budrichard

Hey Dave, THANKS! I have been looking for that. They must feel that the mantel contains more contamination that the muscle or do they not want to shut down the industry entirely? Browne ships to Daniel's in New York and others. EVERYTHING I have ordered from them has been of the finest top restaurant quality, that includes scallops of course Peeky Toe Fin n Haddie oysters by the hundred whole turbot lobsters seaweed salad Just sent in our XMAS/New Years order and included a 5# block of yellow fin, salmon and sea trout caviar. 800-944-7848 opt4, ask for Jamie

Sinbad From the State of Maine Statutes: §6701. Scallop license 1. License required. A person may not engage in the activities authorized under this section without a current hand fishing scallop license or other license issued under this Part authorizing the activities. [2001, c. 421, Pt. B, §40 (amd); Pt. C, §1 (aff).] 2. Licensed activity. The holder of a hand fishing scallop license may take scallops by hand or possess, ship, transport or sell shucked scallops the holder has taken. [2003, c. 248, §7 (amd).] I believe it stems from how the law is written. Roz, are your questions in jest? A few of us have gone to some trouble to provide you with accurate information. You now have the information. What you choose to with it is up to you. -Dick

Nick , you can call them what you want but Diver scallops to me and many others are those harvested by divers and in the shell, period. I purchase from Browne Trading in Maine and they cannot supply them in the shell. What they do have are 'dayboat' according to Browne and they have been extremely good but my preference is for the shell. I'm not sure if thier scallops are harvested by divers or by boat but because they are shucked, Browne does not call them 'Diver Scallops'. Of course the quality depends on how they are handled and shipped. As to adulteration, the standard industry terms are now 'dry pack' and 'wet pack'. What part of my post are you disputing or correcting?-Dick

What you really need to do is to install the Boos End Grain countertops as I have. The counter will then not be as high(actually the 4" thick Boos will result in about 2.5" of lift) as what you are working with because your Boos must sit on top of your regular counters. -Dick

There are four categories of scallops sold today. Diver scallops in the shell are in fact what the name implies, harvested by divers and left in the shell. Usually caught and returned to port the same day and sometimes also called 'Day Boat' scallops. When shipped the next day Fed Ex, they are one of the most enjoyable foods on the planet and be easily eaten sashimi style. The second category is referred to as 'Dry Pack' These are scallops caught and shelled at sea throwing away the edible mantel and roe(probably the best part). They are not udulterated with any preservatives and shipped quite quickly. They can in fact also be 'Day boat' if returned to port the same day. Browne Trading sells these and they are simply wonderful raw or cooked. It is also my understanding that Maine State law requires scallops to be shelled, hence there not true diver scallops available from Maine. The third category is the traditional 'Dry Pack' scallops and not 'Day Boat'. If not brought back to port the same day, then they are just 'Dry Pack'. Certainly good for cooking. The last category is called 'Wet Pack'. These are scallops caught and soaked in a preservative to supposedly enhance freshness but in reality only adds weight to the product. These are an abomination and will not brown no matter what you do. Any of the above if not fresh will not taste good. I suspect that what you got contrary to what you were told was 'Wet Pack' and the taste was due to the chemicals. When purchasing and ordering scallops one needs to be quite explicit about what one is getting. -Dick

Just in -"At the wine store this US customer will not purchase any 2003 French Bugundies", in fact the last time i purchased a case of red and a case of white French burgndy, I used it for cooking it was that bad(1990 I think). -Dick

I have a Kitchenaid 60 bottle unit. Compact, works well but quirky stacking. -Dick

Piper Asti Spumante! I love it. Another marketeers idea to carve out more market share with brand diversification. Didn't Catherine the Great put suger cubes in her Champagne?-Dick

30+ years ago Beaujolais sold for a buck a bottle and actual was quite good. Some of the wines from areas like Morgon could last a few years. What happened, I am not certain but the wines of today are not worth even trying anymore. the hype of the Nouveau has reached rediculus levels and is only based on advertising. As advertisers will tell you, they can sell refrigerators to the Inuit! -Dick

