ExtraMSG

You can get a bit of an overview here: http://www.portlandfood.org/modules.php?na...order=0&thold=0 But the dish I refer to above was a slab of "braised" ham. I don't know how braised it was because it was tough, flavorless, and in a flavorfless sauce. I'd have to go back through my Chowhound posts or emails to find more detailed info.

I don't disagree. I just think when you recommend a place there's a certain obligation to communicate why that person should like it. I also think it's fair to question a public recommendation in order to inform those that might go there based on the recommendation. I don't think any of us wants reviews or reports on restaurants to merely be turned into yeas and nays. btw, I've had one braised dish that was pretty bad there and one that was excellent. One of their obstacles might be that they don't really have many set dishes so each day may bring new challenges, which can be a lot tougher than a place that pretty much has a set menu. But regardless, either the food is good or it isn't. The challenge should be their problem, not mine.

I know on Good Eats, AB recommended a serrated peeler because it "grabs" more and so you maintain your peeling better. I've never been able to find one in stores, yet, though. I guess maybe I'll try the link above. I have the OXO as well. I'm not normally a fan of the oversized grips, but it seems to be appropriate here. The inability to dig out eyes on potatoes is occasionally annoying, however, as previously mentioned.

Don't disagree. Having the same problem in discussions of Thai food. I do think though that just based on authenticity there is a difference between Chipotle and a taqueria. There's a lot missing from most taquerias that you'll find on the streets in Mexico, but most of what you find in a taqueria you can find on the streets of Mexico without almost any change. However, most taquerias on the west coast do serve up burritos, too. But I don't think that makes them less authentic anymore than a Mexican restaurant in Mexico City serving Coca-Cola in addition to tamarindo or adding chips and salsa to the table instead of chicharones for gringos makes them less authentic. Chipotle isn't authentic Mexican, but it's authentic Mexican-American, and for a burrito place it's pretty darned good. That's not my preference. But for people who like burritos they could make much worse choices out there.

Already some great suggestions. Tortilla Soup is a decent enough movie. I think it was based on Eat Drink Man Woman, but I could be wrong. But I love Mexican food so much that seeing the opening sequence is just awesome. btw, drove my wife into work today (Portland) and it took us a full hour to get across the 205 bridge. Then coming back I saw 4 accidents, 3 of which happened before my eyes, including a guy shooting across the median from the other direction. Even had to get out on an overpass and push some lady's tin can mini-SUV to get her straightened out. We need some rain!

Personally, I don't have a problem with Chipotle not being authentic. They're mission burritos, not true Mexican food, Mexican-American food. But I think you're quite wrong when you say there's no true Mexican food in the US, or that it's rare. You're active in California, so I assume you're from there. Every town in California has taquerias and taco trucks where you can find quite authentic tacos and often tamales. And most cities wth even a moderate Mexican or Latino population will usually have taquerias and/or taco trucks. They're ubiquitous in the Southwest and Texas, of course. But even here in Oregon they're everywhere as in Washington. And the last time I visited family in Utah there was a huge growth in them even there. Utah! Even the average Mexican-American restaurant usually has a few authentic dishes, such as moles and tamales, and sometimes with enchiladas that approach the authentic Mexican version. And in a lot of large cities there are restaurants, usually more upscale, that provide some of the best authentic regional Mexican you'll find, even compared to restaurants in Mexico. Here in Portland, we have three: the nationally recognized Cafe Azul, Taqueria Nueve (which isn't a taqueria), and La Calaca Comelona. Chicago has several. New York has several. Dallas and Houston both have some. LA seems to have tons. And many other California cities seem to have them as well. There's lots of great authentic Mexican out there, much of it very cheap, you just gotta look for it.

http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/about.main There are no cases of a human contracting the disease. You don't eat the brain and nervous tissue of your deer, do you? Don't you think it's important to keep such things in perspective? Recognize the real risk from such an action, eg. If venison is no big deal to you, I guess, fine, don't eat it and error on the side of caution. But it seems that a lot of people are geting overly excited about Mad Cow and similar diseases that don't seem to be much of a concern, truly. Way less of a concern than other risks we hardly even consider day in and day out, like owning a pool or driving a car. Maybe the government should be trying to first ensure the finances of the meat industry since so many people are over-reacting to the news and the health of many more people depends on a secure meat industry rather than secure meat. (At least in the current context.)

