NancyH

On Thursday, we planned to drive to Pensacola to visit the National Museum of Naval Aviation - a trip well worth your while BTW. We started with a hearty breakfast at the newly restored Donut Hole: Bob didn't think any of the ham, grits or biscuit (not pictured) were even close to Silver Sands's versions. I opted for the Sweet Potato Pancakes, which are served with a side of a Pecan-enhanced syrup: It was a huge portion and very tasty. We didn't eat again until we returned from Pensacola, and therein lies a short tale. We didn't make it back to Destin until a little after 4pm. For some reason, I thought that Vin 'taj was open straight through lunch to dinner. We walked in about 4:30pm, and the place was empty (though the "open" sign was illuminated) and a gentleman came out and said that lunch had ended at 3pm, they were preparing for dinner, and they had only a limited bar menu available until 5pm (pizzas and a couple of appetizers). Now, had he invited us to sit and have some wine and a snack and made us feel welcome, we would probably have sit and waited the half hour for dinner service. But he put us off so badly that we left, which turned out to be a very good thing. We had heard great things about the new incarnation of D&K, which recently recreated itself as a fully enclosed New Orleans style cafe. Though it was still a few minutes before 5pm (their official opening time), we were cheefully seated and offered dinner menus. The dinner we ate rivaled Cafe Tango for best of trip! First - bread, hot and fresh from the oven. We were so hungry at this point that we each ordered a starter (normally we share one), and we were glad we did! Bob's cup of gumbo had everything that our previous two flirts with New Orleans style cuisine had missed: hot, loaded with fresh fresh seafood and rice, spicy and delicious: I tried the Three Cheese Seafood Dip with Garlic Bread - oh my goodness good! We each then ordered an entree, to be preceded by a salad that was photo worthy for a couple of reasons: Note first the large spears of fresh Yellow Zucchini. Normally, I wouldn't be crazy about raw zucchini in a salad, but this was so fresh, and so good when dipped in the second worthy item - the chef's "2000 Island" dressing - creamy, spicy and perfect, but counterpointed by the slightly sweet warm fresh muffin also on the salad plate. Bob had the Grilled Grouper topped w/Shrimp Creole. Those grilled shrimps were amazingly good! There's also a scoop of great tasting rice hiding under all that fish. I had a huge honking heap of sauteed Snapper loaded with breadcrumb stuffing, seafood (crabmeat, shrimps and scallops) and topped with cream sauce. I could only eat about half of it. We were both so stuffed - we thought we couldn't eat another bite! But our gracious host Kat insisted that we try some desserts, so we did: The next morning, we utilized our lovely kitchen to warm leftovers for our breakfast. For lunch, we trundled up 30A to Seagrove Village Market, which has lost the luster of the fabulous food we enjoyed there last year. Bob's Oyster Po Boy tasted ok, but was more breading than oyster: But the cardinal sin was serving me a piece of grilled grouper that looked and tasted like a frozen filet: Moreover, the hushpuppies, which had the best taste of any we sampled this trip, were cold. Even the iced tea didn't taste as good as last year. Oh well. A bit later, we met some of our local friends for a happy hour at a place called Okinawa, in Fort Walton Beach. We did not care for the sights or smells sufficiently to want to eat there, so we decided to head for Nick's on Rt 20, overlooking the Choctawhatchee Bay. We had been told not to miss this place, as much for the people as the food. We rolled in there around 7:30. The place was packed and there was a long waitng list. Nevertheless, we perched ourselves at the Formica bar, ordered a couple of 32 oz Amber Bocks (the only dark beer they had) and just watched. We remained at the bar until about 8:30, then moved to a table by the window. The poor staff was totally in the weeds - someone had forgotten to put a reservation for 18 where the evening's staff would find it - though they accomodated the party, it screwed everything else up. By the time we ordered, they were out of baked potatoes and I can't imagine that happens often! Anyway, we each ordered a grilled platter - mine was Triggerfish, Bob's Amberjack. I'm guessing my portion was kinda skimpy because they were running out of that, too (one of the 3 pieces was mostly skin and a couple of bones): Bob's amberjack was ample and delicious: The grits were cold, so I asked the server to either bring another or reheat what we had - she said she couldn't bring new, but would happily re-heat ours. We then heard a server tell the next table that there was only one order of grits left! Once reheated, the grits were quite good, and we both enjoyed our dinners and thanked (and tipped) the poor servers, who looked about ready to collapse. We'll definitely be back to Nick's next year (I'm told we need to try the fried crabs) - but not on Friday night!

