Mnehrling

He probably didn't know what braised meant.

On a related note, if anyone would like to 'adopt' a soldier, the My Soldier program can help you get connected. http://www.manhattanville.edu/mysoldier/index.html Our guys and gals are not just fighting but rebuilding. One thing that is greatly appreciated is things they can give to the kids there. The aforementioned candy bars are always good, (as well as homemade goodies), school supplies (not books in English), and of course, the aforementioned sunscreen and cleaning supplies.

Thanks for the heads up. I must say, this is probably the first reality show where from the outset the finalists seem like the right people. Katie seems to have the experience in a fast paced environment and knows how to handle pressure. Autumn has a warm personality that most people would like to work with. She's created some great dishes. Sara seems to be the quiet brilliant sort that anyone can count on. She has sneaked in to become my bet for the winner.

Chili? (the stew not the plant) Chicken Fried Steak? Grits? Fried Chicken? Gumbo? Greens & Salt Pork? Pecan Pie? I suppose we should have regional 10 lists as our food here is so diverse, each region standing on its own in the culinary world.

I have many friends in Iraq and they love receiving candy bars because they give them to the kids.

You can eat cheap by going ala carte and appatizers, even at some of the more upscale places a bowl of gumbo will run about $6.50. One of the best lunches we had was just sampling a couple of appitizers at The Palace Cafe.

Normally I would completely agree, but the quality of food at their salad bar surpasses some of the best 'gourmet made to order' salads at the best places. http://www.texasdebrazil.com/index2.php Go to the menu link > Salad and sides..

I believe they can be 'fine' dining. I wouldn't say they are the top level. One that comes to mind is Texas deBrazil steakhouse. Yes it is a chain, but (for Texas) what you get is so unique, and of such high quality that I would raise that to the level of some of the independent owned 'steakhouses'... Hell, I would almost consider their salad bar alone fine dining.. Now, if you are talking about Outback, Texas Roadhouse, or the ilk.. then hell no..

Some smaller towns here in Texas have little gems of what I would consider fine dining. (My rule is if it reminds me of top of the line Nawlins or San Fran then it is fine dining..) Ususally these small to mid size town restaurants are a labor of love. One of my favorites that has been featured in Southern Living twice so far is Cafe Barons in Longview. This is a small bistro style restaurant tucked in the back of a bookstore that produces some amazing high end food that reminds me of Bacco in Nawlins. I've found similar gems in Lubbock, Lufkin, Waco.. heck, even the tiny towns like Gladewater and Jefferson. Just like large cities though, you should always watch out for 'self proclaimed' fine dining. The two worst restaurants I've even eaten at were 'highly rated' fine dining.. The worst has to be The Mansion on the Hill in Tyler. I believe the only reason they are rated high is that it is only visited by people with no palate but judge food by how much they spend. They figure, if they pop down $150 for a meal for two, it must be fine dining... ::Ramble Off::

I do it quite often (my most used pans are good old Lodge Cast Iron) and I've never had a problem. The patina is like a black mirror. Remember that the old cast iron dutch oven was the prarie way of cooking beans, and if that isn't prolonged contact with liquid, I don't know what is...

Just a note, I couldn't get on to foodnetwork.com all during the show either. Sometimes some of the page would load but the area with the voting URL was a dead link. I also tried text messaging but I received a bounce back saying it was an unknown number. I was rooting for Hans up until he was kicked off.. I was actually planning on voting for Deborah in the final just because her food seemed more real. Dan and Steve were entertaining, but they seemed like they typical FN showmen, a lot of flash, not a lot of substance.

IMHO, the only real good 'American Coffee' is in Louisiana. It is a very rich brew with chicory. Some of the aforementioned small roasters are decent, but they are hard to find and I've discovered many are hit and miss in their quality.

