ScoopKW

I live on the outskirts of Las Vegas. I can see the city from my kitchen. But the city doesn't really affect me unless I want it to. Anything living around here is living on a diet of kibble, crickets, my vegetable garden, some fruit trees, and drinking from my irrigation system. There isn't anything industrial for at least a few miles -- no commercial buildings, no factories, no nothing. I'm far enough out in the sticks to see roadrunner, fox and rabbits. It's a couple miles to the closest restaurant -- so not even dumpsters. And the soon-to-be-ex-pigeons are so fat they can barely strain themselves up to the top of my roof. Since their water source is my garden (and they have an uncanny ability to time my irrigation schedule), all I need do is plink them from a range of 20 feet with an air rifle. As for "fattening them up" -- done. I have some craptastic neighbors who leave dog kibble out all day. It's so hot the dogs don't want to eat anything. So crickets and pigeons feast on dog food all day. Then they nest on the roof and do their damage. Some of these birds are so fat they can barely fly. I could boil them down for pigeon schmaltz. So, yeah, I'm still up for eating a few. I just want to make sure I don't end up being nominated for the Darwin Awards.

As I've posted elsewhere, my spice collection is really rather embarrassing (age and quality-wise) My Spicy-Dozen are (in order of use): 1) Black Pepper 2) Cumin 3) Dried Basil 4) Bay Leaves 5) Herbs d' Provence 6) Oregano (I like it on panini) 7) Paprika (I have the contents of like four containers blended into one tin, embarrassing.) 8) Curry Powder 9) Saffron 10) Turmeric (almost always in conjunction with #8 and #9) 11) Cardamom (almost always in conjunction with #8) 12) My own ground chili pepper mix (air-dried overage from my garden, usually in conjuction with #2 and #8)

Geekery: 1) I have five or six types of rice at any given time. 2) I can look at a one-pound bag of dried mushrooms for $100 and think, "SCORE!!!!!!!" 3) My "everyday" knives cost more than my first car. 4) I have olive oil from five different countries in my pantry right now. 5) My wife collects aspic molds and has so many cookie molds that a manufacturer called her asking for sales advice and if she wanted to be a regional distributor. 6) I own a commercial panini press that weighs more than my first car. Not-so-much: 1) My spice collection is pretty lame. I grow my favorite herbs. But half the dried spices in my cabinet should really be thrown out. It's rather embarrassing. 2) My wine storage strategy is basically, "First in, first out." I don't have the room, climate, nor inclination to store wine properly. It helps that we both like champagne and young tannic reds.

I make a good beer battered cod. I use draught beer which I purposely over-carbonate the night before. I also put a pinch of double-action baking powder in the batter -- but not too much because otherwise you can taste it. I dredge the fish (cold and DRY) in a seasoned flour/corn starch mix (about 25% corn starch). Then I pat off the excess and dip it in the batter. Then allow the excess batter to drip off and fry. I wouldn't let batter sit around for more than an hour, and I keep it cold. I have no facts to back this up, but in my experience, cold, fresh batter results in a lighter, flakier fry. Now if only I could make an onion ring that is as good....

Hey, we'll be going at the same time -- I assume you'll be there for the holiday? There are great links in the Dining section Here and Here, and I also found this website helpful: http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/search/...ly%20recommends More than one place has said the Peking Duck at Celestial is as good as what can be had in Beijing -- and it's inexpensive. ($10-20 per diner). http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/search?q=peking+duck Here'e another good site: http://www.travelintelligence.com/travel-w...pei-restaurants

Exactly. An exterminator said I had a few options: 1) Let the pigeons ruin my roof and pay $50,000 in a few years to replace it. 2) Let him spray sticky goop on my roof, which would discourage pigeons, but would also be harmful to native birds. 3) Pay $200 each for humane traps, then drive the trapped birds 30 miles from my house to an animal control facility. 4) Buy an air rifle. That thread mizducky mentioned is enough to put me off the idea -- lead and chlamydia are not on my menu. But it seems to me that the pigeons that live in my neighborhood -- eating dog kibble, crickets and drinking from my vegetable garden irrigation system -- aren't much different than the rock doves of Europe. But I certainly don't want to have to explain to my wife how I contracted a sexually transmitted disease from a pigeon. It's a shame I can't send one off for testing.

OK, I'd like to know if there's any compelling reason why I can't shoot the pigeons in my back yard and eat them. They're going to be shot regardless -- they're fouling my tile roof, and there's no ordinance against shooting them where I live. So these suckers are soon to be shuffling off their mortal coil. But I dislike the idea of wantonly killing animals -- even pests. So why not eat them? Pastilla is a delicacy in Morocco -- isn't that just basic urban pigeon, boiled, and made into a pie? First of all, these pigeons are healthy. I know a sick bird when I see one. These pigeons are fat and happy -- living on a diet of inconsiderate neighbors' dog kibble and drinking from my irrigation system. They're desert birds, which means vermin and disease are at a minimum. And I could shoot four a day, easy, for a few months before putting a dent in the population. I'm not at all squeamish about eating them -- I know what crab and lobster eat, and shellfish is still on my menu. So, "ewww gross" factor aside, can anyone provide reason not to clean a few and boil them?

