CharityCase

In most parts of India but certainly in more touristed parts of the south, there were restaurants everywhere that featured a brightly-lit, marble-clad upper lounge with a doorman. The first few times eating out I didn't take notice that I was ALWAYS being shuffled into that section, and there were only foreigners and well-dressed Indians and NRIs eating in this section. Many of the locals were making their way to the basement. Only after getting to know people and dining with indian friends did I notice that the basement(s) were usually dark, dingy and serving a different menu (with different prices) than the upstairs. Etched in my mind is the look on the many doormen's faces when I deliberately made a b-line to the downstairs..."No sir, please come eat upstairs..we have a/c...we have specials...we have chicken cutlets.." This strategy was great because I had a chance to try a number of dishes I wasn't expecting, and could smoke and drink crappy whiskey at the same time. Every now and then I think the kitchen staff would be mad that I was eating there and would deliberately load my Sambhar with chili powder until I was red in the face, and maybe I deserved it. No matter, the food was more interesting, the beer cheaper and the conversations more interesting.

I'm just a lowly renter but could someone weigh in on concrete? A close friend is pursuing this and has done one for a local restaurant. My understanding of the benefits is that it remains watertight, and though it also needs sealing has more variation and colour customization than other things on the market. Fairly cheap too as long as it's reinforced and mounted properly. And of course it can be shaped however the client wants.

When I first caught this thread a few months back it encouraged me to try feet at my next Dim Sum. The ones we were served closely resembled those in spaghettti's photo, and reddish/brownish sweet and hot might be my best guess at describing their flavour. I wasn't put off by them but found them more work then they're worth...the texture is sort of novel but there's so much fat and bone, and not much flavour to extract. I dunno, I'd file them under frog legs and snails as something to have once in a while but not something I lust after. Give me pho with tendon, give me braised pig's knuckle but leave the chicken feet at home

I think highchef's victim relocated to Ottawa and works at my local grocery store now. Was in the other day to pick up raw, deveined shrimp. Asked for them at the fish counter and the brace-faced, pimpled attendant just stared at me, crinkled his brow and said "Whaaaa?". Then there was an awkward silence. I laughed, which was instinctive I guess. He got it on the third try though.

There's a change in accomdation, so I'm now staying in Earl's Court. Care to recommend anything near there? I did a search and found a number of interesting pubs nearby: The Atlas, The finborough (some sort of theatre venue?). Of course it goes without saying that most pubs near to my stay will see me once, but should any of them see me more than once?

Good gracious is all I have to say to this thread! I haven't been yet, and I hope that their current service is an improvement over the experiences that some of you have had in the last couple of years. I'm cautiously optimistic that things will have improved with the adding of Fairmont to their name. I'll be sure to report back and help settle the dispute

No cable so I'm just catching up to this thread now...thanks bitTorrent I and others had Michael pegged from the start, partially because he reminds me of a chef friend in several ways (all good) and because blessed are the meek for they shall inherit a restaurant. They certainly tried their best to put him up as the crazy tattooed guy who talks to himself but he turned out great dishes on the fly, and moved freely from station to station to prop up others when needed (and sabotage when it was needed too). I can hardly imagine why people would say he's not a chef and just a cook. Ralph was capable of holding his own, but when given creative license he designed a boring italian steakhouse and talked up a porterhouse as the cadillac of steak. Not that highfalutin snooty food is a must all the time but the man had a FULLY CLEAN SLATE and that's the best he could do? No doubt he'll go out and open his dream restaurant...that restaurant...one day. P.S. For pete's sake, when did it become acceptable to say someone's wife seemed fresh off the boat, and looked like a mafia hooker? Crikes. Imagine what they probably say about you then, fattie.

Narcissism is right!! A few snippets from Andrew's catering menu (and let's hope he finds eGullet and gets on here to defend these emberassments): 5) Adair’s Spring Fever (vegetarian) Penne tossed with freshly diced red and green peppers, onions, and freshly diced tomatoes. Lightly tossed in olive oil and finished with splotches of half melted fresh mozzarella. SPLOTCHES?! 8) Nonna’s Cod Calabrese Sauteed in a quasi potato, onion, and tomato stew. Quasi stew and a southern Italian delight. 2) Stimson’s Spontaneous Curry (vegetarian) Curry veggies – whatever I see that looks good. Expect peppers, onions, broccoli, and sugar snap peas for the most part. Finished with a spicy yellow curry. 8) Dave’s Citrus Ale Turkey Braised in oranges and ale. Must be Pre-Ordered And at the bottom of that f'ing nightmare of a menu: ** indicates my favorites Gordon Ramsey you blind man...look who you've given up on!

