sandercohan

Depends, most sports bars will probably be showing that game so long as the Sox aren't playing. I think the place you're referring to Game On, which should have the game on one of its million or so screens. Call ahead and see. I've never been there, but apparently the food is allright, for pub grub. Boston Beer Works, down the street, might also have the game. Have the blueberry beer, if you're so inclined. There's also the Baseball Tavern, which just moved into new digs (a pretty three story building that used to have the quasi-decent restaurant/salsa club "Sofias") on Boylston street near Fenway. Not sure how the food is at any of these places. I personally reccomend going over to Peterborough (Parallel to boylston, near the Burger King) street and chowing down at any number of fantastic places there -- Tacos El Pelon, the Thai joint next door whose name escapes me, the barbeque joint a bit further down whose name also escapes me. (Sorry, when I'm down there I usually do the fish tacos at El Pelon -- they're pretty durn good)

This sort of applies... I went to Disneyworld with my family when I was a senior in high school. My mother had been attacked by a fit of nostalgia ( I was leaving for college, my bro was starting high school), and decided that she and my father wanted to take us all to Disneyworld. Never mind that I was going through a severe Holden Caufield phase. But whatever, I'm off topic...We stayed in the Dixieland Hotel, which was really interesting to a New England boy like myself. Part of the whole experience was that most people ate [a very, very large] breakfast at the hotel before heading off to a day at the park. All sorts of theme-park related breakfast foods were there, especially the ubiquitous mickey-mouse shaped pancakes and waffles. Not being much of a breakfast person, and being totally appaled by the Disney branding all over the place, I chose the least commercial thing I could find -- a box of Museli and a cup of coffee. Much to my horror, when I poured the box of cereal into my bowl, I thought the corn flakes the cereal mix were a little oddly shaped...like little mickey-mouse heads. Sure enough, Disney had made its branding so ubiquitious that everything down to cornflakes in the boxed cereal contained the mickey brand. Totally freaky.

Just focusing on old-school New England seafood: Durgin Park is good. There is also The No Name which is at the fish pier, but I don't know how its changed since I went there a million years ago. You could go to the Union Oyster House another one in that area that has the same down-home boston vibe thing going on. There's always Legal Seafoods, too, which despite having developed itself into a mini-chain, still has pretty solid fish. The Barking Crab is sort of fun, too, with a younger crowd. That's off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll come up with more. Sander

Just watched the episode over the weekend. Dissapointing second episode....eye-rollingly bad, combined with more terrible, terrible food. At least the irritating whole foods chef got the ax. Its fine to cook healthy, but to cook badly and self righteously just drives me insane. That being said, I'm surprised they chose pastry, becasue we all know that pastrami is the most sensual of all the cured meats..... (c'mon people, an entire page of comments and not one reference to the Seinfeld Food and Sex episode). Of course, it was a hard task. Most were operating outside of their specialties, but that they were squeamish about the sex part. This, of course made it really difficult to watch, as it was bascially an hour of people being uncomfortable and self-conscious. Catering folks out there...have you done something similar? I realize a job is a job, but would you cater for, say, the Illinois State Nazi Party or something? sander

Whoo, lots of great ideas. Since relinquishing my air-popper and microwave because of small kitchen issues, I've been stove popping with my trusty heavy-bottomed pan. Has anybody popped corn in Ghee? I have a big jar of it just staring at me. s

I agree, it'll be a shame to see Cynthia go -- she's fun to watch. Though I bet she throws a helluva party, so I wonder if there'll be any event-planning type challenges.

I stayed up late to watch it last night, so I might as well toss in my 2 cents. I liked it. Yes it's totally contrived, but it's television. I thought the two-challenge format kept things moving and it pared down the time usually reserved for characters sitting in a room pointing fingers at each other. I really dislike the manufactured personality conflicts in reality television. What I do like is the creativity exhibited in the challenges-- I agree that project runway was totally mesmerizing for that reason . Offing Ken in the first episode was akin to killing off Drew Barrymore's character in the first five minutes of "Scream" -- refreshing, and a little bit surprising. I thought at least they'd give him an episode or two to redeem himself, especially with the character mix, and yes, that horrific vegetable and brown rice stir fry, which had the unfortunate side effect of reinforcing every terrible stereotype of "healthy" food. The formally trained chefs definitely took the day last night, but the tasks were skewed to their strengths. I just hope they don't dominate too much -- they strike me as a serious and type A bunch -- which is, of course, a reason why they thrive in restaurant kitchens I suppose, but watching high strung people bicker for half a season (once the "causal" chefs are theoretically weeded out) isn't very good television.

