Rebecca263

Ooh, Vadouvan, that is truly a beautiful invention. Can you tell us what it is made of? I can't seem to find any "clear" information on it.

What is it about SamVera that keeps everyone from talking about it? I adore this restaurant, I eat there every chance I get. It is really my favorite restaurant in the area. Perhaps we can get a contingent over there for an eGullet evaluation. Count me out, though, I'm broke. Being sick is expensive! edited by me, to offerthis!

Soup is my favorite food. I'm very happy to see three entertaining eGulleters collaborate on my favorite food, for an entire week!

Being born and raised in FLORIDA, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that, although I've heard of Coca Cola based recipes, I've never encountered one in life. It just wasn't done at LeDome, Left Bank and Cafe de Paris, the restaurants of my youth, and our cooks at home were Italian and French born, not from the American South. Thus, Robyn has really highighted for me just how great an idea Bryan has with this Cocal Cola use! This recipe uses a classic idea and tweaks it, taking it to a new place, and a thought provoking one, as well! Kudos, Bryan, you have a great way of thinking, and your execution gets better and better. I have to say, it's a great pleasure to watch an artist's growth from 'the beginning'. This thread remains a favorite of mine, just for that reason. And, Bryan, your humble and friendly, open manner is also a reason that I believe you can have great success in the future, if the restaurant realm is where you go. Of course, if you plan on being an attorney, well, superciliosness and cutting people down is more the way to be, so hopefully, you aren't headed in THAT direction! As I am a great fan of cheeses, I would have enjoyed the blue cheese, but I'm not as old school as some people my age.

Isn't it interesting how different people's attitudes towards food can be? I was just reading the aforementioned menu and thinking how delicious the contrast in flavors throughout the courses would be! I was actually thinking that the sweet current running through the menu is interesting, as well. Almost every course has a sharp flavor cutting a sweet flavor, in my mind. That is a fascinating idea. Bryan, I thought that sweets weren't your thing, what brought the idea of this thought provoking menu about?

Don't be nervous, it all sounds great, and most of the menu seems easy. How about a minestrone, an escarole in broth, or some other small soup course? When we do bruschetta, we sometimes also serve small cups of soup alongside. We use coffee cups and saucers, or espresso cups. Everyone seems to really like this, and it is a really festive addition to serve soup in this novel way!

Oh, Darling, no more missing Zotz for you! There are plenty of places to get them online, here is a site that sells them wholesale, even better! Just click on Italy, that's where Zotz are made. Ooh, those effervescent Italians, ya gotta love 'em!

Oh, and I would completely trust a passionate baker to make me a 'mix' cake, and have it be delicious! That's what they do, make delicious food, and I wouldn't care WHAT the provenance of ingredients would be. Well, no brains, I'm thinking. Or kidneys. But the other stuff, yeah, sure, hit me with it! It's cake, which is a food group all it's own, and I just want a delicious end product. I LOVE A GOOD CAKE!

Um, Magnolia is a very sweet from scratch cupcake, with a very sweet American style buttercream frosting, made with butter. I can't stand their flavor profiles, but it IS all from scratch! Oh, and me, on cake mix? I don't know, I've never made one, but my sister makes them, and hers are awful. I think the fact that she doesn't care to bake has a LOT to do with it. I've had a peanut butter frosting iced chocolate cupcake once, at a school bake sale, it was pretty good; the frosting was from scratch, the cupcakes were a mix. I don't know the brand, but it was a bit oily, and you could just 'tell'. I liked it! I thought that the addition of raspberry preserves in the center of the cupcake would be phenomenal. I don't make wedding cakes, but I have made my share of cake, and it's such a simple thing to make a basic cake, or isn't it? I'd think that cake mix would be best for specialty cakes, like Dr.Oetker's brand is. I have nevert tried them, but they look tempting!

Pate has a 'weird' texture? Hey, K8memphis, send me all you get, especially the chicken liver 'pate'.

This is so interesting to me! I'm American, grew up eating many different culture's foods(my parents were Middle Eastern and Italian Jews). I can't stand gelatin desserts! It's the texture. I can eat something in a thin coat of aspic, or the jelly that comes with gefilte fish(an amazing food that I dscovered in 1986), but no other gelatinous food appeals to me. I enjoy a good tapioca or some red bean or guava paste, I like preserves and jams, but bubble tea or fruit jellies? I just can't. Hmmm. Are we keeping track here? I DO think it might just be an American thing, and now I feel VERY American and mainstream! edited to add: I ADORE okra, and other 'slimy' vegetables, and caviar, and uni, too!

