nightscotsman

Shells - 'cause that's the way my Momma done taught me. By the way, how many people do the one-handed crack and break thing vs. the one hand crack, two handed break-open? And as long as we're here - do you crack on the edge of the bowl or on the counter/table top?

Still available.

I'm wondering if the age thing also applies equally to pastry chefs? I know that most European pastry chefs start very young in apprenticeship programs, but it seems like the pastry side is not quite as physically demanding as the savory side - at least in restaurants. Or am I dreaming? This topic interests me because I'm 38 and I've been seriously looking into making a career change to become a pastry chef. My current job is relatively secure, but I'm just not as challenged, interested or happy as I used to be. The only thing that's holding me back from making the jump right now is not knowing if I could handle the physical stress and repetitive nature of the job. I've read many times the recommendation to volunteer to do a stage at a restaurant or bakery to get a taste of the reality, but I've been too timid to get off my ass and do it.

Champagne and potato chips. preferable cracked black pepper potato chips. In fact, most cocktails go best with fried, salty snacks. Pineau des charentes with foie gras. Grand Marnier with strawberries. Port and chocolate, of course.

I love Nova.

You mean I'm not the only one? I always core and slice apples and pears before eating, and remove pits from peaches and nectarines. I have a hard time with fresh cherries because of the pits - they just give me the creeps. And I'm not going to touch non-seedless grapes.

I have a bottle of this on my desk! It's a chelating agent. I also have a bottle of sodium lauryl sulfate. You want my job so bad. You're really Clark W. Griswold, Jr., aren't you? naw, just a smug scientific bastard

You could candy your own cherries: clicky. You start with fresh cherries and they taste like cherries, not chemicals. Also, Trader Joes sells cherries called "Rascherries" that are dried, then lightly candied and flavored with raspberry.

7 days a week. heheee!

It actually makes four little waffles at one time: one shaped like Hello herself, one like her boyfriend, one like a bunny, and I can't remember the fouth... maybe a hampster? It's so goddamned cute!! Available in pink or blue

I went there the first day of the sale and picked up a Benriner mandoline. The small version is on sale plus the extra 10% off, but I had to have the "Super" sized one. I also came this close to buying the Hello Kitty waffle iron. Somebody stop me!

The Chef of 727 Pine is Kyle Nelson. He is responsible for all of the welcome changes in the menu. Welcome Malaika! Can you give us a hint as to the menu changes? And if you know, can you tell us where Chef Nelson was working before? Oh, and do you know if the original pastry chef is still there? Thanks! I have a 727 Pine gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket - maybe I need to check out the new menu...

Yummm...I had NO idea there were so many crunchy options. Violet Crumbles sounds divine! I may need to google it and see what I can find! I've seen Violet Crumble in drug and variety stores all over the Seattle area. Which means it should be easy to find in the US. Or you can order it on-line here.

eew.....yuck... DO they really make a garlic mayo? Who would buy that? You are teasing Jinmyo and I? For we admit to using Hellman's.... I am sure this is a bad joke. Oh, I just saw a commercial for this last night. They make an herb flavor and a tomato/bacon flavor, too.

That site was great when I was planning my trip to Paris. Being able to see the (unretouched) photos of the hotels was very helpful.

I love good fruitcake! Plum pudding is kinda similar, but served warm and more... uh... pudingy. Really festive and impressive if you serve it flambeed. I've been wanting to make Laurie Colwin's "Black Cake" for years, but I can't find a source for burnt sugar essence. She says it should be available at West Indian grocery stores, but we just don't have such an animal here in Seattle. Anybody know what this stuff is and where I could get it?

Peas or beans of any kind (especially limas - ick!). Growing up my Mom home canned almost all of our veggies - there were always gray and mushy. Even if they weren't canned they were frozen, which wasn't much better. To this day I still cannot eat even the freshest, sweetest peas because they instantly bring to mind the frozen peas and carrots we were forced to eat. I'm getting queasy just thinking about the texture. By they way, Mom also had this weird method of reheating leftover cooked broccoli in milk. The milk would end up curdled and stuck to the florettes like soft cottage cheese . Has anyone ever heard of doing this? However, I'm very thankful that she didn't even try to serve us brussels sprouts. I didn't have them until years later at a fine restaurant and I loved them.

