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Wow, Bryan, I'm thrilled to see you blogging this week! It will be a remarkable week, no doubt. I'll look forward to your NYC restaurant week reports. And of course all the wonderful food you turn out in your own kitchen. I, too, would like to know if you've considered culinary school as an option for yourself. Especially considering how interested you are in the restaurant concept. There are, of course, a great number of well-regarded chefs who are self-trained. Having such great skill already, as well as the more creative molecular gastronomy that you seem to be involved in, perhaps the traditional methods taught in culinary school would only stifle to your wonderful creativity. I'd be curious what your thoughts are on this.

I'm from San Antonio, but my family and I will be in Houston next weekend and they put me in charge of finding a "nice place to eat". With very limited research, it looks like Laidback Manor and t'afia are the top two contenders so far. First of all, I'd ask how these two restaurants compare directly to one another, although I imagine this is the kind of question that is asked on these boards quite often, and perhaps a little more research can help me out with that. I was also curious how much "The Treatment" menu is at LM? The 10-course menu seems reasonably priced to me (someone who cut his fine dining teeth in NYC, so thankfully there is not much sticker shock here in TX ), and "The Treatment" really sounds like an amazing experience. Has anyone had the opportunity to try that menu yet? How was it? How long did it take? Also, has anyone sat at the chef's table? As an avid home cook (yes, an eG member who loves to cook...shocking, I know ), I definitely look for any and every opportunity to watch the kitchen in action. Chef Rucker, perhaps you might even have a different suggestion as to how one might best experience what your restaurant has to offer. There are so many variables that are going into choosing this restaurant (3 big eaters versus one small appetite....3 that enjoy "fine dining" versus one that has yet to be introduced to it, etc) that I just want to be sure I am making the right choice. P.S. Any other advice to help me plan out a wonderful meal for my family and I would be greatly appreciated. I know San Antonio and NYC extremely well, but the Houston dining scene is totally foreign to me. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I agree about the lack of great restaurants here. I'd love to hear what those three restaurants are, though. P.S. Is it bad that I can only think of two such places for me? Le Reve and Liberty Bar Nice suggestions! I, too, really enjoy Paloma Blanca, Silo, Chris Madrid's and Liberty Bar. I was hoping you might tell me a bit more about some of them I've been wanting to try for a while: Pesca Texas Farm to Table Cafe Sage ...and some I haven't heard of: Cebu Las Ramblas

Cole Slaw with Bacon Fat Vinaigrette Cornbread with Bacon & Jalapeno Creamed Corn with Bacon Green Beans with Bacon Potato Salad with Bacon Baked Beans with Bacon Mac and Cheese with Bacon Collard Greens with Ham Hocks & Bacon Warm Biscuits with Candied Bacon, Butter & Honey (gotta have dessert )

agreed

You mean tablescapes? By the way, I, too, cannot stand Sandra Lee. She is not a chef. Hell, she's not even a cook. She doesn't belong on Food TV. She is the complete antithesis of everything that is beautiful about food. Very skilled at opening pre-packaged products quickly and using a microwave, though.

Along with his recent James Beard Award nomination, it's great to see chef Weissman getting some more national recognition. He definitely deserves it. No question it is the best restaurant in the city. Maybe the state.

Don't worry, Susan. Even with dessert, you can still eat the cheese course first.

Looks delicious, Susan! How did the banana split panini turn out for ya?

Oh. My. God. That looks so good it should be illegal.

My thoughts exactly. And with the way the time has flown, I can hardly believe it. I've really enjoyed sharing a week in my food life (is there any other kind?) with y'all. You've seen the fridge, the kitchen, and the garden. Chicken-fried steak, tacos, and pistachio pesto. You have all provided such great comments/questions/discussions, and that has really kept this blog going. I just hope I kept up my end of the deal. There are, of course, a few pieces I just didn't have time to fit into the puzzle, most notably a BBQ pilgrimage to Lockhart, TX and a spontaneous chef's tasting meal at Le Reve, my favorite restaurant in San Antonio. I suppose, though, that I will live to eat (and blog!) another day. That, ma'am, is exactly the plan. Keep on fooding, indeed... Ciao for now -- Aaron

