girl chow

Hey Mamster, that sounds like a fun home experiment. But what do you do with the DNA once you've extracted it? Can you make onion DNA explode or turn into any funny colors? Can you inject it into cauliflower for a tasty variation of Jim Dixon's famous cauliflower? You should write a book called "Mamster's Guide to Food DNA: Fun experiments for the home cook." I'd buy it. I can't wait to try bahn mi. I saw the PI piece and was disappointed there was no mention of this discussion there. D'oh! And Ms Ramsey, welcome to egullet! I will chew over my thoughts on Tacoma restaurants and try to come up with a coherent post. I know of many great Pierce County restaurants as I am a resident of the great land south of Seattle. Did you all know that they're opening an El Gaucho in Tacoma this year? Tacoma is way happening, I'm telling you all!

Mamster, what in the hell are you doing with onion DNA? Are you coming up with a mutant strain for your own banh mi shop? If so, count me in for $300 in starter cash. I was saving it to get my Sunn amp fixed, but a bahn mi shop seems a better investment. You could form a partnership with Papa Chef. Klink can do the meat, of course. I will gladly be counter help. I promise not to spit on anyone. And have you people decided on a place/time to meet for bahn mi? If I can unchain myself from work, I want to tag along! At the same time I'll be chowing down bahn mi, I'd like to test out some summer/spring/fresh rolls. I'm considering some ideas for a future article ;) I'm so sorry I missed the great egullet smoke out. Sounds like you all had a blast. Hubby had a great time on the surprise trip I planned for his birthday. We ate at 5 different Tacoma restaurants in 24 hours. It rocked.

I'm salivating! The only experience with bahn mi I've had is at the Vietnamese place in the Uwajimaya food court and it wasn't memorable. You are inspiring me to get my butt out of the office and into the ID. And I think this thread has some potential with a spring/summer roll spinoff subject :) Mamster, I'm curious, what was in the summer roll? Can you give a description? Blue Heron, there is a Thai cafe in the Great Wall Mall in Kent that makes really good fresh spring rolls with a Thai kick (I think they call them salad rolls there). The last time I was at the Thai cafe, the roll included some chile and garlic marinted prawns (2 large ones), sweet basil leaves, some crunchy veggies like carrot and maybe daikon? and little bits of marinated pork in a fresh rice wrapper. It was fantastic. It came with a very mellow peanut dipping sauce. It was also pretty cheap: 2 for $3. I'm a big fan of spring rolls, so I'd love to hear other recs :) Also, Blue Heron, I hope your back gets better soon! Oh, and I wanted to tell you that I have started my vegetable garden in the backyard (at least building the raised beds, but not quite to the point of planting yet!). Watch for a report later this spring!

I have never been so excited to go buy bacon! Thanks for all your great recs. Hubby and I are big time bacon fans and have been disappointed so many times with grocery store brands. We are so tired of paying $5-$7 a pound and getting bacon that is the same texture as the doggy bacon treats we feed our two labs. Like Col Klink, we've had good luck with Fred Meyer deli bacon (the thick cut is good!) and we really like Fletcher's, which we pick up in bulk when it's at Costco. I now plan on stopping by Bavarian Meats next week. For the record, I like a ratio of 80 percent crispness to 20 percent pliable (I accomplish this by pushing it around the pan a lot. I'm stuck with an electric stove (ugh), so it's not difficult to find a cool spot in the pan). Hubby likes an even 50-50 split, leaning on the flaccid side.

yeah, Mamster, I love it when a real joint replaces a pseudo joint. Taco Time has nothin on an authentic spot like Taqueria El Riconsito. But I admit to making Taco Time's crispy chicken burritos at home from time to time. I usually make them when we're throwing a party involving a moderate amount of beer. Greasy burritos are always a good pairing :)