Next up - Valentine's Day! We started at Fabrice in Santa Rosa Beach. This little cafe is owned by the former pastry chef at Criolla's and his wife. They were very busy when we rolled up around 11:30am. We had to walk past the case of obscenely decadent looking pastries to get to an open table. Though I was tempted by the "Croque Madame" - a baked sandwich with Sunny Side Up Egg on Top - Slices of White Bread filled w/Bechamel Sauce, Warm Gruyere Cheese & Parisian Ham - I still needed to eat fish. So I ordered the Fresh Tuna Burger and was not disappointed! This heavenly sandwich consisted of small chunks of rarely seared fresh tuna on freshly made bread, topped with fresh basil and aioli and plated with mixed greens, fresh sundried tomatoes and an Asian Spicy Dressing. Bob opted for the "P'tite Baguette Jambon de Paris Gruyere", described as "Parisian Ham & Gruyere Cheese on a Buttered Homemade Fresh Baguette", and which was also served with greens, those amazing tomatoes, and dressing: Though Bob was initially a little disappointed that the ham wasn't different than other good quality hams he's had - it was a masterful sandwich on perfectly fresh made bread, and he did enjoy it. And - did I mention the sundried tomatoes? Then - we had to face the pastry case again when it was time to pay! Since it was Valentine's Day, we decided to get a pastry to eat later (one of our Destin traditions is to watch the sunset from our room terrace while sipping bubbles). We selected a chocolate, chocolate covered cake topped with fresh raspberries - which I did not get a photo of, because we didn't actually eat it until the second leg of our flight home the following Tuesday! Even after a week in the fridge, though, it was fabulous! Very high marks for Fabrice - which is now open seven days a week; call for hours. (850) 267-0619. We returned to the condo to sit on the terrace and do laundry. By the time the laundry was done - it was almost 4pm. We decided to hit the Destn Taqueria (208 Main Street) for a light bite, since our dinner reservation wasn't until 8:30pm. This place is a little local gem and is frequented mostly by local Hispanic construction workers. A table of them were enjoying raw oysters on the half shell and shrimps with Modela Especiala when we sat down. Our server, who knew little English, but did not let that get in the way of great hospitality, brought out English menus and the following: The guacamole tasted freshly made and had a nice little kick. The green chili sauce was also wonderful, and would top our tacos shortly. Bob and I each ordered two items - we both got the pork taco with chili and pineapple, he got a steak taco (the picture of which seems to have gone missing) and I got a cheese and jalapeno tamale. The tortillas were so fresh and the fillings fantastic! Finally, we thought we were ordering alcoholic sangria, since this item was right below the beer and above the wine on the beverage list, but it was actually more like soda pop- and darn tasty with the spicy food, too. We hurried back to watch the sunset and drink some bubbles. When the dinner hour was approaching, we headed to one of our favorite places - Cafe Tango on 30A. Chef Walter Sanchez and his wife Paja have a delightful 8 table restaurant serving only the freshest food with a truly unique flair. Even though we were in the last reservation spot at 8:30pm, our table was ready with no waiting when we arrived a few minutes early. We ordered some wine and decided to order off of the regular menu, rather than the Valentine's Day menu - mostly because I needed to have Tuna Mojama again. This item was a special appetizer last year, but is on the menu now: Air dried, Salt Cured Bluefin Tuna, marinated in Olive Oil and served with Greens and Crostinis. This Spanish specialty item reminds me of "Tuna Salumi" and has taste and texture worthy of Armandino Batali! We each ordered an entree, to be preceded by a salad. I only photograph dinner salads when there is something special: The best part of this salad is the housemade dressing - Habanero Honey Mustard (you read that right) and it is addictive! And - the fresh cracked Tellicherry Peppercorns only complement the dressing's heat and flavor. I ordered the chef's "signature dish", Pistachio Crusted Grouper, topped with Jumbo Gulf Shrimp and drizzled with Amaretto Buerre Blanc: Wow! The cripy pistachio's and the nutty flavor of the Amaretto - this really works! Also - the combination of Asian vegetables and goat cheese seemed odd, but also really worked well. Even the mashed potatoes had unique flavors. Bob went for the Chef's choice, which I believe was Red Snapper, Baked with Lemon Caper Butter and topped with Jumbo Gulf Shrimp. Though we seldon get dessert, the occasion and the choices demanded it - bread pudding with fresh caramel, pecans and ice cream: A sweet ending to a happy Valentine's Day.

