hathor

Can you describe a mango proseco cocktail?? Sounds fabulous, two of my favorite things! And a mango 'bath' would not sting at all, it would be deluxe!

We are also planning on spending some time there...so hope you get some good beta! My only word of advice is: be sure to dip that hard bread in water before you try and eat it!! buono viaggio!!

Fine...go ahead bring up milkshakes...now I've got the song stuck in my head, and there it will remain for days and days....my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..... Vanilla malteds. Its been years and years and years. I used to work as a waitress and I would just eat the malt powder straight. mmmmm.......

Was it La Tur? from Piemonte cow, goat ,sheep blend- really great about a 2-1/2" diameter. hello! no, it was an Italian name, about a 5 inch square. and now you gone and made me hungry!!

Fresh, cold shell peas from Greenmarket Blueberries when they are 2/$5.00 like they were at Gourmet Garage the other night The first good watermelon of the season The first local corn Eating outside (preferably in a garden, not at a sidewalk table..unless I'm in Paris, but that belongs on another forum. ) Think Bistro le Jardin in Soho, or Acqua Sante in Brooklyn Can you tell I'm ready for summer???

Does this take you all morning and into the afternoon? Do you have a method to share? I love grapefruit, but echo everyone else's complaints about it. I once made a wonderful recipe of grapefruit, ginger, and star anise compote, it was truly delicious, but I'd never do it again because it took forever to peel those *%$ grapefruit!! It's not difficult, after a bit of practice. The epiphany for me was . . . USE A KNIFE! (duh, but I'm a slow learner) Cut off the top and bottom of the grapefruit so you can see the actual flesh (no membranes) Cut down the sides, again so you see flesh. Working over a bowl, hold the grapefruit in your left hand (right hand if you're left-handed). Pick a membrane, any membrane, and start there. Cut down as close as you can along one of the membranes, then move to the next one and cut along it, cutting out the section of grapefruit. Continue around until you're left with nothing but a big lump of membranes. Squeeze out the extra juice and you're set. Works for oranges too. Now, for me, the way-too-much-work-for-what-you-get food is fava beans -- shell, shell, shell; blanch, peel, peel, peel -- two hours later, you have. . . beans. Great. Anyone know the cooking term for this? I seem to remember someone on Food TV refer to these as imperials (or something similar) when refering to a lime cut in this manner. I think you are looking for the word "supreme". Messy, but fun.

OHHHH...my husband eats the shells too! YUK. I thought he was unique in the universe..... Adox: you must train the SO. Deprive him of food, let scent of bbq shrimp waft over to him and when starvation overtakes his aversion to touching the peels, he will come to understand the tactile pleasure of ripping those shrimp bodies apart!! I used to travel to Hong Kong with my designer who had an aversion to pulling the shrimp head from the body, so I would have to rip all the heads off for her. After, say 4 or 5 years, I had her finally trained so that she could do it all by hersef. So, if she's trainable, anything is possible!!

Its an essential oil, lavender oil, and you can ice for a few minutes and then douse directly with the oil. Here's a link that explains more about lavender: Camden-Grey. Scroll down until you get to lavender. I also use aloe vera directly from the plant, but the lavender seems to take the "ouch" out quicker, and the healing/scaring is better. (I've gotten some doozy burns on my hands over the years...haven't we all??). Please, PM if you want some more info. Regards!

Keep a bottle of lavender oil around...just dump some on the burn. Its miraculous. At least you got to drown your sorrows with the couscous. I HATE burning my hands!

The vineyard is gorgeous!!!! You have flowers, and critters that eat flowers so I'm doubly impressed. Is "when' to sucker a debatable question? DoverCanyon suckered her vines about 2 weeks ago. Or is it just a matter of climate and varietal when the suckering occurs?

Oh, Dinner at Cafe Lonely St. Where there are only tables for one But the food is fine if not divine! The wife left you, she took the kids and the camera...but have no fear: THEY WILL BE BACK! And then you'll have a reason to have a great celebratory feast. So, its all good. Our 'ragazzi' all went up to the country to enjoy the sunshine...they even took the cats, so I share your pain. We had some soy/sesame porkchops over a bib lettuce salad, very tasty.

Our Soprano Supper was a very retro ravioli, meatballs and sausage. Comfort food for the masses as we watched Tony and crew! Come on....you can't go wrong with meatballs!

I LOVE the blogs... one week in Lyon... a week in Dallas...now we even get Venus thrown in!! I would be your eternal slave if I could have cinnamon roles like that every morning. I would be your eternal obese slave...but oh, so happy.

Hathor, they use the Tabasco pepper, which as I understand grows natively on Avery Island. The Tabasco is different from the Cayenne, which is used in other types of Louisiana Hot Sauce such as Crystal and Red Hot. thanks! I 'googled' it up...and you are right. You can buy seeds, find medicinal preparations (said to "reduce pain preception"??) etc. etc.

Many thanks for the explanation. I grew up around strip mines, so I understand what you are saying. And they store oil in the abandoned salt mine?? They don't leak?? Interesting juxtaposition of salt mine and Tobasco.

This belongs in the what I learned on eGullet thread! A tour of Tobasco....what did it smell like? What type of peppers do they use? What is a 'salt dome'? I'm picturing a giant sink hole. How horrifying!

Leave it to Mamet ... what a brilliant line. So, so true in these days where marketing trumps all. Interesting points. However, the fact remains that artists such as Mamet and top chefs are charging a premium price for their product and in turn are making hefty profits (maybe not so much for chefs). As such, they have a certain responsibility to the consumer! Obviously, for each genre of art this responsibilty varies, in Mamet's case it would be to turn out quality movies etc... Justin So, we should ask ourselves, why the desire to eat at a 'celebrity chef' restaurant? How did we ever hear of Keller in the first place? I believe marketing places a major factor in any of these top end 'celeb chef' restaurants. Do you think Jean George does not have a publicity staff? To what extent are the 'bragging' rights a component in choosing a restaurant? Why do restaurants sell lots of 'name' wines when comparable and cheaper wines sit untouched? A t-shirt by Karl Lagerfield for Chanel, has more cachet, but the same amount of cotton as the t-shirt from the Gap.

Leave it to Mamet ... what a brilliant line. So, so true in these days where marketing trumps all.

What a lovely idea! May I join you?

So I guess the high prices we pay at some of these restaurants are not for the marquee chefs but for the debt service on the loan? Long story short: it's a business. If the chef were in it soley for the love of cooking, he would cooking for his friends.

Funny...that was my impression too...look at all that room. I'm used to climbing over bodies at Gourmet Garage.... What a great blog! To be Texan for a week. Thanks 'nessa!!

It's not that I don't care... I do care and I do fully expect the chef to have completely trained the staff to execute his/her vision. I do expect that the chef has had a direct hand in the creation of the dishes on the menu. Armani doesn't stitch every dress...but I do expect his influence in the quality and design. ( I know.. I know...an analogy....).

"Water Ice".... After reading page upon page about onion confit...and roasted cauliflower....now I thought there was a debate on what was the best water to make ice with....

Turning out consistently beautiful and tasty food at any restaurant involves teamwork. I would expect the chef, celebrity or not, to train his staff to execute his vision. Although it might be somewhat titillating to have a 'celebrity' cook for you, the real issue is the overall experience, which again relies on the team that has been built. Given our celebrity driven culture, of course young chefs want to be stars. But the discrimminating diners will naturally cull out the 'generic' experiences. And those diners that may not be so confident in their taste will welcome the affirmation that comes with choosing a 'celebrity' chef.

I think thats brilliant! I will remember it when I have to haul some wine to an unlikely place. Thanks!