Blue Heron

I store my tupperwear lids in an open cardboard box (like a white shoe box) in one of my large lower cupboards. At least they are all together there and I can easily see them and grab one. And I store my tupperwear bowls in a separate cupboard up higher, stacked with the smaller ones in the bigger ones. Large & Mediums go together, then the smalls have their own stack. However, I have not perfected my gladware & other misc. plastic storage yet. That cupboard is a mess. I can have it all organized, and it seems the first time I go to take one of those stacked gladware containers out, the whole cupboard becomes in disarray. I should get another small box for the lids or use that great ziplock idea.

I don't see how a Starbucks in a neighborhood is a bad thing. The people that want to go there will, and those that don't want to can go somewhere else. Simple. In my neighborhood we have Starbucks and Tully's within about a block of each other. Both seem busy. I go to either place only rarely. Both are good neighbors of the community though, and contribute generously with charity, goodwill, donations & community service to the communities they are in. They have also gone into some neighborhoods in an attempt to revitalize them (ie the Harlem & Seattle Central area Starbucks come to mind). Good businesses lead to more good businesses in neighborhoods. And they even lead to more independent coffee houses as well.

What were some of the highlights from the lunch today? I was in the Int'l District for lunch today, and missed you all.

I had the Sauteed Sugar Pea Vines with Black Mushrooms & Bean Curd Sheet (paper thin and rolled), and House Special Barley Green Hand Shaven Chow Mein with Shrimp, Chicken & Squid. I highly recommend both of these dishes. Howard was particularly eyeing my sauteed sugar pea vines, I think.

Starbucks coffee mogul Howard Schultz sat down at the table next to me while I was having lunch today at Shanghai Garden, in Seattle's Int'l District. He leaned over to check out my food, and we exchanged hellos. He then ordered some of what I was having. Good man.

tommy, you could roll up your extra sushi chef tip and place it partially into the chopstick cover, and then just hand it to him. That way the sushi chef keeps his hands clean. Then you could leave the general tip on your credit card, or cash on the table.

Last week the Seattle Times had an article on tipping the sushi chef, and how much of the general tip reaches the sushi chef. It varies by percentage. And according to the article, some people in addition, roll up a five or ten, slip it into the chopstick cover and hand it to him, and some buy the sushi chef a drink or have a drink put on their bill, and request the chef receive one after his shift is over if he is not allowed by law (as in WA state) to drink on duty. Click Here

awbrig, what type of coffee maker did you get? A year or so ago my hubby ordered their coffee and got the carafe style in black. I like it, because it makes really hot coffee, and the carafe keeps it hot for a long time. Plus the black color doesn't show the drip marks. We weren't so keen on the coffee that we wanted to spend a premium for it, so we cancelled the service shortly there after.

you guys are all crazy! Actually, Coops pizza is sounding pretty darned good. I would love that. Something very simple, like thin crust, thin spread of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella or the Bocconcini, fresh basil topped w/ a little olive oil & baked in a wood burning oven.... I'm There! And then I'll have a Tom's Special.

As I understand it, Pirogi and Piroshki/Pirozhki are both free form pies filled with various fillings like cabbage, sauerkraut, hamburger & onions or salmon. Pirog is the large version which has a filling and is sliced (which I've never had). Piroshky is the small individual size, which I've made before with my Russian neighbor. They are so good. They are also often sold at Russian bazaars along with pelmeni. Pelmeni is totally different than piroshky. Pelmeni is more similar to a potsticker.

I am also a big fan of Pegasus pizza, Tom's Special! However, I may be biased since it is in my neighborhood. The shredded pepperoni on it is cooked really crispy, which makes it taste even better I think. Plus I love any pizza with spinach on it. I also liked Romio's in Magnolia when I went one time. girlchow, unfortunately, I have never tried Jet Pizza. I used to see their flyers in the mail, but was never tempted to go. I would like to try A NY Pizza Place in Maple Leaf district that klink recommended awhile back . Click Here for review Maybe we should have an eGullet Pizza outing one of these evenings.

I bought some Salignac brandy for cooking as that is the brand that I saw the chef from Le Gourmand use when I watched him cooking wild mushrooms. Also bought some port for making sauces.

nightscotsman, thank you for that fabulous WSLCB site. That will come in so handy. Although, when I looked on that site, I could not find the address of the liquor store on 6th some of you were recommending on another thread that is near near Safeco Field. I was in that area today and stopped at the liquor store on 4th just behind the new Seahawks stadium. That's not the liquor store you are referring to is it? There was an island of single malt scotch, as klink had mentioned the one by Safeco Field has. I'm confused if I was at the right place that you all were recommending. Is it on 6th or 4th?

