RAHiggins1

We just got back from my week in Fort Walton Beach/Destin. Unfortunately, my wife isn't big on taking a camera to dinner So I'll try to describe my experiences to you here. We left Saturday morning and drove straight there. We arrived at 5:00pm CST, checked in to our condo at the "Sea Oats" and then went to find some dinner. We drove up and down the "Miracle Strip Pkwy" and landed at "The Original Crab shark Restaurant and Marina". It was raining outside and they refused to seat us outdoors under the covered portion of the deck. We later watched someone one else get seated where we asked to sit. The wait staff informed us that they were unable to serve draft beers and we would have to order by the bottle. My wife ordered a Hurricane and ended up sending it back as it tasted of pure grenadine. The food however, was good. I ordered their any two platter with grilled mahi mahi and gulf shrimp and my darling wife ordered the shrimp and grits. My brother in law who came with us but followed us in his car, also ordered the same any two combination. Afterwards we went for a moonlit walk on the beach and played godzilla on whatever sandcastles we could find. On Sunday, we woke up, watched the umbrella guys set up the umbrellas and beach chairs on the beach from the balcony and sipped on some Community Coffee that we picked up with various other essentials at the publix the night before. We then headed out to play in the ocean and bask in the sun for the day while sipping on Landshark beers. Once the heat ran us back in, Mark (bro in law) and I headed out to find some fresh local seafood. We ended up at "Sexton's Seafood Market" where we bought 3 pounds of of huge head-on shrimps. We made a stop by one of the three over-priced grocery stores in the area and picked up what we needed to make Barbecue shrimps, parsley buttered red potatoes and a nice baguette to eat out on the balcony as we watched the sun set. Monday was pretty much the same itenirary, we ate dinner at Landry's Seafood House. This place was great. Food was excellent, service was everywhere it needed to be and our waiter was covering an extra station as well. I had the stuffed Flounder, she who must be obeyed's dish oddly enough isn't on their web menu. We can't recall the name of it, but it was shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms in a tomato sauce on penne pasta and she loved it. Mark had the fresh catch of the day which was Tilapia. How can you sit at a table not 300 feet from the ocean and order Tilapia? Its farm raised in guatemala or bangladesh or some other cesspool backwater fish farm. <Shrug> He liked it anyway. Tuesday we went fishing on the "Sweet Jody"! We caught 3 red snappers and 3 white porgys and a vermillion snapper. the crew cleaned them anbd we packed them on ice until I could prepare them. All day on a party boat watching a large asian family and most everyone else who came NOT prepared wretch for 6 hours will wear you out, in between reeling them in that is. We were tired when we got back and I crashed for a long noon time nap, after which I woke up craving steak and eggs and there was a Waffle House next door. After which Mark went and picked up his girlfriend at the airport. Wednesday was more beach time, followed by the most overpriced, undeserving restaurant I've ever had the misfortune to dine at. I guess it was the novelty of a place called "The Black Pearl". Our clique of friends enjoy anythng that is island or nautical related and a major portion of that is dedicated to pirates. So we could not resist. $9.00 for 2 oz. of Gordon's gin in a martini is in my opinion too much. Had it been on the drink menu for me to see they were actually pirates at this restaurant I'd have ordered the $5.00 beer instead. Mark's girlfiend Kimberly and I ordered the wasabi crusted tuna with a soy ginger reduction. The tuna was cooked rare as I asked for, but the wasabi crust was some hard crunchy concoction and I found the sauce bland while the wasabi was from a tube and overwhelming. Maybe that is why I could not taste the sauce. My wonderful bride had the mahi mahi which she liked and Mark had the grilled grouper and shrimp which he did not like, he thought it was not fresh and as he describes it, "Slimy". In any case none of us thought that the meal we received was worth on average $10-20 more each per person than the other seafood restaurants in the area. Two words - tourist trap. We headed to "The Track" after dinner and had much fun on the go-karts. The wood track wasn't quite as fun as it looked from the road. The small slick track was a blast as the karts were much faster. We followed this up with another moonlit filled evening of what we came to call "Godzilla'ing". Thursday brought more beach fun, a quiet day at the condo filled with many aloe applications and then my bride and I hit the shops on the strip in Ft. Walton Beach. There is a wonderful pet bakery called "Three Dogs and a Chick" where we picked up some treats for our fuzzy children back home. We also bought some doodads at the antique places and stopped in the Cigar Shop. That evening I prepared the red snapper we caught using the "Red Snapper Basquaise" recipe from AB's Les Halles Cookbook". You just can't go wrong with that recipe. I used Chateau St. Michelle in the recipe and also for libations. Its a $11 bottle of chardonnay that is actually very good for its price. I rate it with Simi as a good comparison. Friday we stayed in due to rain and then went for a Dolphin Cruise anyways. It was a nice boatride in the bay and we did get to see the dolphins. Afterwards we headed over to "McGuire's Irish Pub" Cathi, my wife, ordered an Irish Wake for the souveigner glass, Mark followed suite. We poured them in the car later on after they bought up the whole danged gift shop. For dinner I wanted Beef, so I ordered the New York Strip and was glad for it. Mark ordered the Irish Steak and Mushroom pie which he was mildly dissapointed in and the women ordered the fish and chips which appeared to be whiteing, they both thoroughly enjoyed it. We proceeded back to the condo to pack up since the whole day had been very wet. We were feeling the birth of the now present Eduardo in the gulf. Saturday was check out time and we stopped by a place I had seen on the way in that advertised fresh shrimp on the boat in Vaisparo, Florida. We bought 10 pounds of $4/lb fresh shrimp that had been passing their time in the bay not even 8 hours prior to our arrival. We also bought 10 pounds of $2/lb fresh sea trout that had been caught in the nets with the shrimp. We then drove home unloaded the car and ordered chinese. Sunday I woke up early and attended to a much dilapidated yard, headed off to the store after calling all of my close friends and inviting them over that evening to a fish fry. I sliced up a 5# sack of red skinned gold potatoes into chips and fried them in the outdoor frier, followed by the shrimp prepared ala *Justin Wilson and the trouts dredged in Zatarain's Fish Fry. We could only eat half of what we brought back and there were eleven of us in total. I also baked the remaining whole Red snapper we had caught. I stuffed/coated it with Boscolli's olive salad after trimming the fins and gills and a good salting. I also cut 4 slits to make it cook even and stuffed lemon slices in the slits as well as in the cavity. It made for a nice New Orleans Style Red Snapper Provencal. A perfect cap to a good week in florida. * Justin Wilson marinated his shrimp in a highly seasoned egg wash for a few hours and then tossed them in plain flour to fry. It comes out wondamous, I GAYR-on-TEE!