+1 for Les Halles. I've have both Les Halles and Bouchon, and I reach for Les Halles ten times more often. I simply don't have the time to follow TK's instructions to the letter. Tony's shortcuts get me to my destination.

Washington D.C. in the summer? I might have a light beer, too. People pooh-pooh light American lager. But it's absolutely the hardest beer to make. Considering the scrutiny, Bud Light is probably a safe bet. 1) There isn't much alcohol in it, so if the Bahamas decided to invade Florida that afternoon, he'd be good to go as Commander-In-Chief. 2) MillerCoors is run by conservatives. That probably wouldn't work for POTUS. (Yuengling is the same -- a great beer, oldest brewery in America, and Dick Yuengling is a staunch Republican.) 3) Although AB is now owned by a foreign company, it is still a staggeringly popular brand -- here and abroad. And AB employs at lot of Americans and has breweries scattered around the country. Probably a good political choice. 4) Picking a regional beer would invite scrutiny. If he drank Anchor, he'd be labeled as pandering to liberal Californians. If he drank Goose Island, he'd be accused of favoritism. Sam Adams doesn't really help because Massachusetts is going to vote for him anyway. I would have picked Rolling Rock (if I were the presidential beer adviser). It's light. Most people don't know it's owned by AB. And Pennsylvania is always in play, politically.

Here's a link for The Brewmaster's Table: http://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Di...50998723&sr=8-1 One of my real joys is finding the perfect beer to pair with cheese. I like Chimay with Brie, Guinness with a good sharp cheddar, Czech pilsner with raclette, etc. Pairing beer with dessert is also fun, and can bring a few "hopeless wine snobs" around to the wonders of beer. Chocolate and Murphy's Stout. Chocolate and any fruit lambic. Any fruit with a super-hoppy IPA.

I'm lucky enough to live near a Settebello -- I have half a mind to quit my job and beg them for a job just to learn the technique. But as good as they are, they're not as good as Italy. I think the main problem is that their pizza oven isn't 100 years old. (The char on the bottom of their crust doesn't taste the same as the char on the bottom of the crusts in Naples.)

I've been meaning to try Ping Pang Pong. If memory serves, you posted once that your taste leans occidental. I'm planning on taking some Chinese relatives there in the future (if the arrangements can be made). If it pans out, I'll post their opinion for comparison.

You can throw a nickel in Las Vegas and hit someone selling discounted Italian jackets (or an Elvis impersonator). Step 1: Buy $99 jacket. Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit! Seriously, you get a "Vegas jacket" and a meal at Joel Robuchon's for less than $300. Can't really go wrong. Besides, you'll find Las Vegas is a lot more fun if you're well dressed.

Ahhh.... If I lived there, I'd probably have some favorites. Unfortunately, I live in the wasteland that is Las Vegas. I only have three markets that are worth the effort. None of them has salume that is any better than the megamarts. I travel to NorCal to lay in supplies and see raindrops as much as anything else. Buying food is as important to me when I'm there as eating it.

Thanks for the cioppino leads. I'll likely try Tadich next time. I've seen many good reviews. What didn't you like about Molinari's? I thought their salume selection was boffo and inexpensive.

I'll be going to SF later this year. Only my second time, sadly. Why did I wait so long to go there in the first place, I'll never know. On my first trip, my favorite places ended up being: Liguria Bakery on Stockton St. (1700?) for their focaccia. Wow. Just wow. Molinari's Deli -- Santa Maria! What a great Italian deli. As good, if not better, than the delis on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. I'm bringing a freakin' backpack next time so I can load up with salami. Best prices I've seen on dried porcini outside of Italy. Some obscure all-you-can-eat dim sum joint in Chinatown that tried to drum up business with a megaphone and a looped cassette tape. "Delicious Chinee food. Five dollah." My wife and I still laugh about that. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it was definitely "Jewish" Chinese food as opposed to authentic Chinese. But I don't have a problem with Jewish-Chinese any more than I have a problem with Italian-American cuisine. (Some times spaghetti with two big horkin' meatballs and a zippy red zinfandel is exactly the right meal.) What I couldn't find was a decent place for cioppino. Is it that cioppino is only for the tourists? Or was I just looking in the wrong places? (I spent five minutes total at Fisherman's Wharf. I know a tourist trap when I see one.) The restaurants in the North Beach area either 1) Didn't have it on the menu; or 2) Were filled with mostly tourists. Any ideas? Also -- and I know this is asking a lot -- any advice on other places to try based on my new-found love of Liguria, Molinari's and that dim-sum joint? Or have I already found the best stuff? Thanks!

Hey, I want in on this "where to eat in Phoenix" thread, too. What's your take on Cooperstown? I realize this is not fine dining. But how about it as an "Only in America" experience? Does Alice care enough about his customers to put some quality in the kitchen? Or is it another Margaritaville?

