gwilson

No offense to gayot - but they're wrong. Pig 'N' Chik is great, as is Swallow At The Hollow. There is also Daddy D'z and Maddy's (not their own website). My personal favorite is Fat Matt's. They have live music almost every night, and I just love the atmosphere there. (Mmmmm - ribs.) Oh parking is bad, but it's worth finding a space. If I remember correctly, Wednesday nights' band is the one that I really like. What kinds of things are you into besides food? I love to play 'tour guide'. And if you want someone besides the family to show you around, remind me ahead of time so I can ask off from work. Have fun and enjoy the 'cue. -Greg

Personally, I think there are two categories for 'cake fees'. For casual restaurants (like Firday's), then there basically aren't any rules. They don't make their own desserts, so they can not accomodate special requests. And I don't see them charging any kind of 'cake plating' fee, becuase they are chains, and the corporations that run the chains are afraid of their customers. (Yeah, I used to work for Applebee's, not that I'm bitter or anything.) For upscale restaurants (like the one I currently work at), then you can bring your own cake, but expect to pay for it. And ask ahead of time if it's okay. I actually had this scenario on Wednesday night. Party of 19 adults & 4 kids in a private room for an engagement party. When making the reservation, they said they wanted to bring their own cake - no problem. They were very nice, and fun was had by all. (And just for the record, our restaurant does not charge a 'room fee', nor does it charge a 'cake plate' fee. And we do not automatically add gratuities to any party - unless they ask us to ahead of time. Corkage is only $10/bottle, which is fairly cheap.) For my own restaurant (if I ever get to that point): Guests can not bring in any outside desserts - sorry, I'm just (will be) so proud of what the food we prepare, I want you to enjoy the whole experience. (And our regular desserts will probably be those 'mini'-versions that are becoming popular now. About $3 a piece.) But we would love to make ANYTHING for your special dessert, since you are celebrating with us. (And it will not be extravagantly priced - after all it is a celebration.) -Greg

I'm in the business, but not on an ownership/management level - so I don't have much advice. But I will point you to some wine bars that I have enjoyed visiting. The absolute first is A.O.C. in Los Angeles. Even though the food is very important there (Chef Goin is incredible), they are serious about the wine. They use the nitrogen storage thingee. In Raleigh, NC, there is Enoteca Vin, which is a wonderful place. You can learn more on these two threads: EGullet Dinner Best Restaurant South of NYC Locally, there is Eno, which I really enjoy. And Vinocity, which I like, but has more of a 'club' atmosphere (because of it's location). There is also a local chain of winebars called The Grape, which seem to be doing quite well. The first one was opened in Atlanta, maybe two years ago. And now they have about a dozen franchises. Not that I think you want to go the franchise route, but you may pick up some interesting ideas/information from them. Oh, and they do offer different pouring sizes, and you can buy anything next door to take home with you. And the way they split up there wine menu is pretty nice, especially for people who are new to wine and want to learn. They actually have a nice concept, and seem to be executing it pretty well. (Except training their staff. I've been to both locations in Atlanta, and have gotten sub-par service both times.) And everyone is correct - you have to have food. Just as a responsibility thing, if no other reason. But it should be the same level as your wine. If you're serious about the wine, then hire a decent chef to run the kitchen. Depending on your wine inventory, I don't think you'd have to pair every single thing. (AOC doesn't pair anything on their menu - though Amy would be more than happy to do pairings for you. The Grape suggests pairings for everything.) And someone mentioned atmosphere, which is important also. You'll basically be opening a restaurant that just happens to be a wine-bar. So decide what you're demographic is going to be. Older clientele who know what (and how) to drink? A younger, but curious, crowd? Or will you try to appeal to all levels? Maybe have a 'newbie night' where you have mini-lectures and set flights. Another local place (Atlanta has about eight wine-bars, surprising for a city this size, I think.) has a bottomless glass night - where you pay $12 and get to try tastes of anything that's open. And lastly, your location will play a factor in deciding what path to take with the restaurant also. Keep us updated with what's going on, and good luck to you. Let us (me) know if you have any other ideas or questions. -Greg

If I remember correctly, Lucques has a communal table. Although, it may only be on Sunday nights, when they do their Sunday Supper thing. Regardless, I would recommend the restaurant. -Greg

