Schielke

No, unfourtanetly teflon sticks to cubans.

The real question here is: Are these things worth buying a toaster so you can use them?

While I dont live in LA, I know the common consensus here is to learn to sharpen your own knives. There is a tutorial in the EGCI about sharpening. I dont think it has much on Japanese Water stones, but you might want to look into those too. It is not as daunting a task as it seems. Ben

Blast you and your Downtown Seattle lunch-time ways!!!!!!

I will second some of these fabulous suggestions Mistral Cafe Juanita Harvest Vine Salumi

Klink, who is that dashing man eating the brisket in your fine tutorial? Hot! Another note is that I am guessing jminion is the creator of the famous Minion method of lighting your charcoal in a WSM. Welcom to eGullet jminion! Ben

So glad to hear you had a great time at Mistral! The things you mention really do add to the entire experience. Ben

I managed to get myself to Noodle Boat last night and had a great time. I had the best version yet of Coconut Chicken Soup. I also tried the Cotton Fish, which was really great too. I am going back for sure next time I am in the area. Ben

Of course we are interested, write up a big ol review! ben

I do know that the food at Icon has gone way downhill in recent times.

Yep, Cafe Juanita is really great, I think it is the best restaurant on the Eastside. And in my top 5 of Seattle.

Just be sure to tell the chef at Mistral that you are a fellow eGulleteer! I wouldn't worry about the service, they are top notch. Ben

I know that Tully's serves a press-pot and it was fairly affordable. You might check their prices/model for info. Another possibility is in how you market the sizes. You could sell a larger press pot as 'Pressed coffee for two' and smaller pots as 'Pressed coffee for one'. If you wanted some free PR, you could call it a 'Freedom Press' Ben

Good thinkin' Mammy! I love peaches and have been wanting a reason to try to cook sticky rice. Ben

MsRamsey has it right. Check out Mistral if you can. There is plenty written about it here. Ben

Tough decisions!!! I am leaning towards a combination of train and rental car at the moment though. Perhaps get a rental car for about half the trip and then turn it back in and roll on rails for the rest... More research must be done!

What is the train situation like in northern Italy? Let's say I wanted to take trains between medium-large cities in Italy and then into Paris... How difficult is this system to navigate and how expensive is it? I could see doing the following: Fly into Venice or other large northern Italian city Hang out in Venice for a few days Train to Ravenna- spend a day or two Train to Bologna- spend a day or two Rental car to Villa Minnozo Rental car either to Milan or Back to Bologna to catch train to Milan- spend a day in Milan Train to Paris- Hang out in Paris the rest of the trip Fly out of Paris Would I be better off with a rental car the whole time and leaving Paris out of the picture? Is there a major cost difference? Thanks! Ben

I have been told to rotate a few pairs of reasonably comfortable shoes. This should give your feet a change of pressure each day. Ben

Will do. All in the name of science.

Well how did the lamb turn out? Did you sumac it up? Did laurie believe you for a second? When are you going to get to Mistral? And if memory serves me correctly, Malarkey owes us a review as well.

The cinder cone is good and will be high on the list to taste again. I think that the Diamond Knot brewery also falls into the hops-lover category, which is too bad since I do like their beer. I will be sure to sample it though...just to make sure.

Thanks Jim! So what should I be paying for tickets over? I have seen them for 900 on Expedia and then for about 750 on Orbitz. Is this too high? What is the strategy I should use to find cheap tickets since prices flucuate so much?

Heh heh heh, yeah I am looking forward to all the beer tasting I get to do for 'research'. I have already started my wine 'research'. The style of beer I am looking for should be one that introduces really great beer to people who don't drink really great beer. I am thinking of a flavorful yet smooth drinking light beer as a choice. Pilsner does fit the bill and I love the LaConner pilsner, but I think it might be a shade too hoppy for the average bear. Heffeweisen pops to mind, but I think it will be out of season for most brewers. What else am I forgetting? Another thought was Caffrey's Irish Ale, which is a light smooth drinking beer on Nirto, which only makes it smoother. I could drink it all day. Does anybody know what it takes to get a Nitro beer such as Caffrey's or Guinness hooked up to a normal tap? Is it even possible?

Those whisk/tongs are good in theory, but they are very flimsy. I nearly broke one the first time I used it. The locking mechanism is made of very thin plastic.

Nero, I can understand the disappointment. Thanks Bill! I think we are going to end up there about a week or so after easter so perhaps some festivities will be winding down. So what is the driving scene like in Italy? I have heard that it is nuts in the busy cities, but what are roadtrips like out on the highways? Should I watch some Mad Max movies before I go to get primed? Ben