sarashrugs

We're stopping in Carmel to see her sister and her mom so we 've got to go there .I visited it in the early 70's but I was 11. I was 17&18 when I lived in San Francisco during 1977-78 but didn't go farther south than Santa Cruz, except to go to Cal Jam II in Ontario. I don't think I ate any food there...I was really poor then. Does anyone happen to remember a restaurant in the Castro area called The Neon Chicken? They served a cream of pea soup that I will always remember. There was another place called Kent's Chicken Turnover on Polk Street, their chicken turnovers and chicken croquettes are among my fondest food memories. I was working next door in the Roots shoe store and so I ate there alot. Well I've certainly gotten off the topic. Thanks for the suggestions and I'll report on the places we go.

We're mostly interested in finding some fine wine that we can afford. My friend is much more knowledgeable on the subject of wine than I am. We are not wealthy but enjoying good food and wine are an important part of our idea of how to have a good time. A friend of hers in Portland suggested we visit the Coppola vineyards and also Beringer any thoughts on those suggestions? To me they sound too middle of the road but like I said I don't know much at all about wine I go to my local shop and they recommend something between $10 and $20 and I buy it. So for me a breathtaking view would be a really nice aspect of a vineyard. I like the idea of finding an obscure and underrated wine that I could afford to buy a few bottles of to give as gifts. She plans on getting alot more than I do.

We're leaving Portland this Saturday Dec 17, spending a night in Ashland where I hope we'll be able to go to New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro in nearby Talent , then Sunday it's on to Point Reyes for Sunday night. Carmel for Monday night ,then Tuesday and Wednesday at Indian Springs and around Napa and elsewhere perhaps. We'll begin our return to Portland on Thursday and I fly out on Friday at 11 pm.

My friend and I are driving from Portland,Oregon down to Point Reyes then to Carmel and then back up to the Indian Springs Spa. We like to drink wine and eat good food she wishes we were going to French Laundry but I say thats too expensive plus we don't have reservations. So anybody got any suggestions for places we should try? Any particular vineyards we might visit. We like to drive around alot so out of the way is o.k.

I've been craving Doro Wat for awhile now. Has anyone been lately? I was going to go to Ghenet but Queen of Sheba or Meskerem are sounding better.

Thank's for the information.Do you know or have you heard anything about the Arad Evans Inn?

Seems like in this NY forum all anyone mentions is NYC . Does anyone know of any great dining in other parts of New York State, especially the Syracuse area?

I dislike coffee in any form and I really hate when a chocolate dessert has coffee or mocha added and I don't find out until I take a bite. i've had coffee loving friends tell me they're going to teach me to like coffee but they never got anywhere with that idea. I used to live in Portland, Or and Seattle so I love to go have "coffee" but I have hot chocolate.

I was raised with the idea that if you accept an invitation you're obliged to reciprocate.My parents had many parties and went to just as many but in my memory my mother didn't have the sort of friendships with the guests at her parties that i have with my friends many of her guests were business associates of my fathers . entertaining is so much more casual amongst my friends. There are some of us who are more inclined to throw parties and have people over and have greater resources for doing so, but everyone involved makes an effort and contributes.

We have friends from michigan visiting and dim sum seems like such a good idea but I've always just gone to chinatown and gone to the places that look good enough or i've been with friends who decided where we went. The only place whose name I remember is dum sum a go go and I really liked it but the atmosphere isn't as classic chinatown as i like. I figured this was a great place to find out someplaces that are known for being great.

The Spottted Pig in Manhattan and Diner in Brooklyn.

A co-worker brought a bunch to share at work. Everyone was raving about them and I was once again reminded of how little it takes to impress the people I work with. I didn't have more than two bites of the one I tried. Cupcake Cafe is better but still no better than an average grocery store cake in my opinion.

My favorite treatment for a cold is the chile verde burrito served at The Bull Ring in Portland OR. preceded by and enjoyed with plenty of their red salsa and chips and many glasses water! The intense spiciness seems to knock out some of the unpleasantness, like congestion and body ache. I am no connoisseur of Mexican food having grown up in northern NY. In fact the first time I had mexican food it was at a sister restaurant of the Bull Ring; La Casa de Rios. The food brought tears to my eyes but I couldn't stop eating. I used to eat at either of those places at least once a week but 12 years ago I moved. I live in Brooklyn now. There are lots of Mexican restaurants around here and I enjoy many of them but I don't really derive any comfort from them. Whenever I visit Portland now I always go there at least once. More if I can talk my friends into it. I'm considering contacting the owners to inquire about having the components shipped to me so I could assemble it at my home. They have a website. I'm feeling a cold coming...

