therese

The Joy of Cooking Dutch baby recipe (in the newest edition---I've got the two earlier versions but don't have the energy to climb up and get them down) specifies a 10-inch cast iron skillet. And now that I look at the recipe I realize that it doesn't call for any sugar at all, so that explains why I don't find it very sweet without the powdered sugar. Hmm, seems like the earlier versions might have had a bit of sugar. I'll check.

Well, back in Atlanta, after a really splendid week in Lisbon. I've got lots of photos to share once I get sufficient time to download them to ImageGullet, but in the interim I'll give some general impressions of Lisbon for any of you that might be considering a visit. 1. Lisbon is very clean, it's public transit system is the best I've ever used, and the locals are generally efficient and friendly (with the possible exception of those that routinely deal with tourists). Beautiful, beautiful city. 2. Food and drink are inexpensive, in restaurants as well as markets. One day my travelling companion went out to buy oranges and I asked her to pick up some wine as well. She came back with six beautiful oranges, a nice bottle of white wine, and change from 2 euros. 3. The Portuguese diet is every bit as healthy as it's billed to be. Not only is there plenty of fish, but meals are routinely served with vegetables and salad, and the fruit section of the menu is often longer than the dessert section.

Well, I've not been recently enough to say if it's closed, or if it's re-opened after remodelling (as the comments on that link suggest it might). In any case that would have to be one very courteous hotel to offer to drive their guests from Brookhaven to BuHi. Those hotels that have them usually make brief runs to restaurants and shopping near the hotel (and public transit links if they exist), and that's about it. Were I wrangling a group of 10 Dutchmen (and possibly women) I'd book a car service. Carey Limousine is the big one here in town, and they are way better than a cab, as they'll be able to provide a van large enough for the party, and will simply wait to take your party home after dinner (or dispatch another van if they're out very late). Taxi cabs here in Atlanta are notoriously poor: they won't be able to find the restaurant, they'll be unfamiliar with the BuHi area (unless they serve that area, in which case you better hope that the Dutch have polished their Spanish language skills), and you can't hail them in the street. Logistically hellish in every way.

So far so good for us and Hae Woon Dae, but of course we may just have been lucky. My chief complaint there is actually the fact that the large tables are made in such a way that you can't really fit you legs under them, so your Dutch friends might find them a tight fit. The service at Hae Woon Dae tends to be a bit more abrupt than other Korean places (which are mostly on the abrupt side in any case). The other place that I know serves bbq is Yong Soo San. It's on Buford Highway, but of course I can't recall at the moment precisely where. I've never actually eaten bbq there, though, but the other food is quite good and so the bbq would likely follow suit. I don't know if they use real charcoal (as Hae Woon Dae does) or not. Nicer dining room than most Korean restaurants in town, and generally better service. There are lots of places that serve tofu soup, the sort that comes in a very, very hot bowl. We like 88 Tofu House, but have also liked just about every other one we've ever been to in the area. Warn your friends that they may need to bring their own beer. Oh, and how the heck are they getting out there from Oglethorpe?

Hae Woon Dae was fine on our last visit a couple of months ago. Where were you reading horribly mixed reviews? Lots and lots of Korean here in town. Are you specifically looking for barbecue?

An iron skillet works perfectly. This one was actually made by my children, and of course was much puffier right as it was taken from the oven: You meant to say that some peope sift powdered sugar over the top, right? We do (as you can see from the photo). This is the version from "Joy of Cooking" and it's sweet but not too sweet, and the powdered sugar is a nice touch.

You may depend on it. I've promised to have a drink for so many of my friends here at home while I'm there I may not be able to recall any of the details on my return.

I'll be eating so much fish in restaurants while in Lisbon I'm unlikely to cook it at home---I normally eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, so meals at home will likely emphasize those items (as restaurant meals tend to be a bit heavier on meat/fish and starches). Like you I won't buy fresh fish in a supermarket, and though I suppose one would like to think that it would be a better situation in Portugal than elsewhere I'm not surprised to hear that you've had bad luck. Just five hours until I leave for the airport!

Thanks for the additional info re El Corte Ingles, Kropotkin. It's a bit out of the way relative to some other places, but my travel companion is also very much into food and I may be able to convince her that we need to make a visit. And maybe we'll check out the shoe department while we're there. Fortaleza da Guincho looks lovely, LuisMiguel, though unless my local friend takes us there unlikely to happen. There's always next time, though.

We're getting the same berries at Dekalb Farmers Market in Atlanta (Wishnatzki Farms out of Plant City) for at least two weeks now. Very ripe, very sweet. I bought a half flat last week, and another half flat this week. Can't remember what I paid, but they were neither incredibly cheap nor incredibly expensive, but probably less than annecros paid.

Both my kids (13 and 16) arrive home from school hungry, and both prepare themselves snacks. Typical at the moment are ramen noodls or an omelette for my daughter, cereal or yogurt for my son.

