Jon Savage

I'm definitely going to stop by there next week; I drive by that location a couple of times a week but have never actually been to the shop. If it is the one I'm thinking of there is a sign on PCH that says Lobster/Crab or something to that effect. I always assumed it was just some guy selling seafood out of a truck and kept on driving. Yeah I'm a dumb@ss. Having read the article and this thread I can't wait to give them some money.

It took me about 9 months to become proficient (from zero to passing university entrance exams) in German but that was pretty much a full time endeavor.

I think one of these braziers from Surfas might be what you are looking for. available in 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40(!) quart sizes with prices ranging from $42-$83. Although not local to you Surfas ships everywhere and shipping is usually quite reasonable.

I heard a story on NPR last year that talked about a Spanish producer of Ganso Ibérico. Their process eliminates gavage entirely and depends instead on the natural tendency of geese to gorge themselves silly prior to migration. I can't find a transcript of the story but if memory serves the product was well received. It can't be called Foi Gras (in France at least). This also means that producers using this method get exactly one shot per year. Schiltz Goose Farms is using this method as well here in the US.

Nice haul. I'd rub the butts and do them in a slow oven rather than a crock pot.

Last season used to be available from Itunes but Bravo pulled all of its content from ITunes some time ago. A quick google search reveals that Season 4 can be purchased individually or entirely from Amazon Unbox.

I am guessing they are not the same, since those specifically say they are dry (no preservatives), and there is no indication that they are actually frozen. My understanding was that the frozen scallops were also "wet." Of course, who really knows... we didn't get to see the brand on those scallops. ← They say they are "iced" aboard ship. Those look about the same as the IQF dry scallops Trader Joe's has. Those certainly do sear up well. The wet pack IQF scallops on the other hand are OK for something like adding to risotto or on pizza but really don't lend themselves well to searing.

More current news from ADF&G: Copper River The Copper River District was opened to fishing for a 12-hour fishing period on May 19 and 22. This was the second and third fishing period of the 2008 season. The Miles Lake sonar was deployed on May 16. As of May 22 a total of 18,407 salmon have been counted. The anticipated passage for this date is 24,974 salmon. Currently there are an estimated 425 to 500 drift gillnet permits participating in the fishery. There are no processing capacity problems to report at this point. Waters inside of the barrier islands from Steamboat Anchorage to Coffee Creek were open for the first period of the week on May 19. As stipulated in 5AAC 24.361(b) and 5AAC 24.350(1)(B), this area will only open for one fishing period per week during the two weeks of the fishing season (statistical weeks 20 and 21). The inside area was closed during the second fishing period that started on May 22. The harvest estimate from the Monday, May 19 12-hour period was 30,137 sockeye and 2,029 Chinook salmon. The anticipated harvest for this opening was 44,823 sockeye and 6,729 Chinook salmon. The harvest estimate from the Thursday, May 22 12-hour period was 37,019 sockeye and 1,788 Chinook salmon. The anticipated harvest for this opening was 56,013 sockeye and 6,927 Chinook salmon. The cumulative harvest as of May 23 for all three periods fished this season is 69,522 sockeye and 4,560 Chinook salmon. This compares with a 5-year cumulative harvest average of 175,134 sockeye and 13,715 Chinook salmon for this date. Gonadal material from both sockeye and Chinook salmon appears to be immature for this date and may indicate a later than normal return. Passage at the sonar, while below anticipated for a given date has been matching closely the anticipated passage for the previous date. This is also indicative of a possible later than normal return.

Thanks for the link; classic bourdain at his best. I too am perplexed by choosing frozen scallops. There are few things worse than frozen wet pack scallops. The quickfire was good although one would think that some of the contestants had never cut their own steaks before. I thought the PB Mash was going to be a disaster and was suprised that it was so well received. I'm not going to make that dish anytime soon though. Harold had some pretty harsh words about Bourdain's subbing for Tom last week on his TC Season 4 Blog. Harold's Blog With any luck Bourdain will feel compelled to respond. I too think Lisa will be out next week but one never knows...

Good episode. We enjoyed it. Deserved to go home IMHO.

I'm seeing $40 / lb for copper river here in SoCal. Yikes. IIRC it was more like $20 last year

IMHO IIRC the budget was a little over the top - $1500 for cira 35 diners. almost $43/person... That seems awfully generous even if offering alternative entree choices.

I agree I thing Tony fit the role like a glove. His snarkiness would be fun too. ← I'd not be surprised if Tony were the head judge next season. Colicchio has been stepping back a bit this season after all. YMMV.