Thanks: that was very vivid. But my impression of both French and Cuban food is : BLAND! I hope Brasilian food adds some much needed spice :) Also: similar descriptions could be applied to vegan food: bright, sparkling, fresh, savory, etc etc. I thought vegan was not a regional style, but a lack of animal ingredients. One can have Vegan Cajun food no? And why can vegan food not be tasty? (I guess that's what your remark implied?) Thanks for your patience with my questions Milagai ← The Cuba analogy sounds like it was wrong.. I was thinking of the spice like you would find in Jamica (or southern Mexico).. Cajun can be mind blowing in its spice or it can be mild, depending on the Creole influence versus the Southern Soul influence. IMHO, it is one of the original fusion (yes, way overused term) foods.. I've had very good vegan food, but it never seems to reach into the soul like Cajun does. (just my opinion).. Here is a good link to explore: http://www.gumbopages.com/recipe-page.html

really? is it that good? (i'm serious, please educate me?) milagai ← Imagine French with the Soul of Africa, the brightness of Brasil, and the spice of Cuba.

I haven't heard of this one, please clarify. The dish that ticks me off the most is 'wings'.. nuf said.

Some people here told me not to hit the 5th because Melissa was new, but I was very pleased with what came out, literally zero complaints (and my wife will attest I am a major food snob).. I was staying at the Palamor so I also had the opportunity to run in twice for their Port sampling and cheese platter near closing... all brilliant.. great service, and the friendliest staff I met in SF...

That's the key phrase... The point was the studies showed that they showed an almost equal time to conservative and liberal viewpoints versus the other channels that are imbalanced.. (here is a very detailed analysis: http://mason.gmu.edu/~atabarro/MediaBias.doc ) But.. back on topic.. I still think that too much is being read into this.. These may just be these people's personalities.. If woman A is a vegan because she is against all animal cruelity, then it is understandable that she would act a certain way around a cajun household where anything that doesn't bite back is fair game.. Woman B (the Cajun), on the other hand, doesn't have an emotional connection with tofu, thus they won't get emotional over that being on the plate.

I hope you're not suggesting i put that gel crap in my hair like my metrosexual co-judges. And yes I think that at this stage all these cooks could work at an excellent restaurant. ← Please no.. I actually respect the fact that you are taking notes when talking with the contestents and working like a teacher/mentor instead of a celeb.. I would like to see you do a show like Kitchen Nighmares here in the US.. We need a host that acts professional, not like a model..

I wouldn't look any deeper than this is these people's personalities... No slams intended.. The so called 'conservative nature of Fox' is actually a myth that keeps being repeated until people think it is reality.. I've seen several studies on the bias in media (by Right and Left groups) and Fox generally comes out very much in the middle when you analyze time given for both sides of a view.. The seem 'conservative' because that side is often left out of the network news. Their network programming is often accused of leaning more toward the left... IMHO, I think people will see what they want to see in terms of bias.. the studies I read simply analyzed the airtime that was given to people of stated viewpoints.

Yes and No From a pure physics standpoint, water that has been boiled once and cooled off will boil faster than hot water out of the tap. It is due to the fact that boiling water eliminates dissolved oxygen first, this making it boil faster a 'second time around'. However, if the water is out of the tap either way, then of course, hot will boil faster.

Within a couple of blocks of where you are at are a lot of good places. One place I frequent often near the Mansion is Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian style steakhouse. I would go there for the salad bar alone -it is probably the only restaurant salad bar that I don't turn my nose up at. TdB is actually on Turtle Creek Blvd about 2 blocks southwest of the Mansion. Other restaurants in your general neighborhood include: Cremona- Italian- right next to TdB Enigma- about two more blocks south of TdB on Turtle Creek Blvd Dream Cafe on Howell is great for a organic healthy break

I will reserve judgement until I try a split pea soup.. I know it is simple, but it is my favorite and so easy to make taste like hamster crap.

Nick Nairn in Scotland in 1990? If memory serves me correctly he was about 27.

I noticed tonite how different GR treats the chefs and owners on Kitchen Nightmares. Is this just editing for different audiences or do you think he actually can lighten up at will?

Ah, good point. Thanks. I just got used to it being part of the Cooking Block on Saturday afternoons. ← I hate to say this but I just went to set my reminder last night and it shows some John Tesh crap. It looks like they updated the evenings this week with all fundraisers. Why can't they just sell ads like every other good business.