dexygus

I knew there was a reason we're remodeling without permits. Shhh. Sorry about all the headaches, Jennifer. It'll be all over soon.

I bought mine from The Wok Shop in San Francisco. They carry a variety of sizes, and the prices are very reasonable (though I can't remember how much I paid for mine.) If you're not in the area, they also have a website http://www.wokshop.com/ but I can't seem to find the tamis on their product list. Definitely try calling them. BTW, KensethFan, does your username refer to Kenseth Thibideau from Sleeping People?

i have to say, i've been trying to stay away from the disposables. yes, it's more convenient, but i have serious guilt issues with anything disposable. i try to recycle as much as possible. go ahead, call me a tree-hugger.

jason, a recent favorite of mine has been the lengua plate at habanero cafe on oltorf. check it out if you're in the area.

i'll second (or third or fourth!) the chez panisse recipe. it's excellent and easy to make. i had it for the first time at the chez panisse cafe during lunch. i had eaten so much lunch that i told myself i'd just have a bite of the almond cake, served with whipped cream and berry compote. i was almost orgasmic tasting the cake, and i ended up finishing it even though it was physically painful for me. i was actually sweating. gross, but true. anyway, i was thrilled to find the recipe in the chez panisse desserts cookbook.

i recently tried the st. arnold's lawnmower, and i really liked that. i don't care for shiner bock at all. those are really the only texas beers i've tried since i'm not much of a drinker.

i know what you mean. i can barely speak it, much less read it. back home, i always relied on my parents to order/decipher the menu.

i too love david lebovitz's fresh ginger cake. i've taken to substituting about 1/4 of the AP flour with cake flour, and adding a bit of salt. it's really lovely.

Pacific Gourmet is a bay area wholesaler who I know carries Guittard. See if they'll sell to you. They're very nice there. Sorry, I don't have a phone number.

i like chocolateman.net. he doesn't carry a huge selection, but his prices are very reasonable.

kent, no, the staff didn't ask what cut i wanted, and i didn't know i had the option of choosing a moist cut. my question now is, who the heck wants a dry/lean cut? is it reserved for the poor inexperienced saps like me? bill, thanks for the welcome. i've only seen austin, but something tells me it would be my favorite city in texas, as well. next question: why is magnolia cafe so crowded? i've eaten there twice, and find nothing remarkable about it. the club sandwich had too much bacon in it, making it way too salty, and a pasta dish was non-descript. is their tex-mex stuff better?

i ate there for the first time a few weeks ago, and i didn't notice any attitiude. hostess was nice. our server was actually a little too friendly, more tgi fridays than nice italian restaurant.

Thanks for the welcome. BigboyDan, Yes, I love BBQ. I recently started eating meat again after being a vegetarian for 5 years. I've been following the BBQ thread, and I tried John Mueller's, and maybe it was an off day, but the brisket I had was dry dry dry. My throat was actually scraped up after trying to choke it down. Kent, Yeah, it was the pork shoulder, and it was good. I'm actually drooling thinking about it. I think it's time to eat lunch.

Tremor, Could you point me in the direction of your favorite farmers' markets and farms? I'm looking for apples right now, and Sunset Valley Farmers' Market had only one apple vendor, with only two types of apples, when I was there. I'd like to eat locally, but when the honey crisp apples at Central Market are so much tastier, I'll go with them.

Hi Everyone, I've posted an occasional comment here and there, but now that I've finally settled into Austin (I moved here in the beginning of October), I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Renee, and I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. For a change of pace, and want of a better and more affordable neighborhood, my husband and I picked up and moved into SoCo. We love it so far. I've been trained in baking and pastry, and have practiced it for the past 5 years, and am currently looking for a job here. Since I'm not sure if I want the stress of being a restaurant pastry chef, my options seem a little slim. Anyway, exploring Austin food has been fun. My favorite Mexican place so far is El Borrego de Oro #2 on S. Congress. Homemade corn tortillas, and great tongue tacos. Though I've eaten many more Guisado de Puerco burritos from Polvos because it's so close. Other things I've really enjoyed are banh mi from Ba Le, braised pork from Vespaio, and butter tortillas and naan from Central Market. I can't wait to eat more!