Thanks. I'll try to get there tomorrow or Saturday if Cha Ba Thai's larb doesn't call my name.

No, but you increase your enjoyment until you die. And we've all got to go sometime.

Okay, technically this is a Spanish word and is pronounced: chee-poht-lay, emphasis on the second to last syllable. Here's a link for the real inspiration: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/chipotle.htm btw, I'm actually against the mission style burritos like Chipotle makes, even the taqueria versions you're likely to find in downtown San Jose. The thing I don't like is that the emphasis has turned to beans and rice, which in my mind are like watering down Mexican flavors. Tacos are it. Just a couple corn tortillas wrapped around a flavored meat with some cilantro and onion, a squeeze of lime, and a firery salsa. Mexican food perfection. Mission burritos appeal to those who like big portions. They're the never-ending pasta bowls of Mexican food. They're American because we want as much food as we can possibly fit in one hand.

I put links to the Harvard risk analysis site in this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=34632 I don't get it Katherine.... So are you saying that people should just stop eating beef all-together because we can't be sure that any cow doesn't have BSE? The odds of getting BSE are damned slim anyway, even when you eat beef with it. It seems quite paranoid to cut out beef that can't be shown to even have the disease. You know how much higher your risk of getting heart disease from that hamburger is than BSE? There's always risk in food. BSE is scary because when you get it there's no cure and it really sucks. Sucks hard. And so it makes big news in the papers. But really, there are so many more important and common things to worry about: drinking, smoking, stairs, sex, freshly mopped floors, jai-lai, swimming pools, sex in swimming pools, cars, sex in cars, Canadians.... The list goes on and on.

Heard this on NPR today. According to that story, Chilean salmon actually aren't that much different from non-farmed salmon. North American salmon, according to that report, aren't "close behind" European salmon, but rather somewhere between the two. They also mentioned that pollutant levels are consistently being reduced in farmed salmon because farmers are switching to more plant-based feed. The industry reps expect the disparity to be greatly reduced in the next couple years. One interesting thing is that if the recommendation is to only eat one salmon per month that's farmed and farmed salmon has about 10 times as much pollutants as non-farmed salmon, that would mean that you could only eat even non-farmed salmon about every 4 days safely, or just about twice a week. One annoying thing is that there's no comparative risk analysis in the reports. Salmon apparently has pollutants that could cause cancer. But it also has properties that reduce the likelihood of some cancers, stroke, and heart disease. What's the net effect? Maybe I'm 10 times more likely to get colon cancer, but 20 times less likely to get the number one killer, heart disease.

What's the address? I searched and searched online. Not that I'm an Indian expert, but I'm always up for good Indian food. If only my wife liked it.....Lunch anyone?

Bigger plates is nice, but better plates would be even nicer. You seem to like Navarre pretty well because you're often recommending it, but the couple times I've gone there and the couple times I've gone to Tabla just down a block or two, Tabla easily won out. And the last time I went to Navarre was with a big group and we shared everything. And I think everybody in the group agreed, too. Some items have been quite tasty there, but by and large I find their food rather mediocre and some items not tasty at all. I think they also have rather mediocre service, an awkward menu, and somewhat of a stand-offish vibe. Really, I'm begging for a good reason to go back, not trying to be confrontational. I like to root for the little guy.

Cha' Ba Thai 5810 NE Sandy Blvd 503.282.3970 I made an effort to get up Sandy after dropping my wife at work today and try this place. Glad they were open. Surprisingly it's decently nice inside. It's on that strip of Sandy with all the Asian restaurants, actually on the same block as Sam Ho. I expected it to be a little more low-end Thai decor like a Bangkok Kitchen or something like that. But it was pleasant with comfortable chairs, decent tables, and attractive-enough walls. Their main menu is pretty standard, but their monthly specials menu had piqued my interest immediately with the first item: miang kum. Here's the description: Unfortunately they were out of betel leaves because of the snow keeping the delivery truck away, but they made it with baby spinach leaves which worked well enough. Nice to see it on a menu and it was tasty. $8.50. I also got the basic green curry with beef. It was quite tasty with a fresher flavor than most places. I asked afterwards if they make their own paste and apparently they do. Makes a difference, especially in green curry in my experience, because of the fresh chiles that are used and all the herbs. Another striking thing about their green curry was the beef. I'm sure anyone with Asian food experience knows the disappointing texture of most meats in curries and such. All too often it's overcooked, rubbery, and dry. This wasn't at all. In fact, it was probably cooked perfectly, tender, and flavorful. Makes a big difference, imo. $7.50. (One things: the portion size did seem a little smaller than some places, but it's hard for me to tell nowadays because I'm eating curries like soups without the rice and it didn't come in a bowl, but on a plate next to the rice.) I'm eager to go try my other stand-by dish: larb. I have a goal to try the green curry, larb, green papaya salad at as many places as possible. I'm eager to get back here, although some of the other specials may call my name (so if anyone's looking for a lunch companion....): They have a lot of seafood options, too, and one of the more extensive salad menus for a Thai place in Portland. After one visit, I am fairly confident in saying they're a winner. I eagerly look forward to more visits so I can more accurately place them among other Portland Thai restaurants.