How do you get a 15 on your health inspection?. Whew I though this wa sone I had eaten at but was mistaken. Its the old O'Charleys buliding on Pleasant Hill. But wait there's more! The article reference's another Gwinnett Restaurant that scored a 13! GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES Food Service Establishment Inspection Report Establishment Name: SUPER GRAND BUFFET Address: 1630 PLEASANT HILL ROAD #300 City: DULUTH Time In: 11 : 30 AM Time Out: 07 : 05 PM Inspection Date: 07/23/2008 CFSM: Yang Qing Zheng exp. 09/17/2012 Purpose of Inspection: Routine Followup Complaint Preliminary Other Risk Type: 1 2 3 Permit#: 067-5436 Risk Factors are food preparation practices and employee behaviors most commonly reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as contributing factors in foodborne illness outbreaks. Public Health Interventions are control measures to prevent illness or injury. Good Retail Practices are preventive measures to control the introduction of pathogens, chemicals, and physical objects into foods. Last Score 96 Grade Date 11/28/07 Prior Score 92 Grade Date 06/12/07 CURRENT SCORE CURRENT GRADE 15 U SCORING AND GRADING: A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 U<69 FOODBORNE ILLNESS RISK FACTORS AND PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN=in compliance OUT=not in compliance N/O=not observed N/A=not applicable COS=corrected on-site during inspection R=repeat violation Compliance Status COS R 1. Supervision 4 points 1-2 OUT Person in charge present, demonstrates knowledge, and performs duties 2. Employee Health, Good Hygenic Practices, Preventing Contamination by Hands - Subcategory 1 9 points 2-1A IN Proper use of restriction & exclusion 2-1B OUT Hands clean and properly washed 2-1C OUT No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods or approved alternate method properly followed 2. Employee Health, Good Hygenic Practices, Preventing Contamination by Hands - Subcategory 2 4 points 2-2A OUT Management awareness; policy present; reporting 2-2B IN Proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco use 2-2C IN No discharge from eyes, nose, and mouth 2-2D OUT Adequate handwashing facilities supplied & accessible 3. Approved Source 9 points 3-1A OUT Food obtained from approval source, parasite destruction 3-1B N/O Food received at proper temperature 3-1C OUT Food in good condition, safe, and unadulterated X 4. Protection from Contamination - Subcategory 1 9 points 4-1A OUT Food separated and protected X 4-1B IN Proper disposition of returned, previously served, reconditional, and unsafe food 4. Protection from Contamination - Subcategory 2 4 points 4-2A IN Food stored covered 4-2B OUT Food-contact surfaces; cleaned & sanitized Compliance Status COS R 5. Cooking and Reheating of Potentially Hazardous Foods, Consumer Advisory - Subcategory 1 9 points 5-1A OUT Proper cooking time and temperatures X 5-1B IN Proper reheating procedures for hot holding 5. Cooking and Reheating of Potentially Hazardous Foods, Consumer Advisory - Subcategory 2 4 points 5-2 OUT Consumer advisory provided for raw and undercooked foods 6. Holding of Potentially Hazardous Foods, Date Marking Potentially Hazardous Foods - Subcategory 1 9 points 6-1A OUT Proper cold holding temperature X 6-1B OUT Proper hot holding temperature X 6-1C OUT Proper cooling time and temperature X 6-1D OUT Time as a public health control; procedures and records 6. Holding of Potentially Hazardous Foods, Date Marking Potentially Hazardous Foods - Subcategory 2 4 points 6-2 OUT Proper date marking and disposition X 7. Highly Susceptible Populations 9 points 7-1 N/A Pasteurized foods used; Prohibited foods not offered 8. Chemicals 4 points 8-2A N/A Food additives; approved and properly used 8-2B OUT Toxic substances properly identified, stored, used X 9. Conformance with Approved Procedures 4 points 9-2 N/A Compliance with variance, specialized process and HACCP plan GOOD RETAIL PRACTICES Good Retail Practices are preventative measures to control the addition of pathogens, chemicals, and physical objects into foods. Compliance Status COS R 10. Safe Food and Water, Food Identification 3 points 10A IN Pasteurized