markemorse

Cracked Szechwan peppercorns? You know, b/c you always put cracked pepper on your bacon and eggs...I was thinking of that with the bacon, don't know how it'd be with the raw egg element. I always like a tiny bit of sweetness with my smoked pork and eggs, maybe a drop of ketjap manis on top? Or sambal badjak, oelek even? mem

Sorry, that was a really terribly worded sentence by me. What I meant to say was: I thought that the difficulty of finding a canned soup without MSG was a European problem, since (as you said, Sandy) Americans seem to be more conflicted about it. I'm still not sure that I'm making sense, but Sandy what you said was right either way. mark

Hey LB, Thanks. I'm actually a fan of MSG in some foods: Doritos (if Doritos can be considered "food"), and the processed fish salads over here (salmon, crab, eel)...it has a really specific taste that I crave sometimes, especially during a hangover, don't know why. Anyway, I just don't really love it in my chicken soup. . And I thought that my careful searching over here for canned soups without MSG was maybe a European quirk...guess not. mark

Thank you, that's what I was a-wonderin', since I believe at the time (let's say 60s and 70s) MSG was thought of as "that stuff in Chinese food", I was wondering if it was actually under our noses the whole time, we just weren't reading nutritional info back then. You know? Anyway, thanks for attempting to answer the actual question. mem

Thanks again. Do you have idea how long the commercial variety has been listed as an ingredient in Campbell's Soups?

Thanks. By "from the lab", I mean MSG produced in enormous quantities under controlled conditions for use in the mass production of manufactured foods.

Hi all, I was in America for awhile last month and ended up with a hellacious stomach flu. When I was on the mend, my sweet darling wife tried to go get me Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, just like mom used to. We both frowned when we saw that it (and every other Campbell soup we saw) had MSG in it. Does anyone know if this has always been the case? I'm not anti-MSG, just wondrin' if that "home-cooked flavor" always came from the lab. Thanks! mark

Actually, we do this a lot, mostly pine nuts and pistachios, and the oven works much better than the skillet, in terms of controlling an even browning. It's possible to sear first, then coat and bake for 8-10 minutes, but I've also skipped searing, just coated with nuts and baked for 15-20. Seems like we do it at 175-200C. good luck, mark

OK, OK, last question....has anyone ever done a tasting menu at Escopazzo? thx mark

ChefAZ: Went by OLA today....or where I thought OLA was. It's not at the Savoy anymore, and the only other location they knew about was in Coral Gables. Do you know of another South Beach location for OLA? thx mark

chefAZ: thanks a bunch for the new recs, I'd heard great things about Michy's and Casa Tua... markk: cabs are an option, but i'd like to keep them to a minimum.... thanks again, mark

Hope this isn't gratuitous, but after some research I wanted to see if anybody had any "yes, definitely"s or "do NOT go there"s for my current list of potentials, such as it is. Pretty tough going so far, I've mostly ended up with old favorites: Nicer: Nemo Wish Escopazzo Less So: Talula Tap Tap Doraku Front Porch News Cafe Chalan's on the Beach Could stand a couple more in the "Nicer" category, requirements are: dining at the bar, a front of the house that cares if you come back, and non-pedestrian food. thanks for any input. mark

I'll give this a lil' New Year's bump...we're heading to South Beach and points south for two weeks on Saturday. We used to spend quite a bit of time in South Beach but haven't been in 5 years or so. This time around it's proving unusually difficult to find consistent reviews of non-silly SoBe eateries. In the past, we've had great repeat eating/hanging out experiences at Wish, Tap Tap, Nemo, News Cafe, and Pacific Time...but as I said it's been 5 years and I'm sure things have changed (a la Mark's on South Beach, where we had a truly fantastic meal back in 2001...too bad it seems to have fallen apart), particularly in the areas of fresh fish, Cuban, and sushi are welcome (I've seen this thread on Cuban recs). We will not have a car. Thanks! ETA: By the way, I've found this Google Maps app very helpful. Thought I'd share: Click. mark

Wow beautiful smashed caramel photo, looks like the front door of our apartment building as of this morning. Is there anywhere in Amsterdam to buy these beauties freshly made? I don't think I've seen them at either Holtkamp or Unlimited Delicious.... mem

Has anyone been to Pazzo L'Epicerie du Cirque Ferrier 30 O'Kontreir Just checking, these are some recommendations from a previously untested source. And is hertenkalf really what I think it is? Bambi, no! thanks! mark

