David Ross

It was odd, wasn't it, seeing Bobby Flay in the role of Game Show Host, pinkish tie with big knot and retro sports jacket, paper notes in hand, whipping the audience into a frenzy. (And trying to fool the viewers into thinking this show was "live." If it was live, the camera shots sure looked fuzzy and pre-recorded to me). I didn't think this was one of Chef Flay's better performances. Fifty-eight minutes of armchair-grabbing emotion, 1 minute of suspense, 1 minute of cheers for Aaron. Sarcasm aside, I watched every one of those minutes. I wasn't shocked that Aaron won. He's a likeable guy and I think he truly believes this will "change his life" and make him a "star." If so, then personally for him I think that's great. I just hope he doesn't become the Next Forgotten Food Network Star after a few episodes of his new show, ala Amy Finley and the Hardy Boys. If he's relegated to an odd timeslot on the odd day of the week, if the advertiser's don't think he'll sell their barbecue sauce and if he doesn't get the Arbitron ratings really quickly, likeable as he is, he won't make it. I think Aaron really loves sharing his food with others. I'm not in his demographic, but I think there's a large segment out there that will be attracted to his show. Whether Aaron will withstand the "heat of the kitchen" in terms of being a successful brand for Food Network isn't a question we can answer today. Only time will tell. Poor, dear Lisa-the woman who says that "style" is one of her assets apparently had an argument with the Stylist on the set the day Lisa taped her pilot-and apparently Lisa won the argument over what she would wear in the kitchen. Certainly a Professional Stylist would not have allowed Chez Lisa to be outfitted in a day-glo, blazing fuschia, frilly-silly dress against the backdrop of Rachel Ray's red retro refrigerator and yellow kitchen walls. Way too many big splotches of bright color. Lisa's poor choice of apparel seemed to heighten just how out-of-touch her concept of upscale cooking is. I just don't think she'd sell. Lisa's fish looked like it was perfectly cooked-but I could have done without the heavy French accent she used every time she pronounced "Zaaahhh-Baaay-Yownnn!" Personally I thought Adam did the best of the final three. Beer-can chicken is not something new, nor is the use of a rub using smoked paprika. What I found fresh and exciting about his concept was the live-remote with the "viewer" on the webcam. That's the sort of real-life snapshot of cooking for a lot of people today-the ability to go online and chat with a cook about a dish-and have it broadcast in the format of a television show. Adam's got the perfect personality and ease with people to pull it off. Here's hoping that Adam got noticed during his tenure on The Next Food Network Star and he can turn his time in the spotlight into something exciting.

Rob-thank you for your hard work and dedication to both eGullet and your work. Please keep sharing those wonderful photos of your sweets with us. dr.

A few thoughts on the final three: Adam-Likeable personality, nice look, humorous in the right situations, knows food. He would be somebody I'd see in the role of the host of a show like "Unwrapped" or "All-American Festivals," not a serious cooking show, but a show about food where he would interact with people. Chance of winning: Good. Aaron-Likeable personality, does well cooking with kids. May not have the strength to overcome his nervousness on camera. The day of the "big plate" type of home-cooking may not be what Food Network is looking for. (What am I thinking? Even if Food Network already has a stable of "big plate" types of cooks, if the Marketing Department can sell Aaron to an advertiser, they will). Chance of winning: Fair but may surprise at the end. Lisa-Likeable personality-most of the time. Bitch factor unknown. Looks like that little character on the front of Dutch-Boy paint cans. High "squinting" factor-contacts may not fit comfortably in her eyes. Tan lines from sunglasses will have to go. Can sing while Pork Roast burns. Likeable in a feel-sorry for her, don't like her, she doesn't get it sort of way. Can cook but dishes often come off as confusing and too fussy for the mass Food Network demographic. (Will French Bistro, Upscale, Charitable, Save the Earth Cuisine make for good tv?). Chances of winning: Good, (in spite of her foibles). I watch The Next Food Network Star because it's fun. I certainly don't take the show, or the contestants, or the food, seriously. I'd watch 50 reruns of any episode of Rick Stein's 'Food Heroes' on BBC over 'The Next Food Network Star.' Serious food. Serious ingredients and good cooking. Chef Stein exemplifies what I personally like to see in a "star" cooking on television.

