alanamoana

1) make sure your caramel is pretty warm (basically liquid, like when it is first finished cooking) when you try to roll it out. if it is too firm, you won't be able to press it thin enough 2) cut while the caramel is warm but not molten, you'll have to practice to get a feel for the right consistency. i would probably use a pizza cutter rather than an knife. once cool, remove the pieces which you've already cut before putting the uncut caramel back into the oven to warm (if you weren't able to cut it all at the same time), otherwise, the pieces will melt back together again.

well, based on your food blog: a) i should have known that this would be a trick question since you didn't give any of those details in your first post b) i should make this a quiz for you to figure out the answer on your own c) allow you to do the research, since you know all the answers... d) suggest something a little more ethnic of which there is a lot in this area there's a huge population of chinese in the san jose, milpitas, cupertino, santa clara area...i don't know where you're conducting business, but if they would have been willing to drive to los gatos for dinner, maybe they'd consider milpitas? there is a chinese strip mall that has several good restaurants one called darda (i think) that serves really good islamic chinese food. casual, but something different and interesting. there are (as posted above) some really above average indian restaurants in the area as they are the second largest immigrant group in the area. since you're the picky vip, what are you in the mood for?!

usually a description is helpful but please, promote all you like!

for a work dinner, i'd recommend the left bank. there is a location in santana row. it is bistro/brasserie style food run by roland passot of san francisco's la folie (four star). it is a chain, albeit a small one but might be good to satisfy a group of people with differing tastes. my husband's employers use it often when they take prospective employees out to dinner after an interview. edited to add link

bryan thanks for the update on gary danko. i ate there back when it was new and didn't really think it was so great. now that it has had time to grow into itself, it seems like the food has improved a bit. but i have to agree with your overall assessment. it was a great blog that really covered so much more than the "week in the life of an eGulleteer"...get home safely and enjoy the rest of your summer at home!

Yuck! Everytime I've made a purchase at this place, the product has been stale. And they aren't nice about replacing it with one that isn't. good to know. i've always walked by and wondered about this place. too bad, because it is a nice location and their product looks good. but we know that looks aren't everything.

chef of 5th floor is melissa perello (sp?) who was one of food&wine's top ten chefs in the july issue. nearby are a bunch of good restaurants. but you've got a full day of dining tomorrow. maybe you want to take it easy tonight? restaurant lulu is walking distance and your mom would like it because they have about 72 wines by the glass on offer at any given time with flights, etc. casual "provencal" cuisine.

at most asian markets they sell red bean paste...already sweetened and very smooth. you can also get cooked red beans in a can...also sweetened. it just depends on if you want any texture in your ice cream. of course you can use both to get deeper flavor. so with the already prepared versions you can probably make a good vanilla ice cream base and add some red bean to it and spin. then you can taste it and adjust as necessary. of course you can go through all the trouble of cooking dried red beans, etc. but i don't think you'll get the same flavor or consistency as the already processed versions.

bryan, glad to see you made it to cali safely! don't try more of the in-n-out fries...they really aren't that good. the burgers are good though...lately i've been getting the fries "animal style" which means cheese, burger sauce and grilled onions on top of a mess of fries. it's gross, but good at the same time if you know what i mean. by now you should be in santa cruz or thereabouts (it's 10:30am on saturday morning). when are you eating at danko and bouchon? can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip! and you're right...what is california without the top down?!

that would be cupertino village...my husband eats lunch there at least once a week as his work is just down the street.

seeing as i'm an unemployed pastry chef, i don't buy much. samgiovese was teasing me because when i first moved here i walked to the mall from my apartment, thinking it was only a fifteen minute drive...so it couldn't be too far, right? well, it turned out to be five miles each way! there's a cute little patisserie at santana row...haven't tried their stuff yet. also a pretty famous pastry chef opened a little place in los gatos (a twenty minute drive at the most), near manresa, called fleur de cocoa. lots of options! pm me for contact information if you'd like company

i was gonna say something about that... maybe robyn wants to take a leisurely walk with me to valley fair

the santana row rec would suit your needs perfectly i think (hotel valencia?)...not only restaurants, but movie theaters, shopping and valley fair mall across the street. also, much closer to the airport (10minute drive) than palo alto. however, palo alto is more quaint with a little more pedestrian access like california street and university ave, etc. as noted above. but it is also a quick drive from the san jose area, so you can have your cake and eat it too. as you said, it is just personal preference. my aunt stayed at the cypress hotel and she thought it was wonderful. but it isn't close to much walking-wise. driving-wise, it is just down the street from santana row and valley fair mall. actually that end of stevens creek blvd is more convenient to palo alto. i live on the same property and it was a quick 15 minutes on the freeway to palo alto the other night for dinner on california street. we're also close to mountain view, etc. i do know that we have great chinese food in our area and not far away in milpitas some great islamic chinese food (halal meats, etc). if you're bored while you're here, give me a call!