I'm still a fan of Sterling Brunch. (I've had the Bellagio buffet, but not Wynn yet.) I haven't experienced your service problems there (and I've been roughly six times this year.) They pour Mumm champagne, the caviar is good, Key West peel and eat shrimp, good oysters, (small but tasty) Maine Lobster and all the other essentials. Every time I've dined there, I've gotten considerably more than my $80 worth. Then again, I'm fairly well known to the staff, so that might make a difference. Sorry for the double post -- I should have multi-quoted.

I thought Settebello opened another place at the district. I didn't know they closed their original location. Oh well...

In no particular order: 1) Pizza at Spago (Caesar's Palace Forum Shops) 2) The In-N-Out Burger at Tropicana and Dean Martin. 3) Binion's Ranch Steakhouse (quintessential old Vegas menu and prices). 4) The 24-hour $5 chicken-fried steak special at Longhorn Casino, Harmon and Boulder Highway. 5) The 777 Microbrewery at Main Street Station, Fremont. 6) The $2 shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate, Fremont. 7) Any Roberto's for their Mexican food. (They're all over the place.) 8) Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas, Paradise and Flamingo 9) Studio B Buffet at M Resort (way way South Las Vegas Blvd.) 10) Spend the $80 per person for Sterling Brunch at Bally's (The Strip, Sunday only) 11) Stock up on "in-room noshes" at International Market, Tropicana and Decatur (best foodie market in the valley). 12) Amazing pizza at Settebello, 1776 W Horizon Ridge, Henderson. (Certified by the Naples Pizza Cartel -- I don't know the name of the group. But only a dozen or so pizzerias in the US have this certification.) 13) After Settebello, go to the market next door, one of the few places in the US where you can get real Iberian jamon. (Health food? In Vegas? It might exist, but I don't know where.)

I'd give Il Mulino an edge for the food, but B&B has a serious advantage on wine. Either way, it'll be a great meal.

I've been. The sashimi was absolutely first rate, as was everything else. I love the fact that they pour free Warsteiner beer (and some cheap wine that I didn't really care for - YMMV). I will be going back. The only better buffet in Las Vegas is Bally's Sterling Brunch. And that's three times the cost. As with all Las Vegas casino buffets, the quality is always best when they first open. They're trying to lasso in all the local gamblers. After a few months, quality will go down a bit. It's just the way of things here.

I just ordered McGee's and Peterson's based on the comments on this thread. I'm surprised Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook hasn't been mentioned. I really like the no-nonsense, "here's how you get the #$%ing job done" attitude. Reading this makes you feel like you're working for an unhappy, hung-over Tony.

Since you seem to go to LV often, please do yourself a favor and check downtown out. Scoop's Freemont St. Experience checklist: 1) Take the Deuce from the strip or drive and park at the Plaza (Plaza is the best bet because there are no tickets to validate. All-day/all-night free parking.) 2) Eat a $1 shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate (you have to sign up for their player's club or it's $2.) I go often enough to warrant spending 15 min. in line to get the card. 3) Walk 500 ft. down Main to Main St. Station and have one or two microbrews. 4) (optional) Time for another Shrimp Cocktail, right? 5) (If at Fremont near Lunch time) -- Plaza is the least expensive at $7.77 all day. If you can find a piece of rare salt-crusted roast beef, that alone is worth it. Plaza also offers decent fried chicken and a smattering of Chinese noodle dishes. I stick to the beef and chicken. The soft-serve ice cream at this buffet is better than most. Main St. Station also has a good buffet, and has the added bonus of being close to their brewery. 2-for-1 buffet coupons for Main St. abound. You can find them nearly anywhere. (The tourist info booth at the Pioneer is helpful for discount coupons. Be sure to tip the coupon dude.) 6) There are $1 margaritas all day at the Fremont (it's the ghastly orange and purple casino in the middle.) 7) After dark, you have the world's largest TV (4 acres of lights) doing light shows that seem to focus entirely on fighter jets. 8) Binion's Ranch Steakhouse for dinner. Get a south-facing table. Don't expect much from the winelist except low prices. The list is populated with K-J and Mondavi budget wines. It's refreshing, though, to find a place where the most expensive glass of wine is nine bucks. You can't go wrong with any beef dish (all USDA prime). The two-pound chicken fried lobster is rightly famous. Fremont has a partly-deserved reputation as being the redneck retreat of Las Vegas (because of the bargain-basement hotel room prices). But for me there's nothing like it. It has that "Shook Sinatra's Hand" vibe that the strip lacks. If you go on a good day, you'll have a great time. A bad day is when there's a convention of Larry the Cable Guy impersonators staying at Fitzgerald's and a convention of wheelchair-bound emphasemics at the Four Queens. Best time to start your Fremont crawl is an hour or two before dusk. It takes about 4 hours (minus whatever gambling you want to do) to see Fremont properly.

Physical distance. I'll have to give Austin's a try. It's near my aunt's house. I'll do a side-by-side to Binion's, which is currently my favorite "value-priced" steakhouse. Binion's has it's faults (most of the side dishes are mediocre). But the steaks are excellent. edit: quote glitch