weinoo

Long ago, I reconciled the fact that if I wanted good coffee, I'd be making it at home. All these years later (and all the thousands of dollars saved by not going out for coffee) make it seem as if that was a good idea. That's not to say I won't go out for coffee when we travel or for an espresso if I'm near some place known for pulling a good shot. But overall, with the amount of great roasted coffee available to me, I'll continue to brew at home.

This is neurotic about tomato skins!

Vivian's nuts too. I don't mind the "cheffing up" with different tomato varieties or even...gasp...homemade mayo, but basil???? Come on. By the way, that sandwich is easily $25.

NEVER!! That's like using Miracle Whip on a tomato sandwich.

Peet sold the company in 1979. We "cut our coffee teeth" on Chock Full o'Nuts and Maxwell House, which were perked everywhere during my formative years. When I first learned about pour-over coffee, I was a senior in high school. I had an older cousin who was a flight attendant, and she was using a Melitta back then, and buying beans from https://mcnultys.com/ - in business selling coffee and tea since 1895.

The interesting thing about Duke's and we from the "north east" portion of the country, is that Hellman's was always the mayo of choice (Best Foods, for those west of the Rockies). I was never able to procure Duke's...and then I was.

I think you failed to get the gist of the piece, which is that Kim feels a tomato is improved by furikake. It's not improved by anything, if it starts out with good, proper ingredients. And I'm quite surprised that you're not going to try and make a popsicle out of it.

My method is to bring water to a boil, drop corn in, turn off heat, cover and wait 5 minutes. The reason I break the ears in half is so that they will fit into the smaller saucepan of water being used.

Last week, the writer Eric Kim wrote a little ditty about the tomato sandwich, a classic, seasonal sandwich for many, many years. And like many writers of Kim's generation, the gist of Eric's piece is that they've made a classic better - by fucking with it. (They didn't). To whit: Sure you do, Eric. But then it's not a classic tomato sandwich, is it? I mean, I want to taste the tomato and the mayo in a classic tomato sandwich, not spend time thinking about seaweed. Just stop with this shit, please. The Sandwich Southerners Wait for All Year

Bit of a long, complicated history between Peet's and Starbucks. Peet's is owned by a German conglomerate, with also a complicated history (like stuff we don't enjoy discussing). Not that I've ever liked Peet's...

Anything to do with Tales of the Cocktail? I know that some preliminary stuff was going on this week.

Keeping the heat as low as possible in the kitchen. With a few farmer's market items... Beefsteak tomato sandwich with Duke's mayonnaise, on Pain d'Avignon pullman loaf...lightly toasted only because the bread came out of the freezer. Some of the best corn in a while, "poached," buttered, salted and peppered.

First night back home for Significant Eater: Pan "roasted" chicken thigh, with a pan sauce containing a lot of scallions and shallots. New potato salad containing a lot of scallions and shallots and celery and dill. Broccolini. Last night. It seems as if, after having beans in a restaurant, they must also be made at home. So...Umbrian cannellini beans, finished in the steam girl, with Parmigiano and bread crumbs. Failing to remove the carrot chunks the beans were cooked with (but the celery chunks and onion half were removed). Salad with Feta and Lomo Ibérico. Great baguette (from Party Bus) to go with.

I'm pretty sure I remember buying beans at a Starbucks on Bascom Avenue, in San Jose, CA, back in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It was, as the early Starbucks were, only a store to buy beans and coffee-making related equipment; they sold no coffee drinks. How far we've come in the bean game.

Lots of dead horses in food writing these days. Of course, Duke's! In Philly, we were lucky enough to score a Tommy DiNic's roast pork and broccoli rabe hero for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market (which was a friggin' zoo). It was great.

What happens to the oysters, which appear to be unshucked? Do they get shucked a la minute?

While in Philadelphia last weekend, we had a couple of nice dinners. Pre-show, early at a.Kitchen + Bar. RAW SEA SCALLOP cherries, sugar snap pea, garlic scape + makrut lime brown butter CHICKPEA PANISSE burnt eggplant tahini, shiso vinaigrette (and some roasted veg) Mains were a cheeseburger for Significant Eater, and some lovely pork spareribs for me (with a sour cherry sauce that was great). All good enough for an early, pre-show dinner. The following night we were able to eat at a more civilized time (for us), as nothing was scheduled other than dinner. So based on a recommend from @gfweb, we hit Vernick Food and Drink. Arriving about 30 minutes early for an 8 o'clock reservation, started off downstairs at the bar, and had a couple of nicely made cocktails - Martini for me (3:1, twist, olives on the side) and a cocktail recommended by our bartender, a Water Lily for SE. I'd have the Martini again. Vernick is an a la carte menu (though a separate tasting menu can be reserved for up to 4 guests). In any event, they started us off with an amuse: Apricot "gazpacjo" and a mini corn muffin. Very good. Blue crab toast. What could be bad? Cucumber panzanella. This dish didn't work for me, as I found it too soupy. Also shared a pasta... Fettuccine w/ dayboat scallops, in a tomato/white wine sauce. Really perfectly cooked pasta, great sauce (and not too much of it). Moving on to main courses...Significant Eater: Fantastic pork chop Milanese. Which we could eat basically 1/2 of. It was huge. Seafood for me: A lovely piece of Atlantic halibut, in a light crab broth with fresh corn, herbs. Fantastic. Drank this with dinner: A couple of scoops for dessert: The one on the right - blueberry, and I have no idea about the other one. This is a fabulous place.

I always felt they start out coming from warmer California and as the season progresses, we see WA cherries. Either way, I've had some outstanding cherries - via Fresh Direct! I'm pretty sure that the ones I'm eating now , from Ranier Fruit, are Washington grown.

Some British friends came to town last week, to see a few shows. They brought these for us... Quite tasty.

That lamb looks fabulous...and fabulously cooked.

Makes sense - but where do I then put the wine?

Beautiful (hardneck) garlic...how long does it last for you, and how do you cure it to make sure it lasts?

Such a fun restaurant, @johnnyd! They def know how to cook the seafoods.

I tend to grate ginger on a dedicated ginger grater, pour boiling water over, add honey or sugar, steep, and go with that - sans straining. If it's a cold I'm treating, a shot of bourbon doesn't hurt.

1840s?