Ocean_islands

I've never been to a 3-star but I'd imagine that is where I'd need to go if I want a baked dessert that has all kinds of little pastry-woven doodads and what-not in it. I can do without that, just between you and me.

I don't mean to harp on this or anything, but why not keep the bacon grease in the refrigerator? It would seem to be a minimum precaution. After all, you keep the bacon in the refrigerator, so why not the grease?

Au Trou Gascon would have to be rustic because the cuisine gasconne is a rustic cuisine; stars are not only for 'refined' restaurants but for the finest representants of regional cuisine restaurants, it seems to me. Cuisine gasconne is also the heaviest (highest fat content) if I am not mistaken. Personally I would never eat in a 3-star unless invited because I think the prices are way overblown in the same way as prices for wine in the U.S. are generally overblown. My take is that a one-star restaurant has fantastic preparations for significantly lower prices, largely due to the snob factor. Let me add that I've been happiest with restaurants mentioned in the Michelin red guide that do not have any stars, especially when traveling through France. I'm all for good value and I've never had a bad meal at a red guide recommended restaurant. You have to realize -- I'm sure you do -- that restaurants in France by and large are much better than in the United States, and a far better value on average. That is not to say that they are more inventive -- but cuisine is not so much about invention as it is about quality, in my opinion. This said, you don't need to go to a 3-star in order to have a fantastic experience.

The best meal I've had in Palm Beach county was at L'Escalier, where I went for Thanksgiving two years ago. It was an awesome gourmet take on Thanksgiving but my god it really cost a lot of money. I love Cafe Chardonnay, I've eaten there several times but never for lunch. It's my favorite restaurant in PBC. The buzz right now in PBC is "Little Moir's Food Shack". I ate there in June and it was a stupendous meal. It's in Jupiter. And it IS a shack (well, as much as a storefront in a strip mall could be). I'm all for good value and this is the best value I've had in the Palm Beaches for my money up until now. It's small and there is always a wait, but if you can get past the decor, it's worth it. It's a place I never would have even considered going if I hadn't read about it in Zagat. Never eaten at Kee Grill though I did show up at the door and didn't like the looks of the crowd. Or maybe it was I was wearing shorts, I can't remember. Carmine's -- always a good choice. I've also eaten at Carmine's Ocean Grill which I liked but have gotten reports about unevenness of service.

Dark Fruit Serves 2 as Dessert. Dark Fruit This simple recipe was taught to me by a French woman, and it is surprisingly delicious. 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries Red wine, any variety Sugar Choose two small bowls and make this dessert before you begin your meal. Divide the blueberries into the two bowls after washing them thoroughly and removing any stems or broken berries. Pour red wine into the bowl until it just comes to the top of the berries. If you wish, you may add just a bit of sugar, perhaps 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful, but don't mix it up. By the time you are ready for dessert, the blueberries will have released a wonderful flavor into the wine which makes for a refreshing dessert. This dessert could be served with a glass of sparkling water, and it can be made with any kind of berry. Keywords: Easy, Dinner, Vegetarian, French, Dessert, Healthy Choices, Fruit ( RG1155 )

Dark Fruit Serves 2 as Dessert. Dark Fruit This simple recipe was taught to me by a French woman, and it is surprisingly delicious. 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries Red wine, any variety Sugar Choose two small bowls and make this dessert before you begin your meal. Divide the blueberries into the two bowls after washing them thoroughly and removing any stems or broken berries. Pour red wine into the bowl until it just comes to the top of the berries. If you wish, you may add just a bit of sugar, perhaps 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful, but don't mix it up. By the time you are ready for dessert, the blueberries will have released a wonderful flavor into the wine which makes for a refreshing dessert. This dessert could be served with a glass of sparkling water, and it can be made with any kind of berry. Keywords: Easy, Dinner, Vegetarian, French, Dessert, Healthy Choices, Fruit ( RG1155 )

Don't get me wrong, I love bacon and its grease. But anyway, how long does the grease last in your pantry before it goes rancid?

Okra is awesome. Breading and frying it is such a shame, though. And bacon grease seems uncalled for except in the darkest of memories of childhood, better left to the past. Olive oil works great for me. This reminds me I have some frozen okra in the freezer that I threw in there as I was going out of town, since I didn't have time to cook it. Never did anything with frozen okra so now I'll try something with it.

Ok the beet thing intrigues me. I'm going to have to try this cake and maybe when I'm in France next month I'll make it for friends.* * reference carrot cake thread (shocking French foodies is great fun).

Sell it on E-bay. That's my new solution for everthing.