Has anyone here ever checked out the small but growing Taqueria El Rinconsito chain? My obsession with this taqueria started with the Kent location on Central Avenue a few years ago when my favorite Thai place down the street was too packed to get into. One bite of a pork torta sandwich and I was hooked. The textures and flavors were fantastic and the pricetag rarely hovers above $6 for lunch. That's good eatin'. What I like? They use fresh cheese (nothing is drenched in gloppy yellow stuff). The vegetables and garnishes are always crisp and market fresh. The sauces are deeply flavored and they assemble every dish with care. I can't believe they can afford to serve such great quality grub at a bargain pricetag. My favorites: the torta sandwiches (especially the pork), the carne asada and the taquitos. Mamster, you might be happy to hear that they serve their burritos al pastor! (spelling?) I have yet to try one that way though! Some day soon, I swear... Just wanted all of you to know about this small taqueria chain. All the stores seem to be located south of the airport: 14406 International Blvd, Tukwila, 206-835-2900 (near the airport) 214 S.W. 152nd, Burien, 206-431-0663 510 N. Central, Kent, 253-520-9439 25914 Pacific Hwy, Redondo (this is a new location, where the Taco Time used to be) Let me know if any of you check it out! If you eat in Kent, I can meet for a torta ;)

I can vouch for Philly's Best. I've eaten at both locations, but mostly eat at the Kent shop because it's close to my office. The sandwiches are yummy and made to order. I like the deluxe steak ($4.50 half and $7.49 full). It comes with the standard steak, melted cheese (processed!! the authentic Philly way they say), mushrooms, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers (I ask them to go light, they always put on too many for me), green peppers and sweet onions. This sounds weird to eat at a steak sandwich joint, but I really like their veggie pizza sub when a deluxe doesn't sound as good. The pizza subs are a gloppy concoction, but satisfying on deadline days when I'm in need of comfort grub :) I order it without the peppers, though. I'm a wuss! The fries suck. They're frozen and glopped with Cheese Whiz. They're just not my thing. Now, if they had fresh cut fries glopped with Cheese Whiz, I'd absolutely eat them. The frozen fries are flavorless and have the texture of cardboard. Yuckarooni. The Kent location: 25260 104th Ave. S.E.; 253-856-7555 The Seattle location: 1400 23rd; 206-860-5000.

I met "The Man" when I was 8 months pregnant. It's been a few years (just about) and I still remember the burning sensation that spread down my throat and into my gut. I'm not sure what kind of lasting effect it may have had on my then unborn son. Poor little dude. He does like Thai food though, even the spicy stuff, so maybe, just maybe, it ripened his palette :) For the record, I always get the 520 special. It's a bargain. What I love most about Dixie's (which is located very close to our Bellevue headquarters, so I eat there whenever I'm forced to make the 405 drive up to the mother ship), is the counter help. They're quite an interesting (and sometimes surly) bunch. I've been yelled at for taking too many napkins, for taking too long to decide what sides I want and for parking my car in - horrors!! -- a parking spot. They're almost never in a good mood, but that adds to the charm. Depending on their mood, it can be a very Soup Nazi kind of experience :) Oh, and here's something very weird. Have any of you ever noticed that the regulars leave their keys in their ignitions and Gene moves the cars around when the lot gets full? It's probably the funniest thing I've ever seen at any restaurant. Gene's a character. I would never let him near my car. hahaha.

Hahaha! I would pay at least $3 to hear seafood jokes like those. Maybe even $5. You should combine your comedic skills and cooking skills and do a stand up cooking show on public access. Come on, there are weirder shows on public access...anyone remember that goofy vegetarian show done by those hippy dudes 4 or 5 years ago who also did that show "Deface the Nation"??? Hilarious. Maybe I'll start a thread about fictional theme cooking shows on public access.

