Anko

What I love most about No Reservations is the surprise. I would have never imagined that people in Saudi Arabia love fried chicken, that martial arts is a way out of poverty for so many children in Thailand, or that there's even a place in the world called the "Azores". And that's why I keep watching the show even when it seems like that week's location doesn't necessarily interest me: Bourdain might show me something that I've never seen before. Contrasted to that fresh content, Bourdain's pontificating commentary is tired, monotonous, and what I dislike most about the show. After 2 seasons of Cook's Tour and 6 seasons of No Reservations, he just never expresses an opinion that surprises me anymore. His tone demands that we perk up and pay attention, like he's about to say something revolutionary, and then... "the nasty bits of an animal are actually the best parts! Especially from a pig! And cooks are badass!" Again and again and again. And I'm not saying I disagree, it's just that I GET IT PLEASE MOVE ON. I'd like to propose a solution. Bourdain is allowed to wax redundant because he's always talking to some new local that's sharing a meal with him for the first time. But imagine how things would change if he had a constant traveling companion that had already heard it all before. Someone who didn't need to be converted to the way of "nasty bits", and who, on other subjects, might actually disagree with Tony. Someone who challenges him on his occasional bouts of hypocrisy. Someone who forces him to defend a position. If this happened, I'd not only enjoy the show's food, scenery, and culture, but the interesting arguments that they provoke. Anyone agree? And if so, who would you pick as the companion(s)?

Lesley, You bring up many good points that I'll keep in consideration as I continue to try recipes from the book. I'll admit that my post may have been a little too "rah-rah" after just trying a couple recipes. Maybe the southern biscuits next

I really love this book. So far, I've made the Pound Cake recipe and the Boston Cream Pie cake. I've made pound cakes from several different recipes, but this is my favorite. The texture is fine-grained, the cake is moist, and the flavor is intense of butter and vanilla and almond. The Boston Cream Pie had a lot of potential, but I overcooked the cake by possibly as much as 5-10 minutes, so it was pretty dry. Everyone said they enjoyed the cake, but it could have been so much better. This is definitely not a standard recipe-after-recipe cookbook. But you soon realize how much time, effort, analysis, and testing Shirley put into each recipe. Each ingredient and extra step is there for a reason. And everything is thoroughly explained, including the unorthodox use of whipped cream and potato flour in the recipes above. I guess I've never been so confident baking from a book before, I feel like as long as I follow the directions carefully (like I didn't do with the cake), success is guaranteed.

I absolutely can't wait to make Elia's waffle/butter/beans/syrup/cheese/ham/egg sandwich. I've thoroughly fallen in love with her. And for crying out loud, who hears, "You don't know what kind of kitchen you'll be cooking in" and thinks "quiche"! That's why the challenge, though unreasonably unfair, paid off. It exposed at least one chef's odd quiche fixation.

What a terrific thread! Time to finally get my feet wet... Chengdu Pork with Daikon Radish We frequent a great Szechuan restaurant here in Palatine, Illinois, so I wanted to try this dish. The key is the Szechuan peppercorns, which took an afternoon to find. The twist here is that the braise happens with the lid off (so then is it really a braise?) which I suppose, concentrates the heat. And given the end result, that might not have been too desirable. As for the end product, it was fantastic. It was strange getting those "mysterious" Szechuan flavors at home. However, I didn't get feeling back in my tongue and gums for a few days, so I'll probably cut back on the hot bean paste and peppercorns a little next time. But I guess that would be missing the point. Next up: Pork Belly and Boy Choy

I struggle with this all the time. Am I enjoying the meal because I'm enjoying it, or because the menu has the words "heritage" and "organic" in it, or because people on EGullet or LTH liked it? My BS detector definitely went into overdrive when the menu described "heirloom" grits. But halfway through the meal I decided the food was just better. The eggs were better, the doughnuts were better, the hash was better, the coffee was better. The toast was some kind of chewy farmhouse bread that could hold all of the above without breakdown. Even the "heirloom" grits (which my wife is considering paying $20 a can for from the catalog, so I sure hope they're better). That being said, I can't say anything about how the roadhouse compares to other stuff in the area. I had looked forward to trying either Vinology or Eve or Zola's Cafe, but, alas, there was no time.

