I_call_the_duck

I was at day two of the DDC dinner (my first), and oh...what a meal!! I can't really say what my favorite was, but some standouts were the chiccharon, roast pork, tostones (and garlic mojo!), pastelillo, and the soup. And the "Puerto Rican moonshine"--pure heaven. The chiccharon, was well, chiccharon. Deep-fried pork with the crispy-chewy skin. What's not to like? The roast pork? So tender and flavorful, and the skin was so tasty too. The soup was perfect on a cold winter night. What a wonderfully flaky crust on that pastelillo. (I was also thinking of making some of my own and filling it with some of that roast pork or chicken.) I had a bad experience once with bacalao, but the bacalaito there was very good. And I could drink an entire bottle of that moonshine. Mr. Duck and I had a great time. Thanks, Katie for arranging the dinner.

Nestles Toll House cookies. I used to make brownies from the recipe from the box on either Baker's or Hershey's, which used to make this unsweetened chocolate that was pre-melted and mixed with oil. Came in an envelope and you squeezed it out. Anyone remember that? Also I've made zucchini appetizers from the back of a box of Bisquick. Someone made it for a holiday party potluck, and it's actually pretty tasty. The picky nieces and nephews loved it. My next step will be to make a version from scratch. That Velveeta fudge really scares me.

I do the same thing too! (I'm such a cheapskate.) But for this dish, I think I'll spring for the head-on variety.

Yes, they were awarded the Gold for Best Dessert Menu along with Alan Wong, and were also an Oahu Best Silver winner. You and me both. Not only that, but I went to The Taste of Lahaina on Maui, and Outback Steakhouse won for Best Steak.

I'm Chinese, and I was actually looking forward to doing something that wasn't Chinese, but since we had an "American" Thanksgiving, it's back to Chinese food. Or in our case, just food.

Thanks for the pics, philadining. We're going tonight, and I can't wait. I hope you saved some of that pork for me!!

Somewhere on this thread or in my blog I mentioned that having eggs for breakfast not only taste great, it is probably a subliminal way to rebel against my childhood deprivation of the same. ← Thanks Percy. You've elevated eggs to an art form.

Studio Kitchen, Philadelphia (November) Django, Philadelphia (February, April, May, September) Mama’s Fish House, Maui (September) The Beach House, Kauai (September) Morimoto, Philadelphia (May) Katz’s, New York (August) Matyson, Philadelphia (March) Spago, Maui (September) Because of a combination of my increasing fondness for wine and premature senility, I'm having trouble remembering much before the summer. Oddly enough, we were in NYC a lot this summer, but haven’t had the time to try new restaurants that are on our list, so we just went to our old favorites. Edited to add dates

Is The Cheesecake Factory as in the restaurant chain that is in many huge malls on the mainland?! Weird.

Oh my goodness... I'm going to have to start saving my pennies and get my speed dial ready, because now I REALLY have to go! Thanks for posting the pics from that incredible-looking dinner.

Looks great, everyone! Abra, that mole is inspiring me to learn to make it next year. (welcome to the dinner thread)

The French Laundry. Since I probably won't make it to SF next year, Per Se will have to do. Others in NY: Jean Georges, and The Grocery. In the Philly area, Marigold Kitchen and Birchrunville Store Café. We’re probably going to Italy next year, so I’ll need some good recommendations for Florence. M.X.Hassett, I was in dreamland when you posted this, but knew you were talking about CIA the second I saw Hyde Park, so do I get ten points too?

Yetty, I want to work where you work!

Oh, so many, but one that really stands out is Daniel's bacon toffee and bacon cake from his porkfest, Oink! Edited to add: Haven't tried it yet, but it's high on my list.

We were in the Home Depot on Saturday, and I was surprised to find not only charcoal, but also a whole bunch of grills on display. I'm just a big wimp, so my grill is under the cover until the temp hits about 70 degrees again.

Philadelphia was featured in the travel section of yesterday's New York Times. Amada was one of the three restaurants mentioned, along with Washington Square and Rouge (pretty good for a restaurant that only opened a few months ago). Congrats, Katie and Chef Jose. Going to Philadelphia Ever since we moved to the west side of Broad Street, we haven't been to Old City as often, but even before this article was posted, it's certainly on our list of places we need to visit soon.

Chicken, turkey, duck skin. I even like it when it isn't crispy. Chicharron. Bacon!! Anything deep fried. Cheetos.

Percyn, that is one good looking breakfast. And of course, the addition of duck makes it even better!! You do have a way with eggs, which leads me to this question...what's with the eggs? Not that it's a bad thing, but I noticed that a lot of your breakfast posts include eggs. (You may have mentioned it in previous post, but I just got back from dinner and am a little loopy and don't want to go through 33 pages to find out...)

Thanks for the pics, philadining! Shola never ceases to amaze me. I think that these responses to this meal will encourage him to experiment even further, and show that people, at least people that dine at SK, are willing and eager to think of dishes beyond their usual range. I am looking forward to what he has in store for the future.

The best black cod I've had was at Nobu in New York. It was broiled with a miso sauce. I've since found a recipe in the NYT back in 2003 which includes ground seseame seeds. What are the rules for posting a recipe onto this site?

Daniel, that looked great. I've been a bit averse to bacalao since a bad but humorous experience in Puerto Rico, but this just may make me want to try it again...

Manual? You mean it came with a manual? I'm too arrogant to think I even need a manual.

In 2006, I will eat more fish. I will make pastries more often. I will learn to use my pasta machine. This is the year I will try a new recipe at least once a month. I will taste more types of offal. I will use my convection oven. I will give dinner parties. My kids still won’t exist as I will not procreate. When eating out, I will call other things besides the duck. Edited because I didn't play properly before.

The best thing to do would be to send it to me!

Paul, sorry to hear the news. Hope your next venture turns out better.