jsmeeker

having a given episode repeated a few times during the week is great for people like me who have a DVR that record shows that air at the same time that DON'T repeat . It's s great way to handle coflicts. My TiVo never recorded the original airing of NICA, for example. Always the re-run later Sunday night. This let me record something else during that original time slot. But yes, a little more original content would be nice. We actually DO get it, thought most of it isn't really cooking shows.

I thought it was crab cake that he usually ordered, always asking if the crab meat was fresh. The server would always respond "yes". And in most cases, they were wrong. (but I do recall that he received a good one at one place)

i think mexican crema (agrilla, sp?) is more like sour cream than creme fraiche. based on mouthfeel, mexican crema isn't as rich as creme fraiche. creme fraiche is based on heavy cream (when you make it at home, you add a touch of buttermilk to heavy cream and let it sit for 24-48 hours to thicken) and is whippable to a wonderful consistency for desserts. can you whip crema? ← don't know. I haven't tried. But thanks for the explanation. I've never had creme fraiche before. (at least, not at home). The Mexican Crema I have is a little thinnder than normal sour cream. It's actually slightly pourable.

The Dallas market doesn't yet have McDonald's Third Pound Angus burgers. I did get to have one out in L.A. last week. I know it's not saying much, but it's my new faveorite McDonalds burger. Better than my standard quarter pounder (or double quarter pounder). This is the bacon version. We also seem to get "Texas" versions of burgers from time to time at McDonalds or Burger King.

how different is creme fraiche from Mexican crema?

cool. thanks. are the tasting menus available at the bar? If I went, it would likely be solo. Also, would he "run loose" with any of the smaller menus? A full tasting might be a little over the top for a solo diner. Maybe.

So, Michael's first battle as Iron Chef is this Sunday. It's being billed as a "Thanksgiving" battle. Is there really a "mystery" ingerdient?? Anybody have an idea on who the challenger will be? I really, really, hope it's NOT Besh, nor any other ICA contestant. How fun would it be if it was Ruhlman that took him on? (I know that's not going to be the case, but still....)

can you use any pizza dough? I read the article, but didn't click through the links to get a recipe. as far as the sauce being hot, I admit to using canned sauce (Muir Glenn brand). So, it's either room temp or at fridge temp. I guess I could heat it in the microwave in a small custard up (I only use a small amount)

I had one last week. I got my fix for this go around. That's enough to satisfy my odd craving.

no... But nothing wrong with drooling over a woman who can cook who isn't a chef.

They have. A few years ago, they had a series called "Into the Fire" that profiled various restaurants at different levels, (like the Cheesecake Factory chain and Trio in Chicago). A few episodes focused on large hotel operations, including the Bellagio in Las Vegas. That one was particularly fasinating. It DID pop up in re-run earlier this year, so there is no telling if it might ever return. If you can get a hold of some of these episodes, it's really good stuff.

was your meal a standard tasting menu offering or something special you had requested?

goodness. That's a lot of food!! Great post. Thanks for sharing your experience.

another suggestion for soda (if you want a collection of premium commercial sodas) is to get Dr. Pepper from the Dublin, TX bottling plant. They are still making the syrup with cane sugar, and it's available in small (8 or 10 ounce, I believe) bottles.

Not today... But Friday night. A Pisco Sour and a Negroni. From the Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland. Both were devine.

no, you're right.. I was just oddly curious. I just associate that place with celeberity more than anything else. It seemed that was what it was primarily known for. I always found it odd an facsinating at the papparazi that were always camped out across the street.

Swicks, Where did you wind up going? How was it?

