NulloModo

Not sure if it fits firmly into your business plan, but a selection of some of the harder to find hot-sauces it something that always drags me into a place. First off, if it is carried by Safeway/Acme/Genaurdi's/Publix/Win-Dixie/et-al, don't bother. However, there are hundreds and hundreds of great sauces on the market, and usually only availible by mail order. I know I personally hate ordering anything that has to be shipped by mail, and will pay more if I can get that instant satisfaction of having it right away when I pay for it. If you have the equipment, even try making your own sauce, bottling it, and selling it. The Datil pepper (which is cultivated in the St. Augustine region of Florida) is a great base for a sauce, yet outside of that area, it is hard to find sauces based on it.

Wow, for that price I am going to definately have to seek some of those out. Alas, I seem to be on the wrong coast of Florida (Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast, exiled from Delaware as it happens no less... and planning to return as soon as this lease runs out in half a year or so, but I digress...). For that price and that quality of meat, I can't see how one would say no. Plus, after watching the Andrew Zimmern 'Bizzare Foods' episode on Spain and learning that the 'mustard' of the crab (the part you show in your fourth picture) is apparently quite tasty (with bluecrabs we always called them crabgut, and I never had the nerve to try it) it looks like a real treat. There are a few big seafood shops around here, and while I think they deal mostly with Gulf Coast products, I am going to have to ask them about these crabs.

What browser are you using? It appears to be Java based, so you might want to make sure you have the latest Java stuff installed.

I think the key word here is free. To cause a stampede in any workplace food doesn't have to be spectacular, good, or in many cases even completely edible, as long as it is free.

Eh, I would never write someone off because of their taste in restaurants. I like Olive Garden, but I also like South Philly Red Gravey Joints, random PA/NJ/DE Italian steak-sub-pizza joints, high end real Italian, and everything in between. In general, I'm just not particularly picky. I mean, hey, I appreciate the good stuff, and I like it when others do to, but life is so much more enjoyable if you just dig the simple pleasures as much as the exclusive ones. Maybe it is just me, but thinking someone is no good just because they would like to eat at Olive Garden instead of the local really nice French joint sounds similar to the girls who won't date guys who drive Cavaliers instead of BMWs.

I love the Good 'n Plenty. It is like Hometown buffet, but a lot less ghetto, and a lot fresher.

This wouldn't make a good primary drink, but for an alternate option - Shot of vodka Couple dashes of cayenne/vinegar hot sauce dash of liquid smoke dash of vinegar itty bit of mustard swirled in Call it the liquid BBQ, would make a tasty shot/shooter.

For a while Taco Bell has the Chicken Club Burrito (OK, only two languages there). It was (I think) chicken, bacon, tomato, lettuce, onion, and sour cream or mayo wrapped up in a burrito tortilla. It was also really, really good.

I like Rachel Ray, well, at least the cooking show. I don't watch $40 a day or the talk show simply because I dislike dumbed-down travel shows and have never much enjoyed talk shows. You know what would be entertaining? Having Rachel do a guest spot with Bourdain on his new travel/cooking type show... I have watched the Sandra Lee show a few times, eh, a bit dessert-heavy for my tastes. Some of the stuff looks tasty though, but her personality and presence don't really jive with me. They don't annoy the living hell out of me either, but, I'm not compelled to watch. Actually, the only FnTV host who really bugs me is Giadia. Which is a shame, because the food she cooks looks really good. Well, that and those awful weird camera angles and cooking sound effects...

My parents have a Viking Range (four gas burners plus grill/griddle). I have loved it every time I have used it, the burners are very high heat, the grill is very convenient (though I will admit that the grill heats rather unevenly), and they have had no reliability issues whatsoever with it. I can't comment on Viking ovens, as they went with seperate Jenn-Air units.

It is great mixed in with scrambled eggs for breakfast. I also love a hearty dollop in a bowl of egg-drop or miso soup. Mix some in with the beef next time you make burgers, should give a bit of extra flavor. Top salads with it (chili sauce and blue cheese dressing go very well together). Use some when you make chili, or beef stew. Slice some cheese, and spread some overtop. Eat it by the spoonfull from the jar (works great to satisfy those midnight hunger cravings). Really, anything you would do with fresh chiles, or pepper sauce, you can do with that paste.

Most bottled waters taste pretty much the same to me. Back to back I can tell the difference from tap water, but I have no problem drinking tap water in general. In fact, I've sort of become accustomed to the mineraly slightly cloudy tap water that comes out of my school's water fountains... When I do go for bottled I like Dasani a lot, though it might be because the bottle has a cool texture... Then again, the folks at Coke who bottle it apparently add some minerals and whatnot back in before bottling, so maybe that is why I like it.