eggs used where required 10B IN Water and ice from approved source 10C IN Variance obtained for specialized processing methods 10D OUT Food properly labeled; original container; required records available; shellstock tags X 11. Food Temperature Control 3 points 11A OUT Proper cooling methods used; adequate equipment for temperature control 11B IN Plant food properly cooked for hot holding 11C OUT Approved thawing methods used X 11D OUT Thermometers provided and accurate 12. Prevention of Food Contamination 3 points 12A OUT Contamination prevented during food preparation, storage display X 12B OUT Personal cleanliness X 12C OUT Wiping cloths; properly used and stored 12D OUT Washing fruits and vegetables X 13. Postings and Compliance with Clean Air Act 1 points 13A IN Posted: Permit/Inspection/Choking Poster/Handwashing 13B OUT Compliance with Georgia Smoke Free Air Act Compliance Status COS R 14. Proper Use of Utensils 1 points 14A OUT In-use utensils; properly stored X 14B IN Utensils, equipment and linens; properly stored, dried, handled 14C IN Single-use/single-service articles; properly stored, used 14D IN Gloves used properly 15. Utensils, Equipment and Vending 1 points 15A IN Food and nonfood-contact surfaces cleanable, properly designed, constructed, and used 15B IN Warewashing facilities; installed, maintained, used; test strips 15C OUT Nonfood-contact surfaces clean 16. Water, Plumbing and Waste 2 points 16A IN Hot and cold water available; adequate pressure 16B IN Plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 16C IN Sewage and waste water properly disposed 17. Physical Facilities 1 points 17A IN Toilet facilities; properly constructed, supplied, cleaned 17B IN Garbage/refuse properly disposed; facilities maintained 17C OUT Physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 17D OUT Adequate ventilation and lighting; designated areas used 18. Pest and Animal Control 3 points 18 OUT Insects, rodents, and animals not present Person in Charge (Signature) (Print) Date: 07/23/2008 Inspector (Signature) EHS 1114 Follow-up YES NO Follow-up Date: 08/02/2008 Discussed With: Maggie Ni Title: Manager/PIC Food Establishment Inspection Report Addendum Violations cited in this report must be corrected within the time frames specified below, or as stated in the Georgia Department of Human Resources Rules and Regulations Food Service Chapter 290-5-14, Rule .10 subsections (2)(i) and (j). Establishment SUPER GRAND BUFFET Permit # 067-5436 Date 07/23/2008 Address 1630 PLEASANT HILL ROAD #300 City/State DULUTH GA Zipcode 30096 TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS Item/Location Temp Item/Location Temp Item/Location Temp Item Number OBSERVATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 1 Violation of Code: [.03(3)(a)-(d) ] Failure to monitor proper sanitation of equipment and utensils prior to reuse; Employees not informed of responsibility to report information about their health as it relates to food-borne illness; Not ensuring proper cooling techniques of potentially hazardous foods; Not ensuring proper cooking temperatures and techniques to minimize contamination through supervision. New Violation. 2 Violation of Code: [.03(5)© ] Employee observed touching face with gloved hands and later attempting to prep foods without washing hands. Employee observed loading dirty dishes into dishwasher and immediately unloading clean dishes without washing hands. Employee observed taking garbage and later observed attempting to engage in food prep without washing hands. New Violation. 2 Violation of Code: [.04(4)(a) ] Employee observed prepping stuffed mushrooms with bare hands. Also observed employee cutting watermelon and placing slices into pan with bare hands. New Violation. 2 Violation of Code: [.03(4)(a)-(f) ] No employee health policy present at time of inspection. New Violation. 2 Hand sink next to mop sink inaccessible. Paper towels not being supplied at handsink next to wok area. New Violation. 3 Violation of Code: [.04(5)(d) ] Parasite destruction documentation not provided in its entirety for sushi (fish used is NOT farm raise, as stated by management, fish is wild caught). New Violation. 