Kent Wang

Would you describe the flavor as being any different than the fillets? I feel that it is much more mild.

That's me. I used to dislike olives, mustard, pickles and quite a few other broad categories of food but a few years ago I willed myself to like everything.

I think induction is the future of wok cooking. It is much safer and generates no wasted ambient heat. But how close do you have to keep the wok to the induction surface? Can you lift it up at all?

I also think having a light wok is essential for maneuverability but do you think hot spots may be a problem when you're working with such high heat and thin metal, or will the oil compensate for that?

Why's that? The thicker glass holds the temperature better. Mugs are a little heavy and unwieldy though; I like pints as well.

Vya ($20) is considerably more expensive than Boissere ($6). Do you think the difference is justified?

Ayinger Oktoberfest. Absolutely incredible, the best beer I've had all month. I'd like to find out more about this brewery and its other products. I tried their Ur-Weisse, which was very light but did not like as much. As far as lighter wheat beers it's gotta be as good as Caracole's Troublette to get my attention.

I went into Spec's on Smith St. this week; it was incredible. The expertise there was beyond anything at Grapevine. At Grapevine, all the staff are general purpose but the staff at Spec's are specialized in each field: beer, wine, liquor etc. When I asked about wheat beers the beer guy fetched another staffer that specialized in wheat beers. He gave me more precise tasting descriptions than I have ever heard from anyone about beer!

I made the mushroom risotto and miso glazed flounder for my parents. For the risotto I used a Northwest (US) dried mushroom mix with morels, porcini and lobster mushrooms. This is the first time I've used dried mushrooms for risotto and found the flavor to be disappointing compared to the fresh porcini risottos I've made in the past. I also used Chinese rice instead of arborio. Shalmanese, I agree the difference is significant but I want to pack as few things as possible and am not certain the difference is big enough to justify the hassle. I haven't decided yet, depends on how much space I have left in my luggage. Anyway, even with the compromises of using dried mushrooms and Chinese rice the dish turned out well and I am confident my guests will enjoy it. Steamed flounder with miso glaze did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I've never tried making this dish at all before so I just mixed together the miso glaze and cooked on low heat for five minutes, steamed the fish and poured the glaze over it. The glaze (I guess it's not really a glaze unless I baked the fish) just did not incorporate well with the fish, like it was an afterthought tossed onto the fish. I think it would've been much better to have marinated the fish in the glaze and then steamed it. At this point, I think this is a very weak dish and might remove it from the menu. Pasta with mushroom sauce does sound pretty good. I spoke to my mom and she confirmed that Grandma and other family members rather like salad. Current menu: Miso soup Deviled eggs Crabcakes Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp Salad with black fig vinaigrette Wild mushroom risotto Steamed fish with miso glaze Fettucine with mushroom sauce Bread pudding Eight main dishes (plus one dessert) is a good auspicious number. I might also replace or add a few dishes depending on what I can find at the seafood markets.

Do Chinese like freshly-grated parm? Has the Kraft fake-parm (I call it Parmesand) made in-roads?

I went to Crosstown BBQ in Elgin at 5pm on Friday. Brisket lacked smokiness though I got a great fatty cut. Sausage was nice and juicy but still bland as Elgin sausages often are. Beef ribs had an interesting sweet rub that carmelized nicely but also lacking in smokiness. Southside Market is better on all counts; go there instead.

Good point, this dish will not scale well and serving multiple fish would be ... odd. I'd really like to make a pasta dish but can't really think of any that I'm sure would go over well. Creamy sauces and tomato-based sauces are out, so that leaves... pesto? No that's out too.

Ludja: By stuffed eggs do you mean like deviled eggs? I think it's a great idea. I'd like to garnish with salmon roe, caviar or any other fish roe that I can find them. For the second entree I think I will make a steamed whole fish with a miso glaze. The sweetness of the glaze should not be unfamiliar with the Shanghai palate. I made the bread pudding for the first time last night. It was a great success and I managed to do it on the stove with a water bath inside a wok, covered. The pudding also seems solid enough to place candles on. I'll practice the wild mushroom risotto tomorrow night on my parents now that I'm back in Houston temporarily. I might scratch the salad. When I get a chance I promise to write up recipes and take some photos.

Do not get the Wusthof strip. I received it as a gift, I believe retail is like $40. It does not secure very tightly, though it looks very slick and seamless without any visible screws. Whenever I pull a knife off the whole strip wobbles.

Interesting to read the responses. I think it depends. Sometimes a bad wood brisket can be so dry that it's downright inedible; that happened to me once at John Mueller's.

Maybe you should use a magnetic bar instead.

I went to Live Oak Brewery's 9th anniversary party this Saturday and had a chance to try the Pilz, Pale Ale, Big Bark amber lager and Hefeweizen; the latter two were my favorite. I don't usually like hefeweizens but I really enjoyed the crisp, citrusy flavor of the Live Oak brew. Live Oak is not available by the bottle and unfortunately does not have plans in the near future to build a bottling facility.