Wow. What a scary morning. Sorry I've been slow in responding this morning. I was driving my younger brother to work this morning, and we were T-boned by another car going about 45 mph that slammed straight into the passenger door panel. Luckily the side airbags worked like they were supposed to and my brother (who was in the passenger seat) is okay. Beyond scratches/bruises/soreness, right now I think that I am more mentally shaken up than anything else. The initial adrenaline rush combined with the fear/anger/guilt of it all is a little jarring to say the least. The right side of car is completely totaled. My brother and I thankfully seem okay. The three people in the other car seem relatively okay, too. Mother driving, father in passenger seat, very small boy in the back seat. Other than the father's (who was not buckled) probably broken arm, they were okay. One of those times to remind yourself that the cars are replaceable. The people are not. Now back to our regularly scheduled program... Funny you should ask. This part year, I met a girl who is just about as crazy about food as I am. So we often cook together, and we, along with three others (who also cook), will be sharing a 5-person suite next year. Complete with a stove with gas burners. I am totally looking forward to an awesome year. My strength is Italian & Southern style cooking. Hers is more Japanese/Thai/Indian influenced. The others have the background with more Dominican & Puerto Rican food, as well as some more Italian thrown in the mix from a suite-mate whose family is from Milan. Should make for quite a living (and eating!) arrangment! I was lucky enough not to be chosen as my group of 32 was narrowed to 12 yesterday. Of course, it took a day of being bored out of my mind, but what can ya do? The courts are downtown, near some interesting places. But I wasn't really sure what kind of time format the day might bring (as this was my first time actually going to jury duty..been called before, but was in exempt since I was in NYC at school). That being the case, I brought my lunch. A nice big bad of fruit, both fresh (apple, banana) and dried (mango, apple, prune, pear, apricot, date, cherry, golden raisin, blueberry). Shocking, I know. During a recess in the afternoon, though, I walked over to Le Reve, which I would say is undoubtedly the best restaurant in San Antonio, if not this part of the country, and spoke to the chef about possibly preparing a spontaneous off-the-menu degustation for the final meal for me eG foodblog. But a private party that had been planned for the evening at that restaurant so that meant a change of plans. On the positive side, he seemed honored by my request and asked me to call him back today to set something up. So that was good. Thanks, Susan. I'll do my best to find the time to wrap it up late this afternoon/early evening since I am at work now (physically, but after the morning I've had, not exactly mentally, ya know). I am sure the next blog is gonna be great! Looking forward to it! Thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures, and even if you got nothing else out of it, at least you've got a new dish for your 'must try' list, and that is always a good thing. I hope to see it on the Dinner thread one of these days. You're quite welcome, I am glad you enjoyed the blog. ByranZ is a just a bit younger that I am (~20 if I recall), but honestly, he's done some things in the kitchen that I could only dream of. To me, technique-wise, he is one of the most talented home cooks on this site, regardless of age. And his presentations are beautiful as well. I'd say if there is any young eG'er to look out for in the food mags one day, it'd be him. As for my name, I imagine there's no harm in sharing it. Who know's maybe I'll go one step further and post a picture in my blog finale. In my personalized apron. Yes, I am a nerd.

Okay, I said I was going to sleep. I lied. A few more responses before I hit the sack... We've had the Griddler over a year now and have been quite pleased with it. More often that not, we just use it for panini. But lately, we've been trying out hamburgers, fish, steaks, etc, to see how it performs. So far, so good. Obviously the flavor we'd get grilling outside on the charcoal grill is not there, but it cooks reasonably quickly and evenly. And not having to flip things is always a plus. Not a bad tool to have around for a rainy day (or just a lazy day when you don't feel like getting a fire going outside ) If you're picking them yourself, I have no doubts they'll be better than ours! I'll just have to console myself with a homegrown tomato in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. Ah, life is rough. I was making that meal in a huge rush since I had to start so late, just kind of throwing together some things on the fly, and that idea just sorta came to me. Turned out really well, and it was nice change-up from the typical caprese. Torching the top and adding the toasted pine nuts at the end really just brough it over the top. If you do end up making it, I'd love to see pictures. This is definitely one easy dish that I'll keep in the future repertoire. Nah, I'm way past being a teenager... I'm 21! The pistachio pesto is basil, pistachios, pine nuts, parmigiano-reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. (See details here)

