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keith721

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  1. Attention FG / Shaw : If you haven't been to the Landmark Restaurant and Diner on Central Avenue in Charlotte, you're missing some of the finest food in town. Portions are awesome, prices are more than fair, and the quality is unbelievable at the price. I can't say that their steaks are the greatest, but just about everything else is unbelievably wonderful. One of the original three Greek brothers who own the place is the baker. Fresh pastries and challah bread are prepared in the basement bakery several times a week. Their "Big Chocolate Cake" is not to be missed, especially if you're a chocoholic. When you go in, ask for either of the cousins, Angelo or Angelo (no, really!) and tell them Keith sent you. If you go on Thursday through Sunday evenings, ask for Prakash's section. I've been eating there since I came to town in 1991, and would highly recommend it to anyone (HoddyMoo included!)
  2. Here's the recipe I use, from HPBooks 1986 "Cajun-Creole Cooking" by Terry Thompson. It's out of print, but an excellent reference for many fine dishes. You may find a used copy somewhere, ISBN 0-89586-371-5. ------------------------------------ New Orleans pralines -- and that's pronounced PRAH-leens, to set the reord straight -- are unique among pralines. They contain butter and milk to give them a softer, almost chewy texture. The taste is addictive. ------------------------------------ New Orleans Butter Pralines 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup firmly-packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cup milk 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 3 cups pecan halves 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Place 2 large parchment-paper sheets on baking sheets; butter parchment paper. Set aside. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook to soft-ball stage, 234 degrees Fahrenheit or 114 degrees Centigrade. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Stir briskly until mixture loses its glossy sheen. WORKING QUICKLY, drop mixture by tablespoons onto buttered paper. Let pralines cool completely before removing from paper. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Makes 24 pralines. ------------------------------------ (I've been known to use buttermilk instead of milk, for a different taste. Also, dark brown sugar instead of light, or molasses instead of light corn syrup. A darker, more robust praline is excellent with a strong cup of black coffee.)
  3. eGullet.com newbie here, but definitely not new to cooking or eating wonderful food. Last year, I tried to forward an e-mail to Holly about my favorite BBQ place in Charlotte, NC. I don't know what kpurvis or anyone else around here thinks, but The Old Hickory House barbecue restaurant on North Tryon street near the Highway 29/49 connector (off I-85, between Sugar Creek and University City Blvd exits) has been my hands-down (usually picking up another sandwich) favorite. Plenty of split oak and hickory piled up behind the restaurant, and the pit is in one corner of the dining room. When you drive by, the smoke from the grill often sweeps over Tryon Street traffic. I'll keep it short and sweet - they offer their BBQ pork sliced or chopped, and the chopped is rather coarse, with plenty of crispy brown and nearly black bits. They make their own BBQ and hot sauces, and the Brunswick stew and baked beans are fabulous, IMHO. When you walk into the restaurant, you'd swear you were back in the late 1950's or early 1960's. To give you some background, I was born and raised a Cajun in SW Louisiana. I learned to cook from my father and his father. I cooked nights in a small Columbia, SC restaurant named the Mouse Trap during the 1980s. Moved to Charlotte in 1991, and spent the years since trying and finding restaurants that I could depend on for good food at reasonable (or ridiculously inexpensive) prices. I'm happy to say that I found some of my long-time favorites on HollyEats.com last year, including Price's Chicken Coop and Lupie's Cafe. Hope I can learn from everyone else here, and share a few of my favorites, as well. Thanks!!
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