My wife and I ate at the Roadhouse for Sunday brunch this week. It was incredibly satisfying. We started with a couple doughnuts. Certainly wasn't like any doughnut we had eaten before, with almost a hard crust on the outside. Great flavor, with kinda-burnt-in lumps of brown sugar. Is that the only kind, or is it a doughnut of the day system? The only thing that put me off about them was this weird old-oil aroma that occasionally fooled my brain into thinking I was eating a fried catfish filet. My wife had the eggs over grits, and I had the eggs and corned beef hash. Just really, really good. It's true that things were a little pricier than I'd like, with a breakfast hovering around ten dollars per person, but I think that if I lived in the area (we're from north of Chicago), I'd have to make the Roadhouse brunch a regular event. So it was a surprise to me that around 11:00, it was only ourselves and maybe 10 other diners in the entire place. Is the restaurant not doing well, or are there too many other good options for a Sunday breakfast? This was our first weekend in Ann Arbor, and our first time experiencing the Zingerman empire. All you Ann-Arborites suck.

If you take advantage of the above Kitchenaid deal, you can also get a free cutting-board set. Follow this link: Mail-In Offer. Sorry if I'm starting to sound like a shill for KA; just excited about finally getting a food processor.

I just purchased a Kitchenaid food processor off of Amazon. Here's the Egullet link to the blue version: KitchenAid Blue 12-Cup 700 Watt Ultra Wide Mouth Food Processor. It's a product that originally was prepared for QVC, so the list of the accessories is kind of misleading, but other reviewers have supplied the missing information. According to one, the package does include: 1. A 12 cup bowl; 2. A mini bowl (4 cups I think); 3. Citrus juicer with small and large cones; 4. Large and small blades for the 12 and 4 cup bowls; 5. Dough blade; 6. Thin and medium slicing disks and a medium shredding disk; 7. A spatula; and 8. An accessory Box. If you use the $25 coupon available on all "Kitchen and Housewares" purchases over $125, the final price will be $115. I gotta think this is a pretty good bargain. Other colors are red, black, and white.

The Chicago Tribune published an article yesterday about the new high-quality campaign: Kitchen opens at McDonald's. Stupid "self-styled experts" with all their fancy numbers and words. Anyway, check out McDonald's Farm To Table Program to learn about how Coca-Cola is harvested.

I was flabbergasted by the "fantasy" chef team that Ralph put together. He picked Andrew (cut finger), Wendy (doesn't know where the pans are), and Dewberry (wilting Southern flower) over... anyone? Had he not been watching the show?

The last time I went to the taste was about 4 years ago, and despite being there for 3+ hours, I only remember one thing: the peach cobbler from BJ's market. It was so good I went back for seconds, though I got bumped on the way to the lawn and the cobbler ended up on the ground. If I wasn't surrounded by 300,000 people, I would have scavenged.

Look's like a review of the Burr Ridge location is on this week on Check, Please!

I was excited about the Phil Vettel Review coming out today. I'm taking relatives from LA to Prairie Grass on Sunday, though it'll be my first time too. I thought this food would be a great representation of good, honest, midwestern food. After reading all the comments on this thread, I can hardly wait. Interesting that Vettel had the same reaction to the pie that others here have: I've been shuffling my plan for dinner all week. Pretty sure I'll be going with what seems to be the concensus can't misses: Pate Shepherd's Pie Any version of dessert pie I'm currently eating a notepad in anticipation.

After Alton Brown explained that one of the crabs (was it the blue?) switched sexes several times during its lifetime, Kevin Brauch threw out the comment: "We all wish we could do that sometimes, don't we?" Wah? Seriously, isn't a midseason replacement due for this guy?