Zona Rosa on west 56th street serves a cubano sandwich I crave and enjoy on a regular basis. It's 10$ which seems expensive but worth it.

Yesterday in Buffalo. Beef on Weck. Thin sliced rare roast beef with rolls sprinkled with caraway and salt spread with horseradish and dipped in au jus. I love French dip sandwiches but these are better Buffalo is the only place I know where they have kimmelwick rolls. These were homemade but it seems like every restaurant in Buffalo serves them.

i'm not a big fan of french fries in general but my favorites are at 7A a 24 hour restaurant in the east village at the corner of east 7th street and ave A. I think they're seasoned or something to set them apart from typical fries.

I went to the 50th and 9th on Sunday after reading about it here, and I'm going back on Friday with friends I've been missing food like this since I left Portland Or.10 years ago. I'm going to get the wonton in chili oil, sesame noodles, pan fried pork dumpling dry sauteed string beans, kung bao chicken and maybe dan dan noodles( I've never tried them) and I'm going to get some pork buns to go. Anybody have any suggesions for another dish that shouldn't be missed?

I had dinner with friends there on christmas eve. The braised oxtails were unctuous in the best sense of the word which I have never felt compelled to use before, and beyond delicious. My favorite part of a wonderful meal. We also enjoyed the risotto balls though thats not what they were called. I can't remember what their name is on the menu. One of us had the steak; another fluke with cauliflower and I had pork and fennel sausage over pumpkin polenta. I was completely satisfied and happy after the meal which ended with the almost flourless chocolate cake and coffee served in a french press. I can't wait to go back. I loved the atmosphere as much as the food. Exposed brick and windows looking out onto a street scene that looks much as i imagine it did 100 years ago. The service was friendly informative and casual.

I'm making fudge right now for about the third time this month. I always use the Chocolate Fudge recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. "Old fashioned basic fudge, smooth and chocolaty." 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, in small pieces or 4 tablespoons cocoa 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 tablespoons butter in small pieces 2 teaspoons vanilla Oil a jelly roll pan or 8x8 inch pan. Combine the chocolate, sugar, milk and corn syrup in a 3qt heavy pot, stirring to blend all ingredients. Set over low heat and, stirring slowly, bring to a boil. Cover pot and let let boil 2-3 minutes. Uncover and wash down sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water,(I never do that part), then continue to boil until the syrup reaches the soft ball stage(234F) . Remove from heat , add the butter without stirring and set on a cooling surface or rack. Do not stir until the syrup is lukewarm(110F)then add vanilla and stir without stopping until the mixture loses it's gloss and thickens. Pour into the oiled pan and mark into squares. When firm, cut into pieces and store in an airtight container. I use and highly recommend an instant read digital termometer.

Yep that's the way we've always had it and that's how I'll make it this year.

I don't know about pepper jelly except for the Berkshire Berries Berry Hot Strawberry jam I'm now spreading on my 3rd buttered white bread sandwich of the past hour. The best jam I've ever tasted. I got it at the greenmarket in Union Square. Any ideas for other ways to enjoy this?

Hi, I'm brand new to this site but very excited to have come upon it via Jeffrey Steingarten's article about ice cream in the August Vogue. I live in NYC and have enjoyed the gelato from Otto's and it is amazing. I love that restaurant because I can sometimes afford to go there and most of the really renowned restaurants I can't afford at all. I just recently moved to Brooklyn from the East Village so now instead of eating out or having food delivered I'm cooking at home since now I have a full size refrigerator freezer and a full size gas stove and oven instead of an under the counter refrigerator with a broken freezer. I grew up on the St. Lawrence river in northern N.Y. state. My dad was a gourmand, we would drive across the river to Canada to buy fish and cheese and beer. We would have sardines on saltine crackers, he bought cheese that stank so badly he would keep it on the windowsill outside the kitchen. He would make plum pudding with hard sauce for Christmas and oxtail soup and mexican food He gave my mother a copy of the cookbook by Vincent and Mary Price and he subscribed to Gourmet, this was during the 1960's in Northern New York state he died of a heart attack in 1970. Later on I was a waitress in various fine dining establishments in Portland Oregon during the 1980's, I shared housing with a couple of chefs and began to really appreciate the love of food but they were always the cooks I just observed and enjoyed the fruits of their labor but rarely participated in the preparation so now I love good food and enjoy cooking and baking but feel a real lack of ability and lack of confidence in the kitchen so my favorite cookbooks are, The Best Recipe by the editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine and The Minimalist Cooks at Home by Mark Bittman who writes a column for the New York Times Dining section.