Kent Wang

Eje, have you considered using these in a cocktail? Maybe a bloody mary?

I have recently heard from two different friends that they believe that the best xiaolongbao are to be found in Taipei and not Shanghai. Can this possibly be true? It's like saying that the best Peking duck is not in Beijing or the best New England Clam Chowder is not in New England.

I use duck fat because I've been making a lot of confits. It is the most delicious oil of all time. I wonder how common it is in China. Maybe more so in Beijing where they roast so many ducks.

October 12, 2006 Austin Chronicle Little Shops of Wines. How a couple of ounces are redefining the experience. By Wes Marshall "Austin is the beneficiary of an explosion of little wine shops that also operate wine bars. Places like Crú, Cork & Co., and Vino 100 feature 100 to 600 different wines. Besides favorites, they also try to sniff out the more exotic and hard-to-find wines – things you wouldn't normally find at a grocery or liquor store – then wow you with their discoveries. They feel the best way to make sure you get a chance to try the most wines is to serve them by the glass."

Chambar in Vancouver has a nice one: Any other uses for basil?

Repeal Day -- is there a better name for this? -- will be upon us soon. Time to plan some parties. Some more info about the history of repeal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_i...d_States#Repeal

I bought a pound of duck gizzards and some of them have another organ attached. Is it the liver?

Your dedication to the way of the oyster is impressive. I hope that one day our paths will cross and we can have a few dozen oysters together. I look forward to reading more about your quest.

Them's fighting words, sir. The use of sugar is indeed often complained of by outsiders. I find that sugar combines well with soy sauce to form a more complex flavor profile. Shanghai cuisine is really a subset of Cantonese so it's not fair to dismiss it while at the same time proclaiming the greatness of Cantonese cuisine. I really can't stand the use of star anise in damn near everything in Xi'an cuisine. As with sugar in Shanghai, let's just say it's a matter of different strokes for different folks. But on an objective level I'm certain more people would prefer too much sugar than too much anise. Also, Guangdong may have dim sum but Shanghai invented xiao long bao, the greatest Chinese dish of all time. That along catapults Shanghai to the top of any ranking.

How about some Japanese terms? sashimi ikura tiramisu -- oops, that's Italian, but it sure looks like it could be Japanese!

I created a spreadsheet of prices in Google Spreadsheets. Maybe we can turn this into a collaborative project? Send me a PM with your Gmail username and I will add you to the collaborators list which allow you to edit the spreadsheet. At the very least, you can use the spreadsheet as a template to making your own pricing spreadsheet.

Dale Rice recently reviewed Hudson's on the Bend. I went once a year ago and returned last week. I had the same Five Species Creature Feature and amuse bouche that Rice describes in his article. The salmon in particular was noteworthy -- a remarkable feat trumping even the kangaroo and alligator -- as it was extremely rich and fatty, like no other cured salmon that I've ever had before. The dessert selection is rather boring. We ordered the creme brulee trio. Hudson's is one of my top three favorite restaurants in Austin and one that I often recommend to out of town visitors.

A lot of French words here, understandably. My favorite of those is mirepoix. Porterhouse has a tough, masculine ring to it, perfect for a cut of steak.

Is the e at the end pronounced as well? I like how the German version clearly pronounces the second syllable, unlike in English where it is often casually pronounced 'choclet'.

On a tangent, I would name all my children after food terms: Basil, Ginger, Rosemary.

My favorite is demerara.

Surely there are Chinese restaurants in Shanghai that rival Michelin-grade restaurants in creativity, complexity and formality? Can someone more knowledgeable with the area name some examples? Don't tell me all these rich real estate moguls are eating only in European/international cuisine restaurants.

The lomo is heavenly indeed, but I doubt I can afford to get it very often. Have you tried the other Iberico products?

In Texas, Costco leases out space to Western Beverages, which functions as a seperate store and handles all the licensing. Prices are still "Costco-sized", though.

Chicken gizzards are about half the size and the texture is also quite a different. I would not recommend them for this recipe though I'm working on another pictorial recipe that works for both duck and chicken.

Do you purchase spirits online? Do you find their prices to be competitive? I've checked Binny's and Internet Wines and Spirits and found their prices to be inferior to my local Costco, especially on items that Costco carries in 1.75L.

I would say Shanghai or Hong Kong. Beijing is quite a bit behind those two cities.

You'll have to go to a Chinese supermarket; I've never seen it at high-end Western supermarkets. It should be readily available in Philadelphia. You have a much better Chinatown than what we have in Texas.

Pictorial Recipe Duck gizzard stir-fried with bamboo and soy beans I love hzrt8w's many pictorials, having photos really makes understanding the recipe so much easier. I can only hope that my pictorial will meet the high standard set by hzrt8w. This is a dish that I learned from my mother. She was born in Shanghai but this dish is simple enough that it is not exclusive to any regional style. If you've never had gizzard before, it is similar to duck meat in flavor but has a tougher, chewier texture -- not rubbery, but a fun texture. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2-3 Preparations: Main ingredients: - 0.5 lb duck gizzard (pictured above) - 0.5 cup bamboo strips - 0.25 cup soy beans - soy sauce - Chinese cooking wine - corn starch - baking soda - Chinese rice vinegar - sesame oil Trim the fat and slice into thin pieces. The goal is to approximate the shape and size of the bamboo strips, though you don't need to cut them that thin. Marinate overnight in: - 0.5 cup soy sauce - .25 cup cooking wine - 1 tbsp rice vinegar (pictured) - 2 tbsp corn starch - 1 pinch baking soda After gizzards have been marinated, get your mis-en-place ready for the stir-frying. Get bamboo strips and soy beans ready. Note that I like to use the wide strips of bamboo for this dish, not the thin ones. Cooking Instructions: Set stove to max. Heat oil in wok until it starts to smoke. I'm using duck fat here. Yes, that's a teflon-coated wok -- I haven't gotten around to getting a proper one yet. Add the marinated duck gizzards and velvet them. Cook until nicely browned. You really don't have to worry too much about overcooking the gizzards. After they're done, they won't really toughen up too much. I would take the opportunity to maximize browning without being too concerned with overcooking. Another shot of the browning with flash on. Add the bamboo and soy beans. Stir around a bit and cook for about a minute. The vegetables are not raw and so only need to be cooked long enough to be heated up. Turn off the heat, add 1 tbsp sesame oil and stir it around. I like adding sesame oil at the very end, exposed to just a short amount of heat, as it preserves its pugency. Transfer to bowl and serve! Picture of the finished dish in natural light.

I called the Driskill bar and they said they didn't get Food Network. The bartender with whom I spoke agreed with me that that was super lame. Bull and his staff did have a private party at Alamo Drafthouse. I still haven't seen the episode yet.