Macarons&Mozart

goat ice cream (with goat milk and meat) is up there too...

chicken buttholes (chicken gizzards??) oh my...

Hey all- Cha shao bao (叉烧包) are one of my favorite dim sum items, so naturally, I tried to make them at home a few times. Each time around, the filling was great, but the dough was FAR off what I am served in restaurants. Mine are not nearly as fluffy, duller beige in color, and not as spongey. How do I get that great white, fluffy, airy quaility of restaurant bao? I've tried adding baking powder to the dough, but that doesnt help that much. It still comes out too similar to western-style bread that is steamed instead of baked. Thank you! -Robert Kim

Hey all- I will be visiting Vienna (6 nights) Salzburg (5 nights) and Munich (3 nights) this summer for the first time, and would love some suggestions for great lunch and dinner places. Anything from traditional and hearty to contemporary and expensive would be great. Thanks very much! Robert

Circo's service can lack at times (sometimes horribly), but other than that, the menu is wonderful. It changes with the seasons, and every night there are daily specials. Like g-man said, a window table with a view of the fountains would be romantic. Another nice romantic spot would is the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, at the Paris Hotel. most of the tables at the windows are 2-seaters, which increases your chances of getting a seat there. Most window tables have a bird's-eye view of the Bellagio fountains, which is just beautiful. Also, heres a tip: seats are not pre-assigned, so you can always smoothly tip the maitre d' if you find out that you're not getting a window table. (When you check in, always ask first.) At last check, the 5 course tasting menu was $89- quite a reasonable price for an awsome view and pretty good classic French cuisine. -rk

I ate at Fleur de Lys alst summer. The experience was quite enjoyable. While I would hesitate to consider it Vegas' top table, it is certainly one of the city's many highly pleasurable dining rooms. It is dimly lit and romantic, with some private booths with curtains. The only gripe I remember having was that the jazz music playing on the speakers was a bit too loud for the setting. Service was extremely warm. I would describe the food style as contemporary Californian: fresh, vibrant flavors cooked with French technique, and influenced by Asian, Latin American, and other styles. The menu is organized by the type of dish, i.e. Seafood/Fish, Red Meat, Poultry, etc. You choose a 3, 4, or 5 course menu (the 5th course being cheese). We had the 5 course option. From my notes, here was what we ordered: Amuse: Fennel Royale, Smoked Salmon Tartare, Olive Oil 1st: Ocean “Baekoff”, Lobster Busque, Crab Cake & Lobster Claw “Sandwich” 2nd: Roasted Salmon, Duck Confit, Black Truffle Vinaigrette 3rd: Veal Tenderloin, Seared Foie Gras, Carrot-Cardamom Emulsion 4th: Domestic and Imported Artisinal Cheeses- Napa Valley Chèvre, Tome de Savoie, Roquefort, Petit Basque 5th: Peach Mousse Cake, Champagne Sabayon, Toasted Brioche, White Chocolate Crème Petits Fours & Coffee I seem to remember being happy with the price/value.

