LaurieA-B

Some time ago Mark Bittman had a recipe for marinated olives in the New York Times. It may have with the article about simplifying restaurant food to serve at home. He said that by marinating any kind of olive with herbs and--olive oil?--you could make them taste amazing with no effort. Not long after that a friend served me olives prepared according to that recipe, and they were great. She used cerignola olives, as described by Blue Heron. (She is traveling right now, or I would ask her for the recipe.) Does anyone have the Bittman recipe, or suggestions for marinating/flavoring olives?

In The Pie and Pastry Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum gives a recipe for Butter Biscuits made with sieved hard-boiled egg yolk. Has anyone tried an egg-yolk recipe? I was quite surprised when I read this. Ron, how does your mother shape her biscuits? I often make drop biscuits, though of course the result is not what Malawry is looking for. My mom always made drop biscuits, because it's quicker than rolling and cutting, and I love the crunchy bits on top.

When I first noticed doughnut peaches a couple of years ago, I was warned against them and have never tried one. While people have posted positive comments on white peaches here, I haven't tried those either. I hold out for Pence (and Peach-o-rama ends Wednesday, alas). Every single Pence peach I've bought at Thriftway this year has been good (some spectacular). We ate a case (except for three that are sliced in the freezer) and they were all good. But I know Matthew had at least one unimpressive Pence peach. I haven't eaten anyone else's peaches, but I may try some from the farmers market after Thriftway is finished. I just don't see any others that are truly ripe when I buy them. Fragrance is a good indicator; the ones I bought at Thriftway today smell luscious. As mentioned above, you get a price break when you buy a case. I think these are well worth the price.

I did make the shortcake, with some kirsch in the whipped cream. It was Good.

Matthew has his mom's (aka heyjude's) shortcake recipe on the grubshack. I've had it and it's delicious. In fact I plan to make it very soon. I tried the recipe for "Pence Peach Kuchen" on the peachorama website and it was not very good. The bottom crust was extremely, uncomfortably dry, and the sour cream just gets weird. But the baked peaches were delicious. So instead of this kuchen, if you want baked/roasted peaches, I suggest halving them and baking them with some cinnamon-sugar or brown sugar sprinkled on top, then serve with whipped cream or mascarpone. I like them best raw and fresh (adding whipped cream and shortcake doesn't hurt either).

We brought home a box (10 pounds) of Pence peaches from a field trip to Admiral Thriftway on Friday. They are very ripe and we are eating them like mad. These peaches are SO GOOD--if you haven't visited Thriftway this month, go. Peachorama is scheduled to end August 21. Note that you will receive a discount on a full box ($1.90/lb instead of $2.49/lb; not sure on the Frog Hollow). But if you do not cook/can/preserve them in some way it is a challenge to eat all the peaches in time, even if you eat at least three per day, like me. (That is not an exaggeration.) Every single one was ripe and ready to eat when we bought them. I quarter, peel, and eat my peaches; Matthew doesn't bother peeling, just dives in over the kitchen sink. I also dice one into my breakfast cereal, and it takes cereal to a whole new level. These peaches are heavenly. Call the Peachorama hotline: 206/933-9475

So you will understand: mamster and I are referring to the same drawer. tommy, we have two containers of the type you describe (one is a ceramic jar, one is a basket designed to hold a bottle of wine). They are stuffed with various wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, pancake turners, and whisks. I never have any trouble finding what I need in those. Some time ago Matthew installed a magnetic knife holder which holds our knives and Microplane (which gets daily use around here). It is very handy and I sometimes consider magnetizing everything (like Tom Douglas's kitchen as shown in the book Great Kitchens). He also nailed a couple of small nails in the wall to hang the measuring spoons on, which was an extremely good idea. We just went through the drawer and threw out about seven things, including all duplicates and the pickle puller. I think we may need to take out anything that is used at least once a week and hang it in a visible place. We tried moving to New York, and did in fact have a kitchen without drawers. We dined out a lot. BUT I must add that Matthew inaccurately called this a junk drawer. A junk drawer is the little drawer filled with receipts, rubber bands, twist ties, keys you don't know what for, random screws and nails, and fuzzy Lifesavers. As our kitchen only has a few drawers, we don't even have room for a real junk drawer. The drawer to which he refers is a utensil drawer, lacking real junk (especially since we just threw away the broken salad tongs and extra thermometer).

bella, have you tried potato gatto? It is very like what you describe. I am fond of plain mashed potatoes as well, but gatto is "sublime." I clipped a recipe some months back for Pancetta Mashed Potatoes, with crisped pancetta and shallots... almost another version of gatto, and very delicious.

Blue Heron, here's the grubshack word on fish sauce. We have Baby right now, which Matthew bought in Richmond BC. As mentioned in the article, Squid is readily available in Seattle.

I think that La Casa Gelato may have a gorgonzola-burgundy flavor. Check it out the next time you're in Vancouver.