Hmm... I would imagine that Tyrannosaurus or Dragon would taste like really gamy duck. It might work out. To make a confit, you'd have to use a swimming pool, but as long as we're talking hypotheticals.... I agree, Unicorn would probably taste like horse, but with the added effect of being a really awesome cold remedy or something. I've got a 20-sided die around here somewhere.... sander

Hi, A couple of choices near the Topaz, depending on your budget and inclinations: Firefly (in the Madera hotel) and Nora are smaller places on the pricer side, but both are fan-tastic. 12 might be a really big number for them though. A little bit up Connecticut is Bistro Du Coin, which is bigger, and a bit louder -- straightforward french bistro stuff, steak frites etc... Lots of fun. Lots of steak places: Ruth Chris' up on Connecticut. The Palm in Foggy Bottom (15-20 min walk, maybe?). Kincaids if you want to go even deeper into the Foggy Bottom area. The Dupont Grille (I think that's what its called, the one that's basically on the circle and Rhode Island) looks nice, but I've never eaten there. I had a nice (if somewhat stodgy) meal at the dining room in the Mayflower hotel. The rest of the places are a bit more student-y and sports bar. One problem with Dupont is that you either have to go high-end, or totally low brow. Very little middle ground. Sander

I'm a huge fan of "Big Night". "Like Water for Chocolate" is really good too. I also like "Eating Raoul", which I suppose is not strictly a food movie -- but about two somewhat conservative oenophiles who realize that the way to realize their dream of opening a country bed and breakfast is to kill swingers and steal their money. Pretty funny, in a really dark sort of way. Chinese film always has some of the best food scenes, of all sorts of shades from funny to disturbing -- the food politics between the wives in "Raise the Red Lantern" for example. sander

Thanks for your help! I made the Indonesian Beef Stew -- and it was a big hit! Like, "all gone in 5 minutes" big hit. And these were picky eaters too. s

I went out and had a big bowl of Beef Pho last night. After three weeks of heavy sauces, etc... I almost fell over it was so good. s

I've recently been volunteered to cook a going away party for my girlfriend's cousin. He's moving to indonesia for an extended post-college adventure. The email (written by my GF's mother) stated, "Sander will be cooking wonderful indonesian food." This is surprising for two reasons: 1. I'm cooking? 2. I make indonesian? The first issue is not all that terrible -- I enjoy cooking, and my guests don't mind eating, and GF mom will foot the bill for ingredients, etc... The second issue will require more research and a bit of help. I'm sure I could figure it out, but I need help with a place to start -- cookbook suggestions? Recipies? The party will probably be somewhere in the ballpark of 10-15 people, so think in the ballpark of big stews, etc... thanx. s

I've had one for about a year (bought at Amazon for ~$40). Its okay, really nice for big dinner parties, but it's a little bit of an odd duck: Its too wide for my stovetop, and the walls are a bit too thin for it to retain heat like a le cruset. The size is nice (wide and flat) for putting in the oven, though. For $40 you can't beat it though if you need a mammoth pot to make curry for ten, but I suspect I'll retire it when I have enough cash flow for a proper gigantic dutch oven. or maybe I'm using it improperly, who knows.

I'm a big fan of TJ's generally (I go to the Brookline, MA store), but I really only go there for dry goods, everyday drinkin' wine, and dairy. I occasionally pitch in for frozen meats and fish (I like the buffalo burgers). I've never been a fan of the produce, which has been inconsistent, and I personally don't trust any fresh meat that comes from a place where I can't look the butcher in the eye when I'm buying it. One interesting observation -- my local TJ is starting to sell Veuve Cliquot (the everday yellow label kind), which is certianly a nice development, but it's actually more expensive than the usual price. Not by much, probably about 5 or 6 dollars, but high enough to notice. Has anybody else seen this phenomena?

Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your dog. I hope he/she gets through allright. Lots of really great places within walking/shouting distance of Angell. If you walk down centre street (s. huntington turns into Centre eventually) you'll hit JP Center, and there's a ton of places there -- everything you could possibly imagine. Some notable ones: Dinner Right near Angell: Zon's : Right on Perkins Street next to Angell. Neighborhood bistro type of place, upscale comfort food theme. Fantastic burgers, mac n' cheese, daily specials. Ice cream sandwiches for dessert. JP Center Ten Tables :597 Centre St, Contemporary American, emphasis on all the good things - local, in season,etc... Tiny (ergo, 'ten tables'). You'll need a reservation. A bit expensive but there's a $25 Prix Fixe on Tuesday or Wed (I forget). Cha Fahn: I had dinner here last week (Wed Night $25 Prix Fixe.) Its a brand new tea house/upscale asian restaurant. it was fantastic. Bukhara: Good Indian -- straightforward. JP Seafood: Good Sushi Ban Chiang: Good Thai. Coffee, etc: JP Licks: Coffee, Ice Cream, some baked goods. The first two are out of sight, home made (or roasted, as it were). Flagship location, you can't miss it. Blue Frog Bakery, green street off centre: Come here for your croissant. If you walk the other way down Center, towards Roxbury, there are a whole bunch of hole-in-the wall latino places, Tacos el Charro comes to mind. There's much more in the immeadiate JP area, but that's a good introduction. s

So I watched the pilot last night on Fox, amazingly enough got my girlfriend to watch it too (its a trade off, I suspect that the O.C. will be part of my t.v. schedule this fall as a result) Good and bad. Much more sitcom-y than I expected. I wanted something more in the Arrested Development vein, but whatever. The script felt a bit schitzophrenic, the script sounded like it had about three different writing voices: Some stuff was distinctly Anthony Bourdain, some stuff was quirky slapsticky stuff, and the last part was definitely FOX stock sitcom-writer. As a result, it felt uneven. This will probably even out as the show goes on and single writers take over the process. Thinking back on the episode, it looks like the show was meant to be a bit more slapstick comedy (the finger, the drunk customers, the lovable motley band of food artists etc....) than dramedy (the love story, Jack coming to terms with his need for love and his tomcatting). It reeks of studio re-tooling -- ie the original script was really funny but narrow in its appeal (i.e. I might find it hilarious, but women ages 24-35 might not) I wonder which voice will win out as the season goes on. But this is neither here nor there. As far as a TV food show goes (b/c this is eGullet, after all) I thought it was okay -- a bit of food porn, some overblown chef antic stuff -- but what do you expect from a major network... s

Ehh, not so surprised. Frankly I'm more surprised that there was any uncertainty at all. Iron Chef has always had that Pro wrestling feel, you just have to substitute a flying suplex for white truffles. Same idea, down to the fact the nicknamed guys always beat the nameless dudes in the stock coveralls. I liked the "Tommy" moment in that first ICJ/America match, it just added to the over the top schmaltz of the series. But I also liked the crossover moments -- Iron Chef Chen (? I can't really remember) on that Gordon Elliot "door knock dinner" show. s

That's great. I'm convinced that my kitchen has kitchen gnomes (from eastern european folklore). "little people" who live behind the stove, and often steal things, cause mischief. Occasionally, while I'm cooking, utensils or ingredients (small stuff, like spices) go missing. If I stand in the middle of the kitchen, close my eyes, and say out loud, "could you please return the salt?" it will usually re-appear by the time I open my eyes, often right where I left it. s

Slightly parallel question: I'm planning a mid-week dinner party and I want to have clafouti for dessert. Do you think you can make the batter a day ahead, and keep it in the fridge until "go" time? Or do you think it might get too gluteny and lose airy-ness? I realize it wouldn't be too much to do it the day of, but I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I spend in the kitchen during dinner parties (I've been accused of hiding). s

So I have a friend, who, despite being a lovely person, is an aggavatingly picky eater. This personality trait makes going out to dinner, or having her at dinner parties, a bit of a challenge. What usually happens is that she'll eat separately, or I'll make her something that she will eat, while the rest of the party goes about their business. She seems to be okay with this, but I would like to include her when I cook. I would like to (gently) expand her herizons. The plan is to branch out from tastes and flavors I know she like, to get her to try (and maybe like) some more adventurous foods and recipies. What I would like help from you is some recipe ideas, perhaps tactics from dealing with picky eaters in your life. What my friend will eat. Literally, this is it, folks (she's in her late 20's). -Macaroni and Cheese (no funky/smelly cheeses, though). -Plain, skinless/boneless chicken breast. -Caesar Salad (no visible anchovies, detectable fishiness) -Steak, well done. Definitely a challenge. My instinct is that the best method to go through is exploit the garlic angle in the Caesar Salad. Let me know if you have thoughts. thx.

I found myself in a similar situation last weekend (well, not with 40 pounds, but quite a but of strawberries). I made a chutney (I didn't want to just make jam) -- it came out okay, quite tart though and very sweet in a pleasing way.