It's been a long week of cooking. It was time for a night out. My original plan was to head to Le Reve, which I would say is undoubtedly the best restaurant in San Antonio, if not this part of the country, and ask that the chef prepare a spontaneous off-the-menu degustation for the table. But a private party that had been planned for the evening at that restaurant meant a change of plans. So we stuck close to home tonight. A place that just opened up within the last six months or so, called Bin 555. This restaurant is the more casual, no reservations sibling of a lovely restaurant here called The Lodge housed in a beautiful castle-like estate. We had visited for the first time just a couple of weeks ago, and noted how nice it must be to dine out on the patio here, with large tables, adequate shade, a nice breeze and subtle music. What more could you want on a summer night? Turned out it was a very slow night at the restaurant, so we had the patio basically to ourselves, which in some restaurants might have been a bit awkward, but in this case it was perfectly calm and relaxing. As you can see in the menu on the website, the menu is basically tapas-style, and is priced and portioned to encourage sharing among the table. So the five of us (mom, dad, me, younger brother and his girlfriend) chose quite a variety... Untraditional Style Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons, Grilled Red Onions and Parmesan ($3.75) Not sure what exactly is so untraditional about this Caesar Salad, but it was tasty. Better than I remembered it being the last time we got it there. My brother, the Caesar Salad connoisseur of the family deems it worthy of his top three, so they must be doing something right. Roasted Garlic and Chickpea Hummus with Oven Toasted Crostini ($5.00) This was quite tasty, with a clear roasted garlic flavor going on. The crostini left something to be desired. Somewhat bland and flat tasting, I thought. (Must be a theme with this place. Last time we ordered the daily bruschetta, which arrived on the same crostini, and were borderline horrible, I thought). Dipping the Naan (pictured below) into this hummus, however, was just beautiful. Also turns out this was my mom, dad, and brother's first time trying hummus, so it looks like I have an easy idea for something to make at home in the near future. Local Texas Lump Crab Napoleon with Avocado-Lime Aioli and Guajillo Chile Vinaigrette ($8.50) This was better than I remembered it being the last time we ordered it. Perhaps they were a little more generous with that beautiful lump crab meat. Or perhaps they remembered to use the salt shaker this time. Either way, I definitely enjoyed this dish. Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Horseradish Cocktail Sauce ($2.25/ea X 5) Terribly uninteresting to me. I enjoy neither chilled shrimp nor cocktail sauce, so this one was rather blah for me. I have no problem with a chef doing a creative reinterpretation of a classic dish, but this took absolutely no thought at all. I also thought five shrimp that size was kind of measly for the $11.25 price tag, but maybe I'm just cheap sometimes. Traditional Spanish "Tortilla" ($3.25) Along with the shrimp, this dish was one of the weaker ones of the evening, I thought. Just no vibrancy to the flavors at all. Perhaps even the chefs knew this when they shrouded it with an unnecessarily large dollop of that spicy roasted pepper sour cream. Grilled Asparagus Milanese Style with Organic Fried Egg and Pecorino Romano ($5.00) I'm sorry, I am no great chef, but this dish just did not hold a candle to my own version at home (see photo here). Classic flavor combination, but really pretty disappointing. Chef Dady's Daily Risotto -- Mascarpone, Organic Cherry Tomato, Tarragon, and Black Pepper ($5.75) This was another one of the highlights of the meal for me. My mom also loved it, although my dad and my brother both thought the tarragon overwhelmed the other flavors. Very clean, simple flavors. And it was cooked very well, neither too loose and runny nor a starchy mess. Grilled Venison Sausage with Spicy Roasted Peppers, Butter Braised Apple and Bacon-Mustard Vinaigrette ($6.00) Yes, you read that right: Bacon-Mustard Vinaigrette. And yes, it was as good as it sounds. Mmm, bacon... Oh yeah, the other stuff on the plate was good, too. Venison is perhaps my