phaelon56

From an unsolicited email I received today Minimum purchase is a container load - 33,000 bottles thirsty yet?

When ass-talking becomes official I always try to pay careful attention 'cause it just might be important Wegman's frequently pays for major road improvements on the roads accessing their stores. It's usually one of the mandates from the townships in which they locate, in order that the traffic increase be properly accomodated. The redesign they did on East Genesee Street in Syracuse when they expanded was a very good one - traffic actually flows there better than it ever did before they doubled the size of the store.

I haven't personally used one but have a friend in Phoenix who got into roasting recently and has been using a Variac. The Variac will help control the heat level but most folks going this route also find it helpful to hack the poper and separate the controls for the fan and the heater so the roast can be regulated more effectively. By doing this and using a variac you'll be able to introduce a level of control that will make repeatbility of roasts a cinch and you'll also be able to get roast times in the 10 - 15 minute range. The longer roast will lessen the brightness common to popper roasting and producer a smoother flavor profile. Ed Needham is a guy who's been into popper mod's for a while and has some good instructions on his Homeroaster Website My frined got his Variac at Coffee Bean Corral . They are also available from Sweet Maria's

Thanks to all for such great ideas - MsRamsey has PM'd me with a couple suggestions, one of which is a group hot pot dinner. I'm definitely up for that and Wed the 7th looks like a good evening for it. I'm still on the fence about renting a car. The Courtyard has free parking and by the time I pay for the shuttle to and from the airport, bus fare and a cab or two if needed.... a car would make sense economically. I want to visit Olympia to see an on-line friend who's in the commercial coffee/espresso business but that visit may have to wait for some future trip. He's one of the people who's been nudging me to take the plunge into that business and this trip is the first phase of that adventure (I'm at ESI for training on repair of commercial espresso machines). A bicycle is still looking like a strong possibility but I don't need to decide yet. How abotu anyone who wants to do a hot-pot dinner on Wed send me a PM, I'll collect the names and give them to MsRamsey or some eSeattlite who can arrange the details and logistics? I'm also up for company for dinner on Monday the 5th and Tuesday the 6th. Authentic Mexican sounds good as it's somethign I can't get in my area. tsquare - where is Cafe Besalu? That one has fallen under my radar. I've been to Uptown, Cherry Street, Cafe d'Arte, Vivace, Vita, Top Pot, Coffee Messiah, Bauhaus, Lighthouse, Ancient Grounds, Victrola and a few Lladro locations. I am awlays - repeat always up for trying out a new espresso joint. Rumor has it that both Top Pot and Victrola may have started doping their own roasting since the last time I tried them. I have been to Seattle on four previous occasions, twice for Bumbershoot, once on a personal weekend trip and once for business. Apart from a great dinner at Etta's and an okay one at McCormick and Schmick's (but with lousy service) I've had little dining experience in Seattle. Really looking forward to the eating on this trip despite the limited time and low budget.

I think the Vietnamese version, known as Goi Ga, might make for excellent sandwiches. It has shredded cabbage and carrots along with steamed chicken and a light, tangy, slightly sweet and sour dressing that is not mayo or dairy based.

I was there on a Saturday at about 11 AM - I know that's a bit late but I was stunned at the small number of vendors and the lack of variety. There were some Asian ladies selling fresh cut flowers reallly cheap, we bought a few jars of homemade chow-chow that have proven to be excellent and there was one guy with what appeared to be excellent smoked/preserved meats (ham, bacon etc.). The market we went to was somewhere out near Colliseum Drive or Road - south of the city center by perhaps ten minutes or so. Please note that I'm not criticising Charlotte Farmer's markets in general - I asked a few people about them after our experience and was told "that's not one of the good ones" when I indicated where we'd been. It was definitely not Matthews or Uptown. There were no heirloom varieties of anything that I saw and the produce appeared to be pretty well picked over, not to mention pricier than Food Lion or the other grocery chains. I expect to be back in Charlotte for a visit in both July and August. Can you suggest a market we can visit and the best time of day to get there? (i.e. how early). By the way.... I mentiond to my GF about the lunch and breakfast at the United House of Prayer - she goes near there on her way to University Park Baptist on Sundays and was happy to hear about the breakfast - I've nudged her to go check it out ASAP she'll probably wait until I'm there to do it.

