Jeffy Boy

Hey I had that book too! Except wasn't it a guide to "being a man", not a cookbook? Knocked me off quiche for about 5 years. I got a book as a gift once called Done Like Dinner - all of Dave "Tiger" Williams' favourite BBQ recipes. Tiger Williams was a famous brawler hockey player for the Leafs. The book was absolute crap.

Same problem with Tim Horton's here in Canada. Ya gotta ask for "cream on the side", otherwise they put in WAY too much. They use 18% cream too, not 10%.

sigh... Guess I'll look for real discussion elsewhere. later, "ace"! Not.

My brother and I used to make "stuffing" sandwiches with the leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. No turkey, just a heap of stuffing between two slices of bread. In effect, bread sandwiches.

Can't comment on Dunkin Donuts coffee, but I'm a regular at Starbucks. Like their dark roasts (Gold Coast, Sulawesi, French and Italian Roasts). Their lighter roasts are crap - may as well drink instant coffee. My pet peeve is when they brew something as their "Dark" selection that's not really dark. Dishwater! Starbucks is pretty consistent anywhere in North America, which I like. I can stop in one anywhere, find what I want and not be disappointed. That said, there are probably gems in every city that are better than Starbucks. In Canada we've got Tim Horton's donuts, and some people rave about that coffee. I will drink it only in emergencies.

Not dissing vanilla ice cream! My analogy with ice cream is that though not everyone likes every flavour, there aren't too many who hate vanilla. It's the consensus flavour.

Pinot Gris serves as my "all-purpose" white wine. It will go "OK" with lots of things, stays in the background. Had very few great Pinot Gris' though. It's kind of like vanilla ice cream.

quite a thread! ace - I'm having a little difficulty understanding the point(s) you're trying to make. The title appears to allude to the power of a critic. Your comments though, seem mostly to discuss the difficulties and stress involved in being a chef - particularly problems with finding competent staff. As the originator of the thread, it's your job to frame the discussion. I'm sorry, but as a customer, I really don't care about any of those things. What's important to me is the experience I have in the restaurant - the quality of the food, the service, the atmosphere. Are you suggesting that critics should cut you a break because you have difficulty with attracting and keeping good staff? I'm sure you know the restaurant business is hyper-competitive. Those that deserve and get good reviews, and will attract repeat customers, are those able to overcome whatever obstacles they have and deliver a quality experience.

Nigella's the only one I've ever seen use a mezzaluna on any of the food shows. She really seems to get into it. We've got one, and it's a pain in the ass to use, and takes up lots of space. Don't use it anymore. So I should throw it away. Or maybe use it for precision edging my garden.

Hey! My bike!!!!

Here's what we actually made tonight (after raiding the fridge and pantry): prosciutto, dried apricots, roasted red peppers, and a small amount of mozarella and parmesan. Drizzled with olive oil and some fresh ground pepper at serving. Good! Is it unusual to like to drink milk with pizza? I've always liked that...

Bis Moreno was just featured on Food Network Canada tonight. On "Chef at Large", Michael Smith accompanied Vancouver critic Jamie Maw on a review of Bis Moreno (have no idea when the review actually occurred). Michael Smith provided a running commentary on the review process, and talked with the Chef before, during and after the review. Jamie Maw dined on a Friday night, their busiest night ever (likely not too long after opening). In general he provided high marks for the food (especially the soup and pasta), but service was slow. He plans to review them two more times before actually publishing the review. All-in-all, it was a very positive review. It looks like a nice place, too.

We're making pizza tonight, and the typical question comes up - what to put on it? I like my pizza with just a few toppings, and enjoy exploring unusual combinations. Any toppings you can recommend that go unusually well together?