I concur with you both. I've eaten at Woodfire Grill a few times. (And how was he able to get that web address? I would have thought that it would have been picked up quite a while ago.) Although, I haven't been in over a year. I think I need to make some dinner reservations soon. -Greg

If I'm not too late for an addition on the cheap side, check out Figo for great pasta. I ate there twice last week. Everything they have is great. -Greg

Check this out also: Whole Foods They've just started their program, so I'm not sure how good it is. But Alton Brown is doing a charity show for them - and I do trust his taste. -Greg

A couple of suggestions from me - Canoe Aria - if just for Kathryn King's desserts. She also does most of the stuff at Che And if you're wanting good cheap eats and live music - Fat Matt's Rib Shack -Greg

(First of all, sorry to be so long-winded.) I ate there recently - I believe it was during November, but I honestly don't remember exactly. (Could that be a sign?) As an aside (skip this paragraph, if you're squemish about asides), I had attempted to eat there much earlier - somewhere around the third week they had been open. I drive through to the valet and ask, to be sure, that they valet for the restaurant also. He says yes, and asks me if I have a reservation. No I don't - it was a spur of the moment thing. "There's no way you'll be able to get a table, sir." I think, that's very nice of him to inform me ahead of time instead of charging me for the parking and letting me find out on my own. But maybe I'll get a seat at the bar. No, that's also impossible. So I go to Fat Matt's and have a blast. Anyway (if you're still with me), I go back around the middle of November. It's the approximate same time and the same day of the week as my first visit. I walk through the beautiful lobby and around the nice lounge/sitting area. (The valet this time has no idea if the restaurant is busy or not.) I see that the bar is not packed, but quite full. I ask the host for a table for one, and he had no problem sitting me. Besides myself, there was a couple a few tables away and a group of 6 across the room. That was it. (Oooo - another sign.) My waiter was very nice and pleasant, if not very well informed. There is a little blurb in the middle of the menu that says, paraphrased, "Ask about our own cocktail: Eaux Grasses Surestimées!!!!" Intrigued by the phrasing, I ask about Eaux Grasses Surestimées!!! Having taken a few years of French, I believe my reading and pronunciation of the language to be passable. And yet, the waiter looks at me quite quizzically. "Do you mean the pig's foot?" Um, no. So I say it again and point to the menu. "Oh, I believe that is the sauce. Yes. That is the sauce." Er? Sauce? For what? Cocktails have their own sauce now? Those crazy French! So I order a house Cape Cod (which was nine dollars by the way). I also decide on the pig's foot, but order in English as to not receive some exotic cocktail sans sauce. And I throw in some creamed spinach to boot, since the $19 pig's foot is only served with a side of bearnaise. I should admit now that I have never eaten the feet of a pig, even the pickled variety that is popular in the South. So my review is somewhat blind in that respect. But I'm pretty sure this is not what it's supposed to be about. The foot arrived on an unadorned plate (not including ramekin of bearnaise). Noting the intense brown color of the breading, I tear into the foot with knife and fork. A bit fatty - but fat's good, right? I take a bite of meat, and it's quite tender and very moist. I take a bite of crust. Ew! It's actually hard to describe for some reason. It didn't really taste burnt, more like singed. I guess. Burnt equals black to me. And the crust was not black - but definately not GBAD. Think of dark khaki. I'm taking a second bite of meat to clense the taste out (and I recognize the taste - I just can't place it for some reason). And the waiter stops by, "That's not really how we usually eat the pig's foot. But that's okay if you want to do it that way. We kind of slice it (with hand motions added) kind of. Um, I can show you." No, I'll just use the old Neanderthal-hack, but thanks. And why didn't the person delievering the food offer to do that, if that's the way it's 'done'. And how do you slice something with so many bones in it? So anyway, I try a couple more bites of crust along the way of finishing the meat. And a bite of fat - which reeks of the same taste/odor as the crust. (Singed fat maybe? I haven't tasted burnt flour in a long time - maybe that's all it is.) The bearnaise tasted like bearnaise. The creamed spinach was good, but nothing special by any means. At the end of it all, I still had quite a carcass on the plate. I would like to go back and visit the XO bar. They have quite the selection of cognacs, and it seems to have a nice vibe. And the lounge area seems very cozy. But I think I'll keep getting my pig from Fat Matt's. -Greg