Healthy is relative. If you mean getting basic and fundamental nutrients there are plenty of options. Many generations of Irish lived on a diet that consisted of little more than potatoes. My grandmother could make salmon loaf from one can of salmon and feed 11 people - haven't a clue how she managed that trick but my mom insists that you could really taste the salmon (we now make it with the same size can of salmon and it feeds no more than four people). You'll find that many Mexican people and especially children, in rural areas of Mexico, are surprisingly healthy despite the level of poverty. The diet may well be a factor and it's really cheap: tortillas, beans, rice, bananas and milk. Add in a fewe herbs and spices, some tomatos and some greens and there are mucho options.

It's still NY so I'll reference upstate and central NY "simple things" Macoun apples 5X aged cheddar Salt potatoes Gianelli sausage sandwich with/peppers, onions and sauce (must be eaten at NY State Fair) Maple sugar candy Fritatta's Fried chicken at Hattie's in Saratoga Springs

I second that emotion!!! Cold brew does indeed produce the lowest acidity but most who've tried using the cold brew concentrate and then adding some hot water still consider a fresh brewed cup of coffee to have the edge in taste characteristics. Some excellent suggestions have already been made. I happen to enjoy Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee very much and although it is lower acid than some coffees, I think it's the balance of acidity and flavor notes that makes it so appealing. That said... there's plenty of so-called JMB sold here in the US that is not the real thing and also many "JMB blends". The blends can have as little as 5% true JMB and are in no way representative of the real thing. Buy from a reputable source and look for the coffees of Mavis Banks or Wallingford Estates - those are the two brands most readily available in the US that are of predictably high quality. That said.... JMB is very expensive and many good coffees are available for far less. Overroasting is a signature style at Starbucks and even Peet's has a tendency to roast very dark on many coffees. I have a co-worker who had sworn off coffee because he was having a reaction to the acidity of everything he'd tried. I home roasted some Sulawesi Toroja for him and he was blown away - it has a full body, lots of flavor and is very smooth with very low acid. If possible, look for a local microroaster and explain your needs and tastes - that's a great way to get the best possibel coffee (short of roasting your own).

I believe that to be the case but am not absolutely certain. I have noticed that when the paper filter is prewetted in a manual drip system (i.e. Melitta), the coffee seems to start dripping through more quickly and more consistently. Brewing time is a crucial factor along with proper water temperature. A 3 to 3 1/2 minute brew time is ideal. Very few auto drip makers achieve this with a full pot (apart from Bunn and a few others but it's easy to do with a vacuum pot or a French Press. Prewetting the filter should also allow you to hit the desired brew time mark with a manual drip system.

It's only snobbish if you speak condescendingly to the other couples about their food/snack choices and try to make them feel ignorant or unenlightened re/their actions. It's much bit like anger - a normal feeling but the issue what we do with it and how we adjust our reactions. I now live in a small city and work for a firm whose employees would line right up happily for snacks of the type that you describe. When we've had gatherings or summer picnics in which various people bring food contributions, I've traditionally brought a big-ass fruit salad chock full of good stuff. People always compliment it and polish it off right along with all the junk food. Most peopel enjoy halthy food if it tastes god but don't have or don't make the time to obtain it or prepare it. Pregnancy and the heightened awareness it brings of how the mother's food intake and the lifestyle of the household in general afects the little one is just the first of the many blessings you'll receive by becoming a parent (along with lots of hard work!). It may seem cliched but when I see how certain people eat and how they allow their children to eat... I stop for a moment to summon up a sense of gratitude for the good eating habits I was brought up with and for the non-stop flow of great ideas and discussion that I get here on eGullet re/good eating. Dinner last night consisted of Wheat thins with cheddar cheese and a bowl of banana pudding - it's not as though I always live right but awarenes is the first step. Damn.... that was my exact menu for Jazz Fest and I was going to invite you over to our patch of lawn to have a snack. Now I have to come up with some kind of healthy crap. Oh well .

