winesonoma

http://www.chefdirect.com/

Most winery's in the valley are free for tasting as far as I know but I live here and rarely go tasting. Get a local Free paper at the Wine Exchange on 1st St. east to plan your trip,or at your hotel. PM me for more detailed info.

It all depends on the height of what's braising and the amount of liquid. Look's a little shallow to me. My chuck roasts are usually 2" thick, as are lamb shanks and turkey legs.

Ramekins in Sonoma is alright if you pick the right class. Whatever that means.

You seem to have a knife box with your knives thrown in haphazardly. Please say it isn't so.

Been there , done that . But it was a prospective romantic partner. Run and hide 4 times over.

Go with the Falk never need to go above med heat easy to clean and will build upper body strength as you use it. Damm thing is heavy but I will only buy Falk for saute, fry and sauce pans after using it.

When I lived in the area 35 years ago the saying was that although you are 45 geographical miles from NYC, culturally you are 500,000 miles away. In talking with friends still there I'm afraid it's still true.

Okay, but here's a stupid question... other than Sonoma Saveurs' Duck Burgers (which I adore) and the ones grilled outside of that cheese market, who else in town sells burgers? I suppose that Black Bear Diner does, but I'd quickly discount them for being so Dennys-like. Does the Swiss have burgers? Anywhere else I'm not thinking of? ← Swiss has Burgers but they use those hard sourdough rolls. Girl and the Fig has burgers and great Pommes frites. Duece also has burgers. Generals Daughter also has burgers. But Vaquero has the Best in my humble opinion.

Best burger in town

Then you need to learn how to make Crab Cake's. A light saute to heat is all that's needed. And a fresh Aioli. Yum. ← I think jason has a point, though. using alaskan king meat in crab cakes is like making burgers out of kobe beef. You can, and it will be kickass, but come on! ← I guess that is why they use the much tougher Dungeness crab in the cakes.

Enough

Then you need to learn how to make Crab Cake's. A light saute to heat is all that's needed. And a fresh Aioli. Yum.

2 words; Crab Cakes

Falk give you a scotch brite to clean you pot. Works well on the brushed finish.

Japanese single bevel knives have their place but being left handed and being told I must pay a premium for a wrong handed knife turns me off. I'd love to try one but not at those prices when what I have works.

Please explain to me why you add anything to an Oyster. It stands alone as does most seafood.

The proper response if it was me would be, If I wanted whipped cream on them I would have brought it. Leave them as they are. But, that would be me.

Once and for all on Mayo: "MAYONNAISE;A cold sauce of ...etc" Larousse Gastromique 1961. Why does one put that on a burger? Warm Mayo yuck.

I vote for the ugly, good tasting, tomatoes that aren't allowed to leave home. Since they have to stay they should be the State Fruit. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=57966&hl=

You know the difference between a Mandolin and a Mandoline

Why? What do you cut up that you need to use a stone that often? When I was a carpenter I only had to touch up my cutting tools monthly. A steel maybe but a stone seems overkill.

True, if you're talking about the multifarious copies of the original. If, however, one looks at a real Granton edge by Granton the hollows are so well-placed that the actual edge (viewed edge-on) looks dead straight. The hollows are also much more of an inverted "U" shape than the ovals one sees in other lines, so it will take a hell of a lot of stoning to get to the point where the edge becomes a problem - you'd replace the knife before then, probably. I've migrated mostly to Japanese knives - and the only Western ones I still use are my Grantons. I know it's horribly cliche, but "oft imitated, never duplicated" is a good way to sum it up. Wouldn't trade my 10" Granton scimitar for anything (it's probably 1/8" narrower now than it was new) - and I wouldn't give a plugged Ginsu for an imitation. ← Here is the real Granton knife. http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?manufacturerID=6

Valley of the Moon winery here in Sonoma makes a wonderful Rosatto De Sangiovese, a dry rose that is a great summer wine if you can find it.

Bought a logic grill pan and use it all the time. That stuff rocks. Easy clean up and no hassle.