tupac17616

Thank you very much. I am very much an amateur in the kitchen, though. Just a young guy who loves to eat, and loves to cook, so I'm always trying to expand my repertoire in the kitchen. But I (along with many other eGullet-ers, I'm sure) am always in awe of the stuff you post on this dinner thread. The stuff you make always looks so tasty. If everyone cooked and ate the way you do, I have a feeling the whole world would be a very happy place

Wish I had taken pictures of the feast my mother and I made for my father's birthday dinner last night, but we were all starving by the time all the food was ready, so no time for pictures Anyway, here is what we had, in no particular order: Butternut Squash Flan with Parmesan Sage Sauce Bacon-wrapped Shrimp stuffed with Jalapeno and Cheese Mixed Green Salad with Grape Tomatoes, Dried Apricots, Crushed Walnuts, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing Bacon-wrapped Dates with Honey, Brown Sugar, and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Maytag Blue Cheese Butter Salt-crusted Baked Potatoes Steamed Asparagus with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest Sauteed Cremini Mushrooms with Butter Nice, crusty loaf of Country French Bread and Garlic Parmesan Croutons Oven-Roasted Figs with Mascarpone Cheese, Honey, and Toasted Pine Nuts Italian Coconut Cream Cake Mexican Chocolate with Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream Lots of time was spent in the kitchen and at the grill, preparing this feast for my father, and a great time was had by all. I am still full today. Ahhh, what a meal

Ah, one of the quintessential Columbia staples. Not the best pizza slice in the world, but that huge slice is always hot, always filling, always just seems to hit the spot. I definitely agree Koronets falls in the comfort/nostalgia category for current students, like myself, and probably countless alumni as well. Beautiful response

And the great thing about this talk about Totonno's is the fact that so many people can argue so passionately about so many pizzerias being the best among the best. That eternal dispute is a true testament to the greatness of NYC pizza. And that is just one of the reasons I love living (and eating pizza) here in this great city

By underrated, I don't mean that Totonno's is ever slammed, necessarily (although I have seen many complaints, on chowhound, for example, about limp crust, bland cheese, soggy toppings, etc). I just mean that I find their pies to be consistently wonderful, but it seems to me like Totonno's is not mentioned enough in discussion of the upper echelon of NYC pizza. Seems like Lombardi's, Patsy's, Grimaldi's, and John's on Bleecker get comparitively way too much hype. So basically, I am arguing that Totonno's is underrated when compared to the other notable NYC pizza institutions.

Over-rated: Lombardi's Ciao Bella Artisanal Gonzo Blue Smoke Under-rated: Lupa Crispo Union Square Cafe Via Emilia Totonno Flor de Mayo Di Fara (yes, there are still some doubters out there)

I finally got a chance to try the custard on Sunday afternoon. It was such a nice day out, I decided to read in the park for a while (and of course I had to try the custard, since I just happened to be in the park ). I had the vanilla single dip cone. I was very impressed. I loved the texture. It was the first time I had tried frozen custard, but now it definitely won't be the last. I need to go back soon (and next time...vanilla with rainbow sprinkles...my all-time favorite ).

Awesome. Thanks a lot

I've got a question for all you Greenmarker-loving eGullet-ers...... What is the most tart apple I can buy, and which greenmarket might I be able to buy them at? (For example, I love granny smith apples, but I imagine there has to be several otherr varieties of apple with a similarly tart flavor)

Mmm...gorgonzola ice cream...sounds yummy. Be sure to report back after your experiment is complete

Heh heh. Me too. It's a great moment, knowing they will soon be out of the water, and into my stomach.

Wow, that was fast. Thanks for the quick reply. I had no idea there was another greenmarket so close. I don't have Friday classes, so I'll have to take a walk down to 97th street and check that one out. I picked up the apples just the week before last week, actually, on the 2nd. I can't remember exactly what variety they were, although I do tend to prefer more tart-tasting apples rather than sweet, so it was probably something with that kind of description. The apples were not bad. Far from it. They just didn't taste that much better than the apples from the dreaded Morton-Williams supermarket across the street. I will definitely give the apples from the greenmarket another shot, though. Who knows, perhaps it was just the type of apples I chose. BTW, thanks for the kind wish for luck this semester. I appreciate it

Bloviatrix, how good does the produce/cheese/meat from the Columbia greenmarket tend to be? I actually go to Columbia, and walk by every week, occasionally just buying a cookie or some bread or something. Once I bought some apples, but they were nothing special. Almost bought some lamb sausage last week, but was in need of a pan to cook it in :) I am just curious what you might have bought there in the past, and how it all turned out. Now that I am a sophomore, no more stupid meal plan, and it's time for me to get down to some cooking

If it were me, I would make gnocchi (and lots of gnocchi) ASAP

For me, I just throw throw together some Mascarpone and some fresh strawberries, and call it a day. Very very simple flavor combo, but very tasty in my opinion.

My #1 suggestion in San Antonio is always Liberty Bar. It is a small, cozy place with cool atmosphere, great food, and great prices. I've taken several out-of-towners there, and they all seemed to like it. You should give it a search online, check out the info about it, and see if you like it. It has become one of my favorite places in San Antonio. Hope this helps.

