LurkerLoo

Although I haven't been there, I have to echo BigBump's suggestion of Teak on Mount Adams--it's got an excellent reputation for Thai cuisine. Speaking of Asian, a good Chinese buffet is Johnny Chan 2, up waaaay north at Harper's Point off of Montgomery Road. The weekday lunch buffet is an excellent deal. Unfortunately the bad economy has taken a toll on some places I knew in Hyde Park. You can enjoy the novelty of eating in a building that used to be a bank (Teller's), and Indigo has been around for some time, but they're not particularly exciting culinary experiences to my way of thinking. Bonbonnerie in O'Bryanville (a small neighborhood southwest of Hyde Park) has amazing desserts and cookies; my fave is their opera cake. Forgot to mention 2 places in Newport, Kentucky: York Street Cafe (sometimes has live music) and NuVo, which has tapas on Wednesday nights for $25 (5 courses).

Jeff, I don't know if you're still taking trips to Cincinnati, but here's some of my favorites: Across the river in Bellevue, there's Virgil's Cafe, which was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." The neighborhood is a historic area that's been renovated. In fact, I'm not sure why this place was featured on Triple D, since it's not a diner, drive-in, nor dive. I had a tasty shrimp and tomato bisque and etouffee there just a few months ago. Another place featured on Triple D is Terry's Turf Club in the Linwood area on the eastern side of town; their specialty is burgers with unusual toppings (4618 Eastern Ave., (513) 533-4222). Go early, as there's nearly always a line. If you don't mind driving a bit, one special place is Amma's Kitchen in the suburb of Roselawn (7633 Reading Road, (513) 821-2021). This is a vegetarian Indian restaurant specializing in South Indian cuisine. Wonderful flavors--this is not the usual greasy Indian joint. Lunch buffet is justly popular. Even further out (near the airport in Hebron, Kentucky) is a Japanese place called Jo-An; they have sushi and good tempura. You asked about Dewey's Pizza--it is indeed a local chain, and it's certainly better than the usual fast-food pies. The Hyde Park neighborhood has several restaurants around the square (including a Graeter's), and a good farmer's market on Sunday from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. There are also a bunch of interesting bars and eateries on Mount Adams. Hope these suggestions are helpful! Please share any other discoveries you make.

As someone who managed to keep a kaffir lime tree alive for several years, I have this advice to offer: keep a vigilant eye out for mites. Although most experts claim this is mostly an indoor problem, my tree would get infestations even while out on my deck during the hot Ohio summers. You have to eradicate the critters quickly, too, or else they'll overwhelm the leaves and cause them to drop off like crazy. I used Safer insect-killing soap; you gotta drench the leaves, both the top surfaces and underneath, for a few days. In the winter, the tree needs *lots* of light. My tree started doing much better once I set up growing lights that were on 12 hours a day. I speak of my tree in the past tense, because when I moved cross-country I had to give it away. But I plan to get another one sometime in the future--those fresh leaves beat the cryovac'd packages from the ethnic market any day! Good luck with yours, Chris.

Because an amuse is a gift from the chef...

At least the disagreeable woman did not dine at the restaurant. Last month in San Francisco the woman at the table next to me SENT BACK her amuse, which included some foie gras, because she didn't eat the stuff. One of my dining companions was appalled at this behavior, which she felt was a major faux pas and outright rude. The foie gras at this place is sublime, so it was the customer's loss, as she missed out on a great thing (the substituted dish was a chicken-based broth or soup, a poor trade for foie gras!).

Article in today's Enquirer about a public viewing for the upcoming auction: clickety.

It's unfortunately true, most Americans are more interested in Britney Spear's pregnancy than food safety. I've been following the sparse U.S. media coverage of the mad cow cases for over a year, but since the updates are few, far between, and generally under the radar, I really don't know enough to add to these discussions other than my personal opinions. I suppose I could say that I've suspected a cover-up all along, but that's not so extraordinary. I do wonder how the beef industry makes sure that none of the major news media either pick up these stories or if they do, that they're buried nice and deep in the back section of the paper.

