Octaveman

Chicken Scaloppine with Balsamic Vinegar and basil Scalloped potatoes with Gruyere and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses cooked in a mini Staub Cocotte Roasted baby brussel sprouts

Without being aware, last September, I purchased the 10-piece Emeril SS set. Not bad for my first attempt away from non-stick and into the world of SS. Now though I've slightly expanded and am not turning back. 1. Cast Iron wok from the Wok Shop 2. Staub 7.25 oval cocotte in black matte. Laminated cast iron with condensation bumpie thingies on the lid. 3. Falk 11" Frying pan. 2.5mm copper exterior, SS interior. 4. Falk 11" Sauciere (4.5 qt) 5. Falk 2 qt Fait Tout 6. Sitram 17.9 qt stock pot The last one to pick...hmmm... 7. Rice cooker 6 cup capacity Can't stop myself...need more.... 8. Emeril sauce pan for misc heating of whatever 9. Circulon 6 qt with steamer insert. 10. Some cheapo non-stick fry pan for whatever. Cheers, -Bob

I bought my cast iron wok from the Wok Shop in San Francisco (www.wokshop.com). It's very thin and lightweight and I love it. Cooking on an electric stove sucks for wokking though. I may look into the suggestions for wok burners/stoves.

I'll pitch in for La Fondue. I ate their about 5 years ago and loved it. Atmosphere is cool and the food pretty good. Had a great time. And from what I remember you can get a hibachi grill style dinner or a traditional fondue style. The options for meat was fairly extensive and you get to choose your broth. So the place has options unlike a highly toughted fondue place down here in San Diego. Anyway, I haven't been to the other places mentioned but my wife and I did like La Fondue. Cheers, Bob

For excellent Italian food in my opinion is Original Joe's downtown San Jose. Nice atmosphere on the casual side but with ellegant appointments (black leather booths, waiters in tuxes, 6 ft. tall vases, etc.). It can get busy but open late nightly. Extensive menu...their garlic bread is loaded with garlic, their steaks are char-broiled, their ravioli's are awesome, their Veal Scallopine is great as is the Veal parmagiane. I go there every time I'm in town visiting family. Has anyone else ate (eatin?) here?

Hi Sam, Well, I finally went for it and bought three Falk pans: 11" Fry, 4.5 qt Sauciere and a 2 qt Fait Tout from Mike at Copperpans.com. I've been going back and forth on whether to plunk down serious change for very good cookware or just keep what I have as inefficient as it may be. I probably didn't need to spend the extra money over some other pan that could be just as efficient but as you pointed out the extra money over the span of 10+ years is pretty cheap indeed. Do you think this is a good starter set? What pieces would you recommend beyond these? I remember reading in one or two of your numerous posts that you use the curved Sautuese for most of your cooking. Some will be obvious, but could you please give several examples of the uses for the Sauciere and the Fait Tout? Thanks for all your knowledge that helped me choose proper cookware. Cheers, Bob

Thanks for the website Pamela. I've already got my markets planned out for the week. I live in San Diego and the few farmer's markets I've been to were just okay. Does anyone know of one that is on par with the SF Ferry market? I'm totally envious of that one. Thanks, Bob