I'm cooking a couple of skirt steaks (ordered from Lobel's) for Christmas dinner, but I have a bit of a problem. I'm cooking for my parents and myself. Neither of them will eat anything less than well done (my Mom would perfer burnt, actually). I realize that many people would consider it a waste of Wagyu, but I have a little plan. I was going to slice their steaks into fairly thin strips across the grain and then marinate the slices in balsamic & soy sauce and a bit of roasted garlic. I'm going to cook them on a nicely hot cast-iron skillet - I'm hoping this will cut down on the cooking time, and the marinade will help maintain a little more juicyness. But will the marinade kill the flavor of the meat? Or should I save the Wagyu for me and pick up their steaks at Kroger's? lol - only half kidding Thanks ahead of time for any advice. -Greg

Well, I'm back - unfortunately. I swear - I will live in LA at some point. But anyway... The soccer match was great. A bit lopsided, as was expected, but it was great to watch the girls play. And to see Joy, Julie, and Mia's last game, most likely for ever. Food wise, I didn't get to as many places as I wanted. But I still ate pretty well. Tuesday night I went to AOC - a guy I was chatting with at the bar put it very well. "This place makes me happy." Each morning, my plan was to go to Bob's Ohana for breakfast. And each morning, I slept too late. :( Wednesday, I ate lunch at Jerry's - yummy pastrami. It and the cold Coca-Cola went quite well with the hangover I had. Then after the soccer game, I had In & Out. I really really wish they were out here. Thursday lunch I ate at Clementine. I love that place. If you haven't been, you should. Take a long lunch break and enjoy yourself. (You'll need the extra time to find a parking place unfortunately. They're just off Santa Monica right where all the construction is taking place. Thursday night, I met a friend and some of her co-workers at a place on Sunset called, Sunset Trocadero - right at the Sweetzer intersection. It was a nice little place to hang out. The food was good, but nothing spectacular. They had all had a rough day at work, and needed to unwind. It was a great place for that. Then I came back to Atlanta on Friday. :( I may be back out there in two weeks. If so, I'll let you know again where my culinary adventures take me. And thank you again for all the suggestions. -Greg PS Oh, Maison, take care of yourself. Hope you're back on your feet soon.

Well, I'll be leaving in about 12 hours. Thank you to everyone for all the suggestions. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to come back early because of work, so I won't have time to make it to San Francisco or to any of the wineries. And I doubt that I'll be able to make it back in two weeks, but we'll see. I really do appreciate all the advice, and especially the offers of phone numbers, meetings, etc. - that is incredibly thoughtful. I may take you up on it later though. And I will definately reciprocate if anyone makes a trip to Atlanta. I'll let you guys know which places I hit. Thanks again. -Greg

Well, my plans may be changing a little. A real good friend of mine is going to be out there the week after Christmas - so I think that I'm going to cut this trip short, and go back out there to meet up with him. But I still need suggestions to at least pass on to him. It's also been a while since I've read about LA - what are the really big restaurants now? My friend wants to splurge a little - I mentioned AOC & Lucques (see below), L'Orangerie, Spago (of course), Saddle Brook - that game meat restaurant, Matsuhisa, Campanile, and maybe a few others. What did I miss? Chrisamirault, I had actually read your posts - that what inspired me to make my own, so I could hit even more cool places. Long Beach to San Fran is about 6-7 hours. I did it last year, but I had more time then. I don't mind the drive - I'd be spending the night in SF or Santa Rosa, St. Helena area - which is about an hour or so more. No big deal - I actually enjoy driving. The main reason I really wanted to go to the wine country was to go by Turley. They are in St. Helena & Paso. I met Ehren Jordan last week at Blackberry Farm (please read my other post - Best Three Days of My Life - there's 91 views but only 3 comments!). So I wanted to say hello and thank him for his part in a wonderful experience. Plus there's so many cool wine people on here that I may get to meet. :) I think I answered all the comments/questions from all of you. And besides - my steak is ready to be eaten! Thanks for all the input. -Greg

I didn't think that I was going to be able to get off work, but I am. Yay, me! So my plan is to leave Tuesday and fly into Long Beach (I'm not dealing with LAX). I will have a rental car. The main reason of going is to see the US Women's Soccer Team play Wednesday night. Other than that, I'm open. I may have to come back on Friday. (Boo!) But if not (Yay!), I'll leave Thursday or Friday to go up to the wine country. And maybe a day in San Francisco. And then back to Long Beach to fly out on Monday. I have some ideas of what I want to do. I'm thinking of eating at - I think it's called Clementine's. (The sister-in-law of a friend works there or something like that. Anyway...) I don't mind spending a bit on a meal or two, but in general - I'm broke. I'll most likely be using priceline for the big stuff. I could just use some advice on where to go and what to eat. (But if anybody wants to put me up for a couple of days... ) Thank you for any advice. -Greg

