Mnehrling

No spitting allowed will always make it fun.

I would love to know if Bobby enjoys cooking more than the celebrity. Is it about the glitz or the food?

I would say there is one exception to this rule; restaurants in very ethnic areas where very few people speak English so they have a photoalbum for the occasional English speaker. I found some of the best Vietn amese restaurants have non-English menus.

Celeb boxing followed by cooking!

I remember when I was a kid in East Texas' piny woods my grandmother would always get wild Poke greens. Here is also a breeding ground for wild blackberries, muskdaines(sp?), and wild onions.

Thank god somone else saw that. I have always been disturbed at the lack of respect Flay has. He is quick to cut others down, not in a professional way but in a rude way. I am very disappointed that Flay won. It seems that Chef Bayless went towards the more Mexican traditional that the average person could not experience while Flay's cooking was very typical Southwest fusion (not bad, just not unique.)

Are you asking for a cigar recommendation? If so, I'll recommend a Torano Excalibur, a Romeo y Julieta Reserve or maybe a CAO L`Anniversaire eXtreme. I honestly find the Dalmore Cigar Malt to be almost too sweet...like a liqueur. On a plus side, that sweetness does lend itself to some nice pairings with some of the more robust cigars. ← I am also quite a fan of this. I would actually recommend a CAO Brazilia or a Partigas Black Label as both have a full body that actually enhances the sweetness of the Scotch.

Last night I had a meal that I must categorize as the picture of everything a restaurant can do wrong. My wife and I decided to go to The Mansion on the Hill in Tyler TX as a local splurge for our anniversary. http://www.mansiononthehill.com/default.htm After Christmas we couldn't just run off to New Orleans or San Francisco, but we wanted to go some place special. I assumed from the age of this restaurant and the price that The Mansion on the Hill would be special- boy was I wrong. The list of everything that could be done incorrectly was perfectly followed. First the the wine list- while the list was impressive, it is helpful if one actually stocks the wines on the list. After the waiter checking on 5 different bottles, I finally settled on a 1997 Talus Cab. Of course, when a 2002 Talus Cab came, I was resigned to just accept it. We were, after all, not talking about an expensive wine. Next came the salad- iceberg has its place, but when accompanied by a obvious cheap store bought ranch dressing and nothing else, it was an insult to the life the lettuce gave for my nourishment. The side bread came next, only to be not much more than toasted Mrs Baird's. For our appetizer, I chose what I thought would be an impressive $20 per person Masion Hot Combo. While this was not described in the menu, the waiter described it as the best items chosen by the chef. What we received was one steamed shrimp, one steamed crab claw, and two stuffed shrimp, one with crab and one with some unidentifiable red wine sauce. All of this was the blandest and least creative appetizers I have ever tried. The shrimp actually tasted very sour, and should have been a sign that this wasn't the freshest food- only to be confirmed later than night with many trips to the bathroom. For our main course, my wife and I both chose a Roquefort sauced steak. While the steak was very tender, the sauce was so over salted, I am quite surprised that the sauce had any liquid body left. The side was the very familiar green bean and carrots, steamed until both were almost the same shade of gray. Through all this disappointment, I decided to go for desert. Choosing one of my favorites, carrot cake, I hoped for a come back. When the carrot cake was delivered and it looked just liked a store bought carrot cake that I often am tempted to buy- but mostly avoid. Worse off, this cake had the plain, metallic taste of a cheap store bought cake. To add another level of awful, a chocolate sauce was poured around the cake that was obviously Nestle' chocolate sauce for chocolate milk. (The one with the rabbit on the package.) If this were a chain restaurant and the bill was $30, I would not have minded. With a tab of just over $130, one of my biggest restaurant pet peeves was realized; a restaurant that charges too high of prices without giving even the slightest hint of value. I believe this is mostly because Tyler TX (HGTV Dream Home city) has very little in terms of nice restaurants with a plethora of elderly people with too much money. Here people will spend this much because they can, not because the meal was worth the price.

In the deep South, we would say cornbread that isn't sweet.

I happen to think that Natto is delicious. I don't see why so many people fear it. ← I have grown to love it, especially with mustard. It is the feeling that bugs me.

A while back I discovered the Llano Estacado winery in Texas and have become a fan (mostly). Their Sauvignon Blanc 2003 is very clean tasting with a hint of peach.

I would really like for WC to open some up here in the South. I search them out every time I head north of St Louis.

You must find a churrascaria, and go with an empty stomach. Just remember that in Brazil, Thank you will give you more food, and does not mean 'no thanks' like here in the States.

While I wish I could be known for my gourmet cooking, everyone wants me to keep making my very creole White Chocolate Bread Pudding. I read somewhere that Texas was the most overweight state. Now I know why.

I would put in some nutmeg if you want it on the mild side. If you want spice, try some pureed chipoltes. (smoked Jalapeno)

I'm sorry, but I must disagree. Nobu was perhaps my most disappointing meal of the last ten years. I really don't see what all the fuss was (is) about. The room was ordinary at best, the service fair and the food decidedly mediocre, though certainly not inexpensive. My wife and I each had the $100 omakase. It started well enough, but then went steadily downhill. While I can't say that it wa a bad meal, it certainly didn't leave me with any desire to return. ← Maybe it is the fact that I am stuck in Texas. My trips to NY for business give me the opportunity to expierence something different. The Japanese scene down here is limited to Shogun. What Japanese restaurants do you recommend in NYC? I'll probably be back there in February.

Nobu never dissappoints. Also, one cannot mention tried and true without mentioning Tavern on the Green. Tastes in cuisine may change, but the Tavern is always consistant.

I was hoping that someone, somewhere, would report on this thing. I cannot understand why anyone would purchase a big contraption that performs a task that is easily done and takes no equipment at all. ← This 'Does it Work' segment on our local news came up with the same results. http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1896016 I have always received the 'As Seen On TV' gifts, and I cannot think of a single one that worked. The worst was the T-Fal Ingenio cookware (the ones with the clip on handles). This year, my worst has to be the LePresse chopper. You push down on a handle to chop your food through a type of mold. Mostly it just crushes the food.

My last three: 1. Pho- (Longview TX) A small Vietnamese place that we seem to frequent more than we cook at home. 2. Cafe Barons- (Longview TX) It's in a bookstore but it tastes 5 star. 3. Lilly's Dim Sum Then Some- (Little Rock AR) The best Dim Sum I have ever tried.

When I roasted a duck for Christmas, I made a rack out of cinnamon sticks. The rescued duck fat has an amazing cinnamon flavor that is wonderful in making a dressing or even cooking steak.

On the way stop in Longview (TX) and try Cafe Barons. It is a small place in a bookstore that is amazing. In Shreveport, the Blind Tiger is one of the best places for drinks and snacks. If you are coming back through Arkansas and hit Little Rock you have a lot of great choices. One of my favorites is Cajun Warf. Save room for desert!

I know this is long since over, but my wife reading over my shoulder came up with: Italian/Chinese Caio Mein

Sometimes the simpler meals stand out. For me it was a quick snack at: 5th Floor in San Francisco. While waiting for some friends I had a Port tasting and Cheese plate. Simple, yes, but it stands out in my mind as some of the best Port and cheese I have ever tried.

I have eaten many 'strange' things from the earth and sea, but nothing seems to meet the Wacky factor like the snotty feeling of natto sliding down the throat.

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