I've never been to Cleveland before** Never gave much thought to going. I read about Michael Symon in Michael Ruhlman's "Soul of a Chef". But didn't think too much about it at the time. But I continued to hear things about him and Lola. Then, I saw the Cleveland episode of Bourdain's "No Reservations". I started to read Ruhlman's blog, too. That's where I learned about the Velvet Tango Room. I had been on a cocktail kick for a while (thanks to eGullet), and I was very intrigued. I started to think "I gotta figure out how to justify a trip to Cleveland". Then, one day, the justifaction came up, and I was set. Arrived at CLE late Friday afternoon. My friends that lived in Cleveland, (they were familair with both Lola/Lolita and VTR, having been to both a few times) picked me up. Headed straight downtown from the airport. Got to the area where the restaurant is. Lots of activity. Cavs had a home game that night. We popped in briefly into Lola, asking if it was possible to be seated a little early. They said they would try. We headed down the street a few doors to a bar. Can't recall the name. Settled in for a round or two of drinks while waiting. Back to Lola, it was maybe around 6:30 or so by this time. They were able to seat us then. Perfect. We were led to a nice 4 top (we were a party of three) that had a great view of the open kitchen. From there, everything was great. Friendly, excited server. My friend informed her I was from out of town and came all the way to Cleveland to eat here. He asked if Michael was in tonight. She said she hadn't seen him tonight, but that he sometimes goes back and forth between Lola or Lolita. That, or maybe he wasn't even in town. Anyway, no big deal. We started off ordering appetizers and entrees. Shortly after placing our oder, the amuse bouche arrived. a "ham and cheese sandwich", it was called. And really, that's what it was. a tiny open face ham and cheese sandwich. For apps, we had beef cheek perogies, the charcuterie plate, and also a pear and apple salad. All were excellent, especially the perogies. Very delicious. Very richly flavored. The restaurant was packed. The place was hopping. We really enjoyed seeing all the action in the kitchen. After a wait, our entrees arrived. I ordered the duck. My friend Mark ordered the pork chop, and his wife Karen ordered the arctic char. My duck was roasted breast plus a confited leg. Very, very good. The pork chop had been smoked at some point during it's preperation and there was a distinct smoky smell and taste to it. Distinct in a good way. I don't think I've ever tried anything quite like it before. The char was very nice, too. Super crisp skin with the flesh cooked to order. On to dessert. Mark and I both ordered the famous "6:00 AM Special". Karen ordered a chocolate cake. The "special" was a great end. I had never had ice cream with bacon in it, but here was my chance. It's described as maple-bacon ice cream, and there was ample maple flavor to it. Almost like super thick and creamy maple syrup. But not super sweet. The bacon seem to add mostly a texture contrast to the smooth ice cream. Not distinctly bacony in the way I am used to. Still, the ice cream part was very good, as was the french toast part underneath. The chocolate cake was a pretty solid example of the molten chocolate cake. Rich. Not too sweet. Some coffee to go with dinner rounded off a great meal. Check came with some little squares of raspberry gelee. We settled up the bill and we were done. Fantastic. It really was everything I was hoping for in my visit. And not nearly as rough on the wallet had I had the same meal in many other cities. 3 apps. 3 entress. 3 desserts. bottle of wine. a couple of coffees and a cappacuino. I think it was well under $300 prior to tip. We headed out, retrieved the car from the valet, and headed to the next destination in my Cleveland culinary adventure. The Velvet Tango Room. One nice thing about this was doing it with my friends Mark and Karen was that they were already familiar with both places. Made it a lot easier than if I was doing it on my own, or with people not familair. No arm twisting needed here. They are into this sort of thing about as much as I am. It's a pretty quick drive from Lola. We easily found a parking spot on the street. I looked out the window of the car and there it was. The little pink neon sign "Velvet Tango Room". We walked in. Not very crowded up front in the bar. Piano playing from the small room away from the bar. There were several open seats AT the bar, so that's where I headed. I just had to sit there and see the action up close. A warm greeting made us feel right at home. Cocktail menus were presented. It was time to decide what to have. I went with a Pisco Sour. Mark still had not decided, and Karen wasn't drinking, so she initially requested only water. Our bartnender started to make.... no, not make... craft. The bartender started to craft my Pisco Sour. Pisco. Juice from a lemon squeezed before my eyes. Simple syrup. All carefully measured. Big ice cubes. Then, the egg white. Tapped gently on the pointed end. A piece came off, and the white was simply poured right in. Then, it was time to shake it. and shake. And shake. Finally, it was ready. Poured into a glass. A few drops of bitters added to the foamy "head", along with a light dusting of cinnamon. Up to my lips with the drink. Smelled the cinnamon and bitters. Then took a sip. Incredible. really delicious. In the meantime, Mark had decided on a Manhattan. I convinced him to get it with rye. Another bartender conviced Karen to get a root beer float. She agreed. (a girl can have two desserts in one night, can't she?? ) They started to work on those drinks while I continued to enjoy my fabulous Pisco Sour. The Manhattan was made with their own in house made vermouth and bitters (and Old Overholt for the rye, IIRC) It was much darker in color than any Manhattan I had seen before. I am guessing this was from the special vermouth. I got a little taste. It was excellent. The root beer float was made wit house made vanilla gelato and house made root beer. Very, very tasty. All the while, I was causally chatting with the bartenders about how they were making drinks, ingredients, etc. etc. Vrey freindly and eager to talk about their craft. It came time for a second round for Mark and I. He ordered, if I remember right, a whisky sour, and I went with a Negroni. The bartender asked me if I wanted it the house way and told them of course. The house made vermouth, plus some orange bitters and a flamed orange peel really made a big difference. Made normally, the Negroni is to die for. But this one was at a whole new level. As we were enjoying the second round, Paulius came over and spied my glass.. "Something red here..." "A Negroni", I replied. He seemed very pleased. He stopped and said hello. Introduced himself. We chatted briefly. told what we had been drinking. Then me mentioned a drink called a Smoking Chartreuse. I had never heard of it. So, he asked the bartender to make one. It's Green Chartreuse, Lillet, and a really peaty scotch. This drink was VERY interesting, to say the least. And it really was smoky. Karen didn't care for this at all. I don't think mark like it much, either. But I found it interesting enough to finish it off. And with that, we finished off our drinks, settled up the tab, and were off into the cool, November evening. I had one night in Cleveland, and I think I spend it pretty much the best way possible. **Ok, that's not totally true. I may have flown into Cleveland once or twice many, many years ago to visit grandparents that lived in Erie).