It was at Blackberry Farm. But first, a little back story... Last October I went to California for a vacation. Since I'm in the industry, I somewhat keep up with what's going on in other cities' culinary scenes. There is a young lady named Suzanne Goin who had gotten a lot of press, so I decided to eat at one of her restaurants, A.O.C. It was divine! After eating her braised pork cheek dish, the bartender asked me how it was. I said, "It was so good - it makes me want to propose to the chef." And we both laughed. (Although I will admit, I was only half-joking. At the time, I did have a little crush on her.) So anyway, time passes, and over this past summer, I decide to put Chef Goin's name into Google. Didn't really get too many links to anything that I didn't already know. Except for the one about Blackberry Farm (different link) and the cooking school classes that she would teach there. So long story short - I went. And it was incredible. Blackberry Farm is beautiful itself. It's in Eastern Tennessee in the mountains (foothills). The property is very old, but the Bealls have only owned it since the '70s (if I remember correctly). But they have transformed it into something wonderful. The service, the food, the atmosphere, the staff. Every little detail was thought of in advance. (Like having a very yummy box lunch waiting in your car when you check out.) I could go on and on about all the little things that I noticed that just made the stay so incredible. But let's get to the food (and wine)... The executive chef of Blackberry, Chef Fleer, did a demonstration before lunch one day. And Suzanne did one the next day. Chef Fleer's food is some of the best that I have ever tasted. It has a decided Southern Flair, and every bite is delicious. The picnic lunch we had on the last day consisted of suckling pig, roasted corn, seafood and bean salad, fig and walnut green salad, house-made spoon/pone bread, and some other things that I don't recall. He did not cook this particular meal, but I'm sure he oversaw its conception and execution. This one meal is actually something they do fairly regularly for the guests - as I'm sure the guests have demanded. And for the wine people - Ehren Jordan was there. He is the winemaker for Turley Winery and winemaker/owner of Failla Winery. Failla is a very small, fairly new winery, named for his wife's maiden name. Turley is known for their production of cult Zinfandels (no the grapes don't go around killing other varieties - though I could imagine people killing for these wines). The wine tasting was a vertical of 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 "Hayne Vineyard" wines (probably their most famous bottling). And Ehran was a joy to talk to. Unlike so many in the business, he is completely unpretentious. He doesn't say things like "How did you feel about the notes of the ula berry hiding underneath the pine scents?". He drinks/enjoys/educates about wine because he's passionate about it. Now for the first batch of pictures. (I couldn't figure out the image thingee, so they're all links.) The Main House is where I stayed. These are the, um, 'cheap' rooms. This also holds the dining room and the main kitchen. Next to it is the Guest House and the Oak Cottage (concierge), which I didn't get pictures of for some stupid reason. And just down the drive are the Holly Glade Cottages - where I really really couldn't afford to stay. My small, but cozy, Bedroom. And the Bathroom, which had a HEATED FLOOR!!! I'm thinking that is my vote for best invention ever. The Sitting Area of the Main House leads into the Bar Area (two pics), which leads into the Dining Alcove, which leads into the Main Dining Room. There is also the Game & Snack Room. Named such, by me, because it has games & snacks. (It's a bit hard to tell, but those are bottled Coke products. Bags of chocolate chip cookies, trail mix, M&Ms, etc. And the drawer underneath has Perrier, juices, and other stuff. And it was all free. Well, you weren't charged per item. But you sure were paying.) This is the view from the Sitting Room and the same view from the veranda. This is getting long, so I'll skim over the rest: Walland Pond Farmhouse Spa Hammock by the brook Horses A couple of Artsy Pictures. (Although I am proud of the second one. It turned out just like I wanted.) Footbridge The view from The Overlook, which I renamed Fat Man's Death. Because the short, but steep, hike to it almost killed me. Pretty Sunset (two pics) (For the rest of the pics, go to here.) Now for the good part - the food. The last night, the two chefs team up for dinner. This is what we had. Ham Hock Consomme (three pics) Salad Of Smoked North Carolina Trout - fennel and avacados with orange/sherry vinaigrette and saffron pickled fennel paired with Failla "Keefer Ranch" Chardonnay 2002 Roasted Pears, Endive, And Arugula - with hazelnuts and shaved saint agur paired with Turley "Alban Vineyard" Rousanne 1999 Eastern Skate - with parsnip puree, glazed Brussel sprouts, and Balsamic brown butter paired with Failla "Keefer Ranch" Pinot Noir 2001 Liberty Farm Duck Breast (two pics) - with Kabocha squash, cavolo nero, and pomegranate salsa paired with Turley "Vineyard 101" Zinfandel 1996 Tea Smoked Rack of Summerfield Farm Lamb - with sweet garlic wilted watercress and red pepper grits paired with Turley "Hayne Vineyard" Petite Syrah 1995 Coffee Creme Caramel - with a ribbon cookie paired with Alban Vineyards "Rotten Luck" Viognier 2001 Believe it or not, there are even more details that I could share. And every single one of them contibute to why, about 3 days later, I'm still unbelievably happy. (Although a little irked too, because I had to leave. lol) -Greg

