RAHiggins1

I enjoy requesting "Sunomono" and seeing what I get. The best was cucumber and octopus so far.

I've accidentally asked the sushi chef for inu instead of uni. I picked up Keisan in okinawa so maybe that's why. More of a dialect thing. Oh well.

I'm considering skipping the formal and costly culinary program (and skip algebra and grammar tests) in lieu of maybe a part time internship at someplace that has an actual brigade. I'm not afraid to peel ginger and broccoli (or scrub pots) for free a couple of days a week to get my current skills refined. I cooked in the Marines for 4 years, managed waffle houses for 6 year, was a line cook at Jocks & Jills for half a year (never eat there again) and a few other places in between. I am eager to expand what I know. I typically only have to be shown once on presentation. Execution I am not worried about, I know the 5 mother sauces. My wife bought the CIA's current textbook for me to read & reference, but for me nothing is as good as good ol' hands on, on the job training. I guess my real beef with culinary schools is that they are designed for kids fresh out of high school or college and my interests lay solely in the confines of the kitchen. I also would not mind apprenticing with a good caterer. Edited due to poor thought processes.

Anyone ever make pancakes with corn meal or corn flour?

Hmm, meanwhile if I want good Dominican or Columbian, I have to drive to Norcross. Why not simply drive three miles west of Norcross and eat at Di Paola? ← I was unaware of DiPaola, I shall be giving it a try. ← I don’t want to get too off-topic (I love Gulf Coast Seafood too BTW), but I was just told the other day by one of Atlanta’s beloved restaurant bloggers than Tratttoria 141 in John’s Creek (formally Duluth) is also phenomenal. I hope to verify, but that part of town has a lot of good restaurants. To NY Mike: Mi Pilon is one of the best restaurants in all of Atlanta, BuHi north of JCB. There is a good Columbian bakery/restaurant across the street and I was told by two foodies, a nice Venezuelan pollo joint in the same shopping center. ← I've tried columbian twice the first time ordered a platter that turned out to be mostly blood sausages and chicarones. I prefer frito lay brand pork rinds personally. The second time was a little better, but the wait staff were not speaking any english so it was very difficult to order. I did get empanadas but they were filled with greasy potatos. I've a friend who makes them from his ex columbian's wife's recipe and they are far superior. On Topic* I've not tried patton's yet. Actually, I've not gone shopping for my roast yet, I'm going to do that on saturday and prep everything on sunday and monday for new year's eve.

Heat olive oil in your roasting pan at 400º, then sear the outside in the roasting pan in the oven turning it as needed. You might put some garlic in the oil just to give it a nice flavor.

I made pancakes on Christmas morning. I just realized why they fell after rising, I forgot to add the butter. The rest of the recipe was as follows; 1 cup milk 1 egg 2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 4 tbsp butter - that I forgot. I did not melt the butter in the bowl first, but will next time. Mix butter, egg, milk, sugar and vanilla then sift the remaining ingredients into it. Stir minimally, there should be little lumps in the batter. Heat skillet, mine is 12" too. I swathe melted butter in the skillet once and cook the first pancake to test the temperature I also do this to allow the first one to "season" the pan, this fills in the pores in the metal. I usually cook pancakes at medium high. You don't need to oil the pan between pancakes, its the sugar that browns it. Excessive butter or oil is actually what causes pancakes to come out with white splotches instead of an even brown across the cake. The bubble method is relative to pan thickness (heat recovery) and temperature. I typically try to adjust the heat so that as soon as the bubbles on the edges pop its time to flip them allowing most of the batter to rise in the pancake once its flipped. The rest is easy enough, I am liberal with the butter as they come out and get stacked. I also find that a tortilla warmer does a great job of retaining heat until a stack is done.

I'm familiar with wilkes, I used to shop at the one that was on old norcross road years ago. I've been to the one in Lilburn, but they are always closed by the time I get over to them after work $6.49 /lb. for their Crown Roast. (I'm assuming this is a frenched pork roast.) I've started buying whole beef tenderloin at Super H mart and trimming them up myself. I get 12-14 filets that way. Not bad since they sell them at $4.99/lb They sell whole rib roasts too. Much easier to trim up and you get about 14 12oz steaks. Price is same as the tenderloin. Super H mart's fish is ok, but once again you have to pay close attention to where it came from. I was 1/2 mile from gulfcoast seafood friday and totally forgot to swing by there and check it out.

Hmm, meanwhile if I want good Dominican or Columbian, I have to drive to Norcross. Why not simply drive three miles west of Norcross and eat at Di Paola? ← I was unaware of DiPaola, I shall be giving it a try.

I currently have Food & Wine subscribed. It's content is very trendy. I like the wine part better then the food part. I hate that every page of content is opposite a full page add. If there are 150 pages in the magazine, over 75 are sure to be ad pages.

I suppose you could ask what dish they are known for.

I cannot tell you how long I have been wanting these recipes. When I left the Marine Corps, I kept the ones I liked at that time, but have been looking to replace the whole collection to use. This will suffice nicely. Now if I can still remember how to do the math to adjust the recipes to 10 or 1000... We had to make 400 of this or 600 of that abd multiply the ingredients on a worksheet. Con vert standard measurements to fractions and decimals and such, then revert them back to consolidate quantities.

