Marya

My youngest is making a quick dash to Venice and I would like to line up several restaurants that serve reasonably priced meals. A place with great rice-based dishes, pasta and baby fried calamari would be a welcome change from Austrian schnitzel. Any suggerstions? Thank you.

Another treasure in that food pod is Lardo. The food is amazing! They have the requisite pork belly sandwich, broccoli rabe sandwich, Lardo fries with parmesan and fried herbs, and a grilled asparagus sandwich with preserved lemon that makes me go back for more. Highly creative and delicious.

Petite tete de chou?

Do you have the mullet or tuna? I have kept the mullet well wrapped in the refrigerator for more than six months and have never noticed any degradation.

My name is Marya, and I'm a chronic overbowler. From my perspective, there is nothing more appealing than a large, white, wide-rimmed soup bowl, or any oversized bowl, with a moderate amount of colorful food in it.

I buy replacement lids at Sur la Table. They also carry the jars.

If crust had more flavor (I just can't get excited about flour, shortening and water) like french tart pastry, I could get behind pie. But, until butter, egg yolk and sugar make an appearance, I'm firmly behind a luscious and moist cake.

My husband keeps my European knives plenty sharp and I take the Shuns to the KAI people a few miles away and they put a factory edge on them gratis. And, yes, I use the Shun to cut through large, crackly hard loaves with no effort. I slice the tomato and add condiments with the same knife.

This is precisely why the Shun Utility knife is a no-brainer for me. It's one of my go-to knives for numerous applications. Slicing bread is just an unexpected bonus, and not the reason I bought it.

I've alternated between bread and chef's knives depending on the crust. Now, I only use the Shun U2 Ultimate utility knife. It's the best knife I have ever used for bread. It's also the best tomato knife, ever.

You might want to try the pear juice manufactured by Ceres. As far as I know they only use fruit- no added sugars or chemicals.

Having worked as a food magazine editor some 30 years ago, I recall many tasting sessions that could have sabotaged the waistline. But then, as now, my decision of how much to eat had everything to do with the quality of the product. I still opt to bank my calories for something delicious, or will drink only one glass of very good wine instead of several so-so ones. On those life-altering events, when I eat more and gain weight because of stress, grief, etc., I have implemented what, at least for me, has been the best weight-loss program: I never buy a larger size to accomodate the expansion. When my clothes become uncomfortable, I resolve to lose the weight. It has worked for the past 30 years and I am still wearing the same size.

Just stumbled on this thread and can't thank you enough for the recipe. For 28 years, when visiting in-laws in Clayton, I looked forward to the excellent pastries from Lake Forest Bakery. Their gooey butter cake set the standard and the nut coffee cakes were also excellent. Last June, we purchased the gooey cake from Lake Forest Confections (they set up shop across the street from the now-defunct Lake Forest bakery) and it was disappointing. You offer new hope for my daughters who still talk about it with a dreamy gaze.

Thanks. I will pass on the information.

Thanks, onehsancare. Are they crusty loaves with moist interiors?

We enjoy the breads at the Pearl bakery and Ken's in Portland, so when my youngest began her studies in Eugene, she missed those biga and levain-based crusty beauties. To date, she has not found adequate substitutes, so I would like to hear from locals where she can source some delicious breads. Thanks.

This, and prasantrin's reply, is precisely the reason I don't purchase bulk anything or, for that matter, eat at buffets.

I have a Franke Orca and it's a large single with great lines. It's interior length is 29", and it's 10" deep. I have never, in my long cooking life, had a better sink. The faucet had some drip problems and, being German in origin, everything has to be ordered from HansGrohe. Subject to the vagaries of the postal system, I anticipate not using that sink for another week. Meanwhile, all the cleanup is being done in the 20" prep/bar sink, and it's a pain!

Having spent 19 years in Chicago, I second your enthusiasm about food, either readymade or in raw form, that is available there. My husband probably thinks I'm obnoxious, too, but I often cite a particular restaurant or food purveyor in Chicago as being the best. I've lived in the Portland, OR area for 11 years and, while the locally sourced foods are some of the most varied, best and freshest I've ever had in the States, I still long for the amazing restaurants in Chicago. There may be a little lore attached to those longings, but visits usually confirm that my impressions are correct. We do, however, have some of the best bakeries in the country.

Thanks, all. I expected a few names and, instead, encountered an embarassment of riches. You Philly posters are awesome!

Thanks, rlibkind and Katie. I suppose my inquiry should have been more specific. We will be staying in the city center and will be dining with a couple of college kids. We want rec's for good Mediterranean restaurants that have excellent food. We live near a city (Portland, OR) rich in local, Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisine. Middle Eastern, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, North African and Turkish are poorly represented here and we crave these foods. We also want rec's for Italian food, since we love to explore those restaurants everywhere we go.

I'll be in Philadelphia next weekend and would love to eat in ethnic and upscale ethnic restaurants. Primarily looking for Mediterranean and fusion cuisine. Also, if you have great wine bars, would like to visit a few. Thank you

I store 25 pounds in a 22qt. Cambro container. This is large enough to store, and scoop, without spillover.

I guess I'm one of the odd ones. I see no logical reason for anyone to put something in their mouths and then dip the remainder in a communal bowl. Never mind the sanitary considerations, simple courtesy should be enough reason to not do it. We also make repairmen take their shoes off, or wear booties, when they make service calls. But that's because we also don't wear shoes in our home.

It takes a good 12-15 minutes to preheat mine, if I follow the instructions to start off at a low setting. I have to admit that it's a pain to get up to temp, and it does have hot spots. I tend to use it as a flat top to keep sauces warm and prepared dishes at temp. The grill is a different story. It's used often and does a great job with anything I throw on it.