ludja

Has anyone been to their store on Polk St (in SF)? I think it is the original store. It's right next to another SF institution, the Swan Oyster Depot. After a wonderful meal of Oysters and Crab Louis it's perfect to go next door and pick out a few pieces for dessert...

just another accent plus food combination that comes out funny.. parent of friend from west-by-god-virginia pronounces ice cream as..... 'ars cream' (made for a funny sitchy-aytion when we were asked if we wanted to go out for ice cream)

Aaargh! I'm always the one with champagne tastes on a beer budget. Still, I'll keep my eye out for it. Might make a perfect holiday gift for... me! I just located a copy in our district library system. I'll be a good, honest library patron, citizen, and human being and not "lose" it. It arrived the other day. I love this book. I learn something new from nearly every page; his annotations often are more instructive than the recipe itself. He writes with authority, clarity, humor, and a Southern sensibility. ("If you want to be trendy, you can call your grits, as some demented individuals are now doing, Southern polenta, but I'd really rather not know about it." "...Charleston and Savannah...are so distinct from one another that they might as well be in different countries....Savannah, with its distinctly English plan, architecture, and sensibilities, has little of Charleston's West Indian flair.") I'm also amazed that it went out of print and that it hasn't been reissued in paperback. I feel the same way. Although I'm lucky to have found a copy; I'd be willing to help petition the publisher (I had been thinking of doing that before). Is it best to just send a letter? Do you know Bill Neal's books also? I knew them first, and then came across Fowler's book later. Bill Neal has 2 major books: Bill Neal's Southern Cooking and Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie. Both are excellent; the latter is just amazing in it's comprehensivness and background on Southern Baking and sweets. The former is just as good; just wish it would be longer! Luckily these books have been reissued and are also available in paperback. I enjoyed these books so much, that I had always wanted to contact Bill Neal and let him know of my appreciation for what he had done. I never did and was so sad to hear of his untimely death. Curious if you or maggiethecat have other favorite Southern cookbooks?

I know you said you weren't too excited about water; but when I can't drink (or not much) at dinner, I go for a sparkling water... Other idea could be a dry sparkling cider... non-alcolholic; not sure if that exists though..

Great tip, thanks!

A small point... I can't remember what he (jwagner...sp?) said about cost, but I do recall that he said he and his wife both dropped over 20 lbs in 6 months. According to him this was not b/c they were eating less but rather that they had severely cut back on processed foods...(and one would presume, a gain in fruits and vegetables). Eating less processed food and fast food definately improved their long term health--which is also a plus in terms of economic issues (medical bills, missed work, etc)

So, I just got a chance to catch up on the thread and this variation of hazelnut crescents sounds great also! Thank you for the recipe. (Maybe I'll bake these to bring home to compare w/the vanillekipfel). Also--have to say I am intrigued by the butter tarts. Have seen them mentioned a few times and they sound great also--thanks for your special recipe!

Christmas cookies are definately a big tradition in Germany and Austria as well--and I would suspect via immigrantion that may be a large reason for the Christmas cookie baking here. (Probably also from Scandinavian countries?) It's traditional to have a selection of cookies and to bring them out when people come over to visit anytime during the holidays to have with coffee or gluwein (a hot, spiced wine). My mom (from Austria) makes no less than 10 different kinds of cookies...most have nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts) and tend to be more European style (smaller and tending less towards thick and gooey after-school-with-milk cookies--which are great too!) I haven't reviewed the whole post yet, but our family favorites are 'Vanillekipfel' or vanilla crescents. They are also always among the top choice with any people new to them... They are rich cookies filled with ground nuts and then drenched in vanilla powdered sugar while still warm out of the oven. You make them well ahead of time and let them ripen. (just got off the phone with my mom and she was just baking them today...). Interestingly, the recipes for these that you see around most often (including in Saveur's current December issue) use ground almonds. In the part of Austria my family comes from walnuts are more abundant and they use them instead. I think they taste even better with walnuts (the walnuts are nice and buttery; while almonds are drier). Also, in most cases (including in the photo in Saveur) people make them pretty thick... My mom rolls the dough into ropes about 1/2 inch thick(or slightly larger). Then cut into 3 inch lengths; curve to form a nice delicate crescent. Yummmm... edited for typo

Thanks for your thoughtful post therdogg.