favorite meat, so I had no complaints with the sausage. Mini Paella with Roast Chicken, Andouille Sausage and Saffron ($4.75) This one was pretty lacking in the taste department, we thought. None of the flavors really stood out. My dad later told me he would've showered it with a good sprinkling of salt and cracked pepper if there had been any available. Not terrible, but definitely not something we'd order again here. Handmade Veal Meatballs with Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean, Peach & Brown Sugar ($7.50) I insisted we try this a shot this time, as I'd seen it on the menu last time and thought "What the...?". My family was a little bit hesitant to say the least, but they all tried it. Varying reactions all around. My mom didn't like it. My dad said he thought he liked it, but he wasn't sure. My brother's girlfriend thought it tasted oddly like a link of breakfast sausage that had been dragged through the pancake syrup. My brother said he didn't know what to think. Me, I thought it worked surprisingly well. I didn't get much of the cinnamon or brown sugar flavors shining through, but the vanilla bean and peach flavors were just assertive enough to make their presence known but not so cloyingly sweet as to overwhelm the meat. Sure, the meatballs were kinda weird. But I wouldn't mind trying them again some time. Guess that makes me kinda weird, too, eh? Wood Fired Naan Flatbread with Roasted Garlic Butter ($6.50) This stuff is obscenely good. Really, it's ridiculous. Both last time and this time it was the family favorite, and we opted for a double order. This time, we even thought about a triple. It's just that good. And the roasted garlic butter? Yeah, that doesn't exactly hurt its cause. Four Cheese Pizza with Basil-Marcona Almond Pesto and Shaved Red Onions ($11.00) It seems like pretty much anything that comes out of the wood burning oven here is delicious, and this pizza was no exception. Crispy, pliable, charred and chewy in all the right places. A fine pie, no question about it. One of the family favorites again this time. Jumbo Local Texas Lump Crab "Dip" with Mascarpone, Chives and Oven Dried Crackers ($12.00) This was better than I had remembered it being on our previous visit. It was brought the table bubbling hot. As much as I love mascarpone cheese (see risotto above) and crab, it's hard to go wrong with this one. Not sure what makes this dip a "dip", but, hey, guess a modern-day menu is not complete without a few stray quoatation marks, right? Wood Oven Roasted Red Snapper with "ODT's", Fennel and Heirloom Potato Ragout with Saffron Oil ($21.50) More quotation marks. This dish must be good! Actually, the ODT's (Oven-Dried Tomatoes for those in the know ) were pretty tasty. And this coming from an admitted tomato Nazi who believes tomatoes from anywhere else besides our back yard are always ridiculously inadequate. My dad didn't enjoy this dish, perhaps in part due to his undying hatred of all things fennel. My mom thought it was good, but nothing special, I think. To me, it was reasonably tasty, but probably not something I'd recommend. I could make something comparable at home quite easily and for less money. To me, $21.50 for a snapper dish this size seems a little more Manhattan than San Antonio. Perhaps this opinion, though, is based more on its price relative to the other dishes on the menu, which are quite reasonably priced for the most part. Nutella and Dark Chocolate "Souffle" Cake ($6.00) By this point, everyone (except me) was stuffed. Alas, I had to take one for the team and order dessert. I am not a big dark chocolate guy, but simply mention the word Nutella in my presence and it seals the deal. I figured why not give it a shot. Neither souffle nor cake, but rather more like a soft, fudgy brownie, this was quite tasty. But it was just crying out for some ice cream. Or a glass of milk. Pretty tasty dessert, but nothing remarkable, and probably not something I'd order again. All in all, a very enjoyable meal. I have a feeling this may become one of our regular family dining out spots. I'll be curious to see how (and how often) this menu changes over time. Anyway, I should probably call it a night. Been another long day. And the past week of blogging has really just flown by. Almost time for me to pass the torch on to the next blogger. See y'all tomorrow!

