Varmint

Just make sure you'll be able to open up the refrigerator door all the way to allow you to open your crisper drawers. That's a drawback of putting it in the corner. And if you swap the hinges, then you're sort of trapped with nowhere to put the food.

This may be entirely irrelevant, but because I often dine with my children, the bill is not very much, because of the loss-leader prices of kids' meals. But the waitstaff and buspersons end up working harder for that smaller amount of money -- kids can make an unbelievable mess and they're quite demanding. Thus, I end up tipping a much higher percentage of the bill to make up for that. That's the inverse of the wine predicament. How this plays into the entire discussion of going to a service charge is for the rest of y'all to determine!

One other thing -- if you haven't booked a room, then you best get it done. Our release date is actually this Sunday, the 14th. If you haven't reserved the room before Sunday, you'll have to pay full freight!

OK, I answered my own question. Click here for the Amazon link to the index of Debbie's book.

Hmm, do you have a list of your deviled eggs? It'd be fun for everyone to pick and choose!

Welcome to the discussion, Greg. It's great to have you here (finally!). As stated above, I completely knew that it was a coincidence. The important thing is that those damned BLTs are incredible.

Including children, we have over 90 people committed to attend the pig pickin' so far. I expect there to be a last minute rush in registrations, but we really won't be able to handle many more than 120 to 130. So, please register now if you truly want to come. Thanks!

I won't be driving to NY any time soon; however, one of you HAS to know someone who passes by South of the Border on I-95. It's literally a 10 minute stop to load up the car at $12.95 a case. I know I see tons of NY license plates when I'm on 95!!! Of course, I did just pick up 3 cases for the pig pickin'!

What powers are those? Seriously, Charlie is smart, very smart. He knows what works, what sells, and what's hot. He knows cheap food and high-end dining. Ultimately, he and Giorgios Bakatsias decided that the better scenes were in Durham and Chapel Hill. I really can't argue with him. I wish they'd have a place in Raleigh, but you also have to remember that Bakatsias hasn't had a restaurant outside of Durham and Chapel Hill in ages. Let's just hope that these 3 restaurants work out and we'll get Charlie to open a high end Mexican place here! Now that would be a dream come true!

There are few things that are actually worth dying for, but coconut cake may indeed be on that list! My sister-in-law has promised to make an even larger caramel cake this year (along with the other 5 desserts she made!).

We'd all love to hear a bit more details on the food itself, if you get a chance (HAH!) to describe it. As far as publicity, this story from today's Raleigh News & Observer is about as good as it gets. I particularly like the photo of Charlie looking like he's in the middle of a tai chi exercise -- just click on the "More Photos" button in the story. This is as much buzz as any restaurant gets around here, so we're all hopeful that all three restaurants work well.

Welcome to the eG Forums, exnyer! That's the exact strategy I use -- it drives my kids crazy, because no matter what, "Dad has to walk through the entire market" at least once.

Here's Mummer in action: And some dessert photos to entice those who haven't registered yet.

Da Mummer is in Da House!!! I assume you'll be bringing the musical instruments. If there are any other musicians out there, bring your tune-makers. It'll be fun! 26 days.

