robyn

Weber is one of those "you can't sell for any price lower than this" manufacturers. So if you get the lowest price - you get the lowest price (although - like you say - you might be able to save a bit on set-up or delivery costs charged by the local seller). Only exception I ever found to this is when Linens & Things here was closing out its Weber stuff (it had an ill-fated experiment selling grills and grill accessories). Some unbelievable bargains (hidden in the pots and pans section of the store - where I happened to be browsing for a new pot). Robyn

Wish I'd thought of that! ← Trust me, Chris didn't think of it. Are Home Depot prices actually edging out all of the local places which used to do this kind of business? When I was a kid I remember seeing them in Home & Garden stores most often, although I suppose the occasional hardware store had them as well. And don't tell me the alternative these days is Lowe's. That's like saying Pepsi is a Coke alternative. ← Our local Ace Hardware stores (quite a few - owned by several different families - some own more than 1) - still sell tons of grills (don't know if it's because they match prices - but they do). Ace does middle to low high end. Home Depot/Lowes lower end to middle. Both sell Weber. Another player in our area is BBQs Galore. Robyn

Our local Ace Hardware stores will meet any Home Depot/Lowes price on anything if asked. Ditto with setup and delivery charges on items that have to be set up and delivered. The Ace we use has a guy who really knows a lot about grills - so we have used Ace for grills and grill accessories. Robyn

Lucky you. I got terribly ill when I was in Cairo. I also couldn't resist the strawberries - which I find odd now that I think about how I was told to use bottled water when brushing my teeth Even though I did come home ill, I enjoyed my visit to Cairo and the food. Great report - thanks. ← So did my husband - bad case of dysentery (I lucked out - was fine). I think all normal 2nd-3rd world food precautions should be followed (no tap water - no uncooked veggies - unpeeled fruit - street food - etc.). Also - make sure to bring tummy meds from home should you need them (get Rx from your doctor and fill it before you leave). We were told that the morbidity rate among westerners when we were there was about 80%-90% - so just have a game plan in mind if and when it happens to you. Plenty of fluids are a must. We were on a cruise ship going up the Nile - and I found that by tipping everyone on the boat about 25 cents I was able to keep my husband well hydrated in our cabin until he could get on his feet again (in about 48 hours). If you or a companion don't seem to be getting better - cut your trip short and get to a 1st world country with decent medical facilities (dehydration can do terrible things to people). Fascinating country - great trip - but I do not rank it high in terms of culinary experiences (not that I went there for the food). And these days - there are terrorist/tourist problems too (so I'd keep on top of what's happening). Robyn

I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you're running a terrific restaurant (and it looks like you are) - there are people like me who won't get around to visiting you for maybe a year. And I suspect you'll be every bit as good a year from now as you are now - if not better. I'm sure that you - as a restaurant - are in it for the long run. I - as a diner - am in it for the long run too. Have to laugh though. I live in Jacksonville Florida. And I had lunch today at PF Chang's here for the first time. It opened in a new mall about 3 months ago. And - at the beginning - believe it or not - people were waiting 2 hours for lunch - 4 hours for dinner. People with their names on the list were selling their beepers to newcomers for $50! Ditto with the Cheesecake Factory across the street. The guy who does the local newspaper reviews said in his column - forget it - I'm not waiting in line 4 hours to review this place! That is even crazier than what you're facing. Today it was more normal. Waiting list didn't form until noon. Anyway - if people won't wait six months until things get a little more orderly and civilized (which it will when the frigid air returns to Chicago and most tourists like me stay home) - then the heck with them! Robyn

Like Per Se last year. I have a cartoon that shows a person on the phone - the voice on the other end says: "Please continue to hold - your call is important to us." Time passes - and more time passes - and even more time passes - and then the voice says "Not so important that we'd hire anyone to actually answer the phone, but really important". I don't know why a fair number of restaurants are technology impaired. How hard is it to set up a system that at least takes a message? But they are. So it makes sense to wait until all the fuss dies down - however long it takes. Robyn