based on other chocolate companies...most of them send things overnight during the summer months. this increases the price considerably, but ensures arrival of unmelted product. if you're using gel pacs and that sort of thing, wrap them in packing paper and then a bag. keep it separate from the actual chocolates and you won't have to worry about condensaiton. i received a package from "american chocolate designs" a transfer sheet, custom chocolate company and this is how they packaged it...from the outside in: large cardboard box foam peanuts inner cardboard box gel ice pack wrapped in paper bubble wrapped product in its own cardboard box i think insulation is key. if your products don't cost very much to begin with, you're right to be concerned about shipping prices. you should make it clear that the price goes up significantly during the summer months and see what happens with traffic. when you say "melting chocolate", what exactly does that mean? if you're shipping bulk amounts of "candy melts" type of chocolate, does it matter as much? that stuff doesn't need to be tempered, so if it melts in transit, it won't affect its final utility, will it? therefore, two day shipping might be fine. maybe just overnight on the finished products that you're selling and two day on the "kits".

oh yeah...i just ate in palo alto last night a solidly "middle of the road" place called la bodeguita del medio, sort of a cuban-ish place. the food was decent, flavorful and the restaurant itself was loud...but i liked it. entrees decent sized and relatively inexpensive.

there's this thread on silicon valley eats. then there's this thread on palo alto...aimed at "fine dining". and also if you're in the mood for silicon valley steakhouses i second the recommendation of manresa, but that really is a "big night out" kind of place and if you're just relaxing for the miles, you might not want to do that...(of course if you get miles for using the credit card it might be worth it ).

i'm a pastry chef and i thought the same thing ...but you never know on eGullet...stranger things have been done in the name of food

depends on the level of service more than anything. most average restaurants don't feel awkward at all asking a table to leave if it looks like they're just lingering...especially if they need the table for other diners. if you're the french laundry...you only do one or maybe two turns (per se) per table...knowing that the dinner will take a minimum of three hours. anything in between is at management's discretion, i would think. but the hairy-eyeball might work...

i've always liked the shrimp/seafood noodle idea, but how is the texture? it seems that with such a thin noodle and with shrimp being the way it is, it would be a bit rubbery...does the transglutaminase eliminate the issues with texture or is it solely a binding agent. i love the carbonated fruit idea. you just dump the fruit into the isi chamber and charge it with CO2? i assume you discharge the gas before opening it to remove the fruit?! it just sounds simple and delicious, particularly if the fruit is already sweet like red grapes tend to be. great lunch bryan. looking forward to dinner. by the way, your trip to california sounds rather ambitious. bouchon for lunch and gary danko for dinner or the other way around? either way, you're looking at some serious driving that day , but seeing your restaurant week stamina i should know by now that you're more than able to handle it! food or driving... if you haven't had in-n-out burger, you should definitely get some on your way up from LA...good road trip food (then again, with your view on shake shack, it might not be on your agenda ). when you pass by the san jose area, give a wave out the window...i'll be waiting for your final blog posts!

A whimsy tax. ← is that part of the new york city "$40 walk out the door" tax? or supplemental? i have to agree with fat guy though. sure, you can get into your car and drive if you live in the burbs...but with gas prices and even public transportation in nyc costing $2 (each way unless you're sneaky and can do the transfer thing), the premium you pay at your local bodega is totally worth it. would take the m57 down to bed bath and beyond, do my shopping and then take the m15 (i think, on first ave) back home just to get the transfer. all of this just makes me homesick though. i haven't walked in months! damn california!

traditionally it is milk and sugar cooked and cooked and cooked (but slowly, over a low heat so there's no caramelization) until it is reduced down and then still frozen (meaning not churned). so it shouldn't freeze too hard because there is so much sugar in it. it should be almost chewy like a good gelato. a pretty standard indian dessert from what i understand. the original pastry chef at tabla was so awesome! she moved to california and worked for daniel patterson for a while and then at the raw restaurant (i think called roxanne's or something like that). her kulfi was to die for. don't know if it has changed, this was back in 1999 when i staged there for a day. well, i'm not going to extoll the virtues of the shack here as there's a huge thread about it in the new york forum...but i will say that their burgers are delicious and if you like ice cream, their frozen custards will knock you down. creamy richness, too thick to be a shake but too oozy to be on an ice cream cone, chunks of whatever goodness you love swirled in...hmmmm...perfect for a muggy new york summer day. sometimes it is a "you had to be there kind of place"...just perfect in the park, people watching...like the ambiance of a four star restaurant... today's restaurant week lunches looked really good brian. is your girl from nj as well?

if you want to get technical, the result of removing pulp from seed in passion fruits is juice (more or less). the term puree is used across the board but usually refers to things like strawberries where the result is thicker (strawberry juice would probably be harder and more expensive to extract) and thus a puree. if you purchased concentrate, just make sure that it doesn't have more than 10% sugars added to it, if any at all. the standard passion fruit puree sold by companies like boiron and cap' fruit usually only have about 10%. you can take a look at boiron's web site. cap' fruit's web site is under construction. boiron's web site has all kinds of information on making pate de fruit, etc.

i actually think this is a good idea. particularly if you are using a high quality fleur de sel or maldon. if you're enrobing, a few grains on the top as someone posted a picture of will certainly give you enough kick.

i agree vanessa...the recipe i have also doesn't seem very salty. seems you're doing fine...sometimes patience is all it takes (and i have so little of it ). considering caramel is just sugar, the proportion of salt needs to be pretty big for the flavor to come through.

i don't love it, but i've only had limited experience with it a long time ago...maybe they've improved? also, from some other threads, you can get very decent prices on valrhona and other better chocolates from assouline & ting and other mail order places. better than $7.99/lb for belcolade, i mean.