I've been to the Sunset Valley Farmers' Market once, but was not impressed with the produce. There don't seem to be a whole lot of produce vendors, to begin with, and the quality isn't what I'd hoped. For example, old-looking green beans from the produce stand pictured above. Is thereanother farmers' market that has a bigger selection of veggies and fruit? I've been to the one on Guadalupe, and was surprised at how small it was. I've also been to Boggy Creek Farms which had a nice selection of specialty greens, but it was really expensive, and the bunches were tiny.

thanks for the responses, kent, and yimay. sorry for such a delay in my response. i've been in austin for about 10 days now, and it's been lovely. sorry to hear that there are no xiao long bao in austin. i just talked to my family in the bay area, and that's what they're having for lunch today, dang them. though i did have a great guisado de puerco burrito from polvos, so i guess i can't complain. kent, i just may take you up on your offer.

Hi Kent, I'll be moving to Austin in 2 weeks, thus I have nothing to offer, but I have a question. I'm Chinese, and from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I know I will miss stuff like Won Ton Mein, Chow Mai Fun, and Jook. Can you recommend any restaurants that serve good versions of these Cantonese dishes?

Khadija, This is my 2 cents. My absolute favorite CC cookie is Emily Luchetti's, from her first book, Stars Desserts. It's got only brown sugar in it, and that helps with the chewiness. It also has a fair bit of salt in it, which is a good thing in my book. AND you have to use Ghirardelli DOUBLE chocolate chips, and add walnuts. Oh, and make sure not to cream the mixture too much, or they will flatten out when baked. Good luck in finding your favorite chocolate chip cookie because ultimately it's all subjective, as this thread proves. -Renee

Hi Jennifer, Is Stephanie Cowan still working at Bay Bread? I attended the CCA with her, and I think she's been at Bay Bread since we graduated in 2000. Anyway, please tell her Renee says hi. Also, so sorry about your kitty. I've got a dog and 8 cats of my own (before you all gasp, my hubby is a vet, so it's no big deal), and like many here, they are my children. I love them more than any humans. Anyway, I lost one to cancer just a few months ago. I hope yours fares better. Any chemo in the works? Good luck, Renee

Heh, I made treats for my dog once using carob powder, and he wouldn't touch them. Mind you, he's part beagle, and really a chowhound.

The Millennium Cookbook From the San Francisco vegetarian restaurant of the same name. Way too complicated. Every recipe required that you already had several base recipes prepared. I tried to get rid of it on ebay, but no one wanted it.

I second Annie's method with the chocolate slab standing on one end, except you can't do this with the entire block. Once 2/3 of the block is gone, you don't have anymore leverage. Another thing is I'm pretty short, so the chocolate is just tucked under my armpit. Don't worry, there's the chocolate wrapper and the chef's coat between my armpit and the chocolate.

Funny, I just wrote about my recent cravings on my blog. I became an ovo-lacto vegetarian some time after college. It was when I got my first pet, my cat Gussy. I never had a relationship with an animal before. He had a distinct personality, and I could no longer think of animals as anonymous creatures put on this planet for our benefit. The vegetarianism lasted about 5 years. I had a lapse while visiting Europe in 2002. I started with fish and seafood in Rome, Florence and Venice, and by the time I was in Vienna, I was eating wurst. It was incredible, by the way. When I returned home it was difficult to go back to vegetarianism, so I compromised, and kept fish and seafood in my diet. That's how it's been until now. I'm actually at a crossroads right now. For some reason I've been having intense meat cravings, mainly for chicken, and it's been very difficult. I always knew I was a carnivore at heart, and I knew I would eventually eat meat again. Is that time now? I don't know. I'll tell you one thing. I'll be in Paris in 3 weeks, and that may be my downfall.

Vanilla Haagen Dazs with chocolate sauce and a splash (or 2 or 3) of Bailey's.