robyn

As for garlic gadgets - my husband bought one that actually works. It is a little rubber tube that "peels" the garlic. I think you put the cloves inside - massage the tube - and the peeled garlic comes out. When I say "I think" this is how it works - well I don't know. All I know is when I ask him to peel all the cloves in a head of garlic for something I'm doing - he does it using this gadget - and says it works great. Robyn

I did return the Kyocera julienne slicer I bought at Williams Sonoma. The regular slicer works ok - but the julienne doesn't. I am into Ebay sales for anything that can no longer be returned - but which I think can fetch $10 or more. Robyn

If you get to Vancouver - especially in the summer - try C. Excellent seafood. Beautiful view on the patio. And lovely boutique BC wines you won't find anywhere outside of BC. Robyn

If you get to Atlanta - you have to try the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead. Was there a few months ago - and it was yummy. The head chef is Bruno Menard. His father is a famous chocolate person from France - and it really shows in the "throw aways at the end of the meal" trolley - and I do mean trolley - this thing looks like a child's fantasy from the world's greatest carnival. I've never seen anything like it except at Alain Ducasse. For those of you who are into the more adult portions of the menu :) - I had the crustacean tasting menu (perfect for the hot, steamy summer in Atlanta) - 8 courses excluding other things sent to the table. My favorite courses were langoustine and lobster tartar, chilled fennel soup with summer truffle cream; and lobster with pistachio and english pea ravioli. It is a seasonal menu - so I suspect heartier fare will appear as winter approaches. Robyn

Sometimes when I have a lot of time on my hands - I make poached pears with gingerbread with cinnamon cream. It is a long complicated Martha Stewart Dessert of the month recipe which actually works! It's a stunning presentation - you hollow out the gingerbread loaf and stand the pears up in a row in the hollow - but it would be difficult to serve at a restaurant. Perhaps an individual gingerbread round with a hollow in it for the pear would work. It's a long recipe. If anyone is interested - send me a PM and I will email it to you. In case you haven't figured it out - I really love poached pear desserts. I only find them on restaurant menus once in a blue moon - so I make them at home for myself. Robyn

Isn't Western Sizzlin' a chain? I haven't been to one (and haven't heard very good things about them, honestly); does the Pooler location have a different menu or something? Anyway, lots of good opportunities for southern vegetables in Savannah... Yes- Western Sizzlin' is a franchise chain - but I haven't found 2 where the food is the same. And the food tends to be regional (what you'll find in Miami isn't anything like what you find further north). So - as far as I'm concerned - I treat each Western Sizzlin' as a separate restaurant. E.g., the one we sometimes stop at on I-95 in Florence South Carolina is ok - but not as good in my opinion as the one in Pooler. We only went to the Miami place once - we used to live in Miami - and it was awful. In the past - I've had to do a lot of driving on the I-95 corridor - and frequently don't have a lot of time to spend on lunch. So I know places where I can stop for 30 minutes - get a decent meal that's not a fast food burger - and be on my way. I generally like buffets because if there are 20 or 30 things to eat - I can almost always find at least a few that I like. Robyn

I come from fry/grill turkey country (these days - the supermarkets have all those 5 gallon containers of peanut oil stacked up in the aisles). I do not recommend frying a turkey unless you know what you're doing. On my part - I'd never consider doing it. Slinging a heavy object around enough hot oil to send you and those people helping you to the hospital should you have a mishap isn't my idea of a good time. Most of the fry rigs sold in places like Home Depot are too flimsy for the task in my opinion. Plus - you can even burn your house down! Finally - both with the frying - and the grill - it's hard to keep constant cooking temperatures if it's cold outside. You might consider butterflying the turkey a la Julia Child. A butterflied turkey will take up less room in the oven - and should cook more quickly than a normal turkey. Robyn

Goodfellow's doesn't meet your price criteria. It's the most expensive restaurantin town. Bruce The most expensive restaurant in Minneapolis might not seem that expensive to someone from southern California. And - if the price range doesn't fit - appetizers and drinks at the bar are an alternative - just to see the place. Robyn

How about one of my fall favorites - pears poached in apple cider and some ground cinnamon. Serve with a reduction of the poaching liquid - and drizzle with some chocolate. You could stick some kind of chocolate stick in if you want some height (cinnamon stick would work for height too - but who wants to eat a cinnamon stick). Please note that I simply cook at home - I'm not a professional - and I've never cooked anything for 30 people! Note that if I were trying to save money cooking for a crowd - I might try using frozen apple juice (I've used it successfully to par boil ribs - but I've never used it to poach pears). Robyn

