phaelon56

That's a strong statement. I have long since accepted the fact that Austin is the best music town anywhere anyplace.... now I discover I have to do my grocery shopping there too? Let's add in the fact that Little City Roasting has an espresso blend that totally rocks and is on sale once a week at under $7 per pound (I think you even get a free drink when you buy a pound). It's as good as the stuff I roast at home and when all things are accounted for (weight loss when roasting beans, time etc) it's as cheap as doing it myself. I think I need to move to Austin.

It's a known fact in my area that beverage distributors who don't "offer" some free beer for grocery store employee picnics etc. often find themselves with reduced amounts of cooler space a few months later. I'm not condoning or condemning the practice but I am curious as to why it's so widelly practiced, accepted and considered as legal yet radio industry payla was a huge scandal and the practice was outlawed (I'm well aware that industry play lists are still "influenced" in many ways but outright payola is in fact against the law).

I liked Classico as a bottled sauce once upon a time until i tried Barilla Tomato and Basil and also their Marinara. Both are among the best bottle sauces I've tried. They were readily available in North Jersey when I was living there but I'm finding them a bit tougher to locate now that I'm in upstate NY. There were some far pricer sauces sold in NJ like Veronica's (about $5 - $6 per jar) and IMHO they were not nearly as good as the Barilla. I used oil for years in my pasta water but have stopped the practice and see no difference. I have decided to up the amount of salt after seeing so many comments here on that practice. How much water? Making dinner for myself in a hurry (on lazy night) I will use only four quarts of water but that's only with a half bag of ravioli - cooking a full bag or cooking any amount of pasta dictates six quarts of water for me - always. Leftover pasta? I put the pasta I'll eat right then in a bowl with the sauce and mix. The remaining amount goes in cold water until the meal is done and is stored in a plastic container with the water loosely drained off - a bot of water still on the noodles is good. I store just enough sauce in a small bowl for the next day also. Reheat the leftover pasta by just throwing it into a small sauce pan of boiling water - the starch was already cooked off and drained the first day but reheating in the microwave just does nto work - I've tried many variations but I still find boiling water to work the best. Leftover sauce? The jar goes straight into the freezer - I no longer throw away half jars of sauce (but have thrown away many in the pasta). Cooking with hot water? A fairly generic quotation from one of many municipal and governmental websites It seems to be a prevailing sentiment including from folks like the EPA. They could all be mistaken but for the little bit of effort it taks to boil cold water I'll keep doint it that way.

I've had a passable espresso shot from Illy - not great but passable. I suspect the fact that it came from an apparently fresh can of whole bean was probably the reason but a few days after opening the can it had gone noticeably flat. I'm told by folks with a fair knowledge of things Italian that the Illy sold there is very much different (and better) than the export product. I suspect that another issue relating to the abundance of fairly wretched Illy served in this country is preparation. Cafes or restaurants who are buying it because of the name cachet are most likely to be far less knowledgeable about things espresso and most likely to be among those with the worst process and technique. Take an average or even better than average coffee in the hands of an incompetent or uncaring barist, add in a poorly maintained machine.... true caffienated dreck is the inevitable result. Illy is not alone - some of the best commercial bagged espresso I've ever had was some LaVazza my former GF brought back from a trip to Italy. She went into a grocery store and "bought what everyone else was buying". Several months later we were on the Mass Turnpike and spotted a "LaVazza Espresso Cafe" at the rest stop. They erved me whwat was quite possibly the worst.... absolute worst espresso I've ever had.

I've been told that it will be Spring if they can get everything done and lined up in time re/permits etc. but if not Spring than they might push it back to the end of summer. In the meantime... another upstate NY group has opened shop in the city - Gimme! Coffee of Ithaca is now in Williamsburg Brooklyn. It's a must visit - I can state with confidence that you're likely to get the best espresso shots currently being pulled on the east coast.

