hazardnc

I was thinking about this today, as it is only June6 and already blazing hot here in Charlotte. So tell me, egullteers, what are your favorite cold soups. Does anyone have a fantastic cucumber soup recipe to share?

My husband wanted to dine at Noura Knightsbridge (he was alone) but said it was much more take away than sit down. Ishbilia looked too "upscale" for what he was in the mood for, so he went to Maroush on the suggestion of a couple of Lebanese co-workers. He loved it! All of the baked goods are made onsite, the hummus was the best e has ever eaten. He said if he'd found Maroush on the first night, he would have eaten there nightly. Edited to add: BTW - he's bringing home a loaf of pain Poilane and some Montgomery Cheddar from Neal's Yard Dairy!

Rutgers, German Johnson and Early Girl tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, jalapenos, habaneros and hot banana peppers, basil, parsley, thyme, tarragon, chives, sage and cardoons. To be honest, I only grew the zucchini for the blossoms - I want to try stuffing them

Interesting. My SO met two Lebanese people who recently moved to London (less than a year in the city) and so far, their top picks are Noura and Maroush in Knightsbridge. You want to talk jealous? All I get to do is think about the food he is eating while in London!

Whole Foods will have to be on the list b/c we don't have one here yet. How Winston-Salem got one before Charlotte is beyond me! I will also have to add a Southern Season to the list. Some time ago, Kathleen Purvis wrote an article for the Observer on food shopping in the Triangle. I believe there was some ethnic market - maybe Italian - that she highly recommended. I want to see the Carboro Famer's market - are they open during the week? What bakeries are there? Is there a good Middle East bakery where I can get fresh pita?

He was already disappointed when he learned the man also only sold the sandwiches on Saturdays. I gave my husband orders to buy some cheddar and a loaf of Poilane bread He had a tapas lunch at Meson Los Barriles (in the city) and said it was fantastic - and crowded. Sadly, he did't get my email about Brick Lane before dinner and headed in that direction for Indian. He did say this morning that, though he has had better, he has also had much worse Indian fare. He is dining at Belgo tonight -- we ate at the Covent Gardens location several years ago and he loved the moules frittes and the atmosphere. On Wednesday, he is hoping to dine at Noura for Lebanese - anyone out there have comments on this place. My husband lived in Beirut for 7 years and loves the food.

According to the article, he hails from El Dorado, Arkansas. I remember reading about Brick Lane. I will have to research the thread on New Tayaab. He is in London now - had dinner at Fish and tried to find Noura in Knightsbridge - but he forgot to take my notes and was looking on the wrong street. He lunched on ethnic fare at Camden market. I am sure he was too brain dead to really enjoy too much. He plans to visit Borough market and try to get a sandwich frm the place mentioned in the Gourmet London issue. He took the mag with him as a guide.

FoodMan, my family visited Barcelona last summer. I don't know how much time you will have, or if this is of interest to you, but we took a "foodie" tour with this company My Favorithe Things. The kids were a bit bored with this, but my husband and I loved it. We visited a granja (dairy bar), the Boqueria, a tapas bar, a spice shop and many other Barcelona food destinations that I found interesting and fun. One of the best places we visited was the cheese shop Formatgeria La Seu in the Gothic Quarter, run by a delightful Scottish woman. She sells sampler plates with a glass of wine, and will chat up a storm! Several people have mentioned bringing back meat and cheese products. I did bring back a fresh cheese (supposedly banned - aged cheese are fine), with no problems, but our customs agent's only question was "Do you have any meat products." You may be okay if the meat is sealed, but I think it will all depend on who you face when you arrive in the US. Something to buy would be the pincholine olives, which are hard to find in the US. I also brought back pimenton (the smoked paprika), canned anchovies from Cadaques and canned tuna packed in olive oil. I would have brought back wine, but if you bring a case, you may have to carry it on board as the airlines sometimes give you a hard time about liquids in breakable bottles being checked with the luggage. I did not want to haul a case.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard of all of these places and have some recipes from Mama Dips. Question: are these convenient to the campus?

I wil have the dubious fortune of chaperoning 6 females between the ages of 16 and 18 while they attend journalism camp at UNC for 4 days in June. I am embarassed to admit, I have lived in NC for 12 years and I have never been to the Triangle. I am looking for suggestions on great places to take the kids for dinner (these need to be affordable/budget) as well as suggestions for foodie places I can visit while they are in workshops. I am sure a great burger joint would be a hit, as well as 'cue, and perhaps something tat will give the girls a real taste of life on campus at Chapel Hill. Thanks!

An article appeared in our Sunday travel section on The Arkansas Cafe - and Spitalifields market in particular. My husband will be in London for 5 days beginning Sunday, and he will be staying in the financial district near the Banks tube station. While he will not partake of barbecue, given that we live in North Carolina, he is very interested in knowing which ethnic fare he can get near his hotel. On our last trip to London, we visited Camden market. Is Spitalfields fun, too? He definitely plans to visit the Borough market for a foodie experience. Also, is the Poilane bakery still open in Belgravia?

Summer in Charlotte is my least favorite season. By July, the humidity is so high I sweat standing still, my lawn succumbs to the heat and crab grass takes over, mosquitoes keep me out of the garden in the mornings and evenings and I am forced to take my runs before sunrise to avoid the Code Orange ozone warnings. From the first official day of summer I am looking forward to the first cold front! There are a few summer dishes, however, that almost make up for the misery. Insalata caprese, panzanella, gazpacho, grilled corn and my ultimate favorite, ceviche. I have been cooking Rick Bayless's version since it first appeared in Marth Stewart Living several years ago Rick's Seviche 101. I know the Peruvians are famous for their ceviche. Some versions feature shrimp, others fish and others still conch. Will you share your recipe with me and give me something to look forward to?

