ChocoKitty

Here's an example they gave: Cheese ravioli with garlic, olive oil and sage • Cost: $17.18 per person • Restaurant price: $13, La Pastaia, San Jose • Time: 2 hours • Biggest hassle: The shopping. We had to visit three supermarkets before we found fresh sage. • Comment: It is a lot cheaper to make this dish if you have olive oil on hand (We spent $13.99 on fancy olive oil the owner of our local cheese shop recommended. He also convinced us to buy the "red cow" parmesan for $6.52.) ---- The context was how people can't afford to eat at home. They also mentioned how today's 20 and 30-somethings are trying to save money by learning how to cook, but find that it's costing them more money than eating out. Not that I think the article is credible at all. I just think it's an interesting look at how the WSJ (and the people they interviewed) perceive cooking in general.

I don't have a link, but has anyone read a recent Wall Street Journal article claiming that it costs more to cook at home than to eat out? One example they gave claimed that it cost $30(!) to make a blueberry pie from scratch. They paid $15 for out-of-season blueberries. You can take it from there. Sheesh, the WSJ just lost a ton of credibility in my eyes right there....

For absolute beginners, I like "How to Grill" by Steven Raichlen. The book helped me navigate my new grill, and now I feel reasonably comfortable around it. The recipes are very simple and the book is more focused on techniques rather than just recipes.

Weird trend -- Grape Nuts is my favorite cereal too! Either with raisins and a little honey, or with sliced bananas. Any time, day or night. I craved the stuff during my unsuccesful attempt at training for a marathon. Oh, and homemade granola. Preferably in a parfait with vanilla yogurt and fresh berries.

I will never again....puree hot soup by filling a blender over 2/3 full and closing the top without leaving a vent.

Didn't the definitional question of gelato vs. ice cream come up on The Splendid Table recently (like 2 weeks ago)? IIRC, the higher proportion of milk was one difference. The other was the temperature at which it's served: gelato is served at a higher temperature than ice cream, and therefore it melts on your tongue immediately to deliver that intense flavor. Ms. Kasper went so far to say that places that serve gelato at ice cream temperatures are missing the point. Again, this is just from memory....

Any input on how much food science knowledge a food writer (ok, restaurant reviewer) should have? After reading in a local restaurant review that a restaurant boiled melted butter to "reduce its fat content", I wonder....

Eggs Benedict at Cricketwood B&B in Bend, OR. I know, I know, it's not a restaurant, but it's one of the few times I've ever eaten out and thought about the food months later. The hosts there are *incredible* home cooks (and they cook a mean Thai-themed dinner too -- yes, they cook dinner for you as well). When in Bend, GO THERE! You can help them feed their chickens too. http://www.cricketwood.com

Ok, that helps! There's a Blue Nile in Ferndale. There's also a relatively new restaurant called Assaggi Mediterranean Bistro there. I haven't been there, but I've heard good things about the place. Also, some less adventurous eaters I know pronounced the food at Assaggi "a little weird", so it will probably be a good place for folks like us! ;) I'm so glad mlpc brought up Five Lakes. I wasn't sure if you would be heading out in that direction because the place is literally not near *anything*! Yes, you have to aim for the place, but the food is worth it. For A2 restaurant reviews, check out http://www.arborfood.com. Also, http://www.metrotimes.com (our alternative weekly) has a good database with restaurant reviews, although I don't always agree with the opinions there (ah, who does?) Good luck, and let us know where you end up eating!