The value of bering plumbed in is not to be understimated, even for folks like me who rarely make more than two doubles in a day. Most high end home machines have the E61 style grouphead and a HX (heat exchanger). In order to assure proper brew temp, it's essential to draw off about four to six ounces of water before pulling the shot. This is done not only for the first shot but anytime the machine sits for more than ten minutes between shots. It was already mentioned that the portafilter is often rinsed between shots with the water coming from the grouphead. I also do a backflush at the end of any day or prolonged session before turning off the machine. The result? I have to refill the tank at least once every day even if I only pull two shots. An additional consideration for many people is the machine height relative to cabinets. In many kitchens the machine must be pulled out to refill - a real PITA. Some people use "magic sliders" under the machine feet but plumbing in has an advantage. There is a compromise - a "float valve" kit that allows one to use a five gallon jug of bottled water. This avoids true plumbing in but adds the convenience factor.

Looks really, really good. I can understand the folks who don't use thermometers but I still find it easier to do so. I'm going to start a separate thread on microfoam/frothing and will leave this topic for discussion there. I also prefer Liquid Amber to Monkey Blend but find that I have to roast the LA fairly dark to avoid having underroasted beans in the blend. I think the LA is btter in milk drinks thatn MB but that's strictly personal preference.

I cook less frequntly than I wish but there are a few past girlfriends who would beg me to make paella when possible or better yet - my magical and top scret chicken liver recipe. I stumbled on the chix liver recipe in the process of experimentation and although I seem to be able to reproduce it with a fair amount of consistency, I've been unable to translate it into a written recipe for others. Perhaps you all can help? Wash and drain some chicken livers - a pound or two - cut the bigger ones into two pieces. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and whatever else strikes your fancy Dredge thoroughly in flour, place into hot skillet with olive oil and cook until browned on all sides and cooked most of the way through Remove the livers to a platter or push to the sides if the skillet is big enough Throw some garlic, sliced scallions and diced tomato into the pan and cook for a few minutes In a bowl, mix some soy sauce, honey, white vinegar (rice wine vinegar is best), a bit of hot sauce to taste and a generous amount of minced ginger. Add some water to thin the sauce a bit and pour the entire mixture into the pan. Get it bubbling, add a bit of cornstarch/water paste as a thickener and then add back in the livers from the platter or push them back into the center of the pan so the sauce is distributed. Simmer for a bit until sauce is nicely thickened and livers are throughly cooked. Serve over rice. This recipe is hardly all that inventive and very much derivative of teriyaki, something I happen to enjoy very much. It is different than teriyaki and there's a certain sweet/sour pungency that really enhances the livers. I have tried adding a bit of sesame oil, someitmes some balsamic vinegar and have on occasion used sugar instead of honey when it's all that was available. What is baffling to me is how to estabish a process by which I can actually establish specific amounts of ingredients so friends who enjoy this can make it themselves. Perhaps some of you are familiar wth a similar recipe that I might use as a guideline?

It does from mine but washing dishes has become SUCH a chore I do wish that there were a creme brulee ice cream - something that had the flavor and at least a good semblanc eof the texture and also had lots and lots of chunks of caramelized crispy burnt sugar topping strewn throughout. Now that I'm wishing I'll add that it should have no more than 4 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving. Ben and/or Jerry - are you listening?

Home Depot type cabinets can be pretty damn good if you select carefully. We have a regional chain (Chase-Pitkin - owned by the Wegman's Grocery folks) that has a 20% off everythign in the kitchen department sale twice each year. They had some sort of additional cabinet promo that coincied with the sale. My cabintes were from either Starmark or Crestwod but it seems that every big chain has a catalog with mid range cabinets in it and the catalog remains the same everywhere with only the brand name changing. These are obviously all coming from one primary manufacturer. I really wanted all plywood sides and bases but the price difference was compelling in favor of composite/particle board instead. I opted for all plywood on the bathroom vanity that I purchased at the same time due to moisture issues but ended up happy with the other cabinets. The frames, the faces and doors were all maple. I was not thrilled with the somewhat fake look of the end panels on the few cabinets that did not abut other cabinets or a wall but no one who visited seemed to notice. The cabinets were those in the pics that I posted previously. I had: six base cabinets - three small and three large - one large with two rollouts four upper cabinets - one large and three small - all full height three wee little upper cabinets to cover the header one bathroom vanity for 19" sink IIRC I paid less than $2500 delivered for the whole bunch and they were very good. My brother was in favor of my getting the European style cabinets that mount on rails and may be moved/repositioned if you renovate again later on. That solution did not fit my needs but I can see the appeal in a situation like yours, particularly if it's a well established and readily available line that would allow you to add and reconfigure with addtional matching cabinets a few years down the road.

