Holly Moore

You're in Charleston for two nights and not hitting Bowen's Island? ?? I urge you, doubly urge you, to pass over one of those fancy schmancy restaurants you've listed and do dinner in the Oyster Room at Bowen's Island. Wear old clothes, bring along some iodine for the nicks from the oyster shells, and don't eat too much lunch. Did I steer you wrong with Carman's? Get thee to Bowen's Island!!! Oysters, gathered that afternoon, are roasted by the burlap bag-full and delivered to your table by the steaming shovel-full. Bowen's Island at HollyEats.Com

Basque style dining at the Hotel Winnemucca in Winnemucca Nevada Bowens Island, south of Charleston SC The last two are from a trip 12 years ago but worth it if still as good as they were back then: The Chicacyunk Cafe on the Olympic Peninsula Boondocks Cafe, Wipatee Bay, WA

Varsity Drive-In for a couple of chili dogs, a side of onion rings and a frosted orange. Order curb service - the car hop jobs are passed on from generation to generation. Then head inside and take a look at a major fast food production factory that consistently turns out top quality fast food in volumes that a McD owner can only dream about. The Varsity Website

One of the greatest road trips I ever navigated started in Seattle and followed the shoreline of the Olympic Penninsula and then onward along the Washington, Oregon and Northern California Coast to San Francisco. I don't have my notes handy but all sorts of surprises along the way - a couple of microbreweries back when they were a rarity, a lodge on, I think, Crescent Lake, the Native American Indian Reservation at the tip of the penninsula, all manner of great home cooking and wonderful pies, oysters and more oysters, a Mexican restaurant where I saw a 3 year old bite into his first chili pepper and react accordingly and in total honesty (he bawled for at least 15 minutes), and once in Northern California, a town overun by Marin county bikers in their designer leathers with matching hip pouches. Have a great trip. I'm hoping on repeating mine this year or next.

Vetri's is considered one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia. The menu is Italian. It is a relatively small restaurant so if you're looking for Friday or Saturday night, you'll probably have to book a few weeks in advance. As to whether Vetri's is a destination restaurant, it is to me, but I live about 10 blocks away. Not sure about driving down from Princeton. But if excellent Italian is your thing, why not? So, any great meals in leiu of Vetri's while at the Flower Show?

It is all in the approach. Dining with a restaurant reviewer is, of course, a rare honor, not a chore. The favor is the reviewer's, acknowledging that there is at least some merit to the opinion of those chosen to share his table. For the first five years, it was even more of an honor, as only I got the price of my meal reimbursed and those accompanying me had the privilege of paying for their own meals.

That's probably what I miss most from reviewing, the control I held over my tableside entourage. Nowadays they just order what they want without begging my permission / approval.

I am more of the Shaker than Victorian aesthetic. I prefer their simple purity of form and function every time over the garish excess of the Victorians and those who highly garnish hot dogs. As I recall though, my problem with Super Duper Weenie was not the idea of the garnish itself, but rather the massive quantity of garish they slathered on. My NY style hot dog was aswim in the onion sauce and other ingredients, so much so that the dog itself was overpowered into oblivion.

I'm one of those who feels SuperDuper over gunks their hot dogs. Got them listed SuperDuper Weenies at HollyEats.Com Click on the menu pic there to see a readable version of the menu. I prefer Rawley's, also in Fairfield, and exit or two closer to NYC (and Philadelphia). Feel the dogs and the place have more character, meaning grease, grime and a gruff owner behind the grill. Rawley's at HollyEats.Com

What you are starting to describe is an "Oki-Dog" as sold by Oki Dog in LA (860 N. Fairfax Ave) - but a tad more garnished: a flour tortilla wrapped around two hot dogs, pastrami, cheese and chili. Takes two hands and a back up change of clothes to eat an Oki Dog.

Sounds good. Have never encased a dog in a baguette. Will have to try that. Only concern would be the hot dog to bread ratio, especially if the dogs were 8 or 10 to a pound. I've been importing various Usinger frankfurters and wieners for the past few months. By far the best seasoning of any dogs I've chomped, anywhere. Some of them are available four or five to a pound which might work better with a baguette.

Overused Phrase: "Dining Companion" Worst Substitution: "Table Mate" I tell people I stopped writing my column when I ran out of synonyms for "tasty" And I must confess that I never reviewed a Chinese restaurant without labeling at least one dish, "Inscrutable." I, too, checked my website. Nary one "Greaseless" on some 250 pages."

Yes, the pommelo had a Sunkist label on it. From what I'm reading on this thread I figure either I indeed got a mediocre pommelo or Sunkist calls them "Israeli Pommelos" but is growning them in the U.S. and is Wonder Breading the pommelos to appeal to American tastes.

I picked up a couple of giant grapefruits at the market today. When I got to the checkout, the checker informed me they weren't grapefruits, but he didn't know exactly what they are. The UPC code said, "Israeli Pomm" Also said they cost $2.99 each. Turned out they were pommelos, a fruit I'd never heard of. A Yahoo search told they go way back, and are bred with grapefruit to make to yield ruby red grapefruit. I cut one open, hoping for an "Adventure in Eating" No such luck. While the diameter of fhe pommelo was 50% larger than a grapefruit, the inside rind was a half inch thick yielding, perhaps, the same amount of fruit as a grapefruit. If only it tasted like a grapefruit. If only it had taste. Absolutely no character of flavor. Guess Sunkist feels there is a market - those who feel a need to eat grapefruit but can't handle the taste of a grapefruit.

