FatTony

Just had lunch at Sri. Everything as good as ever. We tried a soup that's offered at lunch only (and doesn't appear to be on the menus posted on the internet). It was delicious enough that we ordered a second bowl. Largely at my instigation. The soup consisted of a thin broth (pork stock?), noodles, ground pork, scallions, pork balls and crushed peanuts. It was hot, sweet and sour and totally awe-inspiring. Re-reading what I've just written, I've failed to do the flavor of this fine soup justice. But you should try it. As far as I know it's the only soup with pork balls.

Octaveman, I used to have an 18"x24" Boos edge grain board (which became three boards the minute it fell off the kitchen counter) but it only weighed 15 pounds or so. It was roughly 1.5" thick. The Boardsmith board is a 16"x22"x1.5" rather than a 18"x24"x2" so despite having almost as much usable space, by my calculations there's 336 cubic inches less of it. It's maple, by the way. I'll post a picture when it arrives.

Hest88 and Pat, thanks for your tips. Octaveman, I called David to ask him about the weight of that board. The 18"x24"x2" weighs 25 lb. David was willing to make a 16"x22"x1.5", which he felt would still be thick enough not to warp. He thinks it'll weigh 15 lb. I ordered it immediately. Should be big enough for my purposes - and spare me the hernia!

Those Boardsmith boards look extremely heavy. Do you wipe them down where they stand? Or haul them to the sink to clean? Do you leave them on the counter permanently? I'm very tempted but the cleaning and storage questions are holding me back. I'm wondering if a (custom) 1.5" thick board would be thick enough not to warp? It would certainly be more portable than 2". Also, do you feel the feet really make a difference? I'd have thought a 20+lb board would be heavy enough to stay put? Not having feet would mean one side could have a juice groove.

I'll be in Rockville tonight and tomorrow night. Can anyone recommend somewhere to eat late? I'll be roaming the streets at 9:45/10:00pm. I'd like to avoid fast food if possible. What's the best place you know that's serving food until say 10:30pm? Suggestions gratefully received!

Bump. I have a challenge and wondered if you good folks could help with it. I was given a gift voucher for $200 for The Palm last year. I hadn't gotten around to using it, mainly because I associate the place with mediocre steak. But it expires at the end of this month and I'm buggered if I'm leaving two hundred bucks on the table. So me and a friend are Palm-bound tomorrow night. What should we order? Is one cut a better bet here than another? One school of thought says to forget steak altogether and get the lobster. But I'm no more interested in a mediocre lobster than a second rate steak so I'd want an eGullet endorsement of said strategy first. Another says order a salad and a great bottle of wine. But that seems wrong somehow. Anyone eaten at the Palm lately? Got an ordering strategy to share? Much obliged! Edited to add: We're going to the original Palm on Second Avenue and 45th in Manhattan

The main issue for me is 'Does it taste good?' If Keller's putting his name to something crummy, I consider that a sell-out and it lowers my opinion of him as a chef (like he cares, but anyway.) If it tastes good, or at least is a worthwhile compromise for the time saved, bring it on.

Mark Bittman had a great recipe in his New York Times Minimalist column a few months ago. I tried it once and have since made it regularly. Great value for time and money. Brown whole peeled garlic and dried chillies (I use chilli flakes) in olive oil. Bittman suggests ten cloves. Add decent quality, whole anchovies, essentially the point of the dish. Bittman says twenty, but five to ten will work. He steers you away from canned, vegetable oil-packed varieties and urges the olive oil-packed, imported kind. It's worth the investment. Cook until the anchovies melt, stirring a bit. Drop in cut cherry tomatoes. He says two cups. Stir and simmer for five minutes. Toss with pasta and freshly chopped parsley. This was a revelation for me. Intensely savory, fifteen minutes of work, a few bucks a head. If I have the patience I throw in freshly made breadcrumbs for crunch. A few thyme leaves work well too. In Bittman's house it serves six. Fewer in mine!

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'm in SF again next week so I might just ask Taylor's how they make 'em. JoeBlowe, let me know how you got on if you visisted. Toliver, thanks for the epicurious link. I know what you mean about the marinade term but it's delicious so I forgive them the crappy copywriting. The other posts make me realize there's more than one road to a delicious taco. But I'm going to get this one right first.

Looks delicious, I have to admit. But you have to try the tacos I'm talking about. What are they, six hours drive from you?

I recently returned to the excellent Taylor's Automatic Refresher, an upscale diner in San Francisco. I was compelled to order their delicious fish tacos a second time and after getting home I've been trying to recreate 'em. Here's how the menu describes the dish: Grilled Mahi Mahi in spicy taco marinade, served in corn tortillas with mexican slaw, salsa and cilantro-jalapeno sour cream. Two parts of this deceptively simple sounding dish, which ends up being substantially more delicious than the sum of its parts, I can't get quite right. The marinade, which is a reddish-brown (and which I think is drizzled over the grilled fish a second time when the tacos are built) and the salsa, which clearly has tomatoes and tomatillos in the mix, but something more. (Actually, if you have any thoughts on the slaw I'm all ears too.) Have you ever eaten these tacos? How would you recreate? What am I missing? Failing first hand Taylor's experience, have you ever made a sublime fish taco? How'd you make yours? For the record, the fish in these tacos is not deep fried, and for my money, they're better off for it.

Pret a Manger.

The fish was not deep fried - there was no batter at all. It was marinated and the marinate had stained the fish brown. (At first I thought it was tuna, if that's any indication.) More of the marinade was applied to the cooked fish, I think, and pooled deliciously in the bottom of the taco. The red/brown color might have indicated annato in the marinade, who knows. If you're a taco afficionado - and, more to the point, prefer yours battered - Taylor's might not be for you. But I enjoyed them immensely.

FWIW I recently had the fish tacos at (the Ferry Market) Taylors and they were the best I've ever eaten. My fish taco credentials are admittedly limited but the Mahi-Mahi was really fresh and there was plenty of it. The marinade really elevated the dish. Wish I could replicate it at home. $9.99 for two decent size tacos. Based on this single experience, I'll be back. As an aside, if there are better fish tacos (not cheaper: better) to be had in SF, I'd love to try 'em.

They do serve beer. Upthread, Megan posted a link to Sri's menu. You'd probably be fine with anything that doesn't say 'spicy' next to it. In terms of actual recommendations, Fat Guy's favorite Soy Sauce Noodles would qualify, as would my beloved Pork Leg With Mustard Greens Over Rice. I'm sure others could chime in here. I don't see a problem in needing non-spicy dishes there - except it might be boring to have to endure them while all the tongue-blistering excitement is happening at the other tables.