FoodMan

Ok, in Houston (and probably elsewhere) nothing, absolutely nothing beats the chicken at "Pollo Riko" on Fondren and 59. Rotisserie chicken over charcoal, the smell alone form a block away is heavenly. Lunch is a bargain for this bird, a 1/4 with 2 sides, a drink and an "arepa" is about 4.50. Just be prepared to pay cash! Costco..Shmotsco.... Elie

Himalaya is pretty close to my work and I have eaten there twice with a co-worker. Both times the food have been excellent and well made and the owner is very friendly and helpful. The lunch special is pretty good and quiet a good size. You get rice, two difffrent "curries", a wimpy salad, yogurt sauce, a small dessert and one of the best fresh flatbreads in town. On another occasion I ordered the Chapli's as well and you are right, they are not very spicy but good and tasty..sort of like an exotic Lebanese Kofta. I tried ordering Hunter's beef one one occassion but he said he was out and apologized profusely. It's definitly on our lunch rotation. Elie

Ah BO-18!! Is it still there? So many memories of that place..not all good . My friends and I got kicked out of it one time, but that story sure does not belong on a food board. Concerning beaches, it depends what you are looking for. We always went to Jbeil (Byblos) to the nice sandy beaches and all we had to pay for was the parking. These were clean and can get pretty busy on the weekends, but are sure a lot of fun. We brought our own umbrella, some sandwiches and beer. However, you can buy any of these items from one of the numerous shacks on the beach. One of the favorite things was the slow leisurly drive back on the old road adjacent to the ocean (not the freeway) where you pass by Maameltein and Junieh... Now, if you are looking for a beach with Chaleh's, pool, nice restaurants, then you might be better of knowing someone who actually rents a cabin for the season. Elie

Click here for Wolke's take on enzymes in raw foods. It is in line with most comments here...just a little funnier Elie

No, I do not have a mold, I knotted them by hand following PR's instructions. They really look much more difficult than they are. The hardest part was getting the dough pieces to roll into a rope since it was so elastic. What I did is basically work with 2 or 3 at a time, roll one then start on the other while the first one relaxes and becomes easier to roll. Elie

Sunday, hot and humid in Houston. Perfect day for lighting up the grill . We had a family favorite grilled Lebanese chicken burgers , with homemade "Hummus" aioli, French fries and a carrot/chickpea salad. Even the Kaiser rolls were freshly baked in my oven the night before and they were awsome. Dessert was a baked gooey (VERY gooey) coconut chocolate pudding with coconuct ice cream. Elie

My first time attempting the Kaiser rolls was a great success this weekend. I was a little skeptical about the size at first. Since I wanted to use them as buns, I went for the larger ones (about 4oz each). After forming the buns they just looked too small, but sure enought after proofing and baking they came out perfect. I do think the ones pictured in the book have egg wash on them or something for that glossy finish even though the recipe does not ask for one. Next time I will do this to get a nicer shine on these "bulkies". I served the buns stuffed with grilled chicken burgers, homemade "hummus" mayo, lettuce tomatoes and pickles alongside a carot salw and French fries. Elie

I can definitly help with "Jabbour, it located right on a small street right next to Dora Square (mustadirat El Dora). Across from it you can see the CIT technical institute and anyone in that area should point you to it. Abu Fadi is also well known and is located close to the beginning of Mina Boulevard, across from the beach. Sorry I am not more help, but I think it might be easier to just ask once you get there. I might not be that much help on the third query, since I do not live in Beirut anymore. However, last year my friends took us to a really nice place where you can sit and overlook the Rouche rock. Come to think of it there are a couple of restaurants in the Rouche area with very nice views. On the otherside of Beirut, the eastern side the Maamaltein/Junieh area has several nice restaurants. the one that stands out over there is called "Manuella". I know it sounds cheesy, but they have very good food (mezza and mashawi) as well as a phenomenal location. Last year I was there the place was still very popular. Good luck and don't forget to report back. Elie

How do you keep the rolls/cookies so perfectly round? Mine always sag. Di ← I use the assistance of plastic wrap! basically instead of using my hands I first use wax paper to form into a roughly log shape. At this point if it is too soft, I refrigerate for a short time till managable. Then I move the log to a rectangle of plastic wrap and form the log into a round shape. The last step is to twist both ends of the platic wrap really tight (think of wrapping a pice of hard candy). This will make a nice perfect salami-like log. Elie