GG, go to Watershed. Call ahead and speak briefly with Chef Peacock. I had a saute of various vegetables there a couple (3?) years ago that included okra. No slime whatsoever. You could even go by Morningside Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning, get a little okra, then swing by Watershed and offer to share with the chef/staff. Chef Peacock is so nice; I bet he would appreciate the gesture. -Greg

Alright - look. I grew up in the NC. High Point to be exact. So I know me some barbeque. (And how did I miss this thread? I mean I know I've been busy with stuff, but jeez!!!!) Anyway. Stamey's I don't like so much. It's not bad - just not my favorite. I grew up with that place on Westchester and Main in High Point. The sixth glass of wine is sapping my memory - sorry. I didn't read every post in this thread. So in case people don't know - there's two styles of North Carolina Barbeque. Western and Eastern. Vineagar and Tomato style sauces to be more specific. But it's always pork shoulder. I said PORK! Another drunken aside - there is a place in Cary, NC (That's down the road from Raleigh - I'm going there if I make it to the Enoteca Vin dinner.) that has great barbeque. It's called Ole Time Barbeque - I will actually lead a 'trek' there if there's enough interest from the 'Enoteca dinner' crowd. -Greg

I have to add my 'two cents' as it were. Anytime someone mentions San Francisco I have to mention Citizen Cake. They have a full menu, which I have not partaken of. But their desserts. OMG!!!!! I went there last October. I had eaten dinner somewhere else (don't remember where exactly) then went to Citizen Cake for dessert. I had four desserts, plus a cocunt banana tart togo for breakfast the next morning. (The best breakfast that I've ever had, by the way.) I can not recommend Citizen Cake enough. Also. D&G Chinese is very very good. I asked the concierge at my hotel to make a recommendation for a restaurant. She said D&G. Later I found out that it had been ranked among the top ten Chinese restaurants in the country by citysearch.com. It was great food for *VERY* reasonable prices. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Also, if you've never been to SF, you should go to Fisherman's Wharf. It's very touristy, but it's nice to see. And there's a gift shop that helps marine animals or something like that. And you get to take pictures of the sea lions basking in the sun. (Hey, it's 3 am, and I'm on my 5th glass of wine. I can't remember the details. Okay?!) There is a really nice restaurant about 4 blocks up from the toursity area. You really need reservations, but I've heard that it's incredible. I unfortunatley, didn't get reservations. :( And if you're looking for other things to do - non food related I mean. I would suggest the Cartoon Art Museum that's downtown. It's nice (disclaimer: I'm a cartoon/comic freak), but the gift shop is not very good. Also close by (an hour drive maybe?) is the Charles Shultz Museum. Which is AWESOME. Even for a non-cartoon/comic person, it is nice. I highly highly recommend it. -Greg P.S. Artichoke, feel free to pm me if you want more info about in general or about my trip.

