Parmhero

Regular coffee--milk and/or cream, no sugar. Espresso, black, no sugar. Cappuccino--milk, no sugar.

I visited Schwartz’s for the first time in May. Arrived about 4 pm. Had a smoked meat sandwich, fatty, and an order of fries. The sandwich was good, very good, but not as amazingly incredible as I had hoped. The meat was pastrami-like. The Schwartz's sandwiches are not as big as the famous New York deli sandwiches like those at Carnegie Deli or 2nd Ave Deli, and they're about as tasty--but not tastier. The fries were ok but pretty greasy, several being inedible. The place itself was kind of grungy, but had a good vibe. Besides the classic New York delis, there are places in Westchester and Connecticut that can stand up to Schwartz’s—Bloom’s Kosher Deli in Hawthorn, NY; Gold’s Deli in Westport, CT. For those who haven’t been to Schwartz’s, or are nostalgic, here are some pix:

Buttermilk and Molasses Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes Fresh blueberries. Also had some really good bacon from a small farm in upstate New York, not pictured--next time.

Peach and Blueberry Pie Good fruit, and pastry came out well.

I just bought a new Weber kettle to replace the one I've had for the last 16 years. The old Weber kettle is seriously rusted--the front leg is falling off, the ash slits are corroded stiff, and the cover is flaking paint. The top surface grill on which you grill the food rusted through until the metal pieces broke, and I replaced it with a new grill surface, which also rusted after one year. So I bought a cover for $8.99 for the new Weber (22.50inch classic) and I'll let you know how well it protects a year from now.

Nice report, gaf. However, you didn't talk about the prices at Rao's. What are the various menu item prices? How much was your meal for four people?

That is a mighty good lookin' surprise, Mayhaw Man. But did you get the half choclate-half lemon, or half chocolate-half caramel? And what's inside that baby?

Just wondering, since most people seem to want to avoid the red dye...is the red velvet cake good enough for you to want to make and eat with no coloring--just a Velvet Cake? Or is it all about the redness.

I think people tend to underrestimate the amount of time you can leave food out without it spoiling. Of course, it depends on the temperature. But many things don't spoil that fast. You can leave certain things out overnight and eat them the next day. In some countries, butter is left out all the time.

O no! That means every time I've bought, baked, or eaten an apple or pumpkin pie, I've been living a lie! (PS, I thought Al Gore invented pie.)

I understand that some people value the look of the cake over its taste. And a wedding is a show in many repects. But personally, I weigh in on the side of flavor, consumability, and eating pleasure over visual appeal and preservation. It should look good enough to eat.

I just spent five days in San Francisco, and through dogged research collected a nice list of top restaurants, almost all of which I didnt' get to for a variety of resasons. Incanto was near the top, though, along with Ame, Gary Denko, Zuni Cafe, Boulevard, Delfina, Quince, L'Osteria del Forno, Canteen, 1550 Hyde Cafe and Wine Bar, Aquarealla, Chex Panisse, Fifth Floor....

No, potatoes are not coated with anything. Just fried in peanut oil and buttter. Sometimes I sprinkle paprika, a little cayenne, salt and pepper. I peel and boil the potatoes first--until softened but not overcooked. Then I fry them over medium heat. You just have to modulate the heat, letting them brown without burning, turning them here and there, and watching them until they brown nicely.

For anyone who's been wondering, "Hey, what has Parmhero been making for breakfast?" Well.... An omelet! Gruyerre, cheddar, parmesan, and sauteed onions, with home fries and whole wheat English muffin. Coffee not shown.

I second (or third) Tartine. There also are some nice cafes, coffee shops, crepe places, along Fillmore St., above California St.

Haagen Daz and Ben & Jerry's are staples in our house. My wife's favorite HD flavor is Vanilla Swiss Almond, but she likes peach ice cream so I've been buying HD Peaches N Cream, which is sold in one market in our town but is generally not that easy to find. Ditto for HD Cherry Vanilla. HD Vanilla is a staple, and I tend to keep the bigger quarts of those on hand. In the summer, I often make desserts of HD vanilla with any combination of strawberries, cherries, peaches, rasberries on top. I put a slice of good butter pound cake or marble pound cake on the bottom. My wife likes to add a cookie to a bowl of berries and ice cream as an extra touch. Sometimes I add liqueur, cocoa, or chocolate shavings. As for Ben & Jerry's, Cherry Garcia and New York Super Fudge Chunk are the favorites (good as a combo bowl), as well as plain Vanilla and Chocolate. My daughter likes Fish Food. The two food markets in our town regularly have sales of ice creams, and have "Buy One, Get One Free" sales of pints of Haagen Daas and Ben & Jerry's. Also, Quarts of HD for $399. I've tried Edy's, Breyer's, Turkey Hill, etc. They pretty much suck and I don't buy them even when you get a second one free.

I did a Napa tour on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago with my brother in law. We had great weather and a great time. We went to the smaller boutique wineries and to the Mumm's winery for champagne (er, sparkling wine) tasting. The boutique wineries we visted and liked were Miner Family Wines on the Silverado Trail and Joseph Phelps up the same road. Mumms was also great and is between Miner Family and Joseph Phelps. We also tasted wines at Merryvale on Hwy 29 just below St. Helena. You can get a nice map of Napa wineries for $2 in the bookstore just off the main in St. Helena. We ate at Bouchon Bistro in Yountville. It was a good meal, $28 for a steak with fries. Bouchon Bakery is right next to it. The little chocolate bouchons are excellent. Our last tasting was at Cliff Ledge, in Yountville between the Silverado trail and Hwy 29. Goosecross, Trefethen, and Sinskey wineries were also on our list but we didn't make it to them. You generally pay $10 or $15 to taste 6 wines. Phelps charges $20. Mumms was $10 for three ice cold flutes of champagne.

--Bacon as a burger topping--with swiss or cheddar cheese, sauteed onions, and mushrooms. --Bacon added to pasta with white sauce--saute chopped onion and halved garlic cloves in butter over low heat, raise heat and add heavy cream and grated parmesan, bring to boil for one to two minutes until thickened. Add cooked pasta and bacon. Stir and serve. Other potential add-ins include asparagus, mushrooms, baked salmon, smoked salmon, peas. --Bacon as a pizza topping.

I was in Portland two weeks ago and had a great dinner at Lucy's Table. Very pleasant space, excellent food, excellent service. Another restaurant I would have tried was 3 Doors Down. I stayed at the Hilton and Higgins was a block away, and looked very good.

Hey Percy, What a coincidence. If I had known you were there, we might have met for breakfast. Anyway, looks like you found some good spots. There are so many great places in S.F. Did you have any particularly good dinners?

That looks lovely! ← That does look nice, legourmet. Very professional looking. Did you make it yourself, or is it a restuarant dessert? Your post didn't make it clear.

I had lunch with a friend at Peking Duck House on Mott St. We both thought it was great. They specialize in Pecking Duck--so the duck, pancakes, plum sauce, and scallions seem to be top quality consistently, and they have the service down to a science. The space was pleasant too. It's elegant, with white tablecloths, nice utensils, china, etc. I thought the price was reasonable. Recommended.

It weren't easy. Here's what the party next to me were having: I also carried away a box of goodies for later consumption--banana cream tart topped with chocolate shavings, frangipane berry tart, and Valrhona chocolate eclair. Low-cal indeed.

Cocktail franks.

Made my first incursion into Tartine Bakery in San Francisco today. Incredible bakery. I chose the eclair. The mastermind behind the operation, Elisabeth Prueitt, owner and chef, was in the kitchen performing a procedure on a bavarian strawberry cake.