carpetbagger, esq.

I don't know if he's still around, but there used to be a guy selling crepes from a tiny little lunch cart over in the historic district. it was a nice snack to have while walking around. have fun in charleston!

"Lee and some critics felt the judges were pro-Flay" aren't they always? i don't watch the show religiously, but it seems to me that flay always does the same old same old and BARELY eeks out a win. how? i don't know. they seem to slam him much more than the challenger. ironically, they seem to complain about the meats being under/overcoked. has flay ever lost?

i'll try and upload some pics tonight...probably won't get to it until after lost. unfortunately, i got busy setting up and was rushed in the morning so i don't think i got any pics of the finished product/spread. it went well. here's a quick rundown of what was made: we made the bulk of the breakfast items - coca cola ham and yeast rolls (all homemade), blueberry cheesecake squares and assorted fruit. we also made hurricanes and mint tea. since i'm not a beer drinker, i killed most of the hurricane concoction myself. other people brought the following: spicy sausage balls pigs in a blanket burgers potato salad black bean and corn assorted chips and dips salami/cheese/cracker tray assorted cookies i think it's pretty safe to say that the bulk of the 20 or so people we had were more interested in the beverages than the food. next year, i hope to take some initiative and do more coordination regarding the food.

blackberry tarts you could use the recipe here. personally, i like a two or three berry pie, so I wouldn't be afraid to mix in some blueberries or something.

Susan, I haven't grilled a pizza yet, but just checked one of my Raichlen books on the subject. Like Abra, he recommends grilling on both sides. Here's my question: Assuming you have a large enough grill, why not place the coals only one side of the and make individual sized pizzas? I'm thinking (and I'm probably wrong) that this indirect method coupled with a low temp would allow to not have to flip the dough an get a nice solid cooking. The only reason I bring this up is because dough grilled on both sides runs counter to my 20+ years of eating pizza. I want the dough underneath the toppings to still be softer than the underside. Maybe I'm in the minority on this opinion, but i want a combo of soft and crispy...not crispy and crispy. Regardless, I look forward to seeing how your pizzas come out. What are you thinking about for toppings?

Wait just a minute...you lost me at Church of Christ, Lipscomb and booze! One of these things does not fit in with the rest! When did you go to Lipscomb? My gf went from k-12 (class of 98) and then off to Vandy (her friends all stayed at Lipscomb for the most part for college). It's always interesting to hear stories of the how the Lipscomb kids fall into the evils of alcohol. It's amazing that you weren't smote on the spot the first time it touched your lips. lol. We'll be in the midfield, basically directly across from the jumbotron. I found out after my initial post that we were delegated breakfast, so the wheels are turning for ideas. I have to narrow my list down from 15 to 2 items, but it looks like I may make ham n' rolls while my gf makes an assortment of breads or fruit tarts . If you get a chance, PM me, I wouldn't mind checking out your setup. And if our neighbors this year are the same as last year, you should swing by if you want to see 16yr old Harpeth Hall and MBA kids puking and urinating. Hooray!

PIE! Particularly Chess, Fudge, Pecan and Key Lime pie. As much as I love strawberry and caramel cakes, I would give them up if forced to choose. But before I give up cake, I have to try a deep fried cake. Whoever posted about that needs to provide a little more info por favor.

yeah, well, i'm getting an "i don't think so" look from the gf re the fried green tomato blt. there would be a mayo issue for the tomato shooters, but everytime we've made them in the past, they go pretty quickly (so i would assume that they wouldn't last very long). i dunno. maybe we'll just do a pie or something. next year i hope to make this a little more organized where people are responsible for specific things. uncertainty is not my preferred theme!

For those that don't know, there's a big ol' fancy event in Nashville next weekend (the Kentucky Derby of Nashville), which brings out the finest in seersucker, big hats and sundresses. The midfield, where I'll be, is host to plenty of tailgating. Y'all can check it out Here I was hoping to do some pulled pork or ham n' rolls, but it looks like our host only wants people bringing sides (he's responsible for the main dish). Unfortunately, he's not coordinating what these sides will be....so who knows what we're gonna have (there are 16 people coming). So far, my thoughts were: 1) breakfast casserole (we'll be there at like 9am setting up the tent) 2) chess pie or key lime tarts 3) chocolate peanut butter cookies 4) sausage dip 5) maybe fried green tomato blt sammiches 6) bacon-stuffed tomato shooters For those of you not going, any suggestions for sides that will last sitting out for a while? We'll have carrying containers that can keep the sides hot or cold during transport and everything, so the only issue is how it will handle sitting out under the tent.

original article Looks like the worlds most beloved slightly wonky Austrian chef extraordinaire is soon to have a PR fiasco on his hands. Those self-heating single serving Wolfgang Puck branded packs are being pulled from the market faster than you can say Spago. Puck's namesake company demanded brand-licensee BrandSource Inc. pull the products from stores nationwide after complaints of incidents where the cans overheated, leaked, or the calcium oxide found its way into the hot coffee beverage, resulting in some severely burned consumers. It gets sticky though, because BrandSource only licensed the name; OnTech was the company who provided the cans, and they apparently shoddily subcontracted, which has resulted in litigation between the two companies over some very shady dealings. In other words, if you see one of these cans, steer clear, people. The silver lining is, of course, that the recall couldn't have happened at a better time, what with spring officially sprung, and summer just around the corner. Perhaps Wolfgang should start looking into self-cooling Frappucino knockoffs, eh?

