HungryChris

Wow! The Berkshire pork trio and a nice glass of chianti is going to haunt my thoughts all day. Great photos! Thanks Jason, HC

For about a year I'd have to pick Deb up at TF Green every Friday afternoon as she returned from Washington and we would often drive into Providence to Whole Foods (University Heights). I got in the habit of making the rounds through the store to see what the give away samples were and then another round to see which had been refreshed. Quite often I would avail myself of these samples to take the edge off my hunger in the interest of shopping more responsibly (at least that is what I told myself at the time). Cheers, HC

I think it is the Publick House. We will be heading up there for the Brimfield Flea Market next Fri ( weather permitting) and I hope to post some pics of the show and our on-sight tailgate lunch. I am still working on the menu. Cheers, HC

I was once one of those who was not fond of Bluefish because folks would give my dad a fresh one and it would stay wrapped in aluminium foil in the freezer for months. When my mom did get to cook it it was .....well.... cooked bait is all that comes to mind. I caught one myself in Stonington Harbor (CT) one April night and was so hungry by the time I got home, it ended up under the broiler. I was just plain blown away with how good it tasted and I got my mind right after that! As I recall, the cheeks are harvested with a sharp paring knife. Use your index finger to locate the cheek muscle under the eye and cut in a circular pattern around the muscle about three quarters of the way around. Then the whole muscle is removed from the cheek of the fish and peeled from the skin that was covering it (this makes kind of a tearing paper sound). What you end up with is a kind of conical sea scollop looking piece of flesh which when dregded in seasoned flour and deep fried until it floats will change your life! Cheers, HC

OK, Here is my 2 cents. There is a little place on a dead end side street off Hanover called Ida's. Great veal (that is all Iv'e had there), great atmosphere ( like you were in a family's home). That is where I would go. Cheers, HC

johnnyd, I hope you do get a chance to try them, cause they are killer and with a properly developed market, I think could easily command over $10 a pound. There are folks like myself that would gladly pay that now for a dependable, good quality supply. Cheers, HC

Seahorse restaurant in Noank, CT used to have a Bluefish cheek dinner that was just great, but AFAIK they no longer do. I worked one summer at the fish market that supplied the cheeks to the seahorse so I got to see how they are removed. Because it takes 5 or 6 good sized fish to amount to more than an appitizer what you really need is a place that processes a lot of them. Most fish markets in this area simply don't sell that much. I get them on a hit or miss basis from friends who do a lot of fishing and at annual bluefish nights at the Elks, but even then it's a secret handshake to get into the kitchen thing. Wish I could be more help. Cheers, HC

There is a box in the lobby where I work that is for donations for a local charity kitchen and they will occaisionaly post a list of items they would like to have. They will often put together packages of easily prepared items and necessities to send off with some of their clients. On one occasion they asked for mac and cheese kits. Deb and I were shopping and noticed that they were on sale so we bought quite a few. While we were in line I noticed quite a few folks were eyeing the contents of the cart and just as we put the mac and cheese kits on the belt, my ex neighbor tapped me on the shoulder to say hi. I made a mental note to wear the Groucho glasses with the built in nose next time. Cheers, HC

Fried Bluefish cheeks! To those of you who have had them, you know how unforgetably good they are. I can't believe Bluefish cheeks haven't become the Kobe Beef of the sea rather than the lobster bait they've been relegated to so far. Cheers, HC

A good fish sandwhich is one of those things that when described in words....well it just doesn't sound that good. When experienced, however, it's another thing all together. The first one I ever had was at a lunch truck outside the gate at Electric Boat in Groton, CT. It had cheese and tarter sauce on it and had been wrapped up hours before, yet, it had enough merit to it to lay the groundwork for more research. One of the problems with an item such as this is the fact that when you are trying a new place out for the first or second time, a fish sandwhich is usually not what you would go for, unless they were famous for it. In other words, by the time I try the fish sandwhich at a place, it's safe to say I've already hit the other menu items pretty hard. Village Pizza in Preston, CT has a pretty darned good rendition of it. Cheers, HC

