Jaymes

He deserves it. It was wonderful.

Didn't you just love that the bastard son of Gusteau the Great French Chef was Linguini?

Again with the ten foot pole!!.....

No, I haven't heard of the place. What regional cuisine is it? Unfortunately, I'm not sure. But the noodles and dumplings are wonderful. It's on Highway 6. And everytime I've been in there, it's packed with Chinese, so I don't think it's Westernized. You might give it a try next time you're in Houston.

Kent, is the Old Place Cafe back there at the end of this mall? That's kind of what it looks like, and that's one of my favorite Chinese cafes in Houston. Have you tried it?

So, "all [your] hometown friends" eat at this place but you won't touch it with a ten foot pole? I'm really curious as to whether or not your opinion of your friends' opinions extends to other matters as well. I don't know if your local hometown newspaper publishes the results of the weekly restaurant cleanliness inspections, but mine does. "Shady" as relates to health inspections seems to have no correlation to supposed "nice" restaurants at all. Some of the best Mexican food I've ever had has been served to me in classy and expensive restaurants, like Fonda San Miguel in Austin and Frontera Grill in Chicago. And some of the worst food of any kind I've ever had has been served to me in classy and expensive restaurants, as well. So sign me up on the list of folks that think that whether or not the food is any good has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with how elegant and expensive, or how "crappy and shady," are the surroundings. I have, however, noticed a distinct trend in the quality of the food in family-owned restaurants, which are often not the shiniest and sleekest of places, especially when they're first getting started. And if I had a bunch of "hometown friends" that recommended a certain place, I'd either try it... Or go get a new bunch of friends that I trusted more. Oh, and PS. I don't know what kind of beef is in the tacos, but most tacos only have a couple spoonsful of whatever is the meat. And then you've got a tortilla or two (and if this place is really authentic, they might even be the small ones), a little salsa, maybe a sprinkle of onion, cilantro, lettuce, etc. Not particularly expensive ingredients, you know. Especially if the meat is hamburger, and given their low overhead, the .69 wouldn't give me cause for concern at all. Although if you just want to pay more, I'm sure they would gratefully accept it.

I go to Del Rio fairly often and, in fact, am even considering moving there. If there is no sign nor advertising, how does one find the 116? And, Kent, this blog is so fascinating. I've spent a lot of time in Texas, as my family is originally from there, with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents living all over the state. I spent many summers in Dallas with my grandmother when I was growing up, and I currently have kids living in Houston. I myself have lived in Galveston, Waco, San Angelo, Austin, the El Paso area, and up in the panhandle. So I thought I knew the state pretty well. But your multi-cultural view is eye-opening. Thanks, and I am eagerly awaiting more.

As a matter of fact, I DO remember my own beginnings. And that's exactly why we hired babysitters for our three children when they were toddlers and my husband and I had planned an adult evening out, either as a couple, or with our other adult friends. And since indeed I do remember that when I was a toddler my parents either took us to a family-style restaurant or left us with sitters, and since I also remember that I did the exact same with my children, I really resent being subjected to the ill-mannered children of others that are not so considerate. One does have choices, you know. If you are afraid of some sort of babysitter horror story, fine. Don't get one. Either trade off babysitting chores with another friend, neighbor or relative. Or go to a family-style restaurant. Or stay home until your children are old enough to properly behave.

Well, I absolutely love the cantaloupe gazpacho. A revelation.

I bought the next step up. I think it was around $127 on sale. It's basically the same small grill, but has a side burner that is just like the burners on gas rangetops. Since my kitchen stove is electric, I love having that one gas burner. I can use it to slowly simmer things like Rancho Gordo beans in clay cazuelas.

Not sure if this is the right thread, but since this seems to have turned into a sort of catch-all thread for towns along I70, I had occasion to spend a few days in Salina last week. And if any of you are interested in a true Mexican experience, try Taco Tapatio at 671 S. Broadway Blvd. This place is so authentic that the menu on the wall is only in Spanish. There are English translations in a printed menu that you can ask for, though. Also, they have the famous aguas frescas of Mexico. Horchata is a favorite of mine, and it's delicious. They also offer Coke and Pepsi bottled in Mexico, with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. The tacos are just like the kinds you get in Mexico, served on small corn tortillas that are so fresh, you have to have two to hold the taco together. I love mojarra, a whole fried fish that I last had in Morelia, Michoacan, and was utterly stunned to find on a menu in the middle of Kansas. I thought this place was terrific and if I lived in Salina, you can bet I'd be a regular.