At my son's school they are having some kind of teacher's appreciation day and I volunteered cookies and brownies. I made the sparkle cookies and am verty happy with the result. I used Turbinado sugar for the "sparkle" and it came out really nice. I did make to different sizes, the one the book recommends and a thinner shape which I liked more. In a case like this having an electric knife really helps slicing the dough neatly...too bad I don't have one yet . This is my second time making the brownies and I have to say that I do not think I will make them again. They are just too "light", if that makes any sense. I prefer a more heavy fudgy brownie. So, I am sticking with my favorite recipe, Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies. Elie

Wednesday: - Savory Bankok waffles, dipping sauce, homemade chilli jam. These are from Alford and Duguid's baking book and they are fabulous. You can also find the recipe here if you are interested. -Shrimp pad thai Thursday: Lebanese white beans with beef and tomato in the crock pot, served with rice cooked with samen. Elie

Houston Press' Dining Section Thai Seas Robb Walsh eats the best Thai seafood this side of Phuket at Merlion in Seabrook. IT sure got me craving shrimp. Wurst-Case Scenario Robb Walsh reviews Alfredo's German bar. This review is on eof the funniest most amusing pieces I've read in a while. I am tempted to go just to quiz Alfredo a little more about food and the Houston dining scene. Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide Marco's wiles Alison Cook reviewes Da Marco's and announces it one of the best Italian eateries in the country. French toast: It's a delicate balance With the term Freedom Toast mercifully out of the way, the all American French Toast -yes it is an American invention- is featured on top Houston restaurants and Cafes menus alike. Dai Huynh reports on who is and how they are serving this classic food. Elie This thread is for food media DIGEST entries. If you want to discuss one of these news items, please start a separate discussion thread.

Honestly, one of the quietest restaurants in Houston is "Houston's", and their off-menu porterhouse is pretty good. Elie

well, what do you know...I googled them and found that they have their own site with directions and a map and everything. Click Here Elie

Thank you all for your help. hazardnc the Formatgeria La Seu in the Gothic Quarter is on my list to visit now. Apperantly Colmado Quilez, my first choice for goodies is even closed on Saturday afternoon. So, Friday and Saturday morning are the shopping days. On Sunday we will probably just visit the Picasso Museum. Elie

Laura (aka brioche queen), absolutly wonderful bread and I am so itching to try the craquelin!

ok, I have not read all 10 pages so hopefully no one mentioned this one, but the Spanish word "pinxtos" is pronounced pinztos, right? Elie

Our flight back to the US leaves Sunday evening, so in general are shops ,food shops or other goods (clothes, shoes...), open on a Sunday? We are so used to having shops open 7-days a week in the US that we forget that this is NOT the norm and we are remined of it everytime we visit my family in Lebanon . Elie

Looking forward to one fun blog Fifi. Do let me know if you need help disposing of your bounty . Elie

Many thanks, Taktika Berri already made my list after reading about it on this thread. I will make sure to visit it one evening...or two. Elie

Sunday: A stew of pork-herb meatballs, with tomatoes, collard greens and eggplant. Served it on top of polenta loaded with parmesan. Last night: bruschetta with two toppings, tomato-basil-mozz and mushroom-onion-balsamic-smoked mozz. Dessert: Baked very-gooey chocolate pudding, with vanilla ice cream and toasted hazelnuts. Elie

so many recommendations..I am lost. To narrow it down a bit, I would like to stay within walking distance from the Segrada Familia and our hotel (AB Viladomat Hotel). -What is a good breakfast place? Especially for thick chocolate and churros. -I know Tapas is not a Barcelona thing, but any recommendations for a good tapas bar are appreciated. Elie

It is my understanding --but I could be very wrong-- that all first timers are considered VIPs and offered some extra dishes. That maybe accounts for the 42 dishes? Hopefully nathan will chime in and let us know when he gives more details about his great meal. As far as a kitchen table, well, I guess you have to be connected , since I did not even know they had one. Elie

Honestly, I thought the whole article was kind of useless, a waste of space. I did not think it was particularly funny or insightful. It seems that the only reason this article was published was because it has RR name in it. Other than that it had no value at all. Now, to my other point, I have three cities on my US culinary list, and one of them is Chicago. I guess I cannot understand why it is so hard to find a decent lunch spot other than a vegan tofu galore. Jeez, take her to get a nice Italian beef sandwich for crying out loud! If I was living in Chicago like Lady T, I would be pissed too. Elie

Well, I did not exactly "cook" any Thai food but I finally got to make Thompson's chili jam and it is so freaking good I cannot wait to use it on/in/with something. I actually even made my own dried shrimp to use in the jam since I had a bag of raw shrimp in the freezer, the process was pretty simple fool proof with a great end result. Here are the pics of the raw ingredients, then fried and then a large jar of flavorful jam: Elie