Della

I had a roommate that quite drinking a few years ago - Ditto on the Haake Beck from me. Out of all the ones we tried that tasted the best. Must be SUPER COLD!

I pound mine thin and then put in some cheese - whatever I have on hand like some crumbled goat or a slice of provolone or swiss, a few fresh basil leaves now that summer is coming, roasted peppers, zucchini slices - whatever I have around (this is an excuse to clean the fridge! ). Roll the turkey up. I then chop up some fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, sage - again whatever is around) and roll the turkey in them. Then I just pan fry in a little olive oil till golden and yummy. Changing the herbs on the outside and whatever I stuff them with makes them different everytime. And using the herbs for flavor instead of bread crumbs saves a few of those pesky calories (which I then just sub for the cheese!)

I had my first Carnegie Deli sandwich yesterday. I picked up a pastrami to take with me to the airport to nibble on before I boarded the plane. It was good - not great - but then again it sat for a couple hours before I got to attack it. Katz's patrami was better and sliced thicker - but I woulnd't NOT go back to the Carnegie Deli.

My boyfriend and I went to the 4:00 pm slot and had a good time. The food was wonderful! I especially liked the veal and the turkey meatball. My boyfriend was partial to the pork with fennel. It was a little hard to get around but everyone was so friendly and happy to be there that it ended up being ok. Nothing like making some new friends over sausage and wine Mario was very gracious and it was fun to get a chance to chat with him for a minute. I am going to be at Babbo Thursday night so for me exciting to know he will be back in NYC and at Babbo on Thursday. We brought our camera to take some pics of the food and Mario saw it and offered to have his pic taken with me - which was pretty fun too. All in all a good event and well worth the time and money!!!

I tried the same recipe in my cooks illustrated as well with unsatisfactory results. They ended up a little to done (burnt) on the outside and not cooked on the inside and sorta soggy. NOT DELICIOUS! And sad too~ I love crispy outside, soft fluffy inside potatoes! - I am going to stick with my old stand by of roasting them in the oven with some olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever herb is handy. Although as a side note to get perfect breakfast potatoes I will bake an extra potato or two on the nights we have baked potatoes and toss them in the fridge. When it is time for Sunday brunch I just cut them up, toss them in a skillet with a little veg or olive oil, salt, pepper and dried minced garlis (it has to be the dried minced -not fresh - it just doesn't taste the same if you use fresh) and heat them up. The insides are soft, the outside is crispy and it take no time at all.

I am not sure how long ago Washington State made this change. I do know that when I was waiting tables in Washington back around 1995 - 2000 I often sent people home with their wine. And if they didn't know they could take it, I would let them know that they could. One restaurant I worked in was across the street from a Residence Inn (or something like that where people will stay for a few weeks if they are in town on a job or something). Anyway, there were no places nearby that you could walk to in order to get beer or wine and on occassion we would just open a bottle, stick the cork back in and send them on their way. I recently did this myself in the Tri-Cities. (long story - I won't bore anyone with the details). Needless to say - I got my fairly warm $30 bottle of Columbia Crest back to my hotel room with a minimum of fuss! I just had to explain the law to the waiter who checked with the manager who fortunately knew the law. Oops! I am boring you with the details!

I have noticed Thalia popping up in some searches I have been doing on pre-theater dining. Has anyone been there recently? The most recent I have found are from last July (namely the above postings). I am bringing my mother on a weekend trip to NYC. I am already planning on going to Babbo one night and I fear she is going to be a little "sticker shocked" on prices. (she is a small town lady!) We are going to the Lion King on one evening and I have been wondering where to go before hand. Thalia seems reasonably priced and the pics on the website show the room to be quite nice. Any opinons on the food lately?

I drink Bud Light and Miller light most of the time. I like to think of the calories I am saving!! And I don't mind it - although sometimes I toss a lime in to kill the watery flavor. My boyfriend drank some Bridgeport IPA last night while I had my Millet Light

I grew up eating Lasagne that was made with cottage cheese. I never knew that I liked lasagne until I had it made W/O the cottage cheese. As a side note - I hate cottage cheese. My sister made chili and instead tomatos she used tomato soup. ICK!

Has anyone been into CraftBar yet since the move? I will be in NYC near the end of May and was considering taking my mother there for lunch or dinner. I would be interested in hearing about the new space and any opinions that may have come from a visit.