I'm not sure whether the fig tree really likes the soil it's in right now. Hopefully it will bring some fruit this year, but we'll see. (I, too, love them wrapped in prosciutto. And/or stuffed with goat cheese. And/or drizzled with warm honey. Oh yeah. ). As for a field trip, I was hoping to get photos of my favorite food market here called HEB Central Market. When I spoke to a manager about taking pictures, she said they had to check out the website first, make sure it's okay, yada yada. Long story short, no call-back from that lady meant no pictures. Hey, if they want to turn down free (positive) publicity, then that's their loss. I think we may be going out to eat tonight, so I'll be sure to have the camera in tow. I feel like I should end with some pictures from some kitchen other than our own. Y'all must be tired of seeing all my home cooking by now!

Sorry for the long delay in getting this one posted. Last night turned into a very long night, and jury duty all day today made for a very long day. But here 'tis: FATHER'S DAY DINNER Baked Caprese Salad -- Homegrown Tomatoes, Homemade Pistachio Pesto, Fresh Mozzarella, Toasted Pine Nuts (and a little torching at the end for some better browning ) Mushroom Risotto -- Onion, Garlic, Arborio Rice, Dried Wild Mushrooms Rehydrated in Chicken Stock, some sauteed Cremini Mushrooms, Cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano Asparagus & Sweet Corn -- Just tossed with a nice Sicilian olive oil and roasted for a while Sirloin Steak -- Quickly marinated in olive oil, maldon sea salt, coarse cracked peppercorns, and rosemary, then grilled on the Cuisinart Griddler (normally I would've done it properly on the charcoal grill outside, but we were in a time crunch) Dinner is served.... Vanilla (well, Chocolate for Mom) Ice Cream topped with Warm Summer Berries and Fresh Whipped Cream -- Summer in a bowl (er, uh, a margarita glass ) All prepped and cooked in one hour, start to finish. Pretty quick and easy meal. But it really hit the spot. And my dad loved it, which was all that really counted yesterday anyway.

Yep, that picture seals the deal. That is definitely it. Such a tasty fruit. We had a tree that would produce tons of those at our old house (only lived at the current house for 2 years), so we knew we had to find a tree for this house. I wonder how long before we'll see fruit... Thanks, Ling. Your're very kind. I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. As for Father's Day, some circumstances out of my control meant we couldn't even start cooking dinner until almost 8:30 PM, so that meant no osso buco and no pecan pie Definitely would've been made from scratch, too. Ah well, maybe tomorrow. Turns out that dinner was a definite success tonight, though. One of those meals where everything just seems to fall into place nicely. I've uploaded the pictures to ImageGullet and will post a detailed write-up tomorrow. Great stories, Rachel! Thanks so much for sharing. You mean like this? I captured this picture one night when it randomly happened to be shooting straight up in the air. I thought it was kinda cool... Guess I ought to call it a night, now. Jury duty tomorrow. Ooh, the excitement of civic duty...

This time I cooked it in some cooking liquid I had left over from some mexican braised chicken I had made a while back. So the broth had the flavor of chicken, sweet corn, tomatoes, garlic, chile powder, cumin, and some other stuff. I'm usually not the best maker of Mexican Rice. If it were up to me, I'd just cook up some plain rice to have with the tacos and call it a day. But this turned out pretty well I thought. A quick Google search tells me the BBQ place you're thinking of is The County Line BBQ. I actually haven't been there before. Sounds like it may be worth a trip. My dad especially loves ribs, so I doubt I'd have a hard time convincing him. Haven't been to Chacho's, either. Another Google search turns up several awards for them having the best Margarita in town. In a place where the Margarita is as ubiquitous as it is here, that's no small claim. Turns out there is one about 10 minutes from our house. Sounds like another place that might be worth a shot. If I ever go, I'll let you know. And maybe I can send you a few quarts of those beans, too!

