pam claughton

Agree that you should have items that will be available at your restaurant. I've specifically gone to new restaurants after tasting items at events like this that wowed me. One that comes to mind was a golf course restaurant that had really delicious food, and one item stood out, an oversized shrimp in a coconut batter...a fairly typical item, but they gave it a wow factor by using enormous shrimp and have a tasty dipping sauce on the side. Good luck, sounds like a great way to showcase your food! Pam

This picture may not be the greatest, as I took it with my cellphone. But the meal, part of a Prix Fixe dinner at Canteen in San Francisco, was out of this world. Amuse Bouche was a tasty nibble of goat cheese, capers and plump golden raisins...incredible mix of salty, sweet and creamy. First course was Sockeye Salmon Gravlax with smoked salmon, fennel and tomato. I wasn't excited about this when I read the menu because I don't love gravlax....but this was phenomenal. The bits of smoked salmon had been marinated in citrus and the flavor was wonderful. Second course (in the photo) was over the top delicious. Pork tenderloin that was pink and juicy and served with a savory fig glaze, alba mushrooms, cannelini beans and crunchy little croutons that were crispy bits of pork belly...and the portion was generous. Dessert was a blueberry clafoutis, which reminded me of an elegant blueberry pancake as it was topped with a bitter almond Bavarian cream that was fluffy and fragrant. I am so glad that I went here, and an added bonus was it was only a short walk to my hotel. Pam

First night in San Fran was last night and had a truly amazing meal at Canteen on Sutter St. They do a prix fixe on Tuesdays and it was every bit as good, better even than I expected, and the praise for this place was high. Amuse Bouche was a tasty nibble of goat cheese, capers and plump golden raisins...incredible mix of salty, sweet and creamy. First course was Sockeye Salmon Gravlax with smoked salmon, fennel and tomato. I wasn't excited about this when I read the menu because I don't love gravlax....but this was phenomenal. The bits of smoked salmon had been marinated in citrus and the flavor was wonderful. Second course was over the top delicious. Pork tenderloin that was pink and juicy and served with a savory fig glaze, alba mushrooms, cannelini beans and crunchy little croutons that were crispy bits of pork belly...and the portion was generous. Dessert was a blueberry clafoutis, which reminded me of an elegant blueberry pancake as it was topped with a bitter almond Bavarian cream that was fluffy and fragrant. I am so glad that I went here, and an added bonus was it was only a short walk to my hotel. So far, am loving the food in San Fran.

Hi Anna, I'm pretty easy, as I like everything! The restaurants I mentioned in Boston are varied, No. 9 is fabulous homemade pastas, Radius, Clio and Mistral are all somewhat upscale with great tasting menus and local flavors. I'm just as happy with a hole in the wall neighborhood favorite as a fine dining tasting menu...would love to go where the locals go for special nights and to try some native to San Fran types of dishes. Thanks for the suggestion on the Ritz, may check that out! Pam

Hi all, I'm heading to San Fran July 29 thru August 3, and then to Sonoma for two nights. Tuesday night when I arrive I'll be on my own before my conference buddies arrive on Wednesday and I'd love to treat myself with a wonderful dinner...and a place that wouldn't mind a solo diner. I don't mind if it's pricey or not, just that the food is excellent. I'll be staying at the downtown Marriott near Union Square. I'm from Boston, and favorite restaurants here are Radius, Clio, Mistral and No. 9 Park. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Pam

I made a chili out of 4th of July leftovers, a few grilled steaks and burgers and since I was too lazy to go get all the ingredients, did my own version of a recipe that intrigued me because it called for Bittersweet Chocolate chips. I didn't have those, but did have a good cocoa powder....It came out so well that I blogged the recipe...and that's saying something because my poor food blog has been sadly neglected this past year. Great way to use up cookout leftovers though, I'd make this again definitiely. www.efoodie.typepad.com Pam

My favorite is Italian Dry Veal with salad, which is the dish I order over and over again at my favorite Italian restaurant. It's just a veal cutlet, served with a slice of lemon and salad. And it's scrumptious. Am now craving it thanks to this thread. Pam

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous cookbook! With Robin Leach on the cover, I think. Got it for Christmas years ago, and have used several times, especially for Wolfgang Puck's spicy chicken pizza recipe from his restaurant Spago. Pam

Make some really delicious guacamole from a few almost too ripe avocados, a bit of diced tomato, onion, cilantro and if you want heat, a little jalapeno. Salt, pepper to taste, and juice of a key lime (add half first, then taste) and you're all set! Could add a hint of garlic if you like too. Just made a big batch last night, and the key is very ripe, buttery avocados. Pam

