scrat68

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. I did try the stuff with sour cream but it was still too spicy. Today, I added a chunked up potato, sugar and a can of pineapple (pureed in blender). Tighe found something on the web about the acid and sweetness of the pineapple helping to counteract the spice. It is definitely milder but I think I will wait another day or two to see if it mellows out a bit more. Beyond that, I loved the idea to freeze small portions to season my next batches!

I have microwaved popcorn for years in brown lunch bags. I have never had any problems but I do NOT put oil in the bag. I like the freshness of popcorn made this way - none of that chemically taste I find in pre-packaged microwave popcorn. And I know exactly what I am eating... I add butter, salt, parmesan, etc. after I cook the popcorn and toss it in a bowl. Tastes great!

I made chili last night/tonight and used a different brand of chili powder than my norm. The stuff is so spicy hot that I can't eat it. Had a peanut butter sandwich for dinner. My husband thought the flavor was great but it was almost too spicy for him - and he likes spicy food! Any way to salvage this - other than adding another batch of the non-spicy ingredients to thin it out? Any magical fixes?

I recently ate "super white tuna" at Oishi in Boston, which they called mutsu. Is this escolar / butterfish? If so, is binchou / albacore just plain white tuna? Me very confused. I absolutely love the super white - I am drooling just thinking about it!

Does anyone have any experience with the Euro Pro Fryer? I got a refurbished one recently and I keep having problems with it. Customer service was of little help. It shuts off and has to be reset - which can only be done after the oil cools down. Very frustrating in the middle of frying. Also, anymore feedback on the Waring?

White Lotus - Can you give us a description of the bahn ceo? Thanks!

Along with recommending Ravishing Radish with Tighe, I would recommend: A Grand Affaire Catering by McCormick and Schmicks Good luck with your party! Pat

It's fairly new - I posted when they opened, but haven't been in. It was The Garlic Tree. ← I went for lunch recently with seawakim's husband. Good stuff including a salad of panko coated/fried avocado w/crab meat. I've been meaning to post a review....elsewhere... Whoops! This is tighe posting as 'scrat'. Damned computer crash....

Here's an interesting article: Upstarts in France

Maximilien is my standard rec for brunch in the Market. Great view and great food. What more could you ask for? Edit: Duoh! tighe logged in as scrat...

Nice article in today's PI Chef Ethan Stowell pairs up with his famous ballet director dad to create a Father's Day feast

This seems too good to be true!

We tried some Fran's Dark Chocolate Caramel Sauce for sundaes a few weeks ago - what a great fudge sauce!!!!! Available at Larry's.

Most sadly, it is true. I feel like crying. Siblings Woes Topple Cassis

For a quick decent lunch, I like Philadelphia Fevre (on Madison just east of 23rd). They have great cheese steak sandwiches. I also love their onion rings. Pallinos (on Madison about two blocks west of your hotel) has fairly decent panini sandwiches, soups and pasta - very fast sit down service at lunch. Also, 2 blocks north of the hotel is one of our local chain grocery stores, QFC. They have a deli dept where you can get a quick sandwich or a grilled panini. They also have some ready to go meal options and soup. If you like beer, the Elysian is only a few blocks away and serves decent pub food. The Deluxe on Broadway is a great place for burgers or try their enormous baked potatoes. For dinner, there are two other places just a quick bus ride east down Madison: 1) Harvest Vine - has a bar where one can eat solo - food is fabulous. 2) Cactus - authentic Southwestern / Mexican food. Very good. Good luck and happy eating!

My mother used to dip little balls of butter in sugar and give them to us. She called them sugar plums.

My worst Seattle dining experience has to be Beppo's five or six years ago. We spent an hour and a half waiting outside drinking crappy house wine. Then, we sat down to a lovely (not) meal of a variety of pastas that all tasted pretty much the same - with way too much garlic (and I like garlic). I couldn't have a decent conversation the whole night because of the absolutely unbearable noise level. We left and proceeded to my car where I puked my guts out (presumably from the food). I will never go back. I have pissed off friends by telling them to have a nice time, but no thanks. I really and truly do not understand all of the hype with this place. I think Olive Garden would be a treat compared to this place.

You could try Cheez Whiz which comes in a jar - maybe it looks less suspicious. As far as I know, it tastes the same as velveeta...

We actually went to a restaurant in Paris this fall where there were toasters at every table. The house specialty was foie gras and they provided broiche for you to toast tableside to your own liking. For our purposes, there could be a buffet / bar of sorts set up with different types of breads and fillings for the sandwiches. We could call it the Sandwich Garden.

727 has the Kobe beef again - that was soooooo good last year! Anyone been to Etta's or Fandango recently?

I get $97.22 per cart which seems more in line with the other prices people have found. But I have been known to be completely math challenged.

We used to be able to put our plastic bags into our recycle bin, but now they don't take them anymore. Who knows how that decision was made. Worse, our local grocery store cashiers are total dimwits. Now, I ask for paper and they do the paper in plastic combo. So now I have two bags to recycle/reuse instead of one. I might as well stick to the plastic. Fortunately there is another store near here that will recycle the plastic ones. Sigh. Maybe I should invest in canvas bags.

Two rec's: Oleana in Cambridge - great Turkish food. If you haven't had Turkish before - no worries - nothing really weird about it - just great Mediterranean food. Blue Ginger - Ming Tsai's joint - I haven't personally been - I live in Seattle, but my brother raves about it everytime he goes! Here's a link to our review from last December: Scrat & Tighe's Review- Good luck and have fun!