This may be an absolutely startling idea in an age when everyone seems to eat solely for the purpose of posting pictures and long editorial reviews on web-sites - but why don't you simply leave everything (the notepads - recorders - digital cameras - and all the other gizmos) home and relax and enjoy your meals? For those of us who aren't professional something or others in the food industry (critics - chefs - whatever) - the point of fine dining is to enjoy the experience - not to record it for posterity. As someone who cruises through (and I do mean cruise - I don't pore over every word) a lot of web material to decide where I do and don't want to eat - I can tell you that I don't need digital photos - or blow-by-blow descriptions of every aspect of every dish - to make up my mind. I simply need a general description of the experience - and a simple thumbs up - or thumbs down. And a little background info on the person who writes the message - so I can give appropriate weight to what he or she says. In fact - at a certain point - all the postings become counter-productive. If everyone has "been there - done that" - and posted all their photos - and their endless notes about their experiences in a given place - what's in it for me to go there? Al lthe mystery is gone. I swear - I didn't have Oysters and Pearls at Per Se because I'd seen so many photographs and read so many descriptions of it that I was bored with it before I got to the restaurant. By the way - does anyone here think that if they walk into a high end restaurant - and everyone has his or her notepad - and is taking endless photos - that the whole restaurant experience is kind of a total turnoff? I do. Robyn

Of course I'm looking forward to the trip. Wouldn't have planned it if I didn't think it would be fun ! We're flying into Houston - driving to Austin. We'll be in Austin for 3 nights/2 days - then on to Dallas. I'll have to take a look at the maps and see where Fredericksburg is in relation to these cities. Thanks for all the information. Robyn

I've had my Weber for perhaps 7 years now. And it's amazing. I can cover it up for 2 months in the winter here in north Florida (when I don't like to grill). And when I go to start it - it starts. I have the porcelain (stainless steel isn't in Florida). And the porcelain grates - which I've replaced a few times (they do rust - perhaps I'll try a set of stainless next time). The side-burner issue is personal. Our grill is outside - the stove is in the kitchen - and we generally eat on the screened patio that is in the middle - so I don't generally need an outside burner. Although I sure wish I had one during last year's hurricane season (and will probably get one when I get a new Weber). Robyn

The serving piece was made of glass and it has glass balls as the feet. ← I think M. Ruhlman is correct; it's a votive candle holder from C&B. =R= ← Here it is. Robyn

And the little old lady doesn't even have to be Japanese. My mother - a little old Jewish lady in Florida - did bonsai for over 30 years. She died in February - and this is one of her bonsai - perhaps 25 years old - that was donated to the Morikami Museum in Florida. Japan has some very lovely traditional arts and applied arts. Cooking and things like the tea ceremony are some. Work with flowers - plants and gardens are another. If my mother can do them in Florida - you can do them too! Robyn

It's in Austin, on Lamar. There is a newfangled location, but you want the real thing. It's is an institution in a town full of them. I go everytime I am there. Food's good and the place is pretty entertaining even without the food. Threadgills can fry a steak. ← What else do you like in Austin (we were told to do relatively big deal in Dallas - and more down home stuff - like BBQ and Mexican - in Austin)? Note that we eat just about everything - if it's good . Robyn

For those of us who are ignorant about Texas - where is the Hill Country? Where can we best enjoy these desserts (without cooking them ourselves)? I'll be in Dallas/Austin in a couple of weeks. Robyn

I'm not sure I do either. With 28 courses - that's only 15 minutes a course. If you try to get it down to 4-5 hours - that's only 10 minutes a course (which includes serving the food - pouring the wine - eating and drinking - clearing the table - etc.). Reminds me of a speed eating contest as opposed to fine dining (although I am probably just being old-fashioned <sigh>). Also - I tend to think of chatting with one's dining companions as being an essential part of a meal. I like to think of fine dining as a sensual experience - and getting your business done in 10 minutes isn't very sensual in my opinion. Robyn

Is Theadgills's in Austin - or nearby - as opposed to being 30 miles down the road (we'll be there in a couple of weeks)? Robyn

We'll be in Austin in a couple of weeks. Had a random meeting with a salesperson from Austin today (at my optician's office in Florida). He said his favorite in Austin is County Line on Route 2222. He also recommended Baby Acapulco for Mexican. We've never been to Austin before - so any and all comments are appreciated. Robyn

