LoveToEatATL

Wow. I am so impressed. A+++++!!!! I love it!

This is an awesome thread! Since we have moved to Santa Monica, I have met so many people that want to learn to cook and we have taken them under our wing. This is a great place to start for those lovers of Mexican cuisine (like me!!) Jennifer - I really miss Atlanta, so I especially love reading your posts. Thanks. Patti

Nathan, thanks so much. You gave me the exact info I needed. I guess I should purchase them now!

No one?

Can you only use one denomination gift certificate at a time (ie. $25, $10 etc..)? Or can I buy like a $100 worth of coupons and use them all at one fell swoop? Thanks!

I know about the SM Border Grill - I live right next door to it! Just wanted to give examples of the places that were on there. I do believe we will do Sunday night there. We looooove wine and would love to eat at Rosemary's.

I went to Restaurant.com and they have lots of great restaurant gift certificates for cheap (Rosemary's, Border Grill etc..) for Vegas and just wanted to know if anyone here had ever used them. They are BBB certified, but I hate to get burned. Thanks!

Making Marshmallows - I adore mixing the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin/flavored mixture and turning the Kitchen Aide on high and just watching the whole thing whip into marshmallowy goodness.

Awesome. I think we are going with B&B Ristorante for Xmas eve and then Burger Bar for Xmas Day! LOL I checked and B&B will be serving their regular menu. Yay!

Good point - I have never been to Maui so I have no concept of how big the Island is. She is staying at the Four Seasons Maui. And loves Sensei. thanks! Patti

Hi All, Trying to find an upscale restaurant without the fixed price in Maui for my boss for New Years Eve. Any ideas? Thanks! Patti

Russell, that sounds great. We are driving from LA so that would work out beautifully. Big Boy Dan, why would I only consider a place that serves holiday fare? As for eating at a fabu restaurant on a holiday.....DB at the Wynn was miserable for Thanksgiving dinner. The wait staff were pissed to be working (and it showed) and the food was boring. Dockhl, I love the idea of staying in bed and ordering room service. So Decadent!!! Love it!

We will be in Vegas from 12/23-27 this year and would like opinions on where to eat Christmas dinner. A few years ago we went for Thanksgiving, stayed at the Wynn and ate at DB, and were incredibly disappointed. We are considering Lotus of Siam for Christmas Day and maybe Guy Savoy for another night. Have any of you egulletiers had Christmas Dinner in Vegas? Where? Was it good?

Thank you!!! That's the one! You are awesome.

No can do. It's an entree. I was really hoping someone could help me. I've been on epicurious. Not there.

Hi All, Does anyone have this recipe from Gourmet Magazine? I'm supposed to teach an informal cooking class next Wednesday and thought it would be the perfect dish to start with. This particular Gourmet has a peach tart on the cover and has recipes from Thomas Keller in it. Help? Thanks! Patti

Well, I tried the chipolte brisket with my new crock pot and didn't realize I couldn't leave it on low for well over 10 hours. I came home to burnt brisket!! When I tried a bite of the inside, it was still tender but, Boy Howdy, was it spicy!!! LOL. I will try again next week with less spice and less heat.

I love this thread! I have the chipolte brisket in my crock pot right now - can't wait to get home to try it!!!! My most requested dish is probably my lemon bars. And the homemade marshmallows I learned to make on this site. I love egullet!

I'm almost finished with Heat, which I have greedily gobbled up - what a fun read! Next up I believe I will read the book by Marco Pierre White, who is featured so prominently in Heat. And when I receive it, I always read my Cook's Illustrated -cover to cover.

Well folks, we threw a grilled pizza by the pool party, and it turned out ...ish. We bought 3 large dough balls from a local pizzeria, and cut each into five personal sized doughs. A rolling pin made fast work of shaping each small ball into a thin pie, then we stacked them with parchment between and left them in the fridge until party time. With the grill *very* hot, I threw a pie crust on. After about 45 seconds, it looked half-cooked, so i flipped it. It was already burnt! The loss of a crust encouraged us to retrieve our pizza stone. When the stone was hot, I tossed a new crust on. Keeping a paper-thin crust (that's been stuck to parchment for a couple of hours) in the shape of a circle proved trickier than I expected and the first one was ugly but tasty: we used a blender-tomato sauce from one of you fine folks, and I topped it with shaved red onion and sliced black olives. As the next hour passed, I cranked out pizza after pizza, cooking ten pies, all told. Only a couple more attempts ended in failure - one crust tore then folded, another hung off the edge of the stone and burned pretty bad. The crowd favorite was a barbecued chicken pizza: barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce, sauteed and diced chicken, and red onion; I was partial to the simple tomato sauce and pepperoni. The last pizzas were the best, of course, as our technique improved. Using the hot stone and pargrilling, with a turn before the sauce, turned out to make the best of the crusts, but the edges of all the pies were still a bit doughy inside after having cooked. Next time, we'll leave the dough bigger and roll it out a bit thicker, we think that will help it cook a little more fully and evenly. Now for the bad news: when we were cleaning up, our pizza stone broke - it will be missed. I think I'll go with a square one this time, not another round one. There's no room for error on a round stone. Who's coming over next weekend for another pizza party?! ps: tracey you win the bet

I've got a friend here at my office that is headed to Rome in the next couple of weeks and is trying to make reservations via email. Some have worked, some have not and she doesn't speak Italian. Can anyone lend a hand? Thanks. Patti

Let us know what you decided to do. This daughter sounds like a spoiled 10 year old and your partner giving in to her every whim isn't doing her any favors. Sorry to sound so harsh, but I wouldn't put this in the category of making sure your guests are happy and comfortable. This is just bullying. She's testing you.

Carolyn, all those pics and descriptions had me swooning. It was almost like being there. I was looking for the perfect place to take my husband for his birthday in September. Looks like I have found it. Thanks. P

I am searching for the best way to make pizza on a gas grill. I know...I love a charcoal Webber, but a recent move to an apartment in Santa Monica (with gas grills by the pool) have prevented me from doing a lot of grilling. Who has some fabulous ideas and techniques for making pizza on a gas grill? Thanks! Patti

Having just moved from Atlanta to Santa Monica, we have been blown away by the farmers market. OMG!! I never really thought that meyer lemons existed in real life - but here they were, in abundance! And the avocados - I have been making TONS of guacamole! Enjoy!