Rachel Perlow

Like what many others have said, location plays a major role. However, if there is a particular dish we enjoy that can only be had at a certain restaurant, we've been known to go way out of our way to get there when in the mood for it. Regarding the handful of our regular local places, I think what keeps us coming back is the personal relationship we've developed with the hosts, owners and/or chefs. We know each other by name and the knowledge that they actually miss us if we haven't been back in a while will prompt another visit. In addition to more personal service, being a regular also tends to net us the occasional comped item or two or a taste of something special the chef is working on. In the end, these freebies are not what keep you coming back, but are a nice perk of being a friend of the house. PS - congratulations on being the first Q&A guest to ask the membership a question!

I think you're merging China 46 with Hunan Cottage, or is there an actual restaurant called Hunan 46 you haven't shared with the rest of the class?

Be sure to add a link to this thread to their suggested eGullet reading before doing the Q&A.

I know it's not exactly what you were asking for, but today's NYT has an article about perfecting the popcorn ball: Sugar Sweet, and Heavy on the Crunch

That's OK - not everyone has one. Most people wait till they're completely addicted to eGullet.

We have an assortment of honey varieties in the pantry. One I particularly like is the Buckwheat honey. It is dark in color and has a distinct molasses flavor.

Nick - are these menus you're posting the "specials" in addition to a regular set menu, or do you always have a changing menu only?

We had another great meal at Saigon Republic with some friends on Friday night. El Gran Mexicano for lunch on Saturday. Disappointing dinner on Saturday night at Grand Sichuan (NYC). Sunday I cooked. For lunch we had bagel & egg sandwiches, dinner was angel hair primavera with chicken, and I also made meatloaf and chili for during the week (actually, enough chili to stash some in the freezer too). I plan on making some more of the skillet cornbread (recipe on page 2 of the Cornbread thread) to go with the chili. I used a combination of ground turkey (Shady Brook ground turkey 2 for 1 at Stop & Shop this week) and ground beef. The meatloaf was unplanned when I went to the store, but I came home with so much ground meat... I also got to use my new food processor.

Yes. Good point. Feel free to arrange for me to receive some from either vendor.

Now that is a mail order food worth sending. I love those chocolate coated dried cherries dipped in cherry-flavored chocolate. They may not use the absolute best chocolate, but it's a great confection. Nicely sweet and tart.

Interesting, the name of this place sounds to me like a kosher Chinse place, not one where they'd make roast pork.

It also sounded to me (never having actually had rostis) that rostis are thinner. Am I wrong?

Also, do you prefer the light & fluffy variety or the dense kind of matzoh balls?

Since you didn't post an address, I looked it up. Is this correct? Alan Wong's Restaurant 1857 S King St # 3, Honolulu, HI 96826 Phone: (808) 949-2526

I have baked it in a stainless frying pan. And actually it came out just fine. In fact recently I have had to make it several times minus a skilled but in a cake tin... The results have been perfect. I think the main thing about skillet cornbread is having the greased skillet hot in the oven. When you pour in the batter, the crust sets quickly and gets nice and crunchy.

I reread the thread, Wilfrid posted that indeed he was using cornmeal, not corn flour. However, he mentions 2 cups corn/AP flour to 1 cup milk & 1 egg - I use 1 1/2 cups milk - but he also says doubling the milk didn't help. I don't mix butter into the batter, but last time I used a little sour cream, and also the bacon grease is more than for greasing the pan. Hmm, the amount of sugar I use does not result in a sweet cornbread, just sort of rounds out the flavors. Wilfrid, are you using stoneground cornmeal or a bran removed variety? Stoneground cornmeal has some of its own moisture (when you buy some from a bulk bin you can test the freshness by seeing if it clumps a little when you squeeze it). That's why you need to store it cold, the bran oil can turn it rancid during prolonged storage.

Has anyone ever baked cornbread in a skillet that wasn't cast iron?

I've always thought that "corn flour" as referred to by the British, is the same as "corn starch" in the US. If this is the case then this is not the same thing as "cornmeal", especially not the same as "stone-ground whole cornmeal" and may be contributing to the problems Wilfrid is having.

Adding cilantro to my list of optionals, above...

