robyn

thanks for your feedback robyn. i can't speak for all "us people" in seattle - but i do stand by my opinion about seastar - and i'm happy to defend it. i didn't have a huge meal (nor, i think did i imply that i did) but a seafood restaurant (with accolades, no less) should not be serving elderly mussels. as i mentioned in my initial post, i should have said something, but i didn't. and someone in that kitchen should have known. (that sucks) with respect to the 2 other dishes - one i was very excited about that turned out to be missing both it's promised truffle oil and the pear...too many pinenuts and not enough seasoning left the scallop bland and uninteresting. (sucked) i'm happy to pay $9 for one perfect scallop - but i think i have every right to be a little bitter when it's not even good. i eat very well in seattle - we have tons of great restaurants that offer quality, consistently inventive cuisine and great atmosphere. seastar, in my opinion, is just not one of them. Before I say anything else - I want to ask you a few questions. You mentioned that you were dining with a friend after some shopping. What time did you eat? And where did you sit? And how long did you sit there? These may sound like stupid questions - but I have a theory - and I'm curious to know if my theory might hold water. Robyn

I wear Birkenstock clogs for lots of things. Not only are they good on your feet and your back - but you can muck around in anything with them - spill anything on them - and they wash up in 2 seconds (I use them for gardening as well as cooking - and they're a must-have for people who work in even sloppier areas like operating rooms because you can throw them in the dishwasher). Robyn

I like Birkenstocks. Unfortunately - I wear size 32 clogs (basically women's size 4-5). They're kid's shoes - and - unfortunately - the kid's shoes have been discontinued . While we're dealing with apparel - I'll note that I just bought a cut resistant chef's glove from a company called Hubert. The company seems to carry nice stuff - basically for commercial accounts. It isn't very cost effective to buy just one glove - but it was worth it to get an extra-small one that actually fit me! Also - I get a catalogue from a company called Chefware. Like the catalogue says - it has the "Look That Cooks" . Robyn

I would very definitely like to find those seeds. Those are delicious. Apparently they aren't available except under commercial licensing. This is the website. Robyn

Well - perhaps the person who wrote that the restaurant "sucks" deserves something more than a pat on the back. I had never looked up the reviews or the history of this restaurant before dining there (it was very new when I ate there) - or after. But I took a look tonight. Among other things (including very good reviews) - I found this - namely that the chef/owner of this restaurant was honored last fall by the James Beard foundation as one of the great regional chefs in the country. I don't know enough about the Pacific Northwest in general to say he is "one of the greats" there. After all - I live 3000 miles away. I just know I had 2 very good meals there. But I would think that anyone living in Seattle would want to at least give this place - a place which has received national recognition - the benefit of the doubt - at least give it the chance to put together a complete meal or two for one's enjoymentl - before trashing it in public. In my neck of the woods - I try to nurture such places - and emphasize the positive when I find it. If those of us in smaller cities don't do that - all we'll be left with down the road is mile after mile of mediocre chain restaurants. Robyn

OK - I have to ask all of you people in the Seattle area. Have you eaten a meal in your general area that costs $75-100 a head that you think was worth it? I know there are many people where I live who think that *no* meal is worth that amount of money - which is why our restaurant scene - in general - to repeat a word - "sucks". But I always thought of Seattle as being more sophisticated than Jacksonville. Perhaps it's just a cursory impression based on a few afternoons in furniture stores. Maybe they are just 2 grunge cities on opposite coasts? Or maybe computer geeks don't like to spend money on food? Or maybe young people in general aren't used to spending a lot of money on food? Got me. So who of you have spent that much money on a meal in the Seattle area and enjoyed it? What restaurant(s) did you dine at? Robyn

When I bend over - no one would ever confuse me with a Vargas girl . Robyn

That is strange. If I were going to fire anyone - I would have fired half the service staff - not the kitchen (I thought the food was really good). Still - you have to have one meal at Merrick Park - just because it's new and very attractive. So try Mundo or Pescado. You shouldn't have a problem with either on a week night without a reservation (so you might just drive there - check out the menus - and see which looks best to you). I don't know how many choices you have to make. FWIW - I liked Casa Tua better than Azul (although it's a totally different type of cuisine). Robyn