My late grandfatehr was a space program junkie who loved anything and everything associated with it. They spent the winters in Florida and he would routinely drag my grandmother along with him from the Gulf coast for a ride over to Cape Canaveral to see some of the early lift-offs. Apart from the smell of Ben-Gay liniment that permeated their home, one of my most distinct childhood memories associated with that household was the ever present Tang. Despite the fact that everyone else in the family preferred real OJ, he drank only Tang for breakfast once the astronauts started drinking it. I'm amazed that it's still in use. Is there a freeze dried or powdered beverage available on the shuttle that more closely resembles real OJ or is Tang still the only option?

The remarkable thing is that these machines (units with that big shiny circular thing known as an E61 grouphead) are really easy to use and to get good results with. They even get less messy once you get accustomed to the routine/ritual of prepping and pulling shots. Melkor - if you're lacking a tamper just do what many folks are doing on E61 machines - go with 17 or 18 grams per shot, grind a bit finer than you would normally, slightly overfill the basket and give it a slight thunk on your tamping mat (my tamping mat is an old mouse pad turned over). Level it loosely and now lock the portafilter into the machine and pull your shot. The pre-infusion feature of the E61 does the "tamping" for you and the shower screen of the grouphead actually pushes down the grounds. I happen to enjoy the tamping process but some people using machines like this dispense with it altogether. Also - if the chrome handle on your lever becomes a bit too warm to the touch once the machine has been on for several hours (this may happen) - just get a thin nylon washer that can serve as a spacer between the handle end and the shaft.

His family members up here were a bit surprised when I mentioned that Dreamland was featured on a "BBQ Road Trip" segment on NPR and that he'd been interviewed for national radio broadcast. He was always known in the family as "the one with the BBQ place" - not thought of as successful. It's okay - I still like the ribs I mkae in my own smoker better than any I've had elsewhere. Add me to the list of folks who don't like tripe, tendon and the like. I ordered the "beef stew" version of Pho once at my local Viet restaurant and was truly disgusted, not realizing in advance what the contents would really be. I do like sweetbreads however.... I suppose there never is any accounting for taste.

I feel your pain. I'm about to head out to beautiful downtown Little Rock Arkansas for four days and will be without espresso for the duration. Ouch. Thank goodness for my Melitta one cupper.

Hey "Fistfullaroux" - my best buddy's uncle is the guy who started Dreamland and continued to run it for many years (I think he is now deceased or has sold the business). Too bad he didn't pass along the secrets to great ribs to the branch of the family that's up here - I"ve had ribs at countless of their family cookouts up here in the North but they don't measure up to whjat's available down there. My most recent GF just didn't get when I diplomaticaly explained ot her why I don't drink - she really didn't get it. I spared her from the scariest horror stories (none of which would have been exaggerations) but still she kept insisting that I should "try just a sip" because "this wine is so delicious". I finally suggested that although I wasn't in the mood for wine, I could run downtown and get some heroin and would she like me to get some for her too? She never again offered me a drink and we got along just fine. I coudl care less whether other people drink at meals or any other time and they should be equally uninterested in my drinking habits or lack of same.