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave. ← It is very good. I have no idea how it stays in business, as every time I have been I have been the only customer in the place, but hey, as long as it stays around I won't complain. They do have an odd fascination with putting fried eggs on lots of dishes, but maybe this is an authentic south american thing I'm not used to. They have a great plate with is a steak, some fried yucca root, some crazy good rice and beans thing, with a couple fried eggs on top of it all and a little bowl of this awesome oniony/orangey/vinegary hot sauce. ← How far is this place from the city? ← It's in Bear, DE in the Fox Run shopping center right off of route 40(if you want to do a mapquest). So, I am guessing like 30 - 45 mins depending on how fast you drive (though I will warn you that the signs on I-95 have been warning about 'enhanced police patrols statewide' lately.... not really sure what makes them enhanced). In the same shopping center is a very good liquor store with a great wine selection and cheapish prices though.

Is North African food the same as middle eastern, or are there important differences? There is a big morroccan place around here (which oddly enough is right next to the North, DE strip club district, and they apparently used the same decorator) called Casablancas, which is what has been mentioned before, belly dancers, big show made of the meal, etc. I have, however, been generally impressed by the food there, then again, I am pretty easy to please. But at only $20 per person for a seven course meal and entertainment, it is hard to beat. My favorite is a place that just calls itself 'Middle Eastern' though The decor is the same half opium den/half house of ill-repute style, but it is fun. The food is actually very very good, and the prices are incredibly (ridiculously) cheap. They have the full array of cous-cous dishes, kebabs, hummus, etc, but some more adventurous things as well. I love the middle-eastern salads, the morrocan chicken, and this great slow-cooked eggplant in tomato and spices dish (the name of which I can't recall). It used to be one of the few places I would go to which didn't accept plastic (though I thought the sign in the front window that read "I do not recognize the credit card" was cute). Since then they have wised up to the fact that 99% of the people in Newark only carry plastic, and I don't even have to worry about that anymore. When I was in L.A. a while ago (staying with a friend in West Hollywood) I really wanted to eat at this Ethiopian place we walked passed nearly every day. Unfortunately the person I had gone out there with seems to share the generic 'I won't want to risk anything new' boring attitude. So, instead of African cuisine we went for African-American cuisine at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (which I don't consider to be a biased comment as every time I have been there I have been there my party has been the only group of white-folk in the establishment). I can't really complain about Roscoe's, as it is some incredibly good food, and I'd look like Paul Prudehomme if one opened up around here, but still, I would openly embrace more North African/Middle-Eastern restaurants in this area.

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave. ← It is very good. I have no idea how it stays in business, as every time I have been I have been the only customer in the place, but hey, as long as it stays around I won't complain. They do have an odd fascination with putting fried eggs on lots of dishes, but maybe this is an authentic south american thing I'm not used to. They have a great plate with is a steak, some fried yucca root, some crazy good rice and beans thing, with a couple fried eggs on top of it all and a little bowl of this awesome oniony/orangey/vinegary hot sauce.

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas? There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy. As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside. It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

I can't believe I forgot about this place, but I suddenly have to post a plug for Deer Head Hot Dogs. Deer Head is something of a North DE institution. Their hotdogs are split down the middle, cooked on a griddle, and served up with a really tasty, but bizarre chili sauce which I still can't seem to identify all of the ingredients of. Mustard and onions are optional, as is cheese sauce, but this is one of the rare cases where extra condiment overload really isn't neccessary. Also worth mentioning are their very good beach fries, served up as fries should be with side cups of old bay and malt vinegar.

I think a torch is much cooler than a scale or a thermometer. After all, all those do is measure stuff, and a torch, well torches! Man, before I buy a torch I should probably invest in a fire extinguisher...

My favorite 'hot dog' borders on the edge of what a hot dog is. Where do you draw the line between hot dog and sausage? Is it fineness of the meat grind? Is it a certain level of spiceyness? Is it the size or shape of the weiner? Well, my favorite hot-dog/sausage itself is the 7-11 Bahama Mamma. It is a very fine grind, like a hot-dog, and has a psuedo casing (it doesn't snap really, but I don't think it is bare). The spiceyness is what I love about it, it isn't flavored with carribbean spices as the name would suggest, nor is it your typical italian sausage, more of a red-hot, which really makes me think it is a hot-dog. Plus, it is easily a 1/4 lbs if not more. What to put on it? Everything of course, sauerkraut, jalapenos, raw onions, nacho cheese sauce, chili, dill pickle slices, sub hots, mustard, mayo, sweet peppers, and anything else the 7-11 condiment bar might have availible (except sweet relish, blech to sweet relish, or bread and butter pickles for that matter, hey, even I have things I won't eat).

