twoshoes

I finished it yesterday and enjoyed it as well. he does seem happy w/ his lot in life and has toned down his bad boy ways since becoming a father. he still is outspoken and opinionated and not afraid to say what he thinks and why he thinks it. he also seems quite comfortable poking fun at his own personae. nevertheless he still pulls no punches and is more than willing to call a turd a turd. he didn't exactly bash alinea or achatz, just didn't enjoy his meal there. he gives waters her due before calling her on her utter nonsense. finally he truly does let james beard and alan rickman have it and makes a damn good case why. fine read and easily digested.

absolutely stunning presentation there.

I'm curious about his bar project as well. especially, the possibility of serving pub fare...which is intriguing merely because it could/should be relatively affordable.

very interesting and reasonably priced. kinda exciting project, I'd say.

okay ms shook, I'll take two sloppy joes and two sausage rolls. that quiche looks like pizza - yummy!

I picked up essentials of classic italian cooking for $5 at the local big box store.

I'll second the recommendation of The Art of Simple Food. great simple recipes w/ fresh local ingredients and fantastic results.

YAY! we love love LOVE spaghetti and meatballs. perhaps the definition of comfort food. ummm garlic bread. I know what I'm doing for lunch. or dinner.

I enjoy their fish tacos, but do find myself driving right by like all the others.

that is just so effing cool! thanks.

my word that brisket looks delicious.

you betcha. I've a fantastic old recipe that I fixed for christmas dinner. I may tweak it a bit.

no - those aren't pequin...hard to tell what it is. have you tasted it?

that just looks great.

every bit as good as advertised. the oil temp got away from me on the first two pieces and they came out a bit too dark, but I ate them anyways. golden brown moist tender and very tasty. also simple to prepare. this one will become a staple recipe although the wife doesn't really like it when I fry food. she did love this chicken though.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Native-American-Cuisine-Restaurant/dp/0762748958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259453420&sr=1-1

kai features native american inspired ingredients and is still widely regarded as one of the top restaurants in the valley. I know the exec chef and he's recently had a book published.

new mexican food - my favorite. los dos molinos is great especially if you can stand the heat. I've heard very good things about carlsbad tavern in scottsdale though I haven't eaten there - too far from my home on the other side of the valley. richardsons was excellent but it burned down and is being rebuilt. meanwhile the richardsons menu is being served at rokerij just up the street. the taos trio is excellent as is the carnnitas burrito. red white and blue enchiladas w/ red chile is superb as well. a couple other (mexican) possibilities...barrio cafe is very highly regarded and excellent. authentic mexican cuisine (not yer typical gringo sonoran slop). I especially like the carne asada torta (rib eye!) and cochinita pibil tacos, my wife loves the mole. los sombreros in scottsdale is similar - everything I've tried there has been outstanding. suggest the lamb adobo again the wife loves the mole. ritos is in an old house, no indoor dining (patio dining at picnic tables) is incredibly busy and rightfully so. red and green chile burros enchilada style are awesome. finally las tradicciones is also very highly regarded, I've only eaten there once and it was good, but I'd go to every other place I mentioned rather than las tradicciones. I doubt you'll be disappointed in any of these recs.

tonight I served the beef stroganoff and feel free to say I'll never bother again. I may as well have made hamburger helper. the beef ribs were suitably tender but lacked a depth of flavor I get from another and much tastier recipe. the skimpy ribs may have contributed but...those others are so much better and next time I prepare braised short ribs I'll use that recipe. the sauteed shrooms were not a problem. they were delicious but how could they not be. the mushroom sauce was cloying(?) is that the right word? far too rich and shroomy. I'd prefer a more gravy like sauce and toss the sauteed mushroms into the mix and on top. I used store bought pasta as I don't do homemade pasta (I will soon though). I may tweak this one a bit to fit my taste if I even bother to do it again. I guess I could include a pic if you wanna see it (looked fine) but I'd just as soon forget about this one. thursday I'm gonna do the fried chicken and I have high expectations for that.

I did the whole roast chicken and root vegetables last week and while tasty enough it certainly wasn't wonderful. the chicken was succulent moist and tender and the skin browned adequately, but not to my liking. the vegetables were great. I'd never eaten rutabaga before and can't remember the last time I ate a turnip and found both to be quite good. the potatoes and onions though were delicious. should I choose to make this dish again, I will brine it and maybe flip it over at some point to get some browning on the bottom of the chicken. I made the chocolate chip cookies on friday and they were super!

I've been dying to try those lemon bars and would go all out and torch the meringue since I regularly use a torch in my regular job, it's not intimidating. that technique you describe though is. I did the blueberry cobbler today - looks lovely though I haven't tried it yet. I'll let the wife be the judge since she's the expert. the whole roasted chicken w/ root veg is in the oven and I'm enjoying another (third?) glass of wine while it finishes. I love lemon bars and those look great. no powdered sugar sprinkled atop?

yes that looks just wonderful and I'll be doing that sometime next week. although my wife wants the roast chicken and I want the fried. that tri-tip may be a stop gap compromise. beef stroganoff is also on the shortlist....

pave prior to finishing w/ butter and chives. this may be the best potato dish I've ever tasted, though I remain very very fond of au gratin potatoes maybe because I'm crazy for cheese. this was the test piece for an afternoon snack. not as lovely as the ad hoc image but oh so good. was better for dinner w/ garnish.

I've got the pave in the fridge waiting to be fried up for tonight's dinner. it wasn't too bad to this point. rather simple actually and less time consuming than au gratin potatoes. the only thing I would have done differently is to build it in a smaller (say 8'x8") pan. I've also made the chicken pot pie and it was exquisite. and better reheated in the oven for lunch the next day.

whoa - first post... my wife got me started buying ground beef at sprouts (are they national or regional?) because they grind it themselves fresh daily and it makes all the difference in the world. my only gripe is that it's 80/20 and I'd prefer 70/30. anyways, I won't buy it anywhere else because the quality is generally ensured.