dahlsk

I definitely agree with the Noilly Prat comments. An easy way to use if if you don't often drink white is to degaze your plan the next time you roast a chicken.

Well, I tried the Fergus Henderson recipe for Treacle Tart, and the crust was nice. Unfortunately, I was a little loose with the recipe and didn't use fresh bread crumbs. I used ones I had in a can in my cupboard instead. It was cooking on a whim, and it didn't work well! Rats, shame on me. Can I assume the moisture level in fresh bread crumbs has something to do with success? My dried crumbs in a can sucked up all the golden syrup and made a strange, very solid filling for a tart.

Hi, I bought a 454g can of golden syrup the last time I was in London and am looking for ideas as to how to use it. General ideas and/or specific recipes would be much appreciated! Thanks, dahlsk

Thought I would add to this existing post that my husband and I had a great experience at Bradley Ogden this week. It was a pretty light meal, no tasting extravaganzas, but everything was excellent. This included: starters: crab fritters served with gazpacho, the soup was poured over the fritters. maytag blue cheese souffles, though they were served differently than mentioned above, they were excellent! main: bison tenderloin with double baked corn and cheese souffle. We shared this and both had a wonderful cut of tenderloin and the souffle was fantastic! dessert: a great strawberry shortcake in a somewhat deconstructed format. We loved the style of the place and the service was good. Our only question is how high can resaurants go with entree prices before they get ridiculous? The bison was $57, and while it was excellent, was it $20-30 better than other excellent dishes I've had? Maybe for a one time event, but that's hard to us repeat often. I guess that's another topic, though...

I know Jelly Bellys are good, but I also really like the Starburst fruity jelly beans. But that's also because I'm not a fan of the black jelly bean. I think loving/hating the black ones is a key division amongst jelly bean fans. Did Reagan like black ones? dahlsk

Branching off of the Random Acts of Kindness in restaurants thread, what are your opinions on expectations for comps and other freebees in restaurants? Are there times where you can ever expect them? Proper etiquette when offered one? Or is my thinking about them just showing my greediness? For instance, when calling for reservations at a nice restaurant, the host often asks if you will be celebrating anything that evening. If you are (birthday, anniversary, etc.) and you tell the reservation taker, should you expect any follow up on that at your dinner? I've received a free dessert, drink, greeting card, but also sometimes nothing from the restaurant. If they ask, should they then recognize the celebration in some way? If they don't ask, when should you point it out to them and then what do you expect them to do for you? Thanks for your thoughts! dahlsk

I would absolutely support seeing Mostly Martha. It's a German film, very enjoyable. I think it came out just a couple years ago...

Some things I've been eating lately with nutella... Simple: ritz crackers dipped straight into the jar Fancier: little toasts spread with a thin layer of mascarpone, then nutella, then a swirl of dulce de leche and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. this was a variation of something I read in amanda hesser's "mr. latte" book. it was great! As a new person to egullet, I've enjoyed reading your nutella confessions! Cheers, dahlsk

Living in America, I haven't seen Kitchen Nightmare yet, but I am a big fan of GR from Cook's Tour, Faking It (a wonderful episode!) and other articles, etc. There was a great interview with him in the UK Daily Telegraph. Here's just a little selection about the slacker scallop chef: "Bollocks, I didn't humiliate him," says Ramsay. "He made a f------ w------ twat of himself all by himself. I was frustrated and depressed at his lack of effort." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml...%2Fftgord04.xml

I also had an excellent meal at Vincent about 2 weeks ago. Great special soup, the beet/goat cheese salad, a duck breast special with carmelized leeks and the chocolate cake with earl grey foam. It was relaxed and very comfortable. Sorry about the lack of details here, I'm just joined egullet and didn't have a notebook with me then:) dahlsk

Thanks everyone for the great responses! I really appreciate it and am looking forward to checking out as many places as I can. Cheers, dahlsk

I had a nice salad at Lurcat in Minneapolis that was matchstick sized pieces of manchego and apple, dressed with a little chive oil. Simple, clean and refreshing! dahlsk

I know not everyone likes Amanda Hesser, but she had a great article back a month or two ripping Sandra Lee to shreds. I read it with glee...

I just finished "Mr. Latte" as well as her earlier book "The Cook and the Gardener". I think she does mellow out by the end of 'Latte', she even gives him his real name in the book (Tad) and drinks beer! Ooh, what a rebel But, I overall enjoyed both books, in spite of her attitude at the beginning. I would also recommend "The Cook and the Gardener" even more than "Mr. Latte" because it really gives the reader a picture of living and cooking for a year in rural France. Cheers, dahlsk

Thanks for the info! Fortunately, I won't be in Cambridge until the end of June so I can avoid the graduation mess. dahlsk

Hi, I will be in Cambridge for a week in June and am looking for restaurant recommendations. Specifically local spots off the tourist track, not necessarily super spendy (though I know I am going to Boston/Cambridge, so I'm not unrealistic about prices there). Any ideas? Thanks! dahlsk

I also prefer Saigon slightly over Pho Tau Bay and Quang. If you're going to go to St. Paul for Saigon though, you really need to go to Cheng Heng (also on University, 2 blocks east of Dale). It's Cambodian, so the pho is slightly different (but also excellent), but the real reason for me to go there is the best spring rolls I have ever had and the plear (lime marinated beef) salad.