Forest

Thanks for the good info, as always! I will probably try it this weekend, but looking at the website, I'm wondering...is it a non-smoking restaurant?

I usually stock up on Domaine de la Casa Blanca, which I serve for dinners if I'm having a chocolate dessert. It's a good price and, in my opinion, really nice with the chocolate. I don't know how easy it is to find elsewhere, but I'll have a think to see if I can come up with any other Banyuls I've had and liked, too.

oops - responded to that before i noticed that someone else had.

It's a sweet red wine that pairs well with chocolate. It's from France - grenache grape, I think. I know there's people on here WAY more knowledgable then me about wine, so I'm sure someone could add even more to that than me.

banyuls with chocolate!

This is probably a silly reply, since I imagine he's already looked, but they have a website and a google search turned up a number of hits on it. Could he be more specific on what kind of information he's looking for? Is he looking for something more 'inside' that you wouldn't just find on a website review?

Chufi: your entire dinner looks yummy, but I'm really liking the look of the zucchini pancakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche. I've had a recipe for broccoli pancakes sitting in my "to try" stack for awhile, but just wasn't sure what I was going to do with them....until now! Did you do anything particular or just top yours with salmon and creme fraiche? Did you serve chilled or at room temp? Might be nice to mix a little citrus or something in with the creme fraiche....what do you think?

Yes...it's a bit difficult to find it here. I get it at Monoprix or I have people bring it to me when they come from the states or UK. The one I get at the Monoprix isn't the best, so I think next time I try the soup I might experiment with something different that I can get more easily and better here! logicalmind: lambstew - yum! (I'm a big fan of stew!) Chef Bradley & Jmahl: After your pics, I'm definitely going to make meatballs sometime this week!!

please do! I'll be happy to sample any and all!

hello all... As usual, I'm awed by the scrumptious dinners everyone made! trufflelover: that whole plate, food, setting, all looks amazing! jmolinari: your dessert looks very yummy! and, percyn: your entire dinner is making my mouth water (and I just finished eating!) Since it's Sunday I always make stew or soup, but I decided to switch my usual beef stew for Chef Bradley's recipe for Creamy Cheddar and Potato Soup with Smoked Bacon with some tasty homemade croutons. i have to say, the picture doesn't do the taste justice! (and that's a testament to the recipe, not my cooking! ) And, the cheesy goodness that went inside: oh, cheese...(incidently, I exchanged some of the chedder for bleu due to an over abundance of non-chedder in my fridge. 1/3 of the amount of one of the chedders portions per Chef Bradley's recommendation and it was still good!)

I'm just going to take a stab at this one, but not sure it's right...is it Chocolate? I think there was a scene in that one at a dinner party where everyone was experiencing a range of emotions with each chocolate course - included one where they were all sad. Kind of a wild guess there! And, maybe that's already been guessed??

Thanks, Sony! I put in Syrah because that's what I happened to have on hand last weekend. The weekend before I put in whatever I had opened (can't remember what it was...) I'm sure there's one that would go in there really nicely...so I'll just keep expirementing until I find the best one! And, as for leftovers, I made a huge batch so there's plenty to share with friends that stop by on Sunday and have a little left over for dinner on Monday. (I use a very BIG pot!) I definitely agree with the "stewing beef" not being the best choice. In fact, in that particular picture it was the first time in about 50 beef stews that I tried using stew meat (at the recommendation of someone i was shopping with who assured me it would be good.) But, although the flavor of the stew was really nice, the meat just wasn't as nice as what I usually use which is chuck. Occassionally, I'll use biftek (which i probably shouldn't be using, but if I have it in the house, I will!)

Nice looking duck confit! i bought duck on the way home last night, too, but kind of wish I had let it marinate overnight, instead of just a few hours. Will try and post a pic later after I upload. shoutsandmurmers: your filet makes my mouth water! Shaya: I like the look of your moussaka, too! As usual, lovely dinners everyone!

Hi girlie! As you'll see, I just sent you a message about this....but I'll post it here so everyone can have the benefit of your input & wisdom! I always think it might be tough (i haven't tried cooking it). By tough I mean "not tender" but could be difficult as well. How'd you cook it and how was it? By the way, for a "first time" it looks like you've got it down great!

"Soylent Green is people!" ← I think delicatessan is also people. ETA: I just want to add (although I think it's been said before) Toliver & Pontormo - you're doing a great job with this thread! And, I'm not just saying that because I'm in a good mood after getting one right!

Baby food making!? but don't they squirm around a lot when you put them in there?! (sorry, everyone, I know....bad taste joke!) And, thanks for your continued suggestions...I'll probably spend the weekend trying to mash all kinds of food through that thing!

I'm going for the easy ones again...although I'm torn between les Misérables and Oliver. I have to admit, i haven't seen either of those movies (I'm not even sure if les Mis was made into one) but I think there's a little bread stealing going on in both of them!

I'm also familiar with the drinking game, or at least the concept. I've never had the onions to actually go for it. Si(mon) ← Wow - insomniac & Simon, you made me curious about this drinking game, so I looked online and found out what it's about (just to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything!) That's alota drinkin!

I'm kind of curious about these crabsticks that got left behind there. Do you know a movie in which crabsticks are featured prominently enough that we could guess the movie based just on that clue? (in which case, right thread!) OR Are you just wondering if there are any movies out there that have crabsticks in them, but don't know what they would be? (in which case, probably not the right thread.) I hope it's the first because I'm at a deadend with all the others and need something else to guess at!

Good work, insomniac - it is, indeed. Yeah, it freaked me out a bit, too...definitely one of his stranger ones.

Wow - it looks like everyone made some amazing valentines dinners. C. sapidus: I've really enjoyed your pictures from your last few posts - they've got a nice intensity of color that makes the veggies pop off the screen (and make me want to eat them!) lucylou: thanks for the info! And, wendy, i want one of those blood orange French 75's right now!! But, it's 9:45 in the morning. And, I'm at work. I guess I better stick with my Earl Grey!

Ah thanks! And, I'll throw one out there before I'm off to bed - a very surreal dinner scene where a cooked chicken starts moving around when it's time to carve it. Good night, folks! Edited to correct typo!

That was a toughie...could not have done it without the extra clues!

In the US, it is unfortunately being called by its french name mâche more and more. This is part of a seeming trend to call things which have perfectly serviceable English names by foreign ones. Other examples: arugula (rocket), cilantro (coriander). Anyway, this particular leafy green has a whole raft of English-language names: Lamb's lettuce, lamb's tongue, field salad, field lettuce, corn salad. ← It's pretty cute whatever you call it! I like those little green leaves. The thing is - I never remember seeing it or eating it in the states (been living away for five years). Is it somethig that's common in the US and just somehow slipped under my radar my whole life? It's so common here, but I just never remember eating it there. Ah and the cilantro/coriander thing...I call it cilantro but everyone always corrects me and says it's coriander. But, I do remember hearing that there's technically some difference - one is the leaves and one is the seeds. Or one is dried or something. Okay, I'll stop now because I'm drifting off topic and still simply just avoiding getting some work done!

I really love the green salad leaves in the picture, but I cant seem to remember their name. Anyone? ← Is it mache? ← It is mache - well definitely mache in French, but someone just told me the other day it's called lambs lettuce in English. Not sure if that's true or not - I always just call it mache. And, thanks everyone for nice words - feels good to get some positive feedback on my first picture post in this thread! Oh, god, Wendy, you're right! I have tons of work to do this week and this has been my major form of procrastination and avoidance!! (by the way, your chicken a few posts back looked fab!)