These posts remind me of my carrot cake story. A few years ago when I was living in France, I often visited friends who lived in the country. Many of their neighbors had never met an American before. As an American I often surprised French people by talking about a cake made of carrots, which never failed to surprise them as they didn't know it and thought that was a bizarre idea. So, one time while I was visiting I made a carrot cake for some of these French people. As I was making the batter, my friend Mireille was watching. When I added somewhere around 1 cup of oil, her jaw hit the floor. She was aghast. The idea of carrots in cake she could handle, but putting cooking oil in a cake was a shock. I assured her I was following the recipe. Later, after dinner, as we all had carrot cake -- which everybody loved -- Mireille turned to me and she said, "I love your oil cake!" The following year after the oil cake, a French friend found a French recipe for carrot cake which had no oil in it and very little butter. It was made with whipped egg whites. I'm going to see if I cannot find that recipe and post it here. I agree with the French people now -- The majority of the above recipes call for about a CUP of oil. "We want the cake moist" people say. Oil makes a cake oily. If you want a moist cake, add butter and not oil. By the way, a true carrot cake does not have sugary frosting. It has cream cheese in the PLACE of frosting (with no sugar added).

I think you need to clean your oven first. Personally I'd toss the pan and get one that has an enamel or non-stick surface. You could also try oven-cleaning products on the pan.

The solution is to go back to Chicago to visit as often as possible. But on a more practical side, you'll just have to learn how to make hot dogs yourself. Believe me, it's easy and far more satisfying than trying yet another joint that does not measure up. Unfortunately Vienna red hots are not available in stores, to my knowledge. In NYC, where I am, hot dogs are all over the place, but no Chicago hot dogs. In a pinch I'll buy some of them plain and bring them home to dress them. Trying all the hot dogs variations at Papaya King, for instance, has been a bit fun -- but like eating bugs. You know the natives eat bugs, but beyond trying them once for yourself, perhaps, you will never grow to love them. I've come to tolerate a plain dog with some german mustard, or sometimes with relish. The sauerkraut is gross (maybe it could be ok if the sauerkraut were any good). They have something here called a slaw dog which is rather gross but worth trying once lol -- they have some bizarre name for it that escapes me at the moment. Don't even get me started on the pizza issue, but I've heard that the New Haven thing is good. Perhaps I shall try it one day.

This is an almost impossible request to fulfill -- you'll just have to choose. If it were me, I would choose Alsace, it's great in the autumn and Alsatian food is at its height. Other great autumn destinations: Dijon/Bourgogne and Lyon. If you have your slicker and like English Channel weather, I would say that Brittany's St. Malo and Normandy's Mont St. Michel would be quite breathtaking in late autumn -- brisk salty air, roiling clouds, and scarce tourists. Mont St. Michel is great to visit when no one else wants to be there -- its something you must experience once in your life, like Venice -- if, like Venice, you can get past the tourists because it's unbearable with the full tourist contingent present. If you go don't forget to try the lamb pre-sale. The lamb is raised on meadows seasoned with the salty air, and it can be tasted in the meat. If you want to escape from all that Autumn brisk air, go to Provence. You won't be sorry whatever you choose, so choosing based on climatics is as good a reason as any. I would guess there will be more people in the warmer climes that time of year than the other tourist destinations. If you want to make this dream come true: "I can see myself in a stone building on a hilltop surrounded by vines sipping local plonk snacking on great hunks of foie gras, cheese and coarse pate waiting for my wife to finish doing her hair and makeup prior to going for dinner somewhere simple, but authentic and good. " Don't forget that the vines don't have leaves in late November, so temper your expectations. There's a great little restaurant in the village Chateauneuf-du-Pape that looks just like this -- you could stay in Avignon and drive the wine road.

La Tartine, rue de Rivoli by the metro St. Paul. Apparently it's been cleaned up a bit, haven't been there lately -- I was always amazed at the walls which had not been painted in 50 years. I hope it's as good now as it was then. La Tartine

Well I agree with you on that; I wasn't speaking about the business success of malls, only about their aesthetcs. If they were not a good business proposition, then they wouldn't be built so often. Malls are welcomed where there are no stores; where there are a lot of stores, however, they are generally less welcome, especially by other store owners. Personally, I love malls, so there's no attitude here from me. The box-type mall with a skylight, though, leaves a lot to the imagination. It's boring when all the stores are the same -- a drawback to the mall. I was being facetious about the 'restaurant mall'.