Okay lets see here...I've had two meals at Bartolotta- one lunch and one dinner. To sum up the experiences, they were both GREAT. Going back to my notes, here is the menu and some commentary on the Lunch (December 2005): me and my friend had (and shared everything): Warm Seafood Salad- shucked mussels, calamari, langoustines, octopus nicely grilled. The salad was dressed simply with good extra virgin olive oil, and some lemon. I seem to remember some herbs (not in my notes)- parsely for sure at least. The quality of the seafood was (obviously) the focus. The flavors were bright and fresh, and transported me years back to my trip to Italy. Warm Salad of Porcini, Arugula and Artichokes- this was arguably my favorite course of the afternoon, and it ironically contained not a single item of seafood. The porcini were sliced thinly and sauteed to a rich caramelized brown, and were tossed with fresh cooked artichoke bottoms and wilted arugula. The salad was, again, dressed simply with lemon and olive oil. Shavings of rich and salty pecorino finished the dish. The flavors melded so well togther- the earthy porcini, tangy wilted greens, and the salty cheese with the tender and herbacious artichokes...ahhh divine! The main dishes were equally as delicious. I had their Zuppa di Pesce (it had a longer Italian name that I failed to note). It had clams, mussels, langoustines, calamari, and more- maybe too much variety here, as I was getting a new flavor practically with every bite. I didn't have enough time to fully appreciate the wonderful quality of the seafood. But that was not a major gripe. The wonderful brodo was rich and zesty with a nice punch from garlic and basil. It was flavored with tomato, but not overwhelmed by it, which many other restaurants tend to do. Tagliolini with langoustines and pomini tomatoes was the other main we ordered. I only had a sample of this dish, but it was also good. The home-made pasta was slightly overcooked, however. The langoustines were large and sweet. Nice dish, but nothing outstanding. For some reason, I did not jot down the dessert, though I am sure we ordered some. (Or at least one--it is not in my character to bypass dessert.) Dinner (Summer 2005) Red Mullet, taggiasche olives, capers, cherry tomatoes and frisee. This was a truely delectable dish- the rich and almost shrimpy tasting fish was nicely accented by the salty bite from the olives and capers. The dish had an almost Provencal character. My only gripe is the price. Damn! For a little over 20 bucks I got a TINY (maybe the size of a playing card ) filet of red mullet. Not the greatest value, but then, its Vegas, so nothing surprises me that much. Seared scallops, sauteed porcini, white truffle oil, brown butter. This dish was the better of the two starters we had. My aunt said that this was the best scallop dish she had. I have to agree. The idea of paring a sweet, plump scallop with rich (almost heavy) flavors is becoming quite a trend, especially in Vegas, where you will find numerous variations on this theme. This dish was wildly successful. The main course was a whole roasted branzino (Italian seabass) for two. It wa pricey- 13 dollars per 100 grams- but it was worth it. Like most of Bartolotta's dishes, it was very simply prepared to allow the excellet quality of the fish to come through. It was served with roasted potatoes, zucchini, and roasted peppers. All of these 'contorni' were simply dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper. (Plus some rosemary for the potatoes.) The fish is presented on a platter, and is then boned and carved tableside. Two sauces were served to accent the fish. The first was a cold sauce (more like a relish) of crushed cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, onion, vinegar and oil. The second was an olive oil based sauce, with pureed oregano and parsely. They also offered "royal langoustines" (what makes them royal? they seemed quite normal to me...) charcoal grilled by the piece. (Something like 14 bucks a pop...) We were hungry when we ordered, so we got two of these guys as well. They were big (but not REALLY big- like the name and price suggested ) and sweet, and were served with a lemon and butter sauce on the side. Just a dab was enough to create the perfect bite. Any more, and the delicate flavor would have been overwhelmed. We were quite full, so we shared a light dessert: A chilled fruit soup with nectarines, raspberry sorbet, and a tuile. It was the perfect ending to the meal- delicate and not-to-sweet. The soup tasted like it was spiked with a touch of sweet wine- a muscat perhaps. (I don't know my Italian sweet wines too much!) All in all, I would have to highly reccomend this restaurant. The food exudes an almost tangible freshness and vibrancy that is insanely addicting. It is by far the closest thing I've had to *real* Italian cuisine in the states. (Real Italian in the middle of the desert, HA. ) I seem to remember experiencing a few lapses in service, but nothing major enough to make it into my notes. Do be prepared for steep prices, but then imported fresh seafood is never cheap. -Robert EDIT: Avoid the tap water. It is strangely metallic in taste...unbearingly so.

For steak- I'd reccommend Prime (Bellagio) Nero's (Caesars Palace). Both do steak excellently, and the sides are wonderful. Nero's bone-in ribeye is the best in the city.

well, this may not answer ur question exactly, but the taqueria at Border Grill (mandalay bay) is rather nice.

I'll echo the other recommendations for Upton. Their tea selection is GREAT and the service is fast and efficient. The catalogue, which is free from their website, gives great descriptions! What I like about them is that any of their teas can be ordered in a "sample" size, which is just enough for one or two pots. Lots of specialty teas, as well as old favorites.

Thanks Russell! Appreciate it.

Thanks for all of the great replies! Can't wait to try them out.

