Varmint

Umh, I ordered my custom cabinets thinking that I knew where the load bearing wall is. I'm just fortunate to have a good engineer working with us. Plus, as a professional engineer, his "seal" trumps an inspector's decision any day of the week. Did I mention the fact that the engineer is a old business partner of my father-in-law? Gotta love those connections! You mean you need more non-paying clients? Not a good business decision.

Next week involves putting down the "mud" for the flooring and some carpentry. Cabinets arrive in about 2-1/2 weeks. We're totally on schedule so far. Tee hee, this is fun!

The load bearing elements in the closet aren't as big of a concern as I suspected. Our engineer has signed off on a very simple solution that is consistent with the existing plan. That's great! However, one of our breaker boxes needs to be replaced. It's an old -- really old -- box from a company that went out of business ages ago due to product defects. You can't find replacement breakers for it. And, it's not safe. I had two different people tell me I'm crazy not to replace it. I'm not crazy when it comes to the safety of my family. The HVAC guys came, and they'll be doing all their prep work on Monday morning. Three new ducts, a gas line, reconfiguration of my air flow system (which is badly needed), ductwork for the hood, and a couple of other minor matters. Cool! The carpenters are building the new closet and the new doorway for the pantry. By the way, rather than flipping the other breaker box to the other side of the wall near the baking area, we're totally relocating it in the pantry. A much better solution. We'll be installing the new window tomorrow, too. That'll be great. We also worked out the lighting scheme. We'll have more recessed lights than I initially anticipated, but those will all be on a dimmer, so we'll have all the light we'll ever want or need in the kitchen. The electrician will be working through the weekend, and the power will be off most of that time. Thus, we won't be moving back into the house until Monday. I'm very grateful for my in-laws' hospitality, as they've been great.

Here's a photo after the first day of demolition. Notice the footprint of the "maze." Still from Monday. This is where the wall ovens were: This is a decent shot showing how much mortar is under the tiles, as the red tile is a 4 inch square: I took this picture this morning. This is where the refrigerator and freezer used to be on the right and the old bar sink was on the left (yes, it was dusty in there): Where the old cooktop used to be: Also where the cooktop used to be: The old closet. This has some structural elements in it, and the engineer is coming by tomorrow to take a look at this to see what we can do. This is the I-beam (ha, it's wood, not steel!) over the eating bar. The electrician was there all day today. Everyone has been great so far. I couldn't have asked for a better crew, that's for sure. I couldn't be happier with the progress. The dust, however, is another matter. I'm really, really glad we're not staying here.

I'm currently unable to upload photos, but once I get that capability restored, I'll post some demolition shots. The floor is gone. The cabinets are gone. And, surprise, the closet is one major load bearing structure!! Uh oh. Time for the engineer to come in and figure out a solution. I had planned on having one support post in the kitchen, but not multiple posts. No need to panic, of course. Everything can be fixed, but it's just a matter of how much it's going to cost, of course. The demo has moved along remarkably well. This kitchen became the monstrosity that it is for lots of reasons, and it's apparent it wasn't just because of the marble slabs. The space, however, is going to be great.

One day of demolition is done. Almost all the floor cabinets are gone. The appliances (except for the fridge and freezer) are gone. Part of the floor is gone. The dust is not gone (although they've done an excellent job with sealing off the space). I couldn't imagine working there, and right now, I'm very glad we're staying at my in-laws. The big surprise so far? That there is at least 2-3 inches of mortar under the floor tiles. It's ridiculous! In some areas, there still exists a decent looking hardwood floor under it all. Unfortunately, all of this will have to be built back up, as it needs to be level with the adjacent floor. I haven't been able to upload the demolition photos yet, but I do have a bunch of pictures of the L'il Varmints wreaking havoc on the cabinets. OK, I do have one picture of the demolition:

I hope you're spending the night at the Inn, too. It's quite nice. Us? We're eating at my in-laws for the next week!

The workers and plumber had all arrived by 9 this morning. The electrician is showing up after lunch. Wow, this is really happening.

