crouching tyler

again, Bittman highlights Scott Carsberg of Lampreia in the NY Times Butternut Squash with Chestnut Dumplings

You can get the recipe online, though since it has been more than a week there will probably be a charge - something like $4. Or you could find it from the archives at a public library, most likely. Or I could type it in for you. But I think the folks at eGullet disapprove of that sort of thing due to copyright issues....

In the October 17th NY Times Magazine, there is an article and recipe for Derby Pie.

I spend a few years living in JA as a child, and subsequently spent 2 weeks every summer and every other winter holiday there. We did most of our eating in the homes of our friends, or the houses we rented in Montego Bay, and later in San San. I would second the suggestion to hire a cook. The only restaurant I remember going to is the Blue Mountain Inn. This was 15 years ago, at the most recent. It is a former coffee plantation, and it serves as a piece of Jamaica's colonial past. You won't find plantians and jerk here. But I remember it as an amazing place. I would imagine it is still worth a day trip, to get a glimpse of another part of Jamaica. By the way, I am so envious. Nostalgia clearly plays a role for me, but Jamaican food is heaven.

I spent Friday night dining at Pan-Africa - at a table for sixteen. A friend hosted his own birthday dinner there. We had 5 or 6 sampler platters, as well as dishes of beef, lamb, and chicken. Great food, and a refereshing way to celebrate a birthday. I probably would have been happy with just the lentils and inerja (love that stuff), so this was a real feast. The communal setting worked really well, and the absence of alcohol helped us keep our volume at a normal decibel, as well as allowed us to concentrate on the food. Good stuff.

Oh, this is so affirming. For the past several years, I have been making the fruitcake that my mother has made for years, based on a recipe from Aunty Pat. The recipe I use looks very similiar to the Black Cake - not surprising since Aunty Pat is Jamaican. We have always called it Plum Pudding or Christmas Pudding, though. The recipe I use makes vast amounts, and so far, I have found exactly one person outside of my small family who enjoys it. But I am convinced to continue making it, regardless. And this thread not only affirms my decision, but also reminds me that I need to start mincing some fruit! So, we ususally serve the Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce - a totally sinful mix of confectioners sugar, butter, brandy and sherry. The hard sauce is usually just served in a scoop or a schmear alongside the cake. Is this something that other people do? It seems like many of the fruitcakes recipes here involve icing instead. By the way, while he doesn't really like plum pudding, my husband has developed a habit of putting a dollop of hard sauce in his coffee. edit for grammar

I, too, returned from a trip to NYC with cravings for perfect, thin-crust NY style pizza. I think we picked up a slice from Joe's at least 3 times during our 6 night stay in Greenwich Village. As for Seattle, there's a place in Columbia City that brags that they have "certified Neopolitan" pizza - which is a whole lot closer to NY style pizza than anything else I have found in Seattle. So - perhaps you should investigate Tutta Bella - 4918 Rainier Ave S., (206) 721-3501. And, by all means, report back.

Scott Carsberg in the NYT, yet again. desserts this time...

peanut butter followed by frenzied tooth brushing. or watermelon hubba bubba. of course, my parents were usually drunk themselves so it didn't take much.

As I was collecting my baggage at Sea-Tac on Sunday, I noticed that there is an Alki Bakery outpost at the airport now. Sort of nice to know there is a Starbucks alternative. It is near baggage carousel 7.

It has been years since I have been, but there is a very unassuming little German pub about 1 block of Ft. Lauderdale beach... Bierbrunnen 425 S. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd. Usually frequented by German tourists. It was one of the few places near Ft. Lauderdale beach where you didn't have to pay $6 for a a plastic cup of Miller.

While in grad school, there were 2 or 3 thanksgivings that were comprised of all the standard american thanksgiving foods (turkey, potatoes, yams, stuffing ...) and a full complement of Thai and Vietnamese dishes. The combination of the two cuisines was so strangely perfect. All those heavy, starchy american foods were all the better for having small courses of pho and curry between them to wake us back up. Admittedly, this isn't quite on topic. This wasn't my family's ethnic background influencing Thanksgiving meals. But, it is now my idea of what a perfect Thanksgiving meal should be - a mix of the good from the traditional American repetoire and some brighter, spicier elements to act as a complement.