3 Violation of Code: [.04(1) ] Three flies observed in soup actively being used held near wok station. Soup discarded. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 4 Violation of Code: [.04(4)©1(i)-(iii),(v),(viii) ] Food not protected from contamination by separating raw animal foods during storage, prep, holding, and display from raw or cooked ready-to-eat foods (raw chicken being stored above ready to eat foods in two door reach-in cooler opposite grill area; raw chicken being stored above green beans in two-door reach in cooler, raw eggs being stored above egg rolls in walk-in cooler, raw beef being stored above soup in multi-door reach-in cooler, etc.). Raw animal foods (raw chicken and raw beef being prepped next to each other on prep table opposite 4-compartment dish sink) not separated from each other during storage, preparation, holding, and display. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 4 Violation of Code: [.05(6)(k) ] Improper manual dishwashing procedure. Employee observed washing and rinsing dishes, no sanitizing. Ice machine unclean with buildup of filth. Knives and dishes stored away as clean observed with stuck on food debris. Cutting boards in disrepair, must resurface or replace. New Violation. 5 Violation of Code: [.04(5)(a) ] Poultry, wild game animals, stuffed fish, stuffed meat, or stuffed pasta not cooked to an internal temperature of 165oF or above for 15 seconds. Chicken in chicken and brocolli being cooked to 155F and 157F (see attached temps). Employee advised to recook to 165F. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 5 Violation of Code: [.04(7)(e) ] Consumer advisory not provided for consumption of raw or undercooked foods (oysters, mussels, sushi, etc.) not provided on menus. New Violation. Person in Charge (Signature) Date: 07/23/2008 Inspector (Signature) EHS 1114 Date: 07/23/2008 Food Establishment Inspection Report Addendum Violations cited in this report must be corrected within the time frames specified below, or as stated in the Georgia Department of Human Resources Rules and Regulations Food Service Chapter 290-5-14, Rule .10 subsections (2)(i) and (j). Establishment SUPER GRAND BUFFET Permit # 067-5436 Date 07/23/2008 Address 1630 PLEASANT HILL ROAD #300 City/State DULUTH GA Zipcode 30096 Item Number OBSERVATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 6 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(f) ] Cold-held potentially hazardous foods not maintained below 41oF; no time controls/documentation in place (see temps). All Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs) discarded. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 6 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(f) ] Hot-held potentially hazardous foods not maintained above 135oF; no time controls/documentation in place (see temps). All foods reheated to 165F. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 6 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(d) ] Cooked potentially hazardous foods (fried chicken) not cooled from 135oF to 70oF within 2 hours. PHFs discarded. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 6 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(i) ] Written procedures for (sushi rice) use of time only as a control for potentially hazardous foods not prepared in advance and maintained in the establishment. No time indicated on dish; No specifics (as to dish) on time records. New Violation. 6 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(g) ] Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food (imitation crab salad, fried chicken) prepared and held in the establishment for more than 24 hours not clearly marked to indicate the date by which the food must be consumed, sold, or discarded.04(6)(g) Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 8 Violation of Code: [.07(6)© ] Chemicals (chlorox) stored in a manner (next to watermelons, potatoes) that presents a contamination risk to food, equipment, utensils, linens, and/or single-service articles; Chemicals not stored so that they cannot contaminate food, equipment, utensils, linens, and/or single-service articles Medicines (centrum stored above cold prep unit opposite wok area) for employee use not labeled with manufacturer’s label, and/or located to prevent contamination of food (raw chicken, beef, shrimp, spices, vegetables), equipment, utensils, linens, and single-service articles; Sanitizer concentration in ALL buckets checked (next to wok, prep area, buffet area) at toxic levels. Test strip reaction very dark purple to black in color, concentration off color char. Must maintain concentration at 50-100 ppm Cl. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 10 Violation of Code: [.04(3)(l) ] Raw shellfish not obtained in non-returnable packages with a label that identifies the shucker-packer or re-packer of the molluscan shellfish. No oyster tags present on oysters in walk-in cooler. Oysters without tags discarded. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 11 Violation of Code: [.04(6)(e) ] Potentially hazardous foods not properly cooled by effective methods (shallow pans, ice water bath, adding ice as an ingredient, etc.). New Violation. 11 Violation of Code: [.04(6)©] Potentially hazardous foods (shrimp, chicken) not thawed under an approved method-shrimp, chicken being thawed at room temperature. Must thaw under 1) cool running water, 2) under refrigeration. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 11 Violation of Code: [.05(3)(g) ] Food thermometer not adequately designed for measuring the temperature of thin foods. New Violation. 12 Violation of Code: [.04(4)(u) ] Food (cones) not shielded properly on counters, serving lines, salad bars, or other food display. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 12 Violation of Code: [.03(5)(g) ] Employees wearing jewelry (watches, rings with stones) other than a plain ring while preparing food. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 12 Violation of Code: [.05(10)(b) ] In-use, wet wiping cloths not stored in an approved sanitizing solution (100 ppm available chlorine or 300 ppm available Quat). New Violation. Person in Charge (Signature) Date: 07/23/2008 Inspector (Signature) EHS 1114 Date: 07/23/2008 3 Food Establishment Inspection Report Addendum Violations cited in this report must be corrected within the time frames specified below, or as stated in the Georgia Department of Human Resources Rules and Regulations Food Service Chapter 290-5-14, Rule .10 subsections (2)(i) and (j). Establishment SUPER GRAND BUFFET Permit # 067-5436 Date 07/23/2008 Address 1630 PLEASANT HILL ROAD #300 City/State DULUTH GA Zipcode 30096 Item Number OBSERVATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 12 Violation of Code: [.04(4)(g) ] Raw fruits (lemons) and vegetables not thoroughly washed in water to remove soil and other contaminations prior to preparation for service. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 13 No "No Smoking" sign posted. No handwasing sign at hand sink near grill area. New Violation. 14 Violation of Code: [.04(4)(k) ] While not in use, food preparation/dispensing utensils not stored with their handles above the top of the food and the container. Scoops without handles being used (plates in imitation crab salad, cups, etc.) Corrected On-Site. New Violation. 15 Violation of Code: [.05(7)(a)2,3 ] Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment (stove, wok area, freezer) not cleaned at a frequency necessary to preclude accumulation of soil residues. New Violation. 17 Violation of Code: [.07(5)(a),(b) ] Floor/wall junctures coved base missing in several places. New Violation. 17 Violation of Code: [.05(3)(d) ] Vent hood filter above grill area very unclean with stuck on filth and grease drips. New Violation. 18 Violation of Code: [.07(5)(k) ] Dead flies (3) observed in soup actively being served. Several flies (>7) observed in facility at time of inspection. New Violation. Remarks ***Facility's permit suspended due to several foodborne illness risk factor violations. Must provide corrective action for ALL violations at compliance conference. ****Inspection carried out in conjunction with KRW, CBV and DFM. *****All temperatures attached to file in Garrison. Person in Charge (Signature) Date: 07/23/2008 Inspector (Signature) EHS 1114 Date: 07/23/2008 4

