yimay

we always ate zhong zi with Mei Mei La Jiang (mei mei hot sauce)... i remember the commercials now from my trip to taiwan as a teenager. i don't think it was amber, but more red. it's a very sweet chili sauce, pretty spicy for me as a kid, but yummy. there are different brands from Mei Mei but they all taste pretty much the same. usually come in a bottle similar to a narrow olive jar.

i think they are pretty good. perhaps people/sex and the city talked them up too much because they weren't as good as i had expected. i actually kind of like less sweet, flour-ey cake. i'm not a fan of icing, usually wipe the sugary pink stuff off. their chocolate cupcakes suck. vanilla is much better. but i agree, there are better cupcakes out there.

one of my favorites in pine nut candy. i like the date candy with the walnuts in it too.

my mom always made Bon Bon Chicken Salad or Bon Bon Gi which is a noodle salad with chicken, cucumber, bean sprouts, green onions and a spicy peanut sauce made from peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, chile, garlic, ginger she also made a seaweed salad and a kind of pickled cucumber salad that was kind of spicy. i guess they are not "typical" salads.

chick-fil-a nuggets and waffle fries. and i'm not ashamed to admit it!

i didn't mean to confuse. not all bean pastes are made from broad beans. most others are made from soybeans. i was just warning against chile bean paste labels that claim the ingredients to include broad beans, but really are just soybeans. i really like the chile bean pastes that are made from broad beans. i think the flavor is much better and my mom claims it makes your food taste more authentic.

molten chocolate brownie cupcakes and vanilla ice cream!

i'd also like to add that a lot of bean pastes that say "broad beans" on it aren't really made from broad beans. the true, really good broad bean paste should have whole or half beans in them about the size of regular (not baby) lima beans. i've come across many "broad bean" chile pastes that just have soy beans in them, which are smaller, rounder and not as tasty. check the bean size!

mmmm, broad bean paste is the best. yes, you should use it in ma po tofu and spicy sichuan style dishes. as mentioned you do want to "bao" or fry it for a bit in a pan in some hot oil with the soy sauce, garlic, sugar, wine to release some of the hidden flavors. my mom cooks everything with broad bean paste, but i've never had that kind. it looks awesome. my favorite dish using broad bean paste is steamed pork ribs with rice powder. i have a post and recipe on my site <a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2004/11/steamed_ribs_in_rice_powder_with_sweet_potato.html">here</a>. you should probably transfer it to a lidded jar and then keep it in the fridge. it should last indefinitely, what with all the salt and fermentation in it.

they sell cloth tea bags at Whole Foods. i'd imagine most higher end grocery stores that have loose tea selections will sell them. i also have a small,1-serving french press that i use for tea only. i've found it's really convenient if i just want to make a small cup of tea for myself. the plunger keeps all the loose teas down and i can do extra infusions so easily and there is plenty of room for the tea leaves to bloom. but i'm not really sure why making a proper pot of tea is such a hassle, or how it might take longer. i just put the leaves directly in the pot (i don't like to use infuser baskets). after the tea is brewed, just pour it into a thermos and go. or you can brew the loose leaves directly in the cup, no ball or strainer needed and strain it out into a second cup or a thermos either with a lid (gong fu style) or a small strainer. or like my parents do, they just leave the leaves in the bottom of their cup for additional infusions.

thanks for the responses. i couldn't find a contact for segal's online. i just ended up calling central market in dallas and they put together a basket with some veuve clicquot, flutes, chocolate truffles and other little snack-ish goodies and are going to deliver it for me all for under $150. i think it cost a little more than some sketchy things i found online, but i trust they will make a fine presentation and actually get it to them in one piece.

i'm lazy? actually i thought it was illegal to ship alcohol in texas which means i'd have to pack it myself (so the UPS folks won't know what it is), and i don't think i'd know how to pack champagne properly without it getting broken. i also thought it would cost more time and money if i do it myself and make the presentation all nice. yeah, mainly i'm just lazy.

thanks for this! i've only had appetizers at aquarelle and never been to wink. i've heard many of the same sentiments you have about aquarelle. after so many disappointing reviews, i think i will conclude that aquarelle=WEAK. but wink i must try! i heard they have chocolate soup! agreed, no high end food in Austin. I would qualify Fonda San Miguel as having the closest "gourmet" Mexican food. but i don't really mind. i love me some low-end bbq.

