FoodMan

There is hardly anything worth mentioniong in this week's edition of W&D. Let's keep our fingers crossed for next week's. As a reply to the reader requesting a tip on ...valet tip, my position is always the same. If I am forced to pay the valet a set price, then I will not offer an extra tip since all "extra" tips normally are collected by the site manager who pays the workers a set wage. I know this because I was a valet for a couple of years while in college. Any others who care to comment about this? Elie

Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide: Allison Cook recommends the buffet at Mayuri. However, the dinner menu is inconsistent. Read full review here. Houston Press Dining Section: Robb Walsh compares Colombian roasted chicken from Dodo’s and Pollo Riko. Who wins? “Whose cuisine reigns supreme?” Read about “Bogota’s Best Birds” here. Elie

Robb- What would you say were the biggest challenges you encountered while researchig and writing your latest book? How did you get over them? Thanks, Elie

Robb- Congrats on a very well crafted, educational and entertaining book. I truly enjoyed reviewing it and I did learn a lot. The only missing Tex-Mex item from the book was the quesadilla. Was that intentional? I am talking about the large flour trotillas sandwiching a healthy filling of meat and cheese, not the traditional Mexican ones. Are these not Tex-Mex? Thanks for spending some time to chat with us. Elie

Central Market and Whole Foods have very good fish. My all time favorite however, both for quality and price, is Hong Kong MArket on the corner of Bellaire and Boon. They have wonderful fresh gulf fish cleaned and butchered to order. Elie

Last night I made a Chinese classic dish which I’ve never had before, “Chicken in Master Sauce”. I used my cleaver to cut it up into pieces and re arranged them on a platter to resemble the whole bird, drizzled with the sauce and served it with plain steamed rice. I was so proud when my wife said “wow, it looks just like a chicken from a Chinese restaurant”. For dessert we had an upside-down peach cake with ice cream. The cake was good but the top/bottom where the fruit is at got a little soggy. Next time I need to cook the fruit a little more. Elie

Steve- There is no need to apologize, you answered my question and I thank you for that. I'm glad you see it as cheese, so my wife can continue labeling it "stinky cheese" . I tried making it once and failed misrably, it developed a nasty funky fuzzy mold and an awful smell and headed straight to the grabage bin. Later my grandmother told me that I simply did not add enough salt. I have not tried it again since. As for a commercial source in the states, I have not found any. The few specimens I did find in stores looked horrible. even in Lebanon the best kind is the homemade one. However, if you would like to try it I will be happy to send you a couple of Shanklish balls. They travel very well. Elie

Good for you, you are officially our first member to write W&D. At least the first to admit to it. The best part is we did not have anything to make fun off in your comment . I completely agree with your point. I have a son who will turn one tomorrow and he eats whatever we eat wherever we go. I make it a point to always offer him my shreds of duck, bbq, or hummus before even thinking about "kid's meal" and he usually loves it. I know it will get harder as he gets older and is bombarded by adds for this fast food joint or that sugary cereal, but hopefully by starting him of right we will be able to control anything we do not approve of in the future. Elie

In today's W&D: -A reader is spot on concerning "Kids Meals" at restaurants. -Another reader decides to complain about Joe's Crab Shack three years after the fact. -More about the Houston's cap/hat incident. Readers approve of the restaurant's policy. Elie

Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide Despite the apparent absence of Grady Spears, the Burning Pear is still one of Sugarland’s best. Allison Cook's review Dai Huynh visits a wonderful mom and pop pie shop in Katy, where everything is made from scratch, to-order and a $3 deposit is required for the Pyrex pie plates. Read about it HERE Houston Press' Dining section Robb Walsh finds an Oasis in the restaurant desert called the Hights in Houston but cannot get a drink! A review of Shade Elie

I think the issue is not hats but baseball caps only. So if a gentelman walks in wearing a suit and a hat, he might be allowed to keep it on. Not so if it was a baseball cap. So ladies need to take them off too. Elie

Kids, I understand..sort of. But women? That makes no sense. No one will blame you for "harrassing" them SLC or for writing to W&D. And there is no shame in going to Houston's, it's a good restaurant with excellent home-smoked salmon and grilled steaks (provided you tell them to grill it with nothing but S&P on it--non of that "Hawaiian" gunk), their ribs are also excellent. The service over there is always top notch as well. Let us know if you ever do write or otherwise "harrass" them. Elie

I would defenitly go with this. They are heavy, sturdy and will last forever if not dropped. Use it for almost any of your pulping, grinding and crushing needs (including spices). The marble ones are a little too light and delicate. You can also find these at your local Asian grocery store and save on the shipping fee. Elie edit: i guess Nathan P. beat me to it. Oh well, you have two votes for it now.

