sweetfreak

I am charged with bringing biscuits to Easter brunch tomorrow which will be right after church. I bought some Mary B's. If I bake them tonite, will they still be good tomorrow morning? I really will have hardly any time to bake them tomorrow.

My daughter will be baptized in about a month and we would like to have family and godparents back to our house after the baptism. The baptism will be at 9 am, so I am thinking breakfast foods, BUT everything needs to be done in advance, since we will all be coming home together. And there could be up to 20 people! Please help because I am stuck on pastries and fruit salad.

In Chatham, I recommend the Impudent Oyster. You need to make a reservation because it is not that big and is always full. The devils on horseback are wonderful, if you are a scallop fan. They have an interesting variety of pastas and fish. It can be pricey, but worth it, in my opinion.

Has anyone heard of a new restaurant, I believe on Mt. Pleasant, called Six Tables? I just heard about it through the grapevine and I am not even certain that it is open yet. From what I hear, it is a restaurant that literally has six tables, one seating a night (?) and multiple courses. I googled it but could not find anything. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I made pound cake finger sandwiches for a bridal shower recently and they were a HUGE hit. Here is what I did: I sliced pound cakes about a 1/2 inch thick and then lightly toasted the slices in the oven. Next, I melted chocolate and brushed them on one side of the pound cake slices to "waterproof" them. Added a layer of Nutella and a slice of strawberry or banana. Next time I make them, I will use a very small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut the slices first, hence a prettier presentation. FYI, I tried to make a strawberry cream as well as a cinnamon cream, but they were too loose, so I just used the Nutella

My mom grew up in Elizabeth and my grandparents still live there. Every time we went to visit, we would go to Spirito's. It has been years, but I have so many memories of it. Waiting in line winding around the tables. No butter with the bread, so I would always take the parmesan cheese and sprinkle it all over the bread. Awesome pizza. Awesome veal parm. I would beg my parents for more coins for the jukebox. Daniel, you must go and report on the experience!

Here in the DC area, there are two Asian restaurants, the first called Pho King and the other New Big Wong.

Barton G. A few blocks off of South Beach. Very expensive but very fun. Make sure you sit outside if you go. www.bartong.com

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Caramel Cake with lots and lots of thin layers...

I have been to Zola for restaurant week and I was happy with the menu. As I recall, it is not the entire menu, but a good part of it. I would go again...

According to the recipe on the website, they recommend Cheez Wiz http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/recipe.htm

I am going to BlackSalt for dinner tonite. This will be my second time, but the first time was during the winter. Anyone who has been recently who can comment on what might be on the menu?

Oh my gosh, I LOVE 2 Amy's! Last night, we must have had good karma because we wandered in at 7:30 and only had to wait for 5 minutes for a table. Couldn't believe it! Then, not 5 minutes after we sat down, there were throngs of people waiting outside to eat. The Suppli were spot-on last night. Probably the best I have had there. But how can you go wrong with deep-fried risotto balls?! I had a margarita pizza and added mushrooms. Delish. And thanks to this board, I ordered dessert there for the first time. The panna cotta is something I never would have gone for, if I had not read here first. Last night, it was an orange panna cotta, with the caramel sauce, and a shortbread cookie. I am a convert. Such complex flavors. Even the shortbread had a hint to it. We also got a cookie plate, which was not as good as the panna cotta, but still nice with sugar cookies, pistachio biscotti and another unidentified cookie that contained polenta and golden raisins. All in all a delicious meal and was so excited to not have to wait for a table!

Just to add a question to this thread, we will be heading to the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne in a few weeks. Does anyone know about the dining options here or any restaurants in the area?

I forgot to add last week that I DID make a bread pudding from the leftover strawberry breads and it was delicious. Just a standard recipe with milk, eggs, etc. I added even more cinnamon because my husband and I love cinnamon, and sliced some fresh strawberries into the pudding as well. It was a great Spring-y treat!

Back to the restaurant, I went here on Thursday night with two friends. First of all, the service was atrocious!! It truly took them half an hour to come to our table to offer us a drink. I was infinitely patient because one member of our party is a friend I have not seen forever, so I was on my best behavior. Also, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt since this is a new restaurant. The problem was that there was one couple providing service to the entire restaurant. Two people took all orders, delivered food, and sat people. They MUST hire more help. Okay, rant over, onto the food: for a neighborhood spot, I was pleased. I started with a salad with roquefort, walnuts, mixed greens and raspberry vinagrette. Admittedly a ubiquitous combo, but this was very good. Not too heavily dressed and a nice balance of flavors. As my entree I ordered the chicken with mushroom sauce and subbed an order of french fries for whatever usually comes with it. This surpassed my expectations. The chicken was truly delicious and the flavor of the mushroom sauce was bursting with mushroom-y goodness. The fries were great as well. Crisp, fresh, yummy. My friend ordered a dessert crepe which had chocolate, chopped pistachios, whipped cream, ice cream. I had a bite and it was pretty good. She said she wanted to lick the plate. Would I return? Probably because it is in the neighborhood, but they MUST work on the service!