I stayed at The Mirage for a week in May. Every evening I walked by Samba and not once was the place full. That told me that either the food or service, or both, weren't very good. All of the other restaurants at The Mirage were packed every night, so maybe the novelty of the Brazilian steakhouse is waning. I haven't been to Pampas, so I'm not qualified to give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, but in general, I'd avoid these type of Brazilian steakhouses in Las Vegas. There are so many high-end, wonderful steakhouses in Las Vegas that focus solely on the food rather than how the waiters parade spikes of meat around the dining room, that I would probably just go to a traditional steakhouse. My two favorites are Craftsteak at the MGM and CUT at The Palazzo. The starters at CUT are more innovative than what you might find at other steakhouses-I especially liked the Bone Marrow Flan with Parsley Salad at CUT when I was there. The wine service is exceptional. The beef at CUT is exceptional-I had the dry-aged, Nebraska beef. At the time I was there in May they also had Iowa beef and both Wagyu and Kobe on the menu. The only complaint I had was that the chef used a heavy hand with the salt-shaker. Beautiful meat doesn't need a heavy dose of salt, so next time I dine at CUT I'll ask the kitchen to serve me a "nude" steak-no salt please.

I was glad to see Louisa Chu as a judge on Iron Chef America. I've been pleased that Food Network has decided to expand the judging pool this year, it adds variety to the judging of the plates and generates more interest for the viewer. (I do, however, like the snide comments of Mr. Steingarten, the "Dean" of Iron Chef Judges, so I hope they keep him coming back). I agree with doc-I also noted tension between Ruhlman and the other judges on the panel last night. But what I noted most about Ruhlmun, and something he himself could be criticized for, was the ridiculous amount of hairspray that appeared to have been liberally sprayed on his long locks. It looked really odd, almost like little wings sprouting from the sides of his head. Maybe the Hair Stylist had called in sick for this episode? (Apparently the Stylist also forgot to raise the sagging neckline on Judge Karine Bakhoum's ample dress). Ruhlman's hair aside, I thought that Chef Hamilton won because she kept things simple and allowed the Zucchini to be the main focal point of flavor in each dish. Her dishes were so simple in composition and presentation that I thought the judges would have fallen for Flay's plates. I was rooting for her to win and glad she did. As fancy as Flays dishes were-with the requisite drizzles of his signature flavored oils- it seemed to me that he didn't follow Chef Hamilton's ethic of making the zuchinni the star. His Zucchini-Wrapped Sea Scallop dish looked like it was more of a scallop dish rather than a zuchinni dish. Even though he used an ample amount of zucchini in the salad with the scallop, I got the sense the judges felt it was a fish dish, not a zuchinni dish. I've had an enjoyable Summer watching reruns of the original Iron Chef on Fine Living Network and Iron Chef America on Food Network. The two shows present an odd comparison-the campy, kitchsy, intriguing original show vs. the trendy, fun, high-quality cooking of Iron Chef America. Lots of great tv between the two Iron Chef Shows. And by the way, my favorite episode of Iron Chef America so far this Summer was the "Battle Rabbit" last week between Iron Chef Symon and Chef Guy Rubino. Symon took the win, (and I really liked the looks of that Rack of Wild Hare), but both Chefs presented very creative Rabbit dishes. I just would have liked to have seen more of the Wild Hare used alongside the Domestic Bunnies.

