BeeZee

Praise be, confirmation that I'm not nuts (well, sort of)... Now that we are grilling a lot, I'm faced with the platter that the raw chicken was placed on for transport to the grill. If by chance DH washes it, when he's not looking I take a quick sniff (to confirm that yes, it still has a taint of raw chicken smell) and I re-wash in water as hot as I can stand. Can't define the smell other than "raw meat" and unpleasant to me. Have no problem with milk. Eggs, I avoid since I can't stand to eat them, so the only time I have them is for baking cookies. And same thing with the glass bowl they get broken into, it must be washed first in scalding hot water (no contact with sponge, to avoid contamination), then soak with hot soapy water, then rinse, then wash again with soap. I do know I have a fairly sensitive palate, I have helped to do product testing for my husband's company when they need to test one ingredient vs. another to see if it affects taste.

I've been to Penang in the Princeton area (Nassau Park shopping center, just off Rt.1)...in fact was there Sunday. Love the eggplant dish which is quartered japanese eggplant barely coated with a thin crispy shell, fried, then topped with chopped chilis and dried shrimp. Yum, we like to order it like you'd get a side of fries. The pearl noodles are cool, really thick and chewy (like worms). When you order, they bring it out as it's done, so if you want separation between dishes, better to order in phases!

I know someone who did some work for Mario Batali at his home, and they said he was really cool and a nice guy.

heh heh, how many Amazings does $100 buy? Gotta tell you, I haven't eaten a dog in probably 20 years and yours look damn good! I used to have a client in Verona, if they were still there I'd be stopping in for fries, at the very least.

Decorating is definitely something that should be incorporated, if they have minimal skills it's always fun to do cupcakes as one thing. Hard to mess them up and you can make different flavors of cake/frosting. I love the idea of the playing with tempered chocolate like J. Torres does on TV, he makes all kinds of cool things using common household objects to create different shapes/textures. You could make a simple cake and frosting and have all kinds of cool decorations!

Yeah, that's a great one I keep reading about! Thanks for the reminder.

I'm in the fortunate position of having about $1,000 to spend on restaurant gift certificates for clients. I usually get $100 denominations, figuring that usually covers dinner for two (they can pay for the wine) and that allows me to gift more people I need help to pick places north of New Brunswick, since I really don't know the restaurants up there very well. I've been to, and gifted for, The Frog and The Peach, so that's one down. I usually like one or two "steakhouse" type places (I did Ruth's Chris last year), but other than that, I'm open to suggestions. I need to be able to order them over the phone or internet and have them mailed to me. Tell me your favorites - Somerset, Union, Bergen, Essex county!

Saladworks has gotten very expensive for a very mediocre salad. I like the salad bar at Whole Foods, also, but you do need to watch that you don't take too many of the "heavy" items! Have also found that the variety varies by location, some have more vegetarian-oriented items, some have more meat.

It's a family joke here, my father in law always instructs the wait person to heat his soup up when her orders, and sulks when it isn't hot enough and he has to send it back...we've taken the phrase "thermally hot" to indicate something which is pretty darn hot (since brother in law made the distinction once between something being spicy-hot or thermally-hot). Me, I like it hot so I can anticipate the first bite while I let it cool off a little!

Smore's pancakes!!!

I love Lundbergs Rice chips, seaweed flavor. I haven't had them in a while and went to buy a bag just a couple of days ago, saved because the store I went to didn't carry them. Not terribly "seaweed-like" in flavor, just a nice savory taste. Whole Foods carries them. Occasionally have a Doritos Nacho Cheese binge (the shame...) and then I'm so disgusted I don't eat them for another year.

Hey, there's no doubt that Rita's fills a niche (just like Pizza Hut or other franchises)...after a round of golf, when I'm hot, thirsty, and wanting something sweet, I enjoy it as refreshment, not as a finely crafted food product. If I'm spending $5. on an ice or gelato (as opposed to less than $3. for a "gelati") I want to savor it slowly. I still remember the fresh Jersey tomato ice I got at Bent Spoon in Princeton last summer...that was intense!

Packaged cookies... 1) Le Petit Ecolier w/ chocolate - I used to steal these when I worked with a total b*tch who kept them in the office. Ate one when I worked late, my little secret. Plus good method of portion control. She wouldn't miss one, but if the whole pack were to disappear... 2) Pepperidge Farm raspberry milano. I love these cookies, I'm a raspberry freak and knew that as soon as these came out I was a goner. Eat in 3 days (one paper section at a time) - usually. 3) Knotts Berry farm shortbread w/raspberry. 4) Keebler fudge grahams. Loved these when I was a kid...let the cookie kind of melt/dissolve in my mouth. 5) Girl Scouts thin mints...keeping them in the freezer doesn't stop me from scarfing them down (out of sight, out of mind...not!) 6) Nonni's biscotti dipped in chocolate...can you say jumbo tub from BJ's wholesale, individually wrapped?

Yech, I'm totally freaked out by those too...too many unknowns ground up and mixed in. Hate kinda feeling around in my mouth after taking a bite. I have a huge aversion to gristley things, if I bite into something on a piece of chicken I gag. I'll sometimes get tuna salad at Whole Foods, it's pretty safe. I'm pretty sensitive to food bacteria, I think, and if something with mayo hasn't been properly chilled, I'll know it.

