Lupinus

Evap milk is also wonderful. Without diluting it, I use it in mashed potatoes in place of regular milk.

While I love both, I'd have to say I find celery more versatile. From roasted veg to using the leaves as an herb and everything in between. Carrots may be mighty tasty, but I think celery is also tasty and more versatile in my kitchen.

I grew up in NJ and am now call SC home. It's a big culinary culture shock. Good bread is near impossible to find. Here anything that resembles decent bread is "artisan", whereas where I came from it was just what bread was. It of course has the "artisan" price tag as well. Somewhat along the same theme, what I would give for an honest to goodness bagel or bialy. And I'd give even more for a sfogliatelle! I miss the baked good of a real bakery as well. Good Italian sausage is even harder to find. And yes, mushrooms are near impossible here as well. It took me forever to find something besides bell and hot peppers. Good meat at a reasonable price is also poor in comparison and forget the seafood unless you buy it frozen in a bag or go to Fresh Market or Whole Foods. You can find some good stuff if you look, but growing up you just go down the street to the bakery or any grocery store and you got everything I now miss. And I have yet to find comparable pizza. After three years I found an acceptable pizza like substance, but still nothing that is really good. On the flip side, there's stuff here you just aint gonna find in NJ. I remember the first time I say packages of pigs feet and pig ears, I thought it was hilarious. And of course, the BBQ.

How about "french toast" but made with the English muffins in place of the more traditional/standard breads? Not to far out there but makes for something a little bit different.

Canned corn I can sit there with a room temperature can of corn and eat it with a spoon just as is.

What, exactly, is a chicken ring? Why, a ring of chicken goodness breaded and fried of course! I'm not sure if chicken should be in quotations of not, but it's tasty all the same. Think of it as the White Castle equivalent of the Mcnuget.

I get cravings for White Castle burgers. And their chicken rings. Oh how I love their chicken rings. Good for my heart the nearest is now about five hours away. The other day, I ate the new burger king ribs.

True. But in the real world someone who hates ginger, isn't going to order a dish with ginger. Someone who hates raw fish, isn't going to order the sashimi. A good judge isn't going to discard an entire dish because they don't like it or it's contents. Even a guest judge should be able to look past basic likes and dislikes and judge the dish.

To me, I think the difference is simple. Yes, in the restaurant, you can't market and stay in business with ONLY those with great palates. But in the restaurant those people wouldn't be ordering things they don't enjoy. To be a good food judge you have to be able to put some personal like or dislike away and appreciate the dish for what it is and is supposed to be. You can absolutely hate raw fish, but with a good palate and knowledge of food you can know if it is a good dish. Not every dish is going to personally be for every person, but a good food judge should be able to tell the difference between a bad dish and one that just don't float your boat.

I stick to a double scattered smothered covered and capped! Maybe some Burts if I want to be mean to myself.

If you burn yourself don't ask for a band aid and perhaps a little burn cream

While nice to see, that isn't really the first season. First season of the newest incarnation perhaps, but the originally had a different set and generally started with the map at the beginning. Forget if he had guests right at the beginning or not.

To add to my first list. I...like...Waffle House

And I would have explained to him where he could stick his 20%.

To my mind if I want some place that is exceptionally noisy I'll go to a bar/wing/rib type of place. Depending on the restaurant some background noise is OK, but outside of a bar type place i want to hear myself think.

I rather like KFC Mac and Cheese I kind of like American cheese I drink my wine cut with water I can't stand coffee house coffee

This is why I consider automatically added tips to be a poor policy. I can understand why they might seem like a good idea, guaranteed tip for so many people and not getting the shaft. But cases like this show why it is really a bad idea. I've lost count of the number of times I have noticed a drop in service quality when in a group large enough to charge the automatic tip.

I look at it quite simply. You tell the difference between a bathroom that isn't cleaned regularly and one that is regularly cleaned just messed up by slobs. So long as it's an issue of slobs and not an issue of not being cleaned regularly, I'm good. I'd rather a dirty bathroom then my server bringing my food after being elbow deep in the toilet.