I think Trotter was part of a group of chefs who changed high end cooking in the US in the 1980's (Alice Waters was earlier - 70's - but most of the chefs came - or matured - in the 80's). Before that - high end eating in the US was mostly "borrowed formal French". In the 80's - a lot of chefs started experimenting with lots of things - fresh local ingredients - new cuisines based on those ingredients - lighter/different touches when it came to things like sauces - etc. There are a fair number of chefs in this category. People like Wolfgang Puck - who opened Spago in 1982 - Norman Van Aken - who wandered from restaurant to restaurant in Florida in the 80's and wound up opening Norman's in 1995 - and Trotter - who opened his restaurant in 1987 - were in the thick of these developments (in fact Trotter worked in one of Van Aken's kitchens ages ago and they're good friends). Was he the most important person in this group? Probably not. But I'm not sure there's a single most important person in this group. It wasn't as if one chef started it all - and everyone copied that chef. Each chef took the basic concepts - and ran with them. Is Wolfgang Puck more important than Doug Rodriguez? Probably - but I'm not sure (I know he's more famous but I'm not sure he's more important). Rather than getting into arguments along these lines - I prefer to think that each of these chefs made important contributions to American cuisine. Collectively - as a group - they changed its entire face. Robyn

We went to a lecture tonight at the local university - so we thought we'd try another place at the new mall next door for dinner. Forget PF Chang's and Cheesecake Factory - looked like a casting call outside both. We'd already tried Maggione's. So we went to Ted's Montana Grill. Only a 20 minute wait - but I didn't wait to wait 20 minutes (this was about 9) - so we ate at the end of the bar - which happened to overlook the kitchen. In other words - the chef's table . This is the first Ted's Montana Grill in Florida. For those of you who don't know - this is the way Ted Turner seeks to dispose of the bison he raises on the millions of acres he owns. And he's up front about pushing the place. He's been in Jacksonville twice in the last 6 months to promote the restaurant. Sitting at the "chef's table" - even at Ted's - has its advantages. Darryl - one of the line chefs - said "try the pot roast". And gave us a taste. Yummy. So that's what we had. Along with a starter of soup and salad. Soup was a bowl of tortilla soup big enough for 3. Not great - but very tasty. Salad was a wedge of iceberg - with tomatoes and bacon - and a ranch dressing with tomatoes and bacon. Again - big enough for 3. The bison pot roast was absolutely delicious. You know how pot roast tends to have a lot of fat in it. This had virtually none. And the long braising cooked the low fat meat into submission. Decent gravy. Also garlic mashed potatoes and string beans. Enough left over for 2 sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. Total food cost approximately $20. My husband begged an end from the bison meat loaf sitting on the counter in front of him - and pronounced it better than the pot roast. This is not inspired food. But it's decent and tasty. And obviously very fresh. I think in the hour + we were there we must have seen the chefs make 200 bison burgers (which seem to be the most popular thing on the menu) from scratch. And 50 pounds of fries (fresh from a big bushel of potatoes). This isn't high end dining - but I left with no complaints (sometimes places like this rip you off on the drinks - but even a Beefeater martini - good pour - was only $6). Robyn

Or celebrities are chefs (or run/manage/own restaurants). Like Gloria Estefan. The line is getting pretty blurry. Read an interesting article the other day about how celebrities may well replace most clothing designers in the coming years. Who wants to buy Armani when you can buy Jennifer Lopez? The same thing could happen in terms of eating. Robyn

I found with some reporters - you couldn't even trust them to be honest when you asked whether you were talking on or off the record. So my basic rule of thumb is don't say anything you wouldn't want to see in print - in any context. Robyn

You're on to something here. Did you know that NASCAR fans are probably the most brand loyal fans in the world? If it's on a race car - they buy it - no matter what it is. Just think. If good restaurants had their names plastered all over the cars - we'd probably increase the general level of eating in the US by at least 5 notches . Robyn

