DanM

I am planning on focusing my brewing for the next year on Belgian Beers. At the top of my list are Saisons, Golden Ale, and Wit bier. Dan

Netflix has "volumes" 1-7 available on demand. It gives me a great chance to catch up on many of the episodes I have missed. New episodes start next week! I hope he makes his way to Milwaukee and Israel. Dan

I found Lan Cafe, which serves vegetarian Vietnamese food. I have always been interested in trying Pho. It seems to get good reviews. Is anyone familiar with this place? I also found Buddha Bodai. Vegetarian shark fin soup?? Thats a new one for me. They also have a full dim sum menu. Dan

As a very small kid, I called worchestershire sauce as "horses#itter sauce".

I totally agree with root veg and barley, especially hulled barley, being under-appreciated. Fresh sardines and anchovies are two more I would to the list. Plentiful and great tasting. Dan

1. Midtown is preferred, but iIt can be anywhere in Manhattan, as long as it is close to a subway stop. 2. I would prefer to keep it under $25 per plate, but I might go $10 higher if it is really good. 3. No other preferences. We like to explore. 4. No other preferences... We are very flexible.

Wifey and I will be heading to NYC to visit the Tim Burton MOMA exibit. I was wondering what restaurants we should look at that are vegetarian or vegetarian friendly. My wife wants dim sum, but that might be asking a bit too much. Thanks for the advice!! Dan

I was wondering if anyone has The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern and their thoughts on the book. I thumbed through it at Borders the other day and it looked pretty good. I have their last cookbook and have been very pleased with the recipes. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307453596/ref=nosim/?tag=egulletsociety-20 Dan

And I think you nailed it on the head. When people ask me what I do for a living, my wife usually informs them that I am a pastry chef. I quickly correct her (maybe one day she will listen)and tell them that I am a simple baker. I do not feel that I have the training or experience to be called a chef by anyone. While this may venture things off topic, what qualifies someone as a chef?

Having worked in a few national chain restaurants back in high school, I now realize how heavily processed the foods are at many of them. It is not uncommon for the food to be frozen or shelf stabilized to make it easy for an unskilled cook to put together. Do I eat at chains? Very rarely. For the same price I would pay at a national chain, I can support local small businesses that typically produce better quality and less processed foods. Dan

There was a kid in my culinary school class who was dumber than a box of rocks and occasionally left a knife in the sink. One day I found his knife in the sink so I threw it on the floor, put the blade under my boot, grabbed the handle, and snapped it off (cheap stamped knives). I got an ear full for doing it, but he got the lesson. Afterwards though, the chef thanked me for doing what she wished she could do. Dan

It surprises me that none of them were prepared to do a dessert. Each of them owns or runs a restaurant. If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you have worked with your pastry chef to learn 2 or 3 impressive desserts? Dan

Oh trust me... what his employees have on him will destroy him very, very quickly. I do admit it was satisfying watching him get his back end handed to him on Chopped in the first round. He was whining that the judges did not understand his culinary greatness. Dan

If something is make in a non-kosher kitchen, even if it is made with kosher ingredients, would not be kosher. While some may accept it, you probably don't want to take a chance. Having dairy ingredients in a candy does not necessarily prohibit it from being kosher either. Dairy is often substituted with pareve, or neutral, ingredients so it can be served with either diary or meat meals. Glatt Kosher is a whole other story. It deals with the rigorous inspection of an animal to make sure it was healthy before being slaughtered. It would have no reflection at all on this subject.

You can do the same... Just buy a can of Ghirardellihot chocolate (a kosher brand) and a bag of kosher marshmallows and leave them sealed. You should be able to find kosher marshmallows at Whole Foods or national grocery chains in large Jewish communities. It may not be as nicely packaged, but I am sure she would appreciate the thought.

My culinary school specifically stated that externships were paid and assigned in their course catalog. The paperwork for externships between the school and the restaurant even stated that students were to be paid. In the end, 2/3 or more of my class were forced into unpaid internships and the school freely allowed the restaurants to change the terms of the contract to allow it. And yes, the guy I ended up working for was a hack and a fraud. He claimed to use origin specific chocolates, but it was all Cargill white box. He also claimed to use fresh ingredients when it was all pastes, extracts, and flavorants. Worst of all was his use of potassium sorbate, which is not disclosed on product labels or to resellers like Whole Foods. Dan

Are recipe names important?? Which of these two names catch your attention Chocolate Cake Better than Hot Sex Cake In some ways, the name of the recipe builds a level of excitement and expectation of the dish that can improve the experience of enjoying it... 3 bits... adjusted for higher food costs.

New Haven, CT

The local independent grocer has started to label produce based on country of origin or if it is local. With this setup, I am able to buy more local produce. In an unusual twist, this has resulted in me buying organic garlic and ginger from US and Peru respectfully rather than conventional garlic and ginger from China. I know this may open a can of worms, but given the food safety issues of Chinese products (this can be a separate topic, if you want), I would rather spend twice the price for the organic stuff. Other than this, yes, I am currently in withdrawal now that the farmers markets and local orchards are closed for the season. I still have about 10 lbs of apples in the fridge, but after that... gulp! Dan

Umami - I am getting sick of hearing chefs, food critics and elitists throw this legitimate term around like they have reached a special level of culinary understanding that borders on snobbery.

I spotted the book at Costco today, of all places. It was priced reasonably at $22.99. The book looks really good, but a little too porky for me to make useful in my kosher home. If I am mistaken, please let me know. Dan

For everyday line lube at home, I use Trader Joes 100% Pure Olive Oil. It is decent quality and has a good taste, IMHO. I have been nursing a bottle of DaVero Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil that I was given as a gift by a chef at the James Beard awards ceremony for the help I gave her as a student volunteer. It is stunning stuff that I only use for salads and other applications where the flavour is noticable. I have not been able to find it locally, so I have reluctantly switched to Trader Joes Unfiltered Organic as my nice stuff. Thanks again for the oil, Chef! Dan

Is everyone getting ready? Here are a couple of videos of one of my favorite chefs preparing a turkey. I hope it is inspirational for everyone. Dan

Thanksgiving is coming up. My personal choice, besides homebrews, is Ommegang Hennepin Saison. Any other thoughts for the turkey?

Chanterelles are back! Its now $10 per pound. I also found Alexia waffle fries for $6ish per 4 lbs bag.