Jim Dixon

Cosmo... Posted a note about Tabla here. The best tiki lounge I ever saw was the Lanai in San Mateo...it had this great painted polynesion back bar with slowly shifting lights that changed the image from daylight to sunset to night...served a good coconut snow, too. Jim

I've got a lot in my garden, too. If your tomatoes are ready, try spaghettini with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and Swiss chard. I like to use both the orange Sungolds and regular red cherries for this, but mine are just coming on. I've made what I call frittatine a lot recently. They're easier than they sound and something different. Jim

If I'm lazy I'll make a fritatta with the flowers. I usually don't stuff them. but dip in beaten egg, roll in bread crumbs, and pan-fry in olive oil. Jim

Apparently the Oregonian requires registration for some older material, so I removed the link. Ripe has expanded their family supper concept with some events open to the public. You can learn more here. I'm planning to attend the whole hog dinner, which I think is going to cost about $40. Jim

etnea, A belated welcome to eGullet...and despite what others might say, there is no 'incorrect' way to post here (but check the user agreement for any guidance). Thanks for the great list of resources in Sicily. We spent about 10 days in Cefalu a few years ago and are ready to go back. Jim

of course.... Jim

just-toasted cumin seed.... Jim

You mean you've never eaten lmabm? Jim

I'd heard this and repeated it, but finally confirmed it for myself a couple of weeks ago: Any True Value hardware store will either have lump briquet (aka real wood charcoal) or be able to to get it for you. I picked up a 20 lb (or so) bag at Hankins on MLK for about $20. Jim

Welcome to eGullet, bankchef... There will be several cheesemakers at the market, including Oregon Gourmet Cheese, makers of incredible camembert, and Juniper Grove's goat cheeses. You'll also find a few fishermen selling directly (wild salmon, halibut, and Oregon albacore in season now), a couple of rancers (grass-fed beef, lmabm and pork), and Greener Pastures chickens form near Eugene (the livers, which sell out quickly, are the best I've ever had). And of course lots of produce. See you there. Jim

I can't believe I forgot to mention the Buckman Bistro, which is the William's cafe. I just reviewed it in June. Buckman Bistro Jim

Is this like a regular cafe shakerato but with Campari? Sounds interesting... Jim

I think Portland's Vietnamese food offers the best and cheapest option for dining out. My Cahn on NE 39th (just off Sandy Blvd) is very good, and Saigon Kitchen (NE 9th and Broadway) is my perennial neighborhood favorite. Slightly more upscale, but still affordable (and very good) is Pho Van Bistro (1012 NW Glisan in the Pearl District). For affordable Italian, try Basta's on NW 21st and Flanders. The wine bars mentioned here are another good bet...as is Pambiche for Cuban food. Jim

Portland Farmers Market The Summer Loaf is historically the busiest day of the season (something like 25,000 people last year), so come early. And be sure to walk though the market and check out all the bread vendors before buying. There are smaller artisan bakers like Olive Mountain, Wild Horse, and Ken's that are here every week and make great handcrafted bread, but one of the ironies of the bread fest is that several of the bigger industrial bakers come as well and sell cut-rate loaves that are in no way "artisanal." My favorites include Ken's (including the Normandy apple bread he only makes on Saturday) and Olive Mountain's round, whole grain loaf with the funny name I can't remember. I'll be there, too, so stop by and say hello... Jim

Sorry to come to the table late... Like nearly everything I eat these days, I prefer roasted beets (and almost always Chioggia or golden, which are both sweeter and less messy) with just olive oil and salt. I may have to expand my culinary horizons a bit, especially with the sorrel idea since I've got lots of it in my garden. You might also have noticed that it's been more than a month since I updated the site. I've been going back and forth about putting the salt online. I don't have a lot of it, but can't quite afford to get an entire "euro-pallet" as my pal at Necton, Vasco, recommends. Maybe after this Saturday's market, the bread festival, my cash flow will have improved enough for me to spend it all. Any eGulletarians that stumble across this thread and are interested can email me for details. It is a lot cheaper to ship than olive oil. And it is tasty on those beets. Jim

And here I'd thought I'd invented something new when I mixed Averna with fizzy water on the rocks. We can't get it here in the liquor-hell of Oregon, but I was able to find a couple of bottles of Nonino Amaro in Brooklyn last year. Still hoarding one. Here's another story idea, Craig: wander around Friuli trying all the home-brewed grappas. When we spent 10 days near Trieste a few years back it seemed like everybody had their own recipe for Italian moonshine. There was even a little saying, which I can't remember in Italian, but it was something slightly bawdy along the lines of "the more you put down, the more it goes up." Jim