I read parts of your guide - and I think we're on the same wavelength. We had a lovely dinner at Aquavit - too bad it closed. I suspect that its cool austere ambience simply wasn't a match for the places on Nicollet which had outside dining during the short Minneapolis summer (the balmy summer night we ate at Aquavit - it was almost empty - while every table on the sidewalk on Nicollet was full). Robyn

Hi Tarka - I have to admit that I have not been to Paris in years. But if you are talking New Year's Eve - Grand Vefour is just gorgeous. Sparkly - just right for that kind of evening (or the holiday season in general). It's a room that goes well with champagne :). I have dined at Grand Vefour - it was the first 3 star I ever ate at - then it lost its stars - and now it's got them back - so I assume the food is every bit as wonderful as it was when I ate there years and years ago. Robyn

I made reservations at l'Esperance when it had 2 stars. It had 3 stars by the time I ate there. It was an excellent eating place in my opinion - but I don't think it was up to Michelin 3 star standards in terms of other things (like "worldliness" - for lack of a better word - for example - basically no one there spoke English - any English - or decorating). Still - it was really excellent food - and that's what counts in my opinion (although Michelin demands more when it comes to handing out that third star). Robyn

I've only been to Minneapolis once - and that was last year. So I'm not an expert. But the best dining experience my husband and I had was at Goodfellow's. It is right in the middle of downtown. It has a web site - so you can look it up and see whether it looks appealing. Note that even if the food doesn't sound appealing to you for some reason - you have to get there for at least a drink because the original Art Deco interior is spectacular. Robyn

JJ should have asked *before* he went! Do I sound enough like his mother :)? If he gets south on I-95 again - he should try the Georgia Pig - Exit 29(?) in Georgia near Brunswick. About 1/4 mile off the interstate. Very old (it was once reviewed by Craig Claiborne on one of his trips down to Florida). Very authentic. Don't try to order chicken (they don't have it). Don't go anywhere near the water -not even in the bathrooms - it's hideous and smells like sulphur - which is why they don't even serve sweet tea except in cans. Specialty of the house is pulled pork sandwiches. Also worth a stop is the Western Sizzlin' at the Pooler Georgia I-95 exit (north of Savannah) for lunch - particularly for "Sunday supper" after church. Not so much for BBQ as for southern vegetables. There isn't a vegetable there that isn't made without some part of a pig. Not exactly vegan fare :). Also - Clark's family restaurant near the Santee SC exit is a decent "meat and three" for lunch. JJ is under a misconception about places near and not near the interstate. In the south - once you get away from larger towns and cities - there's really not a whole lot that's not near interstates (unless the whole town isn't near an interstate). The interstates did away with most "through town" traffic - and Walmarts did away with the rest of it. Very occasionally - you'll find a decent meat and three in a "downtown" - but that's about it. For the most part though, the "downtowns" are pretty dismal. Robyn

Do get a copy. Judging from the number of messages you've posted - you're not going to use it :). But it does make a nice gift for the right person. One interesting thing about the book is a lot of it is divided into chapters by cooking techniques - one chapter is "Broiling" - one is "Boiling and Simmering"; one is "Braising and Stewing" - etc. I have more sophisticated cookbooks arranged this way - like Julia Child's The Way to Cook. I think it's an intelligent way to approach learning how to cook. By the way - the book is over 30 years old now - so some of the dishes may seem a bit dated. On the other hand - I don't know who was eating picadillo 30 years ago - except for the Cubans in Miami. Robyn

I make fresh pesto and keep it for up to about 4 months in the refrigerator. Sealed with a film of olive oil. If it gets some mold on top - I scrape off the mold. Do not under any circumstances try to do this if there is fresh garlic in your pesto (danger of botulism!). Robyn

There's only one cookbook for your sister as far as I'm concerned. "The New Cook's Cookbook" by Carol Guilford. I buy it when anyone I know who doesn't know how to do anything except microwave popcorn start to learn how to cook. It has been out of print forever - but you can buy it on Alibris for perhaps $10-12. As it says on the dustjacket - "Whereas ordinary recipe collections automatically assume that the reader has some familiarity with the kitchen jungle, this book takes nothing for granted." Note that this is an understatement - the book starts with telling you how to shop for food (so you want to make lamb chops? - which ones should you buy) Highly recommended. Robyn