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the crab dishes. The crab "meatballs" do take a bit of time to make, but the effort is worth it. I prefer Dungeness Crab in this dish. I've made the recipe with fresh crab meat from the East, but it just doesn't seem to compare to the fresh taste of sweet Dungeness Crab. The crab I used in this recipe came from deep waters off Alaska and was shipped to my fishmonger within a day of being harvested. It wasn't pre-cracked. He steams whole live Dungeness crabs and sends me home with the whole, cooked beast. I do the cracking, shelling and picking of the meat. I freeze the shells for making crab bisque in the winter. My fish guy prefers the deepwater crabs rather than the crabs fished closer in because the deepwater crabs are bigger and the meat is more firm due to the colder water. At least that's what he tells me. I am sure that I am biased towards Dungeness Crab due to my heritage as a native Northwesterner. I think your personal preference in crab will work just fine in the recipe. Crab Stuffing- 8oz. fresh Dungeness crab meat ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup fresh bread crumbs ¼ cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup chopped chives 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Salt and black pepper to taste Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Lightly toss the mixture to form a loose stuffing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the crab stuffing until ready to use. I use a basic crab cake recipe for the meatballs. The only difference between the meatballs and the crab cakes are basically the shape and how I cook them. For the meatballs I form some of the crab cake mixture into little balls. I then place them on wax paper on a plate and put them in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours. This helps the little meatballs to firm up. I then dip the meatballs in beaten egg and then into panko. As you all know, panko is the Cadillac, the Ferrari if you will, of bread crumbs. No other type of breading will work for these crab meatballs. All you are trying to do when you cook the meatballs is to warm the crab mixture and get the panko to a golden-brown color and crispy texture. I fried the crab meatballs in canola oil heated to 350 in a deep wok. The sauce for the linguine was very easy. After cooking the linguine I drained it. While the linguine was resting, I added some heavy cream and parmesan to the saucepan and let it cook down for a few minutes. I only added lemon juice and some capers. Next time I'm going to add some roasted garlic puree to give the sauce more flavor. I returned the drained linguine to the saucepan to combine it with the cream sauce. You'll see the garnish of curly parsley in the photo. That was intentional. While I use Italian parsley, I also use curly parsley. I think some cooks have gotten away from using curly parsley because maybe it isn't as trendy as flat leaf parsley. Lots of chefs that appear on tv seem to think the only parsley is Italian parsley, but I actually like the "grassy" taste of curly parsley. That's my treatise on parsley for the day. Thanks again for the nice comments on the crab meatballs.

Dungeness Crab was the star of last night's dinner. First up was a Dungeness Crab Salad. I created this dish as an appetizer for one of the competitions on "MasterChef USA" on PBS back in 2000. Back then, I called the dish "Dungeness Crab Mosaic," (due to the cucumber and tomato being cut in little squares like a "mosaic" of tiles), with Marjoram Mayonnaise (too strong an herb for the sweet crab), and Pear Chips, (too rubbery in texture). I've reworked the dish since then, but the basic elements are the same-Dungeness Crab, Roma Tomato and Cucumber. The garnishes have evolved to Lemon-Thyme Mayonnaise and Potato Chips. Last weekend I did a cooking segment on local TV. (I'm writing a detailed blog about cooking on local television that will be posted later this week in the Food on TV forum). We did Tiger Shrimp Stuffed with Crab for the show last week. I froze the leftover crab stuffing from the show and decided to use it in a new dish last night. I used the stuffing to make a version of what you could call "Spaghetti and Meatballs." In this dish the "spaghetti" was linguine that I tossed in a parmesan-cream sauce. The "meatballs" were made from the crab stuffing mixture. I dipped the meatballs in egg, then Panko breadcrumbs. I deep-fried the "meatballs" just until the crumbs were golden brown. Whatever you call this dish-"Spagehtti and Meatballs" or "Crab Croquettes on Linguine"-it is simply delicious. Enjoy.

Do I see bits of minced pork in your noodles? Your food is always--quite simply--delicious! Thank you for sharing your joy of cooking with us.

Thanks! I would describe the flavor of Razor Clams as the most intense clam flavor you can find. I think of the flavor of bits of clams in clam chowder, then multiply and intensify that by about 50 times and you have the "clam" flavor of Razor Clams. That's why I love them-they are so flavorful and in my opinion the essence of clammy flavor. There is much debate about the best way to cook Razor Clams. Most tell you to barely cook them or they will get tough. I would agree with that statement--up to a point. I like a combination of "just-cooked" and "a bit chewy" in my Razor Clams. In the Northwest, our Razor clams are pretty large. Two clams are a nice serving for each person. There are about 6-8 clams per package. We always have them either fresh or frozen in our local seafood market. I buy the Pacific Seafood brand. They come cleaned and ready to go. To start, I soak the clams in milk for about 30 minutes. Then they get dredged in seasoned flour. Then dipped in an egg wash. Finally, I dip them in some sort of breading. In the case of the photo I posted, I breaded the clams in Corn Flake Crumbs. I wouldn't use Corn Flake Crumbs again. They gave the clams a nice crispy coating, but were too sweet for my taste. Next time I'll stick with fresh white bread crumbs or panko. I fry them in canola oil (I like the mild-flavor of canola oil), in a non-stick, large frying pan. I use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil. I start frying the clams when the oil gets to about 325, (just short of deep-frying temperature). I only fry them for about 2 minutes per side, maybe less. The belly of the clam is fatty, while the other muscles of the clam are more thin. If you don't fry the clam long enough, the belly will be basically raw. I fry the clams just to the point where the belly is cooked through, yet the other muscles are a bit more done. That's fine with me because I like the play of soft belly vs. the more chewy texture of the other muscles of the clam. Thanks again for your kind comments about the clams and that slab of Ribeye!

