Alex

Just joshing here.

Hey, Sydney was the 165th most popular name for female newborns in the US for 2018, ahead of old reliables like Diana, Rachel, Amy, Rebecca, and Nicole.

By a narrow margin, 6:45 it is. I'll get a decision from my Airbnb hosts, then send a PM to Rob. Whenever we're ready, we can post about dinner plans for other nights and whether we'd be up for company, then, too. Right now we have our eye on these places: Sidney Street Cafe Savage Olio and possibly Elmwood

Here's mine: 5:45 3 6:15 4 6:45 5 7:45 3 8:15 2 8:45 1

I've heard back from everyone. The group is as posted, with Smithy still a "maybe" (and our Airbnb hosts possibly joining us), so now we need to figure out a reservation time. Our choices are: 5:45 6:15 6:45 7:45 8:15 8:45 I might be overthinking here, but let's try this. Could you (kayb, cyalexa, Chris) attach a score from 1 to 5 to each of those times? A score can be awarded more than once. 1 = I'd really, really rather not 2 = If I have to, well, alright, but I'd much prefer another time 3 = OK, yeah, whatever 4 = Maybe not my ideal time, but sure, I'm good with this. 5 = Preferred

I agree, parchment. Cool, invert, remove parchment, invert again onto serving dish.

You're welcome. Congratulations on your luck -- that's a good one. I'm glad you found it. So how was the lamb?

It's only about two weeks before it's time to get back to Rob with a firm head count, so here's one last chance to add your name to the list. A good time (and good food) is on the horizon...

If you can find some decent hothouse tomatoes and some fresh basil, make a caprese salad or a variation thereof. If you like Italian subs, try some mozz instead of provolone.

Good article in the New Yorker.

I'd go with a full-bodied, spicy Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Would you mind posting some pictures of your kitchen? I mean, I could share pictures of our kitchen, but if the dimensions are nothing like yours, it wouldn't be terribly helpful.

Welcome to eG! Do they also hate raw vegetables?

Good advice, Katie. Mine was "unofficial" advice, of course, but in my non-eG life I'm a (retired) psychologist who specialized in addiction treatment.

For potato chips, it's indeed the fat and salt (and, secondarily, the carbs). For beer, it's the alcohol, which acts on several neurotransmitters, especially GABA and serotonin, in a way that most people experience as pleasurable and rewarding. Essentially, your brain has been "short-term" hijacked. And you're correct that fermentation has something to do with its taste appeal; a sobriquet for beer is "liquid bread." Other than avoiding that first beer, the most practical suggestion I have is to either buy your beer in seven-ounce bottles ("pony") and drink it a little slower than usual. That way you can still drink two bottles but consume only two ounces more than one regular-size bottle. (I'm assuming "regular size" is 12 oz, not 40 oz. ) If a pony isn't available, you could pour half of your first 12-oz bottle into a suitable glass container (maybe an empty bottle from before), cap or otherwise seal it, then put it back in the fridge until you're ready for your "second."

The Beauty and Necessity of Commas This ad just showed up on our local Craigslist: Sub-Zero, Oven microwave dishwasher - $1200 So I thought, for just a fraction of an instant, "A combo oven microwave dishwasher! What a concept!"

My absolute favorite salmon dish is from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France, "Salmon Slices with Fresh Oysters" (and mushrooms and crème fraîche and a lot of butter). My second favorite is salmon topped with fresh morels cooked in butter, then white wine, then cream, with tarragon. In fact, a few days ago I put the morels on top of some sauteed chicken livers. And then I ate them.

Welcome to eG, sitd. A great pitch for a two-strike count, but you knew that already. ⚾ Are you planning to serve a wine with the steak, and if so, what one (or two )? That pairing may well influence your choice of side(s).

Sure, why not? He/it could be a fun add-on to a bigger BB&B order. How do you think the brush would be for cleaning fingernails?

There's a very good article in The Guardian today about restaurant noise, including information about a sound-reporting app.

Yes, dinner is Saturday.

I thought I'd bump this up to see if there are any additions/subtractions/changes. Our schedule has changed a bit and we won't be going to a ballgame, so if there's going to be coordinated tickets, someone else will need to do that.

OK, this is moving far, far away from being food-related. Not that that's a bad thing.

This would be great for a large household, too.

It looks like serving trays of some sort. Or it's a graduate-level ring toss game