Ron Johnson

Why is the char-griller so damned affordable? To be honest that is part of what put me off it. I was sure that it was made from some inferior materials or something. Clearly, that is not the case. What gives?

This is the HTBW that I recall. The chef appeared to be in pain to be in front of the camera and as I recall usually sat off camera causing the terrible amateur comic to yell things like, "Am I boiling this water right?" Just awful.

Thats a black and tan.

Yes, but make sure you set the baking dish into a water bath as well.

Corn Pudding Recipe Strip kernels from 6 to 7 ears of corn. Finely dice half small onion and half small green bell pepper. Tbsp salt Tbsp pepper tsp. sugar one cup of milk half cup of half & half 1 Tbsp butter Bring above ingredients to boil in sauce pan reduce then reduce to simmer for 7 minutes. Pour into mixing bowl and cool. Add four eggs. Scald another 1/2 cup of half & half along with 1/2 cup of milk. Slowly pour into egg/corn/milk mixture and stir constantly to incorporate to temper the eggs. Ladle into buttered ramikens until 3/4 full. Set ramikens in hot water bath and bake at 320 degrees for 25 minutes or until knife inserted into center of pudding comes out clean. This recipe serves eight.

Morgon and Moulin a Vent are two villages in Beaujolais that consistently produce terrific wines for the money. Some can be very complex.

Armoniche which is imported by Isola is very good pasta.

I pretty much agree with Klink. A Weber does not come close to approximating the cookers that I used when I was smoking 'cue in Memphis. But then again, I am not doing 6 shoulders, 12 slabs of ribs, 4 chickens, and 2 legs of lamb at a time. If you are primarily interested in cooking on the "home scale" then a Weber works as well as anything, especially one equipped with the hinged grate. But, if you are thinking about getting serious and cooking for large groups or entering competitions a Weber is going to be woefully inadequate. I have regularly cooked shoulder that took 8 hours on a weber with no problem, but that is just one shoulder at a time.

R&G Lounge is the best that I have had. Beneath that there are about 50 from various cities that are similar but not as good as R&G.

(1) The diameter is sufficiently large to keep the meat well away from the heat source as long as you build your fire on the sides. (2) The grate is equipped with hinged flaps that you can raise to addd more coals so that you do not have to lift or move the entire grate with the meat on it. This "indirect" method of cooking is actually what a Weber kettle does best.

I bought a Weber grill last weekend. My fourth or fifth one. (Not from wear and tear, but I seem to lose one everytime I move). Its a One-Touch Gold. It cost a little over a hundred bucks. Its a charcoal grill, and it is great for pulled pork. I find that Webers are very well-designed for slow long cooking over a low indirect heat source. Whether you define that as smoking, I do not know, but they are designed to accomodate hardwood chips for added smoke flavor. Every shoulder, brisket, roast, turkey, etc. that I have ever prepared on my Weber has had a nice smoke ring. However, it is also just as good at delivery a very hot direct heat source for steaks, etc.

Jaymes, those are good recommendations. I was just trying to limit my suggestions to places within walking distance of the convention center. Interestingly, Rigazzi's burned down a few years back and they rebuilt it very differently. Its now over-priced and has the appearance of a fern-bar. Hell, you could be in an Applebee's by the way it looks now. Wilfrid, You might be thinking of the "slinger" that Jaymes mentioned. Other than that, all I can think of is the customary St. Louis style pizza which is usually served with strips of bacon and onion on it. The cheese is provel, which is a process cheese with a very very low melting point thaty kind of becomes one with the sauce. It is an acquired taste. or perhaps toasted ravioli, which is actually deep fried and ravioli.

I think it was due to the fact that Raji cooked the best food in Memphis. Therefore, there was a high demand for seats in her restaurant. However, the number of seats (supply) was limited. The high demand and low supply resulted in a rise in prices. Ultimately, her prices were higher than all others.

Kemoll's in Met Square is nice but pricey. Tony's is the the top-rated restaurant in St. Louis. Not my favorite, but good. Mike Shannons is more casual type food.

I have friends who used to get kitchen jobs in Nantucket every summer. Good pay, beautiful surroundings.

When I lived in Memphis, the most expensive restaurant in town was Raji's. It was Indian food. My dinner there always cost more than Chez Phillipe. That was French food.

Why were they laughing? I think I might've had a word or two with them if I thought they were doing it out of meanness.

Weber One Touch, the biggest one in diameter whatever that is. Its charcoal, which is my preference. I have also heard the no pepper before grilling rule, as well as the no salt before grilling rule because it will dry out the steak. I think both should be stuffed.

Grilled an aged NY Strip on my brand new grill Saturday night. Liberal use of kosher salt and very coarsely ground/crushed black peppercorns. It was delicious. Served with a side dish of a grilled hot salsiccia. And grilled bread rubbed with EVOO and garlic.

I must've ordered wrong because my last dinner at Babbo was almost $400 for two.

I bought that book for my father for Christmas years ago. I think I was in highschool. We used to make lots of the recipes. Thats a good memory.

Steve, Please explain the difference between "delicious cooking" and "high form of cooking." Can delicious cooking taste better than high form of cooking?

Claude, As you know, I have used lots of your great advice from Robin's wine page. Glad you found your way over here as well. For those of you who don't know, Claude is also quite an authority on Rhone wines as well.

The Hill in St. Louis is a perfect example of the best sort of Italian-American cuisine. The people there adapted to their surroundings and the ingredients available, but maintained their Italian identity. The Hill has very authentic Italian like the salumi sold by John Volpi and his sons. It also has lots of hybrid food, like St. Louis style pizza and "toasted" ravioli. The best restaurants such as Charlie Gittos, Giovanni's, Dominics, and Lorenzo's do not serve Italian food that is authentic in the sense of what is served in ristoranti in Italia, but thats not the point. The food is delicious, well-prepared, and made from the best ingredients. At the now closed Gian-Peppe's. Peppe Profetta served a great veal chop in a mushroom and white wine pan sauce, but he would just as happily pound the chop into the size of a dinner plate while still attached to the bone, coat it in bread crumbs, saute in EVOO, finish with lemon, white wine, and capers. He did this for his favorite customers because that is how his family ate veal at home. Viviano's is the local grocery where the tourists come from the surrounding states to buy Cacciocavallo, san marzano tomatos, jugs of EVOO, mortadella with pistacchio, parmigiano regianno, salsiccia, and homemade pasta. All of it for less than the sale items at the area supermarket. The Hill is still 90% Italian. the language is still spoken. At harry's bar the old men play bacci. The only sign that you are on the Hill is that the fire hydrants are painted red, green, and white. Its a real neighborhood, not just a creation for tourists.

This is brilliant! Thank you so much. I am especially interested in Madeira Parties held in the United States in the late 1700's and early 1800's. This is a huge help.