Just wanted to contribute another "introduction to smen" experience: I just returned from my Turkish grocer downstairs who also sells lots of Moroccan foodstuffs...I picked up some smen since my most recent Moroccan cookbook purchase lists it frequently as an ingredient. It's...interesting. Definitely stinky (my wife just called down from upstairs "smells like burnt blue cheese"). A slightly bitter aftertaste. But not rancid, as in bad. I'm also interested in these smen recipes mentioned above. I'll post one of my adaptations out of this Moroccan book as soon as I get around to cooking one. mem

Yeah...good question. Somehwhere where it's OK if you're just there for a little food, or just to drink. Where you can eat at the bar if you want to... mem

Hey Paul, Fantastic, thanks a bunch for doing this. Turns out she may not get to Brussels this week, only Antwerp, but I'm sure we'll make it to Brussels soon..... mark

Thanks, perfect...she'd already had her beady little eyes on 't Pakhuis, but was a little distracted by the appetizer prices (10 euro for a shrimp croquette?)....is the food worth it? And resto.be initially looks really helpful but the website is a bit user-unfriendly...but we're working through it... thanks again, mark (+ mara)

Hiya, There are a couple of pretty old threads about eating in Antwerp, and the Brussels threads I've seen seem to focus on more upscale stuff...I'm wondering if anyone has some good updated bar/bistro type recommendations for these cities. My wife will be in Antwerp for sure and maybe Brussels within the next two weeks, staying for a couple nights each. Anyway, whatever you've got, we're all ears. Also any unmissable street food that we don't see over here in Nederland... Thanks! mark

Just a bump for this thread to ask Paul if he's updated this list somewhere recently. My wife will be going to Brussels and Antwerp next week or so and is looking for eating recommendations. She's less interested in Michelin stars than in fantastic informal dining, but we'd love to see whatever updates you've got if any. thanks! mark

and now I am torn, b/c this post of course makes me need a piece of banket, but i have no good bakery with non-disruptive walking/cycling distance. OK, there's one that's 5 minutes away by bike but I am having morning coffee and it is nas-ty outside and I would really prefer to dash downstairs and get one. but all i have downstairs is the grocery-store version (Dirk). which would probably not be good enough at the moment. it's my fault...should not read this thread until i'm actually prepared to leave the house! mem

I'm going to heartily second that...there's a superb Eritrean restaurant across the street from one of my workplaces (Abyssinia, Jan Pieter Heijestraat 190hs), and every time I eat there I'm just amazed that there's a cuisine that's so interesting and yet i'm still so unfamiliar with the mechanics of cooking it. I would really suggest an eGullet cookoff of an injera-based dish, but it's one of those kitchens that seems to resist popular adoption. Maybe the sourcing of teff is an issue. And good recipes. Still, maybe I'll give it a go this winter...I have some Dutch friends who spend a lot of time in Ethiopia/Eritrea and this cuisine is what they cook most of the time, they've gotten amazingly good at it.

mark, where in Amsterdam did you get the truffle, and was it good? Sorry, I meant to PM you this based on our earlier trufflehunting conversation... And I must simultaneously reveal that these were purchased ravioli, from Italian import store Pasta Panini (Rozengracht 82)...they have a freezer downstairs in the back with 6-10 fresh ravioli varieties. The truffle ones have a light blue ribbon tying it shut (there's not always a sign for them)...this is my 3rd time buying them, they remind me very much of winter in Italy. I think they're very nice, a good honest truffle taste/scent. mem

Hey guys, thanks for the enchilada suggestions. mrbigjas: i have a similar experience almost every time i use winter squash in Mexican cooking, it seems like it's going to be completely uninteresting or even wrong, and once it hangs out with black beans or chipotle or cilantro (or a sheep/goat cheese) for awhile it's a different story. dockhl: looks good! will give it a try at some point, but i think for this dinner will go a little more obviously mexican since that was the request (and it's a rarity here). not like anyone would know broccoli wasn't traditionally mexican... (actually there was a pre-Hispanic vegetable in mexico called huauzontle that was broccoli-like and mashed into fritters with queso to bind....) eje: chayote is a great idea, it never occurs to me b/c they're not in my face all the time. diana kennedy also has a recipe for stuffed chayotes that would probably work nicely as enchilada components: chayote, zucchini, mushrooms, pepitas, ancho, cumin, garlic, and queso fresco. Probably with a green sauce. OK, looks like black beans n winter squash is it. Maybe I'll even get to take pictures since the camera is back in the house..... mark