Chris Amirault

I'm not joking about those hot dogs. They are remarkable things, as are all of the condiments. Trust me on this one. You can get better, cheaper corn husks for tamales, spices, chiles, and a lot more there than around here.

Tuscon down to Bisbee for sure. Sedona is topographically astonishing (as is much of northern AZ), but I can't speak to the gustatory pleasures there. However, as a New Englander used to mediocre "Mexican" food, I can tell you that nearly any place you find in southern AZ has remarkable food, far better than anything around here. Grocery stores themselves are astonishing, particularly if you like Mexican food and bring an extra suitcase; there are chiles, other ingredients, equipment, and fresh masa everywhere. Finally, you must, must, must eat a few Sonoran hot dogs at El Guero Canelo in South Tucson. As I report here, they are the finest hot dogs on earth.

Then go to the Clam Box, bring something to read in line, and get the clams. (And thanks!)

You can? What brand? I've never seen it at our WFs.

John made a mistake. He meant to write, "If you like food, life, and all that is sublime in the world, you must go to the Petras stall at the rear of the Boqueria near Pazzta 920." Bring a stack of cash, patience, and no plans for dinner save these.

I've found that the rendered trim from a whole duck gives nearly enough fat to confit the legs on that duck. I came up with this method as a way to get the most out of each bird, and it works like a charm -- that is, if you don't mind sacrificing the cracklin's.

If you're thinking of a special occasion, one vote here for slicing a good loaf of white bread thickly, pressing a biscuit cutter into it to create a disk, and frying it in duck fat. A crappy photo of the (duck) ham and eggs finale at Christmas last year: If you're good and you die, God serves you this for brunch.

Reading the comments above about Mutsus I thought I'd toss in this observation: picked right off a tree, this apple is one floral, fruity, crisp bit of heaven. Beats me how they are after a few weeks of sitting around, but if you can find them fresh, grab them.

Hey Kev, welcome to eG Forums! From what cuisines do these dishes hail?

What are you looking for exactly? Type of food? Price range? I'm a big fan of the Clam Box in Ipswich, one of the clam shacks all over Cape Ann.

Does Westport count? I've always liked the Back Eddy but haven't been there in years.

The disaster that is Temple continues. What in the world is going on over there?

Everyone in the markets understands Catalan, Castillian, and Castalglish. In some situations, however, trying to use the latter two gets you a furrowed brow. For the most part, expressing appreciation in any language is received well, with the possible exception of the Boqueria produce stall operators, who truthfully must tire of annoying tourists like me.

I toasted the pine nuts pretty well, so the maintained a firm toothiness. Them's oily buggers, so I don't think that the liquids soften them up too much. Rice was uncooked -- in fact, I can't see how you'd make them with the rice cooked. Doesn't it just break down into a soggy mess? I didn't take pictures because juggling the stuffing and the remote control left no extra hands. They're also ugly. But since you asked, I just had a bit of my dinner early:

We rented an apartment as well, bringing a good sauté pan, two knives, a collection of basic spices, S&P, and an apron. We bought olive oil immediately and then shopped at the markets most days for dinner. It was a smashing success (save for one shrimp). I wrote a bit about it here.

Made a quasi-Syrian lamb version using a Paula Wolfert recipe as a base: 1 lb minced lamb with 1 c rice, a minced sauteed onion, olive oil, some toasted pine nuts, S&P, allspice, cayenne (smidge), and cinnamon. Braised for a long time (about 90 minutes) in a tomato/pomegranate molasses bath. They were great, though I could have upped the spices in the filling and added some to the tomato sauce. What sort of rice are people using? I used Nishiki medium grain, but wondered about using short grain sweet (sticky) rice. ETA: I resisted the urge to truss, btw. No, uh, need, as it turns out. Right-o.

A quick spin through the eGCI course on braising will make the case for low heat and lengthy braises in general. Since you can control the heat more effectively in a low oven, I think it's preferable for all such braises. How does a brasato differ from a daube? Besides, you know, the $140 bottle of barolo?

Of course it's not the same, but for most home cooks without high-powered equipment, a smoking hot cast iron skillet with a big knob of lard is a pretty damned good option, and a lot better than sticking the meat under a weak gas broiler for many.

When we were there a year ago, we went to a lot of food shops, notes on which you can find here. Origens 99.9% is worth a visit, if only to get one of their magazine-length menu things. Food is hit and miss.

Sounds like you're volunteering yourself, pardner.

I've gotten quite a bit of Niman Ranch through Whole Foods special orders, but I've never gotten anything from Heritage. What have you gotten to compare? I will say that NR tends to breed remarkably well flavored and marbled pork. In a perfect world, I'd always pony up the $4/lb for butts and bellies instead of having to settle for the much cheaper meat from my local carnicaria.

I'm usually a word person, but when it comes to cooking, I've found that a few images have really planted themselves in my brain, such that I carry them with me and use them on a regular basis in the kitchen. Some cases in point: In The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp, there's an image of a knotty piece of ginger that is squared off with dotted lines to form a perfect rectangular solid. Every time I need to julienne, mince, or chop ginger, I think of that little line drawing and proceed to make remarkably uniform bits of the root. Somewhere in the Jacques Pepin oeuvre there's a photograph of his knuckles bracing a chef's knife and protecting his fingertips. When I first learned knife skills, that image alone towered over lots of wordy explanations that simply didn't add up. Do you have any images like this? What are they?

Clean being a relative concept here, of course. A long time is right, paricularly if you're talking about a cajun sausage you want to flavor something like gumbo instead of being main protein sliced up next to some starch. Which Garde Manger? CIA's?

Dude, I'm still recovering from the clam strips app!

I couldn't find it and ordered it from Butcher & Packer. But boy if you do, that'd be great!