hjshorter

This place sounds a lot like PF Chang's, another Asian-style chain. Their food is good, but not exciting - it's an acceptable meal after a day of Christmas shopping. And I agree, the most baffling thing about the Cheesecake Factory is the lousy cheescake. I've been dragged there several times and every flavor I've tried has been a disappointment.

Soba, this reminded me that I would someday like to start canning. I have made quick pickles, chutneys and jams, but it would be lovely to be able to build up a supply for the winter months, or to give away as gifts. And yes, I have given baskets of condiments, salsas, etc. as gifts. And I would love to make homemade mayo, but cannot seem to find a source of pasteurised eggs in the DC area. I have no problem with raw eggs, but hesitate to serve them to my little ones.

Your refrigerator must look like mine. My brother calls it the "condiment graveyard."

Always on hand: flat leaf parsley & cilantro sriracha chile-garlic paste fish sauce soy sauce Frontera bottled salsa several mustards Duke's Mayonnnaise several varieties of olives cornichons

I must diasgree with his assessment of Bobby Flay's looks, but other than that the article was right on.

Milk and juice cartons that come with a little screw-cap instead of forcing you to mangle the carton when opening it for the first time.

Hallmark has loose-leaf books, and filler pages that are pre-formatted.

fifi, keep writing them. One of my most treasured recipes is hand-written by my grandmother. She died 20 years ago and it's the only thing I have of hers.

Wow, Holly, those pics look delicious! I'm very curious about the smoked pear - what does smoking do to the texture?

I followed the link and read that there is going to be a block from 4-8pm, including Barefoot Contessa, Sara's Secrets and something called Paula's Home Cooking. Who the heck is Paula? Will they be cancelling Molto Mario? What about Hot Off the Grill? I'd be glad to see "Grill" cancelled, but Mario's show was one of their better offerings.

I saw an ad today for something called "Date Plate." From Foodtv.com: What do you get when you take 2 eligible bachelors (or bachelorettes), give each a $ 50 shopping budget, and ask them to plan and cook a romantic meal in hopes of winning over a blind date? Date Plate challenges two food-savvy contestants to do just that. They work within a budget -- and against a clock -- each cooking a special meal for a woman they've never met. The most delicious part is that the bachelors can see and learn about the bachelorette through a video greeting card, while she knows nothing about the men trying to woo her -- except for their cooking skills of course! She chooses her Romeo based solely on the meal he makes for her -- a truly tasty twist on dating television. Intrigued? Meet the eligible singles featured on our premiere episode here. Ugh.

This reminds me of the Thanksgiving when my mom took a pecan pie out of the oven and set it on a turned-off burner on my sister's electric stove. Then she put a pot of potatoes on and turned the wrong burner to high. After a few minutes...BOOM! Pyrex fragments and pecan pie all over the kitchen. I think my sis had to repaint and replace all of the wallpaper.

Mmmmmmm, yes, I make marinated sandwiches all the time now. There's one in the Two Fat Ladies' cookbook called the Shooter's Sandwich (I think) that I'm dying to try. Steak and mushrooms, weighed down for a few hours. There's also muffeletta. Unfortunately that method doesn't do much for bologna and american cheese, or olive loaf.

Well, I'm not raising mine in a barn either.

People wearing strong perfume. Loud music, unless I'm there to hear the band. Recited specials. Write it down, for Pete's sake. Children, including my own. Although how are kids supposed to learn how to behave in restaurants unless they are taken to them?

We've done this twice now, except we didn't forget the water just let it boil away. The first time we had to throw the pot away. The second time we caught it in time to rescue the pot.

I second the Nora recommendation. It's a quiet little place with lovely food and very good service.

Sutton Place is also willing to order - at least the Bethesda location will.

If the stores are that large then there will definitely be room for Sutton Place, and assorted other specialty markets, at least in the close-in suburbs where land is at a premium.

I'm going to stick with my subscrition to MS Living. At least it has gardening tips too.

I bought "Everyday Food" yesterday. What a waste of three bucks. It was jam-packed with ads, and the smaller format makes it difficult to tell the recipes from the ads. The recipes were uninspired. Boring chopped salad with canned tuna. Split Pea Soup with no fat and very little seasoning. Roast Chicken. Yawn.

I used to collect the Betsy McCall pages. Wow, haven't thought about that in years. My mom used to get all sorts of gross ideas from women's magazines.

::shudder:: Olive loaf and Miracle Whip sandwiches. On Pepperidge Farm white bread. Just about any sandwich was disgusting by the time it had been a locker for 4-5 hours.

Do you really believe this? It's amazing; it achieves a double-whammy by insulting both non-Western cuisine and American diners. Wow. I find it even more amazing that Asian cuisine is being lumped together as one category. I would not even presume to compare, say, Indian with Thai cuisine. To my palate they are as different as night and day. I have followed this thread with interest, but haven't wanted to jump in as I have seen my thoughts better expressed by others.

That's good to hear. I miss the French Market - when did it close? Whole Foods generally has good meat for everyday, but for special cuts I still make the trip to Sutton place, or Dean & Deluca. The butchers there are generally more knowledgable. There is a difference between regular stores and stores with a large foreign clientele. I noticed that when comparing the Georgetown Whole Foods and those in the 'burbs. Before we moved out of the city we asked the cheese guy in G'town what to expect from the Rockville store. He somewhat contemptuously dismissed them with the comment that "they move a lot of Cheddar."