Andrew Chalk

Travel for 5 minutes from the DFW airport terminal and it gets you to DFW airport. The place is larger than Manhatten Island. And...Is there any molecular gastronomy in Vancouver (B.C.)?

I am visiting Vancouver this November and wondered if there is any molecular gastronomy there? Many thanks!

I am visiting Vancouver this November and wondered if any of the Portuguese restaurants are noteworthy. Advice readily accepted. Thanks!

This thread has been dormant for several years. I am going to Whistler in November for Cornucopia. I would appreciate up-to-date restaurant recommendations with an emphasis on: Quality of the cuisine; Chef-driven; Any type of cuisine except types that I can get in Dallas (steak, sushi). Many thanks!

I and many others can do that elsewhere, Chris (look for mine in the TX forum). But the important point here is to expose the Bon Idiot editorial hype for the narrow-minded dross that it really is.

Bon Idiot has just published its 2009 2009 Top Ten Best New Restaurants in America list. All are either French or Italian in inspiration (including derivatives such as 'New American'). No Japanese. No Chinese. No central or south American. No Indian. No Malaysian. Nothing else. This is not a 'New Restaurant' list, it is an testament to the parochial people who write Bon Idiot and the credulous fools who believe the junk that's written.

I have not been yet but certainly will. The proprietor, Ildefonzo Jimenez, used to own Hola! on Cole which was a fun tapas joint. I approach it in two minds however. If only he had decided not to repeat tapas (which we already have) but to do the kind of cutting edge cuisine that is making Spain the leader in global cuisine at the present time. We have nothing of that ilk in Dallas. It's a monster-sized hole in the dining scene. He would have the market to himself.

The chef left Clay Pit several months ago. I suggest that you try Chettinaad Palace www.chettinaadpalace.com. Lots of interesting dishes from the region.

Thanks for the replies re:Brussel Sprouts. Just for the record, I cooked them for 200 mins. at 190F with just seasoning in the bag. The results were intensely tasty sprouts. However, they were mushy and (is this H2S?) the centers of many were RED. Ultra-weardsville.

Brussel Sprouts What temperature would someone recommend for these?

Temp. or time? Did it need 6.5 hours?

Akbar, in Plano. Doors are shuttered with a note giving instructions on where to send the rent.

Sous vide for the homeless, part 1 Lots of expert professional chefs helping in this forum but, in a spirit of anti-matter (i.e. maybe what I am about to say doesn’t matter) I thought it would be helpful if a blithering beginner encouraged other amateurs to give this useful technique a shot. To broaden the plastic bag (formerly a tent) still further, I will try and keep the cost down to what an indolent former investment banker can earn begging at a busy city junction in a morning. When Wall Street Journal reporter Katy McLaughlin wrote a one page article on August 30th, 2008 called “Trying Sous Vide at Home” I cut it out, filed it away, and forgot about it. That’s pretty dedicated, huh? Once a year I go through my filed recipes and sort them out. Any cooking technique where the temperature is lower than my IQ interests me. So, when I came across McLaughlin’s article, I decided to read it. Her instructions were so clear that I thought it would be feasible to try it. However, I would improvise as necessary, the first time, in case it turned out to be a huge disappointment. A picture is worth a thousand words (and in the case of page 3 of The Sun, many more) and the WSJ article had a convenient step-by-step guide to sous vide cooking of chicken breast. I knew it was step-by-step because the title of the feature was “Step by Step”. With this guidance, I decided chicken breast was going to be the first thing to try. Surely not the first time a chicken’s breast has found itself a guinea pig. First I had to get a temperature controlled water bath to do the cooking, which could be obtained for only $399 (plus shipping). I dug out my barely used turkey roasting pan since it could comfortably accommodate several chicken breasts. Cost $0. The temperature would be controlled by “advanced twiddling of gas levels on the stove during the one hour cooking interval”. A task made easier by a 2007 Luzon Jumilla. Now, these here pieces of chicken had to be put in plastic bags and the air removed. A FoodSaver vacuum sealer from Costco sets you back $160 according to the WSJ so off I went to Kroger. A Ziploc vacuum pump set me back $3.79 and the 8 Ziploc 1 gallon bags (the most useful size in my later experience) set me back $2.89. These are special bags. They work with the Ziploc pump. Other vendors have their own pumps that work with their own bags. So be aware of vendor tie-in. I wasn’t even aware that I could have saved 5c on these bags at Walmart. Philosophers say that we may not yet know the full consequences of Caesar crossing the Rubicon, but could they matter compared with the consequences of paying 5c more for vacuum bags down the street? Indeed, what if Caesar had crossed the salad instead? I put a chicken breast in a bag, added sliced onions, garlic, carrots, butter, salt and pepper. Kroger did not have the fennel required in the WSJ Step so the onions substituted (fennel is a member of the onion family although they never get invited round for Christmas drinks and many of them are in prison). I sealed the bag and pumped the air out. I wasn’t sure how hard I should pump after the obvious air bubbles disappeared so I stopped. The WSJ could have been clearer on this. Then, into the bath at a steady 141 degrees F for 1 hour. How did it turn out? First, I’m here. So the Chlamydia that is supposed to thrive in low temperatures did not kill me. This must be a plus for any cooking technique – it doesn’t routinely kill you. Second, the chicken was the most succulent I have ever tasted. I have had many fine breasts. Others may have required larger f-stops, but none was as succulent as this. Basically, supermarket chicken that had grown up in a two foot cage subjected to green light for 12 continuous hours and Rachel Ray re-runs for the rest had acquired real chicken taste and retained all its moisture. It was intriguing – but not divine. What was missing was the seasoning one takes for granted in one’s cooking. I e-mailed blogger colleague Kirk about this conundrum. Season first, he advised. I did, and the next batch was much better. He also recommended pumping heavily to get all the air out. I found that helped too. Clearly this boil-in-the-bag technique had promise. I had an obligation to do a meal for 16 wino friends so I e-mailed them that it would be sous vide, and we were thinking of chicken. I might as well have told them to go get their Chlamydia shots right then. The better half suggested that steak might be more popular (this is Texas after all). So I resolved to try that next (in part 2…).