Restaurants in my neighborhood that I've never eaten in, but would like to try: 611 Supreme Rosebud El Greco Karam's (I think that's the name; Middle Eastern place on 15th?) Machiavelli Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen Tango I've been discouraged from including Galerias (apparently I don't want to eat there). These places have all been here as long as we've lived on Capitol Hill, since 1996, within walking distance, but I've never eaten there once. I keep meaning to check them out, but when we're grabbing a quick meal in the neighborhood, it's usually an old (cheap) reliable like Siam on Broadway, La Cocina, or Pagliacci. Cassis would be an old reliable, but as it's not (cheap), I've only eaten there once. Opinions on my list are welcomed; MsRamsey has recommended El Greco, so we'll try to visit soon.

I have a LCG postcard circa 1997 advertising 138 flavours--they're now up to 198, with no sign of stopping. On our most recent visit I sampled the pandanus leaf, which Matthew recommended. It is pale green with a light, nutty flavour. I lacked the courage to sample the very dark green ice cream in a center case. No, it wasn't avocado; I'd tasted the avocado before, and found it mild and creamy. This was... arugula. And it looked like arugula. And I like arugula. But I wasn't about to taste it as ice cream. I also tried the pear ice cream, which tasted nice and juicy. Other flavours noted were garlic and pear-Gorgonzola. They have a nice array of fruity sorbets, some with champagne or liqueur enhancements. In case anyone is wondering, their gelato is delicious. Choosing is very difficult, even with the instant elimination of salad ingredients. I ended up with a pleasant dish of apple pie flavour. Guess I was feeling American.

Well, I really only mentioned QFC because col klink is such a big fan. Does PCC also carry Grand Central? I prefer their bread to Essential, though the Essential rosemary loaf is always good. I've almost never visited a PCC, probably because (accurately or not) I've bracketed it in my mind with health food stores like Rainbow Grocery. When I dropped my vegetarian habit several years ago, I also stopped going to health food stores. (While some things about Whole Foods smack of health, the sausages, cheese, and buttery cookies overcame my bias.) The thing that will get me into a PCC is if someone with good taste tells me they have really delicious, great-tasting food (produce, cheese, deli, bread, whatever). I believe in supporting local, independent businesses, but my priority is eating deliciously. It's great when a business offers both those things, as the farmers markets do. If PCC does as well, I'm willing to check it out.

Matthew's washing dishes, so I asked him and he said Blue Heron is correct; Citysearch reviews are dumb, so he was amused that BH distinguished between "real" reviews and Citysearch reviews. I thought maybe he was making some joke about Matt's at the Market and the fact that we have a Matthew and a Matt who are members of the PNW board. Apparently I was thinking too hard. But it does seem like mamster and klink should meet for lunch at Matt's some time.

All I know is what's not there--Bellevue used to have a Marsee Bakery and a Grand Central Bakery, but I believe both closed down a couple of years ago. With that sad history, I would guess the best place for bread is the Grand Central shelf at your local QFC.

I think it's always interesting to kids to look at where people eat with utensils vs. fingers and what they are eating--eating with fingers and sticky rice in Thailand, or injera in Ethiopia. American kids tend to be surprised by the idea of eating only with fingers. Since it's a website, it'll have a global audience; maybe kids in some countries would be interested the idea of having to use a fork or spoon all the time. (And chopsticks can come in here as well.) Rachel's idea is a good one, to talk about breakfast foods. I remember being amazed to learn that French children ate bread and chocolate for breakfast. (In retrospect, I'm not sure why this was so surprising, since I had things like hot chocolate, pancakes with syrup, and Pop Tarts.) What about featuring some of the cities, esp. in Asia, with lots of street food? "In Taipei, when you walk down the street you can buy green onion pancakes, grilled pork, and shaved ice with red beans on top."

Last week I was down in Columbia City for a meeting, and grabbed a couple of tacos at Dos Hermanos on my way. They were really tasty--fresh, crisped tortillas, juicy chicken, plenty of onions and peppers. I took the tacos down the block to the park by the library. Dos Hermanos has a fairly extensive menu (for a taco wagon), and I definitely want to go back. Tacos were $1.25 each, with the usual list of fillings (steak, al pastor, cerveza, more pork things). The taco wagon is in the same parking lot as the farmers market, at Rainier S and S Edmunds. Since the CC Farmers Market is Wednesday 4-7, it's perfect for a combination market/taco excursion.

girl chow, perhaps the reason you didn't go to La Medusa is that they don't take reservations for groups smaller than six. When we went there in January (same meal described by Matthew earlier), we had a reservation, but then Matthew's brothers couldn't come, so we had to cancel the reservation. Matthew, his parents, and I still went, but had to wait a long time for a table (around an hour, I think). They did serve us focaccia, and also gave us a complimentary antipasto platter when we were finally seated, which was nice as well as tasty. La Medusa has a pleasant atmosphere and the food was good, though not necessarily worth waiting in a long line for. It's a little heavy on sardines and anchovies for my taste. (Batgrrl, you should check it out.) And we still haven't made it to Salumeria! I'm moving it to the top of the dining list.