Where are the better farmer's markets in Charlotte? I went to one last sumemr out near the Colliseum Road (sp?) and it was terrible - poor quality and small selection. I was subsequently advised that there are many different farmer's markets in Charlotte and that some are very good. I expect to soon start getting back down there regularly again after not being there since last fall. Markets out towards the University park area would be convenient but I dont' mind driving elsewhere for the best selection and quality.

Word - what Curlz said. Wegmans' is as shrewd and savvy as Starbucks or any other major rapidly expanding player. They do really serious demographic studies and they know how far people will drive for a good store. Talk to people whove tried to get their product positioned to eb sold by Wegman's stores and you'll find that they don't get sold a bill of goods on anything. Furthermore, as has already been pointed out... they need a huge plot of land and will not pay through the nose for it. Figure a store of 120,000 square feet minimum with a hell of a lot more parking than NJ stores typically provide. Add in the requirement for Wegman's to pony up to the town for beefing up and reconfiguring the adjacent streets or road to handle the new volume of vehicular traffic. It's no wonder they haven't touched Bergen County yet. The payback peiod is just way too long. They put a store in six miles from Morristown this year or next and in four to five years when that store is really hitting its stride... residential development density in that area will likely be high enough that people will really think of it as "the Morristown Wegman's" even though it's not technically in Morristown. I guess it's different further out in NJ but when I lived in Rutherford I'd drive six miles or more in a heartbeat to get to a really good grocery store (but there wasn't oen available to drive to that was anywhere near that close).

I'm a Vietnamese food (and iced coffee w/condensed milk) junkie so thje tips are appreciated. Cheap is relative - I don't drink alcohol and can skip desserts and appetizers - anyplace where I can get in and out for about $20-$25 with tax and tip works for me (entree with starch... maybe a soup or maybe a juice or coffee... nothing elaborate). I'll do some more investigation on the transportation options. I may have aneed to head up to Olympia one evenign and a car would be essential for that I suppose. Yes.... O'Neill spelled correctly... that means with at least two "L's"

Hey folks.... I'll be in Seattle from the afternoon of Monday July 5th until late evening July 8th. Am in town for technical training at ESI (Espresso Specialists Inc) up near Ballard but I anticipate that my evenings will be free. I'm going to be on a tight food budget and will appreciate any and all suggestions for cheap eats. I love any and all kinds of ethnic cuisines, hole-in-the-wall formica table joints etc. Will be staying in the Lake Union neighborhood at the Courtyard and they have free parkign - have not yet decided whether to rent a car or a bicycle. Will need to get to leary Way NW near Ballard in the AM and back to Lake Union in late afternoon. Please post any and all thoughts and ideas about food choices here. If any of you have thoughts about the viability of bike vs. car and expanded dining options that a car may permit, please feel free to PM to discuss the details. I'm also up for meeting up with any eGulleteers who may want to step out for an evening meal as I always enjoy good company

I'll confess that I don't know much about pan fyring fish and have only done it a few times but most recently it was indeed catfish filets. I used about 3/4" of canola oil heated until a breadcrumb sizzled when it was dropped in but the oil was not smoking. Seasoned the filets, dredged with flour, shook it off, into a beaten egg dip and then rolled in panko bread crumbs. These happened to be very thick filets and I cooked them about 3 minutes per side - or maybe 4 minuntes on the first side and two on the second. They were perfect - nicely browned and moist on the inside. Maybe I got lucky but it seemd to work withou any careful acalculation on my part.

Yeah - it really is wonderful. It's also now open four or five days a week during the summer with varying hours. The Syracuse market is bigger but has lots of regular commercial produce mixed in with the local vendors. The Ithaca market was chock full of people who are involved with the CSA movement and utilizing organic and energy efficient farming methods. I think the short growing season and the relatively small scale of such farmers may allow for little impact on the big picture of the failing economy in this area but it's still encouraging. I worked in Ithaca from 1991 to 1995 as a Cornell wage slave and left for the same reason you can't move there - I couldn't make a decent living. Thanks to all for the tips on other artisinal cheesemakers in NY state - I'll try ot check them out when time permits.