Careful, it says "generally not required." I'm not one of them lawyers or anything but I'm sure that if they thought the business was willfully flaunting the no-pet rule pleading lack of documentation wouldn't help.

I have to say I agree with Abra's method - That is what I do as well. I love to put roasted beets in a salad and if you have any goat cheese laying around to go with - YUMMMMYY!!!!!

I just came upon this thread today and I have to say it is very intriguing! Thanks for posting.

I used only Great Northerns in this cassoulet so I won't freeze any of it - we will just have to enjoy it all now. But in the future - I will know to use a more hardy bean! THANKS

I just made my first cassoulet last night. This thread has been helpful and inspiring and I am happy to say that I am VERY pleased with my dish. However, I do have one question. The recipe I followed serves 12 (and I added a little extra duck just cause I had it and love it) so I currently have a 5 1/2 quart Le Crueset full of Cassoulet. There are just the two of us at home and while we will soldier on and eat it for the next few days - as it will only get better as the flavors meld - can I freeze some of it? Will it thaw and reheat well? Or will the beans get mushy and the dish lose some of its "deliciousness"? Thoughts and opinions are most welcome. ~cheers~ Della

Thanks everyone. We went up to Vancouver last weekend and I took my sweetie to El Patio. It was the place we went to a couple years ago and it was just as fun and yummy as we remembered. We will have to try La Bodega next time. It was a surprise birthday trip for him so it was special that we went to that restaurant again. CHEERS!

What is the opinion on La Bodega. I was in Vancouver 2 years ago for a hockey game. We stayed at the Sandman and ended up walking a few blocks to a restaurant that was very fun, yummy and had great Sangria. I think it was La Bodega but could be wrong. Any thoughts on that restaurant?

I used to take soft white rolls, put ketchup, mustard, and cheese (sliced american of course) and pickle chips. Also, another one would be a fried bologna, fried egg, mustard, american cheese - grilled of course - we called it the Dagwood - I don't know why but we loved it. I also used to LOVE putting sliced swiss, you know the icky singles version that tastes nothing like swiss, on white bread with plenty of mayo, salt, pepper and crushed up fritos. I would probably eat them today if I thought I could get away with it and no one would ever find out!

I haven't eaten one but I worked with a guy from Jan 2004 - June 2004 who ate one almost every working day for breakfast. I think they were about $4 each or so. They didn't look horrible or anything - I just don't love precooked eggs so I never got one.

I too love fresh herbs and we grow quite a few in the garden. That said, I can't really stand cilantro, although I will put it in salsa since there are other people around that love it in salsa and I don't cook for just one. I hate hate hate hate hate sesame seeds. If there is one sesame seed on a crust of bread it is all I can taste - literally. The flavor is overwhelming to me and I think it is just horrible. I also don't like pesto but I like all the ingrediants that go into pesto.

I like Tabasco in clam chowder, corn chowder, and pretty much any and all form of eggs. I have a friend who puts ketchup on everything. And I mean everything. Pizza, Steak, chinese food, spaghetti, tacos, sandwiches - I have never seen her eat a meal without adding it to the food.

This sounds very fun! I have never made Gumbo before and would love to learn.

I have the menu planned and have handed out easy things for people to bring with them when they come over. It seems like everyone wants to contribute, which is great, but sometimes it either ruins my theme or it just isn't yummy. But for Superbowl, I don't think it is time to be fancy, it is time to bring out the onion dip! (homemade of course ) Baked Ham with a classic Coke and Burbon glaze ~soft rolls with all the sandwich fixens on the side~ 7 layer dip Corn chips and Salsa Potato Chips (and I mean the full fat Ruffles!) w/onion dip Shrimp w/dipping sauce (guest is bringing) Mini onion tartlets Crudite w/Artichoke Garlic dip (guest is bringing) Beer Cocktails Wine Soda Water My goodness -reading my menu looks like a salt fest. I will have to make sure to drink some of that water!

I always thought that what made the drink a cubra libre was a lime squeeze added to the rum and coke. As a side note, I have recently taken up with drinking Cap't Morgans and diet coke. I think it reminds me of my youth

I bring lunch at least 3x's per week. I usually bring left overs from home or a sandwich or a salad that I prepared at home. The other 2 days I run out for something just so I don't end up sitting at my desk all day every day of the week. I don't eat in a communal room however. I eat at my desk. I hate for people to watch me eat or comment on what I am eating. Drives me nuts! I try not to bring anything that will cause a lingering smell to permeate the office. I think that is just plain rude.