gnkindrick

Well thanks everyone. To answer your questions, it would be for dinner and money is an issue, so the more economical, the better. Also - does anyone know a tacqueria that does fish tacos?

I've looked through the existing threads on Orange County and I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for. Perhaps someone can help? I'm looking for a good restaurant that is not too large, casual, independently owned, and with great food. Is that too much to ask? How about one more qualifier: it should also be welcoming to a party of eight that includes a one year old baby. And the food should not be too 'exotic,' if you will, as we'll have some diners with conservative taste buds. Is there something like this in Huntington Beach, Newport or Costa Mesa?

I love Indian food and I can't wait to try these places when I arrive in Buenos Aires. Thank you for the recommendation.

Well I'm hosting a Seder for eleven tomorrow evening. I'm going to braise seven pounds of lamb shoulder and serve it with black-eyed peas (I'm a Southerner). I'm not following a recipe per se, but a combination of several. I'm cutting the lamb into 1" chunks. After I brown them, I'm going to braise them in red wine and chicken stock, with lots of mint and garlic. At the table, I intend to serve a mint/parsley chimichurri with it. I'm cooking the peas separately. I loved the idea of having a variety of charosset from different places (a la Joan Nathan, from the Wolfgang Puck link in the previous post). I think I'm going to start doing that this year. These days are great and being in the kitchen all day is lovely. I hope we all enjoy a wonderful Pesach!

Hello to all. My Mexican boyfriend and I have recently gotten into several heated discussions about the industrialization of Mexican food. When he lived in Mexico, he did not shop very often at large supermarkets, such as Gigante, Wal Mart, etc. He preferred to shop at mercados and tianguis (is street vendor an accurate translation for this?). At these venues in Guadalajara, he asserts that it is possible to find good quality produce, meats, and dairy products from organic and local sources. He lived in Mexico for almost thirty years and claims that what we know as "organic" and "natural" here in the US, is the norm in Mexico. I believe that at one time it was the norm, indeed. But now? I really do not know. Does anyone have any insight into this? My theory is that Mexico is on its way to heavy industrialization of food. Akin to what is described in Fast Food Nation. The kind of stuff that many people here in the US have rejected in the past years, such as factory farming, the use of pesticides and hormones, etc. I have a hunch that in Mexican supermarkets, the majority of the chickens and the meat do come from factories, just as here, but it's only a hunch. But do most people in Mexico shop at these places or are they really only affordable for and accessible to the small middle class? ****** On a side note, he also would like to know why he cannot find "crema" here in the US as he knew it in Mexico (which is much thicker and is really a solid in my opinion).

I was recently in Reno (which I learned was the "biggest little city in the world") and didn't really know where to eat. I wanted to enjoy a good meal in a small place, away from all of the casinos. I was meeting my father from the east coast, who was there on business, and we wanted to have a nice dinner. I found exactly what I wanted with Lulou's, a small restaurant on South Virginia and Vassar St. (?). It was perfectly lovely. The chef and his wife run the restaurant. She's front of the house and is quite a charmer ( at least my father thought so ). Nevertheless, they know what they are doing and the formula works. The service was impeccable. The kitchen is open but alas, there are no seats right beside it. So I had to crook my head a couple of times when the culinary goings-on caught my eye. My father and I looked over the menus and at first I was a little daunted by the sheer number of offerings. But what I chose, as was the case with Dad, was superb. The menu runs the gamut (we started with some Asian-inspired fried calamari with cilantro and lime and finished with an apple crepe and house-made ginger ice cream). But it is all good. My dad had Niman Ranch lamb with a side of some very rich risotto. I thoroughly enjoyed a perfectly cooked medallion of veal tenderloin with another, very rich side of mac and cheese with cepes!!! The chef cares about what he serves his customers. Most of the menu is filled with organic produce and sustainably raised products. The wine list was good by me. Mostly west coast American but not exclusively. I'm no wine connaisseur by any means but it served our purposes just fine. I began with a vey crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (Marlborough) and my dad enjoyed his Quebecois Fin du Monde, although I'll have to say that the bartender butchered the pronunciation (details, details - and out of fairness, my father butchered the pronunciation of half the menu). We moved onto a good Pinot from the Wilamette valley and enjoyed it until the last drop. When all was done, I was sad. I don't know any higher praise than that. Thanks Lulou's for a wonderful meal! When in Reno, do as those in Reno ( I found out about the place from the helpful people at the local Williams-Sonoma). And get thee to Lulou's. Cheers.

