budrichard

Both Mitsuwa and H-Mart stock some of the same varieties of fresh produce, fish and other consumables. Of course Mitsuwa is heavily structured with items from Japan but that is changing as costs rise. I am seeing many more items from Korea and China such as Nori at Mitsuwa. H-Mart is of course hevaily biased towards Korean imports. As I said, it is hard for me to determine what the demograhics of the shoppers at Mitsuwa was before H-Mart. Certainly if I am given the choice for the same type of produce or non-sashimi quality fish, its H-Mart because of the pricing.-Dick

I would think not but it is hard for me to determine what the demographic mix was that shopped at Mitsuwa. If not Japanese, then H-Mart should be attractive because of the pricing. Mitsuwa always has a Hokkaido Festival in late August, so we will see if Mitsuwa brings in the selection of fish and other specialities as in the past.-Dick

FUNNY! I actually will not purchase a product that is endorsed by a celeb.-Dick

A couple of months ago Mitsuwa got a new manager. Yesterday I drove to Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights to do my usual road trip. While on a whole, Mitsuwa is still in business, my perception is that things are changing. The bins of bean sprouts and bamboo shoots are gone replaced by aging bagged varieties. Where there used to be lots of supplies of mushrooms, eggplant, and cucumbers and other things, there wwere minimal quantities. The sushi fish selection seemed to be the same but the packaged clams in the shell all had at least one clam opened and wouldn't close if touched. It's nothing I specifically can put my finger on but I wonder if H-Mart is taking business and the new manager had been charged with remaining profitable? There is a new book store but it is pale shadow of the old. The take out sushi selections did look better than ever. The last imported Japanese beer from Japan is gone! Has anyone visited Mitsuwa lately and formed an opinion of how it may have changed?-Dick

We first moved to Neenah Wisconsin in 1958. There was a place in Menasha called Rudi's which was open whenever the fish were not biting(I'm not kidding) but mostly popular when after 10 pm the bar folk were looking for food. EVERYTHING had butter and was charcoal grilled. Rudi's had 6 stools and the lines were often out the door. The brats soaked in butter after grilling, the steak sandwiches came with a large pat of butter cooked to order and here is the important aspect, the burgers were grilled with a large pat of butter inside to your specification. 'Cannibal' sandwiches abounded even at UW Madison Student Union affairs. Sadly the trend toward food safe McD's type of burgers continues across Wisconsin. There are only two places I will eat a burger at now, Kroll's in Green Bay and Chili John's in Beaver Dam. Both are really nostalgic places for me and you can't get a rare burger but you can and do get butter with your burger. Sad to here about Mazos but that's the way the world is going. -Dick

Fresh garlic and lots of it, coriander(lots) ceylon cassia stick, bay leaves, brown mustard seed, little clove, star anise, fenugreek and cardamon. All subject to my whim of the day. Kosher salt with a little saltpeter to preserve the color. Use a choice cut of brisket at the minimum( a Waygu works great) and put all into a two gal freezer zip lock bag in a Pyrex pan for 2-3 weeks in the fridge. That's about as close as i have come but more importantly, I like it and everyone that has had this mixture likes it also.-Dick

My Dad was born in Brooklyn in the early 1900's. He would heat a little water and add some yellow mustard, then gently heat the Pastromi. Works great! -Dick

Bringing in agricultural products not approved for import is not a good idea. One can actually be responsible for the spread of a disease or damaging insect. I'm not kidding either. I'm sure your local Customs Agent would fill you in on the details.-Dick

Are asking about cobs that you have cut the corn from or cobs you have eaten the corn from? Last thing I would want to do is use/save a product that had saliva all over it. BTW, local corn has arrived in Southern Wisconsin as of last Tuesday. Rain has been just right in Kenosha county. The cobs have very thick wrappers. Our local supplier is an old line farmer, so none of the 'Super Sweet' varieties for him, just plain old 'Sweet Corn'. He's at $2.50 dozen and sells out very quickly after he picks. He leaves my order in his pickup otherwise I wouldn't get any it is gone so fast.-Dick