I take medication that conflicts with alcohol but I've also I've been sober for fifteen years so it's a moot point. I probably eat out at upscale establishments far less often than the average egulleteer (I'm guessing). I generally order a glass of tonic wter with a big splash of Rose's lime juice as an apertif and enjoy either tap water (if I'm in a place like NYC where the tap water is decent) or mineral water with the meal. Sometimes I have both tap water and mineral water. I grew up consuming large amounts of milk with meals and although I rarely have a glass of milk these days, I still drink copious amounts of water on a daily basis including meal time. I've been fortunate enough not to receive different treatment when I fail to order alcohol woth the meal. It does remain a distinct possibility that I was treated differently and failed to notice (deliver my meal in a timely manner and bring my check when I ask for it and I'll be content - friendly service is not essential to me as long as I don't encounter outright rudeness). When I enjoy "finer" dining I'm invariably with one female friend or another and they generally order a glass or two of wine with dinner - that may be why no one has looked askance. If I'm with a group of coworkers or other acquaintances, some of whom may not know me that well, I'll generally say "I'm not drinking tonight (or today)". People rarely ask for more details but I find it humorous when they become intrigued by the fact that I don't drink or insistent that I should have a drink. Saw a very funny bit by a stand-up comic in NYC on this topic. His point: "Why is that when I say I don't eat mayonnaise everyone accpets at face value that I simply don't like mayo or it does not agree with me. Tell them I don't drink and they all have to know 'the story' ".

