Alex

Steve's Backroom -- great Middle Eastern food. Small doesn't put me off at all -- in fact, it usually helps. I was planning on a late lunch or very early dinner, so that should work out. Thanks again for the menu recommendations.

I've walked into this place before, but not with friends, so I wasn't going to be able to play feather bowling, which I have. It's definitely fun/frustrating, and the Cadieux Cafe is certainly the premier place to play it in the Detroit area. Important: how (and what) are the food choices? ← I haven't lived on the east side (of the city or the state) for a couple of decades now (yikes!), but when I did, the mussels were quite good, and I suspect still are. They were pretty much the only thing I ever considered eating there. Have you been to Steve's Backroom? Thanks for the tip about Chef Ed's -- I'll check it out when I'm in the area in a few weeks.

10 = The Public Enemy 12 = Babette's Feast I thought #4 was solved (Pulp Fiction). No?

Bacon, lettuce (only the soft parts), and tomato with mayonnaise on pumpernickel toast (with the crusts cut off).

From one of my favorite movies: A pint of chocolate ice cream, eaten directly from the container, and a bowl of Wheaties with milk. Neither got finished.

The Station Agent, yes?

Does any city have a signature burger?

Unfortunately, these departures reflect a more general trend. According to a study by United Van Lines, Michigan tied with North Dakota as the #1 "outbound" state (i.e., % of moves out of the state vs. into the state).

We went from 122,025 to 244,884 in two weeks? Someone must have added a heck of a collection.

Hey, Maggie -- how come this thread is in "Food Traditions & Culture" instead of "Cookbooks & References?"

Steve Stallard's operation is headquartered here in the Grand Rapids area. Lucky us. My local supermarket even carries his maple syrups. Not cheap, obviously, but great stuff. Read the story here.

Happy in the Kitchen, by Michel Richard -- Michael Ruhlman's choice for best cookbook of 2006.

Nice to hear that New Hellas is still recommendable. The last time I ate in Greektown was 20 years ago, just before I moved away from Detroit -- New Hellas was one of my regular stops back then. (If memory serves, my #1 favorite was the International.) Any opinions about the food at Laikon Cafe nowadays? And does anyone remember the parrot?

Lenski and hambone, could you post again and be more specific about what you meant by "terrible" and "mediocre?"

Thanks for the helpful feedback. I went with a 40 cm carbon steel pan (along with a kilo of Bomba rice and a quarter-ounce of saffron from Penzeys).

I'm planning to buy a paella pan as a gift for some friends. They make paella maybe two or three times a year, and up until now have been using large baking dishes. I'm probably going to purchase from paellapans.com, unless someone has a better idea. I'm thinking of the largest one-burner size, 15" or 16" according to their web site. I'm looking for opinions about carbon steel vs. stainless steel pans. I know the stainless pans are much more expensive, but that's of secondary concern at the moment.

I just called my local Costco -- no chanterelles, never had them. I think I'll move to CA. The Silver Palate Cookbook has a wonderful and simple recipe for chanterelles with dried apricots. Chicken stock is somehow involved. I think they list it as an appetizer, to be served on toast, but I use it as a sauce for pork tenderloin or chicken breasts.

OK, I said I wouldn't do it, but somehow five more books are now chez Alex: What to Drink with What You Eat Italian Slow and Savory A Mediterranean Feast Metiterranean Vegetables Real Stew

From a library sale: Riso: Undiscovered Rice Dishes of Northern Italy, by Gioietta Vitale Any cookbook that has a recipe for risotto with porcinis, anchovies, and chicken livers is OK by me.

You clearly weren't hitting the Farmer's Markets in August then - tons of awesome raspberries that put those nasty Californian things to shame. http://tammystastings.blogspot.com/2006/09...wo-berries.html ← Agreed. We had gorgeous raspberries here in GR well into September. So, Maria -- it's time to stop Krogering and start Farmers Market-ing. I'm looking forward to hearing your Trotter's report, but also please keep us posted on any chocolate developments.

For years I've been using Mark Miller's recipe for Pipián Rojo, from his The Great Chile Book. I couldn't locate it online, but if you do a Google search you'll find others. In addition to pepitas, his refried sauce includes ancho and guajillo chiles, chipotles in adobo, blackened tomatoes, roasted garlic, sauteed onions, dry-roasted peanuts, olive oil, water, and flavorings that include salt, sugar, cloves, cinnamon or canela, and allspice. Miller writes, "Pipáns can be served with appetizers, or used as a sandwich spread, in stuffings, or as a sauce or garnish for grilled meats." I've used it primarily as a sauce for chicken or duck. I tried it once with scallops, but it didn't match up terribly well plus it overwhelmed the scallops' natural sweetness.

I have a larger KA and a slightly smaller Braun. Oh, and I forgot to mention my trusty Sunbeam Oscar. Sometimes it's nice having two because I like my KA dishwasher to do the cleanup (especially if I've made peanut butter) and sometimes I simply don't feel like washing one by hand right away. I've used both at the same time when baking (e.g., one for cheesecake crust, one for the filling) or cooking (one for chopping whitefish for gefilte fish, one for puréeing soup).

I recommend a second (or even a third) bowl and, if needed, a second paddle (or whatever beating attachment you use the most frequently). In addition to my KA w/two bowls I also have a two good hand mixers (one of them I found at a ridiculous clearance price and couldn't pass it up ) with two sets of beaters. Unless you do major baking projects with some regularity, that should be plenty. Actually, I've found my second full-sized food processor to be way more useful than a second mixer would be, but of course YMMV.

I hate to sound cynical (well, actually, I don't hate it at all), but it's all about who's getting what share of the money pie, not about public safety or decency.

At the end of this article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the author writes, "Never use soap to clean lead crystal wineglasses. The lead crystal has microscopic pores that can trap soap residue." Is this true? Have I been mucking up my wine all these years?