Carolyn Tillie

The movie is utterly charming. Peter O'Toole is a definite highlight for me but the subtleties which abound don't disappoint. Worthy of multiple viewings. I'm sure there will be an abundance of Ratatouille parties and the question which will be asked all over will be, "What are sweetbreads?"

I attended last night's Rising Chefs awards dinner last night. Overall, it was really mediocre save for Mourad Lahlou's Moroccan-spiced carrot soup with blood orange foam (stunning!) and a handful of other dishes. One of the other highlights was some thinly-sliced house-made pork sausage on crispy dark bread with pickled radishes that was served by Nate Applebaum of A16. As I went back to seconds on that particular dish, Chris Cosentino of Incanto was complimenting the sausage and asking, "Do you separate out your fat and meat? - No? You should. What is your fat to meat ratio?..." I walked away with a smile on my face, biting into that great offering.

Oh, god.... I ate at Red Pearl a few weeks after they opened with another food critic and we were both appalled! Besides the horrific decor, the food was close to unpalatable. Was it *ever* worthwhile????

On Reuters this morning. Gist: They are grinding up Viagra and feeding it to oysters in Brisbane.

Pilar would be hard to beat is what I would guess? ← I'm still in the Pilar camp. It would be my choice.

I was taken to Half Moon Bay for my BDay two weeks ago and you might be better served getting a little cheese snack from The Cheesemaker's Daughter on the Sonoma Square versus stopping on the way. Within HMB, Pasta Moon has stunning pizza (seriously - my BF is still talking about it - house made sausage, speck, forest mushrooms, and fontina fonduta) and I had a Pappardelle with pancetta, mushrooms garlic, tomato cream, parmesan, pine nuts, mascarpone. The other place I would have been happy eating at multiple times is Cafe Gibralter. We ordered more than half-a-dozen appetizers, an entree, and dessert and all were fabulous. It is not on the main square but just outside of town in El Granada. Well worth the trip! 19

Okay - one last plug... All the main-stream food places have been covered but if you have a sweet tooth, Extraordinary Desserts has two locations - both relatively close to downtown. I have eaten desserts in notable pastry shops from the Mexican border to the Canadian border and Karen Krasne's confections are some of the best in the state.

That is a thing of beauty. They apparently have a model that does change in height as well, though it's of a different design. Lottery, indeed, at $50K to $75K a pop. Methinks a kitchen remodeling is ahead of the table on my lottery wish-list. ← Thanks for the extra links -- I remember looking around at their site several months ago when I was getting heavily involved in sailing (okay, not THAT involved). Stunning though, huh?

This does not change in height, but be prepared to be by the shear engineering feat of this adjustable table.

Ummmm, Steve - those are Japanese, not Chinese.

Wurst, I made the Carroll recipe for cheddar but steamed a full three to four tablespoons of caraway seeds to fully stud it. I aged it 8 months but four months into my aging, had to lower the temperature of my extra fridge from the 55-degrees I had it set at closer to the mid-30s for additional food products I had to store.

I was actually miffed that I DIDN'T inherit, but when my Grandmother, who lived in Pittsburgh her entire life, passed away her basement was apparently full of wine-making equipment (barrels, fruit press, corking machine, etc.) My East Coast cousins just threw the stuff away, not thinking twice that *anybody* could want "that old crap." And, as I heard stories later, she was so devoted to the craft that when her first husband died, immediately after the funeral with guests still milling around, she retreated to the basement to start bottling because "the fruit was ready and couldn't wait and husband Mike would have understood..." Sorry I only met her twice in my life.

You might want to try the Studio at the Montage in Laguna Beach. The first time I ate there was for dinner at the chef's table in 2004 and I really enjoyed it. I haven't repeated that experience, though, and have subsequently preferred the meals I've had at Stonehill Tavern. ←

Club 33 is only open to members and to members' guests. I got in years ago because my boss's wife worked for the Mouse Factory. If you read through some of the previous posts, you will see multiple recommendations and I can assure you, the food has not changed. Within the park itself, Blue Bayou is probably the best establishment and reservations are required (meaning: go there immediately upon entering the park to make sure you get a spot for the later). Napa Rose is probably the *best* place to eat within the entire establishment.