A shad off subject, but there are various shad festivals along the Delaware River come shad running season (mid-spring as I remember). The shad themselves are nailed to oak planks and propped up around the rim of a fire. Can't remember what happened with the roe. The festivals are good, community fun. I know there's one in Bethlehem PA and recall there are others too.

I make it a point to only associate with the "right people" but none of them admit to having access to Rao's

I've been curious about Rao's but have been disuaded from even attempting a reservation. From what I hear, it's 6 months or more to get a table. Urban myth of fact?

The Morning Glory Diner is at 10th and Fitzwater in South Philadelphia, an easy 3 block walk from the Italian Market. I've always liked the food there, but have found the service to be consistently haphazzard. Usually friendly, but often painfully slow. Though it's a neighborhood restaurant it can get as packed as Carman's on weekends. A lot of people don't realize it, but they have an outdoor dining area facing Fitzwater. Kinda 3rd world strange in design - somehow it reminds me of Honduras - but one of Philadelphia's few low priced, outdoor dining spaces that isn't a few tables lining the sidewalk. As to scrapple, the "filler" is cornmeal, the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. The base is pork - all manner of pork. Them Pennsylvania Dutch are thrifty, nothing goes to waste. Scrapple is purchased as a loaf, sliced into 1/4" or 3/8" slabs, dusted with flour, and pan fried. Never had it with blueberry jam. Applesauce is the more traditional accompaniment. Habarnero or hot sauce, nah.... Just covers up the essential taste of scrapple.

To all things there is a purpose. The "Meat to Bun Ratio"(official McSpeak) is the way it is for a reason. Did you notice the mist about the grill? These are the "juices" (also official McSpeak - translation grease) from the cooking burgers. The bun does an admirable job of soaking up the juices, synergistically compounding the Manna Burger's overall "juiciness."

Bux - It's all rather complicated. Five of us are arriving in Paris Tuesday AM, including one of Carman's daughters (no slouch herself, she was Employee of the Year last year for all of Wolfgang Puck's Vegas restaurants). Carman's daughter heads back to the U.S on Friday. Carman and I, ditching the other two, are going with her daughter to the airport and then catching the train from CDG to Lyon. A couple of days in Lyon, onto Megeve on Sunday, and then working our way down to Marseilles. We've settled on Chez Fonfon for bouillabaisse and are hunting for another place for soupa de poissons. Back to the Lyon area our last evening (Wednesday) and the high speed train to CDG early Thursday. So far we have reservations at Taillevent, Restaurant Paul Bocuse, La Ferme de mon Père and Chez Fonfon, along with an evening at the Moulin Rouge. Not my typical road trip. Not a grease stain worthy joint in the bunch.

Good news, bad news. Good news. I was able to book rail tickets through the voyages-sncf site. Just had to pay by credit card now and pick the tickets up once in France. For anyone's info - the fare for round trip TGV train from CDG-Paris to Lyon with a Saturday layover was 150.50 USD if booked through Rail Europe and was 90.45 EUR booked though the interent and sncf. The bad news is that Troisgros is closed for the time we will be in France. All the more reason to return when they are open. One more question. Carman remembers an article in the NY Times which showed a picture of the Chef at a 3 star establashment, wearing a "tall black hat" and "coming down a hill to inspect the bread as it was being baked." It was somewhere in the Provinces. Could it have been Troisgros? If not, does anyone remember the article and the name of the restaurant? Thanks.

Believe it or not Carman phoned Taillevent, requested a time and date, worked her charm and got us a reservation. Thanks, Marc, for the offer of help. I may take you up, if not an inconvenience, on making reservations for the high speed train between Paris CDG and Lyon and return. It appears that if I book the reserverations anywhere but in North America we can take advantage of a substantial discount for staying over on a Saturday night. If I book it through Rail Europe, the US agent - there is no stayover discount and higher fares to boot. I've tried emailing them directly, but if all else fails.... (Edited by Holly Moore at 7:22 pm on Jan. 24, 2002)

We're planning dinner at at least one top restaurant during our three days in Paris. We're leaning towards Taillevent, but I am concerned in that no one has yet mentioned it on this august forum. Is Tallevent the one? If not, where? Thanks

Wow. Who's needs Michelin with such great info from eGullet posters. Thanks, and keep it coming.

Looks like we'll be doing two nights (Friday and Saturday), two dinners and two lunches in Lyon. We may pick up a third evening if we take Bux up on his suggestion of taking the high speed train to CDG 1. Where to stay? 2. We're trying for Saturday night reservations at L'Auberge de Collonges but are wide open for suggestions for Friday evening, as well as lunch both Friday and Saturday. 3. Are there any Lyon "Road Food" establishments that I might incorporate into my web site? 4. When not dining or eating or sleeping, what should we do? We're especially looking for culinary day trips. We'll have a car. Thanks