I like Pyramid but some beer snobs told me it is not a true hefeweizen, just a wheat beer. Is this true?

I recall the kithen being pretty underdeveloped but not too cramped. Of course, most of my memories of Grandma's flat are from when I was six years old so everything seemed a lot bigger then. Yes, I promise to take plenty of photos. I'm currently busy trying to finalize the menu and practicing. I made the crab cakes again last night and am very pleased. I'll work on the bread pudding today. Time is running out so I think from now until I get on the plane the only food I'll have room for are my practice dishes. Hopefully I can pawn some off onto the neighbors too.

Maybe. It may be too greasy and I don't really think I can do a better job than KFC, which the Chinese eat plenty of. I know there have been a lot of suggestions that I have not responded to. I'm not ignoring them, I just haven't decided yet. We're leaving for China on April 3 so I need to have practiced as much as possible before then. Some of these dishes, like the pudding, I have never made before. We'll be in China for all of April so I'm not sure when I'll actually I'll cook the meal, presumably early in the month though. I promise to take photos.

Which one is that? I couldn't find it on their website. Maybe it is the Italian Dry Salame? Or is it really a sausage?

Great idea. I've now found out that I will be cooking for about 15 people though many of them are over 50 and do not eat very much. I think I will serve it family style with all dishes out at the same time with the exception of dessert. Individual courses would be too labor intensive and would require that I interrupt my own eating to finish cooking and serving each course. My menu so far: Soup: Miso soup with mushrooms (maybe the straw variety), soft tofu and some thinly-diced scallions. Well, it's not Western but it is non-Chinese. Western soups are usually very thick -- the ones I like anyway, e.g. gumbo, chowder -- and may be unsuitable to the Chinese palate. Is it possible to get miso paste in Shanghai? Salad: Salad with black fig vinaigrette. The black fig vinegar I will bring with me. I usually add cheese to my salads but I'll have to exclude that. Other than the greens what else should I add? Maybe some cherry tomatoes? Do they have those in Shanghai? Appetizer/small entree: Crab cakes. I developed a recipe for a Japanese take on it, the primary difference being the use of wakame seaweed. Depending on ingredient availability I will probably make a more Western version. I do plan on using some kind of seaweed though. Entree: Wild mushroom risotto. No cheese, low oil, Chinese rice, and a large packet of dried mushrooms that I will bring with me. Entree: Undecided. Dessert: Pudding. Maybe a bread pudding, but definitely not a rice rudding as it will be too similar to the risotto. Six dishes for 15 people I think is below what is usually expected. I hope I can decide on some other dishes, especially ones that I can prep earlier in the day or the day before. If I can't then I'll just increase portion sizes. My mom has offered to help and we can practice together once or twice before we leave for China. Once we arrive, I'm sure we can ask our many relatives for assistance in the kitchen. I've cooked smaller meals for my parents before and I've given a few dinner parties for no more than six people but this will be a much greater challenge than I have ever attempted before. Add to that the limitations on ingredients, the stresses of travel and the pressure to impress my family, this will be a daunting challenge! But I think I can handle it.

Le Cochon D'or (Quebec) baked rosemary ham. Intense rosemary flavor evenly distributed throughout the meat with additional complexity from onion and garlic with some sweetness from sugar. Good texture, not overcooked, with plenty of intact muscle fibers that make it clear that you're biting into a piece of meat and not rubber. Karl Ehmer (NY) Plockwurst Cervelat. Although in appearance it is difficult to distinguish from a salami, the texture is much more tender and flavor more mild, somewhere in between a hard salami and a soft bologna. Composition is medium-high fat. Mostly or entirely pork, though cervelats may also have beef. I don't know what plockwurst means; please explain if you know. Piller's Canadian Old Forest salami. Not very dense or hard for a salami, mild, uninteresting flavor. Zerto Genoa salami. Dark red in color, coarse ground, with a scattering of whole black peppercorns. Quite salty, difficult to eat more than a few slices in a row though not as salty as the Zerto mild sopprassata. Very pungent overall flavor. Vismara (Italy) Genoa salami. Medium pink in color, very coarse ground, very high fat content. It is difficult to believe that the Zerto and Vismara genoa salamis are even in the same category as the differences between the two are so stark. Possibly due to the higher fat content alone, or possibly due to superior seasoning, the Vismara is much more pungent in flavor than the Zerto. The first flavor that hits you is smokiness, followed by the rich grease and ending with a salty, satisfying finish. Of the three salamis here, this is by far the best. Side note: What is a genoa salami? I found this on Google: "Italian, usually made from pork but may have a small amount of beef; it is moistened with wine or grape juice and seasoned with garlic." I'm still uncertain where Zerto is based, but I think Canada.

Was it similar or very different from Western goat cheese?

A theoretical question: would you rather have bad wood-smoked cue (e.g. a bad serving or an off day at one of the top five places in Texas) or very very good gas-cooked cue?