That relish sounds like "Chow Chow".

Yes well there's the rub for me. I rarely get to purchase larges chunks of meat, my wife only eats beef if it is ground and not recognizable as the beautiful roast or steak that it was. So I grill her a boneless-skinless chicken breast that I soaked in italian dressing and do my own thing to a smaller more individual portion of beef.

It is something that I am willing to bet your butcher will be happy to set aside to sell to you upon request.

Chuck-eyes as end cuts of the chuck roast are typically sold by themselves. I buy them whenever I see them. Since there are only as many as there are roasts on display they can be hard to find right away. It's a very inexpensive cut of meat but very, very, tender with lots of fat to give it good flavor. It saddens me to see this secret get out.

I keep it as a season pass on my tivo box. If its not a first run it doesn't record it. It didn't record it.

Laos, Columbia, Saudi Arabia... Tony seems to be more of a thrill-seeker this season. He is definately pushing the envelope. I sat there last night watching the most recent one and trying to think of where I would have wanted to go with him if I had won the contest (I didn't enter). I settled on the Himalayas. I watched Michael Palin's documentary crossing them and think that I would do something similar. Maybe end up in Nepal or Tibet by way of Mongolia. I'm not a Buddhist, but these people, Seeks, Buddhists, Hindu, have an enlightenment in food and culture that I would like to experience. As far as the most current episode. I'll say that I think Tony did a good job of showing the people of that country and finding similarities to ourselves. Of all the meals he had there, once they stopped trying to make him eat the unusual, the final one was really appealing to me.