I like them spread on rye bread with a little mayo. A trick my mother taught me is to cut a bermuda onion in half and scrape a butter knife kind of digging into the cut part of the onion so that the onion juice lands on the sandwich just before it is closed up and eaten. They are also good with chopped onion on a saltine. Cheers, HC

I am surprised that the inevitable controversy between the 'hot' lobster roll and the 'cold' lobster roll, the former being a hot, butter based and the latter being a cold, mayo based has not yet sprung up. Some folks insist that the mayo based cannot even be called a lobster roll, but a lobster salad roll. My personal belief is that hot or cold, it must be served on a butter toasted Nissan or Nissan clone NE style roll. The first 'lobster roll' I ever saw was of the cold, mayo type, served on the appropriate butter toasted Nissan roll, so that is what I go with. Having said that, I'm sure it's clear that the roll I posted a picture of on the 'best fried clam' thread was a non-contender in either category, good, but please, rules are rules! Cheers, HC

Inspired by this thread, we took a ride up to Essex, Mass last Saturday. We've been to Woodman's and the Clam Box a few times so we decided to give the Village Restaurant a try. This is not an order at the window kind of place like the aformentioned and there was no line. We tried the appetizers of oysters, fried clams, calamari and intended to split a lobster roll. Two rolls were served and I decided not to protest. The clams were first order. They were the perfect size, had a light and crisp golden coating and were sweet as could be. They did not clump together ( I hate when that happens) and the tarter sauce they were served with was a perfect complement for every other clam or so. I was reminded of how long this winter has been. When asked what the breading was, the server replied "It's corn meal, I think." I think it was corn flour because it was light and formed a thin, flavorful coating. The calamari were also the perfect size and delicious with the same golden coating. They were served with cocktail sauce. The oysters were fresh and shucked with an eye for ease of slurping and glistened with their liquor. The clams were on a small plate and we had some before we took the picture so it is not a true representation of the appetizer size. After a bit of poking around the town for antiques I couldn't resist the urge to do a bit of comparison at the Clam Box (no photos, though). We got there just when the sign said they were changing the oil so we waited for about 20 minutes. The counter guy said they were filtering it which I think is more accurate. Let me preface this by saying that the clams at both places were excellent on Saturday and I would have been happy with either one. The Clam Box version had a bit more substantial breading and the dreaded 'clumping effect' was evident. They were also of the perfect size, but were just slightly more chewey than those at the Village, which in my vote, had a slight edge that day. Cheers, HC

How about a cabinet, and does the name Salty Brine do anything for you?

That thought occurred to me as well, but I wasn't really sure it was just a NE thing. I was never much of a 'user', but those advertisements were ubiquitous (like Bosco) in my more formative years. My parents were of the volition that coffee was just not for kids so the only times I had it was at the homes of my friends with more liberal thinking parents. I did like a good 'coffee milk' at those haunts, though. There was a bird version of Mr. Peanut in the adds, wasn't there?

How about great big bowl of 'steamers' or a 'regular grinder'. Either of those will pretty much bring me home from wherever I am. Cheers, HC

We went to Jing Fong on Saturday for a dim sum lunch. I knew it would be awkward because we didn't really know the protocall, but I figured we had to at least get our feet wet. We were seated and accosted (in a good way) by the 'cart people' even before we settled in. In a flash, we had agreed to a fish soup (pretty good, but not great) and 'Beef Balls' (even less tasty than they sound). About that time we were turning everything else away for fear things would get worse. Communication was a real problem, but not an unexpected one. I noticed that other tables had the necessities, like water and menus, but we did not. We left with the feeling that there was probably good food to be had there, but we just didn't know what it was. Any reccomendations for what is good there? Cheers, HC