Wow - I just had a great dinner in the lounge at Brassa! First off, yes the drinks do seem a little expensive. I had a nice cocktail from the house-specialty bar menu called a "Confusion" (containing gin, muscat, fresh orange juice and champagne) for $7.25. kinda high, but not outrageous. The food on the bar menu is so inexpensive I really don't begrudge the markup on drinks. However, if the gin and tonics Schielke had were well drinks and not name-brand gin, then I would consider that too much. moving on, I had the pan seared fish (which I think the waitress said was a river bass? probably the same as MsRamsey had) covered with sauteed onions, big chunks of crispy bacon and a smooth vinaigrette. The fish was perfectly done, tender and moist, with the skin intact. It was served with a tossed salad of baby greens and a huge pile of crispy onions. A great price at $13, but an amazing deal at half-price - $6.50 I finished up with a dessert from the regular dessert menu: huge, perfectly ripe blackberries drizzled with rosemary syrup and covered with creamy, tart lemon curd served in a cocktail glass. Very simple, but fresh and bright tasting. The syrup added just the right amount of sweetness and complexity to the blackberries and the lemon curd added creaminess to bring it all together. Total bill: $21.58 not including tip. This has to be the best dinner deal in Seattle right now. I confess like MsRamsey, I felt a little guilty about paying so little. I do hope they're making a profit. Thanks again to heyjude for the heads up on this place! I left with a big smile on my face Edit: By the way, dinner was preceded by an amazing movie at the Uptown - "Spirited Away". It's a Japanese animated film by the same director and studio that produced "Princess Mononoke". If you haven't seen Mononoke then you owe it to yourself to rent it soon. If you have seen it, then I have to say I thought that "Spirited Away" was actually better. More complex and themes with deeper resonance. Like Alice in Wonderland on acid - in a good way, of course. It's dubbed, not subtitled, which works much better for an animated movie than a live action film. As a side note, it was the highest grossing film ever in Japan (Mononoke was second highest).

I'm afraid I don't see the point of using a wooden cutting board if you're just going to cover it with plastic anyway. How is this different from using a plastic cutting board other than being cheap enough to throw away?

Here's an article that might answer some, if not all of your questions: clicks-ahoy. Here's an excerpt on wood vs. plastic: Research has shown that bacteria, such as the salmonella often found on raw chicken, will thrive and multiply if not removed from plastic boards (because germs that cause food poisoning can hide out in the knife-scarred nooks and crannies that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board). Hand scrubbing with hot water and soap can clear microbes from the surface of new or used wooden cutting boards and new plastic ones, but knife-scared plastic boards are resistant to decontamination by hand washing. On wood boards, whether they are new or have been used for years, the bacteria dies off within 3 minutes. Researchers theorize that the porous surface of the wood surface of the wooden boards deprives the bacteria of water, causing them to die.The Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends that consumers use plastic or glass surfaces for cutting raw meat and poultry. However, wooden cutting boards used "exclusively" for raw meat and poultry are acceptable. Use a different board for cutting other foods such as produce and bread. This will prevent bacteria from a meat or poultry from contaminating another food. I have to say that I use plastic boards for everything because I find them easier to maintain, cheaper, and less bulky.

Bless you! Gotta check that out

herb: rosemary spice: cinnamon

Wonderful review - thanks so much for all the detail! I have to say I was riveted by your description of the gazpacho with the mustard ice cream. I would love to be able to make this at home. Was the ice cream sweet in anyway, or just the pure mustard (dijon, I assume) flavor? Your comments about the "main courses" being somewhat unnecessary rang a bell with me. When I was in France in May this year it seemed that at many of my meals the appetizers were far more interesting and creative than the main courses. It's almost as if the chefs really enjoy designing and producing the first course and then feel obligated to have some more substantial dish after, but it's kind of an afterthought. Has anyone else noticed this?

Cooooooool. I wanna go back to Tokyo! Welcome Doraemon.

I think it's the other way around, actually.