fifi

Oh yes... When my sister was in nursing school, living in the area, we used to go to the original location in The Village. Loved those liverwurst sandwiches. That was the hot place to go just post high school for me. All of those railroad cars were just such fun. Funny that I can't remember the food. I think they did one of those in New Orleans when I was working at FDA in the late 70s. We were in the Customs building at the foot of Canal Street and this Victoria Station place was behind us. Oh... I remember this place. We had just concluded a big contract with Dupont and they took us out to a celebratory dinner there. They were very rude about trying to get us to leave and ended up on Dupont's black list. Brooks... I am struggling but I think it was something like Uncle Tai's Hunan Yunan or something like that.

Ain't it funny that South Main was kind of the restaurant row that Westheimer is today. OK... In a lot less volume. Then, it kinda became the... ahem... red light district around the Astrodome. Thanks for the mention of Angelo's.

coffeeroaster... the idea of adding apple cider is just inspired! Wowser!

Ah Ha! gus_tatory has described a method that makes some sense. Off to get a pumpkin.

All of my life, I have dealt with volume measurements. For instance, 1 cup of oil and one cup of flour comes to about the right consistency, fairly liquid, to make a Hershey Bar colored dark roux for a big pot of gumbo. Certainly, the weight route is the more precise way to go, it just isn't "done" that way here, for whatever reason. In the laboratory, I always was cognisant of weight versus volume. But in the kitchen, I tend to fall into the inaccurate volume heritage. I suppose that if I ever got into baking in a big way, I would go back to weight. I remember my dad saying "a pint's a pound the world around". Funny, I have never tested that. I assume he was talking about water. He was a rather scientific sort as well.

I have to admit that this is the first I have ever heard of chicken bog. I know that I am on the western fringes of the south, but this one has alluded me. More information, please. What spices?... for instance. What does strike me is that this seems somewhat, sorta, kinda similar to jambalaya.

I suppose I will have to get a pumpkin and try it. I remain dubious.

This is frustrating me as well. The seeds I have gotten out of the typical halloween pumpkin are positively woody. I still don't get it. I would prefer to gnaw on a 2x4 unless some miraculous transformation occurs in the oven.

Odd... My roll of Reynolds just fits in the bottom of the sheet pan. But, and maybe this is what you mean, it is not wide enough to extend up over the lip. I still have to wash the pan a bit. I second the purple food. I don't think I have seen the purple cauliflower here. I will have to check my big HEB as they are more likely to have the odd veggies.

When great aunt Minnie was visiting, the banana pudding was always topped with her most excellent toasted meringue. When she wasn't around, we would use more vanilla wafers. She, of course, made her own vanilla pudding. I don't think she would have known how to open a box. I think my mother did too. Now we have to find the recipe. I think this is a good idea for Thanksgiving. I don't think I have ever had it with whipped cream.

Is there a "rule of thumb" on how much to drop the temperature when you switch to convection? On the gas versus electric broiling... Does the electric coil contribute more heat by radiation than the gas flames?

WHEW! I feel much better now.

Ah YES! Kaphan's. I remember going there as a kid. It was a favorite of my mom and dad and aunt and uncle. That was the place that I remember them teaching me the strange "etiquette" of BYOB and ordering set-ups. That was in the days that you couldn't order liquor by the drink. When I was older, The Strawberry Patch was a favorite lunch place. My mother's office was only a few blocks away. I seem to remember that it was one of the first "fern bar" concept places here. They had some really original dishes for the day. Many of those would be ho-hum today. Keep 'em coming.

I am sure FG is right about the tiles. I am pretty sure that they make a special paint for tile and other porcelain surfaces. You could check with some of those guys that "refinish" old bathtubs and such. With some judicious masking, that could come out really nice. But then marie-louise's tactic with plates and such is really more my style... you know... lazy. Expanding on Richard's suggestion, once you have a place to hang things, there are all number of wire baskets and other do-hickies available to hold things. That is what intrigues me about the Metro stuff. They have a ton of accessories. I finally noticed that a couple of years ago. I think I was in Sur La Table browsing around. They had used the Metro stuff as store furniture and I noticed all of the little things they had hanging off of the ends of the shelves to hold small things. It might be worth going to a store like that to see what is available. However, I would wait until you have been in the kitchen long enough to get to know what is a storage problem. Then you can go looking for a solution. Red peg board is starting to sound good. Please tell me that you were able to snag those tiles. I am in a nervous sweat that a find like that will walk off before you get your hands on them.

Making grits in a crock pot is being discussed here. I have always thought of polenta as grits with a class attitude. I wonder if a crock pot would work for polenta as well.

Yeah... The green ones are even a different shape. That is what has been making me think they are from an entirely different pumpkin. Looking at all of the interesting types of pumpkins available, I am almost curious enough to buy some and compare seeds. Then I will be covered up with pumpkins, they will rot and sprout and grow in the detritus. They will find my remains one day, beneath the pumpkin vines in the dining area.

*bump* I just had to share a carnitas story. As readers of this thread may know, I have had trouble getting the carnitas to come out right no matter what I do. Yesterday, I was working on a recipe. Jason had mentioned the Goya brand Mojo Criollo marinade stuff the other day on another thread. I had used it before and loved it but I had always used it in combination with other things. I decided that I wanted to see what it was like more or less on its own. I didn't want to do a big old hunk of meat so I bought a small package of the country style ribs. I marinaded overnight. Then I put the pork in my little Le Creuset with a little of the Mojo, put the lid on and shoved it into a 250F oven for a nice slow braise. I did add more orange in the form of about 3 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate. I checked