Blue Heron

Nick, I'm also curious how it turns out with your razors. I'm in the Pacific Northwest and the razors out here are prepared by dipping the (cleaned) dry or floured razors in egg, then cracker meal and quickly pan fried for a minute or 2 on each side until brown. Served with a homemade tarter sauce. Yummy!! I've also seen Ming Tsai prepare them in panko and fried and those looked good, too. It's one of our family's favorite meals (they even dig their own razors... and they are a pain to clean, but we do a much better job cleaning them than the ones sold at the market). Your menus, as well as Basildog's look fantastic! Thanks for listing them. edit: just noticed I said dip in cracker crumbs, when I meant to say dip in cracker meal (or plain Progresso dry bread crumbs).

Became a Catholic priest. . . . I hate to say it, but the Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, actually is an ordained minister (Methodist).

You can add me to the list of people who hate getting charged extra for rice and tea, or nickle and dimed in other places, too. If they just add the cost of the extras into the price of the meal I am much happier. This applies to even cheaper dining, too. It used to irk me to no end that Spud Fish n Chip used to charge extra for tarter sauce...geesh. So glad they now just add it into the price of their meals now. I still like Sunfish better though, (smile). Welcome Nana_Kat. Thanks for the great review.

In addition to the great things mentioned so far, even though it's not about food, I would also have something like a sliced french baguette with a good quality pate, and a few thin slices of proscuitto, or dry coppa (or similar) in case anyone has to work late and doesn't have time to have dinner before going to the meeting. Plus sometimes, pate, brie and french bread just tastes better than cookies & ice cream (to me anyway), even after dinner, but then I might just be weird.

Steve P. has also said in this thread that this is not about populism, but rather complexity of technique combined with popularity (of said technique). In my example, mole while being extremely complex (ie. sauce can have 23 ingredients, any of which must be individually roasted, fried, soaked and/or ground before being added) it is not as popular in this country as french techniques. Now if one would go to Mexico or other mole making areas, one would find endless analysis and discussion on their various moles. Mole is something too complex for me to attempt from scratch, but I still find it very interesting to read about, and definitely taste, expecially while in Oaxaca, however it is not very popular in the US vs. complex french techniques, and is less discussed here, and so Steve's point is taken well. Earlier in the thead I read it as being just high end vs. cheap (everything else), but that has been resolved not to be the case. I also like jhlurie's well written and thoughtful comments about it being an individual thing, ie. interest of the particular audience, which is also right. All of this is subjective, of course, as in IMHO's.

Rachel, I think a good beginner olive for snacking would be the giant green Cerignola olive that comes from the Southern part of Italy. I'm not a beginner, but it is still my favorite. It is very mild in flavor, not briny tasting, and when one bites into it, it is bursting with juicy meaty true green olive flavor... a flavor almost like drinking excellent olive oil. I buy more of these than anything else, and I think you might like them too. I find them sold in open crocks at the olive bar, but they might also be found in jars?

Steve P. - ok, glad I could help you make your point on steaks. However, regarding the moles and curry's and their complexity, the other point I meant to make is that I don't consider them "fine dining" being rather moderate in price, but still very worthy of analysis, nuance, discussion, etc. Otherwise I think we're in agreement.

Good points Steve P., although I find tips on how to prepare the perfect steak more interesting than how to prepare the coals. I particulary enjoyed learning a few months ago a slow cook method of cooking steak that is popular in high end restaurants...always something new for me to learn, and I even went as far as to email Steven S. to request his notes on NY non-steakhouse steaks (which included wonderfully written descriptions on techniques, flavors, cuts, etc.)... which he kindly sent, and I found great interest in reading and analyzing. I agree, lobster bisque is more interesting to analyze than lobster, and agree with what you are saying in general here, especially regarding hamburger making techniques, etc. As for techniques in ethnic restaurants, yes falafel could be easily learned I imagine (although I've never had it I imagine I could easily get it down). However something more complicated like a good complex mole which I love, or many Indian foods, curries, etc. which I am not familiar with, would be daunting and worthy of much analysis & discussion on my part. A little bit of heaven for me would be participation in a complex mole taste-off...yum!

Lesley C. - thank you for the recipe! Luckily I've got a calculator. Sandra - also thank you for your recipe as well.