Moderator's Note: This discussion focuses on Crooks Corner, and was moved here from the discussion about the Best Restaurant in the Triangle of North Carolina. Five of us went to Crook's Corner on Saturday night. Why Crook's, which wasn't even on my initial list of the top places in the Triangle? First, it was about 19 years ago that I had my "food epiphany," and it was at Crook's. I remember that meal like it was yesterday: where we sat, what I ate, how it tasted. At that time I thought Crook's was the coolest restaurant in the universe. Over the years, I'd sit at the bar, chatting up Bill Neal, trying to understand what he was trying to accomplish. I was worried that Crook's luster had faded a bit after Bill's death, and at times, it had. The restaurant had to find its own identity, as Bill Neal could never be replaced. Bill Smith, the chef since Neal's passing, has preserved much of what made Crook's special in the first place, but he has added his own element. Crook's is not the Bill Neal Southern Cooking Museum -- it is a vibrant restaurant offering some of the finest Southern fare on the planet, and for that, I'm only angry it takes a 30-minute drive to get to Chapel Hill to enjoy what's cooking. I must first offer a disclosure: Bill Smith is a friend of mine, and our table received a couple of complimentary dishes. That didn't change my overall opinion of the place, seeing one of the two dishes was fried oysters, something that I, unfortunately, am unable to eat. Mrs. Varmint, on the other hand, was quite grateful for this treat. We shared a lot of appetizers, including the legendary jalapeno-cheddar hushpuppies and the generically named "cracker plate." The hushpuppies are hand rolled and fried to a deep brown -- much more so than what you'll find at any barbecue restaurant. Served with a piquant cocktail sauce, these pups have just a slight bite to them much more than the standard hushpuppy. I ordered the cracker plate out of nostalgia -- I'd often go to Crook's for a beer and the cracker plate, which includes homemade pimento cheese and hot pepper jelly with cream cheese. This was a routine "snack" of mine that greatly contributed to my rapid weight gain in graduate school, something I do not regret in the slightest. The oysters, by the way, were served with a garlic mayonnaise, heavy on the garlic. Seeing Mrs. V. ate all but 3 of the 20 oysters on the plate, I'd say they were excellent. I also had a cup of navy bean and ham soup, which was the only disappointing dish of the evening. The flavors didn't leap out, and surprisingly, the dish lacked salt -- a ham-based soup needing salt?!?! We also sampled a salad of Belgian endive with salt-cured duck and pecans, sauteed with red wine vinegar. The vinegar cut through the richness of the duck, and the endive's slight bitterness brought it all together. This was an excellent salad. For entrees, the sweetbreads was the clear winner in my book. I rarely find sweetbreads on menus anymore, and when I saw this, I leapt at the opportunity. The sweetbreads were served in their poaching liquid, which had been reduced with onions, celery and herbs, and then a touch of cream, mushrooms and Wild Turkey were added. Served with rice and wilted spinach, I could eat this once a week. Mrs. Varmint got a striped sea bass cooked in papers with a creamy rice and spinach. Cooking "en papillote" is an often overlooked technique, and this method of steaming with the aromatics works well with stripers. It also makes a great presentation. A filet mignon was served with a type of yin-yang sauce design: half bourbon brown sauce and half tarragon Hollandaise. It made for a great presentation, offered a contrast of flavors, and went well with the mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. The shrimp and grits are as good as ever, but my friend ordered them without bacon. What a tragedy. Finally, I asked Bill Smith if I could sample his "New Bern Style Corned Ham." I've read about corned ham, which simply involves the salting of a pork shoulder by cutting slits into the meat and along the bone and forcing salt throughout. This takes brining to an altogether new level, and the results are amazing. This pork is not like ham, but more akin to a ultra-succulent, but slightly transformed pork roast. I was grateful that I only sampled a small bit, because the pork was so damned rich that I wouldn't be able to eat very much. I must learn how to corn a ham, and I'm going to have Bill teach me. Desserts are the one area at Crook's where much hasn't changed over the years. They have no full time pastry chef, so the ultra-rich Mount Airy Chocolate Souffle Cake is as good and rich as it ever was. The banana pudding, described as "Good Banana Pudding" on the menu, is perhaps the best I've ever had. EVER! Crook's uses a pastry cream, rather than a custard, for the pudding, using a bit of corn starch to thicken. One added advantage of the corn starch is that it acts as an anti-oxidant, which keeps the bananas from turning brown. Sorbets are always a treat at Crook's (in the spring, look out for Bill Smith's honeysuckle sorbet, which requires buckets of honeysuckle blossoms), and some ultra-tart passionfruit was sent out complements of the kitchen. This was a perfect foil to the richness of the chocolate desserts (one of us ordered a hot fudge brownie with ice cream), but if you don't like to pucker up (it was Valentine's Day weekend, wasn't it), you might want to pass on this. The service at Crooks is cordial and efficient. The place is crowded. It's loud. It was a bit too warm on Saturday. So where does that put Crook's in the heirarchy of Triangle eating establishments? Right where it wants to be -- a top notch "neighborhood" restaurant that serves a style of food you can't get anywhere else. This is not fancy, schmancy elegant dining, but the food that is served is creative and excellent. I would kill to have this place close by. You can get a sandwich for 6 bucks. Or a plate of shrimp and grits for 17 dollars. Or, if you want a snack and a beer, my beloved cracker plate. I love Crook's Corner -- always have, and as long as Bill Smith is there, always will.

