Carolyn Tillie

I have been bad this week. I am getting rid of all my old, 80s posters and have purchased high-end, expensive art. Charles Becker to be exact. I am thrilled to have THREE different still-lifes that are being reframed now to be delivered after my return from South America. One is a set of three strawberries, one a single large apple, and a third is a a green apple and a strawberry on a shelf. The funny part was that when the BF and I went out, he liked the strawberries, I liked the apple, and - in trying to help us decide - the saleslady brought in the apple-strawberry combination and we realised we had to have all three! I´ll post pictures when they get hung and can´t believe I am living a dream of finally investing in the art world.

Second the Pinot Provence suggestion -- I used to work for the Patina Group and eating at this branch of the establishment was definitely the highlight of eating through "the chain."

2 hours plus all the other running around/standing in line/sitting around.Been doing this for decades now but never spent any significant time @ LAX. ← Okay! Just wanted to make sure as with some airports, 2 hours is more than enough time to get some good grub! Second the suggestion to buy your cab driver dinner -- and a great way to have some company! We do it in South America all the time and meet really interesting folks this way (then again, a four-hour taxi in Panama only costs about $15 or $20!)

Do the pork - it is the same sauce and truly amazing. One of three very specific things I have missed about LA (Shin-Sen-Gumi is actually #1, Versaille #2, and Zankou Chicken is #3).

I'll make it up to you and buy you lunch when I get back from South America, old friend!

Meaning two hours after you arrive before you have to leave again or two hours PLUS the checking-back-in-time? For example, I am arriving at 8:15 tomorrow evening via a Southwest flight from San Fran. My flight to Panama doesn't leave until 12:36 - little over four hours; but I know that I will have to be BACK at the airport by 10:30 for that stupid 2-hour international check-in BS leaving me two hours to get to Manahattan Beach and eat my pork, which is almost tight by LA traffic standards.

Actualy from other posts here (and from a few friends), it seems that the "real money" in chefdom is the world of the private chef. There is infinitely more freedom and flexibility with schedules plus the salaries I have heard from are in the $50k to $75k realm. Now the problem is finding those jobs...

How many hours? Seriously -- that will be the big question... I am flying to South America tomorrow evening and deliberately planned a four-and-a-half-hour lay over to go back to one of my favorite restaurants, Versailles, in Manhattan Beach, which is only about 6 miles away. (God, I have missed their Cuban roast pork with plantains and black beans & rice!). Pachanga is good but keep in mind that the cab ride will probably cost you about $20 each way -- and the cab ride back will be harder to come by as taxis don't generally just peruse that area. Entirely possible and probably worth it, but what is your working window for travelling, eating, and having to get back to check in?

Okay, I'll grant Rancho Gordo is right that it can be a local's hangout -- during the off season (I DID have my share of grilled artichokes there). Try getting a table at the height of the tourist season and you'd be hard-pressed to find a single local. But definitely, if you only have one meal in Napa, there are much more memorable places to dine.

I have to disagree on Rutherford Grill -- the Napa valley has an injunction against chain restaurants so this one is nothing other than a renamed Houston's with a slightly tweaked menu. There are infinitely better throughout the valley worthy of one's money. The possibilities are truly endless for extraordinary meals: Pilar Terra Martini House For fabulous meals: Bistro Don Giovanni Zuzu Ad Hoc Bouchon Bistro Jeanty

Ah, the lack of a pork thing makes it more difficult. I would have normally suggested the addition of pork, sausage, or bacon. You could seriously get some beef suet to ground into it for flavor. How about some duck fat? Regrind it with more fat to get the flavor. While expensive, adding some veal would also help.

Check through the recent weekly blogs -- I'm sorry I can't pinpoint it immediately, but there was a great week-long blog from an eG member in Turkey.

Bux and I had many a great banter in the early days of eG -- days we all fondly recall in the infancy of chat lists -- as he was clearly an early leader and inspired many. Sincere condolences to his family and many thanks, Bux, for all the great times online. I raise a glass to you in thanks.

It is sunny and bright, yes... but we have been having a cold snap and it has been getting quite chilly here. Although I have been pleased to say that I have sufficed with only wearing a heavy sweater outside in the afternoons.

Glad you enjoyed your stay, J.S.! Tadich has been on my short-list of needing to try and I feel almost guilty I haven't been there yet. Gastro, on the oyster thing, just ask your shucker what is fresh and local that day... I'm sure they'll guide you just fine. Lately, I've been eating a lot of Kumamotos and Sweetwater. A note on Hog Island; their "hog wash" is a fake mignonette that uses a lot of cilantro. I can't abide the stuff and stick with lemon juice.

Thank you so much for the pics! I was terribly curious about the Lions Head Meatballs and will definitely get them next time -- they look amazing!

Also keep in mind that the city is really on six miles across -- two miles may not seem like very much, but with all the hills in this city, it can be a bit more daunting than you realize.