We have so damn many Wegman's around here that we just refer to them by the name of the road or street they're on Oops... that wasn't your problem... was it.... Tommy - is "xxxx" better than "XXX"? Rutherford definitely lacks anything that could be construed as XXX (at least not since I moved away from there). Of course we also have the Park and Orchard restaurant in Rutherford that is named for the intersection of said streets which are actually in NYC (admittedly... the restaurant was once located there). That very same restaurant also identifies itself as being in Rutherford but I believe it is just over the borough line and actually located in East Rutherford (which lacks the cachet of Rutherford when it comes to restaurants). Then there's the store in NYC where I once bought a cell phone: 32nd Street Wireless - it's located on 35th Street. Go figure.

I never did like Piels but I drank many a glass of "Matt's Premium" back in the day. I'd actually take Matt's or UC over High Life any day. I still don't get the buzz over PBR. It's an okay cheap beer but there are plenty of other decent ones in that category. IMO Schlitz was pretty bad - not sure f they even still make it. As for skunky.... I think Genny Cream often defined that genre (not that it stopped me from suckin' em down when there was a special at my neighborhood bar for shots of bourbon with 16 oz "Green Monster" chasers.

I believe there was a branded "Beer" which was a generic. Back in the late 1970's or early 1980's there was a generics craze. Not sure about the rest of the US but here in the Northeast, all the major grocery store chains put in a "Generics" aisle or section that had lots of products in plain white boxes with black lettering. All were "generics" just labeled with the product type or description. It's not different than the "store brands" like A&P's Sunny Square which have been around forever but it was a distinct fad. Here in central NY state we even had "Generic Grocery stores". They were the predecessor to budget chains like Aldi and Sav-A-Lot that are now popular in some areas. Limited selection aws available with little or no fresh meat or produce and everything had the generic white label or box with black lettering. You had to bring your own bags or boxes and pack them yourself. The fad passed and the generic aisles or departments in our local grocery stores were converted to "bulk departments". The generic grocery stores eventually all closed but we did have one enterprise that hung on for years: the "generic bar". Someone opened a bar on Marshall Street, the hangout area for Syracuse University students. It did not have any official name - only a sign outside that said "bar". There was an absence of decorations inside and no theme - it was just a place to get drunk. It quickly became known as "The Generic Bar" and there were even black t-shirts with a big bar code and the words Generic bar printed on the back. Generic beer in our area disappeared when the generic stores vanished but it was most likely made by the West End Brewing Company in Utica NY. They have their own brands (Matt's and the entire Saranac line being among them) but are a major contract brewer for private labels beers of all types. Although they will brew swill for the right low price they also make some fine products and were the original contract brewer for Brooklyn Lager when the Brooklyn Brewery name was revived. Those who fondly recall the first few years of Brooklyn brewery product as being better than what they now brew should be aware that the change probably occurred when Brooklyn began brewing their own. The Saranac products are worth exploring.

I'll respectfully disagree with the notion of using a percolator because they do a really, really bad thing - they boil the coffee! This is never good. Don't get me wrong - a percolator will make a robust cup of coffee but boiling destroys some of the best and most subtle flavors of coffee. The better the quality of the beans, the more you lose with perked coffee. I suppose that vacuum brewing is really old-school as it goes back to the mid to late 1800's. I recently started vacuum brewing and love it - offers the full-bodied robust flavor of French Press but without the sludge. That said... it is a bit of a PITA and does not lend itself to just pushing the button. You can get very good coffee from an auto drio maker but I suggest the three following requirements: 1) Research and find one that brews at the right temp (meaning hot enough - most of the brand available don't brew at a hot enough temp). 2) Brews directly into a thermal carafe (or else manually transfer the brewed coffee to a thermal carafe right away after brewing). Try preheating the carafe with hot water for a few minutes and it works even better. 3) Consider using one of the gold mesh filters. It makes ecological good sense, the residue of grounds can safely be washed down the drain and it allows some of the essential flavor oils to get through that are normally leached out with paper filters. If you do use paper filters try to get the unbleached ones and also prewet the filter before adding and brewing the coffee. The absolute best place to read both professional and more important... consumer written reviews... is Coffeegeek