We started Tuesday with breakfast at the Holiday Inn (Priority Club freebies) - nothing picture worthy there, though not a bad way to start the day. Then, it was time to check out of the hotel and check into a nearby condo that we had rented. We had lunch at the Camille's at Crystal Beach, which had been recommended very highly. We didn't realize that they were affiliated with Harbor Docks until later in the week. Camille's. I was craving sushi and was told this was a great place to get it - but alas, we learned that there would be no sushi before 5pm. So, we ordered lunch. I had their gumbo, which was loaded with seafood and very good: My only complaint was that the two jumbo shrimp topping the dish didn't taste fresh. Bob had a grouper sandwich, which was good but which he felt had too much breading: That evening, Bob agreed to let me satisfy my sushi craving. We started at a new local restaurant, Sai-Kyo (which is short for "Saigon-Kyoto" and which serves Vietnamese and Japanese food). We ordered a Tuna Roll and Hawalian Roll (BBQ Eel, tuna, yellowtail, cream cheese, and asparagus, wrapped in soy paper). Our first mistake was not sitting at the sushi bar itself, though sitting in the restaurant gave us a vantgae point that assured us that the Vietnamese soups were wonderful, based on other tables' orders. The sushi chef, who was Vietnamese, kept the same food service gloves on his hands before and after he made our sushi (he was sitting at a table reading the newspaper when we came in). The sushi itself wasn't bad - but it lacked profundity. We decided to push on. We drove out to Cafe 331 - only to find it closed! Ouch! So - down to Basmati, which we had heard about but never tried. We found a friendly proprietor and server, and a lovely environment. The dishes on the menu looked mouth-watering (if a little expensive in the over $30/plate range) but we stuck with sushi. We ordered a crab roll, tuna nigiri and inari, which was presented on a lovely stone: The inari was the best I've ever had - stuffed not only with tasty sushi rice, but with diced fresh salmon - exquisite! Unfortunately, the crab was not as tasty as it looked - not bad, just not exquisitely fresh. The tuna and inari, and the happy sounds other diners were making, would probably bring me back next year. Even though we had been to Camille's for lunch earlier in the day, I still felt like my craving for awesome sushi had not yet been satisfied, so we headed over there. And the sushi taste off winner was - Camille's! We started with a tuna roll and a spicy crab roll: Even though the crab turned out to be surimi, this sushi was so well prepared that we sighed with pleasure as we ate it. Danny and Mike made us feel right at home, and we trusted their recommendations. After a little taste of escolar, Danny suggested we try the Uni, which had just come in. Bob and I had never had Uni before, so we went for it: While I think it is a bit of an acquired taste - we did enjoy it. Next up - Toro, another delicacy we had never tried before: Yummm! Finally, Danny suggested Hamachi, which had likewise just arrived. I hesitated a bit, because I've never tasted a piece of yellowtail that I liked - it's never fresh enough. But we said ok, and we were not disappointed: It was perfect - and my sushi craving satisfied. Danny suggested that we try the sushi/habachi side of Harbor Docks, which in all our visits we had ignored. He said he'd be working there on Sunday and we told him we'd consider dropping by. But Sunday was a long way away.

