robyn

Don't know what I'd recommend for others. I've lived on the east coast of the US all my life - and I'm really not that familiar with Pacific Ocean fish (I don't even know off the top of my head whether the Atlantic and Pacific blue marlin are the same - or different). On my part - I wouldn't eat it simply because I doubt it would be anywhere near the best thing on a restaurant menu (and if it was the best thing - I think I'd try a different restaurant). Robyn

I love them too, when I am the seller. When you are the buyer, especially one with a life, you don't have a chance on a bargain on there anymore. I already have a sink with a second disposal in my island, so I guess maybe this one compartment thing makes some kind of sense-but I'm going to have to think on this a while. Give it some thought. All you're getting here is ideas from people (including me) about what they like/don't like in terms of their own personal habits. Maybe there are people whose primary concern in a refrigerator is party platters - but I'm not one of them (I'm trying to get my husband's family to my house for the holidays for the first time in 30 years - to celebrate what is probably his Dad's last holidays - most of the time - my platters are on the small side) . On the other hand - perhaps you are - and have dozens of people over all the time. Think in terms of how you actually live - not how the magazines tell you you *ought* to live. Your goal is to get a kitchen that works for you! By the way - gotta love that Ebay. Last time I got a new computer - I couldn't even *give away* my old computer to a local school - even though it was totally functional. I sold my old somewhat dysfunctional computer on Ebay last week. Didn't get a huge amount. But I got more than I thought I'd get. And I felt better than begging someone to take it for free (except when I carried it to Office Depot to ship it - it was heavy!). Right now I'm hunting on Ebay to get some of that discontinued Calphalon professional nonstick cookware. Lots of auctions. Robyn

I wouldn't buy it - and I wouldn't support an establishment that sells it. The Atlantic blue marlin is endangered - and people who don't catch and release aren't worth the time of day IMO (I didn't even realize there are still people around who don't catch and release). FWIW - even my most politically conservative friends who are ardent fishermen wouldn't think of bringing home a blue Marlin. It's just not done! Of course - there are always a few "good old boys" around who don't think the rules of nature and sustainable fishing apply to them. Robyn

The good looking ones at South Beach - the bad looking ones at WDW? Robyn

My sink is an Elkay - 22x16 bowl with integrated drain board. Don't know if this model or something like it is sold now - but I recall it cost about $400 when I bought it. Of course - that was a decade ago - but keep in mind that one never pays list price for plumbing unless one is unwilling to shop around (particularly in small towns - in Jacksonville a decade ago - it was considered "chic" to pay full list price - a point of view I never could quite understand ). In any event - historically - the 2 bowl sink comes from a time when people washed their dishes in one bowl - and rinsed in the other. If you still do that - perhaps you need a 2 bowl sink. Otherwise - why do you need 2 bowls? You do all your prep in the single sink at the beginning - and throw all the dirty stuff that has to be handwashed in the single sink at the end. In terms of the latter - my single large bowl will hold just about everything - except my largest round platters. Don't have to wash roasting pans one half at a time. One thing I do have on my wish list for my next kitchen is a small second prep sink with a disposal somewhere not near the main sink. When my husband and I are making big meals - we both do prep work - and it would be nice to have 2 separate sinks where each of us can work - unimpeded by the other. I'm a big fan of stainless steel sinks (easy to clean - don't chip - last forever) - but they will get lots of little tiny scratches over time. Those in the design biz call it a "patina" - some people just call them scratches . If scratches bother you - then stainless steel isn't right for you. By the way - July/August is my month for cleaning closets on Ebay. I love the automatic bidding programs. It's great fun watching them during the last 5 minutes of an auction . Robyn

There's also a difference between what you do at home - and what is acceptable at a commercial establishment. I can't get a rare burger at a restaurant in Florida these days - but I make them at home for myself all the time. As for guests - I concur 100% when it comes to social guests - the kind you can invite - or not invite. When it comes to family - sometimes it's hard (particularly with elderly parents). On the other hand - last year I made an almost 100% salt free Christmas dinner. I just had to make it low salt - not no salt - but the challenge was fun - and I learned a lot of new recipes. On the third hand - there are just some things that are too much. When my brother makes Thanksgiving - he has to make low salt for my congestive heart failure mother - no sugar for his diabetic father-in-law - no pork for some of the Jewish people in the family who are fussy about things like that - and no meat for the kids who are vegans. I think last year he threw up his hands and decided to go out of town! Robyn P.S. Let's not forget that it's best to use old eggs when you want to hard simmer them (makes them easier to peel). So fresher isn't always better.