Re: Stone-ground Cornmeal. After visiting several supermarkets, none of which had real stone-ground (whole kernal with the bran) corn meal, I ended up at Whole Foods, scooping the meal myself from the bulk bin. Good natural food or health food stores will also usually carry good cornmeal. All I could find in the supermarkets was Quaker and it was the bran removed kind. Blech. Either buy small quantities (which makes the bulk bin purchase appealing) or store whole stone-ground cornmeal in the fridge if you don't use it up fast.

Here's my recipe, my skillet is fairly large and this doesn't quickly spread to fill the pan, so I use an offset spatula to smooth it out, or you can just leave it rustic looking - more crunchy spots. Skillet Cornbread with Bacon 2 Slices Bacon 1 cup Yellow Stone-ground Cornmeal 1 cup All-Purpose Flour 3/4 tsp. Baking Soda 2 tsp. Baking Powder 1-1/2 tsp. Salt 3/4 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper 2 Tbs. Sugar 1 Egg, lightly beaten 1 ½ cups Buttermilk (or 1 ¼ cup milk + ¼ plain Yogurt or Sour Cream) – I used the sour cream and skim milk Optional ingredients: corn kernels, shredded cheese, chopped sautéed hot peppers, cilantro Heat the oven to 350°F. Place cast iron skillet over low heat and slowly cook the bacon. Occasionally stir and slice the bacon (I use 2 knives) until the bacon is crisp and the fat has rendered, then place pan in the oven (leave the crumbled bacon & grease in the pan). While bacon is cooking, sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and pepper. Combine the egg and milk. When the bacon is done and the skillet is in the oven, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with any optional additions, and stir to mix fairly well. Quickly open the oven and pour the batter into the skillet and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn the cornbread out on a rack so it doesn't get soggy as it cools.

Schedule your shopping to have lunch at Saigon Republic and dinner at Benny's. Or vice versa. Take-out is easier and more transportable from Benny's if you aren't hungry for dinner by the time you're ready to move on. There's a really good Indian grocery down Palisade Ave (near Saigon Republic). But the 2 main shopping attractions would be Jerry's & Balthazar.

Driving down Dean St. last week, I noticed a small chalkboard sign in front of the factory saying, "Bakery Outlet Now Open." I just went back to check it out and the Balthazar Bakery Retail Outlet has indeed been open for about a week. You enter a nondescript door, simply labeled 214. The outlet has windows looking on the factory area, with trays and racks of delicious smelling and looking breads and pastries. I sampled (and bought) some chocolate bread and baguettes. The manager, Glen Levy, was also kind enough to pop some other treats into my bag for us to try tonight. "Having a retail outlet was not part of the original plan," he said. "But people kept knocking on the door asking to buy directly from us." The main issue they had with being able to open the outlet was that the area in which they chose to open the factory was zoned for light industrial use and not retail. After some parking lot renovations they were able to obtain the necessary variance. In addition to tarts, pies, galettes, cookies and cakes, various breads and savory pastries, like quiche, they have a special Christmas Menu. Available December 6-31, the following items need to be ordered 2 days in advance (telephone orders secured with a credit card): Buche de Noel au Chocolat-Mocha, Chocolate-Chestnut Kugelhopf, English Fruitcake, Mince Pie, Red & White Pear Galette with Huckleberries, Stollen and Galette des Rois. These holiday items range in price from $8.50, for a 6" fruitcake, to $54 for the Buche de Noel. Individually portioned tarts and slices of cake are around $4, large chocolate-walnut cookies are 90 cents each, larger cakes and pies range from $17-108 depending on ingredients and size. Their website does not mention the Englewood location, but here is the information from the business card Glen gave me, so you can call for more information and maybe they'll be willing to fax you their price lists. Or just go, I'm sure you'll find it worth the trip. Balthazar Bakery Wholesale Division Retail Outlet 214 South Dean Street Englewood, NJ 07631 201-503-9717 phone 201-503-9721 fax Hours: 7 AM - 7 PM, Mon-Fri, 8 AM - 4 PM Sat, closed Sunday. However, if it slows down earlier, they may close earlier, so best to call ahead. Edit: Adjusted their hours.

I know your latest book will deal with how to make well known dishes, but are there a few most important tips you could share on how to best make Chinese food at home?