For the Fourth I had to have a big, fat steak-but I had to cut it to my own personal tastes first! Last year I started a topic about "Supermarket Steaks vs. Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe." Part of our discussion was related to how supermarkets steaks tend to be cut too thin for my tastes. I prefer a thick piece of meat because it gives me greater control during cooking in terms of the "doneness" of what I want in the finished steak. In my book, a thicker steak is a more juicy steak with far more "beefy" texture than you'd find in some 1/2" pansy of a steak. The butcher will usually cut steaks to my specifications, but I honestly don't always make a concious decision ahead of time to drive out of my way to the one reliable, old-fashioned butcher shop in the area. So that leaves me with what I call the "ultimate" option in terms of cutting steaks-to do it myself from a large cut, (if I find a good one at the supermarket)-in this case I cut steaks from a prime rib. Let's start with a 6lb. Rib Roast, USDA Choice Grade- Cutting the steak between the ribs- A "thick" slab of American beef on the Fourth of July. Now that's just about the perfect cut- Grilled on the Weber over charcoal and mesquite hardwood. Served with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and New Potato Salad tossed with Marjoram Mayonnaise, Haricot Verts and Kalamata Olives- Medium-Rare and juicy. This was the moment when I said "God Bless America!"-

Two nights ago, Fried Razor Clams served with Linguine that I sauced with a Grapefruit Hollandaise and garnished with Green Beans.

Jeff thank you so much for the report and I am so glad you enjoyed Sensi. As you know, it is one of my favorites. You are right, the table off to the right as you walk past the reception desk and enter into the dining rooms is in fact a "Chef's Table." I believe it is normally set for 8-14 guests, but I think they will accept smaller parties. I have always found the staff and Chef Heirling quite accomodating, so if you are interested in booking the Chef's table next time you are in town, I'm pretty sure they will accomodate you-and I am sure Chef Heirling would welcome the challenge of being able to create a special tasting menu for the table. Next time request the live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns if they are in season!

After our worst Winter in 50 years-and snow into June-we are finally seeing the bounty of the great Northwest come alive in Eastern Washington. Both our raspberry and strawberry crops are about three weeks late this year-but not to worry, the recent hot sun has blessed us with very large, very sweet berries. And so I share with you the simplicity of nature found in two recent dishes-Raspberry Tartlet and Strawberry Ice Cream. I made a shortbread crust for the tartlet and filled it with pastry cream. I had thought about glazing the raspberries with red currant jelly, but after glazing a few of the raspberries in the jelly, I decided against doing so for the raspberries in the tart. While the currant jelly would have added a nice shine to the raspberries, I didn't like how the flavor of the jelly altered the virgin taste of these little red beauties. I use the same basic recipe for every ice cream I make-eggs, sugar, vanilla bean, cream and whole milk. For fruit ice creams, I mash the fruit with some sugar. (If you add chunks of strawberries into the cream base they will freeze into little icy chunks of strawberry-not a pleasant texture in your ice cream). After having made three quarts of Strawberry Ice Cream this Summer, I'm ready to move on to another one of our delicious Summer fruits. Next up, a batch of delicious Bing Cherry Ice Cream.

Good God Man! Do you want to kill me and send me to Sweet Heaven right now! My shopping list is ready and waiting. I think this cake will be delicious this weekend. Although it probably doesn't naturally fit into the French menu I've planned for Saturday with a nice Spring/Summer Veal Stew with Baby Vegetables, what the heck. That cake looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing.