hey! maybe you can tell us what happened to the sushi? the quality suddenly took a southward turn. last time i went (about 5 months ago) it was BAD. another friend confirmed a few weeks after. the quality is so much worse than when you first opened. seriously. you should tell someone!

ooh yes! i love Ranch 616! i'd have to disagree about County Line for bbq in town tough. Ironworks is so damn good. oh i love Rudy's too. I agree, with everyone else's sentiments about driving out of town a bit for bbq. There is better bbq than Salt Lick, as mentioned, but I've been to so many I can't ever remember which town and what the names are. I also have to say, Vespaio can probably hold its own on either coast, and La Traviata has a few dishes (not all of them) that can knock some italian socks off. And I forgot, you need some Yellow Food (aka: Chicken fried something). I'd skip Threadgill's in town and drive out 290 to the 290 Cafe in Manor (about 20 minutes east on 290). best chicken fried steak/chicken and steak 'n eggs breakfasts in a 100 mile radius. But yes, as i originally said, bbq and mexican (not tex-mex) is the way to go.

Other: Z Tejas - tex-mex/american <a href="http://www.cafejosie.com/">Cafe Josie</a> - american tropics? Sam Paio's - south american Wink - never been but i heard they have chocolate soup!

what are you in the mood for? i'd say bbq and mexican is the way to go BBQ: Ironworks is my favorite bbq in town if you have time drive out to Salt Lick in Dripping Springs, about 30 minutes from Austin Mexican: <a href="http://fondasanmiguel.com/">Fonda San Miguel</a> - they have an excellent sunday brunch but it's $$$ Curra's - best pork tamales ever, avocado margaritas (but too sweet for me) Tacqueria Arandas #3 on Burnet Italian: La Traviata Vespaio French: Chez Nous - best price fixe menu in Austin Aquarelle (spendy and not consistent, so take your chances) Japanese/Sushi: Musashino - best sushi in town Mikado - sushi not quite as good as musashino, but rolls are excellent! and cheaper. Uchi - sushi is disappointing, only order entrees Chinese: Pao's Mandarin House out in Lakeway

i want to send a bottle of champagne along with two champagne flutes to a friend that just got married in dallas. i looked online, wine.com delivers champagne but no flutes. does anyone know of any other online store or local place in dallas, tx that i could place an order with? thanks!

awesome! my mom made this all the time but i don't think she ever reused the braising liquid over and over again. maybe it's because we always ate everything. i don't think it's necessary to keep the lushui and reuse it, so if this idea bothers you, don't do it. just make a fresh batch each time. i agree, it is "Lu" (as the original post) in mandarin. we always made eggs, tofu, beef, chicken wings and seaweed. it's also considered to be a kind of "red-cooking" method.

i don't know much about seafood places in houston, b/c anytime we wanted seafood my parents would drag me to a chinese restaurant (all the american places we'd go to for seafood were too expensive or not very fresh) but one place i do love for oysters on the half shell is the Captain Benny's, or Tom's Seafood and Oyster Restaurants that are shaped like boats all around town. are they the same company? When I visit my parents we still go to the one on 1960 near their house, but if memory serves me correct (i've been in Austin for the past 10 years or so) there is one on Westheimer near the Post Oak/610 area. they have yummy seafood and yummy oysters when the season is right, and the season is right now! and the restaurant is shaped like a boat! a BOAT!!

the sweet coffee drink is called Cafe Sua Da. to get the strong flavor you must use chicory coffee b/c chicory allows you to make a much stronger brew than the same amount of regular coffee lets you. you want to put like 2-4 Tbsps of the chicory coffee in your coffee press and then fill with hot water. and i'm sure you can find the presses online. search for Vietnamese Coffee Press.

i was just wondering about fluted mushrooms. what is the point? to show off knife skills? to create a surface for sauces to grip onto? (<-- that's not REALLY necessary is it?) i don't get it.

i think this would be yummy. i would maybe switch out the lettuce with cabbage. my mom makes an oxtail soup that has tomatoes and cabbage in it. it'd be delish with some bacon too!

mmm pulled pork tacos or tacos al pastor (with onions, cilantro and pineapple), and YES pressed cuban sandwiches with lots of pickles!

besides food, you should also go check out Frida Kahlo's house/museum. it's a gorgeous place.