Fall is my favorite season, both in general and from a culinary perspective. Long slow braised and roasted dishes, but brighter then those of winter. The perfect blend in my opinion. Cast iron roasted chicken- sauteed shallot mixed with parsley stuffed under the skin started on one breast, rotated once to the other breast a third of the way through cooking, and lastly onto it's back for the last third so the skin of the breast crisps. The various "gizzard bag" items of neck gizzard liver etc also in the pan during roasting to add to the crispy bits. Remove the chicken and the gizzard bag items and pour off excess fat and create the sauce with a little water and maybe some red wine. No flour or anything needed, just a little butter. Simple, rich, delicious. Served with the veggies noted below. Any sort of meat braised in rich sauces. It's the time of year in my house for Saurbratten, lean beef roast (top, bottom, eye round, etc.) marinated for 3+ days in 50/50 red wine and red wine vinegar, juniper berries, a sliced onion, and caraway seeds. Slowly braised in the marinade until tender, the sauce made from the remaining cooking juices blended smooth with crushed ginger snap cookies for both flavor and to thicken. Served with Krautspätzle. A pan with butter fry a sliced onion and sauerkraut until lightly golden, add a pinch of caraway seeds. As soon as you smell the caraway toss in cooked spaetzle and continue frying until the spaetzle pick up a little color. For sides, it's the time of year for squash and root vegetables. Carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and whatever winter squash you have around. Cut up and roasted all together they are delicious. Alternatively all the same but mashed together with butter and milk, a great alternative to mashed potatoes.

Yesterday I decided to hit my local Korean place and discovered a summer special. Korean Cold Noodles. What exactly were these cold noodles? Thin (not quite angle hair thin, but close) chewy and delicious. Served not how I expected. I expected a plate of chilled noodles, some sauces perhaps, something liek that. What I got was actually a bowl of noodles in a simple chilled beef broth with slices of cucumber, something else which was white and thinly sliced (daikon?), some cold sliced short ribs, and vinegar and mustard to add. And ice, yes ice in my soup. When they say cold, they mean it. Very clean, simple, and delicious for a hot summer day. Anyone else had these?

Chai Tea always irked me

You could always go half and half. Have a soup of the day for every day of the week, and whatever other soups you care to prepare. This way those who really like a particular soup know exactly what day it will be there, and also leaves you a good bit of freedom to do your thing.

chalk it up to a learning mistake. Any time the bill seems a little high look it over closely and if need be ask about it. I both want to not over tip, unless the service called for it of course, but at the same time I never assume that just because it looks high the tip was added. I could have done the math wrong or other mistakes could have been made and I want to make sure they server gets their proper tip.

The restaurant did what they should have. They offered a secure location for the coat in order to protect it from damage. Once wine was spilled, which is the restaurants fault 100%, they took all standard steps to have it corrected. They offered club soda to help lift the stain and to have it professionally dry cleaned. The owner of the coat declined. This is where she looses the argument that the restaurant should pay for the coat. Had she left it in the restaurants possession to be cleaned or taken it herself next day to the restaurants prefered cleaners and the stain was still not satisfactorily cleaned she would have a case. However, she took it to her own cleaners and while in her possession it is possible her actions, or those of her cleaners, impacted the ability to get the stain out. For all the restaurant knows she waited a few days to get the coat cleaned, she tried to do it herself and set the stain, or the cleaners she choose was inept. At this point the restaurant is liable for a reasonable and standard fee of the customers dry cleaners. However, they choose to now go above and beyond that still accepting to send it to their preferred cleaners and also giving a gift certificate. When she took the damaged coat into her own possession she also took responsibility for its correct and total cleaning.

Depends on why the entree isn't going to be eaten. If the item is described accurately on the menu and prepared properly but the customer simply doesn't like it they should pay for it. If it's sat there for 20 minutes and the customer then complains it is cold, they should except a trip to the microwave or pay for it. And if it's a simple matter to make the food right (rare steak when medium was ordered for example) then it's up for debate due to so many variables. However, if the reason is because there is an error on the restaurants part it should be deducted with no question. Not accurately described, cooked wrong, so horribly seasoned/cooked/prepared that it is inedible, etc. it should absolutely be taken from the bill. All other courses should stay on the bill, and if a replacement item for the same course is accepted it should be paid for. While a free drink or a discount for the inconvenience is nice it shouldn't be expected and one should look at such humbly and with a thank you.