an inauguration on the way. * To Have and To Hold Strategies for wine storage by taylor eason If you haven't tasted bad wine, you haven't lived to appreciate the good stuff. Like gulping spoiled milk -- especially right out of the jug -- you know turned wine when you experience it. Wine that has... Memphis Commercial Appeal articles for the week include: * More chitlins? No! Adventure rolls on * Only thing missing is 'Quail to the chief' * Fondue The Nashville Tennessean articles include: * Learn to be flexible * A rye twist * 15 things you didn’t know about Vanilla * Turn up the heat with Cajun spice blend The Raleigh News & Observer articles this week are numerous and highly interesting: * More veggies, the CSA way If you're looking for a way to increase the number and variety of vegetables in your diet, one option is to buy a share in a local farm. Jan. 12, 2005 * Adding it up How much is a serving of fruits or vegetables? Probably not as much as you think. * The Wine List Each week, a Triangle wine shop recommends wines in three price ranges: under $10, $10 to $20 and more than $20. Wines mentioned are available locally; prices are suggested retail. * Down with tapas The Spanish-inspired custom of making a meal blazes its way across the Triangle. Thus endeth the SE Digest for this week ... Next week? I am assuming that there will be some typically January type articles including preparing for the SuperBowl, not so much sports-wise as culinary-wise! Have a marvelous food-filled week!

A toast to you, Katie, on this new (ad)venture! L'chaim and prosit!!

Too bad that you can't be in both places at the same time! It is a puzzlement ... in any event you will be blessed with a meal which will bring you great pleasure ... not a bad thing to have such good choices .. enjoy and tell us where you wound up .. and what you ate, of course!

eGullet discussion on Restaurant Joel Good food, as you so correctly note!

By 'this' I assume you mean article on the new show .... ‘Wickedly Perfect’ looks for domestic diva Contestants compete to be new Martha Stewart-type figures Bobby Flay? Wow! role models for housewives Stepford Wives anyone??

I can see how one's signature dish actually revolves around the seasonal aspect ... and the potato pancakes with 'herby creme fraiche' and smoked salmon sounds like my kind of meal .. any season!! Thanks for this post, reesek!

Down off I 85, the Cheshire Bridge exit ... Woodfire: I loved every meal I have eaten there! website for Woodfire Grill North of the I-285 Perimeter Highway? great new places, one of which is grace 17.20: review for Grace 17.20 website for Grace 17.20 Had a superb meal here last month!

Thanks for your input on this item! I think it may run more than $1 but I also think that if it turns out to be as good as they plan, that people will come up with more money for it ... look at the rest of their menu items ... people spend more than they had hoped all the time ...

article from USA Today McDonald's eyes premium coffee market Think it will be something beneficial? Think it is worth premium prices at a fast food outlet?? For you? For McDonald's?

it is my understanding that he has subsequently moved on ...

It appears from your wonderfully detailed description of Au Pied de Cochon, gwilson, that not only is their service sadly lacking in the finesse one would expect from something at this level of dining, but that their signature pig's foot is not even worth making the trip there .. thank you for an outstanding, a very objective, view of this place! No wonder the papers here raved about their raw bar towers!

So, let's examine, if one possibly can even do such a thing, what does make a recipe a "winning" one? What are the factors which combine to produce that certain je ne sais quoi? Anyone have a theory?

To me the concept, or the term, “Signature Dishes” means the dishes for which I am "known" or identified with .. what I am most proud of ...

She shook the infuser with the leaves fairly strenuously to get them down to the bottom .. which breaks them up, I rather imagine .. Yes, that teapot is virtually the same .. longer spout actually on the Ritz Carleton pot ...