Regarding ceviche, Nacho's has very good ceviche and my wife gets it all the time. It comes in a big plate and you can get any kind of tortilla you'd like. My wife usually gets corn chips. Oh, and they make it fresh to order. It takes about 15-20 minutes and it can get hot/spicy but they can tone it down if you need it that way. A dish I would recommend having besides the ceviche is their Taco's Al Pastor. You get three "mini" tacos and come with two tortillas per taco, pork in a flavorful sauce, onions and cilantro and a slice of lime. I always get them with quacamole. Yummy. Another thing to get is a carne asada burrito and have them cook the meat with their home-made salsa. This is a must if you've had a carne asada burrito with fillers such as rice and/or beans. There is nothing in them except meat, pico de gallo, and quacamole. Very good and big. Another tasty item is their carne asada torta. Basically a steak sandwich with lots of stuff in between mexican bread. Damn, I wish they were open right now (I live a block away). Anyway, I highly recommend this place. Their salsa is not hot but since it's home made, it can get hot depending on the day. Very good flavor. I could go on...can you tell I love the place? If you like BBQ, I'd suggest Phil's BBQ on Goldfinch at Washington in the Hillcrest area. If you like Thai, I'd suggest Taste of Thai, Celedron or Rama. My wife and I are going to Rama for V-day tomorrow night. Never been as they just opened but I hear it's awesome. Same owners as Celedron. For steak, Greystone downtown is very good, upscale, well appointed. Another steakhouse called Bully's on Camino Del Rio South in Mission Valley has great prime rib and is a dark place with red carpet, black leather booths and a piano bar. Local joint with nice atmosphere. For Chinese, I'd sugget P. F. Changs. We go often as it has variety beyond the standards but includes some of the favorites. Got to try their Lemon Pepper Shirmp and their chicken lettuce wraps. There is one located in Mission Valley at the end of Fashion Valley mall. The one off La Jolla Village Drive has better look as the entire restuarant has glass walls. The mission valley one has very nice decor but I like the overall look of the other one better. The huge horse statues out front are cool. Google Cantina Panaderia for plenty of reviews. Looks interesting. Cheers, Bob

There's this farmer's market that sets up every Tuesday at the ferry landing in Coronado. I bought a couple of lbs of Clementine manderin oranges. Had one today that was the most juiciest and sweetest orange I've ever had. I had to stop was I was doing at my desk to finish it. There's nothing like good citrus in the morning for me.

Food safe glue is key here as not all makers use it. Totally Bamboo is one of the better brands and I can't remember the other. Don't buy the ones at Costco as I read somewhere they don't use food safe glue. Keep in mind that the harder the cutting surface the harder they are your knife edges. It's not a huge difference to using Maple but depending on your usage, you may need to sharpen more often. Also keep in mind that with bamboo boards, bacteria will stay on top of the board rather than being absorbed into the wood where they die as with maple. I own a Boos board but also considered bamboo as they look cool. I went with Boos because there wasn't a board in the design and size I wanted in bamboo. Cheers, Bob

This is interesting in that I LOVE buffalo wings but never thought to make my own sauce. I always used Anchor Bar HOT but I also add a hot sauce to that because it's not hot enough. The hot sauce I add is Blair's Death Sauce (Blair's Death Sauce @ Hot Licks). It has a nice bite and a slight vinegery taste to it that complements the wing sauce as opposed to changing it with it's own flavor. I'll have to try making my own sauce using Blair's next time. Cheers, Bob

OH MY GOD!!!! The Gilroy Garlic Festival is the bestest festival EVER!!!! The festival started in 1979 and I've been going to the GGF every year (well, except four with good reasons) since 1981. I try to never miss this event and ever since moving to San Diego in 1985, I still make the annual trip up. Friday is the day to go with another couple of hours on Sunday morning before noon because the food is so good you gotta go again. There is also a cooking contest and have a quest chef do demonstrations, etc. There are three stages that have constant musical entertaniment from jazz to blues to oldies to funk to rock and all local talent. One time, The Flying Elvis's from Russia (I think) were there. Great. There are also plenty of arts and crafts to look at and buy too. Ever wanted to learn how to braid garlic? There's a class that teaches how. They also have garlic breading contests and garlic chopping contests. The festival is set in Christmas Hill Park and is all grass so there's no dust. The parking area's are dirt but there are water trucks going around all day to keep the dust from being a problem. There are huge air conditioned buses that take you from the parking areas to the gate and back at the end of the day so there's not much walking involved to or from your car. As one person said, it puts Disney organization to shame. Very organized. It can get hot so dress for warm weather, bring your sunscreen and wear a hat. The gates open at 10:00 but I suggest getting there around 9:15 - 9:30 as it takes a little time to get to the gates. Sometmies they let you in early too. I mostly eat the food in Gourmet Alley...peppersteak sandwiches, sauteed calimari, shrimp scampi, garlic bread, pasta con pesto but I also eat the other vendors' food too. The Hawaiian BBQ is excellent, the Watsonville Band Boosters have great deep fried artichoke hearts, mushrooms and zuchinni. I also always get the huge frozen apricots on a stick dipped in chocolate. And of course, there's the garlic ice cream...yum. This year the fest is on July 29-31. There was a link to the official website in a previous post. I can tell you without reservation that you should make a trip to Gilroy if you love garlic and love festivals. This one will kick your butt. Also honorable mention goes to the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras. Much smaller in scale but good none-the-less. Cheers, Bob