I would agree that a fruity German Reisling would be a good wine to start with. There's a natural progression of taste preferences from sweeter whites, through drier whites, then fruity reds, and finally big dry reds. This may be heresy on this site, but White Zinfandel is an easy wine to drink too. Wines are generally much more palatable with the right food than on their own, so make sure you pair a wine with a food you like. One of my favourite combinations is Sauvignon Blanc with a simple white fish, like halibut (no strongly flavoured sauces, but a good squirt of lemon). It's also great with raw oysters. I also suggest chilling your wine a little more than might otherwise be suggested. A room temperature red can be unpleasant if you haven't developed a taste for it. If you are keen to try a red, Beaujolais (chilled!) is a good one to start with. Don't give up! I'm personally working on developing a taste for Sherry at the moment. On that I'm starting with training wheels!

Craig, I reread your overview of Sherry, and noticed your comment about Manzanillas having a "nuttier" flavour than Finos from cooler areas. I'm thinking this is the taste element to which I've got to become accustomed. As a Sherry novice, should I perhaps have started off with a fruitier Fino, and if so, do you have a recommendation?

Just finished Phase 1 of my Sherry familiarization. Tonight my wife and I prepared a tapas "grazing", to go along with the Gonzalez Byass Manzanilla I had chilling in the fridge. I realized it's been a long time since I've had sherry... Cracked the bottle while I was preparing a dish of shrimp, sauteed with garlic and sherry (some cheaper, Canadian-made sherry). On it's own, the Manzanilla had a nutty, salty taste, compared to any white wine, which is my reference point. Not unpleasant, but not something that made me think "wow, this is good". But maybe something you have to develop a taste for? While the shrimp were cooking, I had a few toasted almonds that we had done earlier - raw almonds, dipped in egg white, sprinkled with salt and paprika, then toasted in the oven. On their own - tasty. When I sipped the sherry after the almonds, the sherry took on a creamier texture. Great combination! Also had the sherry with some olives - black olives in lemon/thyme, and some spicy green olives. Last dish was grilled chorizo sausage on crostini. Conclusion - Gotta have food with sherry, and I think it's a taste you grow into.

Sounds goofy to me. Wouldn't the cork be flopping around, just getting in your way when you try to refill your glass? I think that setup would last about 5 seconds before I ripped it off the bottle.

Absolutely - You've got to get there before noon. If you don't, you're toast.

My favourite for Vietnamese (actually more Cambodian) is Phnom Penh, in Chinatown. They have a Vietnamese Chicken Salad that is out of this world. Their Pepper Squid is amazing too. I was at the Yaohan Centre the other day and had a fantastic Laksa (curry noodle soup) at the "Curry House", I think it was called. The soup was delicious, big, right amount of heat, and about five bucks. I'll be having that again.

Back from the store now, decided to get some Dr Pepper as well as Root Beer for a side-side taste test with the Gosling's. Observations: with Root Beer - smooth, easy to drink; a slight burnt-caramel taste that isn't as noticeable with bigger gulps. Don't know if that's from the rum or from the root beer. with Dr Pepper - dodn't like this combination; got an odd floral, "bounce-softener sheet" essence. The rest of this one is going down the drain.

Sounds good, and we're both root beer fans. On my way to the corner store right now for some...

I recently got a bottle of Gosling's Black Seal, from Bermuda. My wife spent several of her high school years there, and has recounted tales of drinking "Dark & Stormy's", made from Goslings and ginger beer. So we got a bottle, and some ginger beer, to have ourselves a Dark & Stormy party. "I don't remember them being this sweet", she says. (Way too sweet for my taste). So I tell her, "Not surprising. Last time you had one of these, you were under age".

I had nice Tofu Schnitzel just last week at Raven's (vegetarian restaurant) in Mendocino. It was served with an almond gravy. I think I had it with roast potatoes, but it would have been good on noodles (or spaetzle). A quick check on the web shows lots of recipes for tofu schnitzel, many with a lemon caper sauce.

Vanilla Ice: Chocolate gelato Moby: Whale blubber The Byrds: chicken pot pie Fats Domino: Fried pork rinds Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass: Cilantro