robyn

I guess there aren't many competitive eating fans here . I saw Kobayashi in person last year. The guy used to be skinny - but now he's ripped. He trains (uses seltzer to expand his stomach without taking in calories). He is #1 in the world - hands down. He is Japanese - lives in Japan - and speaks very little English. #2 in the world is Sonya Thomas - a 100 pound Korean American from - I think Virginia (although I think from her accent that she was born in Korea). She also trains - but it is physically impossible for her to beat Kobayashi in any longer event because her stomach capacity (at - I believe 17 pounds) is simply smaller than his 20. Competitive eating is a little weird - but these people are - to look at them - a lot less disgusting than a lot of fat slobs I see every day (at many places - including shopping malls and even high end restaurants). Robyn

I think the key in terms of access to ingredients is not necessarily the size of the city - but the number of people with an income over X who are willing to pay for those ingredients. Of course - you need more people with an income over X in your neighborhood to get a Nieman Marcus than to get mascarpone cheese . That said - I really don't trouble myself with *where* I can get food items as long as I can get them. And I can get just about everything I use on a regular basis these days locally (wasn't the case when I moved here 10 years ago). One of the few exceptions - haricots verts - went by the boards recently when both Costo and Publix started selling them in cute little microwave bags. As an aside regarding fish - I don't know if it's a new federal law - or state law - or just a business practice - but suddenly every store here in north Florida now has complete fish information in front of the stuff for sale (fresh or frozen, wild or farmed, domestic or country of origin, color added or not, etc.). I've found that since the new fish labeling started - we're seeing a lot more in terms of higher end fish offerings (but the price differences are kind of an eye opener). Only exception to the "higher priced stuff" is 16-20 fresh local wild shrimp (Mayport shrimp) - which are down to $11/pound as opposed to $15/pound last year. I feel like Bubba Gump this summer . Robyn

Doug Rodriguez currently runs Ola Steak in Merrick Place - Deseo in Scottsdale AZ and Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia. He's a "celebrity chef" - complete with cookbooks. Here's his web site. When you call the phone number for Ola - you get a recording that tells you to make sure you make it for the "grand reopening" of the restaurant in South Beach. So this isn't a case of some poor shnook who lost his shirt. It's a case of an experienced "celebrity chef" simply dissing his customers IMO. I think I liked him better when he was simply the chef at YUCA 20 years ago. I don't think I painted an overly ominous picture of the design district. Simply a cautious one (if I were overly ominous - I would have told people to avoid the place altogether). It is wise to be cautious in any inner city neighborhood in a large city - particularly when there are almost no people on the streets (and there weren't many here on a Sunday night at about 9 - the mileage on a "club night" like Saturday may vary). FWIW - I lived in Miami for 25 years - and the Design District has been "the future of Miami" for a long time. Robyn

Do you live in northwest Florida? I live in northeast Florida (Jacksonville area) - and Albertson's has just closed all its stores here (the leases have been bought up by someone local who has a "concept" that I don't remember that was described in the local papers). There wasn't an Albertson's near where I live - so I rarely set foot in one. But I think a lot of people will miss some of them because they had extensive Kosher food selections (one even had a Kosher butcher section). Robyn

The thrill of the chase is supposed to be part of the enjoyment! ← I agree - although after you know an area - it's not so much of a chase as you buy this stuff here - and that stuff there. We don't have as many food shoping places as Atlanta - but I shop at the following on a regular basis: Publix, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market, Costco, and a couple of small specialty stores (like Asian market stores - a small French place - etc.). I'm lucky that the first 3 places are all within a 10 minute drive from my house - and Costco is 15 minutes away. Traffic in Atlanta being what it is - my Costco would probably be 30 minutes away if it were in Atlanta. As for Whole Foods = Whole Pay Check (mentioned in another message) - we don't have one in our area - but I've shopped there. Some of the prices are silly - but if you look - there are some real bargains (e.g., the Whole Foods "House Truffles" at about $6 for a half pound). Robyn

