Tsulli1

Let's see here: -M Resort -Verizon -CraftSteak -TV Guide -Schwan's -Restaurant Depot -the aforementioned Toyota (Venza to be specific) I think Seattle's Best would be very disappointed if no one noted the coffee cups (perfectly angled for readability) in all of those closeup-transition shots at the house.

Or Cooking School Stories?

Do you remember any show titles? I saw some of the Chef Jeff Project, and I've seen some of the PBS series Master Class at Johnson & Wales, but I suspect that isn't what you are referring to. Anyway, I'm just curious in case the show ever surfaces on Hulu or some such service. Are you referring to Cooking Under Fire?

I believe it was Wolfgang Puck who made the babyfood comment.

Thanks for putting this in my head. I almost couldn't watch last night. If "a little" was tied to a TC drinking game, I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning.

It was out of 20. 35% was the winning score. I wonder if the age of the "Masters" vs typical Top Chef contestants played a roll in their ability to identify the various ingredients. I was really surprised when Bayless didn't get Mango.

I didn't see Blais's comments on the Bravo site, help? Thanks! ← Blais said something during the show to the effect of: "Any Chef who feels the need to ask someone else to pronounce their name correctly deserves to have their name mis-pronounced." I believe the implication was that he knew how to pronounce Chiarello properly but purposely chose not to. Perhaps this was an attempt to "fail the test" so he wouldn't have to work with Chiarello. Sorry for you Chiarello lovers, I agree that Dale was out of line, but Chiarello showed his true colors last night. He's an arrogant prick any way you edit the tape.

I've always thought that walleyed pike are so called because of the special character of their eyes. They reflect light and look like a moon and can be very striking. I imagine this name came to differentiate wall-eyed pike from northern pike, etc., through analogy with wall-eyed humans. It's a fine way to distinguish between northerns and walleyes. These are also the accepted local names where I've lived. ← I've always wondered about these names too. Here's the google results: Pike Perch (fish) Main any of several freshwater food and game fishes of the family Percidae (order Perciformes), found in Europe and North America. Although more elongated and slender than perches, pike perches have the two dorsal fins characteristic of the family. They are, like perches, carnivorous, and as adults they feed largely on other fishes. The North American pike perches include the walleye (S. vitreum), found in clear, cool lakes and rivers, and the sauger (S. canadense), found in lakes and rather silty rivers. Both are darkly mottled fishes native to eastern North America. The sauger, the smaller of the two, does not usually exceed a length and weight of about 30 cm and 1 kg. The walleye rarely weighs more than 4.5 kg and has a maximum length and weight of about 90 cm and 11 kg. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/...h#ref=ref119873 Pike (Fish) Main any of several voracious freshwater fishes, family Esocidae, caught both commercially and for sport. They are recognized by the elongate body, small scales, long head, shovellike snout, and large mouth armed with strong teeth. The dorsal and anal fins are far back on the tail. The northern pike (Esox lucius; see photograph) of North America, Europe, and northern Asia has pale, bean-shaped spots on the body and lacks scales on the lower parts of the gill covers. It is a fairly common and prized game fish with a maximum size and weight of about 1.4 metres (4.5 feet) and 21 kilograms (46 pounds). The muskellunge and pickerel are North American pikes similar in habit to the northern pike. Solitary hunters, pikes, pickerel, and muskellunge lie motionless in the water or lurk in a clump of weeds. As the prey comes within reach, they make a sudden rapid lunge and seize it. They usually eat small fishes, insects, and aquatic invertebrates, but larger forms also take waterfowl and small mammals. They spawn in weedy shallows from late winter through spring. Pikes are of the order Salmoniformes. Wall-eyed pikes are not true pikes; they are members of the perch order (Perciformes). http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/...e#ref=ref223713

Has anyone had any experience with these guys ? I guess I don't trust the e-bay "buyer feedback" feature. 100% positive seems too good to be true.

One more perspective... I ate there last July and brought a small digital camera along. I hadn't practiced with it in low-light conditions, and it was not the best quality camera, especially without a flash. I asked before the meal if it was ok to take photos (without the flash of-course) and my waiter assured me that it was. I took a photo of each course (discreetly); I'm sure no other diners even noticed. In the end, I ended up with mostly blurry pictures (its very dark in there), and in the end, I think the camera was more of a hassle than anything. Good for pictures outside in the garden, but I now wish that I had put it away after that and just enjoyed my meal. BTW, It was one of the best meals that I've ever had... Enjoy!

Best line from last week... Jeffrey Steingarten: "The Insalata Caprese was one of the worst things I’ve eaten in two or three years." Ouch. I think Marco looks like a 50-ish version of Heath Ledger.

I have the 13" Lacor. It works great, very sturdy and big enough for your needs. Comes with two blades, but I only ever use one. Its a little pricey but it takes a beating.

This article describes the process.

Regarding the Diet Coke ad: Chicago Tribune Food Blog

From the Chicago Tribune's Food Blog "Or is it? In an email, Achatz told the Tribune that he saw the commercial and he thought it was funny: "It's great to be recognized in pop culture and I look forward to doing a Pepsi commercial with will.i.am." As for Colicchio? We called him and he quickly dismissed that crazy notion of ours, that the ad was directed at Alinea. In fact, he said he and Achatz had already had quite the laugh over it. "I have nothing but respect for Grant," he said. "He is that rare chef who creates high concept food and makes it taste delicious. If anything, [the ad] is aimed at people who try to imitate the kind of sophisticated food that Grant does." Colicchio said he pretty much just showed up on the set of the commercial and played his part then left. So, there you have it -- potential foodie scandal averted."