Alex

I always knew it as b'stilla. In fact, there was a restaurant of that name near me when I lived in Detroit, way too many years ago. Here's a good recipe from Saveur. (Use the chicken thighs )

Kugel! It's simple, and you can make it savory, sweet, or combo. Recipes (and opinions) abound. For example: Savory potato kugel from Francis Lam (!) Sweet noodle (lokshen) kugel from Dave Lieberman Jerusalem kugel (peppery sweet) from food dot com

Semi-echoing my previous comment, you're going into a metro area in which you, I assume, will be the first to use this sort of reservation system -- which means that you're going to have a whole lot of convincing to do. I'd be tempted to start with, say, half the seats on pre-pay, with a modest discount for doing so. Many hotels and car rental companies are doing this now. I'd also have people prepay the entire amount rather than half, with a modest penalty -- maybe $25 per seat -- for cancelling within 48 or 72 hours, and only if the seats aren't re-filled. You can always evaluate how your policy is working, and adjust it if needed.

Are you still looking at St. Louis or environs? If so, do you think a system like this would fly there?

I strongly agree with Anna N and Tere: Forget the eggs, etc. -- tea (or coffee or other beverage of their choice) and a very modest pastry or cookie would be perfect. (When I was a kid, it would have been Entenmann's. Or Stella D'Oro.) Remember, they'll be eating lunch in two hours.

Excellent article in the Feb 18 Washington Post about this topic.

Thai Sweet Chile Veggie Burgers were surprisingly good. I prepared them as suggested on the package, on a metal tray in a 450F oven (Breville). The edges crisped up nicely but the rest was still soft -- a not-uncommon occurrence with veggie burgers. They exuded some oil while cooking. There was a slight capsicum kick, maybe a 2 on a 10-point scale. A patty is only 2.5 oz, so two would be a reasonable serving. Next time, I'd lean toward making a double burger on a roll with some additions for texture -- lettuce or slaw at the very least. Two patties have 16 g of protein (mostly soy), also 540 mg sodium and 34 g carbohydrates.

Wouldn't fuzzy rice feel weird in your mouth? ----------- I've always used a saute pan, but I do have this cooker, so I'll have to try it.

Partner #3? Sounds like an interesting household.

I concur with JeanneCake's comment: However, Restaurant Jezebel, late of Austin, TX, now in Lockhart, has a variation on this concept. From their "About Jezebel" page, which is replete with purple prose: It's not just an entree, though; it's a five-course prix fixe for $125. Ms. Alex ate there several years ago, when they were in Austin, and enjoyed it immensely.

It's interesting that you call this a "tribal" recipe. What do you mean by "tribal" and what makes the recipe a "tribal" one?

Now I must share this misbegotten Mozilla Japan (i.e., Firefox) logo from about ten years ago, I think.

I suspect that at that time they still would be eating something akin to what was described in Genesis 25 -- "red broth," "lentil soup" (or "pottage," which is a long-cooked stew) -- possibly with some mutton for flavoring, along with whatever vegetables were available at the moment. I'd just improvise and not worry about a recipe; I'm sure the folks back then didn't.

Yes -- a first edition of a rare book w/a good condition dust jacket can be quite valuable. (I have a cousin who collects those.) I'd say $800-1000.

If you use shredded raw potatoes, you might want to squish some liquid out of them first. Serious Eats has a brief how-to summary.

Bought a bunch of stuff today. The tart cherry juice was delicious. It would work well in a spritzer. The organic raisins are, well, organic raisins. Same thought about the dried Montmorency cherries -- no better or worse than others I've had. The wild-catch nova lox (8 oz package) was very tasty but a royal pain to separate into usable thin slices. It'll be back to the 4-oz non-nova next time. More news as it happens. I did buy the frozen Thai veggie burgers.

Breakfast #1: Kanela Breakfast Club, 3231 N Clark, just north of Belmont. (Ms. Alex is a big fan.) Then take the Clark bus to Graceland. Or you can walk if it's nice out. Breakfast #2: The Bongo Room, 5022 N Clark, at the south end of Andersonville (see below), a little north of Graceland. Andersonville (take the Clark bus to Foster or thereabouts) is fun for shopping, whether browsing or buying. Eat lunch at Big Jones, Hopleaf, or m. henry. The Southport area, from Roscoe north to Irving Park, also is fun for shopping and eating. Have breakfast or lunch at Southport Grocery and get some ice cream at Jeni's.

Any thoughts about this month's crop? In addition to various staples and items I already know are good, I was thinking about getting the Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burgers and the Organic Vodka Sauce.

Thanks, Rob. I haven't yet, but I will. Their website says they're available at a store not far from me. In fact, I was shopping there just a few hours before you posted.

I agree. Looks like green cabbage color-enhanced by tomato paste, paprika, and turmeric.

OK, I'll bite (figuratively, although literally, too, if you'd be so kind as to make this for me when I'm in DC): How'd you get the heart on there? Do you have a heart-shaped mini-branding iron?

As AlaMoi mentioned earlier, thaw the scallops in the fridge -- I do it on a rack over a plate or baking dish -- then bring them to room temp before cooking. I use half butter and half grapeseed oil in the pan. Get it very hot but don't burn the butter (obviously). The exact time depends on the heat and your pan, of course, but (again like AlaMoi) I found that U-10 dry scallops take about 2-2½ minutes for the first side and a minute for the second. Here's a truc from Paula Wolfert, which I'm pretty sure is buried in a forum somewhere in the bowels of eGullet: After searing the scallops, while you make the pan sauce, hold them in a 200F oven (the Breville is great for this) on a wire rack over a pan. They'll continue to exude some liquid that otherwise would wind up on the plate and look nasty.

Ah, Printers Row. A good number of years ago we stayed there, at Dearborn and Congress. For the life of me I can't remember what it was called back then, but it's now the Hotel Blake, formerly the Wyndham Blake. In the hotel was an excellent restaurant run by a well known chef, but of course I can't remember those names, either. I do remember what the place looked like, though. There used to be a little Leonidas chocolate shop on the ground floor of -- I think -- the Rookery Building, at LaSalle and Adams.

FWIW (probably not much), I'm definitely not a white chocolate fan, but El Rey is the only one I've been able to actually enjoy without reservation.

Welcome, Jim. There are quite a few eG'ers who either live in Chicagoland or visit there regularly, so please keep us in the loop about the progress of your chocolate shop. Are you looking at any particular neighborhood(s) or 'burb(s)? (This is the chocolate class, yes?)