Kalypso - Since you've seen the jewelry exhibit, you will appreciate my lunch companion: Arline Fisch. Her's and Helen Shirk's work were the only two modern artists in that entire exhibit -- it was at the end and Arline was better represented with the headress, pectoral breastplate, and multiple necklaces (Helen had a handful of brooches only, I believe). I also purchased one of Arline's pieces from Taboo. We waxed poetic about the long-lost days of Pirets as she fondly recalls it as I do and also remembers George Munger's Canes restaurant in Mission Hills. Toliver - Ultimately, the sad part about the adventure is that I Could have and Should have pushed for something better. I felt since the old friends were in their own stomping grounds, they would want to patronize some locally-owned establishment as well. Actually, at one point the reservations were for Fish House Vera Cruz which would have been fabulous but as it was thought we were going to be there long and talk loudly, Buca was more suited. It was heartbreaking that over breakfast the next morning, the woman who changed the venue kept going on, "wasn't that lasagne last night just fabulous???" Lesson learned as the establishment was far too loud to talk to anyone other than the person immediately next to you so as a group of twelve, most of us didn't even get to visit with each other. On an additional note for Buca, I believe the bill was smaller than it should have been. One of the bottles I ordered was corked and I gave a mini tasting lesson to our waitress AND manager; they were surprised when I insisted on a fresh bottle but were even more surprised when I suggested they taste a comparison between the two. Apparently they subsequently opened ANOTHER bottle in the back for the entire staff to taste the difference. So I guess I did *some* good in that regard...

Just returned from my mini-trip to San Diego. Immediately upon landing, I headed straight to the Extraordinary Desserts on Fifth (it was the one I always knew of before Krasne's Little Italy one opened up). Still relatively early in the morning, a small latte and a blackberry scone were more than ample. Not food related, I then met a noted metals artist at Taboo Studio to peruse some recent work (and make some purchases). She was hoping to eat at Indigo Grill but didn't realize they were not open for lunch on Saturdays. Instead, we simply walked down the street and headed towards the first place she had never eaten at: Buon Appetito. We were served bread with a bowl of very fresh chopped/pureed tomatoes. I ordered a few glasses of a Merlot/Sangiovese blend which seemed a nice start. Being lunch (and having just had a scone), we both decided to eat light and two salads were ordered; Insalata di Rucola con Fegatini di Pollo, pan-fried chicken livers on a bed of fresh arugola and radicchio with house dressing and Insalata d'Anatra, fresh baby spinach with slow-roasted duck breast tossed in a warm house dressing with pine nuts and goat cheese. The chicken livers were quite nice and the duck breast tender and moist, but in both cases, the salad leaves were over-dressed. Oh well - this trip was about seeing old friends and not a grand culinary adventure. Continuing on the non-food related note, my lunch date recommended the Mingei exhibit of Jewelry from Five Continents but also mentioned a pre-Raphaelite exhibit in the nearby Museum of Art. Since I had a few hours after our lunch before I had to be at my evening destination, back to Balboa park I headed and if one lives in the area and is even remotely interested, the pre-Raphaelite exhibit is astounding. Well - what can I saw about my old friends? Dinner on Saturday evening was at Buca di Beppo and by-and-large, my friends were impressed. <groan> It was the Claim Jumper of mediocre Italian food: Obscenely giant portions of tasteless, pasty attempts towards pasta with sauce that could only have come from a can. Pity my poor friends, dear lord, they know not what they eat.... Finishing up, my Sunday business meeting had to cancel at the last minute and the comradery from the previous evening continued so a local favorite was chosen for Sunday brunch; The Potato Shack in Encinitas. To its credit, it was pretty good. We ordered a single pancake for the table (they ARE bigger than the plate upon which they sit and are quite thick and fluffy). I opted for eggs scrambled with chunks of ham and to my potatoes, I added mushrooms which <hoorah!> were quite bountiful. The squaw bread toast I had along with my breakfast was thickly-cut and I noticed others' toast was equally as thick (3/4" slices, at least). Before heading back towards the hotel, I managed a dash across the street to acquire a large box of Chuao Chocolates. The eye-catcher; a piece with a Magritte pipe transferred atop with the inscription: "This is not a pipe." The filling? A ganache infused with tobacco and cognac. It is very, very subtle and not nearly as overwhelming as it could have been or as I was preparing for. And besides that one, I've got another 25 to taste! On a last note, the city of San Diego is far more beautiful than I remember. The whole new Little Italy's build-up is stunning with its modern architecture and bright, stylistic colors. I can't wait to go back...