I just saw an episode of The Barefoot Contessa yesterday while I was at the gym....yes, I know that doesn't really go together. Had the iPod ready to go as I got onto the elliptical machine, but then saw that Ina was making something that looked delicious, so had to watch that instead. More than one person commented on what I was watching... But, it might suit your picnic well. She made three salads to take on a beach picnic, one was a cold shrimp salad with a mayo/white wine/dill based sauce and veggies and pasta, another was a pasta, pesto with peas, and the last was cherry tomatoes and feta in a greek inspired vinagraitte. Dessert was a lemon loaf cake that soaked up a lemon syrup for extra moistness. The whole meal looked delicious, and easy and she packed it all up into individual chinese takeout containers....and they ate with chopsticks! Here's the link w/recipes. I am definitely going to make these soon, they looked that good. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ig/ep...1_21273,00.html Pam

here's another suggestion, from Lydia Shire's Locke ober restaurant in Boston. I've made this and it's divine. The key is having the shells soak in the milk/cream overnight. This is much thinner than a bisque, but is wonderful and full of flavor. http://www.drewvogel.com/Publish/Jfk_s_Lob..._Stew_12213.htm

I'm new to enjoying Indian food, and have fallen in love with Chicken Tikka Masala, which has a delicious somewhat creamy and spicy sauce. In searching for recipes, I see that half call for cream and half don't and I'm wondering, what is the norm? Does it usually have cream? Any suggestions for a good cookbook or resource for a classic recipe for this and other Indian dishes? I think I might like to try making Naan too. Oops, I just realized that maybe I should have posted this on the India thread? Sorry if this is in the wrong place. Pam

This is my absolute favorite way to serve cooked lobster meat. Just made it for a tailgate on Sunday and everyone loves it. For each pound of cooked lobster, Chop the lobster meat into one inch pieces (or smaller, whatever you like) and place into a casserole dish. Crush one sleeve of Ritz crackers ( I sometimes add in a little panko or royal lunch crackers too). Add half a stick of melted butter, some chopped parsley, salt and pepper, mix and sprinkle over the lobster. Chop the other half of the butter into small pieces and dot over the top. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sherry if desired (I do this half the time, depending on who is coming over). Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until warmed through and nicely browned on top. Serve with lemon. It's the best lazy lobster casserole I've ever had.... Pam

There's nothing like a delicious Corned Beef and Cabbage, if done correctly. You cook the beef first, braise it slowly, then add the vegetables at the end, so they are just cooked through and all the flavors are fresh. The recipe I use is from the New Basics cookbook. You simmer the beef with onions, carrots and celery for about 3 hours, then remove the beef, strain the broth, discard the veggies and add cabbage, new potatoes, leeks, carrots and salt and pepper to the broth and cook for about 30 min 'til tender. Then you serve with the beef and a yummy horseradish cream sauce. This is outrageously good when done this way. Most recipes just have you boil everything all together with the end result a soggy bland mess. This recipe keeps the flavors vibrant and the meat is meltingly tender. I had it at a friend's house on St. Patty's day and it was so amazing, that I went to the butcher the next day, got a 2 pound piece for myself, found the recipe, and made my own batch, and was in corned beef bliss for the next few days. It's that good. Pam

I make it one of two ways, the minimalist version which is the way my neighbor used to make it. She'd bring a mountain of these sandwiches to our card parties, and they were the most popular thing there and we always had way too much food. The secret was using soft Arnold sesame seed sandwich buns that were lightly spread with mayonnaise, then topped with the salad, piled on a plate, wrapped in plastic and chilled for several hours before serving. The coating of mayo on both sides of the bread prevents sogginess and locks in the flavor. Poach chicken breasts in chicken broth, let cool completely, then chop fine along with a bit of celery and mayo, salt and pepper. That's it. My gourmet version is popular too, it's kind of tropical, an experiment that worked out well. I just mix equal amounts of mayo, honey, and dijon mustard, a tablespoon or so of lemon juice. I add chopped chicken, finely diced sweet orange or yellow bell pepper and mango, and slivered almonds. Then I butter the outside of bake and serve finger rolls, heat, fill with the salad, and serve. Pam

I can't do cheese, but other than that, I didn't think it sounded so bad, sort of like a shepherd's pie, which noone has an issue with. I rarely eat fried chicken, but I'd try this just to try it, minus the cheese. I love shepherd's pie and I love fried chicken, so it sounds kind of good to me. Pam

