jvalentino

Not sure if this should be in the Milwaukee Restaurant thread or not.... Has anyone been to Zarletti that wants to share their thoughts? Thanks, Jeff

I made the Hummus this week. At first it tasted like too much tahini, but mellowed nicely. Good recipe. Jeff

Great to hear. I think I may be stealing this idea for Valentines Day! Jeff

Very nice. How were they? Jeff

Could you cook half way, quick chill and finish at the event? Are you set on your dough formulation? That's the easiest place to get rid of the blandness. Try 50/50 salt sugar boil. Jeff

Try The Spice House( relatives of Penzeys). I find their spices fresher than Penzeys. When you're at a location, they weigh everything out for you. I even saw them grinding the spices in the back room. ← I'll add one for The Spice House. I am fortunate to live near the original one where Mr Penzey still hangs sometimes. He is so passionate about spices. He once gave me a 30 min lecture on peppercorns alone! Stories about his kids and Penzeys made it so much fun. I usually go to the one in Milwaukee Public Market now, but should make a trip bak soon. Jeff

I like snipets. Run, Any specific cuts you were thinking about? Jeff

I'm wondering if a place that was sort of like 'ino would be viable in the Milwaukee area. I have lived 30 miles North of Milwaukee (from Chicago) for the past 4 years and the food scene has been less than open minded in most of my experience. Although this seems to be changing some, most people seem to be interested in quantity/price over quality/taste. Which areas of the city/burbs would be best in your opinions? Thanks, Jeff ETA: Link

Keep in mind the source! Also a quote from the article- "A "shell" is a person that works for the auction house but is disguised as a bidder." Isn't the proper term shill? Anyhow I have thought the same thing as the OP, but it seems like the info is really scattered.

Chris, Did you buy the beans online? I've looked for them on their website, but haven't seen them available recently. The stew looks fantastic BTW. Thanks, Jeff

Probably a rant for another thread, but is anyone else annoyed by the rampant wrong use of "caramelized?" It wouldn't be so bad, except, 1) the biggest offenders are chefs, who should know better, and 2) it's a whole lot easier to just say "browned." ← I use "browned" to avoid this exactly. I did assume that in the case of tomato paste I would be carmelizing the sugars though. I wasn't even aware of a maillard reaction until a couple of years ago-it was all browning or carmelizing, what a faux pas! Wow two uses of French in that last sentence, I'm gonna have to make fun of myself now. Fin, Jeff

I'm having a tough time getting by the ravioli from a can - That sounds like some casserole! Seriously though I always carmelize tomato paste for reasons mentioned, but you should try it. I wonder if you'd notice a difference with all you have going on there. Jeff

I'm cooking a lot oc cannelini and borlotti right now, so I will be trying this one. Thanks!

After a little practice you should be able to eyeball this with no problem. Total cost zero dollars.

I keep buying just about every kind of potato chip I see that has cracked pepper on them. They have all been disappointments. Jeff

Shucking that first perfect ear of corn every summer.

...I couldn't foam my split pea soup?

...Food Network had good cooking shows?

I suppose the fact that they can pull that size of a menu off on a semi consistent basis says something about their systems ( I had a Kobe burgr there about a year ago that was just bad though). I tend to think the best places to eat do a few things and do them really well, so I would say the menu at CF is too big. Jeff

"takeaways" :shudder: A great reminder-You have to always be looking ahead. The ability to see trends/problems or how your business will be changing in the future allows you to stay ahead of the curve and gives the opportunity to flourish while others struggle. This also helps you stay agile in business. Jeff

As an entreprenuer and a wanna be foodprenuer I find this very interesting-Thanks. Jeff

Hmmm I'd like to taste a side by side there, however the batch smoking could have some merit.

Probably worth mentioning that I live in a Manhattan Apt :-) ← Touche-even though I would get a stovetop smoker and finish in a low oven. If it works for you though...

Have many people SV'd ribs? If I were going to cook ribs for 6+ hours and then fininsh them w/ BBQ sauce I would just smoke them in the first place. Seems like another technique taken to far. Maybe you can serve them w/ a Sweet Baby Ray's foam? Jeff

Just skimming this thread and wanted to add something I heard from a butter producer a while back. Among the other reasons stated she said that higher quality, and fresher cream is required to make unsalted butter (that tastes good) even though they will both end up graded the same. There is no salt to help boos the flavor. Jeff