Guy - I told Commander that I at least thought in terms of time spent in the kitchen versus the results (cost/benefit). But I was speaking one home chef to another. I love homemade pesto - so I grow my own basil. But I make the stuff in big batches during the summer - and store it in the refrigerator for weeks/months. I don't have the time to make a fresh batch tonight - and a fresh batch 5 days from now - etc. I do however expect more from a high end restaurant. I expect to get a meal that I never could or would make for myself. Due to limitations of time - talent - access to ingredients - etc. Or - even if I could possibly make the dish - I wouldn't want to do so - since it would mean spending an entire evening in the kitchen while my dinner guests were in the dining room (which is why I like to make a lot of things that can be made in advance). And although I do get experiences like that in high end restaurants these days (high end being defined simply as expensive) from time to time - I find that they're getting harder and harder to come by. Am I just getting old - and remembering the old days as better than they were - or are things different in a lot of high end restaurants these days in your opinion? If things are different - what do you think the differences are? Robyn

I had a squiggly potato masher - but I found it hard to use. So I got a potato ricer at Williams Sonoma. Basically does the same thing with less force. Better tool for a weakling like me . By the way - there's one reason to do potatoes like this you might not have thought of. If your potatoes have lumps - everyone will know they're not instant! I agree about paying attention to tools. For example - I've found that things that don't do well in the food processor can sometimes do well in the blender. Perhaps it's because the blade is much smaller and in contact with the food for a much shorter period of time. So it's easier to wind up with a "chunky" result - as opposed to a puree. And if they don't do well in the blender - then I give them to my husband (he's the prep chef in our house - he's much better with knives than I am). I think it always makes sense to experiment - and to see what makes sense from a time spent/benefit point of view. Robyn

Try toasted pine nuts. I do a variation on your salads. Mesclun with pink grapefruit sections. Pine nuts or walnuts. Some goat cheese if I'm feeling thin that day . And some Brianna's blush wine vinaigrette (somewhat sweet). Robyn

Guy - Thank you for the explanation. When you mentioned "large quantities" - I got a mental image of the largest kitchens I know about - the kitchens on aircraft carriers. I once saw a kitchen where naval personnel receive culinary training. The Hobart mixer was almost as big as I am . I understand that you worked for a while as the chef at Pavillon in Miami. Were you the first chef at that restaurant? I lived in Miami for a long time and remember how good the restaurant was when it first opened (especially good for Miami - I'm not sure there's been an equally good restaurant serving that type of food in Miami since that time). I also remember meeting the chef. So I probably met you! The only thing I disliked about the restaurant was the room. Seemed a shame to me to take one of the best waterfront locations in Miami and design a place that looked like the middle of any big city. Regards, Robyn

Although I have thrown some pots away over the years - I still have the first set I ever bought when I got married over 30 years ago (an old set of Farberware classic). What's more - I still use it! Robyn

Maybe the problem with better clothes is there are too many home chefs like me. I have an XXL red Champion tshirt that I use when I'm cooking anything that is red or brown or has oil in it - which is a heck of a lot of the time. Note that I am very short - so it is basically a mini-dress on me - and every time I wash it - it gets "minier" . Robyn

Just as an aside - Bed, Bed & Beyond appears to be closing out "Commercial" nonstick Calphalon (perhaps it's being replaced 100% by Calphalon One). Our local store had some very good deals this week (particularly when you throw in a 20% off coupon). And just my two cents - if you are thinking of buying a large expensive piece of cookware - and you're not quite sure what you'll use it for - wait until you have a recipe you want to cook - and you need the new pot. Then shop around. It's easier to buy something when you have some idea what you're going to use it for (which is why I don't normally buy formal dresses on spec ). I have both a large oval and a large round (Magnalite - out of production). I use the round much more often than the oval - but I tend to cook things like chili and stew a lot more than pot roast. Your mileage may vary. Robyn

yeah, but who can afford or find it! Two questions, man. Affording is one thing, but finding is easy. I have two bottles of the good stuff at home. Now, granted, I'm too cheap to use them 99% of the time, but I've got 'em! And not using it about 99% of the time is about right. You don't want to saute with it - or make a salad dressing out of it. On the other hand - you might drizzle some over some strawberries for dessert. Robyn

