SiseFromm

Those photos are great, but for those that aren't interested in the somewhat frightening enzymatic process, there is such thing as segmenting a citrus fruit. I think that was first quarter culinary school. Pith and segments can be completely and easily removed with a knife.

Man, I'm going to be seeing pink elephants after that one.

It's definitely for comedic effect. It's a poke or a jab to his brethren, for whom he obviously still has deep respect. I think he's just trying to point out that in the rustic style of Italian cooking, it's not about the perfect dice or chiffonade, it's about the passion and the hand-done nature of everything. It's all very innocent, but funny as hell. The other day (while making a roux for a bechamel) he mentioned something about "That F country to the North". What's with all the Mario bashing? The last best thing on FoodTV doesn't even pass muster among all us vastly superior egulleters? So sad.

I forgot the Natural Foods expo is coming up. I wonder if our friend Michelle is coming out from Kentucky. I'll have to give her a call. Anyway, you're in a tough spot if your are limited to walking distance. Will you be visiting any other natural foods grocers in the area? Mother's is an institution of sorts and I always remember a mecca for my fellow employees from Squash Blossom. During the expo they always wanted to stop and check the place out. If you make it to Costa Mesa, make sure you DO NOT miss Native Foods. It's the best vegan around. Truly fantastic. Otherwise, maybe the Edensoy booth will keep you nourished.

I'll just echo what everybody else has said so far. Fantastic photo report. The best I've seen anywhere. What a great Spring-ish day at the Laundry.

Oh man . . . how could I have forgotten "Gild the Lily" or "Indisputed King of Cheese"? Those are both classics!

The drink of choice should be your own, though red wine seems to work just about as good as any and is appropriate to the show. Tell me you don't absolutely love Mario's "Mario-isms"! You should all add your own rules as we go along, but I would suggest taking a drink every time: - Mario says something about French chefs (being mostly inferior to Italian cooks) - The words "In Fact" are uttered - The words "Cooking in the style of . . . (insert "Bologna", "Parma", "Friuli", etc.) are said. - He gives the directions to the "Well Method" - He mentions the geographical difference in reference to cooking with butter as opposed to olive oil. - He talks about "the rain and the wind near where you grew up" - He talks about how Italian grandmothers would cut over the board, as opposed to on the board. - He talks about how pasta should be taken out 30 seconds to one minute prior to being finished so the "marriage of the noodle and the condiment" can happen. I'm drunk already . . . I absolutely LOVE Mario. I think Molto Mario is the last best show on the network. Don't you just love all the little quirks about him? Limoncello would be a great alternate for this game.

jhlurie, I seriously think Vanilla-Corn would be a great ice cream! As for trends, the next new "make America not so fat" craze will have a big influence. Please oh please bring back pasta and grains-based diets. I want my options to be along those lines next time half our citizens get roped into a new-fangled fad diet. I'm betting organic foods will continue to grow and as awareness and consumer demand increases, you'll see it as an option in a lot of food categories. I can imagine a Lay's Organic Potato Chip very easily actually. Heritage Meats" may become popular as more and more people see them on the menus at top restaurants. People are going to start asking their butchers for Gloucestershire Old Spot pork belly and rib-eyes from Highlander beef. I'd love to walk into Irvine Ranch Market here in Newport Beach and be able to have a selection of breeds in the case.

We're in the same boat. We're working with a kitchen designer that seems to love CaesarStone. We ordered around 8 samples and it is quite nice. It's a man-made product, but is similar to the slab granite we used to have. I believe they may even do custom colors, but we haven't looked into it too far. The only other counter we're considering is concrete (the whole house is quite modernist, so the motif would fit). For flooring, like jackal mentions, real linseed is awesome. Our friends have 12" x 12" off-set checkered flooring in deep burgandy and butter. It's a great contrast and looks fantastic against their white cabinets.

Feel free to use a horse, just not in a way I see fit.

I was stunned not only that Armstrong was beaten, but at the overall scoring. It was a completely unfair slaughter. I will say this though about the ice-cream. Aside from the whole crafts fair look, I was thoroughly pleased with the use of the theme ingredient. It was really an essay on pumpkin. The ice cream, brittle, and marshmallow cream were all pumpkin infused and the dessert sauce had "Fall spices" in it. To that end, it was a great execution of the theme. It was just goofy and akward. I would have preferred to eat Armstrong's dishes top to bottom though. They all looked better. What can I say?

I hate to be the broken record around here, but Lucques seems to certainly fit the bill you've described. It's rustic California Fresh with French influences.

I'm insanely jealous of that mushroom display. In Irvine, fungi are sorely missing from the bounty of offerings. There is one stand that sells mushrooms, but just the basic garden varieties. They have nice shitakes, but I'm always hoping for more exotic varieities. Alas . . .

