Kent Wang

Or, holy cow, what if you brought the gin to a near boil and poured it on the tea leaves? There seems something wrong with heating liquor but I'm not sure of the science behind it.

Slkinsey, I agree with that distinction though I like to use the term 'tisane' instead of 'herbal tea'. Green and white teas should have the least tannins and be more workable. All these tea-infused liquors are done in quite a different method from the typical method of boiling water. Does the tea produce a different taste when cold-infused versus being plunged in boiling water? How about just using plain old tea -- sure, there's no alcohol, but maybe you're trying to keep the ABV of your cocktail low.

Coffee beans? Personally, I'd prefer smoked salmon. It should be OK sitting in room temperature for a few days. It is smoked, after all.

Have you had beef tendon cut into thin slices? I have seen that preparation more often, usually Szechuan style, drizzled with chili oil.

My mom always served it to me plain as a child. A few eggs, some water to dilute it, some salt, steam and you're done. Everyone else seems to fancy it up with sauce on the top, though. In my experience seasonings are never incorporated into the custard, just poured on top.

Forced casualness is something else completely, a paradox even. It would've been different if the waitstaff were simply allowed to wear whatever they want. It's fairly unique as far as restaurants go, though. Sure, there are wine bars, too, but those usually serve some hot food and don't have the emphasis on charcuterie. By 'inspiring' I mean for the restaurant industry. Maybe Texas is just behind the times but I certainly have never seen any "tasting bars" (the term Salt uses) around here. I love charcuterie so I hope the idea really takes off.

ChefJohnny, I would also be extremely interested in this recipe. Perhaps you should just post it here. Length should not be a problem; those that don't care for it can just skip over it.

Monday, July 24, 2006 My friend and I went to Salt on the sage advice of canucklehead. Up against the back wall is a gigantic chalkboard menu. Ox tongue, corned beef, wild boar chorizo. Stella cherries, Similkameen honeycomb, Guiness grainy mustard. Everything was superb, even the cherries were extremely fresh. I've never had honeycomb before; it was terrific, takes a while to melt in your mouth. Ash camembert, head cheese, terrine de campagne. Service was fine, especially for a restaurant that had only been open for two weeks. The waitstaff dress code was rather unusual: black shirt, dark jeans and colorful sneakers. I love jeans and sneakers -- hell, look at my avatar -- but I don't know about waitstaff wearing something so casual. It's one thing to have to not have a dress code at all, but if one is going to require one why mandate something so casual? It seems, at best, an ineffective attempt at being cool. The walls were brick and the floor concrete. With the restaurant only half-full the volume was deafening and I had difficulty carrying on a conversation with my friend sitting directly across the table. But the food cannot be faulted. Everything we ordered blew me away. I'm just not used to artisanal cheese and charcuterie. Highlights of the meal were the head cheese, corned beef (I don't usually go for something so pedestrian but this was so tender and fatty!) and honey comb. There were several items that I would've loved to order by the pound to take home -- I wonder if that's an option. As a restaurant concept, Salt is inspiring. The only kitchen equipment they need is a meat slicer, they don't even need gas hookups. No need for chefs, just one consultant that can source the best products. I hope more "tasting bar" restaurants spring up across the continent.

August 24, 2006 Austin Chronicle Sweet Heat. The 16th annual 'Austin Chronicle' Hot Sauce festival. by Robb Walsh "It's the "low culture" of Texas that intrigues the rest of the world. And the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is the lowest of the low. Just look at the way we dress. Half of the attendees of this food festival show up nearly unclad. And then they stand there sweating in long lines in the 100-degree heat waiting to sample insanely hot salsas." Austin-American Statesman Uchi. Exquisite flavor, artistry make 5 stars align. by Dale Rice "That culinary enchantment remained for the 2 1/2-hour feast that followed, a dinner filled with imagination, artistry and deft execution with service to match. ... Uchi has achieved a balance that few restaurants attain, earning it a place among Austin's few five-star restaurants."

