robyn

He was talking about instigating a renaissance of quiche. And I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that covered a lot of home cooks (as opposed to a few high end restaurants or artisan home cooks). I think I know what's good - better - best. And just because you can't always make/eat the best of something doesn't mean you shouldn't have it at all. Russ Parsons' message above has already stated the point most eloquently. Robyn

I like a few drinks before dinner. Sometimes a drink with dinner. Usually gin - on the rocks - or with something. My husband likes his drink before dinner (usually a martini) - and wine with dinner. I don't drink a lot of wine - but I do like champagne. We'd like to maintain our drinking habits while in Japan - but we don't want to go broke doing so . At higher end bars/restaurants - what can we expect in terms of liquor options? Will English gin or imported wines cost a small fortune? What are the domestic drinks? Should we learn about sake? Like I said - all advice/recommendations would be appreciated. Robyn

I thought it was Babbo's success that launched Mario Battali's reputation, not the other way around. ← I eat around . And I'm not sure fame as a chef in the US has all that much to do with great or even good food. Would be hard for me to say it's the best meal - but certainly one of the three best meals I've had in the last couple of years was at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead (Atlanta). The chef is well regarded in professional circles - but certainly not famous - or anywhere near famous. I tend to think that fame among certain chefs in the US is in large part the result of successful self-promotion (I'm a lawyer and the same thing obtains with lawyers - the most famous ones aren't usually the best - or anywhere near the best). Robyn

I don't have time now for a discussion of "what is art" (I'm not sure I've ever had enough time for such a discussion ). But I can tell you that when Christo wrapped the islands in Biscayne Bay in Miami in pink plastic - it was a beautiful sight/event (or series of events - because everyone and his mother who had an office on a high floor of a high rise overlooking Biscayne Bay had a cocktail party to look at it!). Robyn

This looks great for dessert after the dumpling stadium (our hotel is near Tokyo Station so you can be sure I will try it out). I am advancing in my reading about Japan - and my husband is advancing in his study of Japanese (he is learning the hiragana and katakana symbols - but not the kanji). He tried out his Japanese for the first time today - with a Japanese born woman who works in a local book store. She understood him - and he was thrilled . Robyn

Although there are huge differences between Cuban and Mexican food - any legal case might not be easy to resolve. In a lot of smaller cities - people open "Mexican" or "Cuban" or "Columbian" etc. restaurants and wind up serving all kinds of foods. Ropa vieja (Cuban) and tacos. So I suspect it doesn't matter what he calls the restaurant - it's the food that he'll be serving. Robyn

I disagree with your statement "certainly not a store-bought pie shell". I make quiche perhaps a half dozen times a year at home as a "quick dinner" (would make it more often were it not for the calories) - and the only reason I make it at home is because I can buy a perfectly ok pre-made pie shell (I use Mrs. Smith's 9" deep dish pie shell). If I had to start messing around with making with pastry - it would wind up being a "restaurant only" item. Is my quiche better than the one at Bouchon (hope not) or the ones in good French restaurants (know not) - but a good filling (which anyone can make 1-2-3 - my favorite is a crab quiche filling recipe I got from a friend) can compensate for a slightly inferior pastry shell. I don't think you'll be able to bring back quiche as a make-at-home dish for all but the most ardent home cooks if you insist on the home-made pastry shell (who has the time to make those? - certainly not me). Robyn P.S. Just to clarify. The pie shell is frozen and then partially pre-baked before filling. One thing I like about the dish is that frozen pie shells - cheese - cream - etc. - can be bought - kept in the refrgerator/freezer for a fairly long time - and whipped into a quiche on short notice.