Check out my recent report on "Vegas Uncork'd"-it includes reviews of both Sensi and Michael Mina. I'd suggest looking over the online menus ahead of time so you get an idea of the types of cuisine at each of the restaurants you've listed above. I always recommend that people try to look over menus in advance of making a reservation. That way you don't get to the restaurant, and pay big bucks, for food that doesn't suit you or the other people in your party. Both Michael Mina (Bellagio) and Nobhill (MGM) are owned by Chef Michael Mina. The cuisine at Mina is focused on seafood, while the dishes at Nobhill are more reflective of what some call the cuisine of San Francisco (i.e. the name Nobhill for the famous San Francisco neighborhood). Personally, I think the food at Michael Mina at Bellagio is superior, and I love the comfortable atmosphere-it's not at all stuffy like some of the other high-end places in Las Vegas. Kokomo's is your basic Las Vegas steak place serving USDA Prime Grade beef. I never totally understood why the people at The Mirage named their steakhouse Kokomo's-they say it has to do with the "tropical rainforest" decor of the hotel atrium-but the name just seems a bit out of place as it relates to the cuisine. Kokomo's is basically like many steakhouses in Las Vegas-they serve good meat and cook it decent. I think you would enjoy it, but Kokomo's doesn't offer anything over and above any other steak and potatoes place in town. You may want to venture out a bit and try Morel's (French Bistro, including steaks and a large cheese menu), over at The Palazzo or Restaurant DJT (New American with creative twists) over at Mr. Trump's hotel not far off the strip. I haven't been down to Aureole at Mandalay Bay in some time. I try to go to the newer places each time I go to Las Vegas. Enjoy and send us a report with photos.

Usually I make traditional Empanadas with a spicy beef filling, so using oysters was a bit of an experiment. The oyster Empanadas are really easy to make. For the stuffing, I chopped up fresh oysters and added cilantro, lemon juice, lemon zest and diced jalapeno. I thought about adding bread crumbs or mayonnaise as a binder, but I left it out because I didn't want to water down the taste of the oysters. Technically, these were not really Empanadas because I used store-bought wontons to hold the oyster stuffing. Traditional Empanadas are made with a flour based dough. I usually make the dough the old fashioned way with Masa Harina and Lard. This time I used wonton wrappers because I had forgotten to buy the Masa Harina at the store-so technically they were more on the Potsticker side than the Empanada side. You roll out a small round of dough, place about a tablespoon of the oyster stuffing in the center and then fold over the dough to form a little moon-shaped dumpling. Some people bake Empanadas, but I like to fry them so they are extra crispy. You deep-fry the little packets in hot oil at about 350 just until they turn golden-no more than about 2 minutes. Surprisingly, (and just the way I like them), the oyster chunks in the stuffing weren't overdone, still slurpy and delicious.

A couple of recent dishes: Oyster Empanadas served with Salad Greens, Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Tartar Sauce and Queso Fresco Cheese. The stuffing for the empanadas was a mixture of chopped fresh oysters, cilantro, lemon juice, lemon zest and diced jalapeno. Chicken roasted on my Weber Grill rotisserie, served with Shoestring Fries and Leeks Vinaigrette.

Savoy is quite a special place-but you will be hard pressed to get out of there for under $500 for two. This is a place for serious French dining. The room is pretty stark in terms of the design-a small room with a very high ceiling. The furnishings, the tables, the chairs are all very understated so that the focus is on the food on the plates. As such, I feel that the mood and vibe of the customers at Savoy echoes the calm, serene atmosphere of the decor. The service is very formal, beginning with the champagne cart, the service of the dishes, the bread cart, the wine service, and the dessert cart. On and on it goes. And while it is a special, and expensive, experience, I wouldn't go back every trip I make to Las Vegas. The food at Alex is every bit as good and the room is simply like it's advertised-a combination of the grand staircase out of "Hello Dolly" and the first-class dining room on the Titanic. And the mood at Alex is more skewed toward refined elegance without pretension. At least that's been my experience.