My usual go-to place for soft-shell crabs didn't get any in this week, so I had to look elsewhere. I called a store that is even closer than that one and they tell me they have them. Great, right? I've had the urge to do a soft-shell crab BLT for a while now, and it's all falling together...applewood smoked bacon, fresh tomatoes from the garden, some lettuce, some nice fresh bread, plent of basil to make a basil aioli, all I needed was a couple of our crustacean friends. Guess I should've specified fresh soft-shell crabs, because when I got there and asked about the crabs (which were not in the case, mind you), the guy came back in a couple of minutes. With a box. Of frozen soft-shell crabs. Alas, a fork was thrown into my dinner plan. (Get it? Get it? Fork into the dinner plan? Okay, I'm not funny. ). At that point I was disappointed and frustrated, so I came back from the store empty-handed, figuring I'd just throw together something simple at home. The result? Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to announce the winner of the most boring meal of the blog award... Scrambled Eggs with Bok Choy and Mushrooms, along with Caprese Salad, Toast (not pictured), and some Smoked Peppered Salmon (also not pictured) Followed by a dessert of Blueberry Morning -- My favorite cereal (with Special K Red Berry a close second) P.S. Is this a lot of fruit, or what? My parents went to Sam's this afternoon, and came back with this load. Looks like I'm set for some nice breakfast/lunch fruit spreads for a while.

Never read Marcella, but I've heard a lot about her, and her son Giuliano, as well. My understanding of it is that she was kind of a pioneer in introducing traditional Italian cooking to America. I gather that she kind of demystified Italian cuisine in the US in the same way that Julia Child did for French cuisine. Sounds like maybe I ought to check out her books, perhaps. Any particular suggestions? I always separate eggs in my hand. Not a big fan of the pass the yolk back and forth between the shell halves method. And my mom insisted I do a picture of her whacking the avocado seed, because if the blog happened to inspire someone to make guacamole, she didn't want their seeds flying half way across the room in case people might not know how to get it out! Sure haven't, Pan. I'd love to check some out, though. A quick search on Menupages for Polish restaurants reveals only 7 in Manhattan (East Village) and Brooklyn (BklynHeights/DUMBO & Williamsburg/Greenpoint) total. Surely there must be more. Any suggestions? Most definitely. And I found that inspiration really developed into a totally different thing over time. When I first started cooking, eating out would sometimes inspire me to do re-create certain dishes exactly at home. I'd come home from Babbo, for example, and say to myself, man, I've gotta find that recipe for Sweet Potato Lune. That inspiration would spark a recipe search, which in turn would mean a search at the store for the exact ingredients, trying to follow the exact method at home, etc. Now I am much more likely to be inspired by a technique, a new flavor combination, or something along those lines. I come home from Jean Georges, for example, and think, hmm, he did a caper-raisin emulsion with seared scallops...maybe I can do a caper-golden raisin emulsion with skate, whose flesh is sweet like scallops? So the inspiration I get from eating in restaurants has really become a tool of empowerment in the kitchen, rather than some sort of Platonic ideal of the perfect dish that I feel like I have to strive to achieve at home. The chocolate pasta came from a candy shop in New Orleans (which we bought during our first and only trip there the very weekend Katrina came....don't ask), but a quick Google search (the answer to all of life's questions) reveals that the brand I used last night is this one from a company called Chocoholics Divine Desserts, so I'm sure you could easily get it online if you can't find it in a store near you. For Father's Day, the tentative plan based on my dad's requests is: Fritto Misto Osso Buco (whether veal or lamb shanks will be used depends on what the store happens to have tomorrow) Risotto (Not sure what kind yet. He doesn't have anything specific in mind, so it may be chef's surprise) Asparagus Dessert yet TBD (pecan pie is a strong possibility it seems, though)

Off to the store to pick up some soft-shell crab. There is a nice fat soft-shell crab BLT in my near future. Be back later...

Last night, in honor of half of my heritage (actually in honor of my mom's request ) we had Mexican food... The Prep Homegrown Tomatoes harvested minutes before, many of which will go into fresh Pico de Gallo and Guacamole. Some just go straight into our mouths. Refried Beans (cooked in pork fat, of course) reheating in cast iron skillet Ground meat seasoned with chile power, cumin, black pepper, fresh garlic, and red onion Fresh guacamole stuff (Lime not pictured) Charring corn tortillas on the gas stove. I always do mine this way as I love the flavor this brings out. My mom and dad usually prefer to fry theirs for a minute in some lard The Results Fresh Guacamole Crumbled Queso Fresco Refried Beans Mexican Rice (with some chunks of more homegrown tomatoes thrown in for good measure) Ground Meat flavored with cumin, chile powder, pepper, garlic and red onion Lettuce Red Onion Pico de Gallo -- homegrown tomatoes, onions & jalapenos, black pepper and a bit of fresh lime juice Taco time... Un Poco de Todo The table -- As you can see, my mom got into the festive Mexican dinner theme tonight We found that little rooster in Mexico several years ago. Dessert Prep Zabaglione -- 3 egg yolks, 3 tbsp. sugar, 3 tbsp. sweet Marsala wine. Lots of whisking. Fresh Whipped Cream Chocolate Pasta Chocolate Pasta with Marsala Zabaglione, Red Grapes, Blueberries, Blackberries, Fresh Whipped Cream and Grated Mexican Chocolate -- My favorite dessert of the week so far