*snore* -- looks like you've been recommended "the usual suspects". Beverly Hills Grill is way overrated, I think. Rattlesnake Club and the Whitney are in Detroit proper, about an hour from A2. Tribute is closer to A2, in Farmington Hills. I can give you directions if you need them. For sushi, there have been sushi places popping up all over the area like mushrooms. Noble Fish in Clawson is good and cheap, but you'll have to carry out. The local Japanese community tends to congregate at Musashi in Southfield and Sharaku in West Bloomfield. Make sure you know whether you want to visit A2, Detroit, or the suburbs -- everything is really spread out, so you probably will not be able to cover that big of a geographic region. Do you have your itinerary already? Are you visiting A2 for any special reason? (game, checking out the U-M, etc.?) If you're going to be in Ann Arbor, there are a few other places you should check out: Zydeco (decent Cajun food -- make sure you order the bread pudding for dessert) Ali Baba's (a cheap Middle Eastern restaurant near the law school) Zingerman's (a legend. Go there to browse and drool. The sandwiches are a bit too pricey, IMHO, but definitely buy some bread and sample the cheeses) Blue Nile (Ethiopian) BTW, mlpc, sorry I didn't answer all your questions! I tend to be on the stingy side, and after one too many times of being disappointed by an expensive meal, I decided to focus more on my home cooking instead. Gotta run. Happy eating!

Well said, Tony. I agree, that kind of behavior sounds like workplace bullying to me. Sad to say, restaurants are not the only place where this sort of thing is tolerated and even encouraged. There are quite a few law firms that have yellers, screamers, mind f*ckers, and all sorts of other miscreants. I worked at one firm where one of the partners was famous for throwing things at you when he got mad. The excuses that chefs give for behaving like idiots are exactly the same ones that I've heard from some lawyers (especially litigators) about managing their law firms. Same crap, different setting. So no, chefs are not the only ones who behave badly in the workplace. Far, far, far from it. One of these days, these *cough* "managers" will learn that bullying is no way to motivate people. Just type "workplace bullying" in Google and you'll pull up a whole bunch of interesting stuff.

mlpc, first let me say "thank you" for providing so much information from your vantage point! I have to agree with you on Ric Bohy -- I think he consistently provides detailed, insightful reviews (I'm sure it helps that he's the editor of the magazine and can therefore devote more space than most to covering food). Here are links to the food sections of the two major papers. Steve, I'd be interested to see what your opinion of these are and where they could improve. I may pitch an idea or two to them in the near future: Detroit News Detroit Free Press I really can't add to mlpc's excellent comments. When I read the Free Press's section on the 10 best restaurants in the Detroit area, I was shaking my head. Aside from Tribute, all of the other restaurants sounded the same. Even the pictures looked the same -- how many fanned-out racks of lamb can I look at, anyway? As far as food writing outside of restaurant reviews (after reading what the Detroit-area has to offer, you'd think that food writing = restaurant reviews), the major papers rely on what comes over the wires, as mlpc has pointed out, and the alternative weeklies (there are two) don't even bother with it. mlpc, what would YOU (and others in your industry) like to see more of?

I have to agree with you on your assessment of the Detroit restaurant scene (that's probably another reason why I don't eat out much). For good food, I find myself driving across the river to Windsor! Do you think the state of dining in the Detroit area will improve say, in the next 10 years? And why do you think that this area is behind the times when it comes to food trends? Is it chef-driven, customer driven, food media (such as it is) driven? And is NOT following trends such a bad thing? (sorry, I think too much!). What would you like to see more/less of? Thanks for the reminder about Jan Longone. She had sent me her catalog, and I was just floored at the depth and breadth of her collection. She admits she's a bit short on stuff from the mid-20th century on, but I hope that that changes soon as well. Glad to see you on the boards!

I must admit (with some embarassment) that I don't frequent fine dining establishments much, so I haven't been to Tribute (although I do want to go) or The Lark (which is 2 miles from my home!) or many of the other famous places around here. If/when I do, I'll definitely post a report. Zingerman's!! I went to U-M, and Zingerman's was my "happy place". I could spend hours there! The great thing is that Zingerman's bread is now being sold in stores located in metro Detroit proper. If you're ever in the area, go to Holiday Market in Royal Oak. Their motto is "If we don't have it, you don't need it, but if you need it, we can get it." They have the finest meat selection I've seen anywhere, and they have an outstanding bakery (complete with bread from Zingerman's as well as their own creations). It also seems to be the only place within a 20 mile radius of my home that sells prosciutto (!). Within the next month or two I may be moving to a new home right across the street from Holiday Market. How's that for nuts?