Agree with Voodoo: Dekalb Farmers Market will cut just about anything you can explain that you'd like. They do a lot of the butchering on site (though not the slaughtering), so the key will be managing to convey to the staff what you'd like. They've recently switched to a new pork vendor, and the meat is supposedly tastier and less fat-deprived than what's sold in the supermarket these days. I've purchased some, but keep managing to be away on those nights when it's served (by my husband, who can cook but doesn't think too much about it).

Thanks for the info, Luis, particularly as I've been thinking about where specifically to try in Bairro Alto. We're going to Cascais on Friday afternoon with a friend who works on the west side of town (prior to dinner later than afternoon at Kais), so I don't know if we'll go back there later in the week or not. But Michelin-starred, hmmm...

One week to go, and so far have dinners planned at Kais and Adega das Gravatas and either lunch or dinner at a fish restaurant on the other side of the river (all with friends from Lisbon, so they're choosing the restaurants). I've figured out the closest location of Pingo Doce to our apartment, and am considering old school meals at Pasteleria Versailles, Confeitaria Nacional, Martinho da Arcada, and Casa do Alentejo. Comments or tips on any of these?

The guy who came up with this web site is actually a personal friend, and every bit as funny as you might imagine. A bit odd, true, but hysterically funny.

I spent a week in Paris this time last year with my two children. They're older than yours, but I wouldn't have felt the least bit uncomfortable with well-behaved younger children at any of the restaurants listed in the thread I've linked to above. Eating your "big" meal in the middle of the day is a great option with kids.

Now that this post has been moved to the correct forum, we'll need some more details to answer the query. 1. In which part of town will you be staying? 2. Will you have a car? 3. What's your idea of "sensational"?

Oh, dear, sorry to hear about your misadventure with salad, but not in the least surprised. In fact, I considered warning you to consider only the most traditional items---salads (green salads, that is) definitely not the strong point. The last time I ate at the airport I had meatloaf and collards (so essentially the same as a salad calorie-wise, but cooked) and they were both acceptable.

"Normal" I think that this test might be a reasonable means of screening some populations for supertasters, but not the eGullet cohort, as we're likely to engage in some of the various behaviors assigned to supertasters for other reasons (specifically because we are very, very interested in food). And in fact I'd guess that true supertasters are lower frequency in the eGullet cohort than in the general population.

Nicolas Bour, who is now at Blue-Eyed Daisy in Serenbe.

Actual southern hors d'oeuvres include: Benedectine (no, not the sort that you drink) Cheese Straws Classic upmarket southern buffet finger food: Beaten biscuits and country ham (the ham is baked, and beaten biscuits aren't anything like what most people call biscuits) Classic downmarket item served with alcoholic beverages: Boiled peanuts

Well, okay, here's one of them. I recall my uncle (who was a truck driver, and so ate in a lot of divey sorts of places) using the term "meat and three" on occasion back in the late 1960s. He also used the term "cafe" to refer to small roadside restaurants, and to my aunt's enduring shame once gave a set of her cast off curtains (that he'd been instructed to take to the dump, I believe) to one in Galax, VA, where they lived. So everytime we drove by this restaurant (whose door my aunt had most certainly never darkened) things got very tense in the car, as we all knew the story about the curtains.

Though it will be easy to catch a cab at the airport, don't expect the driver to able to find the restaurant: downtown hotels, CDC, and Emory University are the only destinations that they'll definitely know. You'll be fine if you have the address (and possibly the phone number, so that you can call the restaurant for help if you end up lost), but it doesn't hurt to have a map on hand. Returning via cab is obviously no problem (since all drivers know where the airport is) assuming that you can get one, and that will require that the restaurant do it for you, and well in advance. Neither Ecco nor Shaun's serves lunch (so far as I know), but Table 1280 and Trois are both good options in Midtown. If you stay on the eastbound train to Decatur you can walk a few blocks to Watershed.

Looks like the Paschal's that comes with a bar (La Carrousel) is in Terminal C. Don't worry if you're not otherwise going to be on Terminal C, as I mentioned above, as it's couple minutes tops on the train. Always take the train. There's a lot of local civil rights history associated with Paschal's (not the airport version, of course). You can read about it here.

Upthread there's mention of taking MARTA (the train pulls right into the airport, so very, very convenient) into town. It's a straight shot to either downtown or midtown, where you'll find various options. Still I do find your timing a little tight, so were I you I probably would eat at the airport. My choice would be Paschal's, an Atlanta establishment that serves southern/soul food. There are several branches at the airport, most of them part of a larger food court. There's at least one that has a bar, and that would be my choice (both for service and for close proximity to beer). I'll see if I can figure out which terminal it's in. One of the nice things about Hartsfield-Jackson is that you don't have to worry about going through security to get between terminals. Oh, and always take the train between terminals unless you really want to get some serious exercise (in which case it's a nice enough walk, though underground).