I'll echo and agree with the comments of my studied friends. You may want to check out my recent report on my trip to Las Vegas in May. You'll find it under the header "Vegas Uncork'd" within this same Southwest and Western States Forum of Topics. The report includes thoughts and photos on my dinners at Michael Mina and L'Atelier along with a report about the behind the scenes activity at Wynn-including how they buy the precious seafood they serve at Bartolotta. Alex is quite formal-both in the setting and the food. It is still my favorite fine dining room in Las Vegas. L'Atelier is a relaxed setting in which you'll dine on some of the finest French cuisine in the country. If you order the tasting menu you'll get small dishes of about 9 courses-a very good deal at about $150.00 without wines. Order off the ala carte menu and you'll be served larger portions-but beware, the entrees can run upwards of $75.00. The simplicity of Bartolotta is intentionally designed so as not to spoil the freshness of the seafood. I might suggest you venture out a bit and try Michael Mina. And--don't think you are constrained by only ordering the signature dishes like the Lobster Pot Pie. I think it is totally appropriate to ask the restaurant at the time you make a reservation if they are offering a seasonal tasting menu or seasonal menu items. I've found that the restaurants in Las Vegas are usually quite receptive to meeting your special requests-they often welcome the opportunity to showcase their talents with dishes that may not be listed on the regular menu. I am sure Chef Amoroso would be happy to oblige you with his creativity. And rj is absolutely correct-DJT is not so quietly building a local buzz-some have already proclaimed it one of the top 5 kitchens in Las Vegas-and still rising on that scale.

The inspiration for this dish came from a Boulud cookbook. It's sort of an odd recipe for a French chef-the rhubarb is poached in a simple syrup that includes a lot, I mean a lot, of grenadine. While the grenadine added flavor and color to the rhubarb, it was overpowering. The grenadine turned the natural, tart flavor of rhubarb into a sticky, sweet, sort of triple-cherry coke without the fizz. Boulud called for stacking the rhubarb on tuille cookies, but I used puff pastry and made up my own presentation. There's a thin layer of pastry cream on the bottom piece of puff pastry. Nice dessert but it needs a bit more work.

The sushi at the end was an excellent way to finish the meal, David. It was light and delicate. There was no difficulty in distinguishing the nuances of the fish or the rice. ← Thanks for the info. Your photos are really outstanding, as was the report. Thanks again.

Absolutely beautiful doc. How did you feel about tasting the sushi toward the end of the meal? After the previous courses, were your tastebuds still able to savor the delicate flavors of each fish? Now tell me a bit about the sushi rice. Was it delicately seasoned with vinegar and did the seasoning of the rice get lost on your palate, again due to the previous courses? I'm intrigued by the change-up in what I've always thought is the normal progression of courses with the sushi being served at the beginning of the meal. You may have just opened my eyes to a new way of looking at this type of experience.

Your creations always inspire me! ← Thanks. I have a lot of fun making up these dishes!

Another Prawn Dish-this time a bit of a different take on Caesar salad. I marinated the prawns in my own Caesar dressing and then put them under the broiler. Instead of large pieces of romaine I cut the leaves into shreds and tossed the lettuce with more of the dressing. Instead of croutons, this time I made an anchovy butter and spooned some of that on top of toasted rounds of bread. The recipe for the anchovy butter came from a Daniel Boulud cookbook.

I haven't been there, but if you are looking for superb, authentic Italian cuisine, you might want to consider Valentino over at The Venetian. There is a bar and more casual cafe out front-the fine dining room is in the back. It doesn't get as much press as some of the newer places but it should-it's wonderful. ← Thanks for the tip. I'll be going to Las Vegas in two weeks. One friend was thinking of Italian one night. He says he likes Italian that's heavy on the red sauce. I suggested he look at the menu for B&B, as it's a place I was interested in. He took a look at the menu and it didn't appeal to him. He found some other place at venetian, Canaletto. Then suggested Rao's. I think he wants to go there since the one in NYC is supposedly impossible to get into. Personally, I would prefer something other than heavy red sauced American Italian food. I'll suggest Valentino. ← I'd steer clear of Canaletto. I've been there twice and both times were a dissapointment. It's a bit cheaper than Valentino, but saving a few bucks lessens the experience incredibly. I don't think you'll find Valentino heavy on the red sauces, but it is truly fine Italian dining of the highest order. I tend to think of Rao's as more Italian-American fare-yes, heavy on the meatballs and red sauce. What are the other restaurants on your list?