There quite prevalent where I am, and moreso in Toronto for obvious reasons. The experience seems to vary considerably from place to place, whether tabletop or built-in grill. At a restaurant in Korea town I was surprised to see that when we ordered Kalbi the waitress brought the raw tray and shoved all of it right on the hot grill, rather than letting us cook at the pace we wanted. Are there not also differences in how the meat is prepared beforehand? My korean friend makes an incredible kalbi marinade and uses ribs that have been cut crosswise, whereas several restaurants I've tried have served individually cut ribs and meat rather than the way more amusing crosscut version. I hope I find a gem in the future as I've found Korean food (other than the odd type of kimchi or fish stew) bland and uninteresting.

Through a Fairmont connection a group of 10 of us are dining at the Beaver Club in the Queen E later this month, to celebrate (er, begin to celebrate) a friend's bachelor party. The reservation is made so hopefully no one pipes up and says "avoid at all costs" but I wondered if I could get people's opinions on the place. Recommended dishes? Jacket required?

Thanks all. The thai restaurant I'm thinking of was adjacent to an indian restaurant that delivers on motorbike. Any good pubs in the area I should try? I loved the beer selections at all the locals but most of the food was piss-poor.

Hello all, I'm traveling to London at the end of August, and will spend several days in the Putney Bridge area for work. Several years ago I had some excellent Thai near there, some not so good fish and chips and some so-so sandwiches, but other than that my experience in the area is meager. Any suggestions for a reasonable lunch or a good dinner? I'm partial to Indian but could probably find that better served elsewhere in the city (I should have some time off during the weekend for a trip further in). Cheers and thanks!

Nice salad -- and it must be nice to be a salad at your house, judging from the comfy pillow! ← My steak sleeps in Egyptian cotton...your point?

Sigh...what do to what to do right? At the last barbecue I grilled Japanese eggplants that were first flash-baked, hollowed out and filled with eggplant mash/garlic/chili oil and tvp. The result was quite positive but as a carnivore I was enjoying a "Real" sausage and couldn't be bothered with praise. Depending on the crowd grilled veggies go over well, but some people get pretty damn tired of the same thing over and over. You could always do portabello mushroom burgers (marinate with soy, sesame oil, rice wine..or something like that). Last but not least buy the best quality veggie burgers and offer lots of good condiments: corn relish, sauerkraut, sauteed onions, roasted garlic mayo, etc.

Here's a salad that my girlfriend enjoyed in Lausanne, Switzerland last winter. It's more akin to the $20 salad but beautiful nonetheless: Ingredients (or best guesses): warm goat cheese toast sesame seeds honey lentils pear plum strawberry tomato (3) sunflower seeds hazlenut wheat berry pumpkin seed red pepper sauce raspberry vinaigrette olive paste curry nut sauce cardamon/qaram masala marinated pear mixed greens

There's some great entries here and I have to also mention how nice it is to see people enjoying some fruits of their labour in the garden. I usually find time to put a salad like this together on my days off. That is today. Plated first were organic micro-greens, baby spinach and some torn organic basil from the garden. I yanked a few young tomatoes off the pot we have on our balcony, and they're seen alongside an orange heirloom from the farmer's market. The garden tomatoes had a nice hint of green which kept them crunchy. A few basil leaves in between slices and a little s&p on top. Next to that is a marinated tuna salad (EVOO, s&p, sherry vinegar and a bit of lemon juice) and a couple of olives next to it. I braised some fresh red radishes in a bit of rice vinegar, salt and sugar, then boiled it down to a syrup and topped the beans with it. Finally, a chunk of Feta, a few wedges of pecorino romano and a few slices of Oka cheese to round it out. Not pictured was a light vinegrette that the greens were tossed with. Don't recall everything but wine vinegar, a dash of whipping cream, olive oil and fresh oregano were part of it. All in all a nice salad and excellent lazy lunch (this being the fairly hungover day that follows a long weekend in Canada). Next time I would throw a couple of artichoke hearts on there, and sub out the feta for some warmed goat cheese and walnuts...not to complain or anything

I've watched and envied every cook-off but have never had the time, space or money to participate in most. Finally one I can do. Forgot to add that one of my favorites consists of: Mixed greens (1/3 of an elongated plate) Italian tuna in oil white beans (or white and red) French Lentils Olives Capers Basil Olive Oil and white wine vinegar applied sparesely Yellow and Red Tomatoes A thin wedge of pecorino jutting out from the white beans All served atop a few stale rounds of baguette In fact, this is probably what I'll make for the cook-off, assuming it fits the bill of a salad composé