I had CVT in my last kitchen and the one before it and loved it. I'd keep in mind that some CVT has to be cleaned with a rotary commercial cleaning machine (which really isn't practical in a home environment). I have marmoleum in our current kitchen. Don't like it as much as the CVT because it scratches more easily. We don't have kids - or a dog - but when my FIL walked across it with his walker once - it made a deep scratch from one end to the other - luckily I got most of the scratch out by stripping the floor and rewaxing it. Sharp high heels also leave marks (luckily I don't wear them but once in a blue moon). What kind of regular and occasional things do you do to clean/maintain the marmoleum? Perhaps I haven't been handling it correctly. I will note that the stuff is great on your legs - and - since ours is black with some subtle markings - you can drop a lot of your meal preparation on the floor and never notice that it's dirty . Robyn

I second the motion for the large single bowl sink (I have one - with an integrated drain board). Very functional. Robyn

It's not only that. While those huge kitchens with the 4 separate food prep areas spread across an area the size of a half basketball court may look great - how do you get the 12 quarts of boiling water to the sink to drain the pasta? Very carefully I suppose . At the restaurant where I eat most of the time at home - there's just a typical "line" - maybe 20 feet long and 12 feet wide - with a small "L" for the pastry chef. The "line" makes sense in a restaurant. I find that the traditional triangle works well when I'm the only cook. Robyn

Poggenpohl. This was the 3rd kitchen I did with German cabinets (built in 1995). The cabinets are kind of addictive . You get so much storage per linear foot. You don't need to build a 20x30 kitchen just to store 2 sets of dishes and a set of pots. This kitchen is 13x14 (in a 2800 square foot house - it's positively huge compared to the 10x12 kitchen in our last place - an 1800 square foot condo). When I go to fine restaurants - I like to look at the kitchens. They tend to be small - but very efficient. The White House pastry chef whose retirement was announced this week - he made all the desserts for state dinners - and 150,000 Christmas cookies a year - in a kitchen smaller than mine! Next time I move - I think I might try Bulthaup. Ever use them before? What do you think? And my design would probably be more up to date (most stuff along a long wall with an island between the kitchen/dining area). But I'm not planning to move any time soon - so who knows what design trends will be when that happens. By the way - whenever I remember building this kitchen - I have to smile. The Poggenpohl place is about 300 miles from where I live. The kitchen arrived one morning on a truck - in about 30 boxes that had been taken off a ship. All the writing on the boxes was in German. The guys on the truck only spoke Spanish. We didn't have a clue that this was *our* kitchen until the installer arrived the next day to do inventory (and install the kitchen - he stayed here for a week). It was stressful (like everything else associated with building a house) - but I think it worked out well. Robyn

No one has mentioned that some types of people (the very old - the very young - the immunocompromised - etc.) can get very very sick - or die - from something that would just make a normal person feel a little indisposed. Whether it's a problem with an egg - or a rare burger. So should our food handling requirements be geared to "average" people - or those who can't tolerate insults to their bodily systems? In the US - we answered the question - and said "the latter". In Europe - it's different. Plus - their legal system isn't really geared up to "right all wrongs" - the way the US system is. I'm not sure that one way is better than the other. They're just different. Robyn