Cusina, not to worry about the canned pumpkin. A few years ago i made pies from roasted mashed fresh pumpkin and canned pumpkin without any additives and we could NOT TELL the difference. Since then it's been Libbey's canned pumpkin for me. As to the 'PACKERS'. As a Packer Team Owner, I got very hungry at your correct depiction of how to make 'Brats' having grown up on them in Neenah Wiscosnin. WE had Packer season ticketss during the Lombardi 'Glory Years' and I made every game until 1975 except the 'Ice Bowl' when my car wouldn't start that morning(-26F). -Dick

I certainly commend you for not mentioning any commercial product that comes out of a can or box! -Dick

I generally do not brine/cure for hot smoking and use a standard Weber with 'Cowboy' lump charcoal and hickery chunks until the albumin(white) starts to curdle on the surface. I only use a brine/cure for cold smoking. Hot smoking is very easy. -Dick

Thre really is no substitute for Panko which are sweetened and using plain bread crumbs will lose a lot of the appeal. Make your own sauce an forget the store bought ones. Find a a Japanese grocery or mail order the Panko flakes. -Dick

Pleeeeeeeease LOCK this thread! -Dick

READ, READ, READ! SHOP, SHOP, SHOP! TASTE, TASTE, TASTE! Form your OWN OPINIONS. There is no easy or fast way. I figure it took me about 5 years before I felt comfortable in my decisions. -Dick

Bob Zibung was the long time 'Cellermeister' at Keller's in Milwaukee and assured for many years a great supply of German and French wines. With Bob's retirement, he consulted for a number of restaurants but Keller's lost thier pre-eminent place for German wines Lovers. None in Milwaukee has taken its' place. Sam's in Chicago sometimes has a good selection but I am not sure that is by design. When we go to the Lyric on Sunday we always stop at Sam's anyway as it is a veritable treasure chest of wine. I will try Howard's on Belmont and let you know. This exercise started as an attempt to find a specific German Vineyard for 2001 and ended up with contacting the grower directly. Neither Sam's nor any other retailer I contacted was able to assist. I suspect that most retailers these days just take what the importer is offering as the expertise has been lost. -Dick

Teflon and other non-stick coatings have been used to sell aluminum cookware which is cheaper to manufacture and lighter in weight than copper. We now use Falk Culinair copper exclusively and have NO PROBLEM with food sticking to the stainless steel linings of the copper pans. We also don't have to worry about fumes from coatings. The only thing you have to worry about is 'Pumping Iron' with the larger pans. -Dick

I would expect that 'ethnic profiling' would yield a restaurant where the food is certainly adequate and the prices are reasonable. Very few individuals would spend a disproportionate amount of money on food they consider there own culture. Indian restaurants do a good job with 'Buffets' at reasonable prices such as 'Sher a Punjab' on Devon St in Chicago. When I dine at 'Dancing Ganesha's', an upscale Indian restaurant in Milwaukee, the food is extremely good but they charge for each condiment and the bill for 4 people can easily exceed $100+ without beverages. There are not a lot of Indian's dining at Dancing Ganesha's. My opthamoligist recently partnered with a Vietnamese doctor. When she asked where to go for good Vietnamese food in the Kenosha-Racine area, I told her, Argyle St in Chicago and she agreed emphatically! My use of ethnic profiling will help assure a quality meal at a reasonable price. There are bad 'ethnic' restaurants as with any type of restaurant. A bad sign is if there in no one in the restaurant during the dinner hour. Obviously these types of places will not give you a 'gourmet' experience but quite frankly, I am tired of the 'gourmet' experience where I pay a lot of money for for not so great food. I haven't tried 'Shanghai Terrace' in Chicago yet but I would expect very high prices for not that much better food. Our last foray in China Town resulted in us sharing the table with 3 Chinese gentleman, having a good meal, great experience and a $17 bill before tip. I will continue to use ethnic profiling along with other aids when dining out. It does not assure a quality experience but sure helps. -Dick

