DTBarton

Second the grilled corn. Hit it with a shot of fresh lime juice also. I like grilling portabello mushrooms with a little viniagrette with a touch of balsamic vinegar. Finish with a little gorgonzola dolce and toasted pine nuts. I also like to cook whole peeled sweet onions in the oven until they start to soften. Cut a cone shaped hole in the root end and add what you like (butter, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce) before you put them in the oven. After an hour or so at 350, cut them into thick slices and finish on the grill with some more of your chosen marinade.

As far as bulk buying goes, I'd try to find a wine dealer that can sell you 2005 futures. Don't know if UK is the same as US timing wise, but we haven't seen any 2005s yet, even as futures purchases. Where I buy, they're still offering 2003 futures for delivery this year and I would expect to see the 2004 offers any time with delivery next year. The wine is usually delivered about 3 years after the vintage (i.e. the 03 futures will be delivered during 06) after spending some time at the winery in casks before being bottled.

I like the texture and structure the eggs give the ricotta, but I've made lasagna many times without it and it's not a big, noticeable difference sans egg.

How you organize can be determined by who the folks attending are. If it's a wine savvy crowd, then a tasting centered on a particular country or region showcasing different styles of a particular grape and different vintages is one way to go. If it's more of a group of wine beginners, I think it's better to have a few varietals (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, reisling for whites, cabernet, merlot, pinot noir for reds) and explain about the different grapes and let people taste the different flavors.

Over many years of offshore fishing, I've come across parasites in fish several times. There are species that are known for having them (they're common in amberjack and marlin) and the tail sections are where they most often show up. As I've been told, they are not harmful to touch or even ingest after being cooked, but definitely unappealing to look at. The ones I've seen have been more whitish than reddish. I havent seen them in monkfish, but I've never caught monkfish, only purchased it. It's a great fish to put in stews, dense and white with an almost crabmeat like flavor. We don't keep marlin so it's not an issue there. With amberjack, we usually scrutinize the tail pieces and ditch them if they're worm ridden. But I'm not an expert, and I haven't seen red worms. Most of my fishing (and parasite) experience has been on the southeast US coast.

Almost sounds like baklava on the hoof. Get some phyllo dough, crunch up the nuts in honey and layer it.

Pierce's is the old time Williamsburg barbecue joint. Haven't been in years, it was good when I lived in the area many moons ago. http://www.pierces.com/default.asp

Cajun food is a tough wine match, especially if the chef uses a really hot hand. Cold beer is the ticket then! For spicy foods, I like white wines from the Alsace region of France. Nice examples are available for $10 - $15 from producers like Pierre Sparr, Trimbach, and Willm. There are some nice Rhone reds that have a spicy, peppery taste to them. Ask your local wine merchant to recommend some.

sheets of puff pastry cut in bite sized pieces and dressed up are easy and elegant. Brush with olive oil and add some different cheeses, herbs, sesame seeds, etc.

The giant mystery fish were tarpon. They frequent lots of south Florida marinas and get fed. Fun to watch at Snappers after dark, they have lights under some of the docks. I find that I eat almost all Florida fish sandwiches open faced, ditching half the bun. As you said, all that bread drowns out the fish. That Po Boy from Fish Cutters looks great. Do you have a mile marker number for them?

I know this is a baseball stadium thread, but I wanted to add a recent Philly stadium find. While attending the NCAA basketball sub regional at the Wachovia Center, we were looking for some chow. Mostly the same dreary expensive stuff you see in all arenas. Then I came upon a stand on the upper concourse that had a Campo's sign. They were selling 4 different sandwiches from Campo's, two kinds of Italians, a meatball and a turkey, I think. They put them together when you order them so you can get what you want on them. We had a Mama Mia (see Campo's menu at http://www.phillyhoagie.com/phillycheesesteakmenu.htm). Best stadium food I've had in forever. Never had a Campo's sandwich at the store on Market street, but these were very good, nice roll, good meats, fresh toppings. $7.75 and big enough to share, a relative bargain as well for you Sixers and Flyers fans.

Without knowing anything about the methodology of the Zagat survey, it seems that the range from lowest to highest is pretty small, 18% to 19.2%. Unless the study was particularly large, detailed and comprehensive, I'd bet that you could call that a statistical dead heat.

1973 is often not even mentioned for Bordeaux the vintage was so bad. However, my father in law (who recently passed away) purchased some 1973 Petrus in the mid 70s. I can tell you from recent tasting that it still shows pretty well. A little past it's prime, but full bodied and balanced with aged fruit. So, a top notch winemaker can make chicken salad out of chicken merde.

