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I was friends with the previous owners of Cucina Fresca, and they had a saying: "If you bought it at Delaurenti's, you PAID TOO MUCH" - screaming out in a chorus on the last three words. Delaurenti's is good in many ways, but they're not the ultimate in Italian food. While it is convenient to have everything under one roof, you can find many of their products elsewhere, at better prices. Heck, most of their chocolates and cookies are half the price at Cost Plus at the other end of the Market. What's really funny, is that Delaurenti's was bought recently by the folks who also recently bought Pagliacci, a local pizza chain. Paggliacci usually wins Best Pizza awards in town, and their pies are pretty good. When these guys bought Delaurenti's, the were constrained by the Powers That Be in the Market against serving Pagliacci pizza from the stand in Delaurenti's. This was due to the Market clause preventing chains from operating in the Market. A laudable concept, but in this case, serving Pagliacci pizza from the counter at Delaurenti's would only have been an improvement.

Oh lordy.. that was the deal of the century, wasn't it?! What year? ..no, don't tell me, I might cry... It was freakin' unbelievable. Um... that trip was in October, 1994, but I don't remember the wine vintage. It wouldn't have been too much older. I think the winery was fairly new, but was on the radar, as I had read they were producing some great reds. I was clearly interrupting the guy that day when I drove up to taste. He was really cranky as he clambered down off his tractor, but did the tasting for me. I took one taste of that wine, tried to keep my eyes from bugging out at the gorgeousness of it, and asked for a case, knowing full well that he was vastly undercharging for it. We all live for that discovery, don't we? I remember having several dinner parties at my house that winter, to showcase that wine. The case is long gone, but the memories remain... Edited to add from the Portteus site - it would have been one of these : 1989 Silver Medal - World Wine Championships 89 pts. - Wine & Spirits 1990 Silver Medal - World Wine Championships 1991 Silver Medal - World Wine Championships 90 pts. - American Wine Review 1992 Gold Medal - World Wine Championships 91 pts. - Wine Enthusiast 91+ pts. - American Wine Review 1993 Gold Medal - World Wine Championships 91 pts. - Wine Enthusiast No wonder I can't afford their wines now...

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Here in the Northwest, there are a few of these places, in old logging camps. I ate at one in lower Oregon (Brookings? Gold Beach?) that was famous for this. Home-style food, mainly meat and potatoes, pies for dessert. While the food wasn't inspiring, it was interesting to get a sense of the history of the place.

I will HAPPILY spend the time it takes to demolish and devour a freshly cooked Dungeness crab. I consider it time very well spent! In terms of cooking, I consider Cassoulet worth taking the days it needs to make. My friends are aghast at the time it takes to make 'Pork and beans', but I can tell the difference. And I adore spending time to properly temper chocolate, and hold it just right for dipping and decorating. Fiddly, temperamental, but fun.

Green Peppers Celery Sauerkraut ( had to get creative in hiding this trait from my german descendant Mother) Truffles (taste like dirt. why bother? At a fancy schmancy dinner for the Millenium, these were in nearly every course. Ever try to pick around truffle shards in your mashed potatoes?) Lima beans Beef bouillion (force fed whenever I was sick as a child) Sweet Sherry (gag) Korbel/any cheap sparkling wine. Guinness Pork Chops (boring, no matter what is done with them)

Oh dear... please know that there are several good take away foods in the Market. The Piroshki (sp?) place is good, as is the Asian bakery (good hombows). Three Girls bakery sells good baked products, and Le Panier does good French pastries and baguette sandwiches. Avoid the seafood cocktails at Jacks - the crab one I had last week was not very fresh. But their soups and cooked items are good. And of course, we're getting into the local fruit season, and it's one of my favorite things to munch on a basket of fresh berries as I stroll around the Market. Also - check this board for Market restaurant reccs...

I'm open for any and all suggestions! Doesn't have to be mexican, just tasty food! I'll likely be having dinner, breakfast and lunch in the area, so...help?!

Thank You! The last time I went, I managed to score on a case of incredible Cab at Portteus (in Zillah), just before the winery became known. He had just a few cases left, not enough for a distributor to carry, so I got it at about $8/bottle. A couple of years later, it was selling for $30/bottle. I doubt I'll be able to swing that deal again! That was gooooood wine....

I think that's it! Thanks, I will take your reccommendation re: plate meals to heart. Can you tell me where in Zillah it is? I remember railroad tracks....???

I'm thinking of a short road trip this weekend, and will most likely wind up in Yakima for the night on Saturday. Wanting to avoid Taco Bell, I ask: where's the good eats? I remember when I was there, years ago, I went to a fabulous Mexican place that was semi-famous (all the local hispanics ate there, it's a cafeteria place...??)...but I can't find my notes on this place. Does anyone know where this is? Or any place else that's worth a nosh in this area? Oh, and any good breakfast places? Thanks!