Tasting notes as requested: 1961 Vosne-Romanee 'Les Malconsorts', Domaine Grivelet. Out of case of 12 purchased in the early 70's. Very smooth with no tannin, almost powerful bouquet that becomes immediately evident upon decanting. Strong Burgundy taste that I still have not perceived in any wine outside of French Burgundy. Just flows out of the glass and down the 'Gullet'! I don't believe this wine would be made today with modern vinification or would be held this long. Two bottles left. First bottle drunk about 1975 with one 'skunky' bottle in the case so far. Can't find my tasting notes for that period and about 1980 I stopped pasting labels and notes. -Dick

If you look at the design of a good 'Exhaust Hood',it also removes grease and stores it in a grease trap that must be cleaned periodically. Without a grease trap your ducting will fill with grease and a fire is possible. -Dick

I would suggest biulding your 'Fine dining' pyramid by working on the foundation. A knowledge of food, cooking techniques and the classics along with a few years of eating at various establishments on the culinary ladder are needed to make the most of your dining experience. Of course, you can just make a res and go eat but may not get the full enjoyment. Without experience, of course the waiter has the edge and you will be loath to send back a $200 bottle of wine that tastes like crap. In short, there is no easy or quick road to experience. Decide what you like on your own and don't let others make you feel different or less becuase you don't like something. It's a little like Opera maybe, you really aren't going to enjoy it until you are past 35-40. -Dick

1. If you have to order from a piece of paper and the chef is not Japanese, be suspect. Sushi bars today are like eating at McD's. Many are run by Korean's etc and serve good food but not creative. 2. The Chef should at least look Japanese and understand Japanese terms as appied to Sushi and Sashimi. you will be surprised at how many have no idea of the correct nomencalture. 3. Fresh and 'never frozen' are attributes to look for. Quaestion your Chef as to how, where and when the fish came from. If he or she does not know, move on. 4. The beauty of display is a Japanese cultural pastime and you will know it when you see it. 5. Check the restrooms. You can almost eat off the floor of a good Sushi Restaurant! 6. Check the clientel. If mostly Japanese with groups of business men surrounding large platters of tuna's, drinking beer and Sake, you are in the right place. 7. Fresh gated Wasabi would be an indication of a top notch restaurant. Most Wasabi is actually just colored horseradish. 8. Learn about the cultural traditions of Sushi and Sashimi. That said, my favorite Chef (Kaze at Heat)does not make California rolls but serves each selection with particular dips and garnishes and coaches you on how to eat each one. He prefers to just make you items until you call it quits. My favorite take out is run by non Japanese but they make the best on the North Shore of Chicago(Sea Ranch). -Dick

If I hadn't been drinking and collecting wine for 30+ years, I would think that there was something wrong with with me when I read the majority of the tasting notes posted on various forums. The notes are more like essays submitted for English 101, designed to impress the Professor and readers with one's command of the English language. Where all the smells, flavors and judgements come from is beyond me! How one can rate a wine on a 50 or 100 point scale is beyond my meager scientific background. My mind and palate are simply not calibrated for that point differentiation. I guess I'll have to drink a 1961 Vosne-Romanee 'Les Malconsorts', Domaine Grivelet tonight. I know I won't be able to write about it as eloquently as most, but I know what I like! -Dick

Riedel has done an amazing job at 'market fragmentation'. Think of where we were before Riedel, a glass for white, red and sparkling wines. Now a glass for EVERYTHING. I purchased a set(12) of the tasting glasses you can roll around on the table simply because I liked the idea! Our other Riedel came from Sam's Club which we use for either for red or white. Our Baccarat NEVER go in the dishwasher. -Dick

To make Mayo and not worry about salmonella I put the eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes and then scoop out the contents. Works great and no risk! Mustard was prepared with mustard powder, cracked seeds, vinegar and honey both cooked and uncooked. Both had a raw taste and were unpleasant. -Dick