KatieLoeb said Hear, hear.... truer words have rarely if ever been spoken. I only worked in the biz for a few years as a waiter and busboy and for another ten years or so served as a part time bartender at an entertainment venue and for some caterers. The potential for theft in the beverage operations is staggering and I've seen a few places here in Syracuse go under because of it while others limped along.... hardly able to guess at the source of their problems until it was too late. I have a far less glamorous suggestion but one worth considering: start very small, see how you like "the biz" and then evolve as financing, your passion and the market allows. My reference point is Syracuse - a far smaller and less expensive market but still viable as a business case study. Example 1: Alto Cinco Started as a small take-out operation in a neighborhood where pizza, sandwiches and middle eastern food had long been the only available options. The owner had worked both front and back of house previously at another local restaurant called Pastabilities (which will serve as my second example). This space had previously housed, among other things, an Ethiopian take-out operation. Syracuse has a small African population but being adjacent to the University and being in a somewhat hip and enlightened neighborhood, the Ethiopian place could have been a success. The problem? Not knowing the neighborhood. They had no take-out offererings for under $10 - $12 and this was back in the early 90's. Syracuse in general and this neighborhood in particular requires that you have at least something on the take-out menu that sells for about $4 - $6 and will fill the budget conscious diner up enough to serve as some sort of meal. Alto Cinco focused on lots of fresh ingredients, some good vegetarian burrito offerings (smart move in this neighborhood) and offered some $5 - $6 items that helped them develop a loyal following. After five years of slow and steady volume increases, they took over a small adjacent space and added a bistro style dining room. It's still tiny but overhead costs are very controllable, they serve only wine and beer (much easier and cheaper in NY state to get a wine and beer only license than to have a full bar), and I'll guess that they do three full turns on any busy night, not to mention that the takeout business that is still thriving. The owner's initial investment was not all that high - good used restaurant equipment is available in abundance in most areas and the original space was very small. Example 2: Pastabilities Restaurant This was started over twenty years ago by a friend of mine who worked with me as a waiter. He spent a few years perfecting various key recipes at home and networking with folks in the local restaurant trade, the local dining community and the arts scene. He also researched locations exhaustively. His desired location was in an area that had not yet "taken off" and was a a very dicey choice. Instead, he found a cheaper and smaller location that was adjacent to the downtown office worker community, in an odd space that had been underutilized, had previously housed several unsuccessful restaurant operations and already had a rudimentary kitchen in place. They started serving lunches only with an open kitchen and a cafeteria style serving line but with an emphasis on fresh made pasta dishes and salad items. No waitstaff, just a bus person to clear tables - water and cutlery were self serve. It made for a quick in and out and they had a healthy, tasty set of lunch options when no one else in that neighborhood did. The first step to growth was offering dinners on Friday and Saturday night only - it was all BYOB for alcohol and they developed a good word of mouth rep quickly. They networked in the arts community and had a DJ and dancing to some funky, inventive and non-mainstream music late at night when the dinners were over - the tables were just pushed back to make room for the dancing. This first venture was funded by F & F only (no fools). After several years of consistent growth they opted to move to their original location of choice: Syracuse's Armory Square area, which has now become the "hot spot" of central NY (FWIW). There had been one ill-fated and poorly run restaurant in that nieghborhood previously but the real growth was just starting. There were additional investors involved this time and despite careful planning and experience - the budget quickly got out of hand. Breads of sweat were abundant and projections of a ten year payback period on the opening costs prompted sleepless nights. The good news: they kept the same efficient and moderately priced lunch arrangement in place, opened for diners six nights per week, quickly developed an incredible bar trade and were going great guns for years, becoming one of the most popular and successful restaurants in the Syracuse area. Their lunch trade followed them to the new location and they developed an entirely new customer base for dinners. Despite that, there was a point in time a few years back when they almost went under after years of success. One of the original owners (my friend Patrick) passed away (brain tumour in his late 30's) and due to the circumstances (young children at home and the illness), his wife and business partner Karen had been unable to keep as careful an eye on operations as was likely necessary. I'm not disclosing private info here - she publicly discussed this in a local newspaper profile. After close to fifteen years of profitable and successful operation, they were losing money despite appearing to be busy. She brought in some trusted restaurant pros and a financial auditor and ended up more or less cleaning house on the entire front end staff. The beverage operation turned out to be one of the areas where money and revenue was quietly being siphoned off. The turnaround was highly successful. The artisinal bread operation they started at that time has grown to the point where it now occupies a separate storefront and may open a second location. The restaurant remains reasonably busy despite an abundance of competition. I see some valuable lessons here. 1) Starting small and modest is a worthwhile and sensible path - do things the right way and investment capital and greater opportunities will follow. 2) Get some experience in the business before jumping into it. Either back of house or front of house or preferably both. Even peopl with good business plans and indutry experience find it a difficult road initially. 3) Find an investment partner who is already in the business , is highly compatible and will work doggedly to ensure successs. Be prepared to put in an incredibly inordinate number of hours yourself for the first few years and way more than you expect in the years to follow. 4) Expect everything to cost more than you can possibly imagine and then some. Also expect it to take longer. 5) Have a really soloid amount of capital on hand for working cash flow to keep the bills paid until you are turning a profit. 6) Recognize that no matter how successful your operation becomes, its continued success is ensured by your presence or that of other people who have "skin in the game" (i.e. investment partners who are actively working in the business). 7) Consider having an objective third party monitor things periodically. I know someone in the private security business who is regularly and discreetly employed by bar owners to come through their establishments on an intermittent basis. he works as a "spotter" - hanging at the bar for a few drinks over a period of a couple hours to see how the money and checks are handled and what goes where. I think it's a great dream to have and one to pursue. There are so many folks with the artistic and culinary vision who lack the business sense - if you have or acquire some of both you're bound to be a successful restarauteur given time.

Joe's Pub at the Public Theatre is most likely the best room in town for acoustics and an intimate setting - when they have jazz it's worth a visit but get there early and get in line. It's very small and there seem to be an inordinate number of people who are already inside and seated at all the best seats and tables before us "regular folks" even get inside. Another place worth checking out if you like the bigger band sound is the weekly gig of the Mingus Big band at Fez under Time Cafe. It's a crowded and awkward rom with low ceilings but worth tolerating if the music is good. Most of their food is so-so but they have a really tasty "signature" pizza that consists of maple cured bacon, sliced green apples, sauteed red onion, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese.