The Penguin and Charleston House are both in Charlotte, NC. As for The Wreck - no question, the food there is pedestrian. Some people don't like Bowen's Island either. I guess I am as easily swayed by atmosphere as I am by good food. To me, a sitting on the deck at Bowen's Island (on John's Island outside of Charleston), cold beer in hand, watching the sun set over the salt marsh and the "knobs" from the Citadel woo their College of Charleston girlfriends, is so utterly southern. I go toBowen's Island every time I go to Charleston. I also go to B.O.'s Fish Wagon for fried grouper sandwiches everytime I go to Key West! What can I say? I like fine dining and fine cuisine as much as the next guy. I love it when I can find kumamoto oysters on a menu here - saves a trip to Seattle! I love the foie gras of the day prepared by the chef at Sonoma California Bistro in Charlotte or just about anything prepared by Bruce Moffett at Barringtons in Charlotte. But what I really love, and wish we had more of, are restaurants where the chefs take classic southern ingredients and create something sublime. And wouldn't it be wonderul if we had a restaurant that sought out local ingredients - beyond our local produce? How about a place that features a North Carolina cheese course, or the trout caviar from Sunburst Trout Company? edited for typo

I always thought Coca-Cola cake was the classic Texas cake. Coca Cola Cake This is what my mom served at every birthday party since when I was a kid. It was my sister's favorite - very sweet. I never really cared for it, but that's what I got anyway

I figured this has been covered before - sorry I missed the previous thread.

Ok - this is a thread I have considered starting many times, so I will go first - but do I really have to limit it to six people??? All of my guests are alive, thank you very much. At my party, I want to laugh, have interesting discussions, enjoy good food and good music. My guests - writers, comedians and musicians, and all very smart people! David Sedaris, Tony Bourdain (he is there to make me laugh, not to cook, plus my 17-year-old daughter has a huge crush on him), Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Rufus Wainwright and Michael Stipe (they have to perform, sorry). Plenty of cocktails and wine will be served, main course would be Frogmore Stew, aka a seafood boil because it's easy and always good. I would have to make a special dish for Michael Stipe 'cause I think he's vegan.

Why not try Wendys Secret Banana Cake? You can test it for me. I was thinking about making a sheet pan version for an upcoming teacher appreciation breakfast.

Ms.Wolfert suggests using a small pan - e.g. a pie pan. I used a saniyeh (11 1/2 inches). I would use fewer layers of phyllo also. I used just 2 sheets more than a 1/2 pound. I think a pie pan or cake pan is shallower than my saniyeh, so your finished product will probably be shorter, but you will also have 1/2 the meat and other filler ingredients as well. I am inspired by the khoubz as everyone in my family loves khoubz wth zaatar and we cannot get it here. I will give it a shot tomorrow - afer all, how bad can I mess it up? My fear - too thick and too tough!

Thanks! I did in fact follow the recipe exactly - something I always do on the first run. I don't think I would change anything in terms of ingredients. Just keep in mind Ms. Wolfert's recipe feeds 12. Her suggestion to cut the recipe in half would have been a good plan. Even though bisteeya should be served hot, and I get a sense it does not reheat well, I could not bring myself to discard the leftovers - so I put them up in the fridge and will try to rewarm in the oven - I will let you know how that turns out. Now, Elie, come to my house to teach me to make khoubz! I am so intimidated by anything requiring yeast...

Thanks Chef Zadi and Ms Wolfert! My family loved the bisteeya. Not only was it my first time making it, it was my first time eating it. My husband said it was a unique taste with flavor combinations he's never had before. I think that was really referring to the "sweet" with the savory. He is quite used to cinnamon in savory dishes, but cannot tolerate cinnnamon in desserts! That said, he really liked it. This is a dish we have both talked about trying for many, many years. With no Moroccan restaurants here in Charlotte, we have not had the opportunity. My 13-year-old son walked in after school and declared "something smells gooood!" He really loved the bisteeya. I think that says a lot about the dish. I want to try some variations - and really like the idea of phyllo triangles. The would be perfect for a cocktail party with a mezze theme. In order to allow them to be made ahead, I imagine I should omit the egg, but the chicken and almond combo should be fine.

Here's a pictorial on my first attempt at bisteeya. Comments and suggestions are welcome! This is the chicken in the pot ready to be cooked. and here is the cooked chicken. The first layer - the cooked chicken The egg layer - photo is fuzzy The almond layer and the finished product. As you can see, a bit of a problem coming out of the pan!

Thank you for your response, Ms. Wolfert! I already have the chicken in the pot. My plan is to assemble the dish this evening. I should have thought about halving the recipe I previously misread the amount of salt (thought it was 2 tsps of salt) and then realized given the amount required, it was intended to draw out impurities. I followed the directions as given. If I decide later to cut the recipe down, I suppose I can reserve some of the filler ingredients? I have seen recipes for individual bisteeyas. I wonder if I could adapt some using the spring roll wrappers and frying them? Or perhaps there is another use for the meat filling. It smells very good and the color from the tumeric and saffron is lovely!

oops! One more question. The method says to rub the chicken with the garlic paste and then rinse and drain. Doesn't that wash off all of the paste?

Question - the recipe supplied by Ms. Wolfert says to eat the bisteeya hot out of the oven. Since I know we won't eat te whole thing in one sitting, can it be reheated? Also, I bought phyllo, but see that spring roll skins can be substituted. Texturally, what is the difference? I love the flakiness of phyllo.