Chris Amirault

Well, you kinda sorta can.... I've been thinking of that butt since I saw it...

I read somewhere recently -- if anyone knows the source, I'd be grateful -- that fully half of the total calories consumed daily by US citizens come from soft drinks. If true, that would certainly contribute to both phenomena.

I'm aghast: did no one make burgers this weekend?!?

Sencha, you need to fly to my house right now so that I can make you spaghetti alla carbonara and cure you!!

Always something happening over in the Vancouver forum! I still don't know why y'all haven't gotten your real names in your sigs by now. It'd make things oh-so-much-more interesting in your little city by the sea.... To the matter at hand. foodiegirl, from what I can tell, Lumiere had an off-night, at least at your table -- and the staff were aware of it, hence the wine charge erasure. I'd sure hate to have to be judged to be a sham, publicly no less, based on one of my few but regular fuck-ups, especially if it were used as proof that all of the other times I'd done great work were bunk. And while I ain't in your shoes, I don't know that I'd agree that you had such a bad experience -- or, rather, if it were me, I think that I'd be hopeful instead of pessimistic, or pissed, or whatever you are feeling. While it surely sucks to drop $300 for a less-than-stellar meal, I have to say that I'm very impressed that the staff was so in tune with your experience, so much so that they adjusted your bill. Based on that, and on the pretty damned strong reviews of this place on this forum, I'd want to give them another try, and when I got there, I'd tell the maitre'd about my previous experience, giving them a chance to right past wrongs. From what I've read around here, Chef Feenie seems just the sort to want to give you the experience you sought and deserved. Anyway, my two cents. I'm just slummin' in the Vancouver forum, anyway, so feel free to ignore my buttinski tendencies!

Origamicrane made precisely the point I was about to make concerning regional notions of authenticity in Chinese cooking. Tonight, as it turns out, I'm about to cook three dishes from Grace Young's Breath of a Wok, including a spinach recipe by a home cook in Foshan and two Sichuan dishes (one with Sichuan peppercorns, one with lots of chiles -- thus spicy in the Sichuan manner) that are taught at the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute in Hong Kong. Reading through them, it would be challenging for this home cook of Chinese food to know how to think about regional authenticity for such dishes, for a bunch of probably obvious reasons: is a Foshan home cook making "authentic" Foshan food? how "Hong Kong" are these "Sichuan" recipes? What the hell do these regional designations mean exactly? Meanwhile, more of this discussion has also been happening over on this thread on the entire concept of "authentic" cuisine, fyi.

Not to get too far into landscape design and aesthetic theory, but the garden aesthetic that allows for the penetration of the surrounding environment is, I'm pretty sure, a very British aesthetic -- and one I much prefer to others. Here in the US, the dominant garden aesthetic derives more from French garden design (think Versailles), which has not been about incorporating and accommodating the flora but about excising it to plant geometric plots of things not found in one's backyard. It's more about control of nature, and less about an on-going negotiation of it. Or, to put it differently: I like what you've done with your plants, Jack!

Jack, this is wonderful, and it deepens my appreciation both for you and for the English garden. To that end, can you tell us a bit about how it is that you've developed the garden over the years? I'm particularly interested in the aesthetic decisions you've made concerning your land, plant selection, and the overall aesthetic.

Sencha, you don't like... pasta?!? Oh my goodness. Please do explain!

Ron, I think that part of the challenge is that it's impossible to know what that 17% communicated. I mean, who knows, that might be a big tip for that person. I know that I often believe that the percentage is first and foremost in my server's mind when they see what the tip was, but I think that's likely wrong-headed at least in some cases, and certainly when the tip is in the high teens.... Now if you'd left the price of that Sprite and had pointed out why....

Surely I'm not the only person who grilled burgers this fine evening.... Alas, I have no photos to prove it. However, I do have confirmation that room temperature ground beef is utterly entropic, collapsing shortly after being placed onto a hot grill into shapeless clods of meat. Those two sentences have a reverse causal relationship, btw.