My family and I run a linen rental business (me here in Seattle, they are in Boston). I think I have a few humble answers to some of your questions... 1) Is tablecloth one word or two? According to Websters, it's one. 2) Do people use tablecloths anymore, other than for special occasions? I know that I use them all of the time; linen napkins too - I cannot stand paper napkins. But then again, I have easy access to a supply. Most of our friends only use linens for special occasions. From a rental perspective - it's all about special occasions. 3) What's the purpose of a tablecloth? I think its main purpose is to add decoration. Though it could be to hide an ugly or damaged table. 4) Why are they so expensive? a) The fabric can be expensive, even at a wholesale price. For instance, a tablecloth that will go to the floor on a 72" round table requires 10 yards of fabric of a standard 54" width. If the fabric is $10 a yard, cost is $100 plus labor to cut, sew, package and ship.... b) Retail tablecloth prices/mark-ups kind of remind me of wine mark-ups. If we sell a cloth, we usually double our cost. I am sure that's what the retail outlets do as well. 5) What are the cheaper alternatives? Bedsheets? Making your own? Making your own out of bedsheets? Making your own can be really cost effective if you can actually sew (I cannot). If you can't, see if you have friends who can sew (beg for favors) or ask your local tailor or dry cleaner for recommendations. You could also use fabric glue to "hem" a piece of fabric. Also, look for remnants when purchasing fabric - there are some really good deals out there. Check out places like Bed, Bath & Beyond - look at the curtains and drapes. Sometimes these will work for a rectangular table - especially if you can catch a good sale or closeout. Finally, a little shameless promotion for the industry, consider renting them. Often, this is much less expensive (our prices are $10-30 each depending on size and fabric) and you can have a different look for every party. Check out your local party rental stores - most will have a variety of colors in a standard cotton/poly blend. There are a number of companies (like ours) that also carry specialty fabrics such as silks, damasks, velvets, sheers, etc. If you do not have a company near you, many national companies will ship linens to you (we do!). 6) How do you care for them, get stains out of them? It really depends on the fabric. If it is NOT a dry clean only, most can be washed with a little effort at home. For stains, I highly recommend Spray and Wash. Just make sure that you spray it on as soon as the party is over and let it sit for at least 15-30 minutes. If it dries out before you wash, just spray it again. I have also used Resolve Carpet cleaner on more durable fabrics. Always, always test first!! To get wax off (before you wash!), first use an ice cube to chill and harden the wax. Gently pick/peel off as much of the wax you can. Then apply a clean dry rag and iron both together. The wax will migrate to the rag. Move to a clean spot on the rag and repeat. Keep repeating until wax is gone. When purchasing tablecloths or fabrics, be sure to find out what the fabric care is before you buy. Many of the newer microfiber type fabrics will be more stain resistant and may not even require ironing. If the cloth does require ironing, take it out of the dryer when it's still slightly damp and iron it right away. Trust me, it will be a lot easier now than when it's dry and it's three months later. For storage, fold it and hang it on a pants hanger and cover with a leftover dry cleaning bag. It will keep better this way vs. putting it on a shelf. 7) Any favorite old family heirloom tablecloths? My mom has a number of antique Irish linen tablecloths that she inherited from her mother. These are really hard to clean and best left to a dry cleaner. It's funny, we used to use them all of the time prior to getting into this business and now we never do. I hope to be the next in line for these some day. 8) Any personal tablecloth issues or stories to share? Only a comment to any brides out there - LILAC IS DONE. PICK ANOTHER COLOR. I would be happy to make clever suggestions. 9) What kinds of table coverings can substitute for tablecloths? Burlap or old coffee sacks. Large sheets of lighting gels - available in a ton of colors and textures. Elegant placemats. Fun placemats. Elmo placemats. (I love Elmo) For a party of cooking fiends, use new cutting boards as placemats/favors. Bamboo beach mats. Mexican style blankets. Get a canvas dropcloth from Home Depot and paint it. Shower curtain, sheets, duvet cover. Use your imagination! Feel free to pm me with any questions or if you want help brainstorming!

I agree with you NS, in general, I think that Seattlites are pleasant and friendly on the outside but hard to get to know. The opposite seemed true for Boston, brisk and abrupt with you at first but really truly friendly once you broke through the crust. When I moved here from Boston 12 years ago, I was in total culture shock about how polite everyone was, but I had a tough time meeting new people outside of work. I wonder if this is true wherever you go after you get out of school. I moved out here after college, where it had been so easy to meet new people. Most of my friends are either old friends of my husband who grew up here, people I have met through work and finally through eGullet. Maybe it's just that we all get so busy that we focus only on our own little corner. Sometimes it is difficult to know how and when to cross the line into a friendship. For instance, if I meet a client and really get along well with that person, when, if ever, do I cross the line of professionalism and say "hey, let's get together"? I am perhaps a bit old-fashioned with my ideas of professionalism... As for Seattle vs. Portland - I have never been to Portland (sad but true) so I cannot comment. However, I will proudly say that I absolutely love living in the Pac NW. Everything is so beautiful and green here. The air is clean. I never have to shovel snow or chip my car out after an ice storm. I wouldn't move back to the east coast if you paid me. (Well, a cool $1 mil might). And as Fish said - PLAN TO TAKE A VACATION to someplace sunny between Dec and March...makes all the difference in the world!