Gifted Gourmet

I had read that thread too, Megan, before posting this but since it is (a) an older thread dating back some years and (b) the thread focused upon the experience of an employee, I determined that this new thread needed to focus upon R&D at Cheesecake Factory which Time Magazine looks at in depth. big-tent cuisine at its most expansive. It is a restaurant where everything is included but nothing is authentic, and it is changing the way we think about American food... is what I hope the discussion here will look at in depth ... Does it fulfill your dining hopes in its offerings of "melded cuisine"??

Time Magazine article This is an extremely interesting article on how the R & D of the Cheesecake Factory comes to their decisions on what will sell in their restaurants ... Do you think that they have done this type of dining experience a disservice or is it all quite commercially "brilliant"?

NY Times article Seems appropriate for June ... If you ever had the excitement which registering for wedding and/or shower gifts affords, you will know a great deal about what this entails ... * Did you choose a much larger number of items than you actually expected to receive? * Did you choose more expensive culinary gifts knowing that you would not be able to purchase them for yourself? * If you registered for china, small kitchen appliances, silverware, stainless, crystal, etc. a long time ago, would you love to have a kitchen shower in your life now to "upgrade" your early choices? * Did your early choices for items change over time? Fancier? Simpler? More modern? * Wish you had registered for more gifts? Fewer gifts? Love to hear from you ... whether you registered many years ago or just recently!

If you had one mouthful of some dish which you could never forget, what would that taste be? A childhood food which you can recall perfectly and conjure up as totally sublime ... For me it would be a steaming hot, flaky chicken pot pie, homemade to be sure, eaten as a child of seven on a wintry afternoon ... I can still taste those tiny green peas swimming in that creamy golden sauce, chunks of pristine white chicken breast ... And for you?

In the fall, apparently.

That is something I have thought about more than once myself ... nothing about raw chickens has changed ... or has it? Is it possibly that the food processing is done less cautiously today?

Oh, I didn't forget pluots, Verjuice .. we already have a discussion on them here... But I am really interested in the apriums, if for no other reason, that they have a delightful name ... Here is what they look like: photo from davewilson.com

So, the new question really ought to be, what ever happened to apricots as we once knew them? Anyone care to venture a guess or an idea? Does produce change over time? Is that a good thing?

Russ Parsons: LA Times From what I have just read, apriums have slightly fuzzy skin like a peach. Apriums are known for their sweetness and distinctly apricot flavor ... the sugar content is much higher than that of plums or apricots alone. I have yet to find and try them but Russ Parsons' article has compelled me to search for apriums at our local farmers' market!All of this reminds me of a discussion here on When you hear "stone fruits", do you think Dateline NBC or summer? And, of course, there is this recipe for Balsamic Glazed Grilled Apriums

A thoroughly engaging article/obit from Times of London on Terrail.

These recipes are simply delightful and, with so many distinctive variations, my favorites will emerge over time .. but first I must try them all .. to that end, may I exhort you to please add them to our very own Recipe Gullet where they can be printed out neatly and prepared as you have stated? Please share with us all! Many thanks from a chicken salad purist!

Dunno about you folks, but my "good knapkins" are embossed with the logo Wendy's ... they match the beige "good silverware" with the same inscription ... veddy classy!

and add a bit of water to the soup to cut the $50 pricetag??

NYTimes Travel Has anyone eaten there?Your impressions? Pricey?

discussion here on Cinque Terre some more recommendations on this website and a bit more .. this time from Frommers

Lobster Tomalley Spread uses the tomalley, mayonnaise, and horseradish and is chilled before serving ...

from Lobster Liberation

from Slate Do you enjoy consuming the lobster tomalley?Is it based upon the actual taste or the texture? What is the most enticing thing about tomalleys?

Recipe Gullet has 11 ways of preparing duck more and more recipes for your ducks here and maybe just a few more ...

We have some discussions on Brussels and the dining there: here and here and in this lengthy list of dining highlights of Brussels

If the quality of this particularly fine corned beef is that good, I hope that however you plan to use it, you won't be doing anything which won't highlight that quality ... mixing it with other ingredients will only make the taste secondary, if you follow my thinking here .. enjoy it and savor each mouthful!

His name is Edouard Fenouil, which is reminiscent of the discussion on fennel ... Watermelon and tomatoes are both high in lycopene ...

discussion, circa 2001, on smoking and dogs in restaurants I love dogs, but I still wonder about those "doggie accidents" .... and I need them for "emotional support"! NYTimes article May 2006

might this be at least some of the original article?

article from the Independent UK Have any opinions on these whether you are a resident or a visitor to the UK? Somehow, I thought tripe was having a "rebirth" lately ...