I don't like burgers. Yet I post to this thread. Why? I agree with klink about the bacon cheeseburger at Red Mill, only I order it without the hamburger patty. Bacon-cheesy sandwich, plus fries with a side of mill sauce, plus a creamsicle shake, equal the best fast-food meal ever. The onion rings are also very very good, but I love to dip the fries in mill sauce. I've eaten at the other Red Mill location on Dravus; the food was excellent and it's often less crowded than Phinney. Has anyone tried Scooter's Burgers in Ballard? I've heard they have good shakes and sandwiches.

Places where I have taken visitors: Kingfish Cafe La Rustica Siam on Broadway (now that we've enjoyed it, I would also take visitors to Thaiku in Ballard for delicious Thai food) Osteria La Spiga Sunfish or Spud (we used to go more to Spud, but now prefer Sunfish) Burrito Loco Red Mill Burgers (Have we had a burgers in Seattle thread? I don't actually eat hamburgers, but my personal Red Mill special is wonderfully tasty: double bacon cheeseburger with no hamburger patty [but lots of bacon], embellished with fries and a Creamsicle shake.) I don't have many friends or relatives who like to spend much on food, so these lower-priced but impressive places are good picks. I think the next time my parents are visiting we'll take them to Catfish Corner. The hush puppies are as good with their catfish as the Kingfish's grits are with theirs.

I checked out the Columbia City Farmers Market today. It was very lively (helped by the facts that it's the last day of school, this afternoon was bright and sunny, and the market included a Juneteenth celebration). We go to the U-District Market on Saturday morning (these are all Seattle markets, by the way), and many of the same farmers were in CC. Notable addition was a table with a peanut roaster, and lots of fresh roasted peanuts (in the shell). I think there were a couple of extra berry booths, too. Lots of strawberries, in general. I bought a couple of pints and came home to find that Matthew had also bought a couple of pints at Thriftway. Whatever will we do? (Shortcake, that's what we'll do.) The berries are very ripe, red, and juicy, nice and dirty so you can tell they really grew. I also bought some rhubarb, and the farmer told me this week is the last chance for rhubarb. I made rhubarb crisp twice in the last two weeks and it was Super-Juicy, Yum Yum! both times. Also bought... let's see, rapini, and asparagus. If you haven't been to the CC Market, it's near several good restaurants, like Salumeria on Hudson, La Medusa, Deux Tamales (haven't been there but I've heard it's good), and there's a taco wagon in the parking lot by the market, called Dos Hermanos. Anyone tried it? And has anyone been to Salumeria since their big renovation? We keep talking about going. Farmers Market=good

My TPV food was called, I think, huarache. I've never seen a dish by that name anywhere else, but it sounded good. And tasted delicious. The menu called it, I think, a "fried tortilla bowl" filled with stuff (beans or choice of meat). I would call it a "corn tortilla trough" as it was sort of oval. The tortilla was thick, almost like cornbread, and deliciously soaked up the juices from the chicken and salsa heaped on top (also lettuce and cotija). I don't remember the price, but it was low. I was expecting more of a taco stand atmosphere with faster service; it's not that, but it is very good. Chips and salsa looked complimentary (we got takeout), and they have, as klink mentioned, an extensive selection of drinks in glass bottles. I look forward to returning. Laurie (who has a homejew but no homebrew)

Some weeks ago I ate at Sripraphai in New York with friends, and I insisted on papaya salad despite my friend's insistence that he hated papaya. Fortunately he loved the salad (so did I), which is made with shredded unripe papaya that tastes nothing like ripe papaya. The best thing I don't eat is, without a doubt, SHRIMP. I know it's the best because so many of my friends and family love it. They greet it with cries of delight. I, however, cringe. I don't know why, and I have tried to like it. Something about the shape, and the texture... ew. A year ago I was visiting relatives in England. My cousin cooked an elaborate, delicious meal for Matthew and me. The first course, though, was shrimp cocktail (cold salad shrimp with pink cocktail sauce). My cousin is one of the sweetest people in the world, so I told myself: by God, I will eat these shrimp. I chewed. And chewed. And chewed. Ate an enormous bowlful. Since then I REALLY don't like shrimp. Fortunately Matthew loves them, so he gets all my shrimp (just like I get his avocado). When I get together with my in-laws, I'm the only one who doesn't eat the shrimp. And yet they're the ones who are Jewish. ??

We buy our peaches at Thriftway's annual Peach-o-rama, here in Seattle. These peaches have really made me appreciate seasonal eating. They are heavenly. Matthew wrote about the peachiest of peaches on the grubshack. Millions of Peaches If you want to know what it's like to be a peach farmer, the book Epitaph for a Peach takes you so close you can feel the fuzz.

POCKY VENDING MACHINES?!? Where in the world are there Pocky vending machines? Now that I've calmed down, I assume it's in Japan, where vending machines are very popular, I've heard. Do the machines dispense whole boxes, or packets like those inside the boxes? Almond Crush is my favorite too. I keep meaning to use it as a garnish in some flavor of ice cream to make an elegant dessert for guests. Uwajimaya in Seattle (also in Beaverton, Oregon) is an excellent source for Pocky. In New York, they sell several flavors at the Kam Kuo grocery in Chinatown. I will never eat Pocky for Men because when I see the package I feel certain that it is flavored like Old Spice aftershave cologne.