Chris, I really enjoyed this, and could relate as well. One generous glass of wine (or two) helps keep me on my diet, and is something I look forward to. Pam

I think of fresh seafood, like scallops, sole, scrod, haddock, clams and lobster, either broiled, fried, or topped with cracker topping, butter and lemon. New England Boiled dinner or BD as my friends call it. I hated it when I was little as my Grandmother's birthday was St. Patty's day so we always had it then, and I dreaded it. Now I love it, go figure. Cranberry sauce, and bread. I remember making cranberry nut bread once Thanksgiving when I stayed in Florida and we had other friends over who weren't going home to their familes. They'd never had cranberry nut bread and were dubious about it...then asked for seconds. Franks and beans on a Saturday night. Is that a New England thing? Pam

Here's two places I haven't seen mentioned yet, Mistral. This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants. Great atmosphere, and food to match. It's a great special occassion restaurant, you really feel pampered. Standout dishes were a luxurious lobster bisque, and a silky glazed salmon. Via Matta. This was a pleasant surprise. I knew the service would be good, because it's owned by Radius and their attention to detail is one of their key strengths. I just didn't expect the food to be so good. The whole experience was wonderful. Ten of us went for my sister's mother-in-law's birthday and we had two young girls with us. They split dishes in the kitchen without us asking, for the girls dessert, and my sister and her mother-in-law couldn't decide on two dishes, so they ordered one lobster pasta and one spaghetti pomodoro and got separate dishes for both. Little touches like that made the service special, but the food put the experience over the top. The spaghetti pomodoro is swoonworthy, it's an al dente, spicy dish that I can't wait to have again. The crunchy eggplant appetizer and mussels were also fantastic, as was the dessert the girls split, deconstructed homemade 'oreo' cookies, with a tiny cup of cream frosting and soft cakelike chocolate cookies. That said, it's a bit pricier than I expected. A side dish of artichokes was $15! Can't wait to go back.

The Straight Wharf will be under new ownership this summer, so it may not be quite the same, but in the past, it was wonderful. A good friend of mine has worked there for years. Her husband is a chef at The Hen House. I haven't eaten there yet, but Andrew is amazingly talented, and I think is a less expensive option. Black eyed Susan's is a must for breakfast or lunch. I can't visit the island without going there, it's that good. I haven't eaten there yet, but my friends (the chef and his wife) rave about American Seasons. It's their favorite place. I have eaten at Topper's at the Wauwinet. It is expensive, but beautiful and delicious. Pam

I have piles of cookbooks, that I usually read more for ideas than actual recipes. But when I really need to know how to cook something and want the best recipe, I go to THE BEST RECIPE, the Cook's Illustrated book. That's the one that has the most grease stains and smudges from actual use. It has by far the best split pea and ham soup recipe ever, and what I like is that it explains why their version was chosen as the best. Great meatball recipe too, and when I needed a recipe fast for how to make a traditional boiled dinner for St. Patty's day, I was thrilled to find it there. The other one that I have used almost as often, is a thick paperback called The New Basics, by the authors of the Silver Palate cookbooks. Two former caterers. This book has easy yet modern classics, and the best version of Beef Bourguignon I've had yet. And their recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage is even better than the Cook's Illustrated one. Pam

Yes, seriously think about it, Beef is a huge industry in the US. If they increase testing, then they up the odds of finding more sick cows....which is not what they want. The less they test, the less we know....and the worse the problem could be. I love beef, so I'm not ready to give it up just yet, but I am only buying organic beef and eating it less often. Pam

I've found most garlic presses to be more trouble than they're worth, an extra cleaning step that I'd just as soon avoid. I hate to clean. I use the two fork method, that I learned years ago in a fine dining restaurant where we mixed caesar dressing tableside. In the saute pan or bowl, wherever you will be putting the pressed garlic, drop a clove and spear it with one fork, then with the other fork begin tearing and smashing the garlic clove against the bottom of the pan until you have a nice paste. No mess, no waste, all the oils are there as is every bit of the garlic. Easy and fast. Pam

and I thought garbage was strange. Pam

Weirdest thing in my freezer.....Trash. Yep, garbage. I freeze my garbage. Learned it from my mom. This way it doesn't stink up the trash and invite racoons and other scavengers. She used to have a problem with that, and started the freezing habit. Now I do the same. Weird, huh? Pam