I think it can, but I say that with reservation because the book does assume that the reader has some basic experience following recipes. The recipe directions tend to be on the brief side, which may not be appropriate for an absolute beginner working alone in the kitchen. If that beginner also has someone nearby for answering questions like "how do I peel an onion?", then I think this book is a good reference tool. I'm flipping through the book again right now and I'm still delighted at how many topics it covers in such a small space. For someone who wants to take their cooking to the next level (or just gain more knowledge about the food their eating), this book is a great choice. My one beef with the book: there is no recipe for "Phad Thai With Ginger Marinated Beef", which was enticingly shown in the photographs.

I've had this book for several years -- it's great! As Jinmyo noted, you need to get past some of the cutesy prose (and the cutesy cartoon drawings), but it really does have good, solid info and recipes.

Is anyone here from the Metro Detroit area? I'm curious to see what people think about how food trends from the coast filter into the Midwest, and into Michigan specifically. Any thoughts/observations? Also, with respect to Detroit in particular, I'm intrigued how there are a number of high-end restaurants (e.g., Cuisine, Rattlesnake Club) plopped into a city that is essentially a war zone. I've heard more than one media commentator call the city "Beirut". The contrast just strikes me as a bit strange, even surreal. I drove by Duet a few weeks ago, and it's this shining little beacon among boarded-up buildings. I suppose it's no less strange than seeing the much-praised Tribute nestled between a gas station and a Quality Inn right off the interstate in a bedroom suburb. I drove by it for years before even noticing it was there! Also, are there any other urban areas where this strange dichotomy of great food/bad location appears? I'm sure there are plenty, but I'm curious to see some more examples. But then, maybe Detroit IS as awful as its image!

Does it have something to do with the relative concentration of the salt inside the meat's cells vs. outside the cells? It seems to me that nature would want to equalize the salt concentration on either side of the cell wall, so during the brining process the cells draw in the brining solution (and the flavor) while kicking out some of the existing plain water inside the cell until the salt concentration is the same both inside and outside the cell. At least that's my theory (no, I haven't read McGee yet! Does he discuss brining?). Now please excuse me as I continue licking the screen. *drool drool*. I ADORE bbq ribs.....

Steve's latest post reminds me of a situation here in the Detroit area: the editor-in-chief of our local glossy magazine is also the restaurant critic and head food writer. Restaurants do advertise in the magazine. Would this raise a conflict of interest issue as well?

Oh my goodness, this is bringing back memories of some legal research I did a while back for Coalition for Free Trade (http://www.coalitionft.org). Forgive me if I ramble (I'm trying to keep this short) and/or make a few mistakes -- I'm doing this off the top of my head. The 21st Amendment delegates alcohol regulation to the states. The Commerce Clause in the Constitution delegates to Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. BUT (very big BUT) states are NOT allowed to enact laws that conflict with the Constitution and federal laws (because the Supremacy Clause makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to state laws). So in this case, even if Congress remains absolutely silent on the direct shipping issue, the theory goes that state restrictions on direct shipping violate the Commerce Clause and are therefore unconstitutional. However, the states argue that the 21st Amendment delegated ALL authority to regulate alcohol purchases within its borders. So the conflict lies in the question: does the Commerce Clause trump the 21st Amendment? I'm inclined to say "yes" because of the Supremacy Clause. But, as with most things, the arguments are pretty close and I could probably argue either side with a straight face. Besides the 21st amendment/commerce clause conflict, some states have a little twist: they allow in-state shipments of alcohol (e.g., you can have shipments from local wineries delivered to your home), but not out-of-state shipments. In that case, it's clearer that the states are violating the commerce clause because they're protecting in-state interests at the expense of free commerce between the states. These laws have some funny consequences: I recall that the governor of MD had made a bet with the governor of CA over a Super Bowl playoff game a while back. MD gov. had signed a law prohibiting direct shipping and had been rather outspoken on the issue. Well, the bet was that if the Ravens won the playoff game, the CA gov. would send him a case of CA wine. The Ravens won, and then MD gov. found that he couldn't get his wine because of his own law! Does anyone else remember this story? You can also check out: http://www.wineinstitute.org to get more info and updates. The goal of the wine industry is to get conflicting decisions from different courts, forcing the Supreme Court to resolve the conflict. It will be a long road. A view from the other side: Americans for Responsible Alcohol Access. http://www.araa.org/ Strangely, the ARAA was founded by the wholesalers' lobby and MADD. I think they had a falling out a year or two later, though. My personal experience: Michigan prohibits direct shipping, so I have wine shipped to a friend in Illinois, drive over to Illinois to pick the wine up, and then drive it back. What fun!