Just thought I would add my opinion since I'm a world-class wine expert <cough, cough, nudge nudge, wink wink> Big House Red is a nice wine - especially for the price. The rose is okay. But I don't particularly care for the Big House White. But I'm a big red wine drinker. So there's a bit of bias in there. Goats Do Roam is an INCREDILBE wine. Especially for the price. For everyday drinking - you can not go wrong with this. It's funny; this morning, I was at Harry's Farmer's Market (local chain under Whole Foods). I browsed the wine department as I always do (found Ravenwood's Teldechi 2001 for $35 a bottle once - my, at the time, favorite red, and still 2nd favorite - but I digress). I saw a few bottles of Jewel for nice prices. Different varietals, all of which I do not remember. I almost picked up a bottle of their Zin, but didn't. I still have a case (various things) from my trip to California last October. But I may go back soon to get something. And I will look for the Amano Primitivo. Dover Canyon (Mary) and I had a conversation about Primitivo a while back. I'd like to see what it's like. -Greg

After Gifted Gourmet became a forum host, we've been talking about the Southeast as a culinary region. We both agree that the southeast has a lot to offer culinarily speaking - even on a par with California and NYC in some areas. She wanted to spark an interest in the Southeast in people who don't live here. And I suggested that we put it to the 'regulars' here to help us. The point of this is to start some dialogue that will hopefully morph into more threads about more specific topics. And now I'm finally getting around to starting the post. this is copied from one of my pm's to GG: So what is your opinion? What about the Southeast makes it 'significant'? And as some motifs form in this thread, we'll start new ones about more specific things. -Greg P.S. I also want a little feedback/critique on this particular post. I meant to be fairly general to spark a lot of ideas. But if this too vague - too broad? Let me know, and thanks in advance for all the input.

Krispy Kreme!!!!! Although I don't dislike Dunkin' Donuts, and DD does seem to have more variety, KK is the grand champion. And they just opened one less than five miles from where I live - and the drive thru is open 24 hours!!!! God loves me. (Or hates me since I really need to get into shape. Hmmmm.) -Greg

That is really cool. I've even happier with my $6 cookbook find now. -Greg

Last books read: Schott's Food And Drink Miscellany - which was really cute and fun to read The Whole Beast by Fergus Henderson - an awesome awesome cookbook Reading now: The Art of Eating - book one, Serve It Forth For those who don't know, The Art Of Eating is 5 books by M.F.K. Fisher in one collected volume. Very very nice. When I'm through with Serve It Forth I'm going to read somebody else, then come back to Fisher's Consider the Oyster, then read something else, etc. Up next: A Cook's Tour - B&N recently had it in their bargain section The Wine Bible Alton's second book which is due in, I think, October -Greg

Just ... yum. -Greg

Well, isn't it your lucky day! Earlier this month I just happened to buy Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. I have no idea who Betty Groff is. She may be half Antarctican & half Venutian as far as I know. But it was $5.99 at Waldenbooks' bargain bin. I looked for it on B&N and Amazon, but couldn't find it. Anyway.... Here are the titles for the recipes in the chapter 'Meats': Brisket of Beef With Beans Corned Beef Glazed Corned Beef Beef Pie With Potato Crust Rib Roast Sauerbraten Beef Pot Roast Swiss Steak Pan-Fried Steak Stuffed Flank Steak Creamed Frizzled Dried Beef City Chicken Drumsticks Meat Loaf With Sweet Potatoes Lamb Roast With Crusty Mint Lamb Paprika Baked Home-Cured Ham Schnitz Und Knepp Fried Ham Slices Southern Style Ham Ham, Green Beans, And Potatoes Pot Pie Pork Loin Roast Stuffed With Dried Fruit Wiener Schnitzel Braised Sweetbreads With Almonds Cooked Beef Tongue Stuffed Beef Heart Scrapple Souse Sausage And Squash Stir Fry Pan-Fried Liver And Onions Stuffed Pig Stomach Or French Goose And 'Seafood': Deviled Clams Box Panned Oysters Fried Oysters Oyster Pie Salmon Croquettes Shad And Roe Baked And Fried Trout Cameron Estate Style So if you're interested in recipes, let me know. I don't want to post too much for copyright reasons - I respect the effort that went into developing/researching the recipes. Also a couple of notes. The Pennsylvania Dutch are quite cool - culinarily speaking. They invented/developed sooooo many things. And they were a very 'seasonal' people. So you may want to keep that in mind while you are planning the menu. Even the meat dishes - some of the ingredients (fruits, root veggies, squashes, etc.) will be seasonal. It just depends on how authentic you are willing to go. (The stomach sounds good to me. :) ) And if anybody else is interested - let me know. -Greg