I don't know how sophisticated your kids are taste-wise - but I'd do dim sum with them at least once. You can get a nice big round table. Everyone can try lots of different kinds of small dishes (including a lot of fried things - which even fussy kids tend to like). The meals are relatively short (kids usually have short attention spans). And - in my experience (which is not mostly in San Francisco) - it is very normal for large families to dine together at dim sum places. Children are not frowned on. If possible - borrow a grandmother and grandfather to accompany you . Robyn

I don't get the Travel Channel - but I did read the review in the NYT. Just curious - how much of the footage showed Mr. Bourdain getting drunk - being drunk - being hung over - and getting over being hung over? I don't think most people consider stuff like that funny these days - even reviewers from the NYT. I thought Arthur was funny when I first saw it over 20 years ago - but it doesn't seem so funny to me these days. Perhaps that's because I know too many people who are dead/sick from booze/drugs. Or perhaps these are just different times. As for the chain smoking - that's perhaps the only thing I have in common with Mr. Bourdain. But I wouldn't recommend it to others. And I'm sure most people who like to eat are happy that they can go to most good restaurants in the world and sit next to a "smoke-free me". And as for dogs in restaurants - I suspect most people don't care for them - but think they're better than sitting next to a drunk or a smoker. So what did you all learn from this show except that Mr. Bourdain drinks and smokes too much? And that you can bring dogs to a lot of French restaurants? Robyn

I'm not sure that my collards are as good as your grandmother's were - but she is right that it's best to get them young and tender. Since that is usually impossible at stores - second best is taking a mature head and discarding all the leaves that look like you could sole shoes with them. Just use the tender leaves in the middle. You wind up wasting about half - but collards are cheap in season. My second recommendation is to make collards only when there has been at least some cold weather in the area where your collards have been grown. I live in north Florida - our collards are usually local - and my first buy is usually for New Year's Day (we've usually had some cool weather by then). Collards are like oranges - they need some cool weather to "sweeten" them up. By the way - I can't think of one redeeming virtue of sulfur water. Robyn

(a) it's not that bad at all and, if you read my initial post, you will find the answer to (b) I am looking for a Trader Joe's basically ... can't understand why they are not yet in this city... ← I don't know anything about Trader Joe's because it isn't in Florida. And - after taking a look at its website - I wouldn't trade my Fresh Market for a Trader Joe's because it doesn't sell duck (Fresh Market is the only place here that sells duck breasts). Robyn

Sorry but I didn't get to any of the new places you mentioned. This was a trip where - unfortunately - business and family issues/problems - came first and food was second. We did try a new Ethiopian restaurant in the Design District (Sheba). And it was quite good. Not terribly expensive (not cheap either). I recommend giving it a try. For those people reading this thread who aren't familiar with Miami - this isn't a particularly wonderful neighborhood at night. It is supposed to be one of the new hot development areas in Miami - but it is a work in progress as far as I'm concerned. Still - the restaurant had really good food. Robyn

Hard for me to believe that Atlanta is that bad (although I don't live or do grocery shopping there). Although the restaurant scene in Jacksonville leaves a lot to be desired - the grocery shopping is really pretty good. There's hardly anything I buy on a regular or more than once in a blue moon basis that I can't find here - even if it takes trips to a handful of stores to get all the things I want. Frankly - I can't say enough about Costco. It has ingredients - particularly in the seasonal produce area - that I can't find anywhere else - like - for example - "white" cherries that I'll be using in a duck dish. Note that I find Publix weak in the produce area. And there are some everyday items - like celery - that are bad almost everywhere (in our area - Fresh Market is the only place that has decent celery). Also - when you live in a "slurby" city like Atlanta or Jacksonville - sometimes it's simply a question of finding out who sells what. I was talking with a saleswoman in a store today - and she was lamenting that she couldn't buy monkfish in Jacksonville. But Harris Teeter here has it on a regular basis. She just didn't know to go there. What are you looking for in Atlanta that you can't find? Robyn