What a great site! But I have to concur - the pickings are slim and I tend towards Harris Ranch as well.

Abra, how exciting! My plans have also changed as our Avignon apartment fell through. Instead, just booked plane tickets that will put is in the country for six weeks, starting the last week of September. I think we'll be renting or buying a car and just driving all around the country for the whole time.

You're right, I should not have drawn so insensitive a dichotomy in my assessment of Burma Superstar's sidewalk clogging clientele. The hype surrounding the establishment definitely draws more than its fair share of soccer mom sommeliers and other assorted yuppies who are afraid of "spicy" food, too. Doesn't mean you don't have the right to enjoy as many meals as you like there, but when an Asian restaurant in a predominantly Asian neighborhood fails to attract many Asians, you do have to wonder what's going on. Even this supposedly glowing review was full of terms such as "salty," "overdone," "mushy" and "cold." Sounds about right, but it does not sound appetizing. I'm happy that the owners are doing well for themselves, but on those occasions when I'm too lazy to hike up to May Wah and get the ingredients necessary to bastardize another culture's food myself, I'll take the filthy pho joint down the road over SUV central any day. ← I frequent the Clemente neighborhood for a variety of reasons; the plethora of Asian restaurants, Haig's deli, Green Apple Books, the variety of bars (Dog's Bollix, Bitter End, Abbey, et al), and some cool antique stores. But I'm still curious if -- other than Mandalay -- are there are other Burmese restaurants you can recommend?

I know of Mandalay, but are there others "all over the city" that you can tell us about? I guess I am taking a bit of offense as I am hardly a "scenester" to the point that I deliberately only dine here for lunch - thereby avoiding the standing around waiting for a table - and have enjoyed my half-a-dozen meals there.

I like the sundried tomatoes idea but I would also consider artichoke hearts, capers, and/or hearts of palm.

It is interesting that this thread is a bit alive again. As I indicated some time back, I never bothered to renew my subscription but I'm wondering if this new issue is worth reading. On another note, I received a very interesting e-mail several months ago that I will post here: I advised Dean that there is no way for me to edit an entry that is four years old but that he was more than welcome to post his concern here within this thread. Apparently he chose not to do so but I thought it an interesting comment to add.

I am surprised no one has mentioned Ruscha's Chocolate Room or the concept of food as a medium in the art world (versus a plated dinner being artistic). There are actually hundreds of artists who utilize food in various forms to create art - most of them conceptional and without long life. I am sorry I cannot recall the artist's name, but the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art was hanging a piece 20 years ago that I still recall - on a 20-foot high canvas, the artist had splattered caviar in a vertical patterns. Lots and lots of caviar. But it was only when you got very close to the piece that you saw that each individual egg had been numbered in pencil. It was hilarious. It inspired me to create some art piece with food and I have done several installation pieces. One was made with a jell-o mold of a heart (biologically correct, not just shaped like a heart). I made six in all in various themes; a clear one filled with gold glitter was Heart of Gold, the black one was Blackguard, a yellow one was Cowardice, a green one was Envy. Along with the jell-o hearts, I made specific plates (in clay) and place-settings (in metal) that accompanied the piece. That exhibit was up for two weeks and during that time, each day, I photographed the hearts as they decayed. This was just one food-based exhibit I did. Sadly for me, all that work (and those photographs) were destroyed in the Northridge earthquake (pre-digital era and all that).

I tried that but for whatever reason, the PDF I get only has the first page. Maybe a Macintosh issue?

Afraid not - the wine and the conversation were flowing a bit too freely for me to pay attention (other than the vintages were too young and the prices reasonable). The only reason I knew the Sauternes producer was that there was a single glass left and I brought the bottle home; sipping that last lovely glass as I wrote up the dinner at 2:00 in the morning.