Roasted butternut squash soup. Peeled Roasted Garlic Cubed Roasted Butternut Squash Sweat 1/2 minced onion with a little minced pancetta Chicken stock to just cover. S&P (cayenne) to taste. Simmer, hit with immersion blender.

The step up configuration looks awkward to me as well. I'm still considering range choices as well and have been leaning heavily towards BlueStar although the conventional top American range looks pretty useful. I'd definitely choose a griddle over a grill but then again I live in a climate that is grill/bbq friendly year round.

We have a Hamilton Beach that might also suit your purposes. Clicky We've had it for a couple of years and have been happy with it.

I enjoyed this week's episode immensely. The quickfire was fun and the dueling wedding thing finally gave some real camera time to actual cooking. I'm dissapointed that Dale pretty much went into passive (and not so passive) agressive mode when he found himself on a team he did not like. Really in the real world unless working completely solo most of us have to learn how to play well with others if we are to have any hope of success. Nicki really should have stepped up and shown some leadership on this challenge although the state of her tortelleni suggests that she might have gone down anyway. Blais - so far a class act all the way. I'm still unhappy about the $10 "complete family meal*" @ whole foods thing. I'm tempted to drive over there after work and see if I can come up with a "complete" meal for just my wife and myself but doubt it is even doable for $10 for two people let alone 4. That would be a whole other thread though. *Complete in my mind includes protein, starch, veg and dessert.

I've noticed that a number of places I frequent have lately not been nearly as busy as usual. Restaurant owners I know attribute this to the economic slowdown that we seem to be experiencing in the US of late. This coupled with significant increases in food costs must make things more challenging than usual in an already challenging industry. One nearby sushi place suddenly put up a banner announcing a "New more economical menu". A favorite Bistro raised prices across the board with steak frite now costing $24 rather than $18. A local italian place I like to eat at has implemented several changes- Prices increased across the board. The first basket of bread is free, subsequent ones are $2 each. Quantity of bread/butter in the basket has been halved as well. At least one recipe change (shrimp pizza using far fewer shrimp than before chopped instead of whole, still tasty though as most Pizzas in the US seem well... overtopped anyway). The above examples are from medium end ish SoCal restaurants; I don't do enough fine dining to really have been able to observe changes at the high end places. I wonder what other coping mechanisms are being used or have been observed and how both customers and restaurant owners feel about them. Personally I don't have a problem with paying for bread. I do wonder why I'm not seeing smaller portions of food being served though. Since many places serve such huge portions that would seem to be an ideal way to economise without having to substantially increase prices.

In keeping with the capsicum theme... I will never ever again substitute habanero peppers for jalapenos when making pepper poppers. These were actually surprisingly edible and not nearly as hot as one would think (to eat). The agony the next morning was however profound.

Well... Quickfire challenge interesting but for the product placement. Elimination challenge- also good and thankfully not yet another catering scenario. As to who went home... Good choice but there were some close runners up. (these impressions intended to be somewhat spoiler free for those who have not yet watched). On balance IMHO the most interesting episode so far.

I don't roll panchetta at all. There's another name for it but it works well for me.

The tongue is simmered in water with onions (and other things too I guess) until tender, then skinned and chopped. It's very good, lean, nice texture and beefy flavor. If it wasn't advertised as lengua you would never know that you were not eating a regular cut of meat. Barbacoa is a beef head cooked, around here at least, in a pressure cooker. I don't know if they put anything else in with the head. The meat is soft and fatty and tastes like beef stew for lack of a better description. Barbacoa can also be goat, like I've had in San Antonio. I initially tried it in SA because I thought it was BBQ, I'm glad I tried it and liked it before I was told what it really was. ← OK I saw "beef lips" nicely packaged @ the mercado today... Pray tell do these go in tacos or what? --No I did not buy any but inquiring minds want to know...

Those look mighty tasty.

One of the ribby scraps included in the package just accidentally fell off of the grill and fortuitously landed on my plate. Dayum! Tasty . Needs at least another hour. Rub was ground ancho, Garlic (mucho), Paprika, kosher salt, raw sugar and black pepper. Needs another hour or so but very promising indeed. Another Tecate or two should tide me over in the meantime!

Miso Soup and rice noodles hopped up with a little siracha and fish sauce (I have a miso paste that includes dashi = tasty and quick). So good I had a second bowl only without the noodles and with thinly sliced onion.