Fat? Me? Hardly. Obviously you haven't seen me in a leather....uh....scratch that. Wouldn't want to be starting any scandalous rumors! The unique thing is that most (all?) of us on this thread have kept the weight off for long periods of time. THAT'S the test for success. I think that qualifies us to at least share what's worked in our fat battle.....

Ron gave fabulous advice. Don't "diet" -- instead, focus on incorporating healthy lifestyle habits. Diets don't work anyway, and for a food lover, they're intolerable! I lost 25 lbs 12 years ago and have managed to keep it off, plus or minus five pounds, the entire time. Exercise was the key missing ingredient for me. In the past 6 years or so, I stopped viewing exercise as "exercise" and more as a sport. I signed up for short triathlons, and more recently I've gotten more into long-distance running (incorporating weights as a cross-training activity). And lo and behold, even more fat came off, even as I was eating pretty much what I wanted on the weekends. It will be easier to keep the fat off if you do both cardio AND weights. Weights builds more fat-burning muscle, and cardio helps rev up the fat-burning enzymes in those muscles. Before people start thinking I'm some sort of jock, I have to point out that I was the one who was ALWAYS chosen last for gym class! If you're at all interested in starting running, "The Penguin Chronicles" by John Bingham is a good inspirational book for beginners. Another tweak I'm starting to incorporate in my diet: soup. Crescent Dragonwagon has a great idea in her book "Soup and Bread" on turning any combination of vegetables into a base soup, then measuring out portions of protein, fat, and starch choices to add to the soup to create a meal. I'm not explaining it particularly well (I need more coffee), but the premise involves turning "free" vegetables into something really delicious rather than just steaming them into a ho-hum side dish. It's great for most weekdays and allows me to splurge on rich food without guilt on the other days. Best of all, I still feel like I'm pampering myself even though I'm eating lightly. A French-inspired vegetable soup, a hunk of baguette, a small piece of rich cheese, and fruit for dessert -- I don't think "I'm dieting". I think "ahhhhh......". Best of luck. Interesting (and important!) topic!

I hear ya on that one. I especially despise s/he. How would someone pronounce that? While they're at it, they might as well write s/he/it.

At the risk of sounding like a blowhard, I think part of the problem is whether there's copyright protection for *dishes* as opposed to the recipes themselves. Those are two different expressions of an idea and therefore correspond to two different rights (for example, sheet music and the performance of the music on that sheet are two separate rights). I think we agree that printed recipes (like sheet music) is copyrightable. But the problem comes when we look at the dish created using that recipe. I don't know whether dishes CAN be copyrighted. If not, then no legal protection can be extended to that dish. So if a copying chef works backwards from a dish seen elsewhere (like reverse engineering) without making a copy of the recipe itself, that's OK legally. Now if a chef wants to patent a dish (and it passes all the tests of novelty, non-obviousness, etc.), reverse engineering that dish is *not* OK. But again, we're talking different types of legal protection. Ugh, now my head hurts...

But wasn't it Picasso (or some other great artist) who said, "Good artists copy, great artists steal"? Steve: I've been following the "food critics" thread with great interest, but I must admit that I'm still working through my own issues re: the roles and obligations of a food writer. After reading the book "Dining Out" and comparing the methods of different critics and writers (e.g., writers who dine "anonymously" vs. writers who dine publicly a la John Mariani), I'm still mulling. Meeting some critics last month at Greenbrier, including Michael Bauer, hasn't helped clarify things in my mind. I'm tempted to just accept the fact that there are no easy answers and plod along (or flail about!) in my writing the best I can, committing myself to careful research and using my conscience as the final guide.