Grest suggestions for pre-theatre dining but what about post-theatre dining? Where are the late night eats ala Late Night With Dave Attel? I'll be seeing Phantom on 44th and wondering what spots are a must hit for Pastrami piled high on rye, pizza by the slice, burgers, Thai, Chinese, whatever. It's my first visit to NY so need suggestions for the local greasy, fattening and hell-a-good eats....thanks. (yes, my diet will be on hold). Cheers, Bob

You didn't say what type of food you're looking for and at what price point but I have a few suggestions then you can tell us what specifically you're looking for. Best Fish Taco's = Rubio's. If you've never tried a fish taco, you HAVE to go to Rubio's for their Fish Taco Especial (not their plain fish taco). It's a fast food mexican place (not a taco shop) and are all over the place. Let me know where you're staying at I'll get you to one. The best. Steakhouse = Greystone in Galsamp Quarter. Upscale steakhouse that has never dissapointed me or my friends who go from my recommendation. Of course, there are also Morton's and Ruth Chris but there all over the country. You should go to a local joint. Best traditional Mexican = Place in the middle of Bazzar Del Mundo in Old Town. I can't remember the name but it's an outdoor restaurant that serves copious amounts of traditional Mexican and is very good. My wife and I love this place and go often. Best Taco Shop = Nacho's Taco Shop 7500 block of University Ave. in La Mesa. This place has been here for over 20 years and serves outstanding food for a small little joint. Sushi = Shien of Osaka in Rancho Bernardo. Not located in a tourist area but the fish is incredible and the sushi chef's can make anything you want. I've eatin at many sushi places over the 20 years I've lived here but I keep on coming back to this one as I haven't found one better in terms of quality. My wife and I rarely go out to expensive places anymore because we come away dissapointed more times than not. George's By The Cove in La Jolla is highly rated. In the Gaslamp Quarter, there are blocks of restaurants along 4th and 5th aveunues that I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding something. Here's a link to what is there: San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Restaurants What kind of food did were you looking for? Cheers, Bob

I second Pinnacle Peak, Bully's in Mission Valley and Rei de Gado. The cowboy steak at Pinnacle Peak is a huge porterhouse around 30 oz. (I think) and it's grilled over mesquite. Very tasty. Bully's has very good prime rib and everything else but it's been a while since I've been so I don't remember too much. While the different meats at Rei de Gado were mostly overcooked, dry and somewhat unseasoned the night I was there it was still pretty good. Don't know if that's just the way it is but you'd think that a Brazilian steak would have loads of flavor. It was still fun to get various kinds of meats and all you can eat to boot. Some other places I've eatin include Greystone in the Gaslamp Quarter. It's an upscale steakhouse with fantastic quality steaks, great service and atmosphere. The wife and I plus two friends ate there before a concert one time and we were all very happy with our meals. My wife had the buffalo tenderloin and it was better than my filet and that was hard to beat. My filet was a thick hunk of meat that was cooked EXACTLY the way I asked for it. A smaller chain type restaurant called Red Oak has surprised me the last few times I've been there. Cooked the same as Pinnacle Peak over mesquite and quite good for a family steakhouse. Another chain I love their steaks is Outback Steakhouse. My wife and I love this place. You can ask for your steaks to be cooked over an open flame (called Pittsburgh style I think) and they have a very good flavor and have always been tender. I got burned (well sort of) at Ruth Chris. My wife and I went there to celebrate our engagement 5 years ago and I got the Rib Eye. What I got was a peice of meat that had so much fat on it, half the plate was covered by it all. I mentioned this to the server and she said that this type of cut has more fat than the other cuts...no shit but not this much. The manager came over and agreed, I got a bad cut of meat but all he did was take it off my bill. In the mean time, I'm sitting there starving after eating maybe 6 ounces of true meat and just about all the veggies we ordered and he would not make me a new steak. Taking it off the bill is not what I wanted, I wanted another steak. I guess that's what I get for eating what they gave me. But you can't tell sometimes how much fat you really have until you finished the steak. I'll never go back. Rainwaters is on my list to try and I live in La Mesa and didn't know about the Charcoal House, will have to check it out. I've been to Morton's in Union Square, S.F. and it was quite good. I liked the idea of being able to look at the different cuts of meat you can order. The steak as I remember was good but not SO good that I'll be raving about it. I've also been to a place in S.F called Alfred's (I think) on Broadway (I think). It had at that time (in 1990) a wonderful selection of roast's and huge 30 oz steaks that blew my mind. It has the same atmosphere as depicted in the movie The Thief, The Cook, The Wife and her lover (or something like that). Don't know if it's still around or if it's any good anymore but I thought I'd mention it as it still sticks in my mind after 15 years. All I can think of right now. Cheers, Bob