Just my 2 cents. I'd keep the art and delicate electronics away from heat, smoke and grease (all common in my kitchen at certain times). The older I get - the less I like to bend over to get things. So I like a side-by-side refrigerator (I also have a cheap top/bottom in the garage for beer - soda - wine - water - watermelons - the huge Thanksgiving turkey - and the very occasional party platter). My husband has become like Don Corleone - the older he gets - the more he enjoys wine. So I plan to buy him a wine cooler for our anniversary (shush - don't tell him ). I have 30" double ovens - one with convection. I'm not a prolific baker - so I don't think I've gotten my money's worth out of the convection feature after almost 10 years. I am with you 100% when it comes to commercial appliances. I have Kitchenaid. I don't have to "save" my appliances for company because they take 30 minutes to get up to speed - I use them every day. I do use my toaster oven once in a while - to do things like toast pine nuts. But my ovens heat fast and are easy to use - so I use them a lot. Plus - there are even local people who can repair them (I don't know what happens in New York - but try to get someone where I live who knows how to repair a Garland). Robyn P.S. I think ordinary appliances can look just fine. Here's the way my "ordinary" appliances look in my kitchen. Also note that the double ovens are placed on the wall so I don't have to bend or reach much to get to them.

And again the key is how you put everything together - and when you put it together - whether it makes you look stylish or freakish. There's an ad on US TV these days for a financial services company showing a housewife showing up at a school meeting in a designer dress that makes her look ridiculous (although it looked great on the model). A man (or a woman) has to know his/her limitations. Robyn

My husband goes for black Ecco's too (he swears by them and his feet aren't particularly easy to fit). Robyn

Agreed. But in most cases where you'll have a big deal lunch - you'll have a reservation and dress accordingly. If it's not a big deal lunch - slacks/shirt/sweater/jacket in cool weather ought to do. FWIW - a lot of manufacturers make nice light/medium weight golf slacks for men and women. They look very presentable - and travel well. And ever since I was refused entry to Bouley because I was wearing sneakers (I think it was a 10 mile walk that day ) - I carry a nice pair of shoes in a bag - like a lot of women who work in big cities do. When the temperature is over 80 during the day - all bets are off - particularly in places like the NE US - Europe - Canada - etc. - where many places are under- or un-airconditioned. I wear shorts. I don't mind suffering a bit for my art - but slogging through the Prado when it wasn't air-conditioned and it was 90 outside is too much for me. Those of us who live in the SE US - the most air-conditioned place in the world - really aren't used to sweating . (I just had a terrible image - a friend who gave an outdoor wedding for his daughter in Miami in January. It was unseasonably hot. He's one of these people who likes everything at about 68 degrees - and he sweated so much in his tux that he had black stains running down his shirt. All of us women in little nothings of dresses got off easy that night.). I guess the only exception to that rule is in places like the middle east - where women have to cover up. A good reason not to go to Egypt in July. Robyn

If you get an official schedule - it would be nice if you could post it here. The info on the Disney website is usually posted late - and it isn't comprehensive. I like the "Sweet Sunday" idea (I'm a big fan of desserts - and they don't have to be sweet). Robyn

No problem. We're basically talking about restaurant wear - not what one wears to do the obligatory 5 miles of tourist walking in a major city like New York, London or Paris. I frankly don't care if I look like a tourist when I'm in that 4th or 5th mile (although I try to avoid doing anything - like wearing expensive jewelry - that would make me a target). When it comes to evening and dinner at a nice place - with a cab to and from - I don't have to worry about blisters. Robyn P.S. I don't think of this as an American vs. everyone else thing. When you're walking 5 miles a day - taking in sights - museums - whatever - you need comfortable clothes and shoes. Dressing for dinner is a totally different issue.

I've seen the fashion write-ups (most recently in the NYT this week I think). But like I've said - it takes a person of a certain age and physique to pull off a high-fashion look and not look like an idiot. The male models I've seen are about 20-30 - 6'3" - 170 pounds - and gorgeous. If this describes any of you guys out there - I think it's the look for you . Robyn

perhaps you'd like to check in with giorgio armani, who always seems to be wearing jeans, white tee shirt and a very stylish jacket. If you (or anyone else) looks like Armani looked 20 years ago (or like the male models in this month's Esquire look today) - I give you a free pass . If you look like most middle aged guys - forget it. The main issue is whether one can carry a particular look. When it comes to a high end fashion look - most people (men and women - including me) can't. Robyn