My friend Charlie Deal (eGullet Society member "detlefchef") has been just a little bit busy of late. Opening a new restaurant usually causes the owner, manager and chef to lie awake at night, going over mental checklists of every detail that must be addressed to make the establishment ready for the public and critics alike. That's child's play for Charlie, as he's opening not one, not two, but three new restaurants in the Triangle region, and he's acting as owner, chef, and manager of all three! Deal came to North Carolina from Santa Cruz, CA in 2002 in an attempt to escape the out of control real estate market -- yes, he wanted to buy a house. After a brief stint selling wine, Deal found himself partnering with legendary local restaurateur, Giorgios Bakatsias. Bakatsias, who runs Parizade, Vin Rouge, Spice Street and George's Garage, has long been known for his style and focus on trendy culinary concepts. Deal, on the other hand, is a chef first, but with a broad fundamental understanding of restaurant management. The three restaurants, Jujube and Bin Fifty-Four in Chapel Hill and Grasshopper in Durham, represent Deal's first North Carolina ventures with The first restaurant to open will be Grasshopper, which will focus on small plates of dumplings, noodles and other Asian dishes. It's a dim sum meets "Asian tapas" sort of place. There will also be Vietnamese sandwiches, some soups, and a few light entrees on the menu. Deal loves Vietnamese food, so those flavors should be prominent. The bar is a focal point of the place, and Deal has developed some interesting and exotic cocktails to put on the menu. Grasshopper is expected to open in the next week or two, just in time for the return of the Duke students. I'll be surprised if Grasshopper doesn't become the new place to be seen in the Ninth Street area of Durham. Chapel Hill's Jujube will be similar to Grasshopper, but slightly more upscale and with a more expansive menu. Located in the Glen Lennox shopping center on Highway 54, Jujube should be opening in the next month or two. Finally, Bin Fifty-Four brings back the upscale steakhouse to Chapel Hill, something the town has lacked for quite some time now. This is how Deal described the concept to me: I've seen this space (which is right next to Jujube), and it is gorgeous, with lots of natural wood surrounding you. Deal informs me that Chapel Hill residents have been clamoring for a steakhouse for some time, and Bin Fifty-Four will hopefully satisfy their needs. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention dessert. I asked Deal what his plans were for dessert, and he informed me that they'd be simple. Here's one dessert he's working on: a compote of nectarines with thai basil, lemon juice, and pernod, served with ice cream. Hell, that may be simple to execute, but it's a far more intelligent dessert than what you'd find in 95% of the Triangle's restaurants. I'll report back here when these restaurants open.

A field trip to FM....really? My only comment is that I hope this wouldn't be on a Saturday. Hub and I went there one sweltering Saturday a few weeks ago....after the parking mess and shuffling along cheek-by-jowl with all the other human furnaces, I said NEVAH AGAIN for me (on Saturday). I've been there from time to time during the week and had no problem. I regularly buy from one of the two vendors at City Market. They're there on Thurs-Sat. from 7 AM to 6-7PM. My guy always stops by the Farmer's Mkt first to pick up items to supplement what he grows himself. ← Frankly, there's not enough interesting or unusual stuff at the State Farmers Market to justify a field trip. Going to one of the vendor's farms would be interesting, however.

Yes, that's it, Kathi. Here's something I posted a while ago, when the Supreme Court handed down its recent decision.

It's not just a matter of reciprocity. Any winery that intends to ship a certain number of cases of wine to NC addresses must get some sort of permit. This applies to NC and out of state wineries. If they exceed a higher threshold, then they have to use a distributor. This is from memory, so my details may be a bit fuzzy. I'll look at the actual statute tomorrow.

FYI, I picked up 2 cases of the spicy Blenheim's "red top" and a case of the less spicy "yellow top". Ah, nothing like a shopping trip to South of the Border. We've also got beer and wine lined up for the pickin' thanks to donations from local proprietors.

Jim Currin's health is pretty good, but the weather has been sucky. Consequently, he won't be selling any tomatoes this summer, which is very sad. Ever the optimist, he told me to wait for next year. Sounds like a Chicago Cubs fan to me!

I've found that most of the vendors at the State Farmers Market are fungible. Some of them might have a specialty item or two, but they're in the minority. There is a small vendor who offers organic items, and some of the cheesemakers are pretty good, but when it comes to the vegetables and fruits, they're pretty much the same.

This is the final week in which we can hold rooms at the Brownstone Inn, as our release date is August 12. If you need a room and haven't booked anything, I suggest you get a move on things. There is a good chance that the hotel will sell out and a better chance (say, 100%) that you won't be able to get these rates after the 12th. Please click here for all the hotel information.

Perhaps I should bring that. The good thing about doing it as strong as I do it is that you have to dilute the flavored vodka with regular vodka to bring down the strength. Does anyone coming from NC want to bring oysters? Will there be a crew of folks doing shots? ← We can get oysters here -- not a wide variety of oysters, but they'll be pretty fresh. I doubt I'll be doing any shots, not if I want to get this pig cooked, that is. Of course, it's an altogether different story for the rest of you!

Four weeks from today. Have YOU signed up yet???

I will reitirate, is it the style, or the execution of style? ← We were at BB last weekend and while I was pleased with my selections, hub had a problem with the "style execution" of his entree: Portuguese style slow-cooked pork roast (seemed more like a heavy winter meal to me) was tough, perhaps not slow-cooked long enough? And we both agreed that our server, a woman whom we'd never seen before, seemed to be rather "rough around the edges". All in all, not our best trip to BB. ← All restaurants, even the good ones, have off dishes and off nights. Seeing you usually like Bloomsbury, I'd chalk that up to an off night.