Transfair is Canada's fair trade certification body. The logo ensures that the product (coffee, chocolate, even soccer balls) were produced fairly (by wage standards that is) and with environmental considerations in mind. While sort of a voluntary thing, most coffee roasters who produce a fair trade line favour registration because it builds a credible brand for an audience of fair trade buyers who, I would guess, are prioritizing source over quality and price (not to say fair trade coffees aren't good, but in my own case I'm trying to support an initiative that makes good sense...even if my fair trade colombian isn't the same taste as my Starbuck's Colombian) Bear in mind though "Fair Trade" in terminology is not an absolute thing. Some are fair trade and organic, some are not. Some are "fairly traded" vs. "fair trade" and if they don't have the Transfair logo it's quite easy to mirepresent your product (Since Transfair requires an independant site audit and a whole gobbledygook of information before giving you rights to the logo) Anyway, point of this is that they list Fair Trade outlets by province on their website: http://www.transfair.ca/www/en/products/

I'm surprised to be the first Canadian to make note of a few of our special hot dog intricacies. First, we go to Quebec, where a debate larger than language and sovereignty is still transpiring: steamé ou toasté? In other words, do you want your bun and/or weiner put in low steam for a few minutes, or a toasted bun (sliced vertically in both cases)? I favour the toasté usually but it's hard to beat the almost cottonball texture of a steamed bun soaking in weiner juices. Still in Quebec, there's simply no debate on what to put on your...say it with me in your francophone accent ..."Ought Dog". you simply want it....again..."all dress" or "alldresss". Depending on where you're getting this ought dog all dress will always mean thinly-sliced cabbage, but I've seen a couple of other additions at various casse croutes (literally "break bread" but referring to the many snack shops and grease pits along Quebec's highways and byways) in La Belle Province. I take all-dressed to at least be mustard, relish, cabbage or coleslaw, and sometimes onions. NO KETCHUP! Now, in your best french repeat after me: "Deux ought dogs alldress avec le pepsi". See what you've just done? You've sounded the universal call of the casse croute customer. While still in Quebec, but perhaps encompassing other areas of this country is the Pogo: a battered deep-fried hot dog. It's a corn dog, and as long as you eat it with a sweet and hot mustard you'll still be patriotic. Now at this point in the post I realize I have nothing to say about hot dogs elsewhere in Canada. Quebec has really mastered the many wonderful aspects of mystery meat in mystery casing.

I've seen them Malcolm. It depends on the store and their labelling practices but there were some available at my local grocer named "lebanese cucumbers" that were about the size of a baby carrot. I presume pickling them and drawing the water out might get you closer to what you need. Otherwise a farmer's market that sold fresh cucumber might bring you some babies if you asked nicely (or are they from a totally different strain?).

I'll try and post the pics from our Canada Day big-ass sangweech adventures. The ingredient list: 1. A french loaf with "big crusty" on the label 2. one kilo of salami, ham, roast beef and turkey 3. one combined pound of provolone, havarti and old cheddar 4. sliced red peppers, tomatoes, green olives, sauteed mushrooms and onions 5. balsamic vinegar All of this mess was layered inside the hollowed-out loaf, with 50/50 dijon and yellow mustard on the bottom and a drizzle of balsamic on top. The whole thing was brushed with garlic oil, wrapped in foil and thrown on the BBQ for 15 minutes per side (lowest setting). The result: Delicious.

I'm both impressed and somewhat blown away by these levels of gilding. Fortunately I make my own contributions: 1. Scrambled Eggs: Guilty! The dash of cream, the three kinds of cheese, the vegetable melange, cured meats galore. I love them to death when they have a mix of flavours, and hate them when they're plain. 2. Stir-Fry: I know that's a generic title, but we don't make it with meat as my gf is a veggie, which means almost everything gets cut up and put in, along with a mix of nearly every asian vinegar, sauce and paste we own. With 6 or 7 veggies as long as we do them seperately you can in fact have a crunchy finished product. 3. Mashed Potatoes: Give me butter, sour cream, garlic, chili sauce and green onions. Or give me skin-on, cream cheese, cream, a little butter and pepper. Or give me sweet potato/potato, cumin, chili oil, pepper and a bit of yogurt.

Interesting stats on the Japanese version of the show:

Cheese Pasta Coffee

This is slightly off-topic, but a landlady of mine always always always said to boil water for pasta with cold water. Using hot water was "dangerous" because hot water released toxins and mineral deposits from the plumbing.