Scallops Unagi Albacore Marguro Yellowtail Kani Ebi Salmon Masago Qual egg Large Sapporo Spicy Crab in any roll Spicy Scallop Roll Spicy Albacore special roll Rainbow Roll Caterpiller Volcano Jees...I could go on but I gotta eat something now. Too late to start the rice and slice up some fish. DAMN YOU.....DAMN YOU ALL TO HECK That's okay, we're going out to sushi Thursday night. I guess I can wait.

slkinsey, I've been reading your article on cookware and am amazed and overwelmed by the info you gave. I also started going through the related Q&A but after 5 pages I became equally overwelmed by the wealth of info. Sometimes though, having so much information can make a decision that much harder specially when the options for purchasing are quite numerous. If I may, can I ask your recommendation on a few things? It's my understanding that disk bottom pans like the Paderno and Sitram are the way to go without shelling out huge amounts of money so please correct me if I'm wrong at any time. I have a set of Emeril pans purchased a few months ago that I guess are okay as they have a disk bottom. I've cooked with non-stick all my life and these are the first SS pans I've ever owned. What is your opinion of these? I needed a while back a large fry/saute pan for frying up a dinner when I had guests so I bought the All-Clad SS 14" Sautee pan. I hate it. The heat does NOT flow to the sides and only what's above the burner get's cooked. Even when I'm sauteeing shallots for example, the shallots not directly above the burner just sit there, not sizzling, just sitting there. Not happy at all. So I guess my question is, is there a brand that would do a better job at frying up 6 pieces of chicken w/o having to do it in batches or in two pans? I noticed Paderno has a 14" fry...would that be the answer? I also want to get a good braising dish and am thinking Staub 7.25 qt coquette. Is this a wise choice or is there another brand that would do the same thing for less? Also, does it really matter whether the interior is white are dark? If I'm making a sauce from the braising liquid, should I do it in the same pan or move it to a curved sauce pan? I thought I read, these kind of pans don't do well on top of the stove. I appreciate your advice as I'm new to all this and the info is a bit overwelming. Thanks again, Bob

Sullivan St. Bakery = Pizza, different but great Amy's Bread = ? Mitchell London = ? I looked through the pre-theatre thread and there was lots of great suggestions. I jotted down the ones we'd keep in mind to try. I understand that the "best of NY" places are scattered. Since there can be diversity in food quality in a given area (for example, one pizza place can be better than the one down the street), I am looking for the best I can get in the area I'm in. I'll be seeing Phantom on 44th and the hotel is on 48th. The pre-theatre thread gave great ideas for sit down places for a nice dinner before the show. I'm now looking for late night eats. After the show, we're probably going to go to times square to look around but I heard times square is not the place to go for good food. Has anyone seen the TV show Up All Night With Dave Attell? That's kinda what I'm going for...an all night juicy burger, pastrami or pizza place that rocks. Is there anything like that in this area? If not, oh well, maybe next time. I really do appreciate the suggestions and I'm painfully aware that 24 hours in NY is not enough time but it's all I got right now. West side, not East, got it. It's my first time to NY, can you tell? Thanks again. BTW, should I make a post to the pre-theatre thread too or just keep it here? Cheers, Bob p.s. I NEVER tone down the spiciness!! I love Thai, Sichuan.