Towel storage. If you are reusing that towel hanging on the sink it needs to be in a bucket with a little soap and bleach in it. I equate storing dry towels under the sink and prep tables as pretty much the same as putting raw proteins on the top shelf of the fridge. Get them up and out of the way. Its the same for any dry foods. I also hate anything sitting directly on the floor that has anything to do with food. Sorry if this came across as harsh, but you asked what I saw.

You can't make Banana Pudding any better then by the recipe off of the Nabisco brand "Nilla Wafers". My grandmother used to make it everytime we came to see her in her little white house on 305 White St., Boaz, Alabama. Her yard was cared for meticulously, as was all things in her house. Her appliances had been working in her kitchen since before the depression. Many great and wonderful dishes came from her stove. Fried chicken, pork chops, fruit salad made from the fruit trees in her own backyard. We would show up in the fall and the whole house would be lined with newspapers covered in apples drying in preperation for apple butter. We always left with a jar. Grandmama Brooks never took any shortcuts and it showed. She clipped and saved recipes from her whole lifetime. Her white cake with coconut frosting was always baked from scratch and was perfection. The mention of banana pudding always invokes these memories of her for me and you know what? It makes it taste all that much better to me when I make it.

Check this out. Now there is a twist on coffee cake! Do you think you could turn that into something unique? Serve it hot to order.

Yes thats the one. Ideas in food. ← Its funny Rob goes away for some down time and we hijack his thread. but not reallt since we are talking about his cookies. My thought was that you could shape the dough into a roll, vaccum seal it and then freeze it until you want cookies.

Yes thats the one. Ideas in food.

Unfortunately a link I want to post isn't working that discusses vaccum sealing the dough as well. Do you preform the dough into a roll before sealing it so that you can make even slices? With a meat slicer you could slice while frozen.

Link recipe please. I can never make my wife love me enough.

Did i come across as negative? That was not my intent. The new show is laid back and relaxed in a nice setting with a lot of face time and explanations and not a lot of hype and bravado. Its fun to watch Emeril pushing a shopping cart and greeting all the people who recognize him. "Hey how are ya?, How ya doin?" and its a show that is designed to be green.

Wrap a baked treat in marzipan and shape and color it into a kumquat. Cut a wedge out of it so you can have the exposed interior.

Iceberg wedge, gorgonzola roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken with a hot bacon-dijon vinegarette

No clue on that one. Ceaser used to be a tableside preperation not unlike a flambe. The eggs as far as I know were originally "mottled" so at least cooked enough to start to thicken.

Too many menu items lead to a lack of focus. Its impossible to keep everything you have listed as fresh as possible. You would end up throwing out half of it before it was used in time. Or worse not stock enough of it and end up running out mid-service. Not to mention the labor to pull off this diverse of a menu (prep and service). In general, quality of the food and service would suffer too much. As a startup I'd go back and limit the menu to a set number of items and re-select those that I would really want to see on it. Then go back and do it again. After the business is open and operating smoothly I could add more items or swap out the stuff that no one buys for something new. Take into account what menu items would have overlapping ingredients. That will save you money and or get you a discount by ordering in bulk. It also can add a theme to the menu. Keep in mind what Rob said about seasonal items. Its ok to do seasonal on the menu, but really I'd save those for my specials.

Emeril has a new show called Emeril Green. Its on discovery Channel's new channel "Planet Green".

A friend of mine forwarded Patton's weekly flyer to me and I discovered they update it on their site as well. There are some good deals on here and lots of local foods too. I know I plan to stop and pick up the 5 pounds of ground sirloin for $12.00 Pattons weekly specials

Toss in some snark for good measure.

I agree. I just enrolled in a technical college culinary program to try and get back to where I want to be in life. I was in the food biz for 10+ years and shifted to computers in the 90's. Now, I want back in what makes me happy. (at the time I thought computers made me happy) hopefully I'll be running my own place too some day.