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lalala

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Posts posted by lalala

  1. We had the winter luncheon here last week. It was amazing and good value. The restaurant was packed for a Monday. We had two courses and a pudding for 24 GBP. The portions were good sized and we were happy we didn't go for the full meal deal, although the pastas looked great. I have loved my River Cafe Cookbook since my friend brought it back for me 12 years ago. Its not a pretentious place, just straightforward excellent cooking. My puntarelle rivaled anything I had eaten in Rome. Can't wait to go back - maybe this spring.

  2. The GA is pretty much the best thing in town, but its been a few years since I ate in DUT. My TH says Amelias is good for Mexican and milkshakes, but remember this is Alaska, so you can still smoke in bars. She is there every year and also gave her thumbs up for The Grand Aleutian.

    I would also stock up at the grocery store. I believe it will be within walking distance, if not there are cabs a plenty near the bars.

  3. Another data point:

    As academics, my partner's parents would visit France at least once a year. Her father was a big gourmand and her mother was a patient soul. She let him pick and choose where they ate, but she had one request of him -- he could eat only three stars a day.

    Either lunch and dinner or dinner, as long as the sum total stars remained at three or lower.

    We still abide by this policy.

    Honestly, I don't have the luxury of long trips to France, so we're lucky if we can get two really amazing meals in a three day trip. We'll be in Paris for four days starting on the 27th and so far only have violin d'ingres booked. I think we may do one more one star, who knows.

    lala

  4. Yes I always plant them on Presidents day weekend it gives me a boost from all this rain and crappy weather..they give my garlic nitrogen and I can pick them starting late spring early summer...and plant again.... heppily I went out cleaned my yard from all the windstorms we have had ...did some prunning and planted them yesterday

    I have collard greens that are ready to pick now I just saw then on the side of the house where I stuck them last year when I ran out of room

    .but the perfect ski conditions we have for a change  are also worth putting peas off ..

    Ditto, peas and sweet peas are in today.

    whoo hoo.

  5. I  I thought it was at least as good as Capogiro in Philadelphia (where I am from), which has been my gold standard for US gelato. 

    I'm in Philadelphia in September for a half marathon and other than Morimotos for dinner, I have told my friend that I cannot leave Philadelphia without a trip to capogiro and elvez.

    Yum.

    I have found no equal in the US either.

    lalala

  6. I am notorious for plant snipping everywhere I go ..if it hangs over the side walk it is fair game for me to take a pinch !!!

    As a gardener, I would be much happier, if you knocked on my door and asked me for a pinch or a cutting rather than doing it yourself. That is bad garden juju.

    I am laden with tomatoes, but no ripe ones yet.

    We have five different kinds of summer squash this year as well.

    I'm now trying to figure out what to do about winter planting. Usually we go fallow, but maybe this year I'll be adventurous.

    lalala

  7. A jamba Juice, along with a starbucks, has moved into the new condo at 45th & Stone Way (across from the Blue Star).

    C'mon Wallingford, get something good.  At least an Ezell's, a Red Mill, or Pizza by the slice.

    That is so sad.

    A new shopping center/office park thing has the makings of the same thing here in Ravenna (Northcut landing). However, we have a faux artisanal pizza place (Pizzeria Fondi) moving in and a Rooster's Espresso, which I guess is local.

    It also has a smoothie place, a fake bake and a nail place. What else does Seattle need?

    Sigh.

  8. I used to have a fig. I wanted to keep it reasonably shaped and sized, so each year I trimmed it so the branches were only about 3' long, and I thinned it too. It went from 3 figs the second year to 50 to 100 to I lost count. Pruned it in the fall.

    First year I have an Italian plum. It has been dropping green fruit this past week. Should I be alarmed? There is still a lot of fruit on the tree.

    Probably due to the hot weather from last week.

    Don't worry, you'll have plenty before too long.

  9. this is really my favorite thread!

    I want to plant raspberries ..next year!!!

    and I really want to plant some sesame leaves..anyone do this ever? any hints?

    I have never tried fava beans I grow scarlet runners (mainly for the bunnies but I do get some) and they are kind of like a fava in size and shape ...they do fairly well ...I have even put them in pots and had them trail down over the deck and they got several pods per plant to maturity

    I will add fava beans to my list for next year

    I am freaking over the fig tree the branches after today's rain they are all bending down ..like now it is a weeping fig

    ok if anyone knows about figs I wonder if I can add weights in the fall and make it weep like a plum or cherry?? anyone know this?

    or again anyone know how and when to prune this...

    guess I could google it ..but I like info from folks first if I can get it

    thanks

    You are welcome to my raspberry plants. I end up pulling up at least 100 plants a year. They are notorious self sowers.

    As or figs weeping, I'm not sure of the aesthetics of it. We have an espaliered one and I'm not too crazy about its look either.