Does anyone know when this one might repeat?

I, too, enjoyed her posts and felt a connection with her. Thought I was going to get to meet her. Sadly, I was just a little too late.

Anyone interested in cookies would do well to peruse this blog: Cookie Madness I think it's the definitive spot for cookies on the web. And maybe in the entire universe.

How about Durkee's? As I recall my Texan days, many of those "old-timey" Texas cooks wouldn't think of mixin' up a potato salad without some Durkee's. Y'all?

Cold soups...yum.

Oh my god! I think you just won the thread.Yep. Somehow, it's hard to imagine the juxtaposition of "Mickey Mouse" and "Gourmet"

Not sure where you live, but any area with a Mexican influence should have breakfast tacos/burritos that are made with refried beans and your choice of any or all of the following: chorizo, cheese, onions, salsa, pico, jalapenos, and the rest of the usual Mexican suspects. You can also find molletes, which are kind of a bean-based breakfast sandwich, although they can be eaten as a tasty snack anytime.

Again, it all depends upon what size side-by-side you're talking about. I don't use my fridge "just for storage." I also chill sheets of pastry and cookie dough. Your sheet pans obviously may be larger than mine. And your friends' fridge may be narrower. But my pans are 18" x 13" and I have no trouble at all getting them in the fridge, even the wide way. And the freezer, the narrow way. I'd just strongly suggest to anyone considering a side-by-side to get the pans you're going to use the most often, and measure to see if they fit, before you dismiss out of hand the option of a side-by-side. Especially if you're older and your knees or back hurt when you bend over. You can easily arrange everything you use frequently in the freezer, and everything you use frequently in the fridge, right at eye level.

There are few appliances that engender this sort of hate. In fact, that small side-by-side is the only one I've ever heard of. And believe me, I feel your pain.

This would be my dream kitchen. Maybe someday....

I absolutely love my side-by-side and would never have anything else, unless I could afford a large separate fridge right by a large separate freezer. And everybody else I know that has them likes them as well. HOWEVER.... That only goes for the BIG ones. The small ones are not only worthless, they're frustrating and annoying. But I've owned lots of refrigerators during my decades of life, and since I've moved 38 times, I've also had lots of different styles in various rental homes and apartments. I did have a 'freezer on the bottom,' and boy did I hate that. Digging around down there was extremely unpleasant. Especially since the entire time I was digging around down in that bottom freezer drawer, I knew that at that exact same moment, there were people with side-by-sides just opening the door and retrieving whatever they wanted in a flash. And my co-madre (a wonderful Spanish word that means co-mother; she's the mother of my daughter's husband, so we're both mothers-in-law of the same couple) has a bottom freezer and she doesn't like it either. But again. I re-emphasize: This side-by-side love affair only applies to the big ones. The small ones are terrible. Worse than terrible. And the problem is more than just how many cubic feet of freezer space you have. The WIDTH of the freezer is important. In the smaller ones, you can't even get an average-sized dinner plate to lie flat in them, never mind trying to make an icebox pie. The one that I have now (and that everyone in my family has) is 36" across, with ice to the door. As far as I'm concerned the main gripes I've heard come from people whose only experience is with the small ones. And it's ridiculous to say that there's no freezer space. I can, and have gotten a side of beef in there. And several turkeys to boot. I would suggest you discount opinions on LARGE side-by-sides that come from folks that only have had experience with the SMALL ones. They're light years apart. Saying that they're not so energy efficient as some other models is valid criticism. But saying that "all side-by-sides have no freezer space" is not.

I can find Mom's easily at regular supermarkets all over Texas, but agree it can be difficult to find elsewhere. Here in Springfield, MO, there is a health food store that carries it, but it's kind of expensive, so when I go back to Texas, I stock up.

Here is one of the best threads eGullet has ever produced, and that's saying something. I'd suggest you don't try it until you read through this thread. Making Limoncello

Mom's makes what I think is the best bottled pasta sauce on the market, also without sugar. But it's thin, and probably wouldn't hold up well on a pizza.