bleachboy

Goodson's Cafe (Tomball, TX) used to be the gold standard for chicken fried steak in my book. In recent years, though, the quality has declined significantly. That said, I still haven't tasted a better chicken fried steak anywhere else. Since Chris Cognac mentioned a place only an hour or so away from me, though, I may just try out the Wagon Wheel Cafe next weekend. This weekend I'll be in Memphis -- mmmm, ribs. Here's another point for debate -- a fairly hot debate among Texans, anyway -- gravy on the top on on the side? I prefer it on the side, so that it doesn't sog up the steak before it hits my table. And of course a great gravy makes a terrific dipping sauce for your french fries, rolls, etc.

My guess would be that they do it for simple inquiries or the like. If I were the manager there, and I received what sounded even like a very legitimate complaint, I would be suspicious. I once worked at a pizza place, and there was a certain customer that would call every single time they ordered a pizza -- and I mean, every time -- to let us know we'd screwed up their order and that they wanted the next pizzas for free. Being a chain, the manager always sent them some gift certificates. The moral of that anecdote is simply that some people do abuse the tenet that "the customer is always right", and perhaps sending an email made your complaint even more faceless. Actually showing up at the restaurant would have yielded you much better results, I'd wager, especially if the chef got involved.

I wouldn't count that out as a possibility -- I did, after all, buy it for cheap at an outlet! However, the inside of the lid is also unglazed, and it doesn't really look like a mistake. Anyhow, it's a great bean pot!

Le Creuset - I got it for cheap at an outlet store, when they had one in Nashville.

Could also be that some Le Creuset isn't glazed on the inside. I have a very small dutch-oven-type-thing that's plain cast iron on the inside. I use it for baked beans exclusively -- not sure what it's actual original purpose was.

No. A salt grinder is a fetish item.

A while back my wife and I were discussing rice, as we are wont to do. I mentioned that growing up, my family often ate white rice as a side dish, with margarine and sugar spooned on top. My wife expressed disbelief, and apparently has asked around and can't find anybody else who has ever done this. Am I alone? Is this just a Texas thing, maybe?

Now that might tempt me to eat at McDonald's! But seriously, a salad and a water? Umm.. Maybe I should get into the fast food business! It takes about 5 minutes to learn to make a vinaigrette, at which point you can make any number of delicious salads. With the advent of greens-in-a-bag, I imagine even the worst cook could make a salad that would blow away a McD's salad.

If you have a Vacu-Vin, use it on your vermouth. It will last a really long time if you vacu-vin and refrigerate it -- I'd guess at least a couple of months.

Saltine crackers with grape jelly and Gatorade.

Duck fat!!! OMG That said, I do mine at 450 degrees for 45 minutes -- is that wrong? For some reason, I thought that's how everybody baked a potato. Rubbed with oil and heavily salted (which is mostly for presentation but also to flavor the crunchy skin).

He would probably like the Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling. I do, anyway.

Don't think so.

Yeah, isn't Miller Lite running a huge ad campaign right now touting their product as the best beer in the world, according to the "World Beer Championship" or some such? I ignore all such claims in liquor advertising. That said, Grey Goose is my pour of choice for non-flavored vodka.

I grew up in Houston, but have never -- well, hardly ever -- partaken of any "fine dining" there. My two big "must go" places are Goodson's Cafe in Tomball, for what is quite possibly the best chicken fried steak you'll find in Houston, and Las Alamedas, which is really terrific Mexican "haute cuisine" with a wierd French influence. I have heard it described as the type of food rich people eat in Mexico City. I love it, though. Goodson's Cafe, unfortunately, has gotten sort of "big time" and is not quite as great as it was when it was a true hole-in-the-wall. But still definitely worth the visit. Don't order anything that isn't chicken fried steak, however. My parents grew up in Tomball, and our family still has homes in Tomball and Decker's Prairie (outside of Tomball... used to be the "country house" but now just a suburb, to everybody's chagrin). My sister discovered a BBQ joint out in Tomball last time she was there, run by a very old man who used to work at Bradigam's (sp?) meat market, who was extremely generous with very good BBQ when Mamie's name was mentioned. Unfortunately, I don't yet know the name/location of the place. Soon!

What sort of got me about the image was the drawing of a fish on the label. "Red wine with fish" seems like the classic faux pas. Not that there's really something wrong with it, but popular culture (and, I reckon, Escoffier) dictates white wine with fish.

I have not tried this - the image comes from another source.

They were coarse yellow grits, very creamy and possibly with a very creamy cheese, but the predominant flavors were very straightforward - corn and truffles. Totally out of sight! The chef told me where he had got the grits, and the grits had a name ("Anson Mills"), so they were some Fancy Grits. They were served with a Niman Ranch pork chop and a "slaw" (?) of braised pork belly, black-eyed peas, and carrots. That was at The Capitol Grille last night - the chef there is a genius at some kind of "Southern fusion," if there is such a thing. Marissa had a white truffle mac 'n' cheese that was freaking awesome too. I guess it was eat-a-starch-with-truffles night!

Dude, I ate grits with shaved white truffles just last night. Seriously! One year wedding anniversary.

I was under the impression that Merlot was the #1 grape in the world, in terms of sales. I got this from an industry guy at a tasting about a year and a half ago. Is that still true?

OMGWTFILCC! Frankly, I'm aghast at the number of eGulleters claiming they don't like creamed corn. Do you mean, creamed corn from a can? Because homemade creamed corn has got to be one of the most delicious substances in the universe. Especially if you know somebody that grows corn. As for the canned stuff, it does have one redeeming quality. It reminds me how staggeringly delicious homemade creamed corn is. And that makes it OK in my book.

Here's a link to an article today in the Seattle Times about premium bag-in-a-box wines, with tasting notes. Screwcaps are also discussed. For Value Wine, Think Outside the Bottle

One person's whoring is another person's rent money.

Are you personally acquainted with Lesley C? If not, your reply is vitriolic and completely unfounded. Please take your trolling and flamebait to another message board. NOTE: I'm not an admin or anything, just a user...

Now that you've said that, "some guy" should do the ads (guy's gotta eat!) but use a pseudonym.