20% is our norm. A couple of percent more if the service is terrific - a couple of percent less if it's subnormal (but not terrible). I think 20% is fine. Don't worry about it. Robyn

How much did you tip? If 15% or more - you're fine. Robyn

I would never shop at a Food Lion. I don't know about the other chains you mentioned. There's a Costco in Myrtle Beach - and I suggest you take out a membership. Robyn (in north Florida)

Guess you really haven't lived through a real hurricane if you say you love hurricane season. We've been through a few. Especially Andrew in Miami. We were lucky compared to a lot of our friends. Lost power and water for about 6 weeks (stayed in a hotel in Palm Beach County until they went back on - living without power and water in a 20 story high rise in August isn't a lot of fun). Had about $5,000 in uninsured losses (insurance on our buildings paid millions). But a lot of our friends lost everything. After Andrew - it took about 2 years for everyone to get normal in terms of things like power - telephone - cable TV. Rebuilding took longer due to shortages (which is still the case today in Florida after last year - we have friends with "blue roofs" - flood damage - still trying to get repairs - there's an incredible shortage of workers and building supplies). Even though our current county (St. Johns) was simply brushed by Frances and Jeanne - a lot of people here lost power for 2-3 weeks (we in the northern part of the county were luckier - only lost power for a day or two). We had a big mess to deal with in terms of trees and the like - but nothing like the property damage an hour to the south of us. In my opinion - the most important thing you do after being hit by a major hurricane is you move somewhere else. And the most important thing you do before is make sure your insurance covers temporary relocation costs - or you put a few bucks in the bank so you can relocate if necessary. I never could understand all the stuff about filling bathtubs with water. What the heck do you do with all that filthy water? We have friends who've gone the "whole house" generator route - but that is a mighty expensive way to deal with things (not to mention that you have to like the smell of diesel fuel). On the other hand - if you're simply talking about playing around with things like drinking parties and grilling some hotdogs after 40 mph winds knock out your power for dinner - well that's another story. Robyn

My condolences to your girl (I don't know how many times I had to stay in the downtown Hyatt for business reasons - had to be able to get to the courthouse early in the morning - but I was happy when I retired and could stay in Buckhead). It's hard to believe she can't get a reservation anywhere in Buckhead. Is there a big convention in town? What about midtown? There weren't any good restaurants downtown when I used to go there - and - from the sound of it - not much has changed. Last trip to Atlanta - we had a good lunch at Eno - which is mid-town. Business attire would be appropriate there - although I doubt it's required. It is across the street from Retromodern - which is an excellent contemporary design store - and a half block away from Bulthaup (a terrific kitchen cabinet place where she can get ideas about how to spend more money on kitchen cabinets than you thought possible ). BTW - downtown Atlanta wasn't a particularly safe place to stroll around at night when I used to go there on business trips. Your girl should check out whether the situation is the same these days or whether it has changed. Robyn

I've had some "24/48 hour" resident tickets in the past - but you may well be right about current tickets for non-residents. It's something to check out. Robyn

I go to Disney for things like the Flower Festival. The food is secondary on those trips - which is a good thing . Haven't been in a couple of years - so I can't recommend any specific places. You didn't mention whether you'd have a park pass during your stay. At many of the "in park" restaurants - you need a park pass to get into the park so you can get to the restaurant. Check this out if you're considering dining in any of the theme parks (we usually go to California Grill at least once during a stay - and you don't need a park pass to eat there). If you're staying at the Swan - you should hit the Boardwalk at least one night (you don't need a park pass to go to Boardwalk). I don't think the food will blow you away - but it's the proverbial "hop/skip/jump" from the Swan. I enjoy watching the street performers more than the food (the street performers are usually terrific - can't say the same about the food). There is a microbrewery there with ok microbrews. Also - if you have more than one night - it would be a shame to miss the fireworks at Epcot (the Swan is right near Epcot - easy walk or boat ride if you don't care to walk). They're truly spectacular. So you might consider combining a meal in Epcot with the fireworks. Note that park passes run 24 consecutive hours - not daily - in terms of planning. Staying at the Swan will entitle you to early admission at the theme park of the day that has early admission. BTW - don't know if you're from Florida - but the weather in Orlando is pretty awful in July. So if you're going to try to hit any of the parks - I'd suggest doing it very early (take advantage of the early opening deal from the Swan) - or after dark. Robyn