From Mamster: I have my eye on that $10 lunch, too, because I'm a notorious cheapskate. Hey, wouldn't it be funny if the $10 lunch actually featured cheap skate? Ha! I am so going to steal that one for my arsenal of really bad seafood puns ... hahaha :) Mamster, I am so cheap that I think $10 is expensive for lunch. I am a big fan of John Howie, though, can you tell? I swear he doesn't pay me to say these things either. These are all my opinions and do not reflect on any entity for which I might represent. :)

Just curious if anyone has been yet? The restaurant opened on Monday. I will be going in the next two weeks to check out the $10 30-minute lunch deal. I'll give a report. But I'd love to hear if anyone has gone and what you thought of the "raw" bar if you checked it out? Chef John Howie (used to be at Palisade) has designed this raw bar that will have a daily selection of sushi, sashimi, ceviche and poke!! Sounds fabulous to me! Also, I'm still planning on getting to the Malay Satay Hut in Redmond next week. So many restaurants, so little time :) Seastar is located at 205 108th Ave. N.E., Bellevue phone: 425-456-0010

Hey Col Klink, salmon baked on cedar is not a trend! Dammit! My grandpa, also a native Washingtonian like me and my mom, used to cook his salmon that way. Ok, I guess I'm willing to admit that cedar planks designed for a home oven is just another weird yuppy fad. I don't care! The cedar flavor rules. And the oven planks are a lot easier than making sure you've got cedar that hasn't been treated with cyanide or any toxic crap that might cause your lungs to sear. I got my plank from John Howie's company (Howie is the former chef of Palisade and just recently opened a very sylin' restaurant called Seastar in Bellevue). His manufacturer is a nice fellow who lives in Belfair and makes the planks at his house. The cool part is that he incorporated these screw/lug nut thingees (that's the techical term) into the cedar so as cracks appear and the wood begins to separate, you can turn the screw and the cracks will disappear. It's a way cool trick to use at parties. hahaha. not. Howie also sells one-use planks for the Q and he's also got alder planks if you don't like the strong flavor of cedar. John Howie's cedar planks A few of my tips for cooking on cedar planks learned the hard way: Do NOT use much oil, unless you like fire in your oven. A little rub down with oil to season the plank works just fine, though. Do cook the salmon (or chicken or halibut) with its skin on (duh). I soak the plank before putting it in the oven (although I think some plank manufacturers tell you not to. I like to run with scissors too). Expect the salmon to take longer to bake than using traditional methods. I want to say it takes about 15-20 minutes per inch, although I've never really timed it or anything. I just keep a good eye on the salmon as it's cooking. Don't get the oven too hot. Follow most of the manufacturer's directions, unless, of course, you like fire.

Blue Heron, I've been under the same spell as you about King v Sockeye (native v tourist). I think maybe I just haven't been giving Mr. Sockeye his due respect after reading what glorious things Jim had to say about sockeye -- given the choice, I always buy/order King. D'oh! I think this year I might do a little sampling, maybe even some smoking (how about some tips Col Klink!).....tho I might have to initiate some of my tax refund to afford it. I just hope we're not looking at prices like we did in 1999 (or 1998?) when CRS hit $16-$18 a pound at the market. I think it mostly was about $12-$13 a pound last year if my memory serves. I struck gold last year when a new Albertsons had opened by my house last spring and they were offering a store opening offer of CRS for $9.99 a pound for a few days. We bought in abundance and hosted two really great parties. If we can find a deal like that again this year, hubby and I decided we would have a Northwest style salmon bake (dig pits, fill with charcoal and wood and cook the salmon on cedar planks). We haven't had one of those for a few years, but they're always so much fun.