Yes, my last box was beef natural casing. They had them on the 'seconds' table which outside of some imperfections are just the same. Don't get me wrong, I like Usinger's dogs and ALL thier products, its just that for some reason the Vienna does it for me. Many years ago, Chicago used to have roving hot dog vendors. For a buck, one could get two Vienna dogs with the works. Had many a lunch at one of those stands. Mayor Daley(not Richie) put them out of business by requireing running water for any type of establishment that serves food to satisfy the Restaraunt Lobby. I agree that the Nathan's is tad greasy but people like fat! One of things I like about Usinger's besides being made in one place by an old company is that they use no fillers or MSG in thier products. We mostly have Usinger's dogs on hand but once in a while a Vienna dog is nice.-Dick

Purchased a box of Usinger's Veal Weiners and compared them to Vienna dog and Nathan's Natural Casing dog. In a blind tasting, two of the taters preferred the Usinger Veal Wiener, one of the tasters, the Vienna dog and one taster liked them all. They are really all different types of dogs. The Usinger dog has an unmistakable German sausage heritage, The Vienna dog holds up very well to the Chicago Style of smothered condiments dog and the Nathan's has a very rich and juicy feel and taste. Any one would make a great hot dog in a bun. The taster that liked them all, kept wagging her tail for more but alas only one dog per dog. Price wise the Nathan's was by far the most expensive at $6.12/# with the Vienna dog at 3.99/# and the Usinger Veal Weiner @ $3.33/# which includes my Senior discount! -Dick

I haven't seen Augsburger in Wisconsin for many years.-Dick

50 years ago almost every good sized city had a local brewery in Wisconsin. The beer was fresh, smooth and creamy on tap and one could purchase kegs locally right from the brewery. We lived in Neenah Wisconsin and Chief Oshkosh was just down the road and the beer was great, not complex and only one type but great! Well the world changed, brewing methods changed and economics closed almost all of these small breweries. But one is still around. Huber Brewery has been making good beer for almost forever. Thier Huber Bock when it was sold as returnables was a great dark and cheap. There are no more returnables and the price has esculated but its still good. Huber brews the Berghoff beers also. While the real Berghoff in Chicago is gone (the Stand Up Bar which served great sandwhiches used to be Men Only!) , the beer is still available. We recently had a 5 liter keg of the Berghoff Lager. This lager was smooth, creamy. lightly carbonated and reminded me of tap beer 50 years ago. They also produce a 5l keg of the thier Ocktoberfest which i will purchase as soon as available. I don't know the distribution on the 5l kegs but if you can get one, try it. Price here in Wisconsin is about $10.-Dick

I've been purchasing futures since the 1970 vintage. First you need a reliable wine merchant that will be around to deliver your wine and won't try to increase the price on you at delivery. Second, you need a long term strategy of what you want to spend and what you want to purchase. Third you need to peruse the 'Experts' opinions of the vintage, keeping in mind that today's vinification has reduced the variation of vintages but conversley we will probably never again see vintages like 1959 and 1961. Fourth be prepared for the hype associated with each vintage. Fifth, if you think that you are going to make money, think again! That said, I started with 2nd, 3rd growths and have over the years found some non classified Bordeaux available that I like. Chateau Gloria is one of my favorites and the cost is not prohibitive. I only chose the 'best?' years figuring that the lessor years will go unpurchased and probably available for less at delivery. I purchased two cases of 2001 Sauterne futures from Sams in Chicago based on vintage reports and by the time of delivery, the price had doubled. Sam's delivered as they have for all the futures i have purchased from them. One defunct merchant held me up for a few $'s because of currency fluctuations and since the wine had esculated in price so much, it was still a good deal but no more futures from that dealer. All in all, I find it enjoyable and the investigation and expectation 50% of the total enjoyment. Have fun!-Dick

Probably could be done similar to pompano which is a standard for this dish. Commanders Palace has nice treatment that I have had there. I don't have access to my Commanders cookbooks where I am today but do a search. I believe they use thier creole sea food seasoning, mushrooms, onions and whatever you like. A slice of lemon also will help. Only use parchment paper. I never cook with aluminum anything. -Dick