It's not exactly rage - more like I think they could have done better - especially since they're supposed to be a big deal operation with restaurants in several cities. And the best way for me to show how I feel is by not patronizing their restaurants. I made the reservation on Opentable - and I suppose the least *it* could have done was notify me. But not to worry - I changed my Casa Tua reservation to the "Ola" night - am still going to Mosaico with my brother and sister-in-law - and will be spending the 3rd night with family (brother and sister-in-law and father) at a place to be determined. Do you have any new places to recommend? My BIL and SIL live on Miami Beach - and we'll be staying near downtown on Brickell. Seems like restaurants in Miami open and close pretty fast these days (the 2 places we dined at in Merrick Place last year have closed - La Broche opened and closed before I even got a chance to make a reservation there - and now there's Ola). BTW - I lived in Miami for 20+ years - so I am pretty much interested in exploring newer places that weren't around when I lived there. Robyn

I had reservations at Ola next week. Apparently the restaurant closed its doors on Biscayne Boulevard. It plans to reopen in a couple of months somewhere in South Beach. Frankly - if my brother didn't know about my reservation (he told me about the closing) - I would have showed up and found the place closed. I think this is very inconsiderate - just plain rude - not notifying people with reservations that you're closing. Robyn

Don't forget to use ingredients that are considered "hurricane supplies" - like stuff in cans. And to do a bit of teaching about food safety (how long the stuff in your refrigerator/freezer will stay good - etc.). Or to respect the most important rule - when you're ordered to evacuate - get out. Robyn

Looks like the season isn't exactly getting off to a slow start <sigh>. I don't have to buy anything. I hate canned stuff - so I have everything I bought last year. And I always keep water - candles - propane tanks for BBQ - around. Most important thing I have around is bookmarks - for storm reports (this is a good one) - and hotel reservations if I have to evacuate. Robyn

Re Chinese restaurants. I don't exactly live in a small rural town (it's a metro area with 1 million+ people). But the Chinese food here was uniformly horrible until we got a decent size Asian population - and then a few "Chinese" buffet places which catered to the population (the food is actually kind of "Asian eclectic" - Chinese - some Japanese - some Filipino - some Korean etc.). You can make fun of the Chinese buffets - but - at least where I live - most of the clientele is Asian - and the dishes are pretty good. Plus - it's hard to argue with lunch for $5.99 on weekdays - and lunch for $9.99 on Sundays (including all the fresh Peking duck you can eat). And they have pizza and fried chicken too (guess the kids assimilate pretty fast ). So that's what it means to be American - fried chicken and chicken feet - all you can eat for $5.99 . Also re Chinese restaurants. There was a funny article in the NYT a while back about a Chinese family from China that really hated NYC (try raising 2 kids in a 400 square foot apartment). So the family moved to rural northern Georgia - bought a house on a couple of acres where they could raise a family - and chickens and pigs. They bought the only Chinese restaurant in town. Even though the husband was an accountant by training - he became an owner/chef to get out of NYC - and to make a living to support his family. I doubt the food in his place was very good - but it's an interesting story. Robyn

That's too bad, its probably some of the most innovative cuisine in the city right now. ← Thanks for writing up Gary Danko. I looked at the Cortez website - and the place looks interesting (the chefs have worked at a lot of top restaurants - and the menu sounds good). Does anything you ate there stick in your mind as being particularly good? Robyn

I'm not sure what "CIA food" is - because a CIA grad just opened a new restaurant here in Jacksonville Beach (Eleven South). It's good for Jacksonville Beach - but I'm sure it bears scant resemblance to Gary Danko . What dishes did you like best? Which were clunkers (if any)? Same question with respect to your meal at Cortez. Robyn