Kent Wang

Nice rhyming.

Very efficient setup. If this is the traditional way, how do most places do it these days?

Let's not forget hamburgling, a crime that I was convicted of in my days as a juvenile mischief maker. Excellent.

Agreed, the thinness helps tremendously. It's also easier to eat than a bunch of thick pieces of bacon. Pancetta can be a bit hard to work with; I like to use prosciutto as it comes in bigger pieces.

I've never heard of the term Hoover Hog until now, so I did some Googling. http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/...illo_nicknames/ The armadillo is the lesser state mammal of Texas, the greater state mammal being, of course, the longhorn cattle. I am curious about the taste as well.

Whole Foods here is carrying their prosciutto. Have you had a chance to compare it to San Daniele and the other imported Italian producers? Either way, I'll give it a try soon. This looks most similar to the Columbus products I've posted above about. How would you compare those two? I know you previously described Fra'mani as having "raised the bar for American salume" but I would say the same of Columbus. My favorite of theirs is the Felino. From your description it sounds like the Fra'mani is quite soft and wet compared to the Columbus. Re: the white bloom. I believe most people simply discard it but I enjoy eating it as well. It tastes much better than most cheese rinds and has a nice chewy texture.

RO's Outpost These are not in the Central Texas style but they're still tasty. The sauce tastes fine on the ribs themselves but by itself is mediocre, one-note with no complexity. This is the best chicken fried steak I've ever had. Better than Hoover's, Tony's and Lola's. The menu warns that it takes a while to make the CFS, about 45 minutes. This is because it is tenderized, hand-battered and pan-fried. I have never had CFS like this. Though they use the same cut of meat as everyone, the tenderizing makes it so soft that it can be sliced with only a fork. The batter is also nice and fluffy instead of the typical bread crumb batter. It is also pan-fried instead of deep-fried. The gravy is nice and flavorful with a thick, floury texture. The sides are pretty good, too. Not quite as good as Hoover's or Lola's though. The plate costs $11.50, which is pretty expensive for a CFS plate but is well worth it. It's well worth the 45 minute drive to Spicewood, the 45 minute wait and the $11.50 for the best damn chicken fried steak. The desserts are renowned but I never have enough room. Photo of menu.

April 6, 2007 Austin Chronicle The Woodland. By Barbara Chisholm. In the former location of 7. "Thanks to its casual yet stylish surroundings and familiar yet elevated fare, we expect the Woodland to stay as steady as the tree that anchors the dining room."

Nope, we did it the opposite way then. No need for setting aside the eggs this way.

Are the Volpi products refrigerated or not? All the ones that Central Market carries sit unrefrigerated on shelves with a bunch of inferior brands. Is the requirement of refrigeration an indication of quality, supposedly with the idea that these products use less preservatives?

Scrambled eggs and tomatoes with sugar. Chop up some tomatoes, stir-fry a bit, add sugar, add eggs and finish. This was the very first dish my mother taught me and all my relatives in Shanghai eat this dish about once a week.

Do you think they're producing at a large enough level where I should bother bugging Central Market to carry them? Central Market is probably similar to Whole Foods in accommodating small but not tiny producers. CM already carries DeSola (see notes above) which I gather is a smaller operation out of NY. BTW, what do you New Yorkers think about the DeSola pastrami? Are there a lot of other pastrami producers in New York? Do most (good) delis there make their own pastrami and other charcuterie or buy it locally, or do they just buy from the same national producers?

I think there is a large untapped market for coffee shops and tea houses to carry these fine sugars. I drink my coffee black and tea plain, but I'm in the minority. I had a dinner a few years ago at The Driskill Grill (fanciest restaurant in Austin) and the after-meal espresso came with four different sugars, probably the Billington's selection. This is a nice, unique touch that costs next to nothing.

Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Kitchen The Austin Chronicle article explains a bit about the history and background of the place. I've been to this restaurant twice now and I am in love. Outside of the expensive places like Uchi, this is in my top three, right up there with Quality Seafood and Sam's BBQ. Lola's can seat only about 15 and she does all the cooking and service. Her (extremely cute and remarkably competent) 12-year-old daughter sometimes will take your order. Despite the name, the cuisine is really Southern, the only cajun items being the gumbo and etoufee. The prices are very low, typical East Austin, cheaper than Hoover's and Tony's. These are some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. They're a completely different style than the equally superb chicken at Tony's. Tony's has a lot of breading, while Lola's has minimal breading, just a few crumbs, and is heavily salted. Smothered pork chops and onion rings. Smothered pork chops are usually smothered with a plain, bland gravy but this was quite spicy with bits of jalapeno. This is how I like my onion rings, sliced just the right size with copious crispy breading. I can't wait to go back again to try more of the menu. The small, intimate environment is also completely unique to Austin and is quite a treat to experience.

San Daniele prosciutto On the left is the regular grade San Daniele prosciutto ($20/lb). On the right is the "secola blue label" from the same producer ($30/lb). The blue label is less salty, and has an overall smoother, more buttery and complex flavor. It also noticeably lighter in color. The difference in quality is commensurate with the higher price. According to the charcuterier at Central Market -- I couldn't find any information on the internet to corroborate it -- only 1800 legs are produced each year for the blue label grade. It is aged for 500 days or 18 months (540 days).

I have read about some of the scotch-style whiskies produced in Japan, such as Suntory and Nikka, and even one from Canada, Glenora. Do any of these present good values compared to the distilleries from Scotland? The prices in the US for the Japanese brands seem high; are they substantially cheaper in Japan? Prices from Spec's (Texas): SUNTORY YAMAZAKI 12YR 750ML 34.59 NIKKA WHISKY SUPER RARE OLD 750ML 26.63

Even Superman could not use his x-ray vision to see through the standard cast iron lid as his powers cannot penetrate iron.

In Shanghai my family often made scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

You put a lot of stuff into your soup. My family always made them very plain with maybe some vegetables and soy sauce, that's it.

I just bought some from Central Market and they're quite tasty. The taste is very similar to kiwi, not as tart (though I imagine truly ripe kiwi is another matter). A catalog page with photos. What's the actual species name? Where are they cultivated?

So that I can identify when a product has preservatives in it, how would you describe the way preservatives such as sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite affect taste?

Don't you find grapefruit plenty salty already? Really, that's what I love about grapefruit's flavor profile. You can also use flavored salts, like the ones Spiceburst makes. The chile lime is good for rimming a margarita.

Mars moving to South Congress. From Austin Chronicle.

Didn't La Reve win last year? It's awfully convenient that each of the Texas cities was awarded a nominee. I think most of the big names in Las Vegas like Robuchon are disqualified from the regional awards as they have not been in the region for the last three years.

David Bull Leaves Driskill Grill. From Austinist. Go to the article for a funny picture. The Dry Dock at Canary Nest Opens on 5800 Burnet Rd. From Rob Balon.