Varmint

Folks, you can always come to North Carolina, where tobacco is still king. If you go to Winston-Salem (is that a smoker's name or what), I believe smoking is still permitted on buses. Sorry if I'm wrong about that. Many restaurants have indeed gone smokeless, but that's voluntary. Many restaurants, particularly barbecue restaurants, make no distinctions between smokers and non-smokers.

I have a little paring knife in which the tip broke off. Thus, with its flat end, it's perfect for cleaning my press.

Dude, I don't even know you, but the thought of you wearing those is a bit much.

I will readily agree that coarsely chopped, sliced and whole garlic is different than minced garlic. That's a matter of surface area. I often throw a bunch of whole cloves in olive oil over low to medium heat and pan roast them until they're golden. This adds a great and sweetish garlic flavor to the dish.

And even Alton Brown only dismissed the garlic press because it wasn't a "multi-tasker."

Agreed, but if you ultimately are trying to obtain minced garlic and look at the end products: "smashed" garlic through a press and "minced" garlic with a knife, both of them have undergone dramatic mechanical alteration. Cell walls will be broken down, juices released in both instances. The only difference that I can visibly detect is that the pressed garlic has some remaining fibers stuck in the press, and no such "waste" exists when minced. Does this result in a taste difference. Please, someone, convince me I'm wrong. Has Harold McGee or Shirley Corriher written on this?

I'll continue to disagree, Nina. Chopping the garlic also causes the liquid to exude, but it is spread across the surface of the chopping board. I don't find the liquid objectionable. Plus, your nut analogy isn't exactly on point, because grinding them also causes the nuts to heat up. I'll be the first to say I'm way off my rocker here, but I'll remain a skeptic. Maybe we'll do a double blind tasting.

tourist. That would be Mr. Tourist to you. Seriously, how many of you have truly done a taste comparison? Finely mincing garlic with a knife and salt doesnt' cause any more damage to cell walls than a press? Pshaw. I get the maximum flavor from a press, because I do it over the pan. Thus, all the volatile oils go into the dish as well, instead of adhering to your cutting board. The other thing is that I use quite a lot of garlic and buy mine freshly peeled from Whole Foods. They peel it themselves, and since I don't have to peel it or mince it, I'm way ahead. Coop- Is your order of preference based on taste? Texture? I'm going to take a Fat Guy like position and demand empirical studies of the difference!

My name is Varmint and I'm a garlic press-aholic. OK, I'm ready for the scorn, but I've conducted comparative tastings and have found no noticeable difference in taste. I love my press. It takes me 15 seconds to mince 6 to 8 cloves of the stuff. Nuff said!

I think you just need to take some time and look at a map of North Carolina. Lexington is at least 2-3 hours west of I-95. Ayden, where Pete Jones' Skylight Inn is located, is probably an hour east of I-95. If I were you, I'd swing over to Wilson, where they have several good barbecue joints, the best of which is Mitchell's. Tony Bourdain actually visited there on his tour of NC barbecue joints (to be aired soon). Go before it gets popularized, because it doesn't have the name recognition of some places. You can also try my other favorite, Wilbers, in Goldsboro, which is about 40 minutes east of I-95. Also consider trying Fuller's in Lumberton (just off I-95), as they incorporate a lot of Lumbee Indian cooking into their southern cuisine. I just don't see you heading as far west as you'd think, unless you want to add another entire day to your trip.

Boatman- Just wondering why you'd be going through Charlotte on your way to Florida. I'd think it's a bit out of the way. If you end up more easterly, let me know and we'll find a good breakfast place for you.

Please also note that Holly has barely made a dent in the hundreds of barbecue joints in the Carolinas. Give him a few more years, however!!!

Here are some barbecue links from the early days of eGullet. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=28&t=5661 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=28&t=5645 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=28&t=6168 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=28&t=12901 Enjoy!!!

Shaba Shabu is a fairly interesting concept and a highly stylized restaurant (as far as Raleigh is concerned). It's actually two restaurants in one: Japanese on one side and Thai on the other. You can't order Thai on the Japanese side and vice-versa. I've had lunch twice on the Thai side and ate sushi on the Japanese the other night. They do a pretty good job with their larb, although I believe they use too much lime and not enough nam plaa. Their sushi is pretty good, but you don't actually interact with the chefs at the sushi bar -- you still have to order through the waitresses in their plaid miniskirts and white knee socks -- very Catholic school girl, indeed. The owners are trying very hard to bring success to a very run-down strip mall (of course, most restaurants in this area are in strip malls, aren't they?). I haven't tried Duck & Dumpling yet, but its downtown location is promising. The chef previously ran a standard Chinese-American restaurant that was not noteworthy at all, but I have heard he's doing much more creative things at the new place. Please report back!

Thanks, Rex. If you scroll down a page or two, you'll see that we have a few threads discussing the unfortunate passing of Monsieur L'Oiseau.

So I'm a hypocrite. So sue me. Actually, I think by now they recognize eGulleteers, and all we have to do is waggle an eyebrow. I thought it was the scarlet "e" on our chests.

For those of you who are not familiar with Loiseau, you may want to check out the book, "Burgundy Stars." It's a compelling story of Loiseau's efforts to attain the third Michelin star. Available at Amazon [Edited to revise ink to Amazon.com so that eGullet gets the commission from a purchase.]

Excellent report. And Fat Guy didn't bother to introduce himself?

I think it will be important for you to understand the hospital's limitations, particularly with ingredients and the time of preparation. As much as it would be preferable to use fresh coconut, for example, that may be an ingredient -- like many fresh ingredients -- that would be difficult for the hospital to obtain and maintain. Plus, the time involved may be prohibitive. However, Suvir, you are indeed fortunate to have found a hospital willing to make such efforts to take care of its patients in this manner.

I only wish all restaurants would take a page out of Hemant's book regarding service. I am frequently dazzled by the posts about this restaurant and cannot wait to get to NY to visit Diwan. Simply amazing.

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Suvir- As a healthcare attorney who represents a number of hospitals (and knowing how the different departments -- including nutrition/dietetics -- work), you need to stay on the same path that you have started. Charming them and offering to teach them will continue to get results. As others have suggested, if the kitchen is in a bind, ask for the plain renditions of the dishes and add seasonings after the fact. It won't be as good, but it should still be palatable to your father. You are fortunate that you are in a hospital willing to work with you to this extent. We have had to deal with situations that were not handled such as this, and food is always a major area of complaint among patients. Not surprisingly, and I don't think a formal study has ever been completed, but there is anecdotal evidence indicating that the better the hospital's food (and their willingness to accomodate individual patients' requests), the lower the incidence of malpractice claims made against the hospital. Hospitals are recognizing that they're in a competitive service industry, and if they can make the patient happy, they'll get more business and fewer complaints (and fewer lawsuits, too). Keep us posted on this, Suvir.

I need to look through my copy of Clifford Wright's A Mediterranean Feast. That may provide some assistance.

Do they not have a web presence, Mr. Guy?

Not to confuse the issue any further, but how do these cuisines differ from Serbian food? Jason's mentioning of bureks made me recall my many Serbian meals in Milwaukee, which had 4 or 5 Serbian restaurants several years ago.