Richard Kilgore

I am sure most of the fancy, expensive peelers are fine, but a regular one will do pretty much as well if you keep it sharp. They don't come sharpened from the factory either, so a brand new one benefits from sharpening. How you say? I use a ceramic stick, from a Spyderco sharpening kit - but any cheap stick likely would work. Rub the stick across the underside of the peeler to take off the burrs, then stroke it flat across the top - the cutting edge - a few times. You'll be amazed.

Why? I don't think that would necessarily be true. If they buy fresh fish for a special or a rotating dish, that would be at least as good as a daily one (which might be held over a day - yuk!). If it's made with frozen food, what difference would it make? I think a popular, busy place would be a fair indicator for safe if not great. Not foolproof, but fair.

I am sure there are a lot of favorites out there. Please share yours. While the current focus of my attention is Robb Walsh's fine new book of essays, Are You Really Going To Eat That?, another of my favorite Texas food books is a one that's not only about Texas. Gulf Coast Cooking: Seafood From The Florida Keys To The Yucatan Penninsula has been around for a while (Fredricksburg: Shearer Publishing, 1991) and has great staying power, not only due to the recipes by Virginia Elverson (founder of the Houston Culinary Guild) and photography by Bob Parvin, David Crossley and Bill Pogue, but also because of the wonderful series of accompanying essays by John Graves, one of the finest writers Texas has ever produced. So I guess this thread could include food-related books by Texas authors or books about Texas foods and cooking by whomever. Please jump in and let us know what you have found interesting or helpful.

Robb Walsh has an interesting piece on visiting Bourg-en-Bresse, including an interview with a Bresse chicken farmer. It's in his new book, Are You Really Going To Eat That?

We have started a FOOD MEDIA DIGEST with links to major food media here in Texas. Please PM or email me if we have left anything out. We will add posts with links to specific reviews, articles and recipes on a regular basis. Brought to you by the eGullet Texas Media DIGEST team: Austin: Open Dallas-Ft. Worth: Raynickben Houston: Foodman (Elie Nassar) San Antonio: Bob Davis Media Contact: Richard Kilgore Edited: 6/23/04 - Update Media DIGEST team list.

Texas Media DIGEST Compiled by the eGullet Texas Media Digest Team Austin: Claire797 Dallas-Ft. Worth: Richard Kilgore Houston: Fifi (Linda La Rose) San Antonio: Bob Davis Check here frequently for links to food articles, essays, columns and reviews published in food media across Texas. Here are direct links to the food and restaurant review sections of major Texas media. We will add more as we go. Texas Monthly Austin The Austin American-Statesman Food Section The Austin Chronicle Dallas-Ft.Worth The Dallas Morning News Food Section The Dallas Morning News Friday Guide Dallas Observer Ft.Worth Star-Telegram Food Section Houston The Houston Chronicle Dining Guide (Fridays) The Houston Chronicle Food Section (Wednesdays) Houston Press Dining Section (weekly published on Thurdays) San Antonio The San Antonio Express News Food Section The dining editor is John Griffin, and, since there's no real restaurant review section, you have to just search for him.

Wow! That sounds great Fifi. I'll have to try it soon.

Thanks for posting on these places, fried clams and nessa. There are more Asian markets, large and small, across the metroplex than I had once imagined. Please post more of your impressions as you get familiar with different stores.

John -- thanks for the stories re-told. Do you know if there is a way to order a cassole from the Not family?

The eGullet India Forum is full of helpful info. In particular, you may want to take a look at this great thread in which Suvir Saran collects links to threads on a variety of basic Indian food topics, including Indian cookbooks.

I suggest you at least hold your knife candidates in your hand before buying. There are lots of more than adequete knives out there, but the feel of a particular knife in your hand can make all the difference in the world. Your decision to buy two basic knives of quality is a wise one. It's worth taking your time.

You most likely will have to go through a gourmet shop of some sort. I picked up a couple of 500 g. tins of the Lentille Verte Du Puy packaged by SABAROT for W-S, which was clearing them out at a discount. They were outrageously expensive at regular price ($11.50/500g.) and I would not have bought them except for the clearance price. I don't know if they are carrying them on their website or not. I would try Dean & DeLuca in NYC. If someone knows of other internet/mail order sources (for either the French or Italian), I would be interested to know about it, especially is they are a lot less than W-S.

The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook says that the Puy and Umbria are two "French green lentils", with the ones from the Le Puy area of France firmer and a bit wilder tasting than other lentils, and the ones from Umbria having an even more intense flavor, although they don't hold their shape quite as well.

U.S. Secretry of Agriculture Announces New Mad Cow Regs, see NYTimes article.

Thanks, Jeffrey. Bond Girl (Ya-Roo) has it now and says she will enter it in the archive next week. You don't need to do anything else.

Yes, Fitz, I am indeed a world traveler. More on the 17th if I get a slice of cheesecake. Turkish cheesecake?

Thanks, Steven. The address on the website for the New York, Texas Cheese Cake Company is in Athens, which is not far from the DFW area. Might be worth a little road trip for my friend.

There are several stories in the New York Times. Go to NYTimes.com. Here are a couple of quotes from one story that do not make me optomistic that this will quickly fade away as a real issue, as opposed to an emotional over-reaction issue, or an international payback issue. It appears people may well have reason to be concerned.

There are many restaurants in that general area, some chain, some not. Especially if you come down about three to five miles further on 635 to the edge of Las Colinas. Help us narrow it down a bit. What kinds of foods and restaurants are you interested in? Anything you definitely want to stay away from?

For an interesting perspective, see Rob Walsh's profile of a Texas prison chef, in his new book, Are You Really Going To Eat That?

Jeffrey -- that would be great, and not improper at all. If it's okay with you, we could then copy it into the eGullet Recipe archive so that it would be easy for people to find. Thanks much for being so generous with your time here at eGullet.

Wow Elie, that looks and sounds wonderful. I am going to try making it later in the winter. (It's almost balmy here this weekend.) Inspiring photos.

Tonight a friend mentioned that he doesn't know where to find New York style cheesecake in the Dallas area. I decided to bring his quest here, but to open it up to the best cheesecakes in the state of whatever style your heart desires. I have had a pumpkin cheesecake during the holidays as had my friend, commercially made and pretty good, but I had to agree with him that it was a different breed of cheesecake than New York style; it was airy and light compared to that dense, dense NY style that I used to drive 20 minutes through the swampy woods to get at the Lakawana Diner in Morristown, New Jersey many years ago. So, whate's your favorite and where can we find it?

Houston -- Stop what you are doing! Run straight to Barnes & Noble and get Robb Walsh's new book, Are You Really Going to Eat That? Flip over to his article "Bagels Rip My Flesh" for a screamingly funny review of New York Coffee Shop. Then be sure to take a notebook with you when you go to try out their lox and bagels. (I am guessing that this is the restaurant next door to New York Bagels mentioned above by texesser.)

Welcome to eGullet and the Texas Forum, texesser. Thanks for the Houston bagel info. Hope you will continue to visit and post here. eGullet is a pretty friendly neighborhood.