Now, there's an idea...bread pudding! I do still have some left over. Any ideas for bread pudding recipes using the strawberry bread??

Yes, it did come out fine with the milk, though I have nothing to compare it to, moisture-wise. I don't know if using all oil would make for a moister result. I should also add that the bread really does taste better a day or two after baking...the flavors seemed to develop more.

Well, since we have not heard back from Kew yet, I will go ahead and post her recipe. Like I said, I used more milk, less oil, and did glaze the loaves: STRAWBERRY BREAD 3 eggs 2 cups sugar 2 cups sliced strawberries, mashed 1 1/2 cups cooking oil 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 t. ground cinnamon 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Powdered Sugar Glaze (recipe below, optional) Grease and flour two 8x4x2-inch. Beat eggs with an electric mixer on medium until thick and lemon-color then add sugar and beat just until combined. Add mashed berries and oil, and mixtill combined. Stir dry ingredients together. Add to the above and stir until just moistened. Bake in a 350F oven about 50 minutes for the 8x4-inch pans or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Loosen edges and remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Drizzle loaves with Powdered Sugar before slicing, if desired. Powdered Sugar Glaze: Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 T. milk, and 1/2 t. vanilla and stir in additional milk until drizzling consistency. Tint pink using red food coloring, if desired. If you don't want it to have too much oil, instead of 1 1/2C oil use 1/2C oil and 1C milk instead.

I ended up making Kew's recipe for strawberry bread this weekend and it came out very well. The recipe uses fresh strawberries, sliced then mashed. I did use the variation with more milk, less oil. I also made the powdered sugar glaze. The breads are not overly sweet and I like the hint of cinnamon. Next time I make this recipe, I would probably include even more strawberries, but then I love strawberries. I also wondered if adding some chopped nuts might be good texture-wise. Would be happy to post the recipe with Kew's permission, or Kew can post it if that would be easier. Thanks again.

Thanks BMiller. Yes, we ate in the bar/lounge area. And yes, my "buyer beware" is more in reference to the fact that the lobster burger was $28, rather than the previously posted $18. I just thought that people might want to know. As for all of the other comments made by Joe H., I do not feel the need to defend myself (including not drinking wine at the present time due to personal reasons). I understand fine dining, great service, etc. Oh well, now I am starting to feel defensive, so I will leave it at that.

So, after I sufficiently hyped to my husband and girlfriends, the prospect of $18 lobster burgers at Citronelle, we excitedly decended on Thursday night. First girlfriend to arrive looked nervous when the rest of us came in: she had looked at the menu and saw tuna burgers, but no lobster. Of course, I immediately asked the first waiter who approached our table, and he said, yes, we have the lobster burgers. Phew. We ordered four lobster burgers and two girlfriends each ordered one glass of wine. I am sadly not drinking right now, so my husband and I just had a soda. The lobster burgers were everything mentioned above: just delicious. And those 2-3 potato crisps on the burger...I could have eaten a plateful. The only critique I have (which was not experienced above) was that there was a LOT of mayonnaise on the brioche buns. I mean, it was thick, but what the hell. The burger was still awesome. Then we got the check and I just have to put a "buyer's beware" out there: each lobster burger was $28, not $18! So, with the two glasses of wine my friends had, plus tip, split 4 ways, my husband and I ended up spending $90 for this dinner. Was it worth it? Not sure. It was a damned good burger, but I doubt we would do it again. PS. Mark, I did see you chatting with Michel, but was embarrased to say hello, since none of my companions know that egullet exists and would have been very confused if I did!

Thank you! Kew actually PM'd me a recipe for strawberry bread that looks pretty close to what I am looking for. I am going to bake this weekend and will be sure to report back. It makes 2 loaves and does have a glaze. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of oil, but she writes that you can use 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of milk instead. I may try the latter unless anyone objects

Before I got married, I lived in a house with three other girls, one of whom was from Atlanta. Her mother used to send us loaves of homemade strawberry bread. Never before, never since, have I had such a bread. Very dense, close to a pound cake, but not quite. It was also evident that her mom poured some sort of a syrup over the bread, which soaked in and made it incredibly moist. I would LOVE to make this bread, but have never been able to find a recipe that looks to come close. Please help. Does anyone have a recipe that might come close?

I am so excited, I am definitely coming in for a lobster burger this week. Will be sure to report back. I am also pumped that you can order dessert in the terrace...sign me up for anything chocolate.