Okay, now all you have to do is go get baptized in some chipotle salsa and you'll be clean again.

Kenk, that's a moral opinion, though, not a scientific, nutritional, or health-oriented one. Afterall, it's not meat in general that causes the problem, but the same thing that causes the problem in us: nervous system tissue.

I bought a bunch of those gladware cheap-tupperware-like containers and freeze leftovers (that freeze well, like pasta and rice dishes) for my wife to take for lunch. (I work from home.) Better than Budget Gourmet and a hell of a lot cheaper than eating out everyday (where she just ended up going to McD's or Taco Bell anyway).

This is sick. Do these idiots realize they're eating at McDonalds? a) and that's makes someone an idiot how? b) they're a subsidiary purchased after their creation; it's kind of like not liking an independent film because it was bought and distributed by one of the major studios c) for what they are, they're pretty decent and more "Mexican" than many of their competitors that don't even use pork Man, I've had to stop myself giggling hearing the various ways, especially in the midwest and east, that Chipotle is pronounced. At least these guys know the correct way; they just have to make it frat-house appropriate so that phrases like, "Dude, after that beer bong, I made a puddle of potle."

I believe the advanced meat recovery system can only get nervous system tissue if the tissue is not removed first. Also, from what I understand, the amount of nervous tissue dispersed in this process is unlikely to be enough to give Mad Cow. Also, interestingly, it's actually an advantage in some ways for a diseased cow's infected material to be spread throughout a larger amount of meat since that means there is a smaller amount of the "poison" per ounce of the meat. Unlike e coli, where I think this can be more of a problem, my understanding from what I've been reading lately is that Mad Cow takes decent amount to infect. However, I'm not a scientist and I think that even science's understanding is rather limited at this point.

I have about 6 or 8 poultry carcasses in my freezer at any one time. I used to mostly buy frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. Now I almost exclusively buy whole poultry and debone it or cut it up myself. One of the happy accidents is that I've gotten into a lot of braises and uses of dark meat that my wife actually likes even though she has traditionally preferred white meat. Plus, now I keep all my extra vegetable choppings, even the outer peels of onions, in a freezer bag as well so that when I roast the carcasses for stock I can roast these vegetables as well. This may be one of those false economizations talked about down thread. It'd be interesting to look at which is worse for the environment: the excess use of water and detergent or the excess trash from fast and packaged foods. There always seems to be a canned food drive somewhere or for something in our neighborhood. I buy canned food so that I have something to give away when the Boy Scouts come around.

Prices have definitely fallen around here. I got some decent NY strip steaks for $5/lb when they were $10/lb two weeks ago. I wonder if there's been a rise in pork or chicken prices.

I actually do it consciously every once in a while. Just decide to clear out the frig and pantry as much as possible. I think it's good for the cooking sense to have such restrictions on you and have to be creative. It takes a lot more skill, imo, to make up something from a miniscule number of ingredients in your pantry than to pick a recipe and go to the store and get all the ingredients for it. Plus, I don't like to waste. I get mad when I discover a fruit or vegetable in the bottom of the crisper that I let go bad. I try to generally move things to the front that need to be used first. One economizing trend: buying the "marked down for quick sale" meat. It's just like aged beef, right? It should be marked up, not down.

Yeah, but it was 10 years ago back when the 99 cent Whopper (not Whopper Jr) was ubiquitous.

I don't believe animals less than 30 months can have Mad Cow. It takes longer than that to develop.