The Mayan Hot Chocolate Recipe looks great---a gussied up version of the simplebut tasty technique of whirling Mexican Chocolate (like Ibarra) in a blender with hot milk (remember to loosen to top a bit before blending). Whenever I make 'regular' hot chocolate, I add a pinch of cayenne and it is great!

Went to the local Trader Joes a few months ago when they were introducing 3 buck chuck ($2.99 in Chicago). Asked the manager "how is it"? He asked "do you like wine"? I said "yes". He said "buy something else". Ouch! Okay, I give up. How about another suggestions. I like Bonny Doon wines; while I like some of their other wines better, their house wines (Ca D'Solo?) are pretty good for the price. Navarro Vineyards also has wines for excellent value but I'm pretty sure you have to buy directly from them (or enjoy at a restaurant).

you sidle up to the bar before dinner and there is wine-in-a-box on tap and beer in cans.... (this really happened) (Got reminded of this while posting on "poor folk wine" thread)

Aaaaaagggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I thought it would provoke some comment (or sounds of strangulated, gasping... ) but two-buck was a god-send for me during my unemployed hiatus. For one thing, it allowed me to keep my wine cellar of good wine intact until I had $$$ again to entertain and cook food worthy of it... Buy Franzia in a box -- it is the same product (different marketing scheme, but same producer). Maybe pouring it out of a bottle makes you believe it tastes better than the stuff out of a box. I don't think it does. Scary! I've never had wine in a box (knowingly, anyway) so I couldn't say. I do think it is better than many other supermarket wines under $10. Even if that is true, it is still certainly an individual choice of whether or not it meets a personal minimal threshold in quality!

Caveat being that I do like grapefruit juice, sometimes late at night (2:00 or so) I will get an intense craving for copious amounts of icy, grapefruit juice (nothing else will do)-and I have to gulp down 2 large glasses... (haven't correlated it to anything--but truly, it is one of the strongest cravings I get). I didn't think of it until I saw your post though...but I had the same feeling you did; is there some vitamin deficiency driving this? My strange craving recently though (came out of the blue, with no obvious promptings) has been for clams--fried or stuffed and baked. I grew up in New England but have lived out west for over a decade. So, it is true that I don't get clams much out here. This craving started in the summer and has percolated in me since. I made a spontaneous, and inevitably, ill-advised attempt to silence this need by ordering fried clams on the Santa Cruz Pier in Augusts and was rewarded with greasy rubberbands enrobed in a thick tasteless batter... I'm going back East during the holidays and clams are at the top of my list! Noticed I shared company w/some other people craving fried clams earlier in the post.

Aaaaaagggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I thought it would provoke some comment (or sounds of strangulated, gasping... ) but two-buck was a god-send for me during my unemployed hiatus. For one thing, it allowed me to keep my wine cellar of good wine intact until I had $$$ again to entertain and cook food worthy of it...

Incredible that some one could suggest, believe, verbalize that this approaches deprivation. Interesting though, that all three points have little to do with WHAT the person was able or forced to eat. Rather all three items relate to time and food preparation knowledge. It is not sufficient to provide financial help for people to buy food and prepare simple, healthful, nutritious meals. The take home message: more money is needed to finance the purchase of fast food, junk food, take out food, pre-prepared food. Somehow the leap has been made in the general consciousness that purchasing more expensive 'convenience' food is a god-given right or necessity rather than a choice, if you have the $. (a poor choice, in my opinon, but nonetheless, a choice).

