weinoo

My version contains lots of tarragon, for sure. Chicken and tarragon - a perfect match.

No to the first part. Sure to the second. With pink slime, consumers aren't being told that. With Maryland crab cakes, they're being, depending on who you talk to, misled as to the potential for the crab itself being from Maryland.

I make this really delicious chicken salad...no mayo, lots of herbs, mustard, e.v.., lemon juice, vinegar, etc...call it French style.

You see, this is exactly what I'm saying.

I think from the article, while they aren't actually out on the street like carny barkers screaming: "Maryland crab cakes," unsuspecting consumers are probably thinking that's what they're getting.

Since I'm a big fan of crab cakes (I had a couple of them last night at Dino's, in Cleveland Park, that were excellent - and 100% Maryland crab), it hardly comes as a surprise to me that the majority of Maryland crab cakes are not made with Maryland blue crabs at all...this article in the Washington City Paper blog discusses the situation in depth: Seems like Maryland is a style of crab cake, rather than an indicator of where the crab comes from. A marketing tool, if you will. Since I've known this for quite some time, I avoid crab cakes unless I specifically can trust the provenance of the product. Does this bother you? And what other products are fooling us?

Plenty. I make all sorts of things on toothpicks (banderillas)...recently I did baby artichokes with roasted red pepper and pickled onion. Anchovies, high-quality tuna, olives, etc. all go well together on picks. I'm a big fan of mushrooms cooked with sherry and pimenton. Tiny 1 bite crostini topped with all sorts of things.

I make smoothies. Is that cooking ?

Since you're in northern New Jersey, I'm going to assume you're not getting local cantaloupes, a fruit I generally have good luck with. Most likely what you're getting now is from Mexico or the desert southwest. I can't say I've had as good luck with much of the "summer" fruit I've purchased - that is, fruit which generally ripens at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. I've had a couple of good peaches from Georgia purchased at a farm stand in Delaware (and good tomatoes, too!), but the peaches I've bought in NYC (also from GA and CA) have been lousy. Cherries have been kind of blah. Local strawberries are okay, if a little watery from all the rain - when I was in Florida in April, I bought some farm stand local strawberries there that were the best I've had in years. Obviously, two of the biggest factors affecting the quality of the fruit you or I may buy are the weather and the ability to actually pick good fruit - which, imo, is much easier to do when dealing with local product.

I like to pre-heat my oven to no more than 300℉. Then I pre-heat the pan in which I'm making the frittata over medium heat while preparing the ingredients. I beat the eggs with salt & pepper, add any other ingredients (precooked if necessary, like with vegetables, but I'm partial to herbs and freshly grated parmesan). I use both olive oil and butter in the pre-heated pan and pour in the egg mixture. Let it set for 3 - 4 minutes on top of the stove and then into the oven until it's done. Here's a breakfast frittata I've made with leftover pasta.

I, too, am an early arriver. I will be happy to sit in my car while waiting for the appointed time to approach so I can be on time. I take late arrivers personally. I think it's a sign of disrespect. They may not mean it that way but that's the message they're sending: "I don't care enough about you to show up when you asked me to." It's about good manners and being courteous. It's about being a mature, responsible adult. It's about respecting me and our friendship enough to show up on time. What I said.

"Really good" might be a stretch for Annapolis dining - restaurants tend to be pricey and mediocre in my multitude of experiences dining there. If I'm going anywhere, I'm going to Cantler's for crab. Be forewarned - it's a bit of a pain to get to - by car. However, Annapolis is both historic and beautiful (as well as touristy), and a walk through the Naval Academy or along "Ego Alley" is a worthy few hours spent. Some of the boats (okay, yachts) moored there are amazing.

Now, going the other way (south towards Miami) there's a really great Russian grocery on NE 79th St called Marky's. Make sure you outfit your car with a good Coleman cooler to keep stuff cold on your shopping jaunts! For local seafood flavor in that area, Captain Jim's on S. Dixie Highway fits the bill. It's a market and restaurant - a bit divey but whatever they've got freshly caught is worthy. And then you're not gonna that way without checking out Little Haiti.

As someone who has been dealing with Delray Beach for some 25 years, when my parents first moved down there, I'd say Glick's is somewhat passable for certain things. And certainly passable for anything kosher. There used to be a coffee/bagel place a little further west on Atlantic right around Hagen Ranch, but since that closed Bagel Tree has become the defacto bagel joint. The problem with anything in Delray is that it's way too much of a schlep from Lauderdale to be useful for a quick run out for bagels.

It's so "new" that it's 10 years old . Just like with many of the better pizza places, you can certainly run into a stinker every now and then. But for an overall South Florida pizza experience (especially dining in the restaurant), it's pretty acceptable - I also have a confessed weakness for the occasional chicken wings cooked in that same oven.

On Kent Island there are: Harris Crab House The Crab Deck

Scott's was my favorite this year.

What about varying your route slightly from the Delaware Memorial Bridge? I often get off I-95 and head south on US 1 (1st or 2nd exit in DE) to 301/50 and head that way to the Bay Bridge. You avoid some of the most heinous stretches of I-95 and if you're leaving at a not-crazy early time in the morning, you should be approaching the bridge right around noon. Kent Narrows is a town east of the bridge and there are a couple of traditional crab "shacks" there. Crack some blues, or better yet, have some real crab cakes for lunch. Alternatively, you could be thinking Alexandria, VA for lunch, where you could do no better than Restaurant Eve, or maybe the simpler Cafe Majestic, both fine eateries owned by the husband/wife team of Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong. That's as far south as I go.

Indeed, you will miss all of those things in Broward County. For pizza, check out the chain Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza...they turn out a respectable pie every now and then and I believe their original location is the Ft. Lauderdale one. Great service staff and great attitudes too. I find the bagels at certain S. Florida bagel places to not necessarily be any worse than bagels are now in NYC...and is that a compliment? Deli is fairly awful. Take solace in the fact that there are Whole Foods markets to shop at.

Interesting, Sam. Sietsema alluded to this in his piece about 5 good things at the BABBQBP, saying: There's no doubt that some of our local joints are putting out some top-notch stuff.

Sorry, I don't buy any of it. If you're a friend, you respect the invite and show up on time. And if you have any manners at all...you show up on time. Why should someone's alleged chronic lateness dictate what I cook?

Some great stuff this year, along with the insufferable crowds. We really enjoyed the whole hog from Scott's Bar-B-Que in Henderson, South Carolina, a newcomer to the BABBQBP. The hot link from Jim 'N Nick's was a standout as well. And the Checkered Pig surprised me with their tender St. Louis style spareribs. I skipped the usual favorites like Memphis Championship and Ed Mitchell, only because I wanted to be able to try the places like the ones I mentioned above. And i usually don't bother with the locals like Blue Smoke, Dinosaur, etc. because I figure I can just go to those joints. Fuller report with pix over at Tasty Travails.

a: - I agree with Michaela, and b: - I'd go far as to stop inviting them altogether. No excuse for: There's just no fucking excuse for habitual rudeness.

You can check out this topic.

It's certainly okay for the 'cue...and the bourbons...and the service...and... RUB isn't at the block party, but there are quite a few people who feel it's the best (for certain items) in the city.