jsmeeker

Citrus risotto with seared sea scallops.

Exactly. I almost always get a pretty solid result. It's very reliable. This seems especially true for their baking/sweets/desserts.

My complaint about many Cook's Illustrated articles is that "problem" they're attempting to fix rarely seems to be a real problem. A friend of mine once described Cook's Illustrated's approach as the "straw man theory of kitchen science," which I think is dead on. ← I absolutely agree, though I think that it has gotten worse over the last couple years. It's like they are running out of recipes to "fix" so they go looking for problems where there are none. ← That, and they seem to do some dishes over. Which is sorta odd to me. I mean, wasn't the last one "perfect". Is CI haute cusine? Cutting edge? No. of course not. It doesn't try to be. It really represents what a lot of people actually cook at home. And really, I like to cook like that at home. And even serve that to guests. Or make something at home and take it someplace to serve people. And it always gets raves. When I want really cutting edge, I'll go out for it at a restaurant.

I'm not a huge wine guy, but I do like wine. As I learned more about wines, I decided to try to learn a bit more about wines from one place. I picked France as that place. So, I learned about regions there. And I started to learn I like wines from a specific region in France. (reds from the Rhone region, to be specific). So, now, I sorta like to see a wine list that breaks the list down my regions so I can easily see "Rhone" . I also know other wines I like, so seeing those regions or countries makes it easier to see if they have anything from those places. However, I think there is merit to different arrangements, especially listing the wines in order of increasing "weight" (or whatever you like to call wines that are more "full flavored" than others). Of course, with a knowledgeable staff, I think the arrangement doesn't matter. If you can give them an idea of what you like, then they can help you select one.

Hi, Welcome to PF Changs. How do you like your Chang sauce? I agree with the general thoughts here. It's not "authentic" by any means, but it's certainly not horrible food. I agree that they are probably a little better than some random small Chinnese joint that sticks a flyer on your apartment door. Of course, it's more expensive at Changs. But Changs is probably giving you a more traditional, modern full service dining experience than the local strip mall Chinnese joint. I'd say it's more enjoyable food than Olive Garden.

Thanks for starting this topic. I was thinking of starting a similar one because of a drink I had a while back that used basil, lemon and strawberries. It was gin based, too. Basically, a strawberry lemonade with some basil and with gin in it. Been thinking of trying to re-create it at home. That combo seems to work well. I think it would still work without the strawberries, too.

For a lot of people, anything served up in a "martini" glass (i.e. a coctkail glass) gets tagged with the -tini suffix. Now, usually, drink menus filled with drinks like this tend to be vodka based drinks. But every now and then, you'll find one that isn't and is actually pretty decently crafted and thought out.

I've made mayo at home a few times, but always in the Cuisinart. That was until the other week when Michael Ruhlman's blog entry on mayonaise inspired me to make it by hand with a whisk. The difference between what I made and what comes out of the Hellman's jar (the only store bought kind that I have ever used) is amzing. The hand made stuff was so thick and creamy. And totally smooth. It's not "fluffy" and airy like the Hellmans. Will I ever buy even a premium store brand ever again? We'll see.

Thanks for pointing this out. Over my last few trips to Las Vegas, I've watched the Trump hotel go up from my rooms at TI. I love Las Vegas and am always on the look out for a new place. (I'll be there in a month) It will be interesting to see how this hotel compares to the big casino resorts up and down the strip. I wonder what the bar program is like. I'm always looking for a nice place to enjoy a drink without being in the middle of a noisy casino. Sometimes, I just gotta get away from that.

David, Thanks for all of your posts about your experience at Vegas Uncork'd. It's been a fascinating read. I love Las Vegas. Just really like being out there. It's a fun play land for adults to "cut loose" and have some fun. And really, what keeps me interested in going back over and over these days, is the food scene. What I like about it is how seemingly accessible it all is to a common guy like me. If some of the top places in town were in NYC, getting a table might be difficult. Out there? It's not hard at all. Back in December, I made a reservation for L'Atellier de Joel Rubochon for a Saturday night only a few days before flying out there. Easy. Could I have done the same for the NYC location? I bet not. Also, I think Las Vegas really IS more convenient to jetting off to Paris to dine at a Guy Savoy place. It's a tad over 1000 miles from Dallas. about 2 1/2 hour flight. And again, I bet getting a reso at Guy Savoy is probably not *too* hard to do.. AFIK, it's like they open up the books two months in advance to the day and it all books up within minutes. Does it have "soul"? If John is talking about soul as being something that would exist on it's own no matter what, then I guess he is right. It doesn't have soul. It's obvious that the only real reason all of this great stuff is there is that these huge casino companies throw vast piles of money around. But it works. I've had many great dining experiences there. I've always been treated well at these places. I'm going back at the end of June. I can't wait.. I've got a whole list of new places to check out.

