HungryChris

Sad word is that this fine CT institution known for it's steamed burgers and wonderful breakfasts succumbed to a devastating fire last night. Let's hope O'Rourke's Diner will rise again. HC

Kevin, Deb and I will be returning to TN this fall. We would both like to know what your idea of the best TN BBQ is and where it could be had. Any details would, of course, be appreciated. Cheers, HC

Howdy, Duck, My guess is that you chose jars that were too big. I did some meyer lemons a few months ago and I had to choose a jar that had the lemons well submerged in the juice. They came out quite well and I can't believe the same rules don't apply here. Cheers, HC

Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. It has been for some time. When I go to someplace new, I go in the hope that my world of cooking will expand, usually, much to the chagrin of my favorite dining partner, Deb. Unless we are at a favorite spot that we have returned to for a favorite dish, I will order stuff that is new to me, in the hope that if it is great, I can strive to create it at home. That is one of my favorite tasks, plain and simple. In that light, I really can't imagine how my world would look if I did not like to cook. For that reason, I can't really relate to those that don't, except for Deb, but she knows that if she liked it, I'll try and make it for her. As far as food snob goes, hey, I don't want special treatment, I just want to be treated well and don't think that is too much to ask. If you have gone into the business of selling food, you must think you can do it well and I hope you are right. If you are not, I will not come back. Call me a food snob if you wish, I don't care. In case you wondered, the value of my knives or my car has absolutely no bearing on this issue to me. Cheers, HC

Chris, Could you comment on the state of bridge repair in the area. I was under the impression that heading up there was asking for trouble this season. I love the iced tea at Woodmans, but don't like the way they push french fries and onion rings at you. I was also there when a sign hung out by the menu stating " the clams are running large today." Boy, they were not kidding! Cheers, HC

I occaisionally drive more than a hundred miles, round trip to shop at Whole Foods because they have a great variety of items that just are not available to me in my rural area. I have bought soft shell crabs there (Providence, RI and Framingham, MA) on quite a few occaisions. Once any plant or animal has been ripped from it's normal environment, it has got to be stressful on that particular item, but what is WF suggesting here? Should the lobsters be shipped in tank trucks filled with water from the lagoon from which they were trapped and that recorded sounds from that area be played through hydrophones to keep them comfortable? Maybe when we spend all that money on them we should have the option to have them returned to the point of capture because we changed our minds. My guess is that those two items (lobsters and softshell crabs) are just so perishable that they are taking to the high ground to justify getting rid of the headache of stocking them. We, here at Supermarket X, will no longer sell Raid products because our research has indicated that it is stressful to ants. Cheers, HC

In tomato season I like to make a chopped tomato and basil salad with a fresh vinigrette, place it in the skin-on, halved avocado well. Take a bit of the avocado with each spoonful and add more dressing as needed. I think I like this best with the big Florida ones because they are bigger and last longer. In the winter I'll do the same with chopped hearts of palm instead of tomato. I can't say for sure, but am willing to bet this is at it's best when you are alive. Cheers, HC edited for speling.

I have an older brother who left the area for big cities as soon as he could. This spelled out a fundimental difference between us. To my mind, cities are ment to be visited, not lived in. Anyway, every time he returns to this area there are three things he always seeks out and always in the same order: Grinders, Fried Clams and Steamers. I think that is very telling. I should also point out that I seek out the same items on a regulay basis and have never left. Cheers, HC

JD, Whatever it takes, but you and I both know it will happen at some point, because it should. I remember eating Alaskin King Crab that we bought at the A&P for 69 cents a pound. There just was no demand for the stuff. A lot has changed since then and now I feel guilty for paying $8 / lb for King Crab since becoming addicted to Deadliest Catch. Fresh Maine shrimp will become a much sought after product, it's only a matter of time. The question is, how much time. Cheers, HC

I'm thinking that maybe the places that sell them should drop the prices just to get the volume and awareness up. That should get more folks interested in buying them as well as getting the turnover up to the point that fresh product is a given. Let consumer demand dictate the price after public awareness is established, but selling them at $5.99 / lb before demand is established is just a poorly conceived market practice, in my opinion. This is a great product with tremendous potential that has just been handled badly, period! Cheers, HC

Unfortunately it's just a fact of life. The longer a fish is swiming around, the greater the chances of picking up parasitic worms. It's one of the reasons that I don't like eating pieces of really large fish. Striped bass, unless they are farm raised, have to be so big to be legal that they have just been around too long to suite me. They have also been picking up pcb's for a much longer time as well. You just have to look carefully at what you are buying and be aware. Cheers, HC

We were there (University Heights) this last w/e and I noticed the same display case. I could swear it wasn't there last time. That has got to be the closest place to me so far. HC

As a former manager, meat cutter, cook, line cook, bar tender, service bar tender and waiter, I recognize the pressures involved with running a place. I always like to see people who excell in their food server tasks and understand how difficult it is to keep only those good folks in the field and weed out the rest. It is just a tough thing to do and it wears you down. I usually tip 20% unless there was a problem because I recognize that keeping good people in that business is a challenge on a number of levels. If, however, I get bad service that percentage goes down quickly because I do not want to perpetuate a bad thing. Cheers, HC

