chow guy

When I see "authentic" on a menu I usually consider it to be a red flag. As in," Why would you be serving an inauthentic version of Paella etc."

What Liza said.... I think it does distributes heat better. One tip though if you are going to leave in all the time like we do . Make sure you put a pan under anything that could bubble over. Also, I got my wooden peel at a restaurant supply and I like the large size alot.

I got really sick on lobster once. It took many years for me to get back to eating lobsters. Thank goodness, it has long since passed and the red beasts and I have made up.

Try bringing a crock pot of a thick delicious soup like potato etc. Soup is always a hit at those things.

Like everybody else, I always use them for crab cakes, Katsu Dan and also mixed with grated cheese for eggplant Parm. They are really good.

Like: Julia Mario Tyler Can't stand: Emeril Flay That awful Southern woman with her two sons (sorry I never caught her name)

What a great idea. The sign would be a MUST in my house. The smell could easily entice one to take a little peek, to make sure it looks as good as it smells.

Thanks for the link. It looks like a great menu. Pray tell, I saw not one number or indication of price. This really is a menu like Il Piatto's I can't imagine paying Geronimo prices. I should qualify by stating that I don't find Geronimo overpriced, just expensive.

If you're also serving liquor, a tad bit of butterscotch schnapps on a concoction like this, is to die for. I've had hot chocolate made with ground chocolate, sugar, and steamed milk, and it's wonderful, even without the schnapps. ←

I stand accused of being an assclown (60% of salary spent at S. Bucks). Funny thing is that I live a few blocks from a Starbucks but I haven't been to one in four years (It was the nearest place to get coffee during the month we were in the process of moving into our new house). I like my coffee dark but not burned so, I buy dark roast beans from a very good local roaster for $4.49 per pound (at Costco). I'm not against giant retailers or their marketing success (It's Amerika after all). I'm just selective.

Most of the time I build a meal around what's on sale, what looks really good in the store or is left over in the fridge. Sometimes if I have a craving I'll do a whole planned menu thing but most times I stay loose.I always have alot of condiments and a good supply of frozen proteins, so it's easy to be creative. A friend came down to Florida to help me rebuild after Hurricane Andrew. After a month or so he made a point of mentioning that he had not been served the same thing twice since he arrived. I must admit I do bore easily.

What makes IL Piatto great is the price/ value ratio. I have friends that eat there several times a week. Nothing fancy just plain good. It's not in the same league as Geronimo.

There is a fun brew pub at the top of the main drag in Park City called Waschau (sp?) Brew Pub. Food is fun, quite good and it's not pricey. When we were there in August there were large family groups with kids. I would call and reserve though it's a very popular place.

For Durango, finer dining, I'd recommend Seasons. Delicous grilled meat dishes with some inventive but not over the top twists. Nice wine list; have eaten there several times and never been disappointed. (They have a few restaurants, one in Abq also--always good). After or before dinner swing by the real old West bar at the Strater Hotel for drinks. ← Thanks for the tips. I had forgotten about the Seasons in Durango (I thought they'd closed the ones in Ariz. and Col.). It's really funny that you mention Seasons. I might be coming back to Albuquerque late on the 24th If I do I'll join friends for dinner or at least dessert at Seasons here. It's beginning to look like a Seasons season.

Thanks for the links. Durango looks a whole lot more promising than Pagosa. How far a drive is it between the two?

A guy that goes to my gym has raved about the new version (even though he mourns the loss of the old incarnation). He said, "The nude" is still there. Sorry I have not ventured forth yet myself. I usually wait to hear from someone whose opinion I trust before I check things out in Santa Fe. I'll report back when and if I do though.

Does anyone have any recs for everyday affordable eats (since we'll be staying in a hotel we'll be eating out every meal) and also a not to miss fine dining experience in Pagosa Springs? Any help is greatly appreciated.

My mothers' side of the family is from Ireland. My fathers's side of the family is from the Hudson Valley in NY (with Alsatian roots). For Thanksgiving this year we had a pear pie, a pecan pie with hatch green chile and a walnut pie with Chymayo red chile.

Bingo! Two strikes and you're out with me too. If they get snooty never again. And of course, I tell several friends.

I brought with me my brand new Olympus digital with 3.2 megapixels. Every night I emptied my pictures on to my laptop, which I brought with me for that purpose. (I refused to buy an $80 memory card.) I went through them and erased the terrible pictures and touched up the good ones using iPhoto. I took about 15 bad pictures for every good one! Buying a digital for this trip -- and for my subsequent trip to Japan -- was a great decision. ← Wow!!! Thanks so much jogoode. I wondered what camera you used, your pictures and reporting are fantastic. You really brought me back to a similar trip I made with my future wife back in the (pre digital camera) 80's . We started in Florida and spent two and a half months on the road in a Toyota Van. We went across this gorgeous country up California back through the middle to New York and down the coast to Florida. It made me "All Vaclempt" to see your wonderful shots of so many of the places we enjoyed on our trip. Very smart idea about nightly downloading and erasing. You have inspired me. Thanks again. I feel a road trip coming on.

I entered a cooking contest by a large local (commercial) Chile company and won the grand prize with a sweet potato soup with green chile and lime cream. The prize wasn't so grand. A big basket of products from said chile company and to add insult to injury,they used the recipe without a credit in their promotions. So contestants beware! I also, very brazenly entered the New Mexico State Fair Chile contest just months after arriving here. I read the notice in the Sunday paper and announced to my wife, I was entering the chile contest the next day. There was no way I was going to drive over 100 miles round trip to the store. So, I improvised with what I had on hand. I called it a Sandia Sunset Casserole which included Chimayo red chile, eggplant, masa and cheese. Imagine my surprise when this vegetarian recipe( in beef country) won a third place ribbon. The prize was cash. It was something like $9.70. Yeehaw!

My wife often says exactly that or "We should serve this to company do you remember how you made it?" She is also a science type( nurse practitioner).

Ditto ...I experienced all of the above at a very expensive place in NYC (including the huge arragement at the door). I worked front of the house and we used to add the stolen item(s)...(including stems of flowers at $5 per stem) onto the check, itemized and with sales tax. One very rich socialite threw a fit and in her dramatic aria the pewter show plate she was denying having stolen, slipped out of her purse onto the floor. We never saw her again. Thank goodness. Often famous folks would also ask to use the phone (way before cell phones) and then make international calls. Which is also just another kind of high class pilfering.