Whole Latte Love has one of the best and most user friendly web sites out there as far as doing equipment research goes. They also have very competitive prices but there have been numerous reports of people having issues with the consistency and reliability of service after the sale. I purchased from them once and never needed service so it was no big deal but both a coworker and a friend of mine also did so and had numerous problems dealing with them when they needed service. YMMV but the price spread between online dealers is minimal - I suggest going where the service reputation is stellar. My perosnal favorite, based on my own experience and that of a number of friends, is Chris Coffee. His customer service is the best I've ever recieved for any consumer product anywhere, anytime - it's that good. Friends of mine have purchased from him and had similar experiences. The catch is that he only deals with higher end gear - he does stock the Rancilio Silvia due to demand but he tends to focus on grinders in the $200 and up range and espresso machines in the $700 ands up range. 1st Line in NJ and Aabree are two others that I have heard consistently good reports aboiut over the past few years. These are just a few but they happen to the the ones I have seen consistent positive referecnes to in other forums.

Why not a tiramisu? It's not a traditional ice box cake but is relatively simple to make and keeps well in the fridge.

Are the existing cabinets built in place or were they premanufactured cabinets that were hung and screwed in? If you're replacing the sink, stove, countertops etc.... it seems that even with the substantial amount oif extra work involved, it migfht be easier to remove the existing cabinets (if in fact this is possible) and then hire a couple of college students or other grunt laborers with a few sledge hammers to remove the existing floor and substrate. I've removed two separate bathroom floors that consisted of small hex tiles on a 2" thick portland cement base. It wasn't pretty but it was worth the effort. A possibility that has not been mentioned.... it would be very far from my first choice but has potential for your unique situation.... Pergo. It won't add much to the height of the existing floors and it can be installed in a floating manner above concrete slab floors - can't see why it wouldn't work on top of ceramic tile. I'd go to great lenghts to avoid using Pergo but some folks swear by it and there are some non-Pergo brand imitations now available that are way cheaper and still good.

The new Solis Maestro Plus is about $150. The regular Maestro model is now widely available for under $110 with free shipping. The predecessor to the regular Maestro.... I believe it was sold as the Solis 166.... had some ergonmic issues but did as good a job as the Maestro on the grind. Starbucks has sold that model for quite some time with their name on it and occasionally puts it out at a blowout sale price. Check some of the better onine vendors who carry Solis (Sweet Maria's, Aabree, 1st Line) and look at hte pics of the regular Maestro. Starbucks is likely sellign a rebadged version of this one as well and the sales are worth waiting for.

I can't comment on cork floors but after giving cermic tile serious consideration I went with wood floors - #1 red oak. It was easier using oak because it tied into the floors in the rest of the house but I prefer maple for kitchen floors - it's cheaper and harder. If you do wood floors with three coats of poly and ensure to clean them exclusively with water and just a few drops of dishwashing detergent.... you can easily buff them out and recoat once every everal years when they get a bit too scuffed looking. On a completely separate note - not necessarily applicable to those using hired help but I made one HUGE mistake that was avoidable. I neglected to put horizontal 2x4's in the walls as cabinet nailers before we sheetrocked the kitchen. It was an unbelievable hassle trying to find and gain purchase on some of the studs so that all the cabinets could be properly supported.

It's entitled "Great Meals Almost From Scratch". Received it as a Christmas gift and will start putting some of the techniques to use when I finally get out of my transitional living arrangement and into a real house with a kitchen next week. It looks to be a pretty cool book - focuses on how to ue a variety of premade/storebought base ingredients to throw together healthy, tasty and inventive meals in a hurry. Great for the harried and stressed out family with two careers and kids or the single folks like me who would rather not be bothered than to cook elaborate meals for one. I will report back here after trying out some of the recipes but it actually looks very promising.

Good that your food elsewhere... The BB King Club is run by the same group as the Blue Note. I dont' drink alcohol and usually make my $10 pp at BB King's by havign coffe and dessert (has never ben great but never bad). On one occasion I ordered a fruit and cheese appetizer platter as I was hungerier and not in the mood for sweets. Imagine biting into what was billed as "baked brie" only to discover that it was ice cold - straight from the fridge! I was amazed that they even removed the plastic wrap from the dish. I have since gone back to just coffee and dessert on my visits there. Hopefuly the kitchen staff at the Blue Note is more carefully supervised and better trained.