Since no one on e-gullet could *really* answer any of the questions I posed a couple of months ago, I'm making myself available to anyone who's curious about Tante Marie's Cooking School. I just started my fourth week in the full-time, professional culinary program. So far it has been wonderful. I've been extremely pleased with almost every aspect of the program. There are thirteen of us studying this session and it is a perfectly-sized group. In fact, many have stated that the small size of the school is one of the main reasons why we chose Tante Marie's. Most of us are career-switchers who have been around the block once or twice. All of us are highly enthusiastic and passionate about food. It is at least once per day that I find myself in awe that EVERYDAY I get to cook and interact with people who care about food and are as curious about it as I. The staff for the professional culinary program is comprised of one, full-time chef/instructor and one part-time chef/instructor. Both of them are first-rate, professional, inspirational, and know a LOT about food, catering, and restaurants. They are also patient and genuinely good teachers. There are also demonstrations from other chefs and professionals in the field (like tomorrow, we'll spend the afternoon learning all about fish - cleaning and filleting them and otherwise). I find these classes to be particularly refreshing - it's a change from our regular schedule - but mostly useful. I can't wait to hear and see what Tom Worthington from the Monterey Fish Company has to say and will do tomorrow during our demonstration. So, now I can report with some knowledge of the school, that I'm loving it. Happy Eating.

I too was in Guadalajara for the night of the 15th. Of course, my festivities can't match those of Esperanza! I made dinner for 10. We started with a very simple salad of greens with a garlic and anchovy vinaigrette. Then we had paella that was wonderful (if I say so myself). I used saffron from Oaxaca (which was not very potent so I had to use a lot more than I customarily would have). I bought all of the seafood from the wonderful mercado del mar in Zapopan. If you are in the Guadalajara area, this is by far the best place to get good, fresh seafood that is affordable. A wonderful (store-bought) tart with strawberries and slices of kiwi on top followed. With the white glaze, it looked just like the flag! Yes, yes. I know. Not very Mexican. But it was wonderful. We did drink Mexican wines. Mostly Monte Xanic reds. After dinner, Don Julio made an appearance and we toasted at midnight, and again, and again, and again. VIVA MEXICO!

With regrets I inform you all that the obesity rate in this country has reached an all-time high at 25%. I just read an AP report yesterday. I'm incredulous. I wrote several months ago that I didn't think it possible for the people in this country to get any fatter. I stand corrected. And by the way - every state in the "Top Five Most Obese" (whew-what a title to earn!!!), is in my beloved South. My native Tennessee was in fifth place. What a comeuppance after my original post on this thread.

I'm SO excited. I have applied to Tante Marie's. If they accept me, I'll be sure to let everyone on e-gullet know my impressions.

I thought maybe I could get this ball rolling once again. I am seriously considering Tante Marie's cooking program myself. Unfortunately, I can find very little information about it. I've visited their website which was helpful though not very extensive. The school seems like a good match for my concerns (cost, size and location) but I would like to hear as many opinions, both faborable and unfavorable, as possible before I commit to the school. I would really love to hear from alumni. How do you feel about the training? How have you been received in the industry? I hope someone responds to this.

I love Pimm's and I wish it weren't so hard to find on this side of the Atlantic! I think the best way to enjoy it is with sparkling lemonade, as already noted. Garnished with thin slices of cucumbers. Heaven!

No Esperanza. You rule when it comes to anything Mexican.

I was just at Bemelman's at the Carlyle (76th and Madison) yesterday and had a fabulous Old-Fashioned. Great bar. Great drink.

That article was absolutely ridiculous. Just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read. I think it's entirely too simplistic and naive to solely blame the health problems of Southerners on their diet of "fried foods." Mayhaw Man goes in the right direction, as do others when they point out that Southerners don't get as much exercise as they did in the past. I grew up in the South on a farm, as did my grandparents and mother. Almost every morning for breakfast I enjoyed biscuits, gravy and homemade jams, sausage and bacon, and depending on the time of the year, wonderful tomatoes. My mother would send me out to the garden about five minutes before she put the breakfast on the table. That was just for breakfast. We then went out and worked our butts off, literally. None of us have ever been, nor are we presently, overweight - and we love our fried chicken (and we eat it more than twice a year). Granted, we're still active (at least my mother - my grandparents have long since passed and I suppose that makes them pretty inactive). We don't sit in a car for an hour going to one place and then sit in our car for another hour as we inhale some awful-tasting and vapid burger from the local Mickey D's. We never ate fast-food. Robyn is absolutely right that obesity is a huge problem in the South. I no longer live there, but everytime I return I'm quite shocked by the number of overweight people, including children. It makes me sick actually. But I'm just as shocked by the number of obese people in every region of the United States that I visit, not just my native South. I also find the number of fast-food joints in the United States sickening. Hazardnc points out that the South doesn't monopolize foods that are bad for you. And regarding fried food in particular, I believe that most national or regional cuisines in the world have their own specialties, just as the South. I'm sure that they enjoy their stuff as much as we. And why is it so wrong to serve biscuits and gravy at the cafeteria of the CDC? My point is that personal health comes down to personal responsibility. We all make choices every day and every one of those choices has an effect, good and bad. In the meantime, I wish everyone would just cool it with the Southern-food bashing. Any food that is made with love is good for you. The last time I checked, my mother was smiling when she was frying some catfish and hush puppies. I highly doubt that the Hardee's employee of the month really cares that much about his or her biscuits. And yes, it might just be picking on the South, but that's nothing new of course.