I guess I should mention again that I only have so much time to sample NY's finest stuff-your-face joints. So I don't have time to cruise the city. I'm looking for places close to where I'm staying in East Manhattan on 48th St. I have no clue where these places being suggested are since I've never been before. So specifics would be appreciated so I could easily locate it. Maybe within walking distance or a short taxi ride would work. What kind of sausage? What kind is NY famous for? I guess could be any kind so maybe Italian or Polish? I dunno, that's why I'm a writin'. Thanks a lot for the suggestions so far...keep 'em coming. Cheers, Bob

I'm heading to the east coast in May and will be staying in Manhattan around 48th and 8th. I'm looking for restaurants that have the best pastrami on rye, pizza by the slice, sausage, cheesesteak, etc. I'm also looking for a decent restaurant to eat before a show...not too expensive but good. I'm going off my diet for 24 hours and I'm gonna go nuts because I've heard so much about NY food. Any ideas? Thanks, Bob

Percyn...what per chance was your braising liquid? I must make that same EXACT thing!! Cheers

By "All these types" you mean all the types listed, Deba, Gyuto, Santuko? The only single beveled knife out of those listed is the Deba. The others are double beveled as are all Japanese Western Style knives. The three most common traditional knives, Yanagi, Deba and Usuba are single bevel. The western style knives don't have the traditional round Ho wood handle but have the same style handle as european knives. Plus you get the benefit of thin, hard Japanese blades. Best of both worlds, I say. I replaced my old Henckles with a rack full of traditional and western style Japanese knives and I love them all. Cheers, Bob

Speaking as someone who uses a deba but not as my primary knife, all I can say is that this knife is thick and heavy. My opinion is that it is not designed nor intended to be a primary knife for everyday work. My 180MM Watanabe deba weighs almost 3/4 of a pound and is used for cutting up chickens in my house but it's mainly used for breaking down large cuts of fish and beef. I don't have a Chinese cleaver but I think those things are much thinner and lighter than a deba which lends themselves for everyday/all day use. I could not see myself using a deba to cut veggies all day...way to heavy for that. I would recommend getting a Gyutou for everyday work. It uses Japanese steel with a western blade design. Much lighter, thinner and very well balanced (not blade heavy). I have a 270MM Hattori HD that is my go-to knife every time. I love it. Another option that has a closer design to the Deba is a Santoku. Check those out and see if they fit the bill. Cheers, Bob

Braised pork roast with onion, crimini mushrooms and rosemary. The liquid was homemade beef stock and a basic bordoux wine. A neighbor came over to ask what we were cooking...it filled the house (and apparently the neighborhood) with an absolutely wonderful aroma. The sauce was very rich and silky. Man, this turned out good. This is right before putting in oven. Sorry, didn't take any pics when cooked. Had as sides, steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes with red peppers.

Cool...thanks Fat Guy. It's going to be a rootin' tootin' chickin'(stock) makin' weekend. While I'm here I had another question if I may. Once the stock is made and the reduction begins, at what point do you stop reducing? Fat Guy said in this Q&A to stop once you've reached the desired strength. What does that mean? Reduce to what you want the stock to taste like then it gets added without reconsitution to the sauce/dish? I thought the purpose of reducing was to save on space and when it's needed, add water and you're good to go. I guess I'm confused about whether or not to reconstitute my stock. I know volume is an issue but where is the fine line between a richly flavored sauce and volume from add'l water? In practice, the two times I've made stock since going through this course, I've added very little water to my 4:1 (approx) reduction. Does that mean my stock wasn't rich enough? On a side note, I'm going to try less mirepoix this time. I think my stock was a bit to sweet. I still have some left from the last batch so I'll be able to make a direct comparison of the effects (or affects) of this modification. BTW, thanks Fat Guy for the great lesson. I'm starting to get really comfortable with this whole stock making thing. I find myself making stock just to get more practice not necessarily because I need more stock. Cheers, Bob