nightscotsman

Cafe de Artistes is fabulous. One of the best meals I've had anywhere. It's been a few years, but at the time it was certainly the best restaurant in Puerto Vallarta (and the most expensive, but still amazingly low priced by US standards).

Great site, torakris - thanks for the link!

Can't stand umeboshi (sour and salty pickled plums). Haven't had natto and I don't really want to. I've had the slimy grated yam dish (what's it called?), and while it didn't taste bad (didn't really taste like anything), the texture was disturbing.

I love my Bamix immersion blender (it's Swiss! ). Very powerful with interchangeable blending/whipping/mixing disks. The part around the disk is more open than most brands with just four downward facing blades that direct the flow of material being blended. Looks like this: It's quite a bit more expensive than the Braun or Cuisinart models, but way worth it in my opinion. Sur La Table has it here. This seems to be identical to the Williams Sonoma hand blender, but the WS version is actually cheaper, believe it or not: Williams Sonoma Stick Blender

It would be better if we could meet at 12:00 rather than later. Remember that it's not actually a real restaurant, and when they say they are open from 11:15 to 1:00 it means they stop serving and the students are pretty much gone by 1:00.

Frozen berries should be fine for a trifle, especially raspberries. Though I wouldn't soak them in kirsch - it'll clash with the sherry.

I actually like the Myers's white rum in mixed drinks, though I don't even use their dark rum in cooking anymore.

A good donburi is so comforting on a cold day. Katsu-don, ten-don, oyako-don, katsu-curry-don... it's all good. There's a place a few block from me that makes a great aji-fry (mackerel breaded in panko and deep fried, served with katsu sauce). If I see anything with yuba on the menu, I'm going to order it.

Oh my God - I think I've eaten there! Just an open kitchen and 4 or 5 stools on the sidewalk, right? My first breakfast in Tokyo, so cold it actually snowed later that day - in April. That tempura soba was a lifesaver.

I had matcha several times when I visited Japan, both as part of the tea cerimony and in tea houses. I really enjoyed it. It is bitter, but rich tasting - almost halfway between tea and coffee - and it's always served with a small sweet that cuts the bitterness. You don't really need all the equipment if you're not doing the ceremony. All you really need is something to boil water in, a smallish bowl and the bamboo whisk, though the traditional implements are beautiful and add to the experience. Schielke - you can get tiny canisters of matcha at Uwajimaya, but it's quite expensive. I have some you're welcome to try to see if you like it. Here is more info on matcha: http://www.teatoys.com/kmatcha.html

Thanks for the report, jakubc. Sounds like a wonderful experience. If you remember them, would you mind describing the "four desserts" for us? Where they served all at once or consecutively? What beverage did you drink with dessert? Thanks

I saw it when it was in theaters here in Seattle for a month or two. Good movie - I was actually surprised by the ending. Loved Sandra Bernhard as the trampy restaurant critic and the asshole/snob patron with the two artists.

The January issue of Pastry Art & Design is devoted to a report on the "State of the Industry: 2002". In the section on restaurant pastry chefs, their research indicates the average pastry chef salary is $50,250. From everything else I've read this seems a little high. I don't see where they describe their research methodology, but I assume it was a survey of some kind?

I'm in.

I'm in. Were you thinking Square One or One World? I thought the Square One menu sounded more interesting, so that would be my preference.

School's back in session, and that means the Culinary School dining rooms at Seattle Central are open for lunch again. Here are the menus for this week, served from 11:15-1:00 Tuesday thru Thursday (all-you-can-eat buffet on Friday) Square One Bistro ...served with cup of soup or salad... Salad of Bibb Lettuce, Hearts of Palm, Avocado & Roasted Red Peppers White Bean-Sherry Vinaigrette $4.25 Salmon Cakes Fresh Dill - Pernod Aioli, Red Radish and Sprout Salad $5.25 Sweet Potato Gnocchi Wilted Greens and Crispy Shallots - $4.95 Anise Rubbed Pork Tenderloin Mango Mojo, Swiss Chard and Fried Plantains - $5.95 Breast of Chicken Marsala Parmesan Whipped Potatoes and Steamed Brussel Sprouts - $5.95 Grilled Sea Scallops Creamy Carrot-Meyer Lemon Reduction Sauce - $5.50 One World Dining Room The following selections are served with tsukemono, sunomono and makisushi. Tempura Udon Shrimp and vegetable tempura over Japanese udon noodles - $5.25 Nabeyaki Udon Chicken, shrimp, surimi, kamaboko, and shiitake mushroom, served over Japanese udon noodles - $5.95 The following selections are served with tsukemono, sunomono and misoshiru Katsudon Breaded pork cutlet simmered in broth, served over rice - $4.95 Tendon Fried Shrimp and vegetables over rice with tempura broth - $5.25 Oyakodon Chicken and egg cooked with onion and dashi broth, served over rice - $4.95 The following selections are served with makisushi, tsukemono, sunomono, and misoshiru Negimayaki Sliced New York strip loin rolled with scallions, broiled and served with teriyaki glaze - $7.50 Tori No Teriyaki Grilled boneless chicken leg served with teriyaki sauce - $6.25 Tempura Tempera fried shrimp and vegetables with dipping sauce - $6.75 Sukiyaki Thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in sukiyaki sauce - $6.95 Agedashi Tofu Fried tofu served with special sauce and topped with bonito flakes - $5.75

Wow, Blue Heron - I thought I was full of Dim Sum after our brunch, but your photo made me hungry again. Just beautiful!

"You want fries with that?" Basically almost every business in America up-sells/cross-sells. Amazon does a pretty good job of it with their recommendations, "people-who-bought-this-also-bought-that", and "Listmania" features, among other tactics. The common business wisdom is that if you aren't cross-selling then you're leaving money on the table. Restaurants are businesses, so why should they be different? I agree with many of the above posters saying "as long as they seem like they're trying to be helpful and improve my experience, I'm not offended". Although I remember an article somewhere exposing a training program put together by Coca-Cola to get Olive Garden waiters to discourage people from drinking water in favor of large amounts of soft drinks. The tactics seems kind of underhanded and deceptive.

Growing up, the entire family (mom, dad, two kids) sat down to eat dinner together at 6:00 pm on the dot. Every. Single. Night. And no, my last name isn't Cleaver. My Mom still tends to eat between 5:00 and 6:00, though I now prefer between 7:00 and 8:00. I completely agree with FG's strategy of eating a large lunch and a snack for dinner. This works especially well for large, multicourse meals that last 3 or more hours. It takes at least 2 to 3 hours to degest to the point of comfort, so starting at 9:00 I probably wouldn't be able to sleep until about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I know that in Spain everyone takes a long lunch and a nap in the afternoon, which helps explain the ultra-late dinners and after hours carousing. I demand a federal law mandating napping in the workplace!

I don't have a cinnamon roll recipe, but you might try sourdough pancakes or waffles.

Hold the hot red chilis/pepper flakes/cayenne on mine, thanks. But do include lots of sliced fennel and a dash of Pernod. Muscles are nice, too.

Welcome back Girl Chow! Long time no post. Where ya been?

I'm with you, torakris - I love somen. Cold chasoba with a dipping sauce makes me happy, though. There's a place in an Asian mall south of where I live that serves it as a lunch special with tempura for about 6 bucks.

No really, what I described was what I was actually served. 6 appetizers (small plates, served all at once) and 4 desserts (again, served all at once). I was stuffed, but it was all wonderful, so I ate every bite! No need for dinner that night.

Why does your avatar have such big boobs?