Glad you're enjoying the blog! And excellent choice of a neighborhood to call home, might I add. Al Di La, Tempo, Blue Ribbon... Not bad at all. The fact that I've gone to your neighborhood on back-to-back nights to eat at different places (in that case, Al Di La, then Tempo), coming from the far upper west side of Manhattan, that says something right there. As far as my skills as a cook, I've still got a lot to learn. I am nowhere near a master chef. I'm a good eater, though! Or, as a guy on TV said in a recent commercial, "I'm just a lover, a looker, and a BBQ cooker." I've got a handful of cookbooks, most of which I enjoy more for the pictures than anything else... As you can see, I am a big fan of Batali. I couldn't care less that he is a TV personality. I just like his cooking style, flavor combinations, and the way he both honors traditional Italian cooking and makes it his own at the same time. And his flagship restaurant Babbo continues to remain one of my favorite restaurants in the city. While the cookbooks are neat to have as a reference if I want to make something requiring precision, say a cake, for example, I soon realized how incredibly impractical it was as a home cook to try and take these recipes as the infallible culinary truth. When I first started cooking, I'd try to shop for the exact ingredients, measure things and follow the recipe word-for-word, etc. But the more I cooked, the more I just did my own thing. I began to shop based on what's in season, what looked very fresh that day at the market, what we happened to harvest from the garden in the back, etc. Once I started doing that, I developed more and more confidence in the kitchen, and there was no going back. I'm not sure what exactly the influences were that led me to enjoy cooking so much. I've often wondered that myself. I attribute a lot of it to simple encouragement. When encouraged in the right way by one's parents, I'm a big believer that pretty much any curiosity can become a fascination and a passion. My parents always supported my experiments in the kitchen, and I think that was a big part of my love of cooking today. Another big contributing factor was NYC. Eating out at all the different kinds of restaurants the city has to offer really opened my eyes to all kinds of new flavors, ingredients, and techniques. I've been to 270 different restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and food shops all over the city in the three years I've been at school (I only know that because I keep a list to make sure I don't repeat unless I think the place is just incredible). All that exposure to things that are just so different to what I might find here in Texas had definitely had an impact on my cooking style, too. Wonderful! How did it turn out? Thanks! I'm still trying to learn a thing or two from my younger brother. He's the resident photographer in the family. Yeah, I'm afraid Italian may have knocked 'em both out. Growing up in San Antonio, where the Hispanic population is the majority rather than a minority, the influence of Mexican culture is everywhere. As far as cooking/eating goes here, though, what we think of as "Mexican food" is unquestionably Tex-Mex. The restaurants where you can get a typical combo plate of enchiladas, rice, beans, chile con queso, etc are a dime a dozen. The likelifood that you can find, say, an authenic mole from the cuisine of some region in interior Mexico, or a Mexican seafood restaurant here is incredibly slim, though. Kind of sad, actually. Not that Tex-Mex is bad, I just wish there were more places where a could explore the other sides of Mexican cuisine, a cuisine that I know is much more intricate and complex that it is often made out to be here. I'd say my two favorite kinds of Mexican food would be puffy tacos (for those unfamiliar with them, a picture can be seen here) and queso fundido (melty cheese and chorizo ...what's not to like?). The influence of my Polish heritage has not been as strong for whatever reasons. I guess some of it had to with the fact that that side of my family is a lot more spread out geographically around the country. I've been curious to try and discover what Polish cuisine is actually like, a question my mom (whose heritage is Polish) was not too sure about either. I got her a combination storybook/cookbook about Polish culture and cuisine last year (called "At Hanka's Table"...seen in my cookbook collection pictures above), so she read through that and we've talked about trying out a few of the dishes in there. One of these days. Ouch. Low blow. What can I say? Sometimes, even people who love to cook need to take a shortcut or two. Sometimes, the family gets hungry when I take twice as long to make dinner because I am trying to photograph the entire thing. Sure, normally I would make it with the pan drippings and milk, so maybe me taking the butter and buttermilk shortcut this time means it doesn't technically qualify as a gravy at all. So shall we call it a Buttermilk White Sauce, Buttermilk Bechamel with Cracked Pepper, or perhaps "Cream Gravy" in quotation marks a la Thomas Keller? I wouldn't want to offend any sticklers for tradition who might feel the need to scrutinize the apparent texture of something they did not even have the opportunity to taste. Yeah, it may very well be the humidity that's the thing with the Tarragon. Ours was slow to establish but it's yield has been pretty good. I just asked my dad about Japanese Plum vs. Loquat, and he says they are one and the same. So I think we're talking about the same thing. By the way, excellent explanation of bechamel vs. cream gravy vs. country gravy. I am in the camp that believes country gravy usually has a more developed brown in the roux (well past the light blond stage that a cream gravy would usually stop at). And no, sausage gravy does not sound at all horrid. I've had it several times before, and it is definitely the stuff dreams are made of.