By Monday morning, all of our had friends departed, and we headed for our favorite local breakfast. While it is located in the Harbor Docks premises, it is actually a concession called "Silver Sand" and they make a marvelous breakfast. I met the elderly gentleman who makes the biscuits (who did not want his picture taken) - they are they best biscuits in the world! Bob opted for the ham steak, plain grits, and egg (which is served with 2 biscuits, not pictured): I had my "usual" - large bowl of cheese grits and biscuits with gravy: This Monday turned out to be a beautiful, warm day - finally, after three years, a day appropriate to take a "see the dolphins" cruise! It was fantastic, and we did get up close and a little personal with the adorable mammals. But we didn't reach land until after 3pm. I learned on this trip that most places don't serve straight through lunch to dinner. It appeared that Kenny Ds, on old 98, would be serving, so we headed there. Kenny D's serves New Orleans inspired cuisine and is located in an old chrome diner that has been re-decorated to fit the theme, while retaining some old diner charm. Unfortunately, there was only one other table (of snowbirds) eating Happy Hour raw oysters when we arrived. The server seemed a little bedraggled, and explained that she had just come on and things had not been prepared for her (like iced tea). Our food was a mixed bag. Bob's Red Beans and Rice looked positively mouth watering: But it was ice cold. We sent it back, and it returned warm - but the rice was old and hard. Too bad, because there some nice flavors in there. My fish tacos, in contast, came to the table blazing hot: But they were a little skimpy in the fish department - perhaps because I asked for the local fish (grouper) instead of the "imported" mahi they were going to use. The plate came with an incongruous basket of french fries. All in all - it was not a great experience, though the fish tacos did taste very good. Monday night, we were determined to get to the Red Bar (we had intended to go there last year, but I got sick at the end of the trip and wasn't up to the drive). We found the place and wandered up, but were not made to feel invited by the crowd of smokers on the patio, so we walked back around to the main entrance, then through to the bar. We sat at the bar for a drink, taking in the eclectic atmosphere and clientele. But there was no warmth or welcome from anyone and the bartender actually forgot to pour our drinks after taking our order. After our drink, we switched to the dining room to order dinner, expecting live music. But the local Beachcomber paper was wrong - no music tonight. No problem - there were plenty of interesting decorations to look at while we waited for our server. Even though there were only a couple of other tables occupied (and they were being served by other servers), our man was pretty slow on the uptake. Red Bar, and its cousin Cafe 331, have a limited menu that is presented on a chalkboard. This evening, there was only one fish dish, plus one shrimp dish. Bob and I both ordered the fish, which I believe was grouper: The fish was excellent as was the garlic mashed potatoes and salad (with a house made tomato-something vinagrette). The roll was stale. Overall, I'd probably go to Cafe 331 before I'd return to Red Bar, but it was a Monday, so it probably deserves another chance.

My husband Bob and I just returned to the Cleveland cold from an 11 night vacation in that paradise we know as Destin. We started visiting Destin four years ago, when the local Mensa chapter started holding a Regional Gathering at the Holiday Inn on the beach in February. We stayed in a full gulf view room for a couple of extra days and got hooked! We arrived on a Friday and enjoyed the hospitality at our gathering, including Mabel's incredible jambalaya. Regrettably, I did not get a picture of it. They fed us for most of the weekend, but we went out Saturday night anyway, so we could get our first meal at one of our favorite places, Harbor Docks. Harbor Docks We started with a crab au gratin appetizer - I only wish I had taken another photo after we dug in, to show off the mounds of fluffy fresh crab under the cheese! I had the spicy fried amberjack special. Bob had the Sauteed (fried, actually) Snapper w/Shrimp and Cheesy Sauce. Both entrees were fresh and delicious. Though I wish Harbor Docks would get more imaginative with the side dishes, I can't complain about the fish and seafood, and they are coming up with some very creative sauces. Our weekend event concluded Sunday morning. Though we were unable to find any lunch companions, one couple that was staying over to Monday agreed to meet us for dinner later. Bob and I set out to try a new place we'd heard about - Dewey Destin's. We trundled down Calhoun Street, right before the Destin bridge to Okaloosa Island, then turned left down a narrow driveway - to find this shack sitting on the water with a cooking trailer behind it. But what a wonderful shack it is - if you shop carefully. The modest menu includes Appetizers, Sandwiches (plattered with fries and slaw), fried or steamed baskets and steamed seafood by the pound. The fish specials for the day were tuna, mahi and grouper. I asked if the fish was local, and only the grouper was (the rest came from Alabama). The grouper was indeed very fresh (caught that morning): So, we ordered our lunches, received our beverages, and wandered out to the right of the two table-covered docks to select a table. We thought their use of brightly colored terra cotta flower pots to keep the acoutrements on the tables on the windy docks was most clever: After a brief wait, a server brought our order to us. Bob hadn't asked about origins, he just ordered a fried oyster sandwich. I had a bite and they were scrumptious! My grilled grouper sandwich was as yummy as the raw guy looked: After lunch, we drove around and located most of the places we intended to try later in the trip - much easier to find things during the day then at night! Later, we joined up with the other couple, who wanted simple but exquisitely fresh fish. Twist my arm, we were at Harbor Docks again! Our table started with two appetizers. First, Shrimp Almondine: Next - stuffed mushrooms. Though I abhor mushrooms, I did enjoy a scoop of the seafood stuffing and cheeses oozing through this dish: Three of the four diners opted for the Cobia Special - Grilled and topped with Shrimp and Basil Cream Sauce. I had to be different - and got the Sauteed Red Snapper Topped With Scallops and Jalapeño Alfredo Sauce. Though the fish was more fried than sauteed - the dish worked wonderfully. We headed back to the Holiday Inn too stuffed to consider dessert.