My favorite squid preparation, though it's hard to find done well is this: Squid rings and tentacles lightly dusted with seasoned flour and pan fried in hot oil so that it becomes light and crisp, accompanied by a sauce on the side that includes butter that hot pickled peppers have been sauteed in long enough for their flavor to get infused into it. This combination (including the peppers) is just super good! I'm not sure if it's a Rhode Island thing, although the peppers do suggest the large Italian population there had a hand in it. Several years ago I was buying bait for a day of fishing. I was told that there were live squid in several floating boxes at the end of a little dock across the street, handed a little net and a container to collect the 'bait'. Suffice it to say no hooks got wet that that day, my dinner consisted of fried calamari and I couldn't have been happier. Cheers, HC

My version of Shrimp Fra Diavolo would be lost without the stuff. Cheers, HC

I will commonly have a 1 or 2 appitizer meal or will share 3 or 4 appitizers. I am in fact put off by having a groaningly overfilled entree placed in front of me that I know I can't possibly finish. It's not that I am looking for a bargain, but just that I know what I feel like eating. One of us will usually have a cocktail. I don't think there should be a problem with it. I have no problem with splitting an entree and buying the extra salad or paying a fee for the practice either. Cheers, HC

When I buy baby Bok Choy they are about 6 inches tall and about as big around at the base as the 'O' made by forming the 'OK' sign when I put my thumb and pointer finger together. It sounds like they are large compared to others mentioned here. I have tried them in a number of ways but my favorite way is to cut them lengthwise into quarters and cook them quickly in a very hot wok with a bit of minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil and topped on the plate with a dash of balsamic vinegar. The first time I read about this combination I was a bit skeptical, but the first time I tried it, I was hooked. I now include this as a vegetable in lunches I freeze to take to work and they hold up quite well. I have also used them when making Kim Chee with good result. Cheers, HC

If I had to pick a get home late, no time for anything elaborate, quick mostly preprepared dinner it would be a Boca Burger or Gardenburger (I like the Original) done up in a fry pan with a half teaspoon of olive oil and served on tosted slices of French bread with thin slices of raw onion and tomato, a bit of mayo and some hot pepper relish. My other choice would be a half dozen Trader Joe's frozen gyoza (pork or shrimp) tossed into a fry pan with a little olive oil long enough to brown then hit with some white wine and steamed for just a few minutes. I like them with a hastely prepared dipping concoction of light soy, grated ginger, green onions, chopped garlic and a little rice wine vinegar. I usually have these items on hand just for this possibility. These are usually served on paper plates so I can toss them out, put the fry pan and dipping sauce boat in the dishwasher and go to bed with minimal impact on the kitchen. Cheers, HC

We made a trip up to TJ's in Framingham Saturday and that always includes a walk through Whole Food which is just up the street. They had fresh Maine shrimp for $5.99 /lb. I picked up half a pound to try out. I cleaned them first (kind of a pain although the head had already been removed) and sauteed them in a mixture of butter and evoo with a big handful of chopped cilantro and a big clove of garlic, minced. I added a pinch or two of hot pepper flakes and the juice of a fresh lime along with a bit of the zest. I had this over angel hair pasta. It was a clear winner and I can't wait to get some more. I'll be watching for these from now on! Cheers, HC

I used to get the 'vegetarian pocket' with hot peppers. I thought that was one of the best followed closely by the 'original pocket'. My ex would always get the number 9 and loved them. I recently stopped in to a D'Angelo, but the menu was completely foreign to me and the girl behind the counter had no knowledge of my old favorites so I just left. As for Papa Gino's, I'm just not a fan of that type of crust. After going to Frank Pepe's and Modern there is just no turning back. Cheers, HC

After hearing a few people wax nostalgic about those red hot dogs I decided to try them. I simmered them in beer. After about 15 minutes the cooking liquid looked as if someone had slit their wrists in it. I just couldn't get past that. I'm not a fan of red hotdogs. Cheers, HC