I spent the bicentennial summer (1976) working on a farm in the Fiebaugh/mendota area of the Central Valley and commuting to and from Fresno. back then the Basque restaurants were popular and well known for this exact communal seating and serving style. There were a few in the Fresno area but I think one mostly had to get closer to the Sierra foothills where the Basque population was in order to have the experience. Not the same but an interesting twist that was likely more popular in the Northeast at one time (now appears to be gone) was the system used by the Krebs in Skaneatles NY. They had family style dining - each group sat at its own table but all food was served family style. Waitresses in starched white aprons would come in succession bearign platters overloaded with all the Sunday dinner staples: sweet and mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, roast beef, vegetables etc. The menu was the same for everyone in the place - you paid one price and were able to pick and choose what you wanted. never heard anyone rave about the food but it was a local institution and people went mostly for "the show" (that being the procession of the waitresses and the decidely old-school feel that the place had).

Probably not but you need to get as much of the vegetable oil out as possible. Not sure if it's really an acceptable technique or not but here's what I did with my penisula top, which came from a used kitchen prep table and was loaded with old oil and gunk.... Rub surface thoroughly with mineral spirits, allowing it to soak in. Some loosened residue should rise to the surface - scrape it off with a putty knife and then repeat the process. After day or so the surface should be totally dry and you will most likely not smell any mineral spirits as they evaporate quite completely. Rinse surface thoroughly with water a few times. Now start the sanding process - I used a vibrating finishing sander due to the surface area (6ft x 30") but a rubber hand sanding block will be fine for a board. Start with 100 grit paper, change paper as soon as it gets gunked up and move to 180 paper and eventually to 400 grit. If you're really picky you can use 600 grit wet/dry paper and do the final sanding with a bit of board oil or mineral oil to wet the surface. The heat created by sanding may bring a bit more gunk to the surface - I did one additional mineral spirits and scraping process in between the rough and medium sanding. Seems like a lot of work but there's an immense amount of satisfactionto be had from refinishing a good piece of wood that still has plenty of life in it and just needs some TLC. My original cutting board once served as the top to a portable rolling dishwasher (back in the early to mid sixties they actually produced these things with a 2" thick maple cutting board top). My neighbors discard it, I had it cut to size by bandsaw and the surface planed (it was in very, rough shape). With nothing more than periodic treatments of mineral oil it has served me well for the past twenty years and will eventually get passed on to my daughter (if she behaves

I'll nose around at the Wegman's here in Syracuse (Dewitt store) to see whether that's the case here but I doubt that it is. No more than 5 - 6 years ago they spent mucho $$ to put in a brick oven on site assembled by some guys from Italy that are brought in for the job. It's seems unlikely that they'd go to that troube and expense just to use it to finish baking products that were produced and par baked elsewhere. I'm not saying it can't be true..... just that I'd be surprised. As for the "ready to heat and eat" meals and other prepared foods - I'm not surprised but I don't buy that stuff anyway.

Do not use vegetable oil... please! At some point vegetable oil can and most likely will get rancid. Mineral oil is inert and the correct choice. I used mineral oilf for years on my board and never do more than wipe with hot water and occasionally scrub with the grain with a plastic scrub pad. I now have a six foot long peninsula that I refinished (four courses of sanding starting with a 100 grit and ending with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper). Based o suggestions in this forum I have been using John Boos Mystery Oil, a cutting board oil similar to the "fair oil" referenced earlier in this thread. The specialty board oils will have some other things in them such as liquid paraffin and boiled linseed oil. I think mineral oil is just fine for a cutting board that is used only for cutting. When that same surface will also serve as a countertop etc the specialty oils yield a somewhat harder or drier finish and have a benefit.