Dozens - maybe hundreds. The latest I've had is where the grits are fried in squares like polenta. Robyn

Agreed - unless one overconsumes all the time. Robyn

Most southerners don't eat greens - except perhaps for New Year's - or as a side in addition to the mac and cheese and the veggie/cheese souffle of the day. Grits are for breakfast. Want some ideas about what you see on lunch platters at traditional places? How about chicken fried steak? Fried chicken? Ribs with fat dripping off them? The fish or seafood (if there is any) is almost always fried. And the vegetables southerners eat a lot (or the sides - like mac and cheese - or fries - which are normal sides on a meat and 3) are usually loaded with fat and salt (just the thing so someone who's 40 pounds overweight can retain 5 extra pounds of water). I live here - and I have to tell you that if I ate average restaurant meals at average restaurants even a few times a week - I'd be fat as a pig. Quite frankly - I look at most southern cuisine that's served in restaurants these days as an occasional treat - not as a steady diet. And I'm not only talking low/medium kind of places. I'm talking high end too. There is so much salt in the average meal in New Orleans that when I go there - I wake up in the middle of the night with a parched throat (not to mention that I wind up weighing 2-3 pounds more in the morning due to fluid retention due to excessive salt intake - i.e., Chinese restaurant syndrome). By the way - I'm not an extraordinarily fussy eater - nor am I thin. I just never want to turn into a "doublewide" with high blood pressure and diabetes. Robyn

I live in the south (north Florida) - and I think you have to be a little brain dead not to recognize that there is a huge problem with obesity in the south - and an especially huge problem with obesity in the African American population in the south (especially women). It is probably a combination of things - bad food - bad eating habits (too much food) - and bad exercise habits (i.e., no exercise). But it is a problem. And just because there are some other areas of the US (or the world) that have equally bad problems doesn't make our problems go away - especially for those 200 pound 6th graders with adult onset diabetes. Robyn

There are 2 issues here. Do you have food - and where do you have it if you do. I'm Jewish - and the customs are pretty much the same everywhere when you're dealing with observant Jews One would never bring or serve food at the synagogue or funeral home. After the funeral and burial (which are always held as quickly as possible) - the immediate family goes home and "sits shiva" (goes into mourning) for a week. They're not supposed to do anything - including cooking. So friends and family stop by all week - and they bring/order food to be served throughout the week (everything from large deli platters to a box of cookies). By the way - it is normal for not so close friends to visit during the shiva - at least for a little while - the idea being that one of the purposes of the shiva is to help the mourners make the transition from grief back to a normal life. So if you have a Jewish friend who has a death in the family - do stop by on any day except Saturday - the Sabbath (after checking that the family is indeed having a traditional mourning period). And bring some food with you . Robyn

Please write back and tell us what you liked/didn't like. My husband and I will be in Tokyo in September and would love to hear your recommendations. My husband is now learning Japanese for our trip - and I want to make sure he knows how to order good food! When I read the article about Gyoza Stadium - it sounded like everything I imagined I would find in Tokyo . Robyn

If the store in New York is anything like the stores I've been to elsewhere - it's fabulous. Much more stuff than Williams Sonoma. Kind of like Broadway Panhandler - but a more spacious layout (although that might not be true in Manhattan). If - on your trips to Soho - you always have to allow 1 hour for poking through all the stuff at Broadway Panhandler - even if you don't need anything - you'll now have to allow 2 (one for Broadway Panhandler and 1 for Sur La Table). By the way - I've been to a few commercial kitchen places in Manhattan - and they're better than the retail places - but the neighborhoods they're in are usually pretty dreary - no match for an afternoon shopping in Soho. Robyn

As someone asked before - where are you staying? Orlando is huge - the traffic is usually awful - and there's no reason to give you the name of a mainstream steakhouse kind of place that's 2 hours round trip from your hotel. E.g., I frequently stay in the Marriott World Center (on shopping trips). It has a golf course - and a decent steak house. Fine if one is staying in the hotel - or nearby - but I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone driving more than 10-15 minutes to get there. Robyn

Mosaico got some pretty mediocre reviews. Perhaps that's why it's not doing well? I've heard good things about Chispa - but you have to be in the mood for a heavy meal - like pork - to do it justice. Have you eaten at Azul since the Chef Bernstein left? I haven't. As for Ola - it's on my list of places to try on my next trip to Miami (probably next month). Robyn