Actually - I was hoping to do what one person in this thread recommended - do the restaurant for a lunch *and* a dinner (we'll be at the Chelsea Flower show one day - which would of course be perfect for lunch). I just won't set my alarm clock to wake me up in the middle of the night to make a dinner reservation. I will have to look at a map - and see where this place is. Reservations aren't everything - particularly when you try to stay on local time when you travel (which for us means eating dinner late in the UK). My husband and I had our Alain Ducasse experience as "walk-ins". Same thing could happen here. Robyn

We may just wind up doing lunch there. Robyn

What is a punter? Sketch sounds like one expensive restaurant. But - my rule of thumb when I'm looking at London these days is that if something costs X in New York - it will cost 1.5 X in London. So - using that scale - it is probably - like you say - worth it. Robyn

My husband and I frequently do lunch at a big deal restaurant where we've never dined before. Only problem is we can't eat as much at lunch as we can at dinner - and - if I have anything to drink - that's the end of my day. Sketch sounds like the kind of place where you need a couple of glasses of champagne to appreciate the glitter of the surrounding company. On my part - I am definitely not one of the young and beautiful. Although - given those couple of glasses of champagne - I am a good dancer :). This is a short one-week "in town" trip only. Waterside Inn will have to await another trip. I would like to note that perhaps the most special out-of-the-way visit we ever had in the UK was to Gidleigh in Devonshire. That was a long time ago - when the current owners were just starting out - and it wasn't as "posh". But I've read that it's better now than it was back then. Only thing that could make it better in my opinion would be repaving the roads leading to the hotel so there would be room for 2 cars - and no one would ever have to "back down" - and tearing down all those stone walls (we barely made it to Gidleigh with 4 non-flat tires - most of the other guests weren't as lucky). My husband and I have had many pleasant trips in the UK on "brown roads" - but those stone walls in Devonshire are the worst in my opinion! Robyn

Imagine being in the US and trying to get a French Laundry reservation :). The person I've exchanged email with didn't mention the possibility of a fax - either 2 or 3 months in advance - or one month in advance. I guess I draw the line when it comes to a "hot ticket" as opposed to a "great restaurant". When a restaurant becomes a "hot ticket" - it is usually an invitation to disappointment. I have sometimes had the good fortune to make reservations at places shortly after they opened - before they got that second star or third star. Like eating at Jamin and l'Archestrate in Paris when Robuchon and Senderens were in the kitchens and they only had one star :). Flash forward a decade. My husband and I have very difficult reservations at Lucas Carton. A friend - who knows the restaurant staff - and who made the reservation - is supposed to dine with us - but becomes ill that evening. He insists we keep the reservation - and we do. We are treated to the proverbial "bum's rush" before we have to toss the name of our friend around (at which point the staff decides that we are - after all - entitled to the treatment one would expect at a 3 star Michelin restaurant). I'd like to say I'm showing my age - but I'm sure the Robuchon's and Senderens' of the next generation are out there there now - and that I won't have to wake up at 3 am to dine with them. Just have to find them. Hate to keep telling stories - but let me tell you one that expresses how I feel about this type of thing. My husband and I once took his parents to a nice resort hotel in the US called the Greenbriar to celebrate his father's retirement. The hotel is near Washington DC - and it attracts a lot of Washington types. On our trip - Alexander Haig (who some of you of a certain age may remember) was there. He was far from the most famous person there that weekend. There was a judicial conference in progress - so the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court - tons of other judges - and a few US Senators - were there too. I had booked a tennis lesson - but the head tennis pro called that morning to cancel. He said that Alexander Haig insisted that when he played tennis - the courts on either side of him had to be vacant. So I called the management to complain - and my tennis lesson was reinstated. And Alexander Haig didn't play - because he didn't get the vacant courts he wanted. When I asked the management about what it did - it said - some of our guests may be more famous than others - but everyone who comes here is entitled to the same wonderful treatment. I was pretty young - but I thought that was terribly classy (and very smart - there are a lot of people in the world with lots of money whose names you'd never recognize). Paris will have to be another trip. I love Paris - and eating there - but right now my husband is so pissed at the French he won't go to France. Although I am not a big fan of President Bush - I hope that nothing happens on his current trip which will cause my husband to feel the same way about the UK. Robyn