Your torchon is not an item that requires a curing mixture since it will be kept refrigerated and the reason for the additive is preserve the color and not retard bacteria. Traditional French recipe calls for saltpeter(Potassium Nitrate) and a little is all that is needed. Many years ago when Pharamcies sold chemicals and such, I purchased a 6oz container of Saltpeter. With todays restrictions on Hazadous Material I don't where to get any but saltpeter is what you need.-Dick

I've been cooking and killing lobsters for almost 50 years now. We used to spend the summers in Wells Maine and I can tell you that if you were to ask any of the locals about pithing a lobster which is the technique mentioned in this Thread, they would give you a stare. The lobsters nervous syetm is quite primative and it really doesn't matter at all if you cook or cook after pithing. I also remove the rubber bands because of the flavor they may impart. It was lot nicer when wood pegs held the claws. Anyway, unless I am grilling or using some technique where the lobster must remain still during preperation or cooking, it's head first into the boiling water.-Dick

Taste is subjective. The Vienna dog is much blander than a typical New York/ New Jersey dog. But it lends itself better to all of the condiments or ingredients that are put on a Chicago Style Dog. If you were to include a spicier New York or Jersey dog, it would throw everything out of balance. On the other hand, if you were just sampling a dog with mustard only, the East Coast dogs have more flavor. More important is the fact that you tend to prefer what you grew up or were brought up with. In my opinion, Usinger's all beef dog is hands down better than the Vienna dog. In fact, it was picked as the dog to be served at the Olympic Games. The Olympic Comitee engaged in an all day taste test to find the best all beef dog, and Usinger's won. But this would mean little to those who grew up on Vienna franks. ← You certainly are correct about taste being subjective. I grew up in Wisconsin on Usingers everything but worked in Chicago and Illinois later in life where I was exposed to Vienna dogs quite a bit. Learning of the chosing of Usinger Beef dog for the Olympic Games, I tried a box instead of my usual veal weiners. I was very surprised when in a blind tasting by three of us, that the Vienna dog was chosen. Need to acquire some NY/NJ dogs next. But I still like going to the Usinger Factory Store. Tip: Monday, Tues and Wed are most crowded because Seniors get a discount.-Dick

Unless you dump in lots of salt, the effects of normal salting are unmeasurable by most of us, and have absolutely no effect on our SS cooking utensils. -Dick

Couldn't have written it better myself. Must be a Mechanical or Nuclear Engineer!-Dick

A traditional Chicago 'dog' like Vienna is steamed or boiled, not grilled. We purchase them from the Factory Store in Chicago right off Elston where you can also get 1/4 pounders. Usinger's in Milwaukee produces a number of great 'dogs' http://www.usinger.com/ala_links.php including a veal weiner that is fabulous. You have to special order the veal weiner and pick it up locally. When we put the Vienna 'dog' against a Usinger all beef 'dog' the Vienna won by all three tasters involved. I need to repeat using the veal weiner. But the Vienna 'dog' is one great product. -Dick

Most traditional US filleting syle where one cuts around the curve of the rib cage is done with a flexible knife blade versas the technique where one uses a non flexible blade and cuts off the fillet including bones which are then removed. Each technique works and one doesn't require a special knife. If you want to cut around the curve with a flexible knife, Wusthof makes an 8" 'Flexibel' Model 4518/20 that I use personally but one can get 6", 7" and 8" models depending on your hand size, ability and fish size. These are high quality forged knives and not stamped.-Dick

Keep driving! Very small, I think our local Woodman's now has a better Indian selection. Also watch out for non food grade mustard oil being sold as is. -Dick

Make my own glace and demi-glace, not hard to do and certainly better than any commercial product.-Dick

The contaminated dog food scare was the 'tip of the iceburg' amd anyone who thought that they would no see more of this sort of thing was not realising the extent of the problem. We purchase our honey about 1/2 mile down the road from a bee keeper. Finding local honey producers is very simple as well as being aware of the sourcing of the other products one purchases. We purchase as much local as we can now and the rest from USDA controlled sources. Nothing from China anymore. You can be sure more instances of contamination will follow.-Dick