sadistick

vacuum seal + ice is acceptable

First to answer your questions. When I worked in the restaurant, we would chuck the whole lobster in boiling water for about 5-10 seconds, then ice bath, and go from there, was pretty straight forward once you got the hang of it, just use the back of your knife for cracking...there are certain places to hit to allow a easy break, kind of tough to explain it to you here though. Regarding storage, for me, I would use it ASAP - If its used in the next few hours, air tight cold storage is an option, if you want to keep overnight, I may decide to submerge it in some type of fat. On a side note, is it actually called lobster meat, or rather lobster flesh...just something to think about

Sounds good, thanks for the replies folks. Looks like I will buy a few more of these bad boys and chuck em in the wine fridge, leaving one out to sample now, obviously

Anyways, long story short...was at the good ol LCBO yesterday, looking at their various imported beers, and saw this really fancy looking smallish box, that said Fuller's (or feller's...cant recall, no receipt handy) 2006 "Vintage Beer"...well, with a $7 price tag each, it better be vintage! Just was wondering if any of you folks have tried this...I bought a couple, giving one to my dad as he is a beer nut...they say you should actually age these 3-4 years...wondering if anyone has had any experience with it. Cheers.

Gotta keep an eye on this one. So far after our few nights of chanukah celebrations Ive showered probably 5x after coming home from various dinners/parties smelling of a fried latka. Interested to see how you make your schwarma and what texture you go for.

Well, various media outlets have said there are some very shady circumstances which this fire 'broke out in the kitchen'...that along with some friends who work down in Yorkville have made similar remarks...but hey, you draw your own conclusions Oh, and btw Gordon...rumors are unsubstantiated by definition...hence the term.

Tim, I was trying to keep this guys arteries happy! But yes, if health issues are of no concern, you can use chicken fat, or mix chicken fat with veg oil... Either way, they both produce a very good end result. But, if you want to go nuts and give the arteries a good run for their money, use duck fat

Any potato will do - The key thing is to get as much moisture out as possible, thats it... We always shred some onions in them as well, and add some flour or matzo meal to bind it a bit...as far is crisco, no need...any veg oil will do, and much healthier too.

Their cheese selections were always nice, and they made some really interesting cocktails. But all in all, WAY overpriced. On a side note - I heard somewhere this fire was not an 'accident'

Bernaise - Let me know how that 99 Mazzano Amarone is... They were release here (Ontario) not long ago, and I was hesitant to pick up a bottle with the $90 price tag...but I do love a good Amarone.

If you are using a good quality tomato, often times you will have a level of sweetness in your risotto. In order to balance it, one or two types of good quality (salty) cheeses helps it out - I prefer Peccorino and Parm...Remember, chances are a good tomato risotto will always have some level of sweetness, but that all depends on the quality of your ingredients.

Endy, nope jenc - agreed, their curry crab is to die for, as is their roasted oysters, and grilled shrimp.

Terra was originally a product of North 44 I believe...no longer, however. Endy! I can't believe you are recommending Ambassador, ick! Like mkjr said - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=94570 My $.02 - there is an amazing thai/vietnameese place on highway 7 east of bayview...Its in one of those big plazas with tons of restaurants...I believe it is called Saigon Star - be sure to try their baked oysters, and curry crab dishes.

I would get some type of white fish, and smoke it, low and slow, then finely chop that up and make a paste with seasonings and butter, of course...on top of crunchy bread, awesome.

I dont know about you folks, but I prefer to make my own tea's Granted they do not contain "TEA" persay, however, they are all natural, mostly all products organically grown at home, and best of all, no caffiene! Some blends we enjoy (all served with unpasturized honey): -Lemon verbina/ginger -Lemon Grass/lemon rind/spearmint -spearmint/peppermint/ginger And always trying out new combinations.

My Grandmother loves these things. She always craves, and gets them when she goes back to Israel.

CI - What importer are you planning on ordering from? You ordering enough to fill up a whole case of the St. Joseph? If not, let me know...also, whats the price like?

Hmm, that idea seems to have gone over well...lol hey, the pulled pork sandwich I had when I was there was good...

For good BBQ - I heard Purple Pig is very good, I believe thats what its called... As well, if you are interested in cooking with beer - check out Beer Bistro, my Dad loves it there. As well - Where did you decide to go as far as fine dining is concerned? I know you mentioned Splendido...good choice...I dont know if you saw my previous recommendation of Scaramouche, but that still stands - as well, if you want some amazing Italian food - check out Il Mulino.

Hey Phil, I have always enjoyed Pangea...although I havent been in almost a year now...It looks as if they renovated a bit, that ceiling looks drastically different. Either way, their food is consistantly good. One of the lunch dishes, the Octopus salad, is particularly good, so tender. Glad you had a nice time. -Justin ps - where else did you end up eating?

I have never been a fan of Coppi. I have a feeling Romania Mia may have a good selection of items with truffles.

As far as Top end in the city - Splendido for sure - but lets not forget Scaramouche - one of the Top 3 restaurants in the city, year in year out.

morbier...hard cheese???

Living in Toronto, unfortunetly I am unable to get my hands on a bottle of Luxardo Marachino, I am always on the look out for some type of cherry liquor. I saw a bottle today in Vintages of something called "Marnier Cherry" - Looking to be something made by Grand Marnier... I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of this, better yet, tried it. As well, if it is comparable to Luxardo, for substitutions. Thanks, Justin

Very cool, but I wonder, what happens if someone slams a beer or a heavy glass down on the bar, as often happens.. Also, it's quite pricey...ranging between 4500-5500 Euro's per meter of bar.