When Megan mentioned beef cheek it reminded me that I had recently made a beef stew using beef cheek meat and discovered that it makes an intoxicatingly good rich broth that would make a great soup, perhaps beef cheek and onion. Cheers, HC

I have 'wet aged' whole strips a few times in the past with good result and I think it is only a matter of time before I do the dry age as well. From what I have read there is a little more risk when dry aging and that has kept me from trying up until now. I think if I put the whole strip on a rack in a sheet pan and wrap the strip in a clean cotton towel that I change daily, I should do OK. I think selecting a strip with good solid fat covering is also a good idea. It might make a fun project to document here as well. Hmmmmm Cheers, HC

My feelings about OG are as follows: The salad you get in the average restaurant in the US is nothing more than a check in the box, 'Yeah, we have that.' I happen to like a salad that was not put together days ago and served in spite of a few brown leaves or wilted gooey members. (When I make a salad at home I wash it carefully inspecting the rinse water each time. I like to eat it without wearing my glasses, secure in the knowledge that all surprises have been removed.) I look at the OG as a place to get reliable salad and soup, nothing more and I will turn to it in a strange town knowing that I can depend on that part of the operation. In past years I have had angel hair pasta dishes delivered with the tips of the pasta dried out by the heat lamps and just stopped looking to the place for anything more than soup and salad. As far as going to the OG in Manhattan, I can't EVER see that happening! We try to get to Manhattan once a month, but always have a special place or two in mind and half the fun is doing the research days in advance. OG has it's place, but we are not family! Cheers, HC

The only place we have been able to find dry aged prime beef (the NY Strip in particular) has been at Whole Foods in West Hartford. I am interested to know where else it is available. We have seen it in the Providence WF during holiday season and struck out today at the Framingham store. They said they didn't have the room. I have considered dry aging it myself, but that creeps Deb out so I'll have to work into that. Getting it mail order is like buying property by the time you pay shipping and then you eat it and it's gone. Thanks and cheers, HC

I too wanted to try TimH's New Orleans barbeque shrimp, and took a trip to the new West Hartford Whole Foods today. They had them but they just didn't have the compelling bright color that I like to see so I had to pass. I hope they work out the processing plant and supply problems because Maine shrimp is a product with great promise for the fishermen and local consumer alike, IMHO. Cheers, HC Edited to change from East to West Hartford, oops!

Ah, yes the Appys $8.99 twin lobster special. Those were the days!

OK, I have to bring up Trader Joe's Salt and Vinegar chips here. I recently heard about them on NPR. I tried them and make the 80 mile trip (one way) to TJ's in Framingham much more frequently now. Before that I was a one bag of chips a year guy. Jeeesh! Cheers, HC

The FOOD SCHMOOZE WNPR with Faith Middleton is the only one I listen to on a regular basis. Cheers, HC

I am a fan of the Blue Point oyster. I had some recently at Aquagrill in NYC and even more recently at Cedars in Foxwoods Casino. Both places shucked and presented them perfectly. I often have to free the oyster from the bottom shell, which is a pet peeve of mine. I like the brininess and plump texture of a fairly good sized Blue Point. Cedars serves half lemons in a little yellow fabric net that catches the seeds, a nice touch. Both places served them on ice which is a must, though I will admit that the majority of oysters I have eaten have been consumed while standing at the kitchen sink, knife in hand. I like a squeeze of lemon on each and a dab of cocktail sauce on every few. Cheers, HC

I purchased a stainless Kenmore Elite dishwasher just about a year ago. I chose it based on Consumer's Guide. I am pretty happy with it. It is very quiet, but has quite a long cycle time. One of the things I like about it is that most of the controls are hidden on the top of the door so you don't see them when it is closed. It also has an area called a Turbo Zone for power washing pots and pans. I am quite happy with that and use it all the time. The Whirlpool I had for 19 years was supposed to be quiet, but just wasn't and had started to leak. I think I was happier with the rack arrangement of the older dishwasher, but maybe that is because I had such a long time getting used to it. Cheers, HC

Daniel, Before opting for new tables and the like, I think I would take a walk through some of those restaurant supply places down on Bowery. Most of them have used stuff and you would get plenty of ideas from the new items as well. Simple items like a sizzle platters would make food prep more practical and you won't find them at IKEA or Target. The whole idea is quite interesting and should you pull it off or even attempt to, will make for volumes of interesting reading even though putting the details out on the Web might not be in your best interest. Best of luck in this intriguing endeavor. Cheers, HC

In the interest of throwing a bit of rue into the plot here.....I have become a habitual customer of the West Greenwich F. D. (RI) twice a year chowder and clam cake fun raiser. On the weekends on or about Memorial Day and Veterans Day I manage to make my way there and buy several quarts of chowder (take out only). Now this chowder appears red when you remove the cover and look down into it, but the red color is entirely on the surface and seems to be contained in the salt pork 'oil slick' on the surface. As you spoon through the chowder it is more of a clear broth type. I am pretty sure the color comes mainly from paprika, but some folks would call this a red chowder and some would not. I just call it good. Cheers, HC