I think your conversation with Mr. Tsai reflects naivete on his part. The Personal Journal has a lot of articles dealing with consumer issues from a consumer's point of view. For example - an article about high end restaurants a while back didn't deal with the good food at the places - but the fact that the restaurants which were profiled gave almost all of their customers the bum's rush. Being interviewed for the Personal Journal is probably closer to being interviewed by 60 Minutes than a trendy food magazine which tends to do "puff pieces". I'm a retired lawyer who handled some high profile cases. And my rule - after being burnt a few times - was - I don't talk to the press - and I don't let my clients talk to the press. I'd send reporters copies of public documents - that's about it. After I retired - I got involved in some things where reporters/journalists were seeking background material for "puff pieces" and "how to pieces" (like how to invest on line) - and I never had a problem with those reporters. I was "source material" - as opposed to my client being the subject of an (almost always) critical article. So I think the moral of the story is you have to figure out who is interviewing you - and why - before you decide to open your mouth. Now that some chefs are as high profile as some of my clients were (which makes them fair game for so-called "investigative reporting") - they may just decide that in many cases it's better to skip the interview - "sorry I'm tied up this week" - and keep their mouths closed. Robyn

I don't want to split hairs, but I just opened my last issue of food arts, and it has an add with TK, although HK does endorse as well. Trotter is a raisin guy too..... ← No problem and thanks for the update. I'd just seen the raisin ads in consumer magazines which feature Hubert Keller. I like cooking with raisins (and of course Passover is full of recipes that call for raisins). As for Thomas Keller - when I ate at Per Se - he did a terrific dish with cooked plucots. If I were the trade group that was responsible for pushing that fruit - I'd pay Thomas Keller a heap of money fast to promote it (because we all see them in stores and most people haven't quite figured out what they are and what to do with them). Robyn

Contessa shrimp are the best shrimp on the market. I was the one in charge of ordering the shrimp for a Food and Wine top ten best new chef recently (sometime in the past five years... do some digging in my profile, and you can easily figure out which one...), and I specifically was told to order Contessa, it is agian, far superior to any shrimp on the market, fresh or frozn, and both the raw AND the pre-cooked types are incredible( "oh no he didn't"... yes I did). I am a chef, a young one, a poor one, and I would like to think a somewhat talented one. The fact of the matter is that I buy name brand stuff becuase a lot of times it is better quality, and if that company was to approach me to endorse their superior product, I would have absolutly no problem with that. Trotter is the "worst" of them all, he endorses lots of stuff, Mac knives, boos cutting boards, Valrhona chocolate, all kinds of stuff, and I dare someone out there to tell me that one product that he endorses sucks... go on... do it, I bet you can't. Thomas Keller endorses raisins for cripes sakes, not to mention Mac knives as well (hmmm...let's see.... Trotter AND Keller endorse their product, it Must be crap!! ). Rick Bayless (Burger King), now he might have some re-thinking to do, he's still a badass chef, but not most of these guys....they are on the track that is fine. I'm with Chef Klc, he should know, he is one of the top chef's in the country, in the same boat as Keller and Trotter..... Edited because when I am worked up about a subject, my fingers type faster than my backspace button can be pushed..... ← Just for the record - it's Hubert Keller who does the California raisin thing - not Thomas Keller. Also just for the record - I agree 100% (well maybe 99% ) with Steve Klc. And when it comes to other celebrity endorsements - what comes to mind is tennis players endorsing tennis racquets or golfers endorsing golf equipment. Yes - player X may play with a Prince racquet or player Y may play with Callaway clubs. But they're not like any tennis racquets or golf clubs you'll ever get your hands on. Even if they start out that way at the beginning - by the time the tops of the racquets are loaded with lead tape - or the clubs are bent this way and that - like I said - they're a totally different animal. I'm sure these food/cooking products are at least ok - if not a whole lot better. When they're used/transformed by expert chefs - well - you get the picture. If I could cook with the same shrimp Ming Tsai uses - whose cooking do you think you'd like better ? Robyn

I make lots of stuff using recipes from the Food Network web site. And most are really good. I think the key might be figuring out what you want to cook - then searching through all the recipes for that dish - and picking out the one that looks best - and also has decent ratings. That's how I do it - and it seems to work (last recipe I cooked was shrimp and grits - and the particular recipe I used - one out of perhaps 15 or 20 - was excellent). Robyn