I don't think it's fair to judge a restaurant on the basis of a "meal" that consists of 3 appetizers split between 2 people (that's more of a snack than a meal) - particularly when the menu looks like this. Like I said - my husband and I went to this restaurant twice during a trip to Bellevue last year. We returned for a second meal because we liked the first one so much. We ate one meal at our hotel - Bellevue Club - which was ok. And another at an Indian restaurant which I won't name because it was an unfortunate choice on our part. We ate at the raw bar both times - and asked the raw bar chefs to do "omakase" - i.e., chef's choice - for us. The food didn't compare with the best raw seafood we've eaten say - for example - in high end sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. But it was very good - and a lot cheaper. And everything was very fresh (perhaps there are better and worse things at the raw bar at this restaurant - but - after we put ourselves in the chefs' hands - we never saw anything that we would consider "worse"). We just kept eating dishes that the chefs prepared until we were almost full - and then we split a dessert. The service was professional and friendly. I will note that on both occasions - our bills - exclusive of tax and tip - were about $125 - including a couple of drinks and a couple of glasses of wine. This was in line with what you'd pay at a restaurant with similar quality of food and similar design (the restaurant is lovely) in a medium city (like Seattle or Jacksonville FL - where I live). I will also note that $9 is about what you'd expect to spend at a nice restaurant for "novelty" drinks or exotic martinis in similar cities. You can expect to spend more in larger cities. For what it's worth - in Los Angeles - it's not unusual for us to to wind up spending $100-150 per person on food alone at a really high end place. Depends on how exotic the seafood is. Perhaps we had an unusually good couple of nights - or you just had a bad one - or perhaps the restaurant isn't as good as it was last year. Still - I would never say a restaurant "sucked" after eating only 1 1/2 appetizers there. Robyn

I'm not so sure I agree with you about pesto in the food processor as opposed to the mortar and pestle. I've made it at home - both ways - and I think the difference (if there is one) is very small. Perhaps I'm just not a good enough cook for it to make a big difference. On the other hand - there are definitely things that should never see the inside of a food processor (like mashed potatoes - which wind up like glue). By the way - I like the way Guy writes too. That's why I'm reading everything he's writing . Robyn

I went to Mundo last month and wrote a bit about it in this thread. Robyn

I order cheese from France sometimes. If I order it by about 10 am - it's on my doorstep next business day (courtesy of overnight FEDEX). Robyn

This is exactly what happened when Zagat's said that Grocery, a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York was the 7th most popular restaurant in New York. By the way - I'm not sure what the big fuss here is all about. There are numerous "Best X Lists" in all manner of publications - including ones like Travel & Leisure - and Gourmet. I doubt anyone takes them at anywhere near face value - and no one spends a half day dissecting them. Robyn

I agree about single standards - while giving reasonable time for compliance. I think Florida could do ok assuming the geographical area for certain things wasn't all that limited - and the geographical area for other things wasn't limited at all. There are many things that can't be grown here due to the climate - apples for cider is one. Peaches. All manner of more northern fruits and berries. We don't have the requisite number of chill hours for most fruits - except citrus. And even with citrus - in north Florida and the Panhandle - we're more than 100 miles away from the prime citrus areas (as well as the tropical fruit and winter vegetable areas) in the south. I've been to local FM - as well as markets in south Florida, central Florida (like Gainesville) and the Panhandle (like Tallahassee). Have also seen food purveyors at some of the local county fairs. The quality is generally ok - it's just that there aren't a whole lot of different things for sale (even the local honey industry has had problems lately because of difficulties with the local bee population - which is why I plant a lot of things that bees enjoy). Also - when it comes to local seasonal products - something like - for example - fresh collards - and more importantly - fresh black eyed peas - our local supermarkets seem to do a good job of stocking those items at the appropriate times of year. Anyway - if you say it can be done - I'll keep my fingers crossed . Thank you for the information about the food markets in London. Robyn

I have been trying for several days to think of something seriously witty to say about these sex shop suggestions. Came up with a big blank. So all I can say is - thanks . Robyn

I'm not sure I can handle Irish English with a French accent. Irish English is hard enough for a yank (although the worst - at least for me - is Scottish English - I've traveled in Scotland and sometimes I could swear it's not the same language) . On the other hand - I can handle young Frenchmen who don't look old enough to serve alcohol legally . Robyn

Guy - Thanks for this response. I am trying to understand everything you said - so forgive me if I ask a question. I understand the bechamel sauce. I can make a simple one - like the one from white wheat flour, butter and milk to use - for example - in macaroni and cheese. I also understand your description of the sauce starting to separate - which is what happens when you put my home cooked macaroni and cheese in the refrigerator for a few days (it doesn't have emulsifiers - or stabilizers - or anything to "keep it together"). I guess where I got confused is I'm not sure what the connection is between the genetically modified corn and how it's used in starches that are used in kitchens. I'm just a "home cook" - and I don't think I've ever cooked with a corn based starch. So - if I understand you correctly - what you're saying is a starch made from genetically modified corn is used not only in processed foods - but is also available for use in commercial kitchens. And it has certain qualities that make it attractive to chefs. Do I understand you correctly? Thanks for your patience. I frequently don't understand technical things first time around - and I'd rather ask a question or two than remain ignorant. By the way - I think what you were saying about the French food industry/culture is that it's a bit too bureaucratic. I'm sure that every food industry/culture - no matter what country you're talking about - has its faults. It would be great if we could have a genetically modified food industry/culture - where we could just take the best of each country! Robyn