Carolyn Tillie

Yes - thank you! I don't think I EVER knew the name of that place... it was always just "the Italian place on Sepulveda..." I kinda miss it -- but at least I have great places here in NoCal!

My biggest complaint about the restaurant (and I have only eaten there twice) was the preponderance of salt -- to me, to the point of the food being inedible. To the chagrin of my boyfriend (who frequently will just 'grin-and-bear-it,' I sent back a dish, asking it be made with NO salt. It was still too salty (which tells me it comes from pre-made, packaged sauces or something like that).

I'm waiting for an Angeleno to tell you about the one on Sepulveda, just north of LAX. I can't remember its name but I used to visit it all the time... I used to lament the lack of good Italian imports (heck, the lack of an Italian district in LA!) but this was kinda the only place in town... Where is your friend considering landing or will that be based on what information is gleened from this discussion?

Now if only they had better FOOD at Macaroni Grill....

I usually don't ask -- I just pull my camera out and start shooting, with flash if needed. More often than not, it invokes a positive response. I've never been asked NOT to take pictures!

For me it was growing old... I can remember, in my youth, being able to eat tomatoes off the vine when my father grew them and my now-ex-husband would make homemade tortillas with bacon-laden refried beans that I would FILL with fresh cilantro. Somewhere in my mid/late twenties, the chemistry in my body changed and that is when the cilantro oversion occurred. I used to love the stuff and now it even smells rotten. When I cook Moroccan for other people, and I know the dish needs cilantro, I have to have others chop it for me - if I try to chop it myself, the smell lingers on my hands for DAYS and makes me nauseous. At the World of Flavors Conference, I started walking towards a table when my stomach began to reel - sure enough, I turned around and a few feet away were POUNDS of cilantro being chopped. So, to answer your question, nope - I'm not going to try the Steingarten technique!

I wanna be self-employed so I can stay home and cook fabulous food all day!!!!!! You guys are so impressive! (Thinking about my bowl of cold cereal this morning ).

Who's the sumo fan?? MEEEEEEE!!!!!! (Carolyn, that is). When we got the cat, Sumo Digest was on in Los Angeles (not up here in NoCal! boo-hoo!). This particular cat (a VERY large Himalayan), tackled our other cat, Chequers, by getting up on his hind legs and throwing his whole body into the other cat, just like Akebono the wrestler used to. I can't follow the sport now without the broadcasts and I really miss it. I used to be able to follow some of the basho news on www.sumoworld.com, but that has gone defunct as well. All the rest of the websites are in Japanese and other than an occasional Western blurb (like Takonohana retiring due to injury), I have no idea what has happened to my favorites. (Terao was my especial favorite but is 40 years old now and probably retired as well). Sorry -- back to Melkor's foodblog!

I'm curious about a clarification on your question as well. Are you asking if techniques used in competitions trickle down into daily pastry use? I might hazard a guess that it may be more than you think -- I remember seeing one of my first pastry competitions (15 or 20 years ago?) where one of the contestants was using <gasp> a paint gun to spray cocoa! Now they are common-place. During the last pastry competition I saw on the Food Network, someone had come up with the idea of using sugar cylanders in hot glue guns and how THAT technique will be seen in the next year or two amongst pastry chefs. Does that help?

Madeleine; Since Melkor's BDay is Friday, why don't all we cats get together and get him a group furball?!?!!? Yours truly; Akebono, Vronsky, and Chequers (Carolyn's cats)

I disagree that using email is rarely an appropriate method for business transactions. In this day and age, email is just as appropriate as any other mode of communication for doing business, even reportiing food poisening to a restaurant. in my experience, most transactions still go down when the pen hits the paper. Yeah, I agree with Tommy. "In this day and age," I feel e-mail is appropriate for conducting business IF a business relationship already exists. I think notifying a restaurant of food poisoning should be via a phone call as it is more immediate (some restaurant managers don't check their e-mails for DAYS). At least a phone call can be dealt with immediately. If I want and/or expect some form of compensation, than a formal letter with "pen on paper" is far more appropriate.

You got it! It would fill my mouth with canker sores AND taste like soap! Blech.

Start with kitty litter -- seriously! The kind that clumps. THEN move on to stuff like Windex for a final clean.

Amen, brother.

Cilantro Raw Onions Cilantro Raw Tomatoes Cilantro Any spice that BURNS Cilantro Did I mention that I can't abide Cilantro? The other stuff can be choked down, if needed (although the raw tomato thing causes canker sores - dozens of them, immediately). But Cilantro IS the axis of evil.

I'm one of the West-Coasters who never understood chicken-fried steak. Then a good friend, who travels all over the country, explained it to me. If you can see the edge of the plate on any given side, then the steak is no good. It has to be pounded thin and be larger than the plate. I still don't know - but am slightly more intrigued.

Wrong name, but what you are describing sounds like: St. Maure.

Awwwww Tell her I'm jealous! (I want her cappa!)

Note from up-valley... It is REALLY raining up here! Okay, I'd say gushing. We've got quite a river running down through the vineyard! Your cappuccino sounds really enticing about now! How about a picture?!?!?

Yeah - I'm not a huge fan either... but I've got this free meal and have to be in that part of the world that night. Raincheck on Ana's, okay?

Damn - I was going to recommend Joe's in Venice but they are not open on Mondays!!!

How fun is that?!?!?! And your kitties are SOOOOO cute! BTW, I just got a phone call from Chipotle in Fairfield... Seems I am their Business Card Winner of the Week! If you and Ms. Melkor care to join us tomorrow evening, we have to be Fairfield ONE LAST TIME and we could start your BDay celebration off with McDonalds Mexican Food! Heck, its free... and we could try some interesting wine pairings!!!

Nope - won't hurt a bit! With my leftovers, each day I had it I ended up adding a bit of stock or water to re-heat. Somehow, they taste better the next day too! So, what wine did you have?

It has to do with the space/time continuum thing...

The stomach reels!