I wrote about the 2000 CRS run and Mary Franklin (who represents the Cordova District Fisherman union) told me then that Kings (Chinook) come first to market, followed by Sockeye (Reds) and then Coho (Silvers). But the thing is that I don't recall whether that was because the King runs arrive before the Sockeye, or if fishing regulations (and there are so many regulations) require Kings are caught first. I do know that King show up in the stores and restaurants first, but that the Sockeye season runs longer, until late summer some years. Here's a web site that I rediscovered in my bookmarks about the Cordova fishing community. One of my vacation goals has been to get to Cordova some day. Hubby was a fisherman for a few years after high school eons ago and he's got all kinds of stories about the fishing industry (although half those stories involve heavy drinking and naked swimming in Prince William Sound). Copper River Salmon info

Hey Blue Heron! It ain't all hype. These fish are better. But is the marketing hype annoying? hell yes! I've gotten lucky in getting some really quite good Copper River salmon from Larry's the last few seasons (typically starting around May 15 and continuing through mid-June). The early season Kings (more so than the later sockeye run) definitely have a higher concentration of oil and fat (supposedly due to the salmon's rough and tumble swim up the Copper River, which makes them beefier). The flesh is fatter, richer and silkier (almost a buttery texture? the words to properly describe it escape me) and superior -- in my opinion. And the CRS I've bought has always been a much deeper hue -- almost an orangey red -- than its anemic pink farmgrown counterpart. That's the definitive telling point of a Copper River salmon in the grocery store or at a restaurant. The fish looks much more orange. Be careful of places that try to sell you the fake stuff (which I'm sure doesn't happen often, considering how educated consumers here are about the fish). In 2000, I was dining at a restaurant that has since closed and they served me the farm grown Atlantic stuff and tried to pass it off as "Copper River." (along with the $29.95 CRS price tag). I had a hard time trying not to cough "Bull#@it" loudly into my fist as I sampled my first bite of this light pink, chalky tasting fish. I got into an argument with the manager about it. My solution was to never return. I got my justice when they went belly up. Ha! Also, I have to say that I once had Yukon River salmon (but only once). I don't know if it was just that particular fish, but I still remember how buttery the flesh was and it was so orange, it looked like a jewel. It was magnificent. Of course, I remember drinking a lot of wine that night and having one of the best meals of my life (great friends, great conversation), so it might just have been an elevated memory from an enchanting night. :) I'd love to hear what others have to say about the whole CRS marketing thing -- and if others have sampled Yukon River salmon. The CRS hype every spring can get really annoying -- especially all the crap about who gets it first!! yahoo. whatever. insert eye roll here. I'm never the first person in line for the fish, but I always get some. Hubby agrees with me that they do seem to taste richer. We like to cook them on our cedar plank (www.plankcooking.com). We don't even use a rub. Just a little butter and some lemon on the side. That's all it needs. Let's hear what everyone else has to say...

Mamster, et al, thought you would want to know that the Malay Satay Hut in Redmond is now open. I was going to meet the owner last Tuesday, but he missed our appointment, which meant my preview of the restaurant was essentially me pressing my face against the window. Here's what I saw: The seating capacity has got to be close to 100. The tiki style bar, flanking the left side of the dining room, is all about kitschy bamboo and lava lamps. The dining room is more subdued with tables and chairs in some kind of cherry laminate material or wood maybe? (read: uncomfortable) and the kitchen is somewhat visible from the dining room. I peeked at the menu that was sitting on a table in the entryway and it looked quite similar, if not identical, to the menu of the Seattle store. Also, the pricing looked nice and reasonable (glad they won't be charging us for that Eastside real estate). I briefly spoke with the owner last week and he said that the Seattle location would be reopening, although I didn't press him about a firm opening date. Mamster, perhaps you know more than I and could give us an update about that? My pals who work a few blocks from the new MSH Redmond say it looks like it opened to the public on Thursday, or at least that's when it looked like people were going in and out on a regular basis. I'm going to the Eastside later this week and I'll check it out and give a full on chowdown report. Or, anyone else feel free to dish if you've been! The address: 15230 N.E. 24th St., Redmond (located in the same strip mall as Performance Bikes and directly across the street from Office Depot). Their phone: 425-564-0888

Thanks Blue Heron! That article was great. Now all I have to do is find a local supplier who has them on a regular basis, or at least during the summer months. 99 Ranch, I'm afraid, says they only get them periodically during the early summer. If anyone sees them (they've got a weird, reddish looking shell that sort of looks like a fake raspberry), please let me know. I will happily scout out any store south of Seattle on your behalf for any ingredients, as well :) I think fresh lychee is just OK, although the texture takes some getting used to (it's almost gelatinous). I most definitely do not like them from a can. Uck. That's nasty.