Why?

What about: Aparicio's Gregory's Jorg's Cafe Vienna Kelly's Eastside Mariscos ? East Plano is no wasteland. Ignorance of it is widespread.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have used them in stock, but didn't know of the bouquet garni application. Appreciate it!

When you prep. leeks what can you do with the 'green part' (other than dispose of it)? For example, can the leaves be deep fried in strips and used to top dishes? Thanks.

Just one of the prohibitionist rules in Plano. The more serious one is that Central market, for example, cannot sell a bottle of Port!

Best way to find BYOB is to search on guidelive.com with a keyword of BYOB. However, lots of info. is out of date. My favorites: Mexican: La Palapa Veracruzana - Oak Cliff Italian: Amici - Carrollton Peruvian: La Esperanza - Carrollton French: Normandie Alliance - Plano Indian: Indya Fusion, Chettinaad Palace, Maharrajah - Plano Thai: Tamarind, Sitar - Plano Sushi: Simon's - Plano Mediterranean: Taste of Galilee - Plano, Marrakesh - Dallas Caribbean: Scarlet Ibis - Addison Note: Some places are switching to licensed so this list will change.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme.shtml

Beautiful synopsis up until that last claim. On my visit I was struck by the visuals on the plate but would describe it as more Vincent Van Gogh than Jackson Pollock. Overall I love the place and would describe it as flamboyant presentation style backed up by quality ingredients and careful dish development. Lunch is a relative bargain.

Vijay on Willesdon Road. Honest, well prepared Indian.

Just got back and went to just the place: http://www.numbertwelverestaurant.co.uk/ Opened last October. Nominated as "Best Italian ..2008". Read Nicholas Lander's review in the FT. Good value lunch. Emphasis on fresh ingredients. Modern italian. Recommended.

Anton’s Restaurant is set in the newly renovated Great Hallingbury Manor at the end of the runway at Stansted airport. The developers have created a new building for the restaurant at the back of the manor next to an idyllic lake. Summer evenings outside on the large veranda will be pleasant indeed when it is complete. Inside, the story is not so good. Why is this brand new, ultra-cool dining room rated 'poor' for atmosphere? Because it is too darn loud. You cannot hear the person on the other side of your table when the restaurant is full. There are too many hard surfaces in the room. The developers need to get a consulting architect in quickly to rescue this victory of style over substance. Pad the ceiling or something. The next problem is service: I asked our pleasant waitress about a wine on the large list and she said 'I don't know'. She didn't offer to get the sommelier, which puzzled me. It was because there isn't one! Not one that night. But not one on the payroll. When I asked the manager about this he said he couldn't find one (!). They do however have one credit card machine. Exactly one. It took us 15 minutes to get it as everyone was leaving at the same time. This, and other service problems, make me think that they need a new manager. The food, however, is sublime. Anton Edelman is still experimental, maybe more so than he was allowed to be at the Savoy. Where possible, the ingredients have designated provenance and there is an emphasis on discovering local sources. We liked the Saddle of Rabbit Stuffed with Black Pudding. It is risky to serve rabbit outside of a stew or other long-cooked preparation. However, this one was as easy to chew as pork. The “Wick’s Manor” Pork with cauliflower puree was also a winning combination. The delicate puree adding a richness to the flavor of the meat. Among the seafood dishes the Seared Sea bass with basil crushed new potatoes, globe artichokes, asparagus and sauce vierge was steller. Not only is it pleasant to find an institution that proudly does the classic sauces but also to find one that does them so well. I started to see a pattern to what Edelman is particularly good at. He puts together the meat or fish, the center of the dish, with complementary vegetable and sauce selections. It is a masterpiece of composition in a world where the frantic search for new ingredient combinations makes us so often beta testers of the bizarre and incongruous. At the moment he is let down by the front of house. Hopefully, this will change as Stansted is so close by that Anton’s it will convenient place to drop by in the Gulfstream on the trip from Dubai to the US. Food: Excellent. Wine: Great selection but you are on your own. Service: Laurel and Hardy on crack. Atmoshere/Décor: A victory of style over substance. Try to get a table outdoors if the weather permits. Otherwise, go with someone you don’t want to talk to. Men’s W.C.: Clean www.antonsrestaurant.co.uk

Gratzi Humungous to all respondants. You all have great palettes. Did Bacchus last year and it is a cracked diamond. Recommended to seriously adventurous foodies. St. John is my long time favorite (despite sagging service in recent years) but I haven't done Ditto Bread & Wine Yet -- maybe that is the one. I plan on scanning Square Meal before I make a final pick -- Thanks!