tommy

knew someone, obviously. methinks the best part about going isn't the "solid food" or "warm atmosphere", but rather telling people that you went. not my bag.

I hear the food's solid, the warm family feeling unlike most....You don't to Rao's for a culinary extravaganza.... the food was mediocre, and the atmosphere is what it is, and isn't anything more than what you should expect at a neighborhood joint. i know why you go to Rao's. whats-his-head is a fine actor, however.

does it count if a friend of mine went? probably not. but, she said that it certainly wasn't "all that". i stopped trying to figure out a way to get in about 4 years ago. i'd just buy the jarred crappy sauce they make if i wanted the pasta, or follow the simple recipes from the book if i wanted that chicken dish of theirs. as far as rubbing elbows with celebs, i'd rather do that at a RHCP show. edit: me and awbrig, 2 peas in a pod.

Rachel Ray, of TVFN's 40 Dollars a Day said on an episode yesterday enthused that the food at this particular place was "all made from scratch." she had a frittata. frittata can't be made from scratch? i guess my point wasn't clear. how else would you make a frittata???

Rachel Ray, of TVFN's 40 Dollars a Day said on an episode yesterday enthused that the food at this particular place was "all made from scratch." she had a frittata.

I was in the Shanghai region, Hangzhou, so it was Shanghai style Chinese..And even suring the time I was in the Southern Provinces, namely Guanzhou where the consulate is, htere are a variety of style restaurants...that's where i had the dumplings, but they were definitely in a Shanghai style restaurant..they are very distinctive from the Cantonese ones. you know what it was, then: the places you went didn't make them very well. they didn't capture that "balance" that China 46 does. no need to knock people over the head with crab flavor. you gotta *work* for it.

yer a stickler. btw way, i found myself at a restaurant the other night with no cash. since i've done a bit of traveling, and realize that not everyone has the "MAC" system, as we do in NJ/NY, i asked the hostess if there was a "money machine" close by. she looked at me like i had 3 heads and suggested that there was a bank down the road with a MAC machine, adding, "if that helps."

i wanted to cry when i saw the look of disappointment on your face, by the way. the crab version has a *bit* more going on for sure. but as you say, it doesn't do much to make the soup much more dominant. i'm no expert, but i'm pretty sure there are several versions of "soup dumplings". perhaps the version you had in china was from a different region of china?

only people who know what scampi means in italian know it is somehow "wrong" or funny. the rest of us just accept scampi (no italics, as it's an english word in this usage) as a preparation.

Yea, okay... but that still doesn't mean it isn't stupid. And wrong. Mmmmm... give me an extra helping of "squid seppia" please! it's not wrong if "scampi" is "american" for the preparation of garlic/oil/butter, which, i think it's generally accepted as being.

as i'm sure you're all aware, "scampi" has become a name of a preparation consisting of oil/butter and garlic. i don't get too worked up over it, as it really doesn't confuse anyone. also, even small things can be large. for example, some molecules are enormous compared to others. you might find a scientific-type saying something like "look at that enormous molecule". that's not an oxymoron. neither is jumbo shrimp. you an have relatively large versions of this particular animal. i don't see any reason why they shouldn't be called "jumbo". (unless they're not. )

not on menus so much, but people confusing "pekin" and "peking" duck.

i really don't believe that. and i don't believe that you believe it either. popeye's, for example, is excellent cold, and 2 days later it still remains crispy. i can't imagine you can say much more about "shallow-fried", especially considering there are a thousand people making it a thousand different ways.

from an expert's mouth...

does ACF Junior Chef count? i think only if he/she can still cook.

the farmer?

is a "farmer" a "cook" then? just when i thought i had this figured out, it got more confusing.

so, "chef" is a subset of "cook". and sometimes a "chef" might stop being a "cook", which would then make him not a "chef", and not a "cook" anymore either. that doesn't sound like a good place to be.

so, "chef" is a subset of "cook".

he flies in a jet. ain't no chef. no wait. he paid his dues. he's a chef. boy, this stuff is confusing.

he flies in a jet. ain't no chef.

actually, the seller *is* restaurant.com. they are doing this for amanda's once a week. how the hell does this work?

bid here. i can't figure out what this is all about.

dunno. i spoke with the owner's wife last night and she mentioned a name change, but i didn't pursue it.

see you then. i'll try to not be late.