ScorchedPalate

Not cocktail-specific, but there are a number of recipes for them in Diana Kennedy's Mexican cookbooks. They're called "tuna" in Spanish. They also make beautiful preserves and jellies. ~A

I am (vehemently) in the 1-bowl camp for the reasons you describe, but I also think it would be nice to have another smaller sink for those times when you want to, say, chill a pot of stock at the same time as you scrub potatoes. I guess those sinks with one narrow side and one wide side would be a good compromise. Myself, I would put the disposal on the small side, but there are probably good reasons for doing it either way.

I second what Rocky said about Top Gun in Bellevue, right down to the last filthy plate. Ditto SkyFlyer's rec on Kirin... I miss it so. <sigh>

We tried A16 in mid-August. We had reservations, so we were seated promptly despite the mob-scene at the door. That was the last good thing that happened all night. The menu was brief enough that we both had a hard time finding more than one thing that appealed to us. We split an order of roasted red peppers to start. The fresh sardines garnish was good, but the peppers themselves weren't peeled (possibly intentional?) or seeded...very unappetizing. Cameron ordered the pizza margherita -- it was decent, but not actively good. The crust was too thin in the center, not crisp, and too thick at the edges. I ordered the pizza verde... unlike Ludja's, mine was a train wreck. Crust was sprinkled with red chile flakes (good), a little bit of olive oil (not enough), 4 or 5 small slices of cheese (good, perhaps not quite enough), and something like 2 cups of sliced sweet italian peppers (also not skinned or seeded). Even for an American-style pie, this overdose of topping would have been unappetizing... for an Italian-style pizza, it was a disgrace. There was literally 3/4 of an inch of solid peppers burying the crust. Service was sloppy: We were done with our appetizer before our wine flights came, and the waiter dropped scraped-up food from another table onto ours when clearing our plates... eww. All in all, it seems like a pretty serious case of hype. Reading the reviews on CitySearch, it seems we got off easy: There are numerous posts of people waiting 45 to 90 minutes past their reservation times, and more than one where the waiter (apparently intentionally) decided to serve something different than the guest had requested! Edited to add: I haven't been to Incanto for more than a year, but I recall it being a cozy, welcoming neighborhood place that exceeded my expectations for neighborhood-place food. Incanto got some nice mentions in last week's Chron story about house-made salumi... whereas the A16 guy came off sounding like snob: Uh, yeah... That's why they never offer mixed salumi plates in Italy.

Dim Sum: Don't bother with Yank Sing if you have other options. Very pricey and not all that. As for Koi Palace... Parking is as bad as everyone says, but the wait isn't bad if you time it right. The last time we went, we got there at 9:45, and although the dining rooms were full, we were the only ones waiting. In fact, we could have had a table within 5 minutes if the rest of our party had been there. In all, we ended up waiting about 15 minutes before we were seated. By 10:10, though, the lobby was packed. Thai: After many years of trying other possibilities, our favorite remains Thep Phanom, on Waller between Haight and Germania. Favorites here include Crying Tiger salad, yok-yor, basil chicken with crispy basil, and anything off the 'specials' menu/boards. Reservations recommended.

I still love my Shun santoku, but I find it doesn't sharpen as well, nor hold an edge as long, as my big (non-Shun) chef knife. ~A

If you don't mind a quick (and easy) detour to SoDo, you can pick up a sandwich at Salumi... provided your flight is Tuesday through Friday. You're sure to inspire envious looks.

I find fresh herbs don't freeze very well. I usually air-dry thyme stems on a cooking rack over a cookie sheet (goes fast if you have a convection oven with a fan-only setting) and then remove the leaves from the stem for storage. Then you can use it as a fresher-tasting alternative when recipes call for dried thyme. ~A

I heartily second (third?) the idea of making your own velouté- or bechamel-based mushroom-soup equivalent. I've gone through a lot of my old family favorites and replaced the canned and bottled (orange 'french' dressing, anyone??) with reverse-engineered sub-recipes, too. I have a copy of The Best Recipes: Cover and Bake (ISBN: 0-93618-4809) from the editors of Cook's Illustrated. It has recipes for all of the old favorite casseroles, and plenty of new ones as well... plus other one-dish meals like coq au vin, mac and cheese, etc. I'd highly recommend checking out a copy from the library to see if you like it. I am guessing you will... it's very hard to find a used copy, which generally means people are hanging on to it.