Hey Mamster! I'd be happy to drag you along if you're ever in my South County hood -- and anyone else who'd like to come along, of course. Maybe an egullet outing at some point? As a life rule, I generally avoid malls, but this place truly is awesome. I can roam there for hours. The dim sum restaurant Imperial Garden and 99 Ranch both anchor the mall and there are at least six smaller restaurants (Chinese/Japanese/Thai/Vietnamese/Korean/Filipino), a bakery and herb store, a jewelry and video store and assorted businesses. It's about 5 minutes from my office, so I'm there all the time eating pho and slurping up bubble tea. Of course, the ID (much closer for you all), beats on quantity and sometimes quality, but for those of us who don't want the drive, it's a nice alternative. Plus, the Great Wall is all indoors... BONUS! Here is a link: Great Wall Shopping Mall Mamster, do you remember at what time of year you saw lychees at Whole Foods? Was it recently? I'd love to surprise my mother-in-law with some. She says eating the fruit reminds her of home. I'd love to indulge her nostalgia :)

By the way, 99 Ranch Market is the only place where I've seen fresh lychee fruit. It's very difficult to find -- at least for me. My mother-in-law loves the stuff, so if anyone knows of where to get it fresh (NOT CANNED), please let me know! According to the produce workers at the 99 Ranch, it's only in season in June, so that's why it's hard to find. If anyone knows otherwise, please post!

How funny you started this topic because I JUST finished my grocery list for shopping at the 99 Ranch Market, a sort of cheaper and slightly smaller Uwajimaya in Kent at the Great Wall Shopping Mall (for the record, my grocery list: nam pla, tamarind juice, 4 limes, 1 package firm tofu, dried shrimp and peanut oil. And if I'm hungry when I get there, some prepared bbq pork at the deli counter). 99 Ranch inside the Great Wall Shopping Mall is located at 18230 East Valley Hwy, Kent;425-251-1600. They're a few blocks from IKEA. Prices at 99 Ranch are great, but not rock bottom. A can of Chaokoh is usually 69 cents. Still much cheaper than QFC, but not a steal like some places in the ID. They've got big seafood tanks at 99 Ranch full of lots of sea creatures. They'll also fry a whole tilapia for you for a grand total of $4, including the fish! BARGAIN! It's even a bigger bargain that you don't stink up your kitchen making it. Ewww! They have aisles and aisles of ingredients categorized by geography, not ingredients -- meaning Thai ingredients are on the Thai aisle and Indonesian staples are in the Indonesian section. They're also got a deli with lots of ready made items and a bakery with a nice assortment of buns and sweets. I could spend a whole day at the Great Wall Shopping Mall, ending with dim sum at Imperial Garden, of course. Hubby and I take his mom to the ID to shop at least once every few months or sometimes more. Our tour starts at PFI (which is located next door to the cheapest studio in the city to jam at... Hush Studios) where we buy bulk spices and herbs (SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE!). The concrete floor, dim lighting and stained plastic containers filled with bulk spices can seem scary for all those accustomed to pretty, pristine grocery stores, but I think you'll find a lot of the same great quality imported goods at a fraction of the price as Larry's. Everything at PFI is cheaper, even the cheese. One drawback with the cheese, though, is you have to either a) buy it by the pound or b) sweet talk the staff for 5 minutes into letting you buy only a half pound. After PFI, we drive over and find parking near the Viet Ho Seafood Market at 7th and Jackson (206-622-5297) because they sell big packages of tripe, which my mother-in-law turns into this fantastic curry soup (being Indian and Japanese, she comes up with some really funky combos). We eyeball all the stuff swimming in the big tanks, then load up on tripe and other meats there and fill up the cooler we always bring with us in the car. Anyone who shops there might notice that for some reason they've started selling a lot of Mexican groceries there. I have no idea why, but it's added an interesting mix to the variety there. Next, we cross the street to what I think now is called the Chinatown Market (which used to be called something else) and load up on very reasonably priced produce (lemons at 10 cents each) and inside we get bottles of sri racha (CHEAP!) and rice noodles (EVEN CHEAPER!). There's another produce place across the street that we sometimes go to, but there quality is sometimes iffy. We then zigzag down Jackson, stopping in at whatever store looks interesting, and cut over to Uwajimaya, although sometimes it's so busy, we don't even bother. We always eat lunch at Bangkok House (I think the address is 606 S Weller). Not because it's a fantastic restaurant, which it's not, but because it's our tradition. Then, we amble back to the car, our stomachs loaded with pad Thai and rama, and usually drive to an ethnic grocery store near my mother-in-law's house called Valley Harvest (23636 104th S.E., Kent; 253-856-8462). They're a multi ethnic grocery store and bakery. My favorite thing about them is they sell 10 pound bags of Golden Anchor brand Jasmine Rice for $5.95. BARGAIN! They also carry lots of Russian baked goods, which can be difficult to find unless you live on the East Hill of Kent where there's a grouping of Ukrainian grocers. Of course, a discussion about Ukrainian grocers is for another topic... My, I've typed a lot. Hopefully, your eyes didn't glaze over. I'd love to hear about all the other Asian grocery stores out there. Anyone a fan of Central Market in Shoreline? Doesn't that place ROCK?!! I rarely go because of its location, but I've been blown away by the selection there.