    You could do it, but since they are so good at rooting from branches, you could have quite a little fig farm.

    lalala

  10. I stopped by Monde on Friday before heading to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

    I bought a few bars and the only one I have sampled is the lemon polenta, which was swoonful - lemony, hint of marc and very interesting on the palate. We ate it during the festival, helped pass the time between shows.

    The best part is that I think I can duplicate the concept at home.

    I asked to take a picture of the zotter display and was told no.

    Okay, glad I asked first.

    Hot weather and chocolate do not mix, but the bars seem to have survived.

    Apparently monde's own bars, fair trade organic ones on the right hand side as you walk in are also sold to Trader Joes.

    Will check it out on my way home from work today.

    I brought TH a ice cream bar with blueberries on it to eat on the way to Jericho beach. She seemed to think it was pretty tasty.

    lalala

  11. we bring wine home in our suitcase.......

    I like to bring home tins of foie gras and pates, tarbais beans for cassoulet, if your into cocktails a bottle of violet liquor is awesome, nice mustards and salts, chocolates, different casis than I can get at home, french fashion mags, saussicon sec!

    edited to say that that area has awesome Falafel places, one is called The Best I think!

    In the 80 plus times I have have entered the US from all different places, I have never brought back meat products.

    I don't know what Canadian import standards are, but the US will not allow the importation of sausage and I'm thinking pates as well.

    I came home day before yesterday and I brought home some smoked sea salt, some more sea salt with herbes de provence, chocolates from many different chocolatiers, matcha madeleines, macarons, tea from kusmi and some cheese (allowable).

    I stopped by daRosa to see if I could pick up some Ferber jams, but since they now serve lunch, I would have had to reach over someone eating to get to them, so try and have him go early in the day. ;)

    Magazines are nice as well, but with the euro at 1.32 to the US dollar, I read what I could at my hotel and finished my book on the plane.

    Oh, if you can get your lovely husband to stop by Sadaharu Aoki with a sturdy container he can bring you back some of their lovely eclairs.

    Yum.

    Bonne Anniversaire.

    lalala

  12. I had a great lunch on Monday. My partner, TH, had been there with her father in 1995 and found it quite stuffy.

    She was very happy with our room, which may or may not have been the American Room. We were the only Americans in there.

    She had the 140 Euro menu and I had the 70 euro. With a half bottle of wine, water, two apertifs it came to something like 320 euros.

    We were both quite full when we went back to our hotel to change out of dress clothes and back into the poste, macarons and monoprix clothes. :biggrin:

    I will list the menu when I get home.

    We skipped dinner that night, wine in the afternoon does not agree with us.

    As for it being a two star/one star experience, I have very limited experience and I thought it was very nice, not rushed service and I appreciated not being hovered over.

    I did lose a bet with TH, I thought I would see at least one person in jeans. I had to buy her another box of chocolates, this time from Jean-Charles Rochoux.

    lala

  13. I have luncheon reservations for monday, february 26 (my birthday)! Whoo hooo. Must remember to call and reconfirm.

    My TH went with her father and one of his dear friends in 1995 for dinner. Her father was celebrating his latest book and she said it wasn't the best 3 star meal she had eaten, but still it was impressive.

    I have only eaten at one other 3 star and am looking very forward to my meal.

    lala

  14. Here's something I'd like to know. Can you get coffee for takeaway in the morning with a croissant? I guess Starbucks is everwhere, but what about the local spots?

    Thanks everyone.

    Dear FoodMuse,

    You are reading all the right things (ha) and asking all the right questions.

    Regarding coffee and portability - sadly, no. :sad:

    Or not really.

    The lady in my work cantine (cafeteria) will put a plastic top over my little espresso sip if I "need" it. As will the places found in the Metro. But it's not the norm to walk down Paris streets while sipping something. That goes double for mobile food.

    This, believe it or not, was hard for me to get used to. Gripping an mp3 player in the same position will help you to keep your balance as you adapt to the new reality.

    And besides, the coffee here (search this forum) is generally quite bad. The practice of taking it with you would be akin, perhaps, to not finishing your business in the bathroom.

    Okay, I'm kidding!

    (no I'm not)

    What about all those starbucks that are starting to pop up all over Paris? The amount of starbucks detritus that I'm seeing around Odeon and near Opera makes me think that a porter may make coffee at picnics a possibility.

    lalala

  15. I just made a fig raspberry tart, sort of like one I had 15 years ago at chez panisse upstairs...

    Puff pastry, macerated figs (i used cointreau and a bit of sugar), macerated raspberries and a bit of egg wash. Bake until browned on the puff pastry.

    It is supposed to be served with lavender honey ice cream, but it was just dandy on its own.

    Sorry its not a chocolate or white chocolate dessert, but the figs right now are sooo good.:wub:

    lalala

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