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Do you have a secret sauce or are you going basic with the condiments? You should also consider malted shakes instead of milkshakes. Many prefer them over regular milkshakes. In-n-out has a great way of wrapping their burgers in waxed paper and placing them in paper pouches. Visually, it makes the burgers more appetizing. According the the Les Halles cookbook, Bourdain prefers beef fat, but says beef fat breaks down too quickly and is expensive and difficult to handle in a busy restaurant. Both Bourdain and Thomas Keller use peanut oil for the fries. Here is something said by Alan Richman that may be useful to you from July 2005 GQ where he ranks the 20 best burgers in the nation:

Found it. Called a dragon fruit. http://www.geogr.uni-goettingen.de/kus/pic...ragon-fruit.jpg

I don't know if this is a passion fruit, but my dad grows this pink flower fruit thing in the backyard. Very strange looking. The size of a small orange. The inside looks and tastes just like a kiwi but milder. Anyone know what it is?

til what time do they serve dim sum? And how was the service?

My friend once took a huge stock pot of boiling water she was planning on making donuts with and splashed it on a rat running across the kitchen. Died instantly. I thought it was a very macabre method to come up with.

At Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants, my dad always asks the waiter whether or not the tips go the the staff or the owner. If it goes to the owner, which is usually the case, he just puts 1 or 2 dollars on the table because you are just filling the owner's pockets.

Candy in a jar with tiny worms at the bottom (but that was by accident).

I also recommend Din Thai Fung. Order anything with pork or shrimp and you are guaranteed to love it.. And I really recommend ordering "the appetizer". I

The latest issue of GQ has the writer's recommendations for some of LA's korean places.

In Orange County, try Troquet over at the South Coast Plaza for French. There aren't any celebs in OC so the restaurants there aren't known for having much of a scene, but atleast you'll love the food and the shopping. Scott's Seafood is also a great place as well as Darya for Persian. All are within walking distance of South Coast Plaza. If you are into ethnic, pick up the latest issue of GQ for the writer's recommendations for Korean, Mexican, Japanese and Thai. I haven't tried any of the restaurants that the writer recommends so I can't vouch for them.

You can usually tell tap water from the level of chlorine that's put in there. In Jacksonville, it's like drinking out of your swimming pool.

What's the big deal with Trader Joes? I think the produce is worse there then at my local chain supermarket. It's a past-ripe soft organic produce hell. I still shop at Joe's but you will soon be craving for a genetically modified, toxic pesticide sprayed vegetable after buying any produce at trader Joe's. And worst grapes ever!

The people you are most likely to be watch at the Ivy/Spago are other tourists staring back at you hoping to see a celebrity. Although that in itself may be a fun experience. I never see a celebrity at any restaurant in LA. I hear Koi is a good place to stare at beautiful people though. If you don't see any beatiful patrons, you can atleast stare at the pretty waiters.

which is the chili paste? Is it the one that looks like ketchup, very thick, the type you put in pho? Or is it the one in which you can still see the chili seeds, sort of bathing in oil that you use at chinese dim sum restaurants?

cheese on top of a French Onion soup, butter.

How big was that spoon? And how do you eat it?

How about chinese fried rice?

How is she still alive?

I ate at Troquet years back I thought it was excellent. But they seem to be opening restaurants left and right and I hope that doesn't affect the quality at Aubergine, which was said to be among the best in California. I've never eaten there though.

thanks!

Hi chocolate experts! 3 question about melting chocolate using bowl over saucepan water bath. 1) Am I supposed to put the chocolate bowl inside the simmering water bath, or should the bowl not even touch the water at all? 2)Am I suppose to turn off the heat completely when I get the water to simmering? 3) And can I allow the bowl to be resting on the rim of the saucepan or should I just be holding the bowl over the saucepan? Thanks in advance.

SOunds like a nice vacation. Sometimes I wish I drank alcohol so I could go on these Sideways type road trips.

Plugra sounds vaguely familiar. Does anyone know if they sell it at Whole Foods or Gelsons or Trader Joes? I assume you can't get it at Albertsons.

When I order take out (though not delivery), they usually give me the broth in a styrfoam canister and the noodles in another. The herbs and steak are placed in 2 different bags. But the problem with take-out pho is that you still have to reheat the broth so that it is hot enough to cook the meat, which comes raw .

Anyone have any good butter recommendations? For both salted and unsalted. I've only tried the supermarket variety, the one with the native American, the deer, and the Albertson's generic brand. But I'm still searching for one that's equivalent to the types you get at fancy restaurants.