As promised.... A PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR OF OUR FAMILY GARDEN Banana Tree Basil & Zucchini -- Note the difference in the leaves of the two basil plants. They are different varieties of basil. The zucchini plants got pounded by a storm last month. They are usually among the most bountiful plants we have, but they've got a lot of catching up to do now. Bay Tree Blackberries -- Finally showing some signs of life in recent weeks Dill -- This plant is "spent" according to the resident gardener (a.k.a. mom). However, the caterpillar that morphs into Monarch butterflies is attracted to this particular plant for some reason, so it didn't die without a purpose Fig Tree -- No figs yet French Tarragon Guava Jalapeno Peppers Japanese Eggplant Japanese Plum Tree Lavender Lemon Tree Lime Basil Lime Tree Mandarin Orange Tree Mexican Marjoram Onions Oregano Parsley Pineapple Mint Rosemary Sage Serrano Peppers Spearmint Sweet Genovese Basil -- One of six basil plants and four different varieties that we have. Thyme -- I may have sucked this one dry. Probably my favorite herb behind basil. Tomato Plants -- Beefsteak, Roma, and Sweet 100 Random shots of the backyard Please excuse any mistakes in the names. I'm definitely not much of an expert when it comes to gardening. These are, of course, just the food-related plants. There are plenty of other kinds of plants spread throughout our front and back yard, which I know even less about. But hey, at least there's always room for learning. I imagine over the years I've probably soaked up more gardening wisdom that I realize. Some plants are not pictured. Hey, nobody's perfect. Some omissions that come to mind are poblano peppers and agave. My dad keeps insisting that we use all that agave to produce our own tequila. Clearly, the man loves his margaritas (which is a very Tex-Mex/San Antonio drink, by the way) . Tomorrow, I'll update with the pictures from tonight's dinner. Tonight we had Mexican. And after spending some time in the garden this evening before dinner, we didn't have to stray too far to find ingredients for that dinner. Stay tuned...

Thanks for the kind comments. Trust me, I've got a looong way to go when it comes to pastry/sweets. I'm very good at eating them. But making them, eh, not so much. I've been wanting to get some garden shots but just haven't had the time yet. I will make sure to take care of that before the blog is over, though. As for the family pics, I can't make any promises, but I'll definitely try. I haven't asked each of them how'd they feel about that. Personally, I'm fine with it, but I'll see what they think about it. Now that sounds like fun, both the NYC eGullet young guns extravaganza and the tag team blog. I like the way you think. Thanks for the advice, and the offer to PM for more. I'll definitely take you up on that. I've heard good things (and seen some nice pictures) about Manresa, too. Much like NYC, it seems the Bay Area has a ridiculous number of good options. So many restaurants, so little time!