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mcohen

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Everything posted by mcohen

  1. Whatever you do, don't go to Mas, the Chinese-Muslim restaurant, in Anaheim. When I ate there, I was shunned and treated terribly because I evidently wasn't the customer base they were going after. And, the food was just okay, although their bread was pretty good, albeit greasy.
  2. mcohen

    Nettles

    Now, that I think about it, I remember reading about nettles in one of Russ Parson's Farmer Market writeups. Just to complete the story, could you please also link or post that article as well.
  3. I just bought the Oxo salad spinner, and I'm just curious what the little white button to the side of the central pump is for?
  4. mcohen

    RICE

    I'm looking for a short grain, although I'm willing to try all different varieties.
  5. I've tried the lunch meal several times, but I didn't really consider that great of a bargain. The dessert is really uninspired, and been pretty much the same thing anytime I've eaten their lunch meal. And, if its going to be like that, I'd rather not get the dessert and so I start looking at the lunch as if I'm paying for two, not three courses. I've also noticed that the lunch menu isn't really that market driven, as they regularly repeat those dishes. I also suspect that the diners who buy the lunch meal are not treated the same as those who don't. One time, there was a bone in my fish. And, another time, I noticed that the chef stopped by and talked to all the diners without stopping by at my table. The food is nice enough, and the place is definitely fabulous looking, especially the outside patio, but I think foodwise, there are better bargains in OC if you go to Westminster or Santa Ana.
  6. mcohen

    RICE

    Any suggestions for which brand of rice to buy for white and brown rice? I'm looking for the best overall, with price no object, as well as the best bang for buck rice in terms of price to quality. There's a Ranch 99 fairly close to where I work, but I find all the different brands and choices overwhelming. Or, do I need to go to a Japanese supermarket to get the best rice?
  7. mcohen

    Nettles

    I've noticed that most recipes for nettles use potatoes. Is there any particular reason why- what does adding potatoes to a nettle dish do? Thanks. I knew I had read an LA Times article about nettles before, but I couldn't find it when I searched for it. I guess this article must have been in news archive, and one would normally need to pay to read it.
  8. mcohen

    Nettles

    What do you do with nettles? I've never cooked or even them, but I just bought some so I'm looking for some ideas. Do you just use them in a soup primarily?
  9. I'm reading Alice Waters & Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee, a biography of Waters and the restaurant. Horrible book in every aspect- poorly written, poorly researched, dull and boring, etc... A waste of time to read this book, and a missed oppurtunity for McNamee.
  10. I would recommend Newport Seafood Restaurant in Santa Ana, and order the lobster dish and beef dish. Its a hole in the wall, where the food and flavor is amazing. And, next door, is another hole in the wall that's been around forever but still has lines where you're likely have to share a table with other customers cause its just that crowded. But, the food is that good. I'd take that blog with a grain of salt as I wouldn't necessairly trust the writer's recommendations. I find he makes the mistake of overpraising average places, and missing great dishes when he does end up going to a good place. For example, when he went to Lotus of Siam in Vegas, he end up ignoring the Northern Thai menu and ordered dishes like Pad Thai.
  11. Does anybody actually subscribe to it? Is it as cheesy and pathetic as it seems to be?
  12. Does anybody else think Jacqui will end up divorcing Sam when she sees the show? I don't know. There's no manufactured drama like other reality shows, and I think the show is fairly honest in that you do get people like that who go out and open restaurants.
  13. I thought the show jumped the shark with the England episode, with that self-indulgent song of his. Years ago, Bourdain would have unmercilessly mocked somebody else for doing that. According to Bourdain's blog, he thought that the Romanian episdode was 'a pretty funny show'. But, he blamed the show on the Romanians and their food, which he called 'primitive'.
  14. its interesting to note that most of the least favorite food celebs are the recent ones pushed by Food Network, and yet its ratings have improved and its demographics have gotten younger with these new food celebs.
  15. i pass by restaurant depot all the time but its closed to the public. maybe, its just me, but i've never understood that policy where you wouldn't more business or more customers.
  16. i've tried several of the suggestions including filling it with boiling water and the jar itself doesn't seem to smell anymore. but, the screw-on tops themselves still smell of peaches and when you put it on the jar, then it infuses the rest of the jar with the smell of peaches. does anybody know where i can find some tops for these jars?
  17. i think bourdain may have finally jumped the shark with that self-indulgent, ego-driven song in the london/edinburg episode. years ago, bourdain would have mercilessly mocked another chef for doing something like that. this statement is such a hanging curveball that would be so easy to tear apart but this statement is political enough with me adding my two cents.
  18. when a recipe says to use a heavy bottom pan, how heavy is that supposed to be- something as heavy as cast iron?
  19. since trader joe's has its own topic, i think its only fair that whole foods gets its own as well. what do buy at whole foods? i've heard a lot about whole foods 365 brand, specifically its extra virgin olive oil. but, when i stopped by one, i was overwhelmed by all the possible choices for 365 extra virgin olive oil- they had ones from california, italy, greece, etc... which 365 extra olive oil does everybody get again?
  20. not necessairly, and i live in california. for example, they sell tomatoes all year round here. and, to further confuse the issue, a local farmers market gave out free farmers market calenders that highlighted several fruits or vegetables each month. i'm assuming that the fruit or vegetable chosen was when it was in season, or at its peak. and, it makes sense with something like artichokes and asparagus in a spring month and something like corn in a summer month. yet, according to this calender, the season for brocolli is in febuary which would make it a winter/spring vegetable. yet, in russ parson's book, he categorized brocolli and cauliflower as fall vegetables.
  21. is there any way to determine how fresh an egg is before you buy it and take it home? after doing the water test where you put eggs in cold water, i've recently discovered that the eggs i've been buying from the farmers market is actually older than the regular eggs i buy at the grocery store. seems like more and more vendors at farmers market are getting the benefit of the doubt from the halo affect, and getting away with such shenanigans.
  22. why? after all emeril is by all accounts one of the nicest guys in the business, and bourdain had no problems taking potshots at emeril. seems like there's a certain double standard. for some easy targets like emeril or sandra lee, let it rip. yet, st. alice should be pure as the driven snow.
  23. am i the only one having difficulty playing the videos from this podcast?
  24. but, ultimately, doesn't it ultimately come down to taste? looking at those scores, it seems that in the battles she wins, she wins not because of taste, but because of her juvenile, gimmicky presentation like those mailboxes she used in the sugar battle.
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