That Yam Yam's review is a couple of years old (I'm trying to go back and date all the reviews, but it's going slowly), so I can't say what it's like now. One of my boys likes it, but Clay's, at least the last time I was there last year, is also good. Campbell's, on SE Powell just east of 82nd, is probably the best BBQ in town. Both Navarre and Noble Rot are customers....but I see the difference as one of focus. Noble Rot is mostly about the wine, but the food is really good, too. Navarre is a quirky little restaurant that happens to fit the 'wine bar' category better than any other pigeonhole. That said, I eat at Navarre more often, maybe because the menu's a little more exensive but it could be because I want something particular (the watermelon and arugula salad, for example). Since they're only a block apart, you might as well hit both. Then walk a little farther north on 28th and check out Tabla, a new spot that's more restaurrant, but with small plate prices. I haven't eaten at Wine Down, but I hear the food doesn't stand up to the other places. Pambiche is fabulous, and if they haven't got the liquor license yet, have a sangria. Esparza's Tex-Mex is another great spot in the same neighborhood. On Friday night there may be crowds, so either go early or be prepared to wait. Of course, you can always walk between the different places to find the shortest wait. Jim ps...if you're still in PDX Sat, drop by the Farmers Mkt near PSU for the artisan bread festival.

Craig, I have one of these and it's basically a moka without the top half. The water is forced thought the coffee by pressure (yet another example of PV=NRT, about the only thing I remember from chemistry), but the user supplies the receptacle. The idea was to save weight for the backpacker. I prefer the smaller size moka, though. I have a couple of mokas I use periodically, mostly when camping. I like the coffee, too. But I think it's important to pack a little cup and a little spoon to really enjoy it. Jim

beans, I recommend using grain alcohol instead of 100 proof vodka. I've done both, and the alcohol yields much better nocino (or limoncello, for that matter). I find it's not so much the block that gets stained as my fingers. The color is just starting to wear off. I follow the advice of Renato, who told his father puts his in the sun. We checked the nuts on my tree in June, and they were not quite ready (or that's what he said, altho' I can't claim to know how he could tell). Next year I'll try to remember to pick some of the tiny green ones and cook them in syrup. I think this is Greek, but it's supposed to be good. Jim

Katherine posted a link to part of this series of articles back on page 2. I'd recommend reading the series (long, but probably quicker than the book noted by several) for a well-researched look at the whole issue of food, obesity, and the impact of dieting. Jim ps...nice to hear your voice again, stella

When this is done it'll be like a black hole...no light will escape. It's not the most attractive drink, but it does taste good. I should've noted that after straining out the nuts I'll add a 5:4 (water:sugar) syrup to dilute the 195 proof alcohol down to about 95. Jim

You might be able to make nocino from the green ones. Jim

I started a fresh batch of this Italian walnut digestivo. I cut about 20 green walnuts into quarters (a great use for my giant chef de chef knife), tossed them into a gallon jar, and added a half-gallonm of grain alcohol... I'll let it sit in the sun until the end of summer... This photo is about 2 days old, and the stuff already looks like used motor oil. I may add a lemon, cinnamon stick, and a some clove, since that's what I flavored my last batch with. Jim

Skamania is in Stevenson, a little downriver and on the Washington side. I haven't heard much about the food for awhile, but assume it's another version of upscale corporate since the place mostly caters to golfers. Many years ago we would jump the trains in Vancouver (WA) and ride out the Gorge to Wishram, a few miles east of The Dalles. It was a switching area, and the freights would stop before turning south down the Deschutes River canyon. We'd hop off and walk to the railroad-run beanery for a 69-cent blue plate special...things like meatloaf or a bowl of chili. Then we'd walk across the Columbia on the RR bridge and hitchhike into The Dalles for a weekend of beer-drinking with friends who worked at the cherry packing plant. Jim

Carolyn is right about hazelnut oil, but the adulterated olive oils are typically exported to the US since we have absolutely no regulations about what constitutes "extra virgin olive oil." As for frying, here's what the International Olive Oil Council says: (210C is about 350F) My advice is to avoid the processed olive oils (pure, lite, pomace, etc) since they undergo a rather nasty refining process that involves high temperatures and solvents like hexane. They lose the flavor and healthful qualities of extra virgin and virgin oils, but cost more than other industrial seed or vegetable oils (I don't use them either). Look for an oil from Spain or Greece (they're often cheaper than Italian oils) and buy from someone you trust. Taste the oil...a real extra virgin should have a balanced flavor without any traces of rancidity. And Craig...I used to share your feelings about California olive oils. Many are made from Mission and Manzanillo olives that don't make the type of oil I prefer, and the oils made from better cultivars cost way too much. But this spring I tasted an oil (from the California Olive Ranch, 530-846-8000) made from Arbequina olives mechanically harvested and pressed immediately that was very good and reasonably priced. In a few years I think we'll see many more of these oils on the market (but I'll still prefer Italian oils...I can go to California any time). The COOC certifies oils as extra virgin using the same strict guidelines of the IOOC, and their seal assures that the oil is what is says on the label. You'd be shocked at how much olive oil is misleadingly (or fraudulently) labeled, but there are no regulations to prevent it. In the EU, if an oil is labeled "extra virgin" but testing proves it isn't, the producer is subject to fines or even jail. Jim ps...congrats Carolyn