Unfortunately, my camera was a bit underexposed - so much for idiot-proof. Shutterfly helped somehow to make some of my photos a little better; they are here: My Shutterfly Album I also put them here, but they are darker on EGullet than on Shutterfly (don't ask me why - see "idiot", above). This is the BER after it is cut open and the yolks mixed with the cheese and butter sauce. Salumi Platter featuring House Made and Batali products: Angolotti with a beef reduction and cream sauce. Berkshire Pork Picatta Berkshire Pork Chop My photo of the lentil dish is about the same as Edsel's, but it looks a bit better on Shutterfly. We were way too stuffed to order dessert.

My dad waitered at these places: The Royal Hotel in White Lake 1953 The Paramont Hotel in Mountaindale 1954 I forget the name of a hotel in Parksville where I worked a few weeks The Prospect Hotel in Swan Lake 1952 It took twenty years before he went from waiter to customer - though I think my parents took their honeymoon at the Nevele in or about 1959.

Does anyone know if Stinky’s Fish Camp has opened yet? Any comments? Does anyone know exactly where it is located? Thanks!

Time to bump this topic up, since we are planning our annual pilgrimage to Destin that will occur shortly. So - locals - what's new and exciting? What's closed since last winter? I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

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Tino - you picked a primo product with the Iwatani. I have been using one in my catering projects for years. You want to make sure that the table you use it on can take some heat and that the space is clear (for example, your table should not be up against windows that have curtains dangling). Also - any pot you heat on it will be hot, so if there is carpet on the floor, don't put the pot on it or it will burn (this happened to someone else at an event I worked on).

Thank you Tino! You all have E-Gulleteer Jo-Mel to thank for my knowledge about Dim Sum - when I lived in New Jersey, she was my Chinese Cooking Teacher and taught me about much more than just cooking.