Brown mush This is the easiest recipe for mush you'll ever see! Take a can of black bean soup -- Progresso makes a great one and is a good choice. You could make the black bean soup from scratch if you want to get fancy by boiling black beans in water after soaking them overnight. Make some whole brown rice, preferably round grain. When the black bean soup is heating, take one cup of whole brown round rice and put it into the simmering soup. "Get fancy" variations department: Add some fresh parsley! Or some cilantro! Fat fanatics will love adding grated cheddar or mimolette cheese! Brown mush! You'll love it! Get even fancier department: Brown the whole brown round rice in olive oil before cooking, add some chicken stock or bouillion to the rice, or maybe even some saffron, or a dash of worcestershire sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of sherry! Fancy brown mush! You'll love it even better! Keywords: Vegetarian, Main Dish, Easy, Beans, Rice ( RG1146 )

Brown mush This is the easiest recipe for mush you'll ever see! Take a can of black bean soup -- Progresso makes a great one and is a good choice. You could make the black bean soup from scratch if you want to get fancy by boiling black beans in water after soaking them overnight. Make some whole brown rice, preferably round grain. When the black bean soup is heating, take one cup of whole brown round rice and put it into the simmering soup. "Get fancy" variations department: Add some fresh parsley! Or some cilantro! Fat fanatics will love adding grated cheddar or mimolette cheese! Brown mush! You'll love it! Get even fancier department: Brown the whole brown round rice in olive oil before cooking, add some chicken stock or bouillion to the rice, or maybe even some saffron, or a dash of worcestershire sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of sherry! Fancy brown mush! You'll love it even better! Keywords: Vegetarian, Main Dish, Easy, Beans, Rice ( RG1146 )

The shape of glasses in which to drink wine is always based upon concentrating, conserving, and enhancing the odor and flavor of the wine. To this end, the French invented the shapes of glasses to match the wine (and, I would imagine, to sell glasses), and that is why the flute is the best for champagne. It might not be the best shape for sparkling white wines that are not champagne, so there may yet be a place for the coupe -- let your nose be your guide. Flutes are the easiest wine glasses to hold and the coupe is the easiest to spill. For French speakers there is more here: http://www.louis-dousset.com/degust.htm

I just have to weigh in on this topic. First of all, there is no such thing as a 'mall city'. Most malls are in the suburbs. If they are not then they are in the country. But Manhattan has had malls for years, including the Manhattan Mall for the poor and Trump Tower for the rich. Now we have the Time Warner Center for the -- blasé? But really, don't you think a restaurant mall is an original idea? I think it is -- I just don't particularly want to go to a restaurant mall. Now that the Louvre in Paris, France, has a mall, all this business about looking down on malls is just a bunch of hooey. The truth of the matter is that most US malls are poorly conceived, poorly executed, isolated if not isolating, and boring. We can blame the mall developers for that, and I can't imagine why a restaurant mall would be any different, but I am willing to concede that it might be -- depending upon what you find inside. The fact of the matter is that a restaurant's neighborhood is a big part of its identity. Would someone be saying this was a great moment in American cuisine if all these restaurants opened at the same time in different neighborhoods of Manhattan? I don't think so. That is why the restaurant mall is more likely to be a great moment in restaurant history than in the history of American cuisine -- but there's nothing wrong with that, per se. Let me add, though, that the grocery store in the TWC basement is tops (and if it weren't there then that is where the mall's food court would be).

I don't know anything about OC but I just have to add that New York City is the only place where I have had bad sushi. And it's where I live so that sucks.

Nathan's has a history of putting their shops in strange locations. They even put one in Chicago a few years back that didn't last very long at all. In that case, either they didn't bother to realize that Chicago has its own hot dog joints, or they thought that New York hot dogs were better than Chicago hot dogs. In any case, Nathan's Chicago went belly-up. Nathan's are great for Coney Island but without Coney Island around them they are just not very good. On second thought, maybe it's just the fries at Nathan's that are influencing my opinion, because their fries are the worst.

Well this thread has brought me out of lurk mode, and I hope I don't make you all scream. But as an Hungarian/Czech/Slovak American I hope you will give me a break. Goulash is never far from my heart and here in NYC's (a new location for me) Yorkville, Hungary is never far. I bought a tube of goulash/paprika labeled Gulyaskrem Csemege Bluefish? Yes, I made a bluefish goulash dish this evening -- and it was un delice, as they say in France. Here's a bit of detail: Vidalia onion rings sauteed in oil, rosemary, cayenne, chives and garlic, with a hefty dose of goulash paste fresh out of the tube sauteed in a high sauce pan at least for an hour low pan bluefish baked at 425 degrees with the onion mix arranged around and on top for at least 20 mins a bit of salt (in fact, a lot of salt given the Vidalia onions -- I prefer normal onions but that's all I had) to counter the sugar, a bit of thyme/salt from Bretagne boy was it good. And I have half of it left for tomorrow.......