foodcyclist

First off, good luck with the dinner. I'm sure it will be a successful and rewarding experience. There's a lot of pressure and stress do deal with but as long as your prep work is sound and your timing is on it's just a matter of the little details. There's a bunch of good advice here from experienced hosts so the only thing I'll add is that when I've cooked Thanksgiving for multiple guests I rely on a keen sense of timing to get everything on the plate at it's peak....nothing drying out, nothing getting cold. I rely on the 25-30 minute window when I have the turkey resting on my cutting board to plate the potatoes, turnips, stuffing, veggies etc. A successful Thanksgivng is all about family and friends enjoying each other's company for the day. That's the important thing. A successful Thanksgiving meal is all about timing. Good luck!

Kind of two issues at play here. Where as I would be as diplomatic as possible I would certainly request a replacement at the earliest possible opportunity after receiving a poorly made cocktail. I think there's a statute of limitations on returning cocktails, however. After a while you just have to suck it up (pun intended) The issue of the high price, like murder, has no statute of limitations. You should have been informed that premium booze would directly result in a premium price tag. Regardless of the establishment, cocktails will normally settle into that $9-$11 range you mentioned. They should inform you either on the menu or orally of the upcharge. You had every right to demand a discount on that point alone. Steve

I can't believe how many people want that meat grinder attachment for the Kitchen aid! I love mine. Nothing screams fatty juicy burger more than freshly ground meat. Well, since I already have that I'd like some new dinner ware and maybe a dutch oven.

It certainly does as that's right up the road from Dartmouth on rt 6. Thanks

I've been traveling up to the New Bedford area for several years now to visit my wife's family. We go two or three times a year and usually enjoy the area's local seafood dives and bars. Not exactly what I'm used to in Northern New Jersey but a change of pace is nice. Aside from a couple well known Portuguese and seafood restaurants SE Mass is really lacking in certain culinary areas. Anyone familiar with the New Bedford/Dartmouth/Acushnet/Marion/Taunton area and can suggest a rock solid New American or French Restaurant? It's amazing that in some of the more upscale areas, like Marion and Mattepoisett, there's really no choices for upscale dining. Thanks for your help! Steve btw- One place I did find on my last visit was the Kinsale Inn in Mattepoisett right accross from the harbor. Nice, cozy upscale tavern. Wicked nice! ;-)-s

VERY VERY light tonight... did I say light? I'm braising lamb shanks tonight so I decided to play around with smoked salmon, potato galette and creme fraiche. Throw in some caviar, dill and chive and you have a pretty light entree/appetizer. Delicious but really could use a double whopper!

I've noticed over the years that the size of cocktails I've ordered in restaurants and bars have increased considerably. I always just wrote this off to economy. The bars will perhaps sweeten their profit margin by serving a larger cocktail to justify a larger price tag. But I find myself following suit at home and with friends. I've since retired my 'petit' cocktail glasses and now have a working stock of what used to be considered MONDO sized stemware. I haven't been served a cocktail in years that would be considered 'classic' proportions. Just a meaningless observation. Perhaps I'm still a bit foggy after last night's Manhattan....

quote"And another. I wonder what that's about. I race for a clubin Minneapolis that is sponsored by a local cafe. Two of our members are professional chefs. There are several chefs in town who are cyclists." unquote I really can't nail down the connection but I'm guessing it's our pain threashold. Cooking requires stamina and an ability to deal with fatigue, both mental and physical. Cycling is the perfect complement for cooking. Not because it's different but because it's so similar...... Like two twins in the back of a minivan on a cross country trip. I really don't know what that meant but it sounded good when I typed it.

Steve, what are the other courses? ←

Personally, I love the clean, smooth texture of the raw scallop. Of course, that would simplify plating and flavorings as I wouldn't want to compete with the flavor of the raw presentation. I just don't think it would fly with my guests. I have a hard enough time presenting a fish course in the first place!

HA HA!!! I had absolutely no idea what to call this one so I just made it up based on the avocado. By far the busiest plate of the bunch.

