kellycolorado

I was just going to post that there is definitely a Cambrian neighborhood, but Sam beat me to it. That's really too bad that you are going when Manresa is closed, because head west and Blossom Hill dead ends into Los Gatos just north of downtown. Maybe you should just head downtown from the airport on 280 and try one of the suggestions or Santana Row. Not many places will be lively those nights but hopefully you can get something decent to eat. If you tell us more what kind of food you're hoping for, I might have some ideas since I live a couple miles from Cambrian but my meals with a toddler lately are pretty down to earth.

One of my big gripes is I'm trying to avoid all the HFCS sodas when eating out at casual places- Sometimes I want more than water, but the sweetened lemonades or teas are SO sweet. Adding lots of ice or water to the lemonade helps or getting unsweetened iced tea and trying to get that 1 sugar packet to dissolve helps too. Don't get me started on how sweet a mocha latte is at Starbucks. Undrinkable- yech. Yes, I normally drink any one of the above with meals at home. Sparkling water is my current nonalcoholic favorite.

I had zuppa de pesce among other things at Pesce on Polk last weekend. I second that motion. The food was delicious and didn't break the bank.

Our cable company (Comcast) just picked up Fine Living today. Finally! What shows are your favorites? I'm going to watch Opening Soon this afternoon, as well as Thirsty Traveller.

I was considering dinner at Frisson last weekend. My husband didn't want to eat there, alas, but I thought they had a very artistic website. Yes, they have music, which normally annoys me, but I thought it went well with their "theme" and there's a player to select tracks and volume, so it's controllable. Despite the artistic touch, all the info was easy to find- hours, sample menu, etc. I can't tell you how often it's hard to find basic things like if a place is open Sundays.

I had to watch Amazing Race at the repeated suggestion of my sister in law, so I'm taping the show for 1 am pacific time (I wonder why it's midnight eastern- now I'm nervous!) That Faking It episode is my favorite, because he makes such progress as a person and fools all the judges. I think I'm going to have to research what happened to him also.

Looks like the episode with Ramsay in Faking It is airing right afterwards too.

Mom's mom is from the Detroit area of belgian immigrants and dad's mom is from Detroit (though born in Indiana) of german parents. I made pumpkin and didn't get around to the apple which I think I'll make tonight. Those were pretty much the pies we had growing up too.

i'd really love to find out how to get copies of the episodes too- I was busy raising a newborn when they first aired and pretty out of touch.

From what I've read, brining is best for bland chickens and turkeys, and the heritage breeds are supposed to have some flavor. This is my first year roasting a heritage turkey and I won't be brining it. I'm going to use the recipe at Mary's Turkeys, where my turkey came from. Any heritage briners, I'd be really interested in hearing how your turkey turns out- I keep reading that it makes the pan juices way too salty for gravy. edited to fix link

I just read that in your blog this morning and decided that's where we're going for lunch next time we're in the City. Those photos are just mouthwatering!

I don't think this was mentioned explicitly, but the unhealthfulness of the food might not just be from the fat and calories, but the high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated veg. oils and all the other things not normally found in your traditional meat and potatoes heavy fare. Also, he didn't super size every meal, only when he was suggestive upsold to. It actually happened less than I thought (about 12 times I seem to remember).

Funny you should post this- We went to dinner at Restaurant Pigalle nearby earlier this week (SF Bay area). It's a small french restaurant, but they serve a different wild game type of meat every night too. I had the 4 course prix fixe but my husband had the filet of kangaroo in a demi glace. He ordered it rare as recommended, and it was quite tasty. We've never seen it for sale anywhere else and didn't know it was eaten but figured it was akin to venison in the U.S.

Abra, your post reminds me of certain family members who say they don't salt things at the table but buy loads of prepackaged mac 'n cheese, Homestyle Bakes, canned broths and sauces, etc ad naseum. I asked why last time they visited and the response was "for health". I said if you don't have high blood pressure it's OK to salt to taste. I didn't bother saying that can of tomato sauce you just added to your soup has about 1,500 mg of sodium, so of course it doesn't need any salt. You should see how much salt is in the Stove Top stuffing that was served one night. I try so hard not to comment, so hard. But it worries me to feed that to my toddler. I don't think people read labels and assume most of the salt is added at the table. This kind of illogical "diet" really floors me!

I get mine one or two notches coarser than espresso and have great results too. Oddly, one of the women working selling the beans at a well respected coffee shop nearby tried to talk me into getting COARSE grind when I told her I had a moka pot (I had to point one out to her from the sales area before she knew what it was!) I think she was confusing it with french press grind. Noone here seems to know what "grind for a moka pot" means so I just get mine at Whole Foods from the despense yourself bins of a fairly fresh roast and grind my own lately...

Mr. Chau's fast food in the Bay Area- westernized, yeah, upscale, fine china, um, no! Seeing a "top 100" plaque in there except for fast food would be a travesty.

I just got my issue of Snail in the mail today and on pages 44-45 there is a listing of heritage turkey sources. The sole Michigan listing is John Harnois, Harnois Farm, Ann Arbor, MI email: deadend@umich.edu . Hopefully that will get you an Ann Arbor area turkey if you haven't already found one. If you do let us know how it turns out- most of my family is in the Detroit area and I'd like to talk them into one for next year.

Slow Food Santa Cruz has a page devoted to heritage turkey info, with lots of links to articles written about them. And where to buy them if you are lucky enough to live in California.

I just found this thread and would love to hear an update!

Is this common, hot water with lemon? I've never seen it, except for hearing of a few spendthrifty women who were going to bring their own teabags. Do people drink it at home too or just to save $$ when dining out? Things that make you go hmm... Back to the original topic, it bothers me too getting charged for ice tea refills, *especially* when the tea is so weak as to be colored water. (One of my pet peeves)

I know the one in San Jose, CA (Almaden) in the has them if you want to drive 3 hours.

gotta have it on my BLT's, just like mom used to make.

I saw those at Costco tonight and was wondering if they were good- I haven't eaten flour tortillas in years because of the weird preservatives and doughy taste. thanks!

Thanks for your suggestions Mitch/Boulak. I've never tried a recipe without modifications! I look forward to trying when we return to Colorado. If anyone else has high altitude success from these suggestions, please post your results. thanks, Kelly

Was it Michael Chiarello?