Over the years I've been hearing/reading rave reviews for King St. Barbeque Chinese take out in the International District, so when I happened upon it tonight (6th and King, around the corner from Kau Kau), I stopped in to buy some barbeque pork and roast duck for a taste. Since one can only buy duck by the 1/2 or whole portion I scrapped that idea since I only wanted a taste. However, I was able to buy a 1/2 lb of their barbeque pork. Although quite flavorful (5 spice flavor), it was on the dry side. I think I still like Kau Kau's better. It's been quite awhile since I've had Kau Kau's though. I'm way over due for a visit there.

Piroshky w/ sour cream jellied meats, and salmon in aspic smoked salmon Easter Kulich sweet bread pickled wild mushrooms various pickled herrings Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed w/lamb or beef and rice) Kugelis (grated potato pudding) from Lithuania I believe Tony Bourdain ate reindeer stew in Russia.

mamster, thank you for your excellent detective work to acquire that recipe. I had the soup at lunch that day, too, and agree it was the best. I also appreciate your add'l tips included with the recipe. In your article, you forgot to mention that on Fridays, the school offers a delicous all you can eat buffet lunch for only $6.50. I was very impressed with the high quality and selections, not to mention the low price. Nightscotsman has been kindly providing us with the menu's online, Click here

I really hate it that a few of my favorite dinner restaurants in Seattle have a no reservations policy. It makes it really hard to plan a special meal there or invite others. As they are smallish places, the wait for a table can be long. I guess they just don't want or need to deal with the hassle of no shows, and with the things I have read on this thread about multiple reservations made and cancelled up to the last minute, I guess I can't blame them. They have found a way to deal with that problem that does not benefit the diner.

klink ... I loved the kielbasa. I agree with Jason. I liked the pepper level. However hubby thought it was spicy (but he always likes his food bland), so he would probably side with Steven. The first evening I cooked some packaged Swiss knofpli (like spatzle) in bouillon and added the kielbasa to the pot to heat it up. Served with some sauerkraut & salad. It was perfect. The second night, I heated up the kielbasa in the pouch it came in, as klink had recommended. One thing I noticed is that the first night, when I cut the sausage up, I ate the casing as it was edible. However, the second night, the casing was tough, so I removed the sausage out of the casing to eat it. Is one supposed to eat the casing or not? And did the different methods of cooking affect how tender the casing would be? I thought it seemed to.

I was about to say I didn't think anything could top Andy's story, but then I read Kim's. Thankfully, I cannot think of a similar story. Except for the time when I was first out on my own, and my roommate made macaroni and ketchup. I didn't eat it though.

My favorite Chinese soup is hot and sour. I almost always order it. um, mamster has recently given the PNW group a heads up to check out the TDG on Monday which might include a recipe of a tasty hot & sour soup that he was able to procure after we recently enjoyed a bowl of the best we've ever had, at an unofficial lunch of PNW egulleteers.

The Friday buffet at SCCC really stands out as one of the better buffet lunches I've had in Seattle, and especially for the price, only $6.50. My favorite thing was the slices of roasted duck (skin not crisp, but still flavorful as well as the meat), followed by my slices of med. rare pork loin (juicy, flavorful, with a nice charred crust), scampi that I watched being cooked right at the buffet table, and mache salad w/tuna confit and pistachios. But there were so many other good things as well... chinese style barbeque pork, fried oysters, onion rings, Vietnamese Spring Rolls & pork (which I unfortunately missed), baked cod, several types of chicken preparations incuding fried & barbequed, several types of soups (butternut squash, clam chowder, gazpacho to name a few), endless gourmet salads, potato, rice & pasta dishes, as well as a selection of desserts & fruits. All of this is all you can eat, and the staff is continually bringing out new dishes. I want to go back next Friday!

Salt packed. Good. I'm learning. Dave, thanks for jogging my memory about the Tuscan steak. Now I know why Ron's steak sounded so good to me... Tuscan rib steak is one of my favorites. I haven't made it in awhile, but I checked my recipe and I make a paste of 3 chopped garlic, s & p, 2 T Olive Oil, 1 T fresh parsley, 1 t fresh oregano, 1/2 t dry mustard, 1 T balsamic vinegar, 2 T cabernet sauvignon and rub it over the steaks and allow to marinate 30 minutes to 1 hour. Grill to desired doneness, and before serving, squeeze with fresh lemon juice. This is so good. But I'm going to try Ron's method of pan searing and deglazing with lemon juice. My grill is put away for the winter.

That also sounds great. What kind of anchovies do you recommend? Does one use anchovies in the can, or seek them out in another form? (I've never cooked with anchovies, but I like them).

Ron, your rib steak with lemon juice, garlic and parsley sounds great. I think that's what I want for dinner tonight. I typically see lemon juice used with veal cutlet type recipes, such as scallopini, schnitzel and picatta come to mind.

BH and others, don't miss my TDG column on Monday. Hint, hint. Thanks for the heads up mamster. I can't wait. I have to play it by ear tomorrow, but I'm going to try and make it as well. Hope to see you there. (I'll send a PM to nightscotsman tomorrow when I know for sure). Are you still planning to meet a little before noon? or earlier?