I lived in Miami for over 20 years - and have traveled throughout most of the state numerous times during my 30+ years here. Although Miami had its moments - overall it wasn't/isn't terrific. On the other hand - we can thank southeast Florida for 2 things. Floribbean food (in my opinion started by Norman Van Aken when he was working in Key West in the 70's) - and Neuvo Latino food (started by Doug Rodriguez in Coral Gables in the 80's). I believe that these 2 movements - started by these 2 chefs - were extremely important in terms of the development of all the forms of fusion cuisine that came later. I don't think there is anything happening today anywhere in the US that is quite as exciting as what was happening then. Robyn

I agree with you - and Tetsujustin's review here (and I've written previously to that effect). Even if the pasta is fabulous - and one could (and perhaps should) make a meal of it - so what? That makes Babbo a great pasta joint - not a great Italian restaurant (the latter being a place where the secondi are one of the main attractions - not something to be avoided by those in the know). I wonder what people would say about Babbo if one were dealing with a chef of lesser reputation - in a smaller city? Possibly something like excellent pasta (first courses) - inconsistent main courses - one star? On my part - I think the 5 out of a possible 10 for food is about right on the mark. Robyn

Actually - all non-farmed catfish taste muddy (which makes sense - since catfish are bottom-feeding scavengers that live in the mud). And - like I've said here in the past - it is very much an acquired taste (which most people never acquire - yours truly included). So perhaps the fault is not with the judges - but with the people who chose this as the "secret ingredient" (if they were going to use catfish - they should have used farm raised - it has a delicate flavor and can be used successfully in a ton of dishes - like any white fish with a delicate flavor). Doesn't anyone know who the woman sitting between Zagat and Steingarten was (no answer to my previous question yet)? Robyn

Knives for International travel these days? ← I can't bring nail clippers - or cigarette lighters - and you want me to bring a set of sharp knives ? I realize I could pack them in my luggage - but then I run the risk of having them stolen by some aspiring chef who's inspecting baggage. Robyn

It is Radisson. Our cruise will spend more time at sea (since it's a repositioning cruise) - and I was told that the course would be 3 2 hour sessions - and that it would be hand's on. Don't know who will teach it (doesn't matter - I'm sure the person knows more than I do ). Let us know what you think (about the course and the cruise in general). Robyn

How many are worth walking to? It doesn't surprise me that there aren't many great places in the large towns and smaller cities in the US. What does surprise me is how many mediocre (and frequently overpriced) places there are in large cities in the US. Even New York (where I long ago gave up on the romantic notion of stumbling around in a particular neighborhood hoping to wander into a terrific place I hadn't been to before). Ditto Atlanta (which has a fair number of excellent restaurants - but you just don't hop into a car - start driving around - and expect to get lucky and find them). Robyn

I caught the catfish episode last night. I was surprised that the judges knew so little about food. I don't think of catfish as a particularly exotic ingredient. Yet Steingarten was the only person who said he'd had catfish before (once) - and his commentary about the basic ingredient was that it tasted "muddy". I thought the main reason Batali won is that in most of his dishes - he chopped up the catfish - mixed it with other ingredients - fried a lot of it - and basically managed to come up with dishes that didn't taste like catfish. Even the movie stars on IC seemed to know more about the main ingredients than these panelists did. By the way - who is the woman sitting between Zagat and Steingarten (they gave her name on the Food TV website - but not her background)? Robyn

In numerous commercials and on billboards - they're referred to as "Blue Roofs" (as in "we do blue roof inspections"). I suspect a lot of repair work hasn't been done because homeowners can't pay their deductibles. Robyn

I think someone gave you the wrong information. Permit is a regulated game fish in Florida. Basically - you have to use a rod and reel - and there are daily limits - but you don't face fines or imprisonment for keeping them (unless you've caught them in a prohibited way - or exceeded the limits). By the way - are you sure you had permit - and not pompano (they're similar - but permit are usually a lot larger)? Robyn