Della

you put them in the boiling water still alive - and then when they are cooked- and i am not 100% sure how long to cook them, you have to crack open the belly part and take out the guts. - it is sorta gross but the crabs will be yummy!

I am not an expert and don't have any inside info but I believe Ina's show is shot in her house and Giada's is on a set. I also saw a show where they said Giada's show can take up to 14 or 15 hours to shoot per episode but I could be wrong. I haven't seen the show you are referring to but I don't think I would care if it isn't really in his house - I can't imagine that it would be convenient to have a show filmed at home if you live with more than one person. Kids- forget it!!! Just my 2 pennies. D

Myself and 3 others were in Montreal in Sept and ate at Toque. The thread on eg is titled "Montreal..." with the subtext of "what we ate, oh and what we saw" I am a dork and don't know how to put the link here but if you search "Montreal" on the eg site it comes up on about pg 3 - last post Nov 20th. OK - Toque - great restaurant - I would highly suggest you go!! We posted pictures (well LMF did and since she is my friend I like to say "we" ) Let us know if you go.............

I got 8 out of 11 - missed the Iran, Poland and the Engish of all things!!!

My Wyoming trip was great and I really want to thank all of you that offered tips and advice. We got in later than planned on Thursday due to some plane problems. Our leg from Boise ID to Idaho Falls was cancelled so we just grabbed a rental car rather than spend a night in Boise. We got in about 11:00 PM and hit the Albertson’s for some provisions for the morning. (We had stopped in Mountain Home ID for some Vodka so we were set for Martini’s when we got to the condo that night! So Friday morning we just made brunch in and then around noon headed into town to look around. Very cute town – The girls shopped around for a bit while the guys hit the Snake River Brewing Co for some beers. Once we were done shopping for a bit we stopped by the Million Dollar Cowboy for an afternoon cocktail and had the guys come over to meet us there- I have to say this place was just as I imagined it would be!!! Loved the real saddle bar stools. We had dinner reservations at the Snake River Grille for Friday that night the 12th. This was opening night for them this season and we had an excellent dinner. We started out with cocktails and a shared cast iron “pot” of truffle parmesan “frites” that were really good. We nibbled on them all night – and for $5.00 it was an extremely generous portion. In fact, I have to say that all the portions were quite large and prices were very reasonable. The baguette they served at the table was accompanied by fantastically good chive butter. For first courses (there were 4 of us) one of us had the Asparagus soup with gulf prawns and tarragon and it was wonderful. They brought the bowl out with small pieces of prawn and asparagus placed artfully around the bottom of the bowl and then poured the hot soup out of a pitcher into the bowl. There were hints of nutmeg, cream, and the tarragon really came through. It was great. Another member of our group ordered the Wild Mushroom Risotto that came with asparagus tips and he really liked it. As for us ladies, we ordered the organic spinach with chicken livers served with fresh raspberries, a warm raspberry vinaigrette and tobacco onions. The chicken livers were really good – crispy on the outside and tender and still slightly pink on the inside. Each salad came with 4 or 5 livers – again – very generous portions. Mains were – Crispy Pork Shank with Tomatoes and White Beans, Braised Wild Boar Cheeks and for the guys the Lamb Loin with wok fried Watercress and Tamarind Jus. The lamb was the winner of the night but all the dishes were wonderful. The lamb was rare to medium rare and extremely tender. The pork shank was falling apart and the tomato seemed to have a tomato paste spread over the shank that was tangy and sweet at the same time. The while beans were a little tough but I wasn’t eating them anyway – not with that pork in front of me!!! The Wild Boar was tender and flavorful – We all loved everything. Wines were great and unfortunately I can’t find my slip of paper where I wrote them down. When I come across it I will post what we had that night. Total bill before tip was $400.00 for 4 people. Considering we had before dinner cocktails, a starter app to share, first course, main course, 2 bottles of wine, after dinner drinks – I have to say $100 per person was a steal. This dinner was wonderful for all of us. The next day we went to Yellow Stone to see Old Faithful. The park was beautiful and it was easy to get to the geysers. We ended up having lunch at the restaurant in the lodge. Not the “grille” but the main restaurant. The prices were very reasonable – about $8.00 for a sandwich with a side salad or fries. The Tuna Salad with Tomato and Gouda was quite good and we started with their Black Pepper Battered Onion rings. Others things we ordered was the burger, a Rueben and a Turkey and green Apple sandwich. Knowing that we couldn’t replicate our dinner at the Snake River Grille, for dinner we decided to do something completely different and we went to the Gun and Barrel for a game dinner. Prices here are pretty inexpensive and the wine list was pretty limited. A couple of us opted for the house margarita that was similar to a Cadillac Rita and two of us just had glasses of pinot grigio with our apps. I think they were about $6.00 per glass. For wine with dinner we got the Chateau Larose Thrintauchon, Haut Medoc 2001 Bordeaux for $33.00 – it was adequate. For our starter we shared the Fried Green Tomatoes with an herbed breading and chipotle mayo as well as the Bison Carpaccio that came with mustard, sliced Gouda and toasts. The tomatoes were OK – nothing to write home about and I wouldn’t order them again. The Bison Carpaccio was sliced rather thick but had good flavor. Not have had it before I can’t really judge but we all liked it. Mains were Buffalo Prime Rib, Buffalo BBQ’d ribs, the mixed grill that had an Elk Chop, Venison Sausage and Buffalo Prime rib and lastly something called “velvet elk” which was elk medallions in light gravy with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes with garlic mashed. Green beans were the vegetable of the night. Sides also included wild rice – which tasted sorta gritty like the spice / herb mix didn’t dissolve and baked sweet potatoes with maple butter. We shared a slice of their granny smith apple pie for dessert with the ala mode on the side. The pie was good but the ice cream seemed a little grainy to me. Portions were huge and I think we could have easily ordered 2 or 3 meals for the 4 of us and still had left overs. Lots of stuffed animals decorated the place - it was very thematic! We all enjoyed the dinner but I think we would have liked it more had we gone the night BEFORE we went to the Snake River Grille. Lunch on Sunday was at the Snake River Brewing Co on the deck in the sunshine before we headed to Idaho Falls to catch our plane. Good beers, great view and pretty good pub food. If I lived in Jackson I would be a regular here! I had the veal brat with kraut and grainy mustard for about $6.00. Other things we ordered were the pulled pork sandwich and the southwestern burrito with Chile Verde. There were a few other restaurants I wish we would have had time to try but there will be other trips. We didn’t make it to breakfast anywhere and if we had we would have gone to Jebidiah’s. Having the condo with a full kitchen we opted to cook in for breakfast and just relax the mornings away looking at the Teton’s off the back porch. I can’t wait to go back again!