Not much in the way of meals today. We had our typical breakfasts, ranging from buttered toast, grits, eggs, and cereal to coffee for me (I was still full from last night's meal). Lunch was very quick -- leftover pizza. One of my children has soccer practice, so we'll pick her up and stop somewhere for dinner. We're in no shape to cook!! The highlight of the day, however, was allowing the kids to break out the markers and write and draw all over the kitchen. Marcella and I even had a little fun with it. I took pictures, which I'll upload before too long.

Tomorrow is Demolition Day. The day will be complete mayhem. We've packed up 90% of the kitchen, but it's that remaining 10% that will be a bear.

Super! I look forward to your help. FYI, this will be an official eGullet Society fundraiser, and when we work out all the details, we'll post them here. Gee, less than 7 months of preparation time remain! Yikes.

Lexington Market is less than 2 miles away, I think. You can get nearly anything you'd want there, including some awesome crabcakes at Faidley's.

Somewhere upthread I showed pictures of our mini-kitchen that we'll be using. Oh, 3 days, by the way! And I think there will be very little cooking done in it over the next several days.

I've heard pho pronounced "faw", "fuh" and "foe". Can someone who speaks Vietnamese help us out here?

Yes, that is how I have always pronounced it. See how easy this is??

Admit it. You're the one at the table who is expected to know everything about food, and when one of your friends asks about something on the menu, you avoid mentioning that item's name, because you have no damn clue how to pronounce it. Thus, I'm starting this thread to deal with pronunciations. No word is too simple. Don't be embarrassed, and no one shall chastise another for his/her lack of linguistic knowledge. I'll start, and it's a four-letter word. Chai. I think it's pronounced whith a "ch" sound as in "chair" and then a long "I", to rhyme with fly. Correct? No?

Let's just include the drawing in the thread:

If you could sketch out some floor plans, that'll help us all with trying to give you suggestions. Seeing I'm now "completed" with my design with nothing more to do until demolition begins on Monday, I need another project! The most important piece of advice I can offer is don't rush into anything. Research every aspect, every possible item, as much as you can. You'll be amazed at how often you change your mind, once you get a good understanding of what's available.

We've already had the special meal. I'll cook tonight and tomorrow, but we're going out for an adults only dinner on Saturday, and we'll be packing up what's left in the kitchen on Sunday. Thus, the number of meals remaining is very limited. If anyone wants a functional trash compactor and/or a functional ice maker, let me know! They're old, but they're ugly!

The bigger piece is being cut down, re-polished, and will go in the baking area. We'll have tile all around it. I'm thinking it should look really nice when it's done. The other piece? Come and get it!

4 days.

If the animal had fins, feathers, or a shell, it's ok. If it had fur, not ok. Amphibians and reptiles don't count for other reasons.

Dude, you have no idea! I'm still astounded that the pre-nup doesn't have a provision that says, "Each spouse covenants that he/she shall eat pork or pork-related products no less than four (4) times per week throughout the term of this Agreement." I guess I should have had a pre-nup in the first place!

All the stock will be gone as of Friday. As I said, no freezer space.