Steve- This might seem like an odd question, but really what makes a cheese, cheese? To clarify a little bit; growing up in North Lebanon my grandmother made and she still does make something called “Shanklish”. She simmers some yogurt till it curdles, collects the curds and mixes them with salt and hot pepper. Then she forms them into perfect rounds the size of tennis balls and dries them in the sun till semi-hard. The last piece of the process is to store in jars until a layer of mold forms and they become softer, pungent tasting, very fragrant and of course delicious. When they are pretty much ripe, the outside mold is rinsed off, and they are rolled in a thyme/sesame mixture (a.k.a za’atar). From here on they are ready to eat and I normally store them in the fridge or they will become overripe and not too tasty. They are normally served drizzled with olive oil and eaten with Pita bread. Ok, I am sorry if I bored you with this account. It all leads me to wonder, is this favorite of mine cheese? I grew up on the stuff and my grandmother still keeps me stocked with it but she does not see it as cheese, just Shanklish. What do you think? Have you ever heard of it? Many thanks, Elie

Steve- Welcome to e-gullet, and thank you for taking the time to chat with us. So, you are going to live the rest of your life on an island, you can only have three cheeses and a loaf of bread. Which cheeses would those be? I'll make sure to check them out next time I find them. Elie

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the tip about covering up the glass. I will make sure to do this as soon as I get home. Elie

I've never been, but I think El Fenix is a good destination. Elie

No answer about this so far, so I want to bring it back up to the top of the list. Elie

Project- The main thing that does not add up in your statements is that you seem to be basing your whole opinion on a dishj he prepared on TV over a period of what...15 minutes. And you keep saying that he did not cramalize, or use stock and so on and so forth. As far as I know Trotter and all French disciplined fine dining chefs do use stock, sauce, butter, and the Maillard recation quiet extensivly. So the lack of these items/procedures should really not be a concern in your decision to eat a CT. As far as the pampering, stem ware et al. that is totally a personal preference. So if you do not like this sort of "fussy" stuff, then I guess Trotter will never be right for you. The food is also a personal choice and some dishes will be very simple such as the scallop dish and other will be very complex and for a lack of better term "comlicated". A slab of ribs is great and a 4-hour tatsing menu at a fine dining etsablishment is also great, each has its place and if done right is worth the cost. Elie

Houston Press Dining section: "British curry houses are to Indian food what Tex-Mex restaurants are to Mexican cuisine. And just as Tex-Mex standards like fajitas, margaritas and nachos are now popular in Mexico, so have British favorites like chicken tikka masala become increasingly common in India." Robb Walsh reviews London Sizzler a brand new (a little too new to be reviewed I thought) British-Indian dining spot on the Southwest Freeway feeder. I tried their Vegetable Jalferazi (sp?) a couple of weeks ago and it was very spicy but good. To see what Mr. Walsh thinks of the place click HERE Elie

Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide: A fascinating short interview by Dai Huynh with A.J. Baime author of Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze. If the interview material was that interesting I am sure the book is worth a look through…who would’ve known that Captain Morgan was such a brutal personality, for that matter I did not even know he was real. Check it outHERE Allison Cook reviews the latest addition to the “upscale lifestyle center” in the Woodlands, aka The Woodlands Mall. Brio is a “Tuscan Grill” chain, that might be worth a stop if you are in the area. Read the review. Ken Hoffman LOVES the new Taco Bell Burrito, it’s new, cheap and big. Who could ask for more? Right? And Ode to Taco Bell is a click away Elie

Today's W&D includes: A reader finds very good French pastry at a Mexican bakery. Sounds promising. A defense for Allison Cook’s reviews. Mr. Ross is upset at Houston’s “No Caps” policy Yia Yia…..you know the new Pappas Greek place gets a thumbs down Elie

houston chronicle Food section: Beyond the Beef, Janice Schindeler discusses burger options from salmon to black beans with recipes. HERE Elie

Can you please get off Nathan's case. I am sure he was not attacking vegetarians, I am not either I like most of the ones I met . The pseudo-scientific crap is the crap about raw food being "better" for you than real food. And yes I said real food becuase TO ME uncooked vegetable mixed together with peanut mush might be tasty but is just a salad, a novelty item which might tatse good once in a while but, it is by no means scientifically proven to give you better health. Elie

Ok, so I got myself a sun tea jar ($3.88) and currently the lump of jelled off white sludge I came to know as a vinegar mother is resting in there along with a bottle’s worth (make that a bottle minus one glass) of Merlot ($5 Australian Black Swan). I have the thing covered with a cheese cloth held in place with a rubber band. This got me to thinking though, if it takes 4-6 months to have vinegar, doesn’t that mean I need to stop adding fresh wine to the batch 4-6 months from when I want to have vinegar? I mean I cannot keep adding wine to the jar all the way through October and expect to have wine by November. Right? Or am I just thinking too hard? Thanks for everyone’s help in this very interesting thread Elie