I enjoy his writing and especially his humor. And I've yet to disagree with any of his reviews (although he's probably too new for that. Give him time). For the record, I miss Gregory Roberts' column that ran on Wednesdays. I'm stuck reading only Nancy Leson's columns in the Times on Wednesdays. Don't get me wrong, what she writes is just fine (I also enjoy her writing style), but I liked the variety of two dining columns to read every Wednesday. Just one of the peeves in my little world.

I am horrified that the Church of Elvis is no more. Besides a trip to Powell's, it was one of the only reasons I visited Portland. I'm off to go find that article and see what happened to the biosphere/elvis freaky lady....

There's a great little divey family Thai place I like next to the Benson Hotel. It's not the fru fru Typhoon (that's across the street), but a few blocks down on the same side of the street as The Benson. Just around the corner from the Thai place is The 24 Hour Church of Elvis (the weirdest place on Earth, just off Burnside I think). There's also a little brewpub in between the Elvis Church and the Thai joint that I spent about 5 hours at on my last visit to Portland. Great brew, great people, great noshing. Sorry I don't have names or addresses. Hopefully, you're familiar enough with Portland to know where I'm talking about. The rest of my Portland experience mostly has been weird restaurants in the Hawthorne District and upscale eating at Caprial's, El Gaucho, etc.

The last time I was at Cafe Flora, they had an entire list of a dozen different infusions, including lemonade. It rocked. Hey, while we're on the subject of vegetarian restaurants or restaurants with great veggies, has anyone here ever tried Ambrosia? I still haven't tried it. Is it still around? I heard good (and a few bad) things about that place.

Hey Mamster, have you ever tried Cafe Flora in Madison Park? It's a vegetarian restaurant with great vegetable centric preparations. I've never had a bad meal there, although I have friends who consider their food too "earthy." I had a fantastic root vegetable dish the last time I ate there -- and a fabulous chilled rosemary herbal infusion. If you don't drink much alcohol, it's a great place to swill infused herbal concoctions. If only every restaurant offered a variety of drinks without alcohol, caffeine or sugar. I'm so tired of ordering San Pellegrino or suffering with a plain ol' glass o' water. Sigh.