My boyfriend got a couple of Kyocero ceramic knives for Christmas and everytime we use them want to cry because they are soooo great!!! I have to say I hadn't even known about ceramic knives but these babies are really fun to use!

I like to use the Santoku myself - it is lighter and feels pretty good in my hand. I use it mostly for veggies. My boyfriend likes the chef knife - for about the same reasons. I think it is what feels the best for you personally. Although I do use the chefs knife too sometimes..............

We have reservations at the Snake River Grille on the 12th for dinner and I am determined to go to the Million Dollar Cowboy bar later that evening to check it out.

PIE! No question about it - Pie everytime. Cake is too cakey - too sweet - too much frosting. Although I like an occasional piece of cake w/o the frosting. Give me fruit pie and I will happily eat it every day of the week - especially for breakfast!! And Alton Brown is right about cheesecake which is just a custard pie

It appears the South entrance to Yellowstone is open the 2nd Friday of May. The 2nd day of our trip so that will hopefully work out. I have emailed the parks for more information.

The duck dish turned out great. The sauce is divine, the meat tender and I will definately make this again and again. I served it with some Rosemary Roasted Red potatoes. I ended up dropping the temperature down to 250 after the first hour and total cooking time was 1 1/2 hours for the duck.

Thanks for such great tips and advice!!! I appreciate it. I am still in the planning stages. I realize we are going a few weeks before things "pick up and open up" around the area. Good to know about getting through the south entrance. I will have to call to double check on that before we try it.