I have only used coconut milk one time, just a few weeks ago, in fact. I made a Jasmine Rice Pudding which called for two cans of coconut milk. Very simple recipe. I served the results up in partially hollowed out fresh coconut shells. Every last bit of the pudding was promptly disposed of by my family and I.

Well, seems like this thread is hanging on, well, by a thread , but I will update what's been going on recently. Gave a few more places a try. A few weeks ago I tried Ristorante Grissini over on Fredericksberg Road. Never have I received such unbelievably rude treatment when being greeted upon entering a restaurant. The hostess (who I found out later was the MANAGER of the place) greeted us with a stone cold stare, no "Hi", no "Hello", no "Party of four?", no nothing. Just a stare. Then she proceeded to hand my sister and her boyfriend a menu, saying "Take a look at this. We don't serve spaghetti and meatballs here." Unbelievable. We should've just got up and left at that point, after the extremely condescending greeting, but I really wanted to try the place, so we stayed. The bad part is, all of the dishes we had were very good. I had a pasta dish with turkey, broccoli, and a gorgonzola sauce, while my dinner companions had two spicy penne dishes and a pasta dish with meat and mushroom ragu. We also shared beef carpaccio for appetizer, and capped off the meal with strrawberries with mascarpone and profiteroles for dessert. We all loved the food, but the service really left us with a bad taste for the restaurant. At this point, I really don't know if we will be returning there again anytime soon. Also, I gave Naples Pizza a try. Located on Huebner Road near Northwest Military, this little place has pizza, pasta, some chicken dishes, salads, etc, the works. All we tried was the pizza, but everyone liked it a lot. Being a huge huge fan of NYC-style pizza, this place was really awesome in my opinion. And I definitely have a new favorite pizza place while I am here in San Antonio. Anyway, that is all I have for now. The next place I have my radar set on is Lorenzo's, which is also on Fredericksburg Road, near Medical Drive I believe. Once I try the place, I will give the full report here. As always, any and all Italian food recommendations for San Antonio or the San Antonio area would be greatly appreciated. So, please people, gimme all ya got I am all ears.

I have found another good San Antonio pizza spot. I gave Big Lou's Pizza, on South W W White road, a try twice now....excellent chewy crust, nicely fold-able, just the way I like it. Not overly greasy. I thought it was very good overall. I would recommend it to any eGullet-ers looking for a good pizza here in SA.

Definitely sounds like I need to give Florio's Pizzeria a try

My family and I actually tried Ciao Lavanderia a few weeks ago, and we left with mixed reviews of the food. The prices were all very good as you mentioned. I remember I had the lobster risotto special which was pretty good, but the tuna tartare appetizer we all shared was fairly flavorless in my opinion. The rest of my family thought it was good, but not great. I might go back there and give them another chance eventually, but I don't know if I can say the same for my family. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Keep em coming!

Sure, here's a quick run-down: Little Italy: I have been to this place many times, yet I always find myself going back for more. I absolutely love their pizza, and it is the best pizza I have tried in this city (although there are many many other places I need to try). The atmosphere is very casual. Some of the waiters have been around about as long as the restaurant itself (20+ years), and it really has a nice family-owned feel to it, which I enjoy. I have gotten something different each time I have been, and have usually been impressed. Here are some things I remember being particularly good, in no specific order: chicken parmesan, seafood soup (cioppino), spaghetti pomodoro, gnocchi, fritto misto appetizer, charcoal chicken with lemon butter mushroom sauce, cheese ravioli....the list goes on and on But as you can see, it is basically your "typical" Italian kind of place. Good old fashioned food at prices that won't break the bank. Aldo's: I have only had the pleasure of going to this restaurant once, a few months ago, but I will undoubtedly be back soon. My family and I decided to try it one night, so we walked in, and were promptly seated (in a private room, no less! Lucky us!!). The service was top-notch, as was the food. It is a bit pricier than your typical San Antonio Italian restaurant, but it was well worth it. Now onto the food: The meal starts off with some excellent crusty bread with some great olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. I think sometimes the simplest things like that can be the best way to begin a meal. After having plenty of bread, we ordered fried calamari appetizer with a spicy marinara. They were perfectly light and crispy and very flavorful. We had a second appetizer that I remember everyone liked, but for some reason, I can’t remember exactly what it was. For my main course I had a wonderful marinated grilled quail dish served over wild mushrooms, and polenta with a tomato saffron sauce. Nice flavor, especially with the polenta and mushrooms. Yum. Perfect combination. My mom and sister both got shrimp scampi served over pasta with a cream sauce. They were both quite satisfied. My dad got a pasta dish with shrimp and vegetables, which was also good. My brother got chicken piccata with mushrooms and artichoke hearts, a dish that was good, but not great. All the portions were quite substantial, and we were all completely stuffed after that food, so we didn’t even consider dessert. So I am not sure what kind of dessert they may have. But after a nice meal like that, dessert is an afterthought in my opinion. Overall, good food, good service, can’t wait to go back. Sorry for the long descriptions…..I tend to ramble when talking about food I like

I am on a search to find the best Italian food in San Antonio. I am looking for any and all suggestions, from tiny hole-in-the-wall red sauce joints and pizzerias to the the fanciest three- or four-star restaurants. My current favorites in San Antonio are Little Italy and Aldo's. Can anybody help me out with some other great Italian food recommendations for San Antonio? Any and all help is appreciated.