FoodMan

From a restaurant review in today’s Houston Chronicle. Falafel sandwiches or wraps are an all time favorite of mine. I like them at any time of day and I usually like them simple with tahini sauce, pickles (cukes and turnip), tomato and fresh parsley. These ingredients should be wrapped in SOFT pita bread. The reason I emphasize soft is because pretty much any restaurant (Lebanese or otherwise) seems to have this horrible idea that the wrap should be pressed in a sandwich press!! This is not a Cuban sandwich and no Lebanese joint in Beirut would EVER dream of toasting a falafel sandwich or Shawarma sandwich for that matter. The pleasure from eating a Falafel wrap has a lot to do with the texture and temperature contrasts. The soft bread contrasts nicely with the crunchy patties and pickles, also the hot patties play very well against the cooling sauce and tomatoes. All this is lost when the whole thing is crushed, toasted and heated. Ok, rant is over. So how do you like your falafel sandwich? Toasty or Soft? What garnishes are a favorite of yours? Maybe that will expand my horizons beyond my regular accompaniments. Elie

Very good point. But if Ms. Mika does not want any hard feelings with the said establishment, then she probably shopuld not even mention her name either since the staff/manager at the restaurant might recognize her. It just strikes me as peculiar the way she whines about the place but does not even mention their name. It is not doing anyone any good, is it? The reader does not know who she is talking about, and the restaurant does not know to fix the problem if indeed there is one. This really is a "whine" nothing more, nothing less. You are also correct about the chips/salsa situation. People just expect them to be free. I might not be too crazy about paying for them either but I would not complain about it, certainly not at a semi-self-service/fast-food joint like Chacho's. ...hmmm maybe we can start a thread about this. Elie

Ok, I am very glad that our cherished Whine & Dine section seems to be picking up. A classic was born today. Margaret Mika goes through all the trouble to write to W&D, however she does not (intentionally or not? I do not know) name the establishment of which she is dissatisfied. Why the hell write about them anyways? Beats me. Maybe I am missing something, if I am please let me know. Also why on earth would a place with “Italian Grill” in its name serve French onion soup? Then when the “Italian” food is horrible customers complain. I would think the presence of this soup on the menu should be pretty good indication that maybe the restaurant has no focus. The Chacho’s complain also bugs me, she has the right to not like their food, but if they want to charge for chips, it’s their right to do so. Customers expect too many freebies these days. Also, IMHO, they do serve pretty good Tortas and excellent Margaritas for a very reasonable price. Elie

Onion powder?? I don't think so, OP has a distinctive pungent taste which this salad did not have. Onion juice??It exists?? My guess would be onion juice. Hazardnc- when will u be at Nielsen's? maybe we can have lunch over there. Elie

Hard cooked egg yolks are definitly in there, I got several chunks of them. So, they do chop up some whole hard cooked eggs in the salad. You are correct about the oil used for the mayo, certainly not olive oil. Canola or Vegetable would be my guess. I also did not detect any sour cream, but I could be wrong. I know I said there were no onions in it before, however when I ate the rest of it I could not help but taste a mild oniony flavor!! but still I could not find them. Maybe the onion is grated? Elie

Lucky I think I was, since I am paying about $20 total, including shipping. The cheapest used copy of the same hardcover book I found online was $30, and it goes all the way up to $100. Elie

I found this recipe for Danish Mayo, check it out here. It does not seem different than any other mayo recipe, however the pictures seem to use a hand held mixer. Maybe the finished product is whipped with more air in it, hence the creamy fluffy texture. Thoughts? Elie

Now I've been wondering, why does she boil it first? To remove Saltiness/Smokiness

I just won the e-bay bid on this book: "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, Techniques & Recipes by Barbara Tropp. Hardcover, first edition l985. Good condition. Including an unorthodox chapter on East-West desserts & a provocative essay on wine by Gerald Asher. This book explains everything from how to re-season a wok that has grown rusty with neglect to how to cut water chestnuts to a precise peppercorn-size dice. A superb teaching book, containing core chapters on Chinese cooking techniques--stir-frying, steaming, deep-frying, sand-pot cooking, and smoking-illustrated with hundreds of line drawings. From poultry, fish, tofu, noodles, soups, breads, etc. Plus much much more. Over 550 pages " I sure am looking forward to recieveing it, and I hope it is in as good a condition as the seller claims. Elie