I think knife preferences are very personal. How about a gift certificate to a good knife store so she can pick out what feels good to her?

You mentioned one pot dishes. How about some different chilis? Maybe a pot of red, a pot of green, use different meats. Make a big pot of small red and black beans seasoned with chili peppers and onions and broth. Different toppings like cheese, onion, hot sauces, green onions, jalapenos. Tortillas and rice would be Mexican, but I really like corn bread and hominy with the chili. But then, I'm a gringo.

I haven't tried it yet, but here are some on line sorces for retail Berkshire (sometimes referred to as Kurabuta) pork: http://www.berkshiremeats.com/ http://www.venisonamerica.com/products/pork.html http://www.prairiepridefarm.com/ http://www.betterpork.com/edenfarms/edenfarms/index.htm Looks like there are a bunch more, just Google "Berkshire pork" Looking forward to trying some myself once the weather warms up a bit for smoking. ← Oops. Upon further review, Eden Farms is a wholesaler. But here's a cool replacement with multiple breeds of pigs: http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/what_we_sell/meat.html So many pigs, so little time!

I haven't tried it yet, but here are some on line sorces for retail Berkshire (sometimes referred to as Kurabuta) pork: http://www.berkshiremeats.com/ http://www.venisonamerica.com/products/pork.html http://www.prairiepridefarm.com/ http://www.betterpork.com/edenfarms/edenfarms/index.htm Looks like there are a bunch more, just Google "Berkshire pork" Looking forward to trying some myself once the weather warms up a bit for smoking.

Daquiri party!

I'm always very leary of enforcement that has an arbitrary nature to it. So you can be hauled off for catching a legal, heavily taxed alcohol buzz even though you're not driving, fighting, or bothering anyone. Not good.

FWIW, we decided not to install a buried propane tank when we remodeled due to space and budget issues. So, started looking at electric stuff. Ended up buying a Maytag Gemini electric stove with double oven. http://www.epinions.com/content_78116916868 It's been the best electric I've ever cooked on. Heats up quickly. Can't shut it off immediately like gas, but with the ceramic top, it's easy to slide pans off the heat. The large right front burner has two heat ranges, regular and low (where only the inner half of the element comes on). This is a great feature that I wish all the other burners had. I can make hollandaise in a heavy saucepan right on the burner, no double boiler needed. You have to clean the cooktop a lot to keep it from getting grungy, but no big deal, I clean the stove top every day anyway. Has a small upper oven and a regular sized oven below. This does do away with any storage drawer. We LOVE the small oven and use it all the time. With just two of us, most things we bake/broil fit in the top oven. It heats up to 400F super fast. I know I've saved a mountain of money on electricity using this oven over the years. One other issue. Since the big oven is on the bottom, it takes some extra effort to get a big turkey or something in there since it's so close to the floor. A bonus is that if you're baking in the lower oven, the upper oven becomes a warming box without turning it on. For us it's been really satisfactory and gives the double oven capability in the same sized package as a regular electric stove.

Bumped this back up to thank the folks who responded with recommendations. Based on them, we made an early reservation at L'Angolo and had a great meal. Informed of the BYOB status, our group raided their cellars (successfully) for Italian and French wine to accompany the chow. Grilled polenta with wild mushrooms and fontina was very nice as were the veal specials, ravioli and a beautiful grilled chop. Excellent mascarpone cheesecake as well. Grilled romaine app special also very good. It was funny, there were about 15 of us heading from the subway at Oregon Ave. to L'Angolo in a group. Made for a crowded and lively early seating at about 5:30 PM. A couple of regulars at the next table wondered where the heck all these people were coming from so early and had to be informed of the basketball tournament situation. Thanks again!

I would like to get recipes for regional varieties of Italian sausages. If you or other members have any to share, I would appreciate having them. I tried to duplicate some of the sausages described in “Salumi d’Italia” (Slow Food Editore), but they are only descriptions, not recipes. USDA sausage labeling regulations require any sausage called Italian to contain fennel and/or anise seed. Most people expect those flavors in an "Italian" sausage. ← That's interesting that they'd require the fennel or anise. One of my favorite places to get Italian sausage is Fiorella Brothers in the Philadelphia Italian market. They specifically make their sausage both ways, with and without fennel, you order it "with seeds" or "without seeds". Now their sausage is sold fresh and wrapped in butcher paper, so no labeling.

There's a place in Key Largo that has a sign for AYCE stone crab, never tried it. It's in the median between the lanes.

Well, we certainly need to keep abreast of the situation............

Corn dogs, of course.