I just cooked up some pork chops that I pre-salted. Tasted great. Next time I'll have to do a side by side with brine as well. Whoa, should I pre-salt my steaks, too?

Yes, nearly a year ago. I'll have to go back to take some photos. They have a pretty good happy hour deal. I believe Fino is also doing a pseudo-tapas thing by offering "small plates". I had meant to revisit Malaga last week but one person in our person was not of age and so we went across the street to 219 West, which serves "American tapas", basically just tapas-sized portions of all kinds of cuisines. That was, um, interesting. Not sure if I'd go back.

Sake is indeed the way to go. Quail egg and salmon roe, no uni. Unfortunately my salmon roe was not very fresh and made the liquid a little cloudy.

Bigred93, I totally agree with your assessment that the lack of haggling makes the market less efficient and less beneficial for everyone involved. One should take into account, however, the social aspects of haggling. In the West haggling is not common and so to attempt to negotiate a price may be awkward, off-putting, even slightly offensive.

I was introduced to this dish when I was a teenager by a friend's mom. It's simply a regular Chinese spring roll with the filling fully cooked, rolled into the skins and served without frying. It is similar in concept to the spring rolls they have in Southeast Asia except the skins and filling are quite different. Has anyone tried this or seen spring rolls served this way in China?

When you were in Xi'an did you have all those local dishes that had star anise in it? I like star anise in small quantities but they use way too much and put it in everything.

The only problem with small tupperware is the difficulty of washing them in the dishwasher. They're so tiny that they flop around everywhere and often do not get properly washed by the jets. A good rule indeed. Do you ever feel though that we who believe in this rule are in the majority? My parents certainly never had tiny tupperware, nor do any of my friends. Me too! I have spent untold amounts of money at Container Store.

A problem I find with mantou is that it is not as absorbent as the pancakes so the duck fat just rolls off of it and onto your hands.

July 22, 2006. Shanghai River has both pork and crab xiao long bao. The rest of their dim sum is lackluster. July 24, 2006. Shanghai Wind's are bigger. The skin lacks the translucency of xiao long bao from Shanghai River. I prefer Shanghai River a bit more.

I love these 1/2 cup containers. I find them extremely useful for saving extra vinaigrette, shitake mushroom stems, rendered fat, etc.

All the Peking duck I've had in China has been served with mushi (flour pancake) but there are several restaurants in America that serve it with mantou. I'm told that this is common in parts of China as well, though I don't know which regions. Is mushi more authentic? I prefer mushi as it's less filling -- which translates into more duck!

The Soup Peddler is now peddling his wares there. My favorite new vendor is Texas Quail Farms. Fresh, unfrozen quail, whole, deboned, semi-deboned. Undoubtedly the juiciest quail I have ever had. They sell raw quail eggs, too.

Isn't it a common New Yorker stereotype to go around declaring what is "best in the city"? There's a scene from Family Guy about that:

What drinks are considered common for breakfast? Of course mimosa, bloody Mary and screwdriver, but how about the White Russian? It is milk-based, so why not?

This is a matter that has been stewing in my mind after discussing Texas barbecue with many fellow Texans. It seems that with any food that is local to a region, such as clam chowder in New England, cheesesteak in Philadelphia, and barbecue in Texas, everyone and their dog has an opinion on which restaurant serves The Best, whether they're really informed on the subject or not. For example, if you ask any Texan he will have an opinion on where to get The Best barbecue. In Austin, the most popular answer will be Salt Lick and Rudy's, both places that no real barbecue enthusiast would ever deign to visit. Both of these places have been around for decades and are simply riding that reputation. Why do people give an answer if they've never really taken the time to properly evaluate The Best? If you were to ask any person who is the best impressionist artist most would simply admit that they don't know much about the subject. But when it comes to the local food specialty, everybody's got an opinion. My guess is that this phenomenon is driven by a sense of regional pride, a fear that it would be, for example, downright un-Texan to not know about barbecue. Do you find this phenomenon of misinformed regional pride common in your part of the world?

Don't leave me hanging, what was the liquid used?