I just came back from Nielsen’s about 15 minutes ago. I had a roast beef sandwich on pumpernickel and bought a ½ pint of potato salad, of which I ate half during lunch and I still have the rest for “further study” . The place is very small with very few bar stools to sit on, and it was pretty busy for lunch so I had to stand in line for a while. The person I ordered from would only say that the salad is simply a mayo potato salad, NO mustard, that’s all. When I got to the counter the man behind the register seemed like he could be the owner and I think he is. I asked him if they ever published the recipe in Gourmet, since they had the letter in which it was requested hanging on the wall. He said “no, we told them that a long time ago. They can have it when I’m gone!” He did confirm that they still make their own mayo. Now I am not a big connoisseur of potato salad, matter of fact I always took it for granted as just another filler. This one is different, it is excellent. To say it is rich is an understatement, this thing is more like a potato parfait with mayo instead of whipped cream. However, it is by no means cloying or heavy, it felt more fluffy and light. I could not detect any hint of sourness at all, no onions, no pickles. Actually I think this salad has four ingredients only: - Mayonnaise - boiled white (possibly russet) potatoes - chopped hard-cooked eggs - very little finely chopped celery So, the secret has to be the mayo, it is homemade, but not pungent or tangy. It also has that “fluffy/light” texture. Maybe it was whipped??? I really cannot tell. I still have half of the salad in the fridge and I will try it again later, if anything new surfaces I will report. Oh, and to get this straight, the owners are from Denmark. So, maybe we can look for a Danish mayo recipe. Well, hopefully this helps. Elie

Unfortunatly, I could not make it on Friday because my lovly wife did not want to have lunch at a deli, she wanted Good Co. Seafood instead. Sorry. So, I am planning on heading there today or tomorrow. Elie

Frozen is perfect, I always have frozen tropical fruit purees (mango, passion fruit, Guava,...). I use them mainly for ice creams and juices. So I should be ok. Thanks again, Elie

Fred and Sinclair, thanks for the help on this. When you say Mango and Passion fruit puree? Is that from the fresh fruit, forzen purees (I have some in my freezer), or another source? Elie

I do have a question about baking the cake, if I am only using one round cake pan, can I bake all the batter in the same one and slice the finished cake in half? Or should I divide the batter and bake each half individually? Elie

Thank you so much!!! I was also trying to find time to make this cake. Freeze mousse and caramel? I had no idea you can do that. I thought it might alter their taste/texture, but u are the expert so I will do that. This also really clarifies the solid mold thing from the original instructions. Thanks again, Elie

Many Lebanese desserts are named after women's body parts, you have "lady fingers/bride's fingers" that refer to a baklava-like pastry that has a tube shape. Another one called "Zind El Sit" roughly translates to "the ladies arm", these are phylo wrapped around a cream filling and deep fried then drizzled with syrup. Other non-feminin dessert names include "Lokmat El Kadi" or "The judge's bite", small fried dumplings soaked in syrup. We also have "Kol Wi Shkor" or "Eat and Thank" a nut filled dessert. Elie

This thread always makes me crave stuffed grape leaves. Here's dinner for tonight, with a side of yogurt: Elie

My plan is to head over there tomorrow, have lunch (including Potato salad), and take soem of the salad home for thorough analysis. I will try and get something from the proprietors about the "secret" recipe if I can. Hopefully I'll be able to make it there. Elie

wow...I cannot believe a a simple request for a grilled beef steak recipe is going over to 2 pages...you people are crazy ...I should probably get back to work. later, Elie P.S. I still like mine rubbed with fresh rosemary.

LOL...nothing like freshly made Dolmehs from fresh leaves. Thanks for sharing. Elie

Everyone except one has nothing but praise for Houston restaurants in today's W&D. I'm starting to think maybe someone is reading this thread, since we have not had an iteresting "whine" in a while. Elie

Yeah the ones I was looking for were the ones that looked like donuts, at the restaurant or a buffet line they are usually simply labled "Vada". It goes to show you how illeterate I still am in Indian cuisine. I found this thread by searching for Vada and thought they were the same item. Sorry for the confusion and it's good to know that they are called Medu vadaas. Thanks again, Elie

Paula- I think you can only access recipes for F&W if you have a subscribtion to the magazine now. That's how I view recipes and articles. It used to be free but not anymore. I was reviewing this recipe in my copy yesterday after reading about it here. I hope to make it soon. Here is a link to the recipe, try it out and see if it can be accessed: eggplant and Lentil stew Elie

Houston Chronicle Food Section: Consumers Gulp High Tech Drinks RJ Middleton compares high tech drinks, fortified with caffeine and Taurine they provide drinkers with much needed energy. Check out who's who in this article. Elie

Houston Press Dining Transcendent Tacos Robb Walsh reviews yet another Taco joint. You would think that by now after it seems like he reviewed every taco place, taqueria, Tex-mex, taco truck, Mexican, low-end, and high-end we should be pretty bored with this genre. right? Worng. Walsh's reviewes are more than just that, in this one he manages to answer some Tex-Mex Vs. Mexican questions, replies back to a letter from "100% Taquito" owner, and recommends some awsome sounding squash and pork tacos! Read and enjoy. Elie