I am interested in seeing what else Japanese cuisine has to offer besides the usual sushi/sashimi. A preliminary search (in the LA/OC area) turned up "Shiawase" in Fullerton. Has anyone tried this place? Any particularly good menu items to try? Thanks a lot. -Robert PS- Bluefin, in Newport Beach, is a GREAT Japanese restaurant. Outstanding sushi, amazingly fresh, and wonderful cooked dishes too. (More info on this is you'd like.)

Lapsang Souchong (a smoked black tea) is one that I cannot stand in my cup. (My aunt calls it the "BBQ Chicken Tea" )However, I do use it occasionally as an ingredient in savory dishes, because it does have a savory-smokiness. I have marinated salmon filets in a mix of soy sauce, mirin, brewed LS tea, and some other seasonigns, and then grilled them. The smokey flavor from the LS tea was rather nice.

For Steakhouses, I can second the recommendation for Donovan's. Flemmings is also pretty good too. Finding a fun restaurant in SD is not terribly hard (IMO), since La Jolla has so many great places (esp seafood) with a great ocean view. The great view and atmosphere must subconsciously make the food taste better.

I hear that the Kumamoto is the "beginner's" oyster, for its mild and buttery quality, but to be honest, I have not really had much exposure to decent raw oysters. What are your favorite varieties, and why? It is prime time for eating oysters, afterall. I'm hoping to learn a bit about this bivalve with your help.

Thanks for all the great responses!

This may seem like a silly question to most posters on his list, but I am sort of a newbie "proper" wine-drinking, as with a tasting menu, etc. On average, how many 'drinks' would one be served when ordering the wine parings that are offered with a tasting menu. If it is, say, 7 courses, it will of course not be 7 glasses of wine. ( ) If one adds up the amount of wine served, approx. how many "drinks" would this be equivalent to? In Vegas, Joel Robuchon opened up a new restaurant where he boasts a 17 course tasting. I would think the pours are rather tiny. (But still, that would be quite a few drinks.) If tolerance for alcohol is low, would it be best to order by the bottle for better control? If I order the parings, it would be embarassing should I turn red and tipsy at the table, and wasteful if I throw away my servings of the wine. Thanks!

Wow...browned butter ice cream! That sounds great. I remember thumbing through Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook where I saw an interesting recipe for an Olive Oil Gelato. It calls for 3/4 cup of oil. I wonder if you could just substitute the oil for browned butter.

Okay, here it goes: It was about 2 years ago during the summer, and I had 20 family members visiting from various places...Canada, Chicago, San Diego...and I wanted to throw a nice BBQ for them. Seven-hour smoked ribs, beer-can chicken, etc. I must have been really really sleepy the night before when I was seasoning the ribs, cuz I put WAY too much salt on them. I think I salted them in addition to dry-rubbing them (the rub had salt too). I also decided to try something new that time, and applied a "mop" sauce. These three applications of salt on the ribs, combined with 7 hours of cooking made for some SALTY ribs. What I had to do was get my sister to bring everybody in the house while I rinsed and washed the ribs (as if I were washing clothes.) I think I had to wash them 3 or 4 times. In the end, they were a actually ok. They did look kind of dull, however, from all the water treatment, so I brushed them with a THIN coating of sauce to make them aesthetically appealing.

While I am not familiar with Ducasse's stock recipe, I can second his suggestion of brisket. When boiled in a soup or stock, it lends a marvelously sweet (in a meaty-good sense) flavor that should definately augment a thin-tasting veal stock. While its not pure veal stock, it still tastes great.

we went indian today: -dal makhani (creamy lentils) -potato-bell pepper curry (home-grown bells!) -mutter paneer (peas and fresh cheese in curry sauce) one of my indian friends introduced me to her cuisine some time ago...i've been hooked ever since!

how about chestnut? you can use a bit of store-bought canned chestnut puree, or cut creme de marron (sweetened chestnut puree with vanilla from france). this might blend nicely with a caramel flavor as well.

bat soup?!?!?!?

korean sea kelp soup (sounds nasty, but its good!), sauteed dried baby anchovies, rice, kimchi