I think Pommes Frites is a Zagat-rated Palm Springs restaurant, but I would never go back there again. They're class-A jerks. Don't get me started. I still recommend Citron. We were just there two weekends ago. I loved the Lemon-Crusted Sole with Heirloom Beans and Sauce Provencal. Top notch.

I've been wondering about and meaning to eat at Meson G myself. Hence my Meson G thread a few down from the top. Nobody responded, so I assume it's too new to get a reply. Let me know if you go though! I'm dying for a report.

I live for short ribs braised in red wine and roasted veal stock. I've done it so many times I really do believe mine can stand up to the best of them. Succulent meat with an absurdly rich sauce. How can you go wrong? I always use a gremolata and serve them with pureed potatoes and caramelized baby onions. My absolute all-time favorite dish hands down.

He certainly seemed to respect what she was doing on Ciao America's sandwich episode, though I don't know how far back their relationship goes. Referring to her Italian "road-stop" pannini, he said, "This is what God would eat if he were driving a car". I've been meaning to try sandwich night ever since.

Has anybody eaten at Meson G yet? Tim and Liza Goodell were among the hippest Orange County restaurateurs for some time, but it seemed they were spread to thin with the opening of Red Pearl, The Lodge, Citron, and Whist on top of their flagships Aubergine and Troquet. I've been a fan all along, but even I have to admit that their restaurants just weren't at the level they should have been when Goodell was named one of America's best chefs by Food & Wine. Aubergine was, in the late nineties, untouchable in Orange County and arguably one of the best restaurants in California. It easily matched up with the best that LA was offering during the same era. It was Newport Beach's own little private French Laundry. The tasting menus were top notch and the servers were infamously knowledgeable. Alas, the good times left and two lavishly expensive, sub-par meals in a row were enough to convince me that I needed to wait for Tim to return to his potential. I've heard that Meson G is that very return. Supposedly it smacks of classic Goodell quality and whimsy. I think it was Angelino Magazine that stated Meson G is the most exciting restaurant to open since Bastide. Something about needing Govind and Table 8 to move over. I've been meaning to go. Based on the map, it looks like it's just down the street from Ago and Luques on Melrose. Any thoughts or reviews?

We tried eating at Lee's for lunch today but it was simply too crowded to consider it as an option. I think sessions at UCI just started and I'm not exaggerating when I say there were probably 75 people in line. I couldn't even get near the board to see what I might want. We ended up at the Asia Noodle House for my usual, curry noodles with shrimp, chicken, and peppers. I would guess the whole open 24-hours daily is really going to be huge for Lee's. Looks like In-N-Out has some hearty competition for the odd-hour diners.

It looks like the Walnut Tree Inn may survive after all. They had more going for them than any other restaurant I've seen on that show, what with the restauran'ts rich history and all. Gordon's boost was probably all that they needed to get back into full swing. The chef interviews were both funny and pathetic. I'm guessing the new chef they ended up hiring gets their Michelin Star back.

Great photo report! We nearly went to Sona for my birthday last year but decided at the last minute to switch to Patina (because the employees were so great in accomodating us and reserving the chef's table). I've been meaning to get to Sona but things just keep coming up and we end up some place else. Seeing these photos makes me really want to go now.

Children should not be dining at restaurants with tasting menus. Not only do they not want to go (for the vast majority of kids), but I don't want to sit next to them. Dining at a restaurant with a menu that spans over several courses is something I want to do in a leisurely manner, among other adults dressed in nice attire, drinking wine in a quiet and comfortable environment, talking about things adults talk about. Leave the kids at home. They'll thank you for it and so will I.

One note about the Glasshouse episode. If Gordon Ramsay prepared a perfect Caesar Salad for me, I would cherish it and heed to his expertise and advice. If he said it was a proper salad, then I'd say, "Yes, Chef". The guy is Gordon Ramsey. Of course he knows how to make a proper salad. Would you tell Thomas Keller the lettuce leaves in his Bouchon Bibb Lettuce Salad are too big? No way!

Poor Richard didn't have any of Gordon's confidence-inspiring charisma. Under his leadership the Glasshouse kitchen was firing on all cylinders. What was with the "You're MY guys". It seemed a little weird and I got the sense that the kitchen basically fell apart after that.

This seems to be my constant go-to recommendation, but I really can't say enough good things about Lucques on Melrose near La Ciennega. Maybe it's my love affair with the whole Alice Waters way of doing things. Suzanne Goin definitely takes on a "use fresh, perfect ingredients" philosphy. You can also try her sister restaurant, A.O.C. Wine Bar.