I’ve been trying to get a group together to sample Dim Sum at the reincarnated C&Y Restaurant at 2222 St. Clair Avenue for many months. Two large tables of friends finally gathered there on Sunday, and we left full and happy. Sorry – no photos this time – the food action was too fast and furious, and I was sort of overseeing the ordering. Edsel – did you take any pictures? As some of you may recall, C&Y opened in 2004 and was immediately praised for its Xiao Long Bao and Dim Sum. C&Y closed in the Spring of 2005 and laid dormant until early 2006. Yes, it took me a whole year to find some folks willing to meet us there and give it a try, after some negative talk surfaced about it. Recently, we’d heard both positive and negative reports about the revived C&Y, so I was determined to try it for myself. Jimmy Fong is still running the house and they never disconnected their phone, but I don’t know if they changed ownership. The first new thing I noticed in the restaurant was a fry cart. This cart has a high BTU griddle for frying goodies tableside, and isn’t seen at many Dim Sum houses these days. Even the huge Jing Fong in NYC Chinatown eschews the fry cart and instead has a “food bar” for freshly fried items. Speaking of Jing Fong, we ate there about three weeks ago and the experience was still pretty fresh in my mind, so I was comparing C&Y more to NYC Dim Sum than Cleveland Dim Sum. C&Y did very well and was actually better than Jing Fong on some things, although the selection was smaller. Notwithstanding the smaller selection, we reached “full” even as new items were still coming out of the kitchen! The only C&Y dish that did not succeed Sunday was the formerly storied Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings). They were not fresh and had little liquid in them – neither table cared for them (the “fishy” taste some noted was stale crab). I would guess that they have only Cantonese Dim Sum Chefs at the restaurant now – Xiao Long Bao are a Shanghai delicacy, and are not found in traditional Dim Sum houses anyway. Sad that these aren’t up to their former glory, but I felt that the freshness and skill displayed in the Hong Kong style items made up for this disappointment. The only other dish that I felt “lacked profundity” was the steamed spare rib bits; to my taste, it didn’t have a lot of flavor. Almost everything else we tried was stellar. Two items that are made to order rather than served off the carts – scallion pancakes and Lo Hom Fu Pei Chag (Cruller stuffed with vegetables and wrapped in rice noodles) were excellent – they have somehow solved the sogginess that used to pervade the Cruller and it remained crunchy to the end. The scallion pancakes were savory but not at all greasy. Also, the la jiang (chili oil) tasted very fresh and delivered flavor along with heat. The junior member of our group (age 11), after bravely tasting some Dim Sum, elected to have an order of Lemon Chicken that looked nice and put a smile on her face. Our first round came from one of two dumpling carts. Shao Mai and Har Gow were devoured by the table before I could sit down. I tried the rolled bean curd sheet with pork/shrimp filling, which was very good, the so-so spare ribs, then sticky rice dumpling, which was packed with fresh bits of pork and lap cheong (Chinese dried sausage). The sticky rice was infused with a wonderful “grassy” flavor from the lotus leaf it was cooked and served in – a sure sign of fresh leaves. The steamed translucent dumpling stuffed with pork and shrimp was deliciously toothy. The second cart offered fluffy rice noodle sheets stuffed with beef or shrimp; standard fare executed well. One person selected tripe, and pronounced it very good (hubby Bob didn’t think it was fresh, though, so the jury’s out on this one, I guess). We took one plate of Beef Balls, which disappeared before I could try them, and I was too full for chicken feet by the time it was passed to us from the other table, but both items got great reviews. One new item on this cart was a steamed cake that looked like cornbread, but was light and fluffy – I don’t know what it was made from, but everyone praised it. The next cart offered scrumptious fried Taro dumplings (Chinese potato-like vegetable with pork and bits of shrimp) and tasty spring rolls. The Baked BBQ Pork Buns melted in the mouth – each component was perfectly executed. One person especially enjoyed the Eggplant Stuffed with Shrimp, which I also liked. We passed on the other baked items, because they are so darn filling! But the Pineapple Bun, Coconut Bun, Steamed BBQ Pork Bun and several permutations on Bean Paste Buns and deep fried Fun Gow all looked and smelled wonderful. Finally – the fry cart and the best two dishes of the day (IMO): Chive Dumplings and Turnip Cake (described on the menu as “Radish Cake”). Both were exquisitely fresh and left Jing Fong in the dust. Some of our diners felt overwhelmed by the intensity of the chives, but the freshness of this dumpling exhilarated me, and the bits of shrimp (not usual in this dumpling) nicely complimented the greenery. The Turnip Cake tasted like no turnip or taro cake I’ve ever had before - as if the vegetables had been grated that morning. They didn’t gussy it up – I did not miss the dried shrimp, pork bits and other “fillers” normally in Turnip Cake – they let the creaminess of the cake and the freshness and flavor of its namesake speak for it. The other two fry cart items were also stand-outs – an egg wrapper stuffed with freshly minced shrimp and potstickers. I think that the secret to the fry cart’s success was that instead of pre-cooking the food and then re-heating it on the cart, the food was all or mostly cooked to order on the cart. This added to the service time, but the results were well worth it! Even as we were filling up on all of this goodness, we had to try a couple more – I thought I’d had the penultimate Baked Egg Custard tart at Jing Fong, but C&Y’s were just a little yummier. The fried Shrimp Ball was also very good. In fact, not one shrimp item I tasted suffered from bad smell or taste and I almost always dislike shrimp because it isn’t fresh enough or tastes like chemicals. As the Tofu Fa (sweet tofu “soup”) cart came around, I cried “uncle”, and my tablemates agreed that they were too full to go on. But the fried sticky rice looked so tempting, as did the soup cart. And then plates of simply steamed green vegetables and plates of fried noodles came out of the kitchen and . . . .I guess I need to get another hungry group together soon, because there is too much to sample on just one visit! Oh – and dinner looks to be wonderful too – they have menus for prix fixe authentic Chinese multi-course meals for 4, 6 or 10 diners and a large multicompartment fresh fish tank. Prices for 10 diners range from $169-$338 per table, depending on the menu. Email or pm me if you are interested in seeing those menus or partaking in such a meal. FYI, Chinese New Year starts February 18 this year. The current incarnation of C&Y gets an A from this Dim Sum fan.