this is a problem for me because sours are one of my favorite types of drinks. And you're right. Virtually every bar will not use fresh juice. when I get some more time, I'll post about a "Manhattan" I had recently.

Somewhere, there is a balance between too little detail and too much. What about in addition to meaurements in standard weight, standard volume and metric weight and volume, adding ways to approximate the measurement? I see this with, ummm... Rachael Ray cookbooks. (yeah yeah). She'll give ways to approximate how much oil is "2 TBSPS" or how to estimate 1/4 cup of something. Useful? I think so. Precise? No. But really, do we to be so precise when measuring out oil into a pan to saute vegetables or meat? I don't think so. I always thought it was a little sillly to see the America's Test Kitchen folks very carefully measure out the oil for a saute. Getting *too* specific and making the reader feel that they MUST use a very precise measure of oil, for example, could really be a hinderance to acceptance of the recipe or the book or maybe even cooking all together.

any celebs there? Until a few months ago, my L.A. office was directly across the street from the place. (from early 2000 to July 2007)

'cause in the USA, corn is subsidized (bye the government) in a way that other crops are not.

Congratulations. I'm looking forward to your next detailed post. Good luck in San Francisco (and tell us where! I'll be back there again in January)

yes. By US cookbook, I mean the ones that I have, which were all purchased in the USA at bookstores or USA based on-line retailers. And yes, I think most all cookbooks sold in the books stores in the USA tend to be targeted to those living and cooking in the USA. I don't think I'd ever use a book targeted to Indonesian audiences. Or Japanese. Maybe French. Maybe British.. Is it possible to write a single cookbook that uses terms that are universal to everyone on the planet? I dunno. Seems be a daunting task. Should it be the goal of an author or publisher to try to do it? I say no, it's not. The reason I made the distinction is that I get the impression that many feel the common style in American books is "bad" or "wrong" and that it's "better" or "right" for things to always be specified in exact amounts and that everone the world over whips out a scale to measure out 100 grams of onions. Everyone, that is, except Americans.

question for all of the non-USA based members who use non-USA targeted cookbooks. When COOKING (not baking), do you really get out your scale and weigh out x grams of, say, onion or garlic? Do you really need that level of precision? Saying "one small onion" or "2 cloves of garlic" is not good enough? Same for salt. Can't you just go with a rough estimated amount, then taste it? I always thought that the goal for a lot of *cooks* was to *cook* without having to spend time meauring every little thing to very exact amounts. I mean, I like to bake. And I like to measure. But when I cook, I try hard not to measure everything out to such precision. It just slows me down. Plus, I feel NOT measuring makes you think a little more. Does it LOOK right? Does it TASTE right? Maybe the cook book authors used a different brand of spice. If you use their measures, you may get something different with the spices you have on hand. Same goes for time. And temps. It's just not possible to say "Put the burner to the position marked 'Medium" and cook for 4 minutes on one side and 3 on the other" and have that work perfectly for every person every time.