I'm so sorry, Tammy, most of my cookbooks are packed up right now, but I'll have a look at what's downstairs.

Hi, Tammy! I always read this thread with interest, I love what you're able to do in the kitchen! Have you thought of an African styled meal? Maybe Ethiopian? I adore focusing on the many vegetable stews, making rices to accompany, and the easy African breads. We usually would include salad greens for some people to use as a 'base', instead of the starches, too. I think that most African cuisines are really delicious, fairly easy, inexpensive and healthy! Most people won't miss the meat at all, although you could make some as a side dish, too.

We rarely eat steak, and when I do, it's usually raw. That said, when we do eat steak, we grill it rare and I make a sauce of raw garlic, olive oil and whatever green herb we have laying around fresh, with lemon and salt. I pulse it in a mni chopper. It's delicious, but your mate has to indulge alongside you, or there's no kissing after!

There was an Argentiniansteak and pasta restaurant in Hollywood, Florida that we used to frequent. I never encountered any other place like it. They also offered chimichurri as an accompaniment to the pizza brought to the table at the beginning of the meal. I LOVED it. Of course, I like chimichurri on my salad, on my eggplant, well, I ate a LOT of chimichurri. I like to say that my high chimichurri intake is why I look a LOT younger than I actually am!

Hi, everyone! Well, CapnCook, either you have a large family, or you're typical of most of us, you enjoy feeding the body as a gate to the happiness of the soul! That menu is formidable, and I am going to look for a Matbouba recipe. Please, tell us more about your cooking, I think that we will gain much from you in future posts. Just to let you know, we received a meal for ten, I swear. 4 roasted chickens, cut into 8ths, in a huge pan. We will have chicken for weeks.So far, we've eaten 5 pieces. A rice pilaf and steamed broccoli accompanied. Again, we have containers left. I will not comment on the food, the fact that it came with warm thoughts and a lot of prayers is the seasoning that makes any food delicious. As an aside, I'm so grateful for the help and attentions we have received. I have been so careful raising my daughter to be a kind and helpful, positive person, and I really do worry what the past few months and the upcoming challenges will do to her sense of things. Besides, so many terrible hateful things happen, everyday, in this world, and I don't want her to feel that her life is the same. I want her to have hope for Moshiach, and I want her to be a person who makes light in the world, too. Seeing people help us, now, is the right thing for that, and Hashem is sending the right thing. I am grateful to have this, for my daughter to see goodness in the world, in hard times, and not feel alone. I'm trying not to feel alone. I pray for everyone, a meaningful life, peace and joy, light and growth. PS: I want to make a 4 egg challah! My recipe had 3 eggs. I have a friend who tells me that her mother made challah with 5 yolks and 3 whites.

I know that in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties in NJ, white grapefruit have been available at the Rt9 Farmenr's Market, at both the Old Bridge and the Freehold locations. I have 3 in my kitchen right now, because I prefer them. How can someone NOT tell the difference? The white grapefruit are so much more, well, grapefruity! I can't eat them any longer, as of this week, my new cancer medication( YAY!!!!a medication! ) prohibits the eating of grapefruit, any colors!

No, no, a nice Italian pie would be my NEXT to last meal. Then, I'd go to SamVera and eat this: A bowl of pasta fagiole A bowl of pastina (ordered in advance) The pasta of the day OR a pasta in a custom cream sauce, with peas Snapper, prepared the way the salmon usually is OR prepared Martini style Sea bass (OhMyHolyFish, so SO good, but it's $100, and I'm poor!) Escarole Broccoli di rabe EVERYTHING on the dessert list Lots of wine with this meal-their wine list is amazing. And a really decent port to finish. I'd indulge all of this in one f the private rooms upstairs, and in between courses I'd do private things with my #1boy! I stick by my previous post, a meal at SamVera would be the LAST MEAL of my choice.

Probably you'll find this silly, but there is an interesting British pub called the Blue Anchor in Delray, on Antlantic Ave. It's an ACTUAL really old British pub, shipped here I don't know when. Somehow Jack the Ripper is part of the history of the pub. I dated an ale drinker for awhile, had a shop on Atlantic Ave, and ate my fair share of Scotch eggs there, a food that I adore, personally! It's got traditional Britpub fare and also burgers and stuff like that, if I remember correctly. I DO know they served fish and chips. I ate MORE than my share of chips, especially off of other people's plates, I'm embarassed to say!