Two interesting food stories, one in SF and another in... okay, not San Francisco but San Jose. J mentioned the concept of Shanghai soup dumplings and is quite fanatical about them. I had never heard of them and through some great guidance and tutelage, I ventured forth to Shanghai Dumpling King [3319 Balboa Street, between 34th & 35th Avenues, San Francisco, 415.387.2088]. I tried my first xiao long bao, a pork dumpling that when you bite into it, explodes with soup as well as meat. I am now a complete convert. I not only tried the pork variety but, as it is currently crab season, a rarely-offered pork and crab version. Ten of each -- count 'em 10! -- dumplings for $4.95! What a deal! Also, on the wall are some pictures of delicate white dumplings that look like peaches. Well that was too intriguing for words so they were ordered as well. Steamed with sweet red bean paste inside, the perfect warm finish to a great meal! The San Jose finding is just plain serendipitous. Heading down to the municipal airport for a flying lesson, on the corner of Capital Expressway and Story Road lies a true whole-in-the wall dive; a brick wall spray-painted with "Beauty & BBQ" as two small stores inhabit a dilapidated building, a beauty-supply store and an otherwise seedy barbecue joint which hosts a large barrel smoker outside the front door. Driving past at 9:30 in the morning, it was the smoke that caught my attention and I knew that was where I was having lunch. Several hours later, I returned to Texas Smokehouse BBQ [1091 S. Capital Avenue, San Jose, 408.926.2829] and almost cried with joy at finding such stupendous Q. Ordering significantly more than was possible to eat in one sitting (but loving left-overs), we tried the tri-tip sandwich, pork ribs, fried catfish, and two sides, the yams and collard greens. For me, the measure of a good Q is not only the sauce, but also the sides. To be overjoyed that fried catfish and red snapper were offered is an understatement. This was perfectly fried catfish as well with the best ratio of cornmeal breading needed. The Q-sauce was spicy and piquant without burning too much but having those ribs delivered straight from the outside smoker was practically awe-inspiring. I was particularly impressed with the collard greens which were sturdy and well-studded with bits of pork. My yams were broken up and smaller than preferred, but still tasty. There are only three tables and they are the formica kind found in kitchens, circa 1950. It is decidedly tiny, not remotely fancy, and almost dingy. But it was perfect barbecue served by a large staff of dredlock-bedecked folks who displayed great amounts of conviviality and jocularity. Eating some for breakfast this morning and I couldn't be happier...

Not so much reservations about In-N-Out as wanting to dispel the idea that you would be able to get one at the Ferry Plaza. I also completely understand your desire to try one -- you will simply have to do some investigation as to where to get one as their locations within the city itself are not necessarily very convenient. Where are you arriving from (i.e., airport, car, train?) If, for example, you were flying into or out of Oakland, there is an In-N-Out VERY convenient to that airport, but not really convenient to SFO.

Once every five or six years I crave my mothers Swedish meatballs. For me, this was about three weeks ago after a severe bout of the NoroVirus which had me down for a week. I had to go to three stores to find the egg noodles and was thrilled...

FYI - there is no In-N-Out at the Ferry Plaza. The burgers there are made by Taylor's Refresher which (in many people's opinion) are far superior, although more expensive. Personally, with all the other fabulous foods available at the Ferry Plaza, a burger is the last thing I would want to eat. Although Taylor's seared Ahi burger with Asian slaw as a condiment is my personal favorite.

OK... Good to know... I'll suggest it. Would I need an advance reservation? I'd hate to book one, then have the other people veto, or just suggest it, go, and strike out? I get the impression that it's popular by your "if you can get in" comment. ← DEFINITELY need reservations, especially with one of the largest conventions in town (that you are attending). Also, for the rest of the week, HERE is a good list of "Dine About Town" options; 3 courses for $31.95 for dinner. Some GREAT bargains!

Walking distance from Moscone is Thirsty Bear, a great "brew-pub" with Spanish-style tapas. Low-key, great beer, a few pool tables upstairs (a plus for us), and good food.

They could have said "thanks for pointing that out to us - we'll remove it right away", or they could have said "thanks for pointing that out to us - we'll remove it right away - we should have caught that sooner, our mistake, very sorry", or they could have said "thanks for pointing that out to us - we'll remove it right away and look into how it got on our shelves in the first place. Please accept our apologies for this. We do care, and this was a mistake." There are many things they could have said. ← I sort of disagree -- while they may very well appreciate what you have brought to their attention, having come from a PR/Marketing background I'm not sure I would admit to culpability of breaking Federal Laws in writing. Too much legal ramifications, which I am sure you can appreciate. Have no doubt that those who made the mistake were notified of the grievance, but it doesn't surprise me that they wouldn't acknowledge it to John-Q-Public. Sad, but true. Yes, for your peace of mind I can completely understand you wanting to be assured it won't happen again and they will take better care in the future, etc., but I can see their position of not being willing to admit they made such an error.

Emphasis is mine. I think you are being entirely unrealistic in what a buyer's job is and what they have time to do. Yes, you are capable of reading every ingredient on every product you purchase, but a buyer is dealing with literally THOUSANDS of products - multiply that out by the ingredients and they would be reading about tens of thousands of ingredients. Now who can possibly have such an encyclopedic mind to know which products might be suspect. This is also assuming that in their 8-hour day, they are doing *nothing* other than reading ingredients. I think you are being unreasonable to expect the buyers to be able to do this job 100% of the time, as though there is nothing else in their job description. Sure some things are going to fall through the cracks -- as you have discovered. But to express such indignation is, in my opinion, just downright bizarre.