robyn

<<Just received in the mail a advertisement from the Excel Beef's Company's, part of"Cargil", "Sterling Silver Brands" that offers the top of the line Excel Products for purchase. Again they don't guarentee Prime only claiming that they offer products of Choice "AAA", and Prime. Just marketing as "AAA" is questionable. Choice grades for Quality, and 1 to 5 grades for yield, same goes for Prime would be more appropiate. 21 days aging, not mention dry or cryovac. Most interesting product offered at $10.00 per pound in pre-cooked Sterling Silver Boneless "PRIME RIB" Roast in 2 sizes 7 pounds and 13/15 pounds. All the other prices were very expensive, higher then Whole Foods or any Seattle specialty market or butcher. I've got sticker shock.>> They're expensive because they probably pay a lot for those full page ads in the Wine Spectator (I'd never head of Sterling Silver brands until I looked it up after reading one of those ads). Robyn

I don't eat beef very often so I am far from an expert. Most of the time I eat beef - I eat rib eyes bought on sale at Harris Teeter under the Harris Teeter Rancher "brand name". Up until recently - the sale price was usually about $3.79/pound and the steaks looked and tasted terrific on the grill. The sale price is up to about $6/pound recently and the steaks don't look as good as they used to (so I haven't bought any). I would have guessed that I was getting "choice" before - but - these days - I wouldn't be sure. Robyn

I think Joe's is where people from out of town first eat stone crabs when they're visiting Miami. We lived in Miami for over 20 years - and I love stone crabs. But - when you get right down to it - most stone crabs pretty much come from the same place (the Florida Keys). And they're cooked where they're caught and shipped to food stores and restaurants. So - basically - no matter where you buy or eat them - you're only dealing with 4 variables: how fresh they are (which means they're not selling you crabs from day before yesterday); how big they are (I tend to prefer large - not medium or jumbo); how well they're cracked; and how good the mustard sauce is. Despite all the hassles with Joe's - their crabs are always very fresh, you can pick the size you want, they are cracked well, and the mustard sauce is great. When you're spending as much money as you spend on stone crabs - you don't want any surprises. When we lived in Miami - we weren't fond of dining at Joe's - but we liked to do take-out. Joe's has a web site where you can get detailed instructions about cracking crabs - and the recipe for its sauce. You can also buy the crabs on line and have them delivered by overnight fedex. Robyn

None of my relatives has ever given me any of my useless gadgets. I can only blame them on myself :). Most have long since hit the trash - but - like the ghost of Christmas past - they come back to haunt me. Hard to pick the worst - how about the plastic container thing which was supposed to allow you to microwave eggs? About the only good thing I have to say about it is that the eggs didn't explode. Robyn

I'm feeling like such a schmo, but I'm actually muttering to myself, "Hmmm. I need a tea ball. I couldn't find one when I needed one the other day. Hmmm. I have been eyeing a ricer for months, but my wife says it's too much money. I want a ricer." The most useless thing in my kitchen? A cast iron corn-bread mold shaped like fish. Attractive, yes; but heavy, difficult to clean, and cornbread baked in it doesn't actually look like fish. Well - you need a tea ball if you want to make a small amount of tea and don't want to use a tea pot with loose tea for that cup or two. If you don't make small amounts of tea - you probably don't need a tea ball. Just like I always wanted a beautiful espresso machine. But I drink one cup of coffee in the morning - that's it - and I never drink espesso. So I doubt I could justify a $1000 espresso maker. As for the ricer - if you make only one dish - mashed potatoes - it will pay for itself. If you're on the Atkins diet - forget about it :). My favorite ricer is the one I bought at Williams Sonoma a few years ago. Plastic - goes into the dishwasher and cleans up beautifully. Robyn

I love my garlic baker (if only because it reminds me to roast a head of garlic now and then). Robyn

Oh good. Then it wasn't just me. How does a company like Kyocera make such a no-good product? How can a company like Williams Sonoma actually sell something like that? Doesn't someone try this stuff before they crank up the manufacturing and marketing? Sheesh. ming seems to endorse it. Endorsing isn't the same as using :). I am always on the hunt for the holy grail of gadgets that will overcome my meager knife skills. I wound up buying a Benriner that does a much better job. Robyn

I have a small wood mortar and pestle. It isn't good for much - but you can use it to crush small amounts of things like cumin seeds. Robyn

OMG! I have one of those, too. I found it in this quirky hardware store in a little town in the Texas Hill Country. I had to have it. What is really dumb is that it only makes 5 "fish". I guess I should have bought two. How do you make batter for and then what do you do with 5 cornbread fish? Well, I guess from what you say I would have 2 pans that make cornbread that really don't look like fish. *heavy sigh* I got one of those grapefruit cutter things that was on late night TV a few years ago. It has this corer and then these arc shaped cutters on the lid over a bowl. You core the fruit, jam it down on the cutters, turn the lid and, voila! Actually, the damn thing really works. The challenge is finding all of the pieces. I eat a lot more grapefruit (love to put it in salads) since I discovered the pink grapefruit sections in jars. As for cast iron skillets - including corn bread skillets - I don't have enough years left to season the things properly. About all I ever made in my cast iron skillets was rust. 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