TheMatt

Does the blue haze have anything to do with the drinks mentioned in step 6? Seriously though, these sound great. I wonder if you could adjust the blad on one of those rotary apple peelers so that it would form these...a worthy experiment in my mind. In re the blue haze, I'll use my probe thermometer, thank you. Seems like if I see color changes in a vat of oil...time to run. I've been thinking about it, and you'd think it'd be possible. Offset the Benriner's blade to 1/8", and turn. You might have to form the potato into a pretty good cylinder beforehand. Of course, whenever I play with a rotary slicer, I put on that julienne blade and have fun with carrots. For some reason, I just love making tons of that carrot angel hair. Maybe it's the child in me longing for those Play-Doh extrusion playsets, but it never fails to amuse me.

Hmm, hard time finding pun to respond: creamer, boiler, Burbank... Pommes Chatouillard are, essentially, spiral pommes souffle. From CookItSimply (because I can't seem to search French sites today): Method 1. Peel the potatoes, then cut into ribbon strips by peeling off the flesh in a spiral fashion, about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. 2. Gradually heat the fat to a medium heat and fry the strips until they start to rise in the fat. 3. Remove and drain in a frying basket. 4. Bring the fat heat up again until hot and a blue haze can be seen. 5. Plunge the potato strips in and cook until golden brown and puffed up. 6. Drain on absorbent paper, sprinkle with salt and serve with drinks. I can barely peel a potato nicely with a paring knife or peeler, I'd probably go insane trying to do a spiral. There must be a way to modify a Benriner turning slicer to do this. And there's the fact I used a skillet for my adventures with souffled potatoes. It always seemed you'd need a deeper vessel to do these, and that much hot oil around me = emergency room, most likely.

mike, if you have a mandoline, you have to do pommes souffle. I mean, fries are good and all, but they aren't little pillows of potato perfection. Of course, you could be like me the time I tried it. Man, I had a lot of rectangular potato chips after that day. I must have gone through like 12, 13 potatoes. I still don't have the guts to try pommes Chatouillard. Now *that* would put a burger joint on the map!

Ah...a venting thread. Very well. 1. Cilantro. Hate it with a passion. If I want to eat soap wax, I can head to my shower with a candle. 2. Asparagus. Not a huge hate, but frankly, grass (i.e., a lawn) tastes the same, and is cheaper, so... 3. Olives. OK, here is where many think I'm nuts. About the only olives I like are the black, tasteless Early California type. I just can't stand real olives. 4. Alcohol. Don't like any, don't drink it. Wine? If I want that I can add vinegar to Welch's and do the same. Beer? No thanks. Something that smells like that should not go *into* a body. 5. Fish Roe. Tried caviar, sea urchin, salmon roe, &c. They all are just ugh. 6. Foie gras. Well, I don't mind the schmear in beef wellington. Beyond that, meh. Pate is the same. 7. Tuna that's red. That's right, I can't stand raw tuna. Or even seared tuna. I've tried it. I've tried otoro at great cost, didn't like that. Give me my tuna cooked! Oddly, though, this is one of the few fish I can't stand even a little raw. I hate fully cooked salmon, for instance. 8. Shellfish. Don't like any of it. Part of it is that it either tastes like slimy stuff from your nose or bland texture. Plus, there is the fact that my father kinda dies if he eats any of it. So, not liking it extends my life.

Actually, I remember an Unwrapped episode where they said that McDonalds fries are fried once at the factory before shipping to restaurants. In fact, I think Ore Ida and other fries in stores are fried once at the factory. And they are usually crispy, but potato starch (a la Burger King) could be part of it. My guess is that the fries Icon buys are fried once at the factory. Of course, my opinion is if you are going to do twice frying, don't even bother with french fries. Do pommes souffle. Still my favorite style of fried potato and even the ones that don't puff are good. (I always wondered why they weren't automated...it always seemed like a process that could be. An auto-cutter to make the rectangles, one vat at 300, the other at 375 or whatever...seems doable...)

I don't mind ketchup on a burger. On a hot dog? No. But it's good on a burger. Of course, I much prefer thousand island, or Heinz 57, or, if I'm at home, HP sauce. I also don't mind Bulldog sauce on it either. Hmm...I guess there's not much I don't mind on a hamburger...

I actually started thinking of mongo's naan-zaa's, or pesto carnitas in naan--sort of a fuuuusion taco. And just think of all the godawful salsas they could come up with: Chipotle-basil-nam pla-mango chutney using curry powder, oregano, galangal, and huitlacoche.

You know, a naan-zza sounds good. Naan? Good. Pizza? Good. Together? Should be good.

Well, I have to admit that Pizza Hut India's menu was not weird enough for me. Heck, I could dig eating lamb korma or chicken tikka pizzas. I was hoping I could find something to rival Japanese pizza which is still number-one odd. I love looking through Domino's Japan or Pizza California menus. It's good practice to keep up your katakana skills. I think America needs roe pizzas, or names like Giga Meat or Garlic Master.

Well, my fave used to be Villa Napoli an operation that sort of floated around Arvada and Westminster for a while. They did the pizza by the slice as well, and they could get that crisp thin crust I love. Still the best double cheese, double onion I've had. Right now I'd probably say the pizzas at The Med are my favorite. Probably because I'm cheap and damn they a good value. $4.75 for a Margherita that comes out hot, thin, and crisp is fine by me. And, call me a homer, but I still enjoy Beau Jo's pizza. Yeah, it's not the best in the world, but it's unique enough to take me back to days in my childhood. Lived near the one that is/was in Arvada, and spent a few nights there long ago. BTW, if you can order toppings, the only pizzas are double cheese, double onion and canadian bacon and onion. Anything else is heresy.