I'm confused. I exchanged email with someone at Gordon Ramsey's organization today. And that person said to get a reservation at Gordon Ramsey - I must call exactly one month in advance at 9 am London time to try to make a reservation. That sounds dreary - trying to wake up at 3 in the morning my time to make a restaurant reservation. Only reason I ever wake up at 3 am is if someone winds up in the hospital. I am in the process of making further inquiries. On the other hand - some web sites - including Top Table (think I got that web site reference from another thread started by Andy Lynes) seems to offer a reservation service for various restaurants - including Gordon Ramsey. Can I rely on these web based reservation services? If not - what's the best way to make a reservation? Frankly - if I am interested in spending 300 or 400 pounds at a restaurant - I don't think I should have to wake up in the middle of the night to try to make a reservation. Makes me dislike the restaurant even before I get there. Robyn

Daniel Boulud has a web site with menus for all his restaurants. Don't know if they're current - but the ones that are posted show the differences between New York and Florida. In Florida - they weren't doing dinner for homesick New Yorker's - they were trying to take advantage of the ingredients (especially fish and tropical fruits) which are more available - and fresher - than they are in New York. And I think they were kind of getting into the swing of south Florida fusion cuisine. The room is kind of a shocker for Palm Beach. Most restaurants in Palm Beach are - in my opinion - at best elegant - in a slightly dowdy kind of way. Many are just plain dowdy. This room was completely different. It wasn't cool and hip and cold - more like "fun guys with lots of money do a tropical look". It was very eye-pleasing and comfy. If you do get to Palm Beach - we were surprised that our dinner at the Breakers was better than our dinner at the Boulud Cafe. There's a new chef in the kitchen. Forget his name - but dinner was outstanding. I also recommend Echo. It's owned by the Breakers - but off premises. Fusion Asian - kind of casual. Perhaps my most serious recommendation is that if you do go to Palm Beach - unless you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company - go in low season - or shoulder season (November and December apart from the holidays are a good time to travel if you don't like sweating a lot). Not only will you save about 1/2-2/3 on your hotel room - but staff who wouldn't give you a 5 pm reservation in high season will seat you at 8 pm and fall all over you. A restaurant like Cafe Boulud isn't very large - it's likely to be a hot ticket in a town with tons of money which doesn't have many good restaurants - and when 100 CEOs fight for tables in February - ordinary people with net worths of 7 figures or lower (like you and me) will simply be ignored. In August - the ocean is warm - the evenings are perfumed and romantic - they embrace you - and you can do just about whatever you want on 24 hours notice or less. Robyn P.S. I've never been to Daniel. I don't get to New York that often - and it was never high on my list of "I have to go there".

Whether something is worth it or not, is going to be very subjective. That the price is justifiable is something else. The relative value in things lies as much in our ability to appreciate them as anything. The connoisseur is always going to be willing to pay a bit more. Kaiseki? What is often referred to as tea ceremony food. It's probably a high art form and most definitely not overtly concerned with sating a large appetite. I think there's a fair amount of elegant food and restaurant food that approaches the ideal, but requires less rigorous appreciation and is less expensive. For most people that's a close as they may want to get. The meat and potatoes guy will find a falling off in value right away. Those who complain about portion sizes in nouvelle cuisine tasting menus should probably avoid kaiseki if they get the chance. Here's a web site that's probably not an ideal explanation, but at least it's an introduction. If it were not past my bed time, I might do better. Well - I suppose all of these things are subjective :). Most of the people I know where I live think that spending anything more than they usually spend at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner is a waste of money. As for Kaiseki (I seem to recall that's the correct word) - I don't have a huge appetite. Mind you - it's not tiny (not like my 60 year old cousin who's still a size 4 and will only eat salad without dressing no matter how terrific the restaurant is) - but when I see and read about something like the French Laundry - well I think I'd be finished about 1/3 of the way through. Think 10 courses of anything is at least twice as much as I usually eat (like the burger I'm throwing on the grill tonight). And 3 courses of anything that includes a fair portion of meat and starch is more than enough. Also - I love "beautiful" food. Especially when each course is arranged on a different kind of dish designed to enhance its beauty. Thanks for the web site reference. Robyn