There was a place called Le Tub in Hollywood, FL. Sort of a divey little pub, but right on the Intercoastal. One of the few inexpensive places to have a cold beer and some fish and chips, overlooking the water. In their "garden" entrance, there were assorted old plumbing fixtures (tubs, sinks etc...) filled with scraggly plants.

good: Coffee coffee coffee onions carmelizing roasting chicken perfectly ripe fruit - particularly tomatoes I worked at a "gourmet" fruit stand while I was in high school in Miami - great job. Surrounded by super fresh produce. I spent my days snacking on fresh picked strawberries, insanely good guacamole, tomatoes quartered, mangos, mangos, mangos... For about 2 or 3 weeks, we would have crazy expensive queen anne cherries, that sat right at my left elbow as I worked the counter - loved them. After work, my family and friends would comment that the smell of citrus simply emanated from my pores. bad: tunafish (shudder) oatmeal (double shudder)

Kao Soi is a regional dish, from northern Thailand. There is a coconut milk-laden, curry-flavored broth that provides the soup for fresh egg noodles, with some smaller fried noodles on top. I think it usually comes with meat (chicken, in my experience). The really tasty components are the lime, the shallots and some sort of pickled vegetable. The pickled vegetable is the part that you get possesive over when sharing this dish. a lengthy and laudatory description is here. the last paragraph provides the real details. edited for clarity

We only go to Thaiku for one dish - Kao Soy. And while we are there, we get the Mieng Kahm. If I knew somewhere else in Seattle to get Kao Soy, then we wouldn't have to go to ballard everytime we had a craving.

In Jamaica, as I child, I used to eat a fruit called a "Guinep" - I just knew how to say it, not spell it. I ate them straight off the tree - the method being to crack the skin with your teeth, and then eat the flesh, spitting out the pit. It looked much like the lovely photo of the lengkengs/longans... I haven't ever found them in the States. Does anyone know if they are the same - or related?

What about Roxy's Deli (downtown or ballard) ? I have only been once or twice to the ballard location, and it has been a few years. Is there a consensus?

I probably made one of my mom's recipes (chicken fricasee ?) - it seems I always turned to those favorites when cooking for boyfriends - somehow they gave me a bit of extra confidence. The first time Larry cooked for me was breakfast - pancakes. He makes great, super fluffy pancakes. We had been in a very confusing stage (are we friends, are we dating, does he like me, do I like him, why aren't we communicating about this like intelligent, rational people?) for about 10 months. Things had just become clear (Yes, we are dating - Oh joy!). I was dog/housesitting and a very confident Larry brought the ingredients to make his pancakes for breakfast with him when we went out for dinner on Friday night.

Good sharp cheddar cheese. Good fresh bread. Any old pan. And instead of butter, I spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the outside of each slice of bread. Why? Because that is how my mother made it! Try it - you just might like it.

step 1. Cook up a batch of annie's mac and cheese: step 2. add condiment of choice ~ Me: a good dollop of annie's Goddess Dressing Larry: about a cup of Catsup (ewww) or a plate full of sliced apple, olives, pickles, and all the different cheeses and mustards in the refrigrator.

for those of you looking for post-hurricane espresso (next time around, that is): seems silly, but one of these coleman stove Espresso Makers can be quite handy for us seattle area camping/coffee snobs. good luck with wind, water and the coffee.

Ting Ting Ting ? Does anybody know where (besides Real Soda) I can buy some Ting in the Seattle area? I am having a party next weekend (sept. 10th), at which I was planning on having a case of Ting on hand. And Real Soda is out of Ting- drat! Thanks. edited to include date.

Cougar Mountain Cookies are an easy, inexpensive gift from Seattle. Available at most grocery stores. The Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk and the Original Chocolate Chunk are my favorites. Microwave for 20 seconds and watch out - they are addictive. http://www.cmbc.com/

No one here has mentioned La Medusa, so I thought i should. I am no judge of a good wine list (besides my own criteria of being able to afford a good glass of wine), and I don't know if the food qualifies as strictily Italian, since it gets promoted as Silician soul food, but in my one outing there I found the food at La Medusa excellent. The couscous with lamb and lentils is something I have been rememembing fondly for several months now.