Off of the top of my head: Ty Fun (the one you refer to in Trement) Both locations of Phenom Phenn Opa

I have also learned that temperature matters - if your flat is cold, put them in the warmest spot you can find.

In answer to Pan's question - Jing Fong was pretty full - not completely, but a robust crowd for a Saturday. Eatmywords - using NYC Dept of Health, I ascertained the following: 88 Palace (which was my favorite Dim Sum place prior to Jing Fong, though I always knew it as "888" or "Triple 8" Palace) had 15 points, but was cited for insects/roaches. Grand Harmony ranged from 4-37 points in recent inspections, but even in the 4 point inspection, it was cited for roaches. Ping's Seafood had 17 points. Jing Fong had 15 points, but was NOT cited for insects/roaches. So, at least for now, Jing Fong is highly recommended for Dim Sum.

I just checked the Dept of Health inspection website, and apparently Jing Fong was re-opened after cleaning up. They were last inspected 11/29 and had 15 violation points, which was less than the other Dim Sum places I looked up. ←

I just checked the Dept of Health inspection website, and apparently Jing Fong was re-opened after cleaning up. They were last inspected 11/29 and had 15 violation points, which was less than the other Dim Sum places I looked up.

I don't order burgers much, but my husband does and I'll usually take a bite from his when he does. Right now, I'd say it's a tie for the best I've tasted, between Moxie and Blue Canyon. But there are so many places that we haven't tried, that I'd be interested in seeing others' opinions.

Edsel - I wish I could say "fear not, I am here to save you" - unfortunately, I didn't do much better with the first dessert course! I don't have much to add to Edsel's descriptions - the food, wine and company was simply fabulous! This is my take on the first course, which I think was my favorite (and Matt says it is on the regular Lolita menu!) - Heritage Pork Belly prepped and fried such that the pork fat melted in the mouth like Belgian chocolate, while the flesh gently "crunched" together with a lite nutty crunch from the pistachios; the beets were almost secondary (I said almost ) but packed huge flavor in little bitty veggies: The honey-glazed scallop became even more delicous when I dipped and swirled each bite in the simple honey sauce adorning the plate: I marveled at how they managed to serve 43 people house made raviolis all cooked to perfect al dente texture. The rabbit filling was interesting and the brown butter mated perfectly with the honey to finish the dish: The pork loin course came from local farmer Ed Snavely. I've had his bacon before, but not other cuts - wow! I gave my husband permission to make the traditional (for his family) pork loin with sauerkraut for New Year's Day - but only if he gets the pork from Snavely! Alas, the "white on white" overwhelmed my limited photographic skills on the next course: Finally, even though Cory wasn't in the house, Edsel and I commented on how his signature ran through the final dessert course - the "cream goat cheese" - which was this close to ice cream -- ended the meal perfectly. The emphasis was not only on Lucy's Ohio Honey (www.ohiohoney.com), but locally produced or sourced ingredients. A wonderful evening, indeed - thank your to Matt, Michael, Liz, Cory and everyone else who helped to make it happen.