When I first saw the title of this thread; I thought it was referring to poorly made wine made at home (by folks...) Reminded me when growing up of a member of the immigrant community my family was a part of in CT. He had a house on the outskirts of town; some land on which he grew grapes and used to make his own wine. The wine was brought out at big picnics. It was a nice idea, but the first few glasses were a little difficult to drink--and you didn't feel so well the next day...

three words: two-buck chuck (at Trader Joes)

It's Tops Diner on mid-Market is open late if you're in the mood for burgers, other diner fare or breakfast (try the buckwheat pancakes...) after 10 pm--Zuni as mentioned above... I also like Ryoko's for sushi (a couple blocks west of Union SQ); they might be open 'til midnight on weekends...

In the spirit of reporting alternatives to duck confit, I've had a wonderful pork tenderloin confit (served with cabbage and an apple-onion marmalade) at Gerald Hirigoyen's San Francisco restaurant, Fringale. This was a while back so I don't know if it is still on the menu. I made it at home from a recipe he published in Food & Wine (September Chef issue at ~ 6-8 years ago) and it was great. (He published another version of this recipe in The Bes of Casual French Cooking but it is roasted rather than stewed in lard. I guess the recipe is almost a type of rillette main course. I also love pork carnitas in which you also stew pork for a long time in fat. Mexican Confit???

Dear Suvir, Thank you for the recipes! My first real introduction to Indian food was at Sue's Kitchen in Mountain View, CA. (Silicon Valley--which has tons of excellent Indian restaurants) Had Lamb Vindaloo the first time, and then proceeded to order it 10 or 12 times more before I could even begin to start tasting other things on the menu! (which are all excellent). I will definately try the vindaloo recipe you generously passed along. One of my other favorite lamb preparations are grilled or broiled lamb chops--including Greek versions with lemon, pepper and oregano. Hmmm, a classic preparation along which one must have roasted or grilled potatoes AND a luscious Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or Merlot. One reason I love cooking or ordering lamb chops is that they are so wonderful an accompaniement to good red wine. Haven't tasted to much goat; but have had a good goat stew in a Carribean restaurant with a roti style bread.

Do you mean Manner Wafers from Austria? Link here: http://www.buonappetitony.com/html/cookies/manner.asp my favorites are lemon and hazelnut. ps. those do sound like something I would snag at the last minute and then eat in the car... Since I usually bought those at a german deli/meat store, made me think of something else to buy and eat a la minute. Little pre-cooked hot dogs at a german deli; hard to resist after being engulfed in the absolute best yummy smell of a german deli.

My meal at Le Train Blew was also very memorable--for both the food and the atmosphere.

If I recall correctly, the original Don the Beachcomber recipe went something like this: equal parts gin, bourbon, fresh lime juice dash of bitters fill with ginger ale No rum. But I'm sure the version you had bore no resemblance to the original. Not necessarily a dig at Vic--hey, at least his legacy is still alive & kicking--it's just that most tiki drinks have been turned into "girl drinks" over the years. I will have to check it in my (misplaced) copy of Beachbum Berry's Grog Log, which I highly recommend along with its sequel, Intoxica. With them, you can (and will) become a vintage tiki know-it-all like yours truly! (Caveat: Don was highly secretive to the point of paranoia and no one is 100% sure of the original recipes; the Beachbum Berry books are just the most reliable sources I know.) thanks babyluck, for the info and recipe. I will definately try the recipe you posted; sounds different from anything I've tried. I'm with you on the 'girlie' drinks; (not a fan). One reason I like their suffering bastard is that it is less sweet than many of their others. The half lime and cuke keep it interesting. I'm interested if you find anything more! Thanks.

Chez Panisse Vegetables (Chez Panisse Fruits less so.. (Whenever I'm thinking of cooking some seasonal vegetable I check here for description of varietals, signs of quality, peak seasons, etc; then browse through recipes for ideas; variations. Whenever I come across inspired ideas, combos for vegetables I pencil it in to this book; have ideas all in one place!) When I'm thinking simple french: Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells is failure proof; second excellent resource is: French Farmhouse Cooking by Loomis.