the thing is, that's probably not the case in the area where AAG sits. chains cost as much if not more than AAG, even factoring in a few kids' meals. I don't know much about chain restaurants. We go to them now and then when we take my father-in-law out for lunch from the nursing home because they're close to the nursing home and they have good handicap parking. I guess the last one we went to was Olive Garden. It was pretty yucky except for the salad - and it cost about $35 including tax and tip for 3 people (no alcohol). Red Lobster (which actually isn't bad for plain grilled fish) is about the same. We stay away from the Chili's/Applebee's/Ruby Tuesday kind of places because most of the dishes are "cheese with this" or "cheese with that". My father-in-law has congestive heart failure and has to stay away from salty foods like cheese. I know that on a certain level - we have non-chain restaurants that are competitive price-wise with the chains. They are mostly BBQ places - pasta places - microbreweries - etc. For the most part - unimaginative - I suspect half of them get their stuff frozen at Costco. So although the prices are the same as the chains - so is the quality. Judging from what you're saying - AAG is much better than the chains - and costs about the same. If I had a place like that here - I'd certainly frequent it. Robyn

When A Quest For Local Vegetables Becomes An Odyssey Of Epic Proportions (Julia Moskin) Soba I know you can grow apples in New York. But aren't there a lot of crops that are difficult/impossible to grow there? I know where I live - there's hardly anything that works produce wise in the summer. So - if I had to eat locally - I'd mostly be eating bugs . Robyn

I don't know how old you are. I think that unless you're fairly young and fairly thin - and capable of wearing very stylish cuts - jeans don't make it in any major city in the world (and even in the former case - you're talking about jeans that are accessorized very carefully). They don't mark you as a "boorish American tourist" - just a boor. Khakis are worse - particularly the dockers kind with pleats. They mark you as an older guy who's not thin enough to wear stylish jeans. I think a reasonable rule is that when you're in a major northern city - most of the men who are in that city during the week are businessmen. They wear suits and ties - or nice pants and jackets with various kinds of shirts (depending on age and style orientation). If you want to "fit in" - and go anywhere without having to say you're sorry - dress like them. Your mileage can vary in southern cities. What you might wear in Cairo will be very different than what you might wear in Miami. And Miami (a business city) will be different than Miami Beach (a tourist city). In the business cities - err on the side of being conservative. In cities like Miami Beach - see rules regarding jeans - and if young enough and thin enough - take two steps to the left . Of course - if you don't care what anyone thinks - you can wear anything you want to wear - with certain exceptions (don't expect to get into the Sistine Chapel wearing a cut-off t-shirt). On my part - I kind of like getting "dressed up" a fair amount of the time when I go to a big business type city. And I really can't understand what the big fuss about jeans is. After wearing them for a day - they tend to look like garbage with the knees all bagged out. There are lots of men's pants that look a lot better after being worn for 2-3 days. Robyn

I was thinking. You didn't care for Tom Aikens as much as I did either. So it's probably a matter of personal preference. My husband's favorite restaurant in Vancouver last trip was Tojo's. That didn't quite "float my boat". I think my mind automatically downgrades a loud cramped place like Tojo's a notch - and upgrades a pretty lively patio at a place like C a notch. Of course - I'm talking about higher end restaurants price-wise. I don't expect anything in the way of atmosphere when I go to a BBQ joint. Robyn

We had a bottle of Burrowing Owl wine at C. Can't remember exactly what it was - but it was terrific. There are a lot of little boutique wines that never get out of BC - and I recommend that visitors try them if possible. Robyn

How true - a lot of French people do have a way of "putting things together". But - like you said - you have to know who you are clothes-wise (and presumably you do once you're of a certain age). For someone like me who's "scarf impaired" - no reason to think that just because I'm in Paris - my knots will look better (they tend to look like I enlisted in the Navy last week and am practicing). By the way - for travel to places where you need new clothes - I highly recommend end of season sales. My husband bought a kind of tweedy jacket (he always wanted one) at a local department store this year for 75% off (I'm not sure why they even sell tweed jackets in Florida). He looked great in it - it was perfect for London - and he got his money's worth out of it in a week there. If you're planning on Florida this winter - shop the end of season sales up north now for the things you know you'll never wear in NYC (just like we have tweed jackets - I'm sure your department stores have lots of things that don't look right north of Palm Beach). Robyn