WT 101 rye is the only rye I have had. I don't think I ever saw Rittenhouse in my normal liquor store, but I didn't always look hard. But they do also carry Jim Beam Rye, Old Overholt, and Sazerac. If I wanted to get something other than WT 101 rye, just to change things up, what would you all suggest?

I'm planning to make a batch of Cochinita Pibil and the requisite pickled red onions over the weekend. I'll post pictures and hope it turns out good... ← Tell us more about the method/recipe. Will you do it in a crock pot or in a dutch oven placed in the oven? Will you use banana leaves? I made this one time from a recipe in Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday book. I even made the picked red onions (those were really great)

Without a car? HA!! Good luck.. Seriously, though.. What part of town will you be in? You say you are a coventioneer. Does that mean the big convention center in downtown?

I wish I knew. I wish I knew. I really don't hit bars any more. When I did, I wasn't into the cocktail thing like I am now. I tended to hit beer places. We have some good ones in that category.

I too like the idea of a Sidecar. I've personally found that this drink is approachable by people who aren't cocktail drinkers or are used to drinking sweet vodka based stuff. It's a really good example of a whole category of cocktails (sours) For a second cocktail, go with gin based. The long glasses.. Are these stemmed glasses? Like a champagne flute? You could make a French 75. Do you have access to fresh mint? You could make "fizz" version of a Southside.

Not a very high bar to clear. If they are going to stay on the strip, I would suggest they head south and not consider anything until hitting Wynn. Though I hear people say good things about the steak house at Circus Circus. Wouldn't be MY type of place, I don't think, but it may be just the right amount of fancy for that group.

Not liking seeing Lisa still in this. But sending Spike home wasn't all that of a shock. The second he picked those frozen scallops, I knew he was done. Too bad for him, though, since he did a nice job in the Quick Fire challenge. He really looked like he knew what he was doing at the butcher shop.

Okay, you just reminded me of an old peeve....try cleaning dried pate a choux out of a pastry bag that your irresponsible co-worker left for you. Or syrup carelessly sprayed all over the 60qt mixer by another co-worker while making Italian meringue. And no, I was not an apprentice or intern- just the only one who bothered to clean! ← I was smart enough to wash this bag right away. (with them still baking). Turn inside out. Use as much warm soapy water as you can. Just be careful not to make a mess by getting water OUT of the sink.

I made some gougeres yesterday, so I had to deal with this myself yesterday. Yeah, it's a pain. Every time I do some piping, I tell myself to go get some disposable bags. I still haven't don't. Really, I should.

Pouring more wine can be tricky. Personally, I think it's best to ask if someone wants more wine from the bottle. Not everyone at a table will always drink equally. There are some diners that may only want a single glass of wine. After the initial pour, they don't want more. If a waiter sees this empty glass and tops them off, what do you do? The person may not drink the wine. Do they give it to someone else by pouring from that glass to anohter? Do they simply let it sit there, going to waste (maybe while another diner at the table wishes it was in his glass??). Or do they go ahead and drink it, even if they don't want to. ASking seems best. But I have seen the cases where they don't ask and begin to pour. But it certainly can be one of those "no win" siutations.

Of course, I meant waste in the sense that the full profit wasn't being realised. I see now that I neglected to add the adjective "ill-conceived" to my first post there. If it had been planned out like the one slkinsey details it would be a different matter, though my understanding of the original post was an inquiry about sample sized drinks. I should also add that serving someone that much liquor at once is actually illegal in Texas (stupid TABC) ← It's illegal? Really? I suppose you mean there is a limit to the number of ounces of hard liquor one can be served at once (single order??) in Texas? I know Texas isn't as progressive as some states when it comes to alcohol laws, but it really isn't that horrible. I've certainly never run into issues in bars in my home state.

did you get the snack size or the regular size one? I have had issue with some slightly frozen fruit before with mine, but if I let it sit for a bit, it thaws out. Yeah, the fruit should probably be totally frozen before the assemble them, but generally it hasn't been a major issue for me,

It's the Cowboys. People in Dallas will watch. Maybe even me.

and when you run out of rum, bust out the gin and make Southsides. Or, really, just go straight to the Southsides before you run out.

That's hard core. For me, the closest window to the kitchen is the living room. and there really isn't much room for a fan on the sill.. Plus, that would mean dragging a hot cast iron skillet into the living room. Really, what I have done is simply to modify techniques. I just don't use as much heat as would normally be called for. Maybe less fat or oil. And sometimes, just not cooking foods that will fill the place with smoke. Kinda sucks, but I manage.