I so want an "I'm not your bitch, Bitch!" T-shirt! Do they sell merchandise for Top Chef like they did for Project Runway? If they do I'll be first on line for one of these. Edit: I checked and they do have Top Chef merchandise, but no "Bitch" T-shirts. Just aprons and oven mitts and other tame stuff. Very boring. We need to start a write in campaign for the Bitch shirts! ← you could do one pretty easily on cafe press. while you're at it, make a t-shirt telling katie to pack her knives and go home. what a complete waste of space (and this opinion was recently reinforced after reading her and her partner's bio on their lame website).

with a mushroom brush?????

i guess that means we should expect a show next year for her husband. after all, he has to work a whopping one day a year delivering presents. oh that's right, he's a tugboat operator or something. *wink wink* nevermind. the food network really needs a show highlighting the cuisine of the north pole.

Miller to introduce self-cooling can The specially modified cans use proprietary engineering to create a temperature drop that will reduce the I.C. Can contents by a minimum of 30° Fahrenheit in just three minutes. When activated, the all natural desiccant contained within a vacuum draws the heat from the beverage through the evaporator into an insulated heat-sink container. It is this patented vacuum-power which lowers the temperature so dramatically and quickly, leaving the beverage inside cold. The I.C. Technology is 100% safe non-toxic and environmentally benign, because the whole process is the driven by the simple physics of water evaporation. Expect the first cans to show up on store shelves in mid-2007

where did you eat in charlottesville?

whiffle, i don't know what you were planning to say, but nice job with the nashvilleoriginals.com site and the gift certificates. look like they're going pretty quickly.

You must be mixing this up with another place, this is a highly acclaimed place in town, right near the university, and I certainly saw nothing close to a hooker... Tennessean, Southern Living both raved about it, and past discussions on Eg have also shown laudatory reviews. ← umm, i lived next door to the bound'ry (at twenty and grand) while in school at vandy. i'm not mistaken.

that's because i've had my worst dining experiences in nashville there, and i would never give jay any business. oh, but i guess the hookers in the bar add some excitement.

"We've got the chain type food stores and that's about all." uhh, and hot chicken! don't forget Prince's!!!!!!! mmmmmmmmm.... a 1/2 hot with fries from Prince's sounds heavenly right now. ps. people watching at Opry Mills > pool.

that would be Arthur's in Union Station - but it closed in January because the new owners of Union Station wouldn't renew the lease.

Well, I don't know how you define best, but here are a couple of things to consider: I'm not a wine drinker, but you could look at Tayst and The Grape. The latter is what appears to be a growing chain in the southeast, so you may want to skip. Recently, a bunch of new places opened up, but I haven't tried them yet. Two that come to mind are the Watermark and Radius10. As for places that are a little more hip and fashionable, I'd recommend Mambu, The Acorn and Cabana. I've never had a bad meal at Germantown Cafe. For fancy dining, you could try the Capitol Grille at the Hermitage Hotel (). FWIW, the now-former Chef there is an egullet person (Sean Brock). Another option would be Wild Boar. It may not be open when you get here, as they recently filed for bankruptcy. While they have said they're going to stay open while they fix their troubles, you never know. Since "best" doesn't necessarily imply fancy schmancy, here are a couple of suggestions that are easy on the wallet: BBQ - Hog Heaven. Get two sammiches - one pork and one chicken with white sauce. If you want Texas-style q, go to Judge Bean's (but who wants that???). A loaded Whitt's BBQ baked potato is a solid bet, and weighs about 30 pounds. it's definitely a meal on its own. Burger - Rotier's Pizza - slim pickings in this city, but Mafiaoza's would get the nod imho. Breakfast - Pancake Pantry, Monell's Saturday Country Breakfast or the Loveless Cafe Late Night Dining: Sunset Grill (after 10pm m-th, 12pm fri and sat). The late night menu incorporates some dinner items as well as some that are late night specialties (like the combo nachos). FYI, there's not a ton of dining options where you're going to be staying. The closest "nice" place is Ellendales. For the most part, you're going to be dealing with a lot of chains or family-oriented restaurants. Hope this gives you a little head start for planning your trip. If you have any questions about these places or perhaps some specific types of food, ask away.

i think he didn't have a choice in the matter. if he pulled a santino (from project runway) and talked back, i think they would've been far more inclined to boot him. between his little tirade against candice, his use of fresh herbs in the quickfire and his general attitude, i think he could've sealed his fate. it seems like most of the people just nod their head in agreement when someone tells them they screwed up.

I never saw the allure of Bodo's, but I guess I'm in the minority on that one. The bagels weren't anything to write home about and the wait certainly wasn't worth it. In fact, I can't think of a single trip back to hooville when I stopped there (plenty of other places I miss significantly more). wah hoo wah!

i'm surprised by the lack of activity re this thread after this week's episode.

what about clyde's in chevy chase? from what i understand, they did some renovations recently. however, prior to that, they used to have a lot of car-related stuff (prints, old jag on display, etc.).