I'm online a lot so when I'm interested in getting a table for a restaurant that I think will be busy on the night I plan on dining I'll just hop over to Open Table. I use it often and have never had a problem. Like the previous poster stated though, if the particular time slot is unavailable on Open Table I'll call and often get a table for around the same time. My rule of thumb.... call only if I can't get a reservation online.

I'm in the suburbs in Chatham. I love being a good host. I also have a pretty good stock of Gins. By Martini I certainly hope you were referring to Gin. Stop by anytime! Steve

I'll post the winner this weekend! I agree that I should lose most of the lemons. Since this is my 'version' of David Burke's recipe I'll keep one of the lemon wedges but perhaps add some deep fried basil leaves and perhaps a fried onion string or two. Thanks for your comments Steve

Thanks for the kind words and guidance. They all tasted good in different ways but the 'savory scallops' tasted incredible with the parnip puree, but just a bit muted compared to the 'hot and angry'... As for making the pics visible I'll take you up on your offer! I'll send you a PM. Thanks!

I hear ya. That was a bit much in the chili oil dept! I think my plates were a bit small too which amplified the 'busy' factor. Funny thing was it really wasn't all that spicy. I forgot to sprinkle the scallops with cayenne pepper and wondra flour before the saute. Thanks for the input! Steve

I'll be hosting a 5 course tasting menu at my house soon and decided that course two will be scallops. Instead of presenting my usual bacon wrapped variety, I decided to play around with flavors and presentation. The four finalists below represent the best that I could think of that evening. I just fool around a bit in the kitchen so I didn't expect these to be 'restaurant' ready but they came out pretty good. I'm trying to decide which one to serve. The scallops themselves were prepared in a similar manner; pan seared and finished in a brown butter saute. The only difference is in accompanying ingredients and presentation. Any comments or suggestions are welcome! thanks Savory Scallops: Parsnip puree', basil oil, Thyme Gaucho Scallops: Red Pepper coulis, balsamic reduction, micro greens, blanched carrot with parsley Hot and angry Scallops: Homage to David Burke's Hot and Angry Lobster, Chili oil, a bit of basil oil, fresh lemon...and more chili oil Salmon scallops: Red bell pepper coulis, a bit of balsamic reduction, Thyme and salmon roe Thanks for viewing. (Assuming this pic upload thing works!) and feel free to comment. Any suggestions would be helpful Steve btw- Sorry about the poor pic quality. I blame it on the Pinot Noir!

This seems to be a sensitive issue for some while others let special/last minute demands just fly through the kitchen at will. Interesting. I guess its' all relative to the situation. I have a couple friends of the Jewish faith who are 'kosher noshers' and I'll try to tweak a recipe to allow for the strict dietary rules of their faith (no meat with dairy, segregated cooking utensils and pots, etc). I see situations where I have to alter a recipe due to allergies or faith as a challange. I see situations where I have to alter a recipe due to finicky tastes as an annoyance.

Never Been but I've heard of it before. I'd like to bring my wife .. When is it?

Thanks for all the input everybody. Lot's to consider but it basically boils down to what feels good in my hand... Steve

I share your hard line stance for the most part. I"m not talking about "oh, could you hold the cheese off my burger?". I'm refering to "Oh, braised beef ribs! Yummy! Oh, could you leave out the wine?"... grrrr

My dinner... it was Tuesday. Tuesday night is risotto night at my house. Cooking risotto gives me an excuse to sit in front of the range and drink without my wife protesting I love risotto night

I tried to pin down the topic in the title as best I could. This topic is about your favorite recipes. It's about classic dishes perfected with hours of trial and error and input from countless sources. It's about the pride of knowing that you got it right....finally! ... Only to have it chopped down and muted by requests by diners with special diets or tastes. Where do you draw the line between accomodating for special needs and keeping your menu intact? I'm not really speaking about pro's and restaurants. Special needs MUST be catered to for the most part there. I'm talking about the home chef. Relatives, friends and family.. when do you just say ENOUGH!... and just make something else? Just curious as I'm hit with this all the time as I have a lot of 'particular' diners around me. Thanks! Steve ps- it's soup season!!