weinoo

There's also the possibility of a dish I've had at Ayada that almost looks and feels raw, though it's not...one of the northern Thai sausage dishes, I believe it was. E-Sarn, or sour sausage. Very loose, delicious, but texturally, ummmm, interesting. Sorry I didn't get back to you before you went - I'm sure, @Pan if you go to Ayada, you'll be happy. I personally enjoy the salads (crispy catfish), the soups, the curries...

I don't know, but I'm wondering if at the price of $.34 for that particular spaghetti, is it any good? I understand it's a $5 meal challenge, but shouldn't that meal be as delicious as you can make it? In my opinion, that means pasta from Italy and real Parmesan (or, preferably for this dish, pecorino romano)...though I guess some might think the powdered cellulose added to that $1 parm in a can actually adds to the dish.

I like to think of opportunity cost as contributing to the total of $5. So the OP was in South San Jose, then Campbell, probably spending a few hours (or >$5) on shopping, and also a few gallons of gas (also >$5). To top it off, spaghetti from Mexico and fake parmesan. Who wants to eat that dish, no matter what its cost?

Caveat emptor.

Right - that situation was evidently exasperating from the get-go, as the owners of Tavern were not really willing to spend what he felt was needed to classy up the joint.

Naples and Rome would be at the top of my list for pizza.

touching of the buttocks was probably the least egregious thing that was going on at Star's!

Mezze rigatoni with a sauce made from leftover coda alla vaccinara. So, mezze rigatoni con sugo di coda. Served with a heart of escarole and celery leaf salad, dressed with an anchovy/garlic vinaigrette.

Potentially related to some of the post about, about what (and where from) pathogens we ought to really worry about: E. Coli Linked to Chopped Romaine Lettuce Infects People in 11 States (NY Times, April 11, 2018)

But wait - my boss comes to dinner every night! Oh, and now as I glance back up through the thread, I see liuzhou already made this point (albeit referring to himself as opposed to his Significant Eater).

They did - and it's more the way my wife likes her chicken cooked; that is, a little more than I do, but I acquiesce every now and then .

That was the crispiest skin I've ever gotten out of the CSO.. Did 20 minutes on steam bake at 425F, and then another 15-18 just on convection bake at same temp.

I have a bottle of red boat for you. I bought like 5 bottles, and certainly can't use them all. And while that dish looked good, that does not necessarily mean it would win on the 5-ingredient challenge. I would just prefer egullet not to become the food network.

Blue plate special? Chicken thighs in the steam girl, rice pilaf, sautéed asparagus. (might've cost under $5 pp).

Host's note: this topic was split from the $5 Meal Challenge topic. Some posts here refer to posts remaining in that topic. My meta issue, and I've probably stated this before, is that I don't believe cooking and/or eating well ought be viewed as a challenge. I think part of the demise of a good food culture was predicated by Iron Chef, and all the shows that followed. But yeah, rice & beans to feed 4 for about $3 can be done.

Ayada. Always a good meal.

That's interesting, @Anna N.

right, they are a little different in formula, but you can them all (pizze, focaccia, bianca, et.al.) flatbreads! I'm pretty sure pizza bianca is a Roman thing, whereas focaccia emanated from Liguria/Genoa. And in Tuscany, they call it schiacciata.

Once again, I like soap & hot water. Or vinegar.

Yes, salad greens and fruits like cantaloupe (and others which ripen on the ground) are my biggest worry.

Yes, as high as it goes - 450F.

Chicken isn't necessarily a special case - just that I'd rather not despoil my Boardsmith board with chicken slime. I've been cooking and using my hands and kitchen equipment for a long tine; I don't think I've gotten anyone sick...(famous last words). I do make sure to wash fruit and veg thoroughly, even the phony triple-washed stuff gets 2 more baths.

Exactly. Too many things are "easy," until you try to make them. In my opinion, things with few ingredients (cacio e pepe, bread, et.al.) are the hardiest to replicate perfectly.

I do cook a lot for others, but even when making cacio e pepe for the two of us, I like it pretty darn close to perfect - that is, sauce that hasn't coagulated, high quality peppercorns crushed in a mortar & pestle, excellent pecorino romano, good pasta, etc. Believe me - I find it difficult to get that perfectly creamy sauce.

Many of us like cacio e pepe. Whether it's simple to get it perfect is another story altogether...otherwise recipe after recipe wouldn't have been written for it!