ScorchedPalate

Actually, I have had a few terrible meals at Flying Fish. Seven Stars Pepper has a lot more atmosphere than it used to. If you haven't been there in the last few months, you would be pleasantly surprised. ~A

Supreme is now an outpost of Sapphire.

QFC in University Village, or the Thriftway in West Seattle both have Mason jars. If you want schmancy ones, try Mrs. Cooks in U Village. ~A

I've been to A La Mexicaine a few times -- it was a block from my flat -- and really enjoyed it. Much more like upper-class Mexican food in Mexico than U.S.-style Mexican, so it didn't really salve my particular craving, but I was impressed. I believe that I remember reading that the menu was planned by the wife of the cultural attaché from the Mexican embassy/consulate. I actually have a strange hobby of trying Mexican restaurants in improbable places. I've had terrible Mexican in Amsterdam and London, and am looking forward to surreal Mexican in Tokyo later this year, if the husband will let me 'waste' a meal eating something non-asian. ~A

Not to get too Seattle-centric, but Mrs. Cooks at University Village has large flip-lid canning jars (which are also useful for brandied plums...) ~A

Mine definitely looks like motor oil now, although it was still transparent (albeit dark) until a few days ago. The farmer I bought my nuts from simply had them listed as "green walnuts". The California Walnut Commission says that all cultivated California walnut species are of the English variety, while native plants are likely to be Black walnuts. Mine definitely look like the photos of English walnuts (smooth, speckled, and distinctly egg-shaped), and not like Black walnuts (lightly textured and rounder): English Walnut (Cornell Horticulture) Black Walnut (forestryimages.org) ~A

I certianly didn't read it that way. You just said that you'd gotten a number of emails saying it wasn't good anymore. Anyone who's read this thread knows that many people share that opinion! ~A

I'm fairly sure that the installation poster is inside the package for the sink cabinet -- so if you didn't order a sink cabinet, you won't get a poster unless you ask. But I'm sure they'd be happy to mail you one, or give you one if you go to the store. ~A

Just as I was lamenting that all this moving nonsense had distracted me from ordering green walnuts and making nocino this year, I found green walnuts this morning at the Alemany Farmer's Market! The farmer who was selling them had recipes for vin de noix and nocino taped to the box they were in. So my first-ever batch is sitting on the window ledge now -- the sunniest spot in the apartment, 28 stories over downtown -- waiting for the end of the month when we will move into our new house and have a yard again... where it can steep properly in the sun. Now I only hope it's half as good as the batch Olivina made last year. :) ~A

A few weeks ago at one of Seattle's nicer new restaurants, the waiter very clearly informed my friends and me that the vegetables in a certain dish were prepared "al Dante" -- which made me wonder if they would be burned to a crisp or frozen solid.... ~A

Oooh, from JoyofBaking.com: Clafoutis comes from the word 'clafir' which means 'to fill'.

Word 'round the campfire is that the current KFC apple pies are a dead ringer for the McD pies of yore. ~A

Sounds like you've already tried my top 3 suggestions: - Consider lunch. - Go on a weekday/night. - Be persistent. My other standard advice is: Try for a larger party -- They have a finite number of 2-tops. And increase your odds by using every phone you can get your hands on. We've gone 3 times so far, and had no trouble getting reservations each time, using 2 cell phones and a land-line. Edited to add: Good luck! ~A

Since I never got to try BOB in the PapaChef era, I'm delighted to hear that you've got another place in the works. Keep us posted! ~A

We had dinner at Zuni for the first time earlier this month -- a long standing joke in our house, as we've lived in SF, off and on, for nigh on 15 years -- and we loved it. We bought a copy of the cookbook about 3 years ago when we left SF for Seattle, and have enjoyed cooking out of it regularly. Everything we ate was good, some of it was even great, but the highlight of the evening (and this is coming from me, a non-dessert fan) was a caramel pot de creme that was sooooo super-caramelized. Cameron had a dozen oysters, I started with an amazing carrot soup that highlighted the garden-grown taste of the vegetables and made me glad I had skipped the salad I was toying with ordering. My entree has slipped my mind -- which is just as well, as I it didn't wow me -- but Cameron had an amazing fish braised in a cazuela. Service was gracious but not quite as attentive as we might have liked, due to 2 adjacent parties of 6+ with small children. We loved the atmosphere of the balcony; we were in the front one, closest to the bar and the host stand. In short, it was the kind of place that we could see ourselves making the effort to become regulars at, even if that meant making a reservation. It's the sort of place we'd love to just drop into casually, if such a thing were ever possible. ~A

I'm a big fan of home sausage making, but IMHO emulsified sausages like midwestern-style bratwurst are not worth the hassle, and definitely not for amateurs. ~A

There's a link on the DirectBuy website for a free visitor's pass, FYI. ~A

Have you asked at Uli's at the Market? I love their sausages. You could try a few before the 4th and pick the one that's closest to your preferred taste/fat profile. Edited to add: Or you could mail order brats from Usinger's or Klement's. ~A

Downtown is an It's-It dead zone. Best bet is to hop any of the streetcar lines outbound and get off at Church: Safeway has them in 3-packs. I haven't seen them in singles anywhere since this thread started. There's also a safeway walking distance from you at the corner of 4th and King, but I don't know if they carry them. ~A

A Tribute to Jerry Thomas

Yep, It's called Bella Cosa, and it's been open since last fall. It's a bit of gourmet food and some upscale kitchen gadgets. Very cute. They have a small case of deli-type offerings, too.

Ooh, and it includes the third season, too. Thanks for the head's up!

Malachi, have you gone on one of Kasma's trips? Cameron and I are going this winter after 5 years of postponements (ours, not hers!).

Is this a trick question? :D Armandino's Salumi

I read the Chron article last week and was instantly seized by the need to have one. When I managed to get my mitts on a 3-pack at Safeway that night, I was crushed: They're terrible now. And no, I wasn't one of those folks who ate them 30 or 50 years ago at the beach... I am comparing them to It's-Its I had within the last 3 to 5 years. Actually, I'm being a little harsh: Everything was the same except for the ice cream. It was never premium stuff, but I remember it being at least as good as supermarket brands. Now it's on par with the stuff you get in a plastic cup with a wooden spoon. Yech. Ruined the whole thing. ~A