Are you sure you aren't thinking of Cleveland Subs and Steaks on Cleveland Ave? As far as I know Daffy's has always been in the Elkton Rd location (across from what is now Star of India, right at the Main. St. terminus of Elkton Rd, next to what used to be the marching band practice field and what still is the Amy E. DuPont Music Building). It certainly looks like it has been there since the 70s. Then again, I think Taso (the Greek guy who owns the place) has always done so, so, if you remember Taso, you probably are thinking the right place. I've always been a bit dissapointed with Cassapulla's except for their Italian sub, their Italian is the best I have ever had.

How hot does a blowtorch get? Are there big differences in heat output? I imagine one could do a lot more heat than a skillet on a burner, or even a broiler. Thus perhaps a blowtorch is the best means towards a good black and blue steak? If you like traditional rare better, perhaps torch it, then bring the inside up to temp a bit in a low oven?

Well, I will clarify. I don't much enjoy the actual hot dog hot dogs from 7-11. Nay, I have to tuck into what is perhaps the most artificial and flavor injected convenience store stuffed meat product I have seen - the 'Bahama Mamma'. Of course, loading it up with nacho cheese sauce, sauerkraut, jalapenos, mustard, raw onions, and sometimes chili turns it into the ultimate acid reflux bomb... BTW - when you try Cappriotti's, may I recommend The Bobbie, the Capastrami, or the Slaw-B-Joe.

I love canned tuna, I just buy whatever the cheapest is (Starkist or Bumblebee usually) true, not artisinal Italian stuff, but dump some hot sauce on it and eat it right out of the can and it is a good breakfast. Sardines of course are a very similar pleasure. Tinned anchovies of course are a staple as well. I mean, why just add salt when you can add salt plus fish? Anchovies can improve almost any dish (anchovie creme brulee anyone? err... well, maybe not... then again....). The best curry pastes I have found have seen and tasted have been canned, so I keep a stock of those around. Canned smoked oysters are great on occasion for a quick snack. Canned clams are great for making a quick chowder or soup. I really really wanted to like canned octopus and eels, but haven't been able to get into them yet... but wow, how convenient would that be? The philipino grocer sells great canned corned been. All the convenience of spam with 10x the fat content and flavor. As far as veggies go I still have like five cans of canned asparagus I bought. I figured I'd like it because I love asparagus, but blech, so mushy. For good cannd veggies - The best sauerkraut I have had comes from cans. I like the soft really vinegary kind, not that still sweetish 'new kraut' you find in the refridgerated section. No, give me .59 cents a can Acme brand canned kraut anyday. Suprisingly Bush brand canned collard, turnip, and kale grees are very palatable as well. I love pickled jalepenos. The better ones come jarred, but the canned ones are really cheap, so I can't pass that up. On a similar note, no pantry is complete without a stack of Rotel tomoatoes and chiles. Oh, and of course, I have all the staples that seem to just naturally come in cans, like coconut milk, and broth of fowl and heiffer.

Jamie - I doubt anyone will argue that Wawa makes the best subs in the city/area (after all, that is Cappriotti's). What Wawa does is offer absolutely incredible food options for a 24 hour convenience store. Now, I am a huge fan of 7-11 hot dogs, but in the middle of the night when nothing else is open, Wawa is hands down as good as it gets (well, for quick and cheap, I mean, a good diner can do better if you want to sit down... sometimes). They also have great insight into fresh-ish packaged foods in the chill cases, like pepperoni and cheese cubes, veggie sticks that are still vibrant, good salads, etc. No, Wawa is not the place to go if you are only going to be in Philly for a day, but for those of us who live with them all around, they become a part of life, and one that is apparently missed even more than Tastycakes and Herr's Pretzels. BTW - I love the computer-based ordering system, generally because I load sandwhiches up with everything, and it saves me the trouble of having to repeat myself three times that yes, I want both sweet and hot peppers on my tuna sub... Then again, I dislike talking with barbers too...

Anzu - The case I gave myself wasn't life-threatening (well, as far as I know, I never actually bothered to go to a doctor about it because it fell during a time when my University health insurance had ended, but my new job's health insurance hadn't kicked in it), but it wasn't really mild either. I basically couldn't keep anything down for a bout a week and a half other than (occasionally) some water, and was pretty much laid out the whole time. Now, of course there are far worse cases, and far milder ones around, and as other have said most people probably have very mild cases a lot of the time and don't even corrolate it to food they have eaten. It also makes a lot of sense for restaurants to be more careful just because as was mentioned upthread, it is a professional situation. I'm not sure what the situation is like in Berlin, but in the U.S. severe food poisoning leading to death or serious injury is pretty damn rare, rare enough that I was willing to take the risk on the gift card passing up my friend's case as a fluke. Basic precautions should be taken sure, but I know some people who refuse to eat street vendor food, refuse to eat something if the same person prepares there food as who takes there money, or won't eat somewhere if they see a bug or the staff isn't wearing gloves. Hey, if that is what it takes for your peace of mind, who am I to argue. Personally, I'm willing to take the risk.