mamster

nightscot, how do you like 99 Ranch versus Uwajimaya in general?

Tamarind is also a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, but I guess that's not as popular as A1 and HP these days. Sorry I missed the rebirth of this thread! My tamarind article hasn't been published yet; I expect it will be before the end of the year. I find tamarind juice a refreshing drink in the summer; I make it from blocks of tamarind paste, boiled up with some water and sugar, strained, and diluted. I believe there's a similar drink to this in Jamaica called tamarindade or tamarinade. Last time the Pacific Northwest people met for Vietnamese sandwiches, I made everyone try some Thai-imported tamarind balls (ingredients: tamarind, sugar, salt, but they have that spicy edge that I don't think comes from tamarind alone). I don't think anyone liked them as much as I do. I'm never disappointed to find tamarind on my plate, unless it's been oversweetened and used as a sauce for savory food.

Laurie brought home Pence and Frog Hollow peaches from the Queen Anne Thriftway today. It looks to be a banner year for the peach--we've discussed ways to prepare them, but for me nothing beats slurping one out of hand. Links: Peach-o-Rama grub shack article about Peach-o-Rama (the first food article I ever wrote)

This is a key observation--there aren't a whole lot of places in the world like that. Did you eat simits in Turkey, the sesame bread things? I used to get them all the time from a bagel shop in Portland, and I've never seen them anywhere else, but World Food Turkey says they're all over Turkey.

You can also brown the ribs in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes--this is my favorite way to do it. They get a great crust and render a fair amount of fat.

bella, sounds like you're on the right track. I like to braise short ribs in dark beer and throw in some lentils or wheat berries for texture. Not summer food, by a long shot, but I'd eat it anytime.

Whenever I hear someone mention "raw food" or a restaurant specializing in such, I always say, "I love prosciutto!"

tighe's got it, I believe. Incidentally, the method you recommend is great for thick fish fillets, too. Schielke, do not fear the cast iron. Love the cast iron.

I didn't think the burgers were that great even before the remodel (although I did have a thing for the pesto burger for a while). One thing worth nothing is that pre-remodel the fries were consistently awful; nowadays they're sometimes good. For a while it seemed like they were trying a new fry recipe weekly.

I was sick as a dog last week, coughing, wheezing, my head swelled up like a melon. This may or may not have had something to do with the previous week's class in which I handled fifty petri dishes full of staph bacteria, but in any case, once I felt like leaving the house, I went to my local pho place and had a big bowl with rare rib eye and brisket. So you all stole my idea. The previous time I was sick I had a craving for peperonata.

Welcome, mb7o, and thanks for the post. I've never been to Tha Ton, but I've been to Thailand twice and it's my favorite place in the world to eat. Except (adjusting coordinator cap) the Pacific Northwest, of course. Happily, and unrelated to lychees, Uwajimaya seems to have a more reliable supply of green mangoes these days. It used to be they were often either out or, worse, lousy half-ripe mangoes would be crouching duplicitously in the green section.

Do you ever read the India board, Ben? Listen to Suvir for a while and you'll start to feel like an expert on authentic Indian food even if you've never had any.

As noted on the sushi thread, my top pick in Seattle, Mayuri, is long-gone. The Mayuri in Bellevue is still open, though--it's next to the Trader Joe's near MS. Best Chicken Makhni in town, great masala dosas; highly recommended. I ate at Shamiana in Ravenna recently and really liked it; the curries really pop with flavor. Lots of good vegetarian entrees.

I did try the Turkish wine. The label is Kavaklidere, I think; I had the red (they make more than one red, but A La Turca only serves one). It was much better than I expected. I figured it was going to be one of those situations where I had to grin and bear something outrageously bad, but if someone handed you a glass of this at a party, you wouldn't think twice. There was nothing distinguished about it, though.

I haven't been to the Met, but porterhouse seems to be a win-win proposition at most top beef houses. Often you have to order it for more than one person, but I suspect that won't be a problem. Do tell us how you like it!

Oddly enough, my review of this place is running this Friday. Girl chow turned me on to the place. Thanks for scooping me, tighe! (Seriously.) (I liked A La Turca, BTW).

Yesterday on the way by I saw a sad-looking notice in Ezo's window. They're shutting down as of August 10. I'll squeeze a few more meals in and then it's all over. This makes me really sad--it had become my favorite place to go on Broadway and my perennial choice for dinner alone (Ezo ramen, gyoza, and a Sapporo) when Laurie is out. Oddly, the notice says they're moving to Orange County. How does a chain move? I'll try to get the story next time I'm in.

At La Casa Gelato in Vancouver BC I was told (perhaps in an effort to con me into trying it) that durian is their most popular flavor. It's quite delicious, too. Then again, I don't find the smell offensive. I think I like durian-flavored things better than straight durian fruit, but I'm not a fan of tropical fruit textures in general--too custardy.

Thanks everyone for being so helpful--I'm getting more and more excited about my trip and it sounds like I'll have plenty to look forward to on future visits. The eel restaurant, Obana, reviewed by Tokyo-Q, sounds like something I can't miss. I just love eel, and I have a feeling none of the eel I've eaten in the US comes even remotely close to the quality available in Japan. Sushi breakfast at Tsukiji is definitely on the menu, as is yakitori. What are some other breakfast options? I'd hate to let a meal go to waste.

klink, bubble tea is all over Seattle! There's a stand in the Uwajimaya food court; there's the ultra-cool Gossip nearby in Chinatown; there's one on Pike right by the market; and there are about ten in the U-district. We'll go check it out. I like bubble tea, but I haven't really noticed any gradations of quality. And I believe it's from Taiwan, originally.

Yeah. He should have gone to La Régalade! Oh, wait. There are a few places in the world where delicious and inexpensive meals are to be found practically everywhere. Paris is not one of those places, but I don't see why that should either surprise someone or dissuade him from eating here.

Well, that doesn't ruin my theory that Filipino food is among the most challenging there is for the average Western palate. Last year I did a review of a Filipino restaurant that served (not that this is unusual) dinuguan: pig ears and stomach stewed in beef blood. I'm pretty adventurous, and I ate a little (just a little) of it and mentioned it in the review. Nobody emailed me to tell me they went and had a big bowl of dinuguan. Later I found a Filipino cookbook whose intro said something like, "I can't understand why Americans love Thai food but Filipino food hasn't caught on." Uh huh.

Has George Foreman opened a restaurant yet? How about Ron Popeil? They could serve dehydrated food and fish caught by the Pocket Fisherman. "I'm sorry, sir, we don't allow bald people in the dining room, but we'd be happy to give you a spritz of this spray-on hair."

Is anyone else reading the new history Near a Thousand Tables by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto? The author is a curmudgeonly Oxford historian who wears his prejudices on his sleeve and is delightfully contrarian. At one point he compares vegans to cannibals, and he keeps interjecting comments about whether the food he's discussing is delicious or not. Mostly I find food history books (even highly recommended ones like the Flandrin) unbearably tedious, but I really enjoyed this one. Give it a try.

I have! I had the cassoulet, which was delicious, although I'm not a longtime cassoulet connoisseur like John Whiting. I enjoyed the carrot-fennel salad enough to recreate it (fairly successfully, once I got a mandoline) at home. Laurie probably remembers whether we had dessert. If we did, it didn't make a big impression on me.