kpurvis

All of the above, plus www.allrecipes.com. Just curious, though: Does anybody remember that old recipe database that was based in Berkeley? The name is escaping me now, but when the web first came to us common folk, it was a tremendous resource. It seemed to collapse along the way, but I always wondered what the story was behind it. It had a lot of recipes from traveling academics, so it was a great source for obscure yak-milk dishes and thousands of ways to make dal. What was that thing called? Now it's going to drive me nuts . . .

On the subject of citrus, I just got back from a trip to my family's home in West Palm Beach, where I always pick Meyer lemons and real Key limes from the trees my late father planted. On the way back, we stopped at one of those tourist fruit stands (only because I had promised a bag of oranges to my neighbor. Well, OK, also to look for Florida ceramic kitsch to add to my collection. But I swear, I never even glanced at the 13-foot alligator.) They were selling a new citrus strain I hadn't seen: Red navels. (OK, Perlow, have your way with THAT phrase. ) Anyway, they are very sweet navel oranges with red flesh, more like a red grapefruit in color than a blood orange. They were delicious. If you're going to be in South Florida in the new few weeks, also look for the honeybell oranges, which are now all the rage among the citrus afficionadoes.

I did a food/travel article on Asheville in September. If you'll go to the archive on my newspaper's web site, www.charlotte.com, and put in the terms "purvis and asheville," you'll turn up the story and a sidebar that had restaurant names, addresses, phone numbers and web addresses. (You have to register to use the archive, but it's free.) Off the top of my head, don't-misses are Market Place, Early Girl and the one that starts with a Z (Zambra? Sorry, I'm still finishing my second cup of coffee.)

Speaking -- er, writing -- as a journalist at a daily newspaper, I try to follow fairly simple rules. Including this one: "Never do anything you wouldn't want to see printed on your own front page in 72-point type." But it does get tricky. Food is such a small world that you can't cover it for long without coming to personally know people who are involved in it. Knowing those people gets you information that deepens your stories or even gets your stories period. So your readers benefit. One principle I try to keep in mind: If I would have a personal qualm reporting that Source X is filing for bankruptcy (all too likely, unfortunately) or has been charged with embezzling or sued for ripping off his investors, I'm probably too close and should either keep away from them as sources, or should disclose my personal relationship in columns or stories.

Addendum: I walked by the new Irish place and picked up a menu. It's called Irish Blessings, and the menu looks promising. Dinner lineup includes Ballymaloe Pheasant, Lamb Wether Well Style and Salmon Na Spry.

OK, as promised, a few suggestions: For upscale Friday night, consider any of these: Upstream, at Phillips Place. Very pricy, but excellent seafood, and the location, in Phillips Place, is good for strolling. The bar scene on a Friday night is always hopping, too. Zebra, right around the corner, chef is adventurous and doing interesting things. Sonoma, uptown. California contemporary, very pricy. Ethans of Elizabeth is one I like, in an old house in the Elizabeth neighborhood. Chef-owned, contemporary menu with Southern touches, relaxed atmosphere. Or high-end uptown: Luce, Aquavit or Blue, all very new. All contemporary, with different focuses (Luce is Italian, Aquavit seafood, etc.) For casual Saturday, these are less pricy but lots of fun uptown: Corabelle's, fusion/Southern (better than it sounds). There's a new Irish place in the Radcliffe building (the name is escaping me at the moment, but anyone can direct you and it's easy to spot if you're walking on South Tryon toward the Observer building -- it has Irish in the title). It's only been open a couple of weeks, but the menu looks interesting. White-tablecloth, not Irish pub food (if you want that, go to Ri Ra, at the TransAmerica plaza. Cool room -- the interior was shipped over from Ireland.) If you don't mind driving around and you want fun and funkier, head over to Plaza-Midwood and go to either The Penguin or Dish. Penguin is a rescued diner that's a favorite hangout (great onion rings, in the thin variety, fried dill pickles, pimento cheese and burgers), and Dish is artsy, more Southern than contemporary. For Southern breakfasts: I've heard about the soul food place Phaelon is talking about, and there's another new soul food place opened by the people who briefly owned McDonald's Cafeteria. Another place to keep in mind is Mert's Heart and Soul, a popular spot uptown. I'm not sure about their Sunday hours, you'd need to check, but I go there for lunch pretty often. If you really want an authentic experience, you could go to the United House of Prayer for All People on Beatties Ford Road. It's a large church in a historic African-American section, and they served breakfast and lunch every day. You can go in there for breakfast on Sunday before church, if you wear your Sunday best. Go upstairs to church afterward and you'll here some magnificent gospel music. (Be warned,though: Their services take all day. That's why they serve breakfast!) That's only the start, though. Charlotte's food scene is growing very, very fast. Be sure to report back after your trip.

If he's here on a Sunday, that may not work. They're closed Sundays.

Vandy, save me some time: How long will you be in town, do you want to stick close to uptown, and what's your price range/eating style? Otherwise, if you do a search down through this thread, you can find other posts I've done on Charlotte's restaurant scene that should give you some ideas.

I'm on my way to Charlotte Douglas in an hour. I'll remember that tip if I need a last-minute fix. And while I apologize on behalf of my city for the sauce, I will point out with civic pride that Charlotte has good rocking chairs in its airport.