Currently infusing: Nocino, buddha's hand 'cello, and a small batch of plum brandy. (I can claim prior impetus, as I also made the plums last year.... )

Jason, congrats!! Lots of places close to your new casa on the South County taco crawl (which I can't link to from here...) We never made it to Muy Macho that day. I sense that the all-Ambaum crawl might be ready to happen. You know, we -are- coming down for Octoberfest. Rocky, what do you think?? ~A

OK, that's kinda creepy. Did I mention that I added a very quick infusion of star anise to my blood-orangecello in an effort to give it some oomph? I agree, it's a nice combo. ~A

Only a year late on this, but Squeat can actually take the 23 Monterey from Glen Park BART all the way to the market. If you time it right, it's a 15-minute trip from 16th & Mission to Alemany & Crescent. I take the 23 every day on the way from work to home, about 6 blocks from the market. This route is much, much quicker than going to 24th Street and taking the 67 Bernal, which goes over hill and down dale before eventually making its way to the market. Despite my proximity to Alemany -- where I found green walnuts this spring, when they were absent everywhere else -- Steve and others here can attest that I still find plenty of good excuses to visit the Ferry Plaza Market on Saturdays. My CSA box takes care of most of my needs, but who's to argue with finding buddha's hand, huitlacoche, the city's best chilaquiles, and fresh masa all in one place?

My kirkland geography is pretty floppy... is this place anywhere near you?

If you'll be in the Valley, I've had good breakfasts at: Jinky's Cafe (818) 981-2250 14120 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 Roscoe's and The Original Pantry are also breakfast options. Regardless of what people tell you, do not do brunch at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach.

I made a blood-orangello a few months back that was OK, but nothing special. My bergamocello (made with bergamot oranges) is one of the most amazing things have ever tasted (she said modestly). Details and photos are over on the limoncello thread. I'm doing a buddha's hand infusion right now, which I may or may not turns into a 'cello. In general, I would say that you want oranges with interesting-smelling skin (preferably as soon off the tree as possible), rather than those with good-tasting fruit. ~A

The one at U.Village is kosher in the traditional sense of the word. No meat products are sold, and they do have the sign Dandelion mentions. Edited to add: the SF Bay Area stores have sold the BagelDogs for at least the last few months. Here they're kosher beef hot-dogs and (beef) Polish sausages, or Aidell's sausages: Chicken-Portobello, Cajun Andouille (pork), and Artichoke/Garlic (chicken/beef). They also sell a number of panini and some hot and cold sandwiches. And yeah, their bagels aren't very bagel-y. But if you think of them as spherical bread, they're not half bad.

The location inside the U.Village QFC is kosher (dairy), unless I am mistaken

I hadn't seen Fresca since the 70s until we moved to Seattle 3 years ago -- it was everywhere. Now we're back in SF and I can find it sporadically. On a similar note... anyone else remember Aspen, the apple-flavored soda? ~A

I suspect that many of these products survive in select regional markets. Like top-slice hotdog buns, which are unheard-of in the west. There are a number of Lawry's products that are commonly found only in California. ~A

Last year we made Falling Leaves for Thanksgiving. Applejack, rye, and dark rums are right up my alley... can't wait to hear of your experiments. ~A

I have no idea whether the Cook's recipe gets soggy after a few days. It's so good, it never lasts that long.

Not entirely true, at least according to this excerpt from Salon

Are we talking "they" the establishment, or "they" the authorities? In my experience, governmental agencies have little wiggle room for that sort of thing. Where would they draw the line? I think there are legitimate child-welfare reasons for keeping kids out of bars other than their own drinking. Edited to add: Not that a visit to place like Pegu is going to corrupt the little ones for life, but legally it would be impossible to make the distinction between someone bringing their infant to a classy cocktail lounge, and someone else dragging their 6-year-old to the skeezy corner tavern every night.

Wow, is it actually legal in NY to bring under-21s into a bar?