A group of us met at Sunluck Garden for dinner last night (don't worry, Edsel - we're planning to do it again after you return!). The owner, Annie, is from Hong Kong, and maintains a lot of authenticty in her dishes, while crafting them for Western palates. Unfortunately, the food came so fast and furious (and our group was so large) that I didn't get pictures of everything. Here is what I did get: Appetizers Potstickers - made from scratch and crammed with flavor - who'd have thought we could eat pork again so soon! Halibut "Firecrackers" The Not-So-Ubiquitous (in the Midwest) Crab Rangoon - full of real crab flavor (don't know if it was actually real crab). We all had soup, and among the group, sampled three varieties: Vegetarian Sizzling Rice Soup Hot and Sour And - a house specialty - Butternut Squash Soup - looks deceptively like regular Won Ton Soup - but is vegetarian and gets its lovely color (as well as the dumpling filling) from squash - Yum! I stopped keeping up when the entrees hit. I did get some - this was my choice, the fish special of the day - Yellow Croaker with Turnips, Pears and other vegetables - it was wonderful! They were out of lobster for the Seafood of the day, but the Scallops were huge and delicious: The Walnut Chicken was outstanding. We also had Yu Shiang Pork that was spicy and delicious, an original interpretation of Ma Po Tofu (the tofu was fully mashed up - it worked extremely well), Liphen Noodles with Chicken and Mandarin Sauce (Liphen noodles are similar to Shanghai noodles, but a little thinner - the dish was inhaled), and three Specials - Mussels with Black Bean Sauce (I'm not a mussel eater, but I enjoyed the taste, if not the texture, of the one I ate) served with a side of sauteed sprouts, Sauteed Snap Peas with vegetables and chicken, and Pineapple with Sunluck's signature "dark tofu" which is made from soy, but is texturally similar to Seitan. Annie makes all of the desserts, including the sorbets and ice creams, in house. We sampled one of just about everything, including a chocolate pecan pie to die for, but there was no way I could shoot it all! Sorbet and Ice Cream Chocolate Double Custard Pie Carrot Cake Peach Cake with Caramel Sauce As we were getting ready to leave, Annie thanked us for our patronage, and gave us two house made cookies along with the requisite Fortune Cookies; a rosemary cookie and a scotchie - both were delicious and who'd have thought fresh rosemary would work in a cookie? It was a fully satisfiying evening of great food and company.

I forgot to mention that the apples on the dessert were amazing in their own right. Does anyone know what kind they were and where they were from?

Oops! You're right! Here they are: And they were amazing - especially the sundried tomato-olive ones on the right.

What a wonderful time was had by all! The food and the wine pairings were superb and our hosts were warm and gracious. First - the Menu: First Course: Second Course: I found the flavor of the roulade a little too "porky" for my taste - until I ate the three components on the plate together - they made for perfect culinary harmony. Third Course: The item on the right was a strip of pork rind that was out of this world. Fourth Course: Fifth Course: What can you say about a plate full of pork - I can't believe I ate the whole thing! Dessert: This dessert explains why so many bakers are passionate about using lard in their crusts - a completely different "crunch" than you get from from Crisco (and richer flavor, too).

Wow, Edsel - that was fast! I have a few more photos from last night - what an awesome meal! And we'll have to do it again, since two of our party got sick and couldn't make it (Cory - Shannon made it to Wooster and had to turn back because she was sooo sick). We were so hungry when the appetizers came that forgot to photograph - but the new Beet Salad is a winner and the Beef Cheek Pierogies just keep getting better and better. My husband Bob had the Braised Berkshire Pork. I had the Hanger Steak and Frites Another EGulleteer had the marvelous Lamb Edsel mentioned - a huge serving of perfectly prepared meat Edsel already posted photos of the Banana Panna Cotta and Fruit Crepe and the Dark Night in Cleveland - here is one of the Pumpkin dessert, which was plate licking good: And - lest anyone doubt the quality of the kitchen and staff behind Michael & Liz - they were not in the house last night, but if you weren't sitting in the kitchen, you wouldn't know it - everything from food to service was executed perfectly.