Charlotte has Nova, plus a handful of small bakers who are selling at the farmers markets, such as Angelika's. Several people have told me they like Great Grains as well. While in Asheville on a recent food story, I stopped by Blue Moon and West End. But that brings me to another question: How do you define "artisan bakery"? I've run into trouble using the term in articles. My editors and many of my readers don't understand it, and the standards for what artisan means are squishy. Does it mean hand-made loaves, or only brick-oven baking, or use of a certain type of starter or a certain level of ingredients? If a starter is supplied elsewhere, can the bread made from it be considered artisan? Does artisan just refer to the earnestness of the baker? We have at least two good and traditional-style Mexican bakeries in Charlotte. The cakes, cookies and breads are made on site, and they are made and sold in a manner that I am told is authentic to how you'd get it in Mexico City. Does that make their goods an artisan product? I'd be curious to hear others' thinking on this one.

. . . And that brings us back to doe, a deer, a female deer. . . Tidiest ending to a thread I've seen on the site. Thanks, all.

Excellent. Are we all invited to dinner? Bruce Varmint filled our state quota for hospitality for a while! (I'm in Charlotte, N.C. Sadly had to miss the big pig-picking because of an unavoidable camping trip with my son's Scout troop.) Yeah, and Kathi's making up for her absence by bringing the duck breasts up to Raleigh and cooking for me, right Kathi?? Aw, Dean. You know I'm your fowl weather friend.

Excellent. Are we all invited to dinner? Bruce Varmint filled our state quota for hospitality for a while! (I'm in Charlotte, N.C. Sadly had to miss the big pig-picking because of an unavoidable camping trip with my son's Scout troop.)

Russ, just curious: How does the Times handle invitations for staff try-out nights for new restaurants? I turn them down as a matter of course, but some of our business writers take them.

Thanks, all. Those are some great ideas. And since I just finished writing a story on cutting up duck, I just happen to have five or six duck breasts laying around in the freezer. I feel a glaze coming on . . .

Forgive me if it's presumptious to jump into a conversation that is rightfully focused on my colleague. I always enjoy hearing/reading Russ' feedback. As another journalist who reads regularly and occasionally takes part in the egullet discussion, I wanted to bring up a point on the lurking issue. I posted a lurking question way back when I first joined egullet, because I was concerned about the very issues Steve raises. I read egullet in the same way Russ describes, as part of that great gathering-in of viewpoints, thoughts, inspirations and random brain waves that is the work of writing. To me, it's like those 7 or 8 food magazines and three wire service feeds I read. For instance, the Amanda Hesser/Sandra Lee discussion was part of what resulted in my column this week, on how to define a cook. It was only part, though. When it comes to posting, though, I do sometimes hesitate. I think of writing like a well in a dry country. You have to let the water build up and you get very guarded about taking too much of it out. I am paid to write and I am always aware that my first responsibility is to my paper and my section. So there are many times when I don't reply because I'm saving the words for my job. Sort of like saving the dance for the one what brung me. It's also a matter of time. Unlike Russ, I am a one-person section (luckily, I don't have to review restaurants, but I do have to run the wires, edit stories, handle the mail, answer the reader questions, fend off the PR flacks, etc., in addition to writing, reporting and columnizing). Egullet readers are intelligent and well-considered, so formulating an answer can take as long as writing a column. Like Russ, I'd agree on those people who use egullet as a way to harvest sources. Don't reply and they'll figure out it's a dry hole and go away.

A "friend" has given me a very large bottle of plum wine, which was given to him by his favorite Chinese restaurant owner. What on earth do I do with a giant bottle of plum wine? Once I crack the seal, I certainly won't be able to drink it that fast. Any suggestions?

I've been searching for the perfect roasted lemon with chicken after eating a dish like that at Chez Lena et Mamille near Rue Mouff a couple of years ago. So thanks for that idea, Chris. I'll play with it. In the meantime, I'll join Fifi in coming out from under the rock and asking another stupid question: What do you mean by "tapas pan"? Are you referring simply to the pan in which you were cooking a tapas, or is there a pan by that name that I haven't encountered? Move over, Fi -- it's crowded in here.

I'm sorry, I was out of town and didn't see your question until today. The phone number is 704-643-1421 and the address is 5909 South Blvd., if that helps.

I don't, but I'm trying. One of our editors here in Charlotte brought in her special hurricane cookies today. She grew up in Myrtle Beach and she says these are what her mom made before every hurricane. Hurricanes in beach towns are like snow days inland. I haven't weaseled the recipe yet, but I can say they are very crispy/buttery versions of chocolate chip cookies, but they have chopped pecans instead of chocolate chips.

Also on the healthful issue, here in Charlotte, N.C., where I live, many of the large churches now have formalized food service staffs. Instead of potlucks, they have chefs that provide food for church events. It's certainly healthier, but also less exciting as an expression of community identity (at least, from my selfish perspective as a food writer). How widespread do you think this is becoming? And do you see it changing the foods we find connected with churches?

Hey, Joyce. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I'm working on a book on funeral foods in America, and would also like to hear about these foods in the churches you worked with for your books. Do you know anything about burial societies? I know they were common in small Southern communities well into the 20th century. These were very formal organizations, with rules, committees and dues that were used to provide a grave and tombstone. In some of the information on these societies, I've seen descriptions of women wearing aprons as part of their "funeral uniform," and yet I've seen nothing on who provided the food. What have you heard about burial societies, and particularly about the food role? Was the food included as part of the group's service, or did it remain a voluntary thing, brought by neighbors and family members?

Huh. See, I thought it was the other way around.

Thanks, Tad. I remove as much of it as I can, but I find that it doesn't come off that easily on spareribs (personally, I don't care much for baby backs -- no character). I'll try your trick.

Here in the South, we can get way too serious on the subject of fried chicken. But my method, handed down and confirmed in too many soul-food excursions, is to put the lid on for the first 20-30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through, then take the lid off for the final 10 minutes per side, to brown it and crisp the skin. I've also started using an electric skillet. It may not as "honored" as my well-seasoned cast iron, but it's an easy way to control the heat.