I cooked a couple of stalks for the 1st time last week: 2 stalks (about .75 lb) chopped up, 1/2c sugar, one piece (quarter sized) crystallized ginger chopped up, a dash of cinnamon, a little water. Covered and simmered until soft (too soft, left it on too long and it pretty much dissolved). Anyhow, it was tasty to eat as rhubarb-sauce and I later mixed in a dash of salt and a tsp. dijon mustard into the remains and made a tasty sauce for grilled chicken!

Hmm, many things already mentioned, so I'll second them French Fries, Onion Rings, Tempura (no boiling oil on my home range) Sushi/Sashimi (I can't get quality fish that often, and the one time I did prepare tuna sashimi at home I was acutely aware of EATING RAW FISH vs. the lovely plate presented to me at the restaurant). Crabs, Lobster (can't bring myself to boil them alive) Pizza (since I don't have an authentic brick oven)

I second the "irk" on someone mis-spelling a dish on the menu. Shows that they are probably over their head or just don't care about the details. The key thing to starting the meal off well is the greeting at the door. If I have someone who acts like I'm an intrusion into their "oh so busy" life, it's a bad sign. It is a service industry, and that starts from the first "touch point". Dishes/cutlery/condiments on the table: I don't want to see anything wet, smudged, crusty etc. I have to pretend that I'm the only person who used them. Traces of previous diner, not good. Acknowledgement by the waitperson, so you know they know you've been seated at their table. Refill my water glass when it is half empty, please. Don't make me flag you down for water. It's a simple thing. Likewise, in the better restaurants who have more staff, I love when there's someone invisibly hovering nearby that picks up when something is needed (or if a knife drops on the floor). Comfortable seating...don't make my a** fall asleep because you had to get the cheap or trendy chairs. If I'm sitting for 90 minutes, there better be some cushion! If you have light color tablecloths/napkins, please make sure they are not stained. If it is a casual place, make sure the plastic or whatever the top surface of the table is doesn't have sticky residue.

You can prepare the ingrediants for a Greek salad in advance, I did that for Mother's Day and put everything in plastic containers with lids. Seedless cuke (cut into large dice/chunks); tomato cut into wedges; red onion sliced very thin; green pepper sliced thin; Kalamata olives; feta. Simple dressing made with lemon juice, S&P, oregano, olive oil. As a fellow golfer, I know I like salty things after playing!

I definitely prefer to look at the menu online...as others have mentioned, they are not always updated and you run the risk of seeing something you want to order, only to find out that it was from the "winter menu". I spend my dining dollars judiciously and don't like that sense of disappointment of going somewhere new only to find that it didn't offer anything especially interesting (or the prices are not what I expected). What a bummer to order something off the menu that you are ambivalent about, vs. a place that has so many great choices that you can't decide!

ech, I'm not sure we can rely on any supermarket melons this time of the year. I had a cantaloupe the other day which was OK, just a bit soft bordering on mealy, but not bad in flavor. Honeydew is one of those that I find either spectacular or totally disappointing and I have much worse luck picking them out vs. 'loupes. Bad melon = decent salsa.

ahh, but another perspective to consider is that if Chipotle, which strives to serve slightly more healthful/interesting food than McD's is successful, it shows them that consumers will be willing to spend their dollars on something less banal. Big companies are all about profit, and if they can make a buck on healthful products, they'll bring more to market. My husband is currently consulting on some healthy snack products and the Big Boys are most certainly interested.

I can't stand eggs. Not in any form, not even flan. The smell turns my stomach, my husband only gets to eat eggs when he's at a breakfast meeting away from home. He hates cold cheese (like on a cheese plate) but will eat it if it is melted (like pizza). In fact, if he's served a plate of pasta that has globs of fresh mozzarella that are not fully melted, he'll make them take it back and melt it.

I've eaten at "New Chinese" (it is in a melon colored house) and it does have zero atmosphere, but it is good. Aladdin's is yummy, I second that rec. Bill's - haven't been for 5-6 years, but I don't remember thinking it was a dinner destination, just a bar with decent food. If you head down Quakerbridge Rd. to Rt. 33, take it east, there's a decent Mexican place called Chapala (it will be on right side, just past the car wash). It is BYO.

I was just telling my husband something similar last night (he doesn't get my fascination with reading about food, he prefers to eat it ). As I sit here in suburban NJ and listen to the buzz of lawnmovers and contemplate what to grill on the 'cue tonight...

Smart restaurant, they know how to ensure repeat customers and have created interest for new customers! Hubby and I had a meal comped (not fine dining, unfortunately) at one place because our meal was totally screwed up (lost order or served to someone else). We gave the waitress a tip which was about 1/2 of what our bill would have been. She was really trying hard. Another time we had an appetizer comped, it was a tasting menu and we made a comment to the waiter about an appetizer we thought looked good and would like to try on our next visit. After we finished our app's, he appeared with another plate for us to enjoy! Sometimes its just karma, you treat people respectfully and let them know you appreciate good service, and it comes back to you.