Ron Johnson

A couple of great southern names for good ole boys: Cletus and Teacup

yeah, we are sticking with the useful ones.

smug mathematical bastard. but shouldn't be 4.3333333333333333333333333333333333333333?

I was told there would be no math involved.

Leftover buttermilk biscuits are great for making dressing. Crumble, add herbs, salt, pepper, melted butter, chicken stock, diced onion and green pepper. Pack into casserole dish, bake until warmed through, serve with pork loin or roasted birds like quail or pheasant.

I think we have our answer then! Americans are fatter because Europeans do not have enough restaurants to go around.

Passive posting?

Did your mom make yeast biscuits? Buttermilk biscuits are crunchy and flaky, but not high, and they definitely are hard the next day. But, oh man right out of the oven with some butter and sorghum molasses!

I bet the average american goes out for a steak dinner like that about as often as the average European goes out for a 2 star dinner given my experience with each. I would say about once per month each. Maybe twice.

I wonder who consumes more food and calories in a sitting: (a) One who sits for a 9 course menu at a Michelin 2 or 3 star in France with aperitifs, wine, petit fours, and after dinner drinks. (b) One who sits for 20 oz. porterhouse with baked potato, broccoli, and salad with iced tea at an "American" restaurant.

I am sure Simon has a great recipe, but while we wait for him to chime in, I'll give you the Kentucky version. Muddle one orange slice, one maraschino cherry, one teaspoon of super-fine sugar, a splash of bitters, and a splash of bourbon in the bottom of a highball glass until juicy. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Add two parts bourbon to one part water and stir. never, ever, use soda water. garnish with half orange slice.

The one I love is "carry" to replace "drive", as in: "Can ya'll carry me up to town on your way to work?" or, "fixin' to", as in: "I'm a fixin' to whup your ass."

Yes! A great sauce for pork is to sear your meat in a saute pan. Remove to a warm platter. Add shallots to the pan and soften. Add a few green peppercorns. Add Makers Mark (watch the flame!) , deglaze and scrape up all the brown bits from the pork, add Tbsp of dijon, lower heat, finish with cream. This makes a luscious sauce for any type of pork.

As they should. Those are both very amazing and very hard to find bourbons. I believe that both are in fact distilled and aged over in Franklin County. Buffalo Trace is another good'un from our state's capitol!

From James Y.C. Sze's Chinese Food Page ( http://pluto.ucsd.edu/jsze/food/#types) "Mandarin (Beijing): Mandarin cuisine is commonly referred to as "Beijing style," but in fact it encompasses most northern provinces. Since the principle crops are wheat, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, and soybeans, many of the foods in this region are wheat-based (as a opposed to rice-based), so Beijing cuisine consists of a variety of dumplings, baked and steamed breads, various buns and noodles. Mandarin-style meals usually include vegetable dishes, soups, tofu (soybean curd), and fish. The food is mild in taste, is often slightly oily, and vinegar and garlic are common ingredients; food is frequently fried, stewed, or braised. Some favorite snack foods, such as buns and dumplings, can double as meals. Round flat buns are stuffed with meat and pan-fried or baked with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, while dumplings are filled with a meat or vegetable mixture and steamed, boiled, or fried. " (emphasis added) Also: "The word mandarin means "Chinese official," and mandarin cooking suggests an aristocratic cuisine that gleans the very finest elements from all the regions."

Is this a recently rescued POW, or a GQ model? I am 5'11" and have never weighed 160 lbs at that height, and I am not overweight.

During my trip to NYC in April, I intend to do some wine shopping for producers that are hard to find in my area. My preferences are Northern Rhones, Alsace, Loire, and Tuscany. In order to narrow my focus which wine stores would have a good selection of wines from these regions?

Definite Angel. Thats very thoughtful.

Its not like I want to toss them. They usually sit in the fridge for a while because I rarely like to eat the same thing for two meals in a row. So, if I have a dish for dinner, I just cant stomach the thought of having it again for lunch. As a result the to-go containers started piling up in the fridge until I just pitched them all. Now, I just clean my plate or let my leftovers go to the bus-tub buffet.

Shrimp & Grits Turtle Soup

No, thats me also, which is why I follow the Europeans on this issue.

What a line-up. Wow. I envy you. Although I am surprised how well the Jaboulet showed in comparison to these others. edit: No I am not, it was the 1983. Thought at first it was a recent vintage.

Jamieson Ltd. is a top rate chocolate company operating out my home state. I highly recommend their product. Find it Here

When I am presented with a small amount of wine from a recently opened bottle by the sommelier for tasting I almost never taste or swirl. In my opinion, the only reason to send back a wine is if it is defective, and a corked wine is best determined by smell. Swirling can mask the cork taint, so thats why I dont swirl before I sniff. However, once the wine is mine, I swirl, sniff, taste, and savor.

David, Thanks. That was one of the most honest and accurate assessments of dinner at Babbo that I have read. Although I did have a better experience there than you report, I did not have the pasta tasting menu and I had an 8 pm seating on a Friday night. Interesting to note the difference when one has to dine there later.