Special K

Rosemary ice cream, topped with a reduced Balsamic vinegar syrup, is divine!

According to good old Wikipedia: "Crystalized invert sugar solutions may be restored to their liquid state by gently heating."

So, use a bigger pan, swirl the egg around (or pull a bit of the cooked egg back with a spatula and let the wet egg run under it onto the pan). Add your fillings (not too much) to one side while the egg mixture is still wet and fold onto your plate. And for goodness sake, top it with some Frank's Hot Sauce! K

Apparently no wall is even necessary!

Hi Alan, Be sure you go to the Ferry Building Market, at the foot of Market Street along the Embarcadero (www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com). On Tuesdays and Saturdays there's a farmer's market, but if you can't go then, there's plenty to see (and buy!) inside on the other days. Have a great trip! K

OK, then, it's not just me. I do like the idea of the mint on the headrest, though! Thanks, everyone. K

So my husband and I and another couple who were also celebrating their anniversary (our 36th and their 23rd ) went to Daniel's Broiler-Leschi last night and had a wonderful time. Great food, great service, great free show - all the boaters, a very good, free "celebration cake," the works. We'd used the valet parking. As we were leaving, our server said, "I've put your take-home boxes in your car; have a nice evening!" This was . . . nice, but for some reason feels kind of creepy. Is this something new I just don't know about? (We really don't get out much! ) Thanks. K

Oh. Good point. I think you just saved me a hundred bucks!

"I doubt I'll be able to talk anyone into storing my remains in it, although I certainly think that would be appropriate. It would just look strange on a mantel, you know?" I've seen stranger requests - I have a friend who seriously wants her ashes to be kept in a shoebox high on a shelf in the shoe department at Nordstrom's. If we can't talk them into that, then we're to walk through the store sprinkling them around the place (holes in the pockets, a la The Great Escape). And I happen to like the old Cuisinart Automatic Grind 'n Brew coffeemaker. They wear out after about a year, so I keep one or two backups - they started out at $200; the last one I bought for about $45, I think. I don't keep the old ones for sentimental value, but I do keep an extra carafe. I'd advise keeping your old friend - perhaps turning it into a fishbowl -- but disable the motor so nothing terrible happens!!!

Bresse chicken.

. . . never forgetting that this means you will, presumably, be traveling by car, on Michelin tires!!

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking for Amis' out of print "On Drink" for a while, and I'm very happy to see the Amazon blurb for "Everyday Drinking; the Distilled Kingsley Amis" here (it's a compilation of "On Drink," "Everyday Drinking" and "How's Your Glass"). Sweet! As to the question of whether the waiter should pour the wine without asking if the patron wants a refill, I say no, of course not. If the waiter is there to either move the customers on out or at least to get them to order another bottle to justify their keeping the table, waiting for a lull in the conversation and then asking the host, if it's obvious who is host, or each individual diner, if necessary, would accomplish the same thing.

Oh, my goodness, Vinotas! That is one gorgeous kitchen! I love that glass backsplash - and everything else, too. Such a beautiful space. It's so nice that you're so happy. I know just what you mean about standing and staring - I'd be doing that too! K

I've always wanted to write about book about the wine industry . . . maybe a mystery. So far I've only got the title: "The Serious Smile." ETA Oops, meant as a reply to Viva.

I put together a French dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, garlic paste, Frank's Hot Sauce, horseradish, cayenne, paprika, and S & P) and marinate a nice thick salmon filet in that while I put together a salad. I preheat a cast iron pan in a smokin' hot oven, lay the salmon skin side down and roast until it's just done. I usually add some crumbled blue cheese to the dressing for the salad. Big favorite around here.

We used to have a beloved babysitter who always brought along a bag of Circus Peanuts. Hated them, but loved her. Jawbreakers!

We really can't decide - replace the old dishwasher which might last a year or two more, or replace the oven which I. can't. stand. much. longer. It has only three burners, and they're cast iron, which I've never gotten used to (it's been ten years!). We would love to get both at the same time, but I don't think we'll be able to swing that unless there's a super-duper sale. Actually, I'm really just dreaming. We spent it (before it arrived, of course) on two Abyssinian kittens -- so I guess I can say, kitchen-wise, I'll be using whatever's left to buy cat food! (And before anybody tells me we should just have gone to the animal shelter, I know, I know, you're right. But DH had his heart set on Abys, and he seldom asks for anything, so I jump to get him what I know he REALLY wants.)

Oh, yes, I hate that! Creepy.

Add another vote for Cheese-Its! I rarely buy them, but last week a box "fell" into my cart . . . Fortunately, it turns out my two kittens are also Cheese-Its fans, so technically I did not eat the whole box myself.

Oh, God. Memorable, yes. Paul Bocuse, Lyon. The meal was very elaborate (and free! Business junket; a bunch of biotechhies and their lucky spouses from the US being literally wined and dined by the French govt.). As the, er, most mature woman in the party, I was seated next to our host. Bocuse himself came to the table and chatted with us. Everything should have been perfect. Everything was perfect. Except. I had the worst migraine of my life, and not only could I not eat, I was truly afraid I might really embarrass myself (and possibly cause an international incident) by throwing up. I didn't, but it was close. I knew the migraine was coming on, and the boat ride to the restaurant didn't help . . . but there was no way I was going to stay at the hotel and miss that experience! Longest evening of my life. And not in a good way. I'd give an awful lot for a do-over! I want to cry every time I think about it. That said, the rest of the trip was absolutely fantastic, beginning with the first class flights, on to the winery tour and dinner, and the morning I spent roaming the food market. (And in the end, RPR did buy out the company my husband was representing). I did enjoy all of your stories. Maybe one day I will have another chance. . .

I bought a couple of sturdy bags at the drugstore with a zipper pocket on one side and an open pocket on the other - handy for coupons, sunglasses, paperback book, etc., and I just fit one down inside the other. I shop daily (getting in a nice walk with a purpose) so I rarely need more than these two bags. I find the 99 cent bags the stores sell to be too flimsy (the seams rip right out) and too large. The store clerks do indeed appreciate it if I bag my groceries myself, and that's fine with me.

I had the slipping and sliding problem, too, until I went out and bought some silicone "dots" at the hardware store. Problem solved! I have three of these boards and I love them.

Knife!

See also www.wineintro.com/champagne/widows.html.