Just a humble suggestion...if the jasmine essential oil you have is genuine (labeled as "absolute," available only from limited sources* and VERY costly--several years ago I recall it was going for $30 for 2 ml or something equally exorbitant), save it for special occasions and non-culinary purposes. Jasmine is wonderful for perfume blends; IMO it's too precious to use for ingestion. Plus I believe it breaks down when heated, so except for a brief aroma, it may not add much to cooked food. *Most oils labeled as "jasmine essential oil" are not 100% jasmine, but instead jasmine "cut" with other chemicals and oils in order to increase profit margins. These versions may contain non-digestible chemicals that you don't want to introduce to your insides, such as hexane. Someone with a more extensive background in chemistry and aromatherapy can probably offer more concrete and detailed info.

Narita is definitely at the top of my list--had great Japanese curry and noodles there a couple of years ago. As for Cincinnati, there's an excellent Japanese restaurant outside of the airport, a few miles east on I275, called Jo-An. My parents think it's one of the best Japanese places outside of LA. Great tempura, reasonable prices. So as long as you're not snowed in at CVG, keep that in mind as an option!

Forgot to mention that my eschewing of cow is more of a boycotting of the beef industry and what I see as its deplorable attempts to cover up the whole mad cow issue, rather than a personal, overwhelming fear of tainted meat. It won't make much of a dent in the beef industry's pockets, I'm well aware, but that's how I chose to voice my opinion with my dollars.

Not from my mom, but a gullible friend during my childhood: if you swallow gum, it will somehow grow through your scalp and get stuck in your hair. I kept challenging her on the illogic of this, but she wouldn't budge. (and in spite of all the gum I swallowed, nary a bit ended up on my scalp!) My mother (who is Korean) also told us the one about taking the last serving of anything--if you do, you'll be an old maid. When my sister and I got older, we'd make a point of taking the last serving, and then when Mom would utter the inevitable phrase, we'd smile and say "GOOD, I don't want to get married anyway!" And so far we're both still unmarried...

I've been off of beef products (but not dairy) for over a year, and what little news trickling into the main media about mad cow in the U.S. haven't allayed any of my concerns about practices in the beef industry. For example, the fact that private testing of beef is not being allowed strikes me as very suspicious: (from an article at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4702216/ on MSNBC) Huh? There's been previous discussions on eGullet about mad cow: mad cow discussion and another mad cow discussion ...to highlight just a couple. [edited to make verb tenses agree]

I agree with helenjp--what little I've read in the US media about the beef industry's response to the one reported case of mad cow does NOT inspire confidence. (Funny how sparse the news coverage has been. Not to sound too paranoid, but could it be that pressure is being applied to keep this topic off of the national news radar?) I'm also nonplussed by the way the industry is preventing independent farmers from testing their beef; sounds like big business is afraid of the little guys. And I can't help but remember that whole Oprah brouhaha years ago. As a benefit of my boycotting of beef since just before Xmas 2003, I've lost 15 pounds! A small compensation for doing without (I grew up in Iowa and LUV beef), however. My hope is that this situation won't last long, but the ways things are going, it doesn't look like the beef industry will be making major reformations any time soon.

I agree with helenjp--what little I've read in the US media about the beef industry's response to the one reported case of mad cow does NOT inspire confidence. (Funny how sparse the news coverage has been. Not to sound too paranoid, but could it be that pressure is being applied to keep this topic off of the national news radar?) I'm also nonplussed by the way the industry is preventing independent farmers from testing their beef; sounds like big business is afraid of the little guys. And I can't help but remember that whole Oprah brouhaha years ago. As a benefit of my boycotting of beef since just before Xmas 2003, I've lost 15 pounds! A small compensation for doing without (I grew up in Iowa and LUV beef), however. My hope is that this situation won't last long, but the ways things are going, it doesn't look like the beef industry will be making major reformations any time soon.

...and we all know the legal system NEVER fails to prove a person is guilty[cough!...OJ Simpson...cough!]. I'm just sayin', from now on my view of Jeff Smith and his cooking has been changed. And God forbid, if Julia Child or Jacques Pepin or any other luminary be involved with an equally reprehensible scandal in the future (that is covered in all the major media outlets), that will undoubtedly affect my opinion of them as well. I won't go out of my way to dig up dirt on anyone, but at the same time I won't stick my head in the sand either.