I forgot, if it's one of those people who declines to assist, you apologize to them again, then apologize to the waiting client and give, give, give. If you want to be the best, you've got to operate as if each client is the most desireable client. The truth is that a happy client might or might not tell someone about their pleasure at your business, but an unhappy client WILL tell many people about how awful a time they had. Even if they were the awful part.

In a restaurant, dvs has it right, 100%. If this a need for the table to accomodate the next diners, apologize to the lingerers, profusely and sincerely, show them to a fresh table or a clean spot at the bar, bring them offerings(or remove charges from their bill), and thank them, effusively and repeatedly, for their kindness and understanding. Let them know that they are the most appreciated of clients, and that you will not forget this favor they have accorded you, and REMEMBER them next time. Oh, yes, if it comes into play during the conversation, this was YOUR mistake, because you are looking at this from their position and you are handling this situation in a way that allows them to have what is sometimes known as "face". You must never blame anyone else for these things, even faintly, for any negativity will reflect on the situation, and could become attached to the client's experience with your business, even in a subconscious way, which is certainly NEVER good. If it is a matter of the restaurant closing, you again apologize profusely, bring them a little something, and again, remember them next time, and send them an app, an amuse, or drinks as soon as they are seated. It's often not a good idea to joke, because unless you are completely self deprecating, this can make the client lose face in some way, and they will never feel good in your establishment again. BAD IDEA. Come back here, and vent to us instead! At home, well, I would never have someone over who I would not be willing to leave alone in my living room, or to find a pillow and a blanket for, in the first place. I really believe the old saying "Treat others as you would be treated."and I treat everyone as if they are the most important guest I (or the company, if I'm at work) has EVER encountered. That saves so much discord and discomfort, for me! Of course, I do admit to being really REALLY proud of my track record with human relations, so it's all for a selfish reason, 'ya know. Most of all, it's great that someone brought this up, because being prepared for these situations and thinking about them when you're NOT having to deal with them, helps you to practice experiencing them in your head, which calms you down when these things actually happen. I miss working

Anna, that's a beautiful loaf! My boyfriend made all sorts of arrangements for us to be assisted before he had to leave. He worked with my shul and fellow congregants have taken the reins to helping us through this awful time. One of the members came over 2 weeks ago and brought us 3 immense challahs, straight from her oven! She had thoughtfully wrapped them in ample foil, and one is left, in the freezer, awaiting Shabbat tomorrow. We have French Toast and soup on toast for days after Shabbat, these loaves are like manna, and they last exactly until Shabbat the next week! It's a lovely thing. There are 8 small containers of soup left in the freezer, #1Boy was very diligent in his planning for that, before he left. which we were planning to use for our Shabbat suppers, but I just received a call from a member of the congregation, telling me that we will be receiving a meal for Shabbat tomorrow! I'm overwhelmed at the kidnesses that have come into our lives since we've had such hard times. It seems as though our hearts receive succor and our tearful faces are caressed by so many people, from so many diverse places, and Hashem is sending everything for a reason. I may not have a recovery, but I will most hopefully have time, and Elisheva and I will have some help, and we are full of hope. Shabbat Shalom, everyone!

Update: OK, it's our most interesting Sr.Antoni Miralda who has concieved the work that #1Boy participated in last year. Quite fascinating ideas, really. The show is called "Sabor y Lenguas":13 Ciudades, Tastes & Tongues:13 Cities. I'm offering this link to the Food and Culture Museum's site, because they have Sr.Miralda's main idea and original 13 plates up, with some really wonderful pages of informtaion culled and distilled by el Sr. Miralda. What I liked was the ideas behind this work, the food culture of each city was dissected in a fun way. For instance, to me, a big part of Miami food culture is the green coconut vendors who sell fresh green coconuts: they hack off the tops, insert straws and give you a taste of heaven, on the sides of back roads. But this was missed, somehow, and what Sr.Miralda discovered, instead, is a more commercial Miami. Which I found thought provoking, and rich, in itself!CLICK! on each plate for food for thought! edited by me, broken link!

SamVera in Marlboro. Oh, and since price is not a concern, I'd be all over the wine list, with a decent port at meal's end, too.

At my main oncologist's office (SloanKettering in NYC) they offer sour balls everywhere. Not Charms brand. These must be some bulk brand, but although my doc's office were able to tell me the ingredients and that they are Kosher, they don't seem to know the brand! My extreme enjoyment of these sour balls is that there is a sort of pink sour ball... nobody has been able to figure out exactly what the artificial flavor should represent, but it is delicious! Definitely not a flavor found in nature, but sooo yummy! I have to wait until February 1 for my next fix.