Makes sense. Still and all, I certainly know people who are firm about the need for a firm hand when making burgers. Of course, terrines are regularly ground fine and weighted. Just trying to find even more ways for people to disagree!

Kristin, I was extremely happy with the chuck roast I got from Whole Paycheck last week. (I may be wrong, but I believe that the most recent recommendation for chuck that I've heard came from Alton Brown, who also said that ten pulses in the food processor ground the meat to the perfect texture.) I ground about 3 pounds with about 3/4 of a pound of fat for that 80/20 ratio, using my KitchenAid grinder, and added only some herbs and spices before forming the patties very gently. Which brings us to another major philosophical issue. I'm very big on the gentle patty molding; I can see that Marlene is at the other end of the flesh manipulation range. What say y'all? Do you tenderly tuck the meat together, or do you mash the meat mercilessly??

We love our OXO 10" bread knife, and it's dirt cheap: for example, clickety click.

I have been remiss, and must point our lovely members to Holly Moore's wonderful "Drive-In" Cooking eGCI course. If one were to use butter in the cooking of both patty and bun, and serve the burger with sauteed (in butter) onions and a square of butter on top of the whole thing for good measure, you'd have yourself there one homage to the legendary Kopp's of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Of course, the Dairy State is also home to the "Butter Cow" sculpture, found each year in the cream puff pavilion of the state fair, but that's another story.) edited to clarify where the heck the Butter Cow sclupture is -- ca

Lucky Garden questions: Right: you order off a menu, plus there are specials, plus whatever vegetables are fresh. Not loud at all, but, yes, standard ambiance. Having said that, the waitstaff are wonderful and will make you feel at home. Be sure to ask for the Hong Kong menu when you walk in, say that you don't want bread, and ask for the vegetable specials. We don't order much deep-fried stuff, usually, and I'm not really sure what you mean. But as someone who eats dim sum where- and whenever I can, I can tell you that Lucky Garden is one of the two or three best places I've ever eaten at, much better than anything I've had in Boston or even NYC (heresy, I know). Only in London have we had better dim sum. We consider ourselves absolutely fortunate to have these fine folks running this amazing place in our little state. Report back!!

Click here for Busboy's Athens thread. It is, indeed, most excellent -- Homeric, even, in its appreciation for Grecian oysters.

I'm so glad that we're already debating the finer points of meat composition. I just ground some chuck in an 80/20 mixture with extra beef fat. Those babies were astonishingly good. Still got some in the freezer. In the spirit of helping those miserable souls who are seeking burgers sans flesh, I suggest flipping to page 20 of the current Cook's Illustrated (July/August) for their take on "veggie burgers." Seems like a lot of work to avoid flavor, but what do I know.... Meanwhile, Marlene, what the hell is a peanut butter burger?!? I have a peanut addict in the house; this will sound like grilled crack to her. Are you trying to disrupt my marital bliss?

Nice job, Janet! As I was reading your article, I was thinking, "I really ought to get out that Henderson bone marrow recipe...." Thrilled, then, was I to read of your own experiences! It made me wonder: what particular recipes might you, dear members, turn to should you decide to go back to the books?

Reminds me of my first experience with the waiter's friend and a lousy merlot: sliced and removed the foil, inserted the screw, latched the pivot arm, and pulled and pulled and pulled and needed leverage and placed the bottle on the edge of the four-top table and pulled and pulled and ... ... opened the bottle very, very suddenly.

Philosophical question to ponder: what is the difference between the loaf, the patty, and the ball? Shape? Size? Nomenclature??

No limits, man.... Bring on those Neapolitan wonders!

While I'm a fan of picking one and championing it, preferably using sophistry and conniving as if they are rational, I'd be very happy to hear from those whose hearts are torn asunder if forced to choose between chopped meats.

Folks, I hope that you'll join us over at the new cook-off, the burger vs. meatloaf battle!

Next cook-off: X: the burger vs. meatloaf thread.