Richard Kilgore

Jetlag -- welcome to the Texas Forum. Hope you will visit and post often. In fairness to all, the D Magazine article in the link above spells out the procedure they used. You can disagree with the procedure and you can disagree with the results, but there is no indication anywhere that they based any part of their procedure on press releases. Quite the opposite -- they ate a stupifying amount of pizza. (And as far as that goes, there is no evidence that Texas Monthly based their findings on press releases, only that they used them. Not that there are not a lot of questions one can ask about how Texas Monthly has been so very far off in some of their choices. But that's another thread.) So back on topic regarding D Magazine and your choices (same of alternate) for best pizza in Dallas.

So what about everyone else? What are your favorite pizza haunts in the Dallas area? Make that the whole DFW area so we don't miss something important.

Arrrrrgh! I guess an agri-econo-consumerist has an excuse for defining "personality" in such a superficial and limited way. And not even being very clear about behavior...or food or drawing conclusions from data. Men prefer hot comfort food, and that's why ice cream was their first choice? Let's see if he can get this published in a journal or if press release is it.

However, I do use filtered water for pasta and coffee, because my local water has such a vile off-taste. It does make a diference.

What is your organization? 17,000 members? Wow!

I made it again today for lunch, this time the version with onion (red) and garbanzo beans -- thin sliced the cauliflower and chopped the onion. I roasted it in an aluminized steel half-sheet pan covered with non-stick aluminum foil sitting on the tiles on my botton oven rack at 400 (verified) for about 40 - 45 minutes. I think the tiles may have helped it cook faster. Then scooped the mixture into a bowl and crisped strips of pancetta slices on the half sheet and spread them over the mixture. (edited to add the pancetta step)

I see. Well then, I guess squash shouldn't be a major part of our New York-Texas cultural exchange program. But these are Japanese squash. I'll let you know if you could pretend they are unrelated to the squash of your youth.

slk -- what did squash ever do to you? What did you ever do to squash? Maybe you just don't understand squash. And then again, maybe squash doesn't understand you. Anyone know what they are doing with kabocha?

Why yes. I have one sitting on my coffee table it is such a good looking squash. But I haven't baked one yet. It is sweet, so I think I'll try it for the dessert squash recipe in Paula Wolfert's last book. Are they simply baking it, or doing something special with it?

I weep.

Many fish are great if simply stuffed with quartered lemon and herbs, wrapped in aluminum foil and baked in the oven or over a camp fire (my preference).

Kirk B -- More please! What is silly about the premise (what premise?)? Why not peperoni? Why are the picks silly? Why is the writing sophomoric? What would be wrong with New York doing a rating of the best Tex-Mex or barbeque in Manhattan?

I think President's Choice pasta is very good for dried pasta and a good deal, too. It is made in Italy and runs about .99 US/lb. and .75/lb. on sale.

Star Canyon and AquaKnox were Stephen Pyles concepts. Aqua Knox is currently owned by a Florida group I believe. Trivia - the first AquaKnox was opened on Knox street in Dallas.

John Whiting had mentioned MFK Fisher on women eating alone and Steven I think you were not familiar with this. There are several pieces on this in her book "The Gastronomic Me", which is in the collection of five of her books, "The Art of Eating." Also other references in other pieces. What a fine writer. This is a wonderful thread. While not 60, there is a lot of familiar material here and a surfacing of memories.

Great story and photos, Fifi. I'm glad these bbq competitors took a second from their serious work to let you take a few pics. But that one fellow just doesn't know how to shop for turkey. Talk about talking bidness: I am sure we can find one for him for 50% off.

I have not had an ice cream soda in a long time, but a standout from my childhood: The Purple People Eater -- Scoops of vanilla ice cream, layered with orange soda and rootbeer.

What a wonderful pictoral! I would like very much to see more of this type of thread...French markets, bread and pastry, farms, Bresse chickens and such.

The reason for the difference between the $100 and $80 set is that the $80 set has the Aluminum, copper disk bottom, and the $100 set has the tri-ply construction. Jason, you're stock pot does have the aluminum disk bottom, correct? I believe CM makes the stock pots only two ways -- with and without the disk bottom. I think the copper on the pans is only cosmetic -- the aluminum disk does the work.

I use water-packed canned tuna, but may try the Italian oil-packed that everyone says is so very much better. At any rate -- more Dijon than mayo (and altogether fairly dry) with minced onion and capers on Corner Bakery's Steak House Rye. Lettuce and tomato optional. Sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month.

Just a reminder that ChefMate has several lines of cookware, so read the detail in the descriptions at Amazon. Some of the stockpots are ss with no aluminum disk bottom. Also some of the skillets and pans have aluminum/copper disks and some have a try-ply construction. I am fairly sure the disk bottom pans have much more aluminum in them. I have one quart, 2 1/2 qt and 4 qt sauce pans (all with lids) and use them all the time. These are the tri-ply design. Also have the set of 8, 12, and 16 qt. stockpots with disk bottoms and vented glass lids. A great deal at $69 as I recall. Amazon offers free shipping for ChefMate orders over $25 I believe. I just looked at Rachel's links and the Amazon descriptions are not very informative. You may want to email them to find out what's what. For example, the 8qt disk bottom stock pot with both a steamer insert and a pasta insert typically go for $35 in the stores, so that may be what they are selling in the 8 qt., but you can't tell -- their description suggests it has no inserts and no disk bottom.

Thanks, dls. Interesting site.

If you are going to do all the Ft. Worth Museums in one day, I definitely suggest jogging shoes. And you may want to try Benitos, a Mex-Tex place near the museums. They serve a huge tamale and great carne guisada.

I am not sure about the mole poblano, but someone here may know. So for the Tex-Mex, Mex and bbq -- are you looking for places to eat, or more food to take home?

Welcome Kirk B. I hope you will visit the Texas Forum and post often. Can you tell us more about the food. What were the chilaquiles and the chile relleno like -- what made them outstanding compared to other versions of the same dish? What kinds of bread and pastries did you try and what was so good about them?