And, since you didn't include it, from the Camera: Camera Article With the fried eggs, he's only bacon away from that heart-stopping burger at Red Robin.

Dang it. Looks like I'll have to go visit then. From their site, it looks like they might be the cheapest place to get my ambrosia, my weakness (= S&B Golden Curry), and if they have Tamanishiki rice cheaper than PacMerc...time to move.

Deciding to passive-aggressively poke at the demonic primate Mongo, I'll ask the question that's been haunting me for two days (see the thai thread): anyone been to Hahn Ah Reum lately? I'm especially interested if they have a decent Japanese selection (as it is the main non-American style I eat). While I'm loathe to replace the distant (from Boulder) Pacific Mercantile with the much more distant HAR, if the selection or price is better... My current addictions to things like yuzu juice are always fun on the wallet, so any savings are welcome.

Ah...well, answer my own question. Turns out a quick run through eG pulls up the Sichuan thread. I see that the USDA is allowing heat-treated peppercorns in. Moreover, CMC seems to have some that hopefully aren't illegal. Might have to buy some, though I'm not sure I'd ever use the 2 oz. in time. Since I am mainly a Japanese food man, my Chinese cooking is limited. My hot-and-spicy even more so. At least I know that restaurants might start using them again.

You'd probably know this: did the USDA lift the ban? I thought only ground & roasted Sichuan was allowed in. I mean, I always figured if I saw Sichuan peppercorns at a restaurant, then someone in that supply chain was in serious trouble. I've been sort of resigned to mapo tofu as tobanjan-only. Hmm, this reminds me I need to replenish the Japanese/Chinese part of my pantry. If I could only find some XO Sauce locally...

Well, there are about three places I've had Italian recently. One is Laudisio, but I'm not sure that can qualify as "red sauce" Italian. Good, though. Next is Carelli's which is my all-around Italian joint. They do a great straight Marinara, and most other things there are great. Nothing in the Gondolier $3.99 range, but Italian that I just like. Especially the Abruzzo di Pollo. I could eat that every night and be very happy. But calling Carelli's "red sauce" Italian might be a stretch. The last recent place was Abrusci's in Applewood. This seems more "neighborhood" than Carelli's. You know, the feel of the place is more casual than Carelli's. That said, a suit isn't out of place in Abrusci's and isn't required at Carelli's. This is probably the closest to a "red sauce" Italian, and I like it. There are others I have gone to, but it's been a while. Three Sons in Denver, Amici's in Westminster. And the ultimate in "red sauce" Italian, Gaetano's in Denver (ahh..nothing better than reminiscing about old Smaldone stories with my parents). But, since it's been 5+ years, who knows what has happened. Finally, there is the place I probably eat more "pasta" currently than anywhere else: Noodles & Co. Oddly, about the only things I haven't had there are the Italian-esque dishes. I'm just a sucker for a good Buttered Noodles.

As for me, I really like Glacier Ice Cream here in Boulder. I had Chocolate Orange there once, and it was soooo good. And even though it's not as "fancy", I do happen to like the frozen custard at Good Times and the stuff at Bova's isn't bad either. rlm, for soda fountains, I always think of the Lyons Soda Fountain, which I haven't been to since last year. Since I haven't heard the hue-and-cry I imagine its closing would cause, it's probably still open. That place is sort of a time warp, but in a good way. Hmm...I need to go back up to Lyons for some soda fountain and pinball. Especially since Lyons Classic Pinball got a bastion of my childhood arcade life, the Joust head-to-head pinball machine. The only other soda-fountain-ish place around here I can think of is that place in Heritage Square, but it's been a long time since I've been there.

I suppose I'd first try the more upscale groceries. Wild Oats and Whole Foods are the two biggies. If not, places like Marczyk, The Truffle, &c. in Denver could help. If you are in the Boulder area, other than the WO/WF, there are the Boulder Cheese Co. which might have a gruyere, and if not, Cheese Importers in Longmont most assuredly will.

Well, even though I can't stand the stuff, Mark Monette (Flagstaff House) seems to be one of foie gras' biggest fans outside of Iron Chef. I think there are 3 or 4 appetizers with it on the menu.

Another place in Boulder with the two menus is Ping's Favorite. It's been a while but I remember jellyfish, tendons, rice soups on that menu. The meals I've had there have been good, but I'm no expert in any style of Chinese cuisine. Heck, I sometimes just get a hankering for neon-red Sweet-and-Sour Pork. I know I should feel guilty but.... As for other places, I am a fan of Spice China. One of the best nights out for dinner I've had in a while was at their Chinese New Year celebration. Went with my Ma and Pa and we got some dishes I'm sure I won't get any other time of the year. I ordered the Grass Carp Tail. Sooooo good (and huge!). Steamed or braised and I think there might have been some black vinegar and star anise in the sauce. Mmm. My mother got a pork dish that was great and was done from a leg of pork (big...was quite a sight to see that huge bone and a LOT of meat). My father the vegetarian got this great chinese greens dish. We couldn't come close to identifying much of anything in it.