The author of the thread or Steve P. needs to clarify what is cheap eats and what is fine dining. My interpretation was fine dining = Michelin star restaurants, and cheap = everything else, more or less. Seattle may not have "fine dining" in the same sense as NY, but we still find plenty to discuss and analyze in our dining here at any price. Of course I absolutely respect anyone's opinion that less than a michelin experience is not intersting (to themself), but then they should make that clear as well, as opposed to a generalization.

Steve P. is eloquent whether writing about Michelin star restaurants and expensive wine or white castles and cheap eats. His writing is flat out brilliant & interesting to read. However, I disagree with the idea that only expensive food is interesting or worth analyzing & discussing. I don't know how cheap is cheap eats, but I think most ethnic restaurants are either cheap or moderate in price, and yet the aromas, flavors, textures, presentation, style of room and service can be very intersting & worth of analyzing and discussing. Not only that, I don't have the pleasure of dining in michelin star restaurants. So if I could not discuss and analyze cheaper or more moderate priced foods, I would not get to analyze or discuss much of anything! That said, I love learning & reading about all types of foods, expensive and cheap.

First Steve P. tells me The famous NY style pizza is a thing of the past, and now I read Steven Shaw says the NY street vendor boiled hotdogs are nasty. My image of NY is falling apart right before my very eyes.

ooo, um, it ain't that simple. All I've heard about the infamous NY pizza is that it's the best and that one sort of bends/folds it while one is eating it. Our pizza's out here don't really fold, so, that alone makes it worth checking out. Sometimes (on another thread) I'll have to ask you guys which NY pizzas are best.

Steve P. - I enjoyed your description of the White Castle hamburger which I've heard much about, but have never tasted before. Next time I'm in NY, I think I will have to try one (along with a NY vendor hotdog and a slice of NY pizza). I like that the WC's are small, too. I hate when a hamburger has too much bun.

Thanks Cindy, I'll look for those, and definitely try them out in the ice cold vodka next time, too. And for the olives on the fingers... ha, I had forgotten about that!

Cindy, I loved your post! Please tell more about the jalapeno stuffed olives. Do you buy them already stuffed, or is this something you do yourself? I don't believe I've seen that combo before, and would love to try it. (and are the jalapeno's roasted, pickled, or fresh?). I also like to pour myself a little vodka just out of the freezer and load it up with olives! Of course it's the olives I like best, but the ice cold vodka is pretty good too (in small quantity). I just had a flashback... my mom used to set out relish trays on the dinner table at our holiday meals, and before we would sit down to eat, the olives would already be gone. (and those were even the canned black ones!).

Olives are one of my favorite things. I've never met an olive I didn't like (including those in jars and cans). My favorite olives (from our grocery store open olive bar featuring 15 or so varieties) listed in order of deliciousness: Cerignola (large green- fantastic), Catalan (green olives spiced in curry & celery), picholene & nicoise. Occasionally I'll get olives stuffed with garlic, almond, or anchovy. For cooking, I buy kalamata.

I also read a good review on En not too long ago in the Seattle Times, and would be up to going if anyone else wants to. The reviewer said rather than sushi, the chef specializes in "homemade-style" modern Japanese cuisine, which sounded pretty good. For the review Click here

Great idea mamster! I wonder if that would also work if one has not actually been to the restaurant yet? (note: I would never be that devious).

Lesley, both of those as you've described sound so delicious. I would love to have the recipe for the brownies especially, if possible . (our strawberry season is so short, I probably would not have time to make the mousse cake).

That just reminded me, I like sliced avacado as a topping for potato chips, or wheat thins. I also sometimes salt my cantaloupe, and learned that from my dad. (& just had some a couple of days ago).

I also see Jeff Smith at the Pike Place Market sometimes (in his battery op wheel chair), I thought maybe he has a condo down there or something. I've always liked Caprial Pence. I haven't seen any of her new shows, but I liked the old ones. Her site is Click here if anyone is interested.

stella, sorry I got sidetracked. I'm still in Seattle. Looks like we'll need more brownies, as well as some savory pie, too, so Jinmyo and the other non-sweets eaters can come, too. I like all the wine and champagne suggestions, too, .. mmmm.

I hope that didn't sound like I'm growing herbs on top of my head. Oh... Why not? ok, where is the smiley face with the herbs on top of the head when I really need it? (insert smiley w/ herbs on top of head).

I hope that didn't sound like I'm growing herbs on top of my head.