Matcha Eyes

I don't understand the hate for Marcel either. Yes, he's arrogant but so are a lot of other people in the business. You have to be more than just confident to make it big. I admire him for just standing there and letting Betty throw her temper tantrums.

I have to wonder if Tyler's work with Sandra isn't part of a contract clause from the Food Network. Although he might not really care much for Sandra's work, he still might be required to help promote whatever projects she might be working on.

While working in a cheesecake bakery one summer, I had to make a pastry dough in a massive Hobart mixer. The dough had to be loaded into big buckets for storage and the only way to get this really dense dough out of the bowl was to do it with my hands. One morning I was feeling pretty weak, but still felt determined to pull out more dough than I can handle. I don't even weigh 100 lbs. so I obviously lost the fight with the dough, fell head-first into the mixing bowl and had to have the other employees help scoop me out of there.

I love the Nino Salvaggio store here in metro-Detroit. They built a rather large, elegant looking store by us right after I moved back to America. I was nearly brought to tears strolling down the isles for the first time. All my favorite foods from Europe were there, along with lots of new and exotic things to try. I love my big super center Meijer, but this store has all the really fun things like an olive bar, cheese bar, fine wines(the gentleman working the wine section is sooooo helpful). I could go on forever. While I'm sure it's nothing compared to places in New York City, it does the trick for me until I can travel again.

I missed a big chunk of this week's episode, but I think the whole situation was handled the way it was purely for dramatic purposes. Whether you liked the outcome or not, it sparked emotions. I think I'm the odd one on this board because I have to say I am really enjoying this show. I did not see last season unfortunately, but this is probably the first reality show I have ever enjoyed. Hopefully not all chefs behave like the contestants do, but the show is definitely solidifying my decision to be a baker and not a chef.

Gariotin, yes you are right! It is Montchevre. Thank you so very much!

Until any of those desserts do not contain any calories, my innermost wish will never be fullfilled.

I haven't experienced many cheese plates, but the few I have seen had goat cheese with cinnamon and cranberries in it. I loved that cheese so much that i would splurge on a log of it every week at the store. Now I can't find it anymore. Has anyone out there seen this piece of heaven lately?

I love my mom's homemade cranberry relish, but only in moderation. To be honest, there really aren't any foods that appeal to me much anymore around the holidays. But I think I really enjoy the sense of togetherness that I get when cooking with my parents. My dad is great when it comes to roasting the turkey and he is the only other person I know that appreciates the culinary arts. The day after Thanksgiving is the day that my mom and I go on a 14 hour Christmas cookie baking marathon. It has always been a way for me to bond with her and I missed it dearly when I was away in Germany. I have since developed my own cookie baking skills that have probably moved beyond the basic Nestle and Pillsbury baking books from the supermarket checkout line. However, there is something about baking the Russian Teacakes with Mom that is a lot more special than making sugar cookies by myself.

Someone already mentioned macaroni and cheese with Spam. We ate that a lot growing up poor, but something about the boxed mac n' cheese I just find wonderful. I haven't indulged in that meal in a while though. And Boo Berry... best.cereal.ever.

I've been seeing things about the CR diet for years and I'm still not convinced it's all too different from anorexia. In my most extreme days with my eating disorder, I weigh everything in a desparate attempt to make my pathetic meals "nutritionally balanced". Yeah, I've moved up from 700 calories to 1,300 calories a day but it still leaves you feeling misrable and preoccupied with food and calories... often dreaming of eating what everybody else is. Hopefully most people won't take the calorie restriction thing too seriously and enjoy life and food.

I prefer DD because my they seem to feed my fetish for foods covered in colorful sprinkles. My nephew and I will walk up to DD sometimes and buy a bag of the frosted, sprinkled donuts and just eat the pretty part. Seems like a waste, but I guess donuts just don't do it for me. Unless we are talking about the hot, fresh donuts from the local cider mill along with a chilled cup of apple cider to go with it.

This is a pot/kettle moment... but you all are too judgemental

My sister and her husband live in Grosse Pointe and always recomend Lucy's Tavern. Fishbone's in St. Clair Shores also has a really diverse menu as well.

While I respect Ephron's opinion, coming from someone that has never experienced service at one of those fine restaurants, I have to sort of disagree with her maybe. If a server were to be waiting on me hand and foot like some of the descriptions I have read, I think I would feel like a queen. I remember dining on a cruise ship once and thinking how honored I felt when they pushed my seat in for me so I wouldn't have to re-adjust my dress. For me, I consider service to be absolutely wonderful when special requests such as having something on the side be honored.

Maybe I'm taking that article the wrong way... and then again maybe I'm just Heartland trash too(lol). But anyway, I find the article rather insulting. Sometimes those main grocery stores are all you have, some neighborhoods around here don't even have that. To be honest, you can find really great food at a lot of ordinary grocery stores. I know I do because I buy mainly non-processed foods(fresh fruits, veggies, lean protein). Just because Whole Foods sells overpriced cookies doesn't change the fact that in itself it is just crap for your body. And while I lived in Berlin I enjoyed my Leibnitz cookies, I also missed my Chewy Chips Ahoy. Those were one of those low-quality items that I was raised with and they will always have a place in my heart. I guess beyond my senseless ranting here, my point is, is that this article just doesn't seem to be anything more than snobbery.

I'm not much of a fries kind of girl, but this thread brings me back to my days living in Berlin, Germany. They sold ketchup and mayo mixed together in those tubes that look like toothpaste tubes. When you squirted it out, the ketchup and mayo came out in alternating stripes. It looked rediculous and because I really dislike mayo, it also looked quite vile too.

I love his show. He seems like a great person. And for some reason I find him kind of cute too

Diet coke and a chocolate bar... yum. That is actually one my favorite snacks. Well, not a snack. That is actually my dinner most nights.

A lot of places have "Best of..." things. Several local newspapers here run polls every year for the best restaurant, bar, pub, etc. Some look for the best 3, some look for the best in a certain county. In a way, it can't be bad if it maybe helps promote local businesses.

I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I think pride somehow plays a part in what some people consider to be the best. For example, Texas is obviously huge and so people may say a local place has the best bbq. If you were to disagree, they may see it as an insult to their town. Another example is how I love Faygo pop so much. But I think some of my love for it can be explained by the fact that it is a Detroit staple. To someone from outside the region, it may just taste like ordinary soda pop and probably not as good as Coke or Pepsi.

I loved this show. Duff is so cool. He has a neat sense of humor and I like his style. He makes me want to continue going to school for baking.

Out of curiosity, has anyone here been to Il Posto? I recently looked through an old issue of Hour magazine and saw it listed as 2006 Restaurant of the year. Is it really as great as the magazine makes it out to be?

Sadly Macomb County still is a restaurant wasteland. This county was built for the suburban strip-mall way of life. I remember the first and only time I dined at Andiamos on the waterfront... I thought that was classy lol. I'm a novice foodie that still has yet to have a truly wonderful dining experience.

I think the show is alright. I guess it goes to show you that even years of schooling doesn't make you an expert. Evereyone has their own talents. Also, it's good to see the food network fill in an hour of the day with something besides $40 a Day.