I would think having more women in the kitchen would prevent more "Gordon Ramsey" Style "Kitchen Nightmares". Women as a whole tend to tolerate a sub-standard kitchen and cleanliness a lot less.

Determine average entree price and double it for drinks, apps, & desserts. Then assisgn it to a category.

I'd have to say that you just need to know yourself. I typically order a cocktail first, sometimes an appetizer, and then what ever I'm drinking with my food after I've selected an entree. I almost never order desert. If I am accompanied to dinner, we might order a bottle of wine and then select entrees accordingly as well. The question is, do I get the $15 chicken dish or the $30 Filet? I tend to get the filet. I can eat chicken at home. (I eat filet at home to.) How do you anticipate what a given restaurant will cost beforehand? Read the menu, know what you would most likely select and then do some math. Or, go to staples and get an easy button. The bottom line is to know yourself. Edit* Grammer FTW

I saw this last nigth and ran upto my tivo but Boiling Point wasn't on the schedule I re-read your post and am going back to look for Beyond Boiling Point.

I hate it when the #1 Value Meal says $3.99 but then when they charge you for it, its actually $4.23 after tax. Sorry, had to do it.

Don't be suprised if you go to Coop's to see a few locals scurrying along the bar. My first trip there was with my buddy who grew up in Metarie. We got into town and he took me straight to Pat O's and after the 1st hurrincane he and a friend who met us there were pouring theirs into mine everytime I was not looking. Afterwards we stumbled to Coop's and my buddy dropped a big fork full of Jamabalaya into my water trying to get me to taste it. After that I don't remember much else, except when we pulled in the other friend's driveway and I said "How did we get here?" Then the next morning there was a 2000 pound Timpani drum where my head used to be.

Any new word on if this local legend will ever return? I drove by the place in november when I was visiting friends. Man what a loss. I made tamales for my friends last year during the saints playoff games. I was close but it was no Manuel's.

← That sounds like the menu for my kentucky Derby parties! add a pork butt smoked and pulled and a sauce made from the drippings and some chicken and sausages. Not to mention Mint Julips, Berry Mohitos, and Derby Pie.

Three years ago I bought 1 ounce of Russian Beluga and 1 ounce of American Osetra caviars to serve side by side at my New Year's party. I personally enjoyed the American Osetra more than the Beluga. I paid $80 for the Beluga and $20 for the Osetra. I now seek out the American Osetra. The Osetra was from one of two sturgeon farms that started in California about 15 years ago. Although farming sturgeon is a relatively new adventure in america, eating caviar is not. In fact sturgeoun populations in america were depleted a long time ago from the high demand a hundered years ago or so. It should also be considered when purchasing Caviar that it is made so good here now, that it is actually being imported back to Russia and Iran and being repackedand labeled as their own. Russian and Iranian Caviar is so expensive now because there are tariffs in place to limit imports due to the severe depletion of the sturgeon species in the Caspian. Poor regulations and poaching are taxing the populations heavily. There is however an ongoing effort to raise and release sturgeon back into the Caspian. My advice is to buy the America Caviar. As I have provided, there are many reasons to do so.

You forgot BEER! What time do I need to be there?

I'm trying to assemble my annual New Years Menu. I want to go retro / traditional So far I've decided on the following; Caviar, Pate and a Champagne Punch Cheese Fondue with Apples, Pears, Bread & Cheese Cubes. Sweet Potato, Chipotle & Apple Soup (Stole this from last issue of F&W) Gold Potato and Porcini Gratin (Also stolen from F&W) Black eyed Peas, Collards, and Cornbread. Frenched Pork Roast -Braised (A friend of mine braised a pork tenderloin in Mead with black olives, it was amazing. Im going to build on that and finish it with a carmelized honey crust.) Chocolate Fondue with Fresh Fruits. I'd like to make Duck confit but my wife forbids it (sigh). So I was thinking of maybe Chicken instead? Is there something similar? Alternately I might just roast a bird I guess. any suggestions?

Potato salad served hot ( I know it as German Style) with Bacon and vinegared. Boston Baked Beans, slow cooked, brown sugar and molasses yumminess. Edit* Gods of spelling strike again!

I'd like to lament on how the whole of Atlanta seems to really suck when it comes to finding good, quality foods without the price being jacked through the roof. I live in between norcross and Duluth and really its a sad state of affairs over here. Target, Kroger, Little Giant (aka save right/Winn dixie), Publix and Super Walmart, Super H-mart (Asian) and a dingy international farmer's market with smelly frozen fish (usually yellow croaker). It's just not possible to get quality without filling up the gas tank. Then there is the restaurant situation in Gwinnett. If I want Italian it's Macaroni Grill or Provino's or Dominick's. All of which sell outdated 1970's style dishes (pasta, cheese & sauce heated in a salamander) that haven't been updated in ages. No mom and pop shops with good, hearty, rustic, cuisine. I want pappardelle tossed in garlic butter with meatballs on the side dang it.