Is that the gang at Franks, or the peas?

Franks does have a small farm - if you ask, they'll gladly tell you which items in stock they have grown themselves.

Didn't anyone at the paper notice that this guy never turned in his receipts? You'd think that would have tipped them off...

About a year ago, I got tired of using my oven for a single baked potato. On my annual shopping binge at the local cookware emporium sale, I purchased a fantastic DeLongi Turbo Convection toaster oven. It's about twice the size of a toaster, and functions as a toaster, broiler, oven, and convection oven. I use it for toast, baking hot dishes, roasting small cuts of meat and, yes, that single baked potato. One of the best purchases I've ever made, and I reccommend it for any household of one or two people. It did cut my electric bill considerably, enough to nearly pay for itself in the first year. Now, if only I could stop referring to it as my Suzy Bake Oven....

I second Pure Food Fish in the Market, with the caveat that Jack's is the place to go for Dungeness crabs - they have tanks, and are the only place in the market to sell live, or fresh cooked crabs. They also have tanks for the oysters and clams. And they also smoke their own salmon.

Well, you all have been quite generous and kind in your help. My personal vacation experience has been more Euro-oriented due to family obligations (poor baby, she had to go to London...), but now I finally get to explore my own country, and as one of you pointed out, it's a great melting pot - and I'm eager to dive in! Now I'm off to do some more research. I'm being swayed by the vocal New Mexico contingent, I admit. But there are plenty of fantastic vacation ideas here, for many vacations to come, and while I know that this has provided much needed inspiration to me, I hope it has done the same for others, too. Thanks, everyone!!

I'm not going to get into analogies, but there is a basic business truth: the successful manager is the one who has hired the right people, and trained them so well that when he/she is not there, no one can tell the difference. This would mean that the manager/chef has created the vision, set the palate and standards, then his/her staff is capable of producing up to those standards, consistantly, night after night. As a measure of success in this type of thing, these days it's the Chefs as often as the Owners (read: star chef) who are getting the accolades. Several times, the chef in charge of the restaurant has won the James Beard award, not the Star Chef. Just last month, a good example of this in Seattle: Tom Douglas is the "Star" Chef, with three (and soon, a fourth) restaurant, and while he won a James Beard award a decade ago, when he had one restaurant, it's his Chef, Erik Tanaka who just won this year. Eric is the one who does the actual overseeing of the day to day operations of the empire. Now, I'm not saying that Tom Douglas is an equal to Thomas Keller, but good management is good management. It takes a team to create and run a restaurant anyway, and the chances of the Star Chef actually cooking your particular food even when he/she is in the kitchen is slim.

I know I'm hugely lucky in that my job is 5 blocks from my house (it used to be 10 blocks, they actually moved it closer - wasn't that niiiiice of them?), and I live in a well served neighborhood with good grocery stores. So I have nothing to complain about. What I will toss into the discussion is that this is all the more reason to eat locally, and buy locally produced food. Head to your farmer's markets! We're in the Good season now, and locally grown foods, bought from the farmers will not only help sustain local businesses, but keep your own costs down too. Easy-Peasy!

Oh, I love apples and cheddar, and gorgonzola! This is from living in England, where apples and cheddar are part of the pub Ploughman's Lunch. And Bleu cheeses are heaven with apples. I fondly remember my lunches when I worked at a wine bar in London. I'd make myself a sandwich of excellent granary bread, gorgonzola (dolcelatte) and pippin apple slices. Heaven!

Wow. I was looking for a few ideas, to get me kick-started and out of my comfort zone (read: Rut). There are some terrific ideas here, and I've been surfing for a couple of hours now, based on what's been suggested so far. There's such a community of passionate people here - I love it!

To hell with one week off....I want to take that trip!!!

Exactly, that's what I'm trying to do! As for 'East Coast on top'...where do you mean, Maine? And what islands? Do tell, sounds interesting.... are we talking lobstah here?

Oh. Well, then, why not Seattle and Vancouver? I live in Seattle... and while I have nothing against Vancouver, I want to go somewhere new... Although the Okanagon Valley may be a possibility... I quit. waaaaiiit a minute ...don't diss me because I don't want to vacation in my own town ( I did say I live in Washington state, fourth post down)!! I don't think it's unreasonable to want to get AWAY for a week... The list so far: Maine Carolinas SF/Wine country/Mid coast Chicago DC/Baltimore Southern Cal/Baja There are some places that I hadn't considered before, and I really appreciate the suggestions...keep 'em coming!

Oh. Well, then, why not Seattle and Vancouver? I live in Seattle... and while I have nothing against Vancouver, I want to go somewhere new... Although the Okanagon Valley may be a possibility...