I'm making the Duck Legs Braised in Port and Dried Cherries right now. I just put the duck legs in the oven. She says start out at 325 but I am at 300 right now. I will check in about 20 minutes and see if anything is bubbling too much. I used my cast iron skillet to sear the duck leg/thighs. Since I can't ever follow a recipe exactly - I must confess I am just using 2 legs/thighs as opposed to 4. And since I didn't remember to put the spice rub on last night I went ahead and made it full strength (rather than halving it since I have half the meat) and let it sit for about 4 hours today. I think it will be fine. I only seared the legs for 5 minutes, rather than 7 on the first side and just 3 minutes on the second. I didn't get quite enough duck fat to saute the shallot but I had some in the freezer and just cut off a piece and added it to the pan. The braising liquid smells wonderful. I reduced it down enough so it is just barely covering the bottom of my braising vessel - my 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset. I can appreciate the parchment paper trick in this situation since I just have the two duck legs in the bottom. I thought about using another skillet/lid combo to do the braise but I love my LC so much and just really think it does the job well for braises. Anyway - It will be a couple of hours but I will post back on how it turns out. I have to say I love this cook book!

Hello - I went through the few posts I could find on Jackson WY restaurants and have searched around the internet. I am looking for some advice from people that either live in or have been to Jackson to help me round out some choices. First off let me say that the Mangey Moose, Nani's Italian and The Old Yellow Stone Garage are all closed during the time we will be in Jackson. And I wanted to go to all 3 places!!! There will be four of us - all adults and we will be in Jackson from May 11th - 14th. For dinner I am thinking Calico's, Koshu Wine Bar, Wild Sage and/or Blue Lion. Does anyone have any experience with these establishments? I am also thinking about hitting the Snake River Brewing Co for beers. I also found the following restaurants and wanted to know if anyone had opinions: Snake River Grill Rendezvous Bistro Gun Barrell Steak and Game House Bubba's BBQ Sidewinders Tavern What about places for a late breakfast? What restaurants am I missing? We are staying in a condo about 15 minutes from out of town. We will have a car and I am not especially concerned with price. Not looking for a bargain or the most expensive - Looking for the places we shouldn't miss rather than making a "mistake" and eating at an "average" place when we could have eaten better and more yummy food. Also - We are planning a day trip to Yellow Stone to see old Faithful. Any tips for a place for lunch over there?? Lastly - is the Million Dollar Bar a good place to go for some evening entertainment? We aren't "swing dancers" but I am always interested in a fun place to have some drinks. Thanks in advance for tips, hints, experiences and advice. Della

I just recently tried a new pork roast recipe and thought it was quite good. We love pork at our house and eat it quite a bit. This is from the Silver Spoon cookbook and it is "Lonza Al Ginepro" or Loin of Pork with Juniper. Since I can't follow a recipe I made some adjustments and I used pork shoulder rather than loin since that is what I had on hand...... Cut some small incisions in the roast and insert some small slices of shallot. Marinate the pork for a couple of hours with one chopped up onion, 10 - 15 juniper berries, slight lycrushed (I used the full 15), a couple of bay leaves (I used 3 fresh), a 1/4 cup of white wine (or so) and 2 or 3 tbls spoons of olive oil. I had to adjust the amount of liquid in the marinade to accomodate my larger than 1 1/2 lb roast. After marinating for a couple hours - preheat oven to 350, drain the pork (reserve the marinade), wrap it in thin slices of pancetta, tie the whole thing up with kitchen string and roast - basting with the reserved marinade once in a while. When done just serve with the pan juices. It was really good, really easy and a change of pace from our traditional rosemary or sage with garlic, lemon, mustard and wine or the once in a while hoison, garlic, honey combo.

I don't know if you have a grill basket but I like to take chunks of broccoli, red onion, mushrooms and garlic (and sometimes some pea pods or green beans) and toss with olive oil, s & p, red onion flakes and cook till they are about 1/2 done. I like them to have some crunch when I eat them. Once they are "grilled" in my grill basket I give them a quick toss with some extra olive oil and some balsamic vinegar and a rough chop with the knife. Serve over cold salad greens for a warm vegetable/crunchy salad. Might sound weird but it is really good!!!! We eat it all summer.

We love cooked carrots and have them probably once a week. We do different things with them - and there are some good ideas upthread that I am going to try but my favorite way is to just steam them and toss with a little butter, salt and pepper. Let's the flavor of the carrot really shine. Simple but good. I think the trick to carrots is to not overcook them. If they are mushy or soft - forget about it. They need to have some - not crunch - but some firmness still in them so you are chewing something and not just eating mushy carrot.

I made the Carribean Pork Pot Roast tonight - and i didn't have time to marinate for 12 - 24 hours - it was a last minute decision. I had a 3 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder blade roast and thought "what the heck". Added the spices and fresh juice (only had to substitue powdered all spice for the seeds) and let sit for about 3 hours. Heated oven up to 300 then dropped it to 250 and braised for 3 hours. Served with rice topped with some mango and cilantro and the "best braised cabbage". I don't really love cabbage but wanted to try it. I loved it and would definately make it again. All in all a great meal! Tender falling apart meat - yum! I definately suggest "de-fatting" the braising liquid. I did and got about 1/2 inch of fat when I put it in my gravy seperator before reducing for a few minutes. Great juice - we put a little on the meat and a little on the rice.

Have you tried the green jalepeno hot sauce on popcorn??? I love it! (don't forget a little salt too!)

I ate at an Olive Garden last December and it was horrible. I didn't expect it not to be but I was in a small town and the person I was meeting wanted to go there so we did. I can't think of anything that would make me go back again. Salad bland, bread sticks hard, pasta limp and wet and the sauce just boring. And my friend ordered the "fresh fish" and let me say it was not fresh! And speaking of Buca di Beppo - there is one here in Seattle and while I have not eaten there I know some folks that did and some people that have worked there and the verdict is "not delicious". But there is a line outside that place every damm weekend. I don't get it. If I am going to eat cheap italian food - give me the Old Spaghettti Factory everytime. (I grew up near one and it was the "special" place to go for dinner at one point in my life).

Ditto to everything you said. I tried it myself last night because we liked both the Zinfandel Pot Roast and the Brisket with Rhubarb and Honey but I have to say this one was a big disappointment. It was "fine" but I have had better. My boyfriend, who loves sauce, jus and drippings, mentioned that he was VERY disappointed in the braising liquid. There was just nothing to it flavorwise. And I used veal stock and hard cider to braise this dish. The whole thing would have benefited from a huge handful of fresh herbs. Speaking of Herbs..........see how I changed course there? I typically braise our short ribs using the recipe out of the Herb Farm Cookbookby Jerry Traunfeld (not his new one but the original) and they are awesome. Just really delicious!! I am going to try Marlene's receipe next time and see how they turn out. They "sound" great and we are fans of the short rib. Anyway - I think the next thing I am going to try out of Molly is the Chicken Fricassee w/Artichokes and Mushrooms. I'll post how it turns out.

Really enjoying your blog Henry. I live in Seattle and have been to some of the places you are featuring. You are really doing up our city proud!!!!

I have to say I drink both vodka and rum

Vodka drinkers do drink Mojitos since Mojitos are full of mint and suger and therefore don't taste too much like rum. (in my opinion). I personally think it is a case of sweet vs not sweet most of the time when someone tries a drink outside of their normal cocktail. If you like sweet drinks they you are often willing to try another sweet drink but if you don't like sweet drinks then you usually stick with what you normally drink - like a martini or something straight up or on the rocks. This is just a general stereotype but I think it holds fairly true across the boards. When you say "upgrade" from vodka to rum does that mean you charge more for rum than vodka?

Eating some right now. 400 degrees, flipped them every 10 minutes for about 30 - 35 minutes or so. Half with just evoo, salt and pepper and half with a black pepper/cayenne mix. I have to say I love it! We are having this as an "appetizer" to dinner. I love it right off the pan and if I have to wait for the rest of dinner to get on the plate it isn't as crunchy and yummy - so I like to eat ts right away. This is something I could make a lot of and eat instead of popcorn watching tv. I do that with soybeans sometimes. In fact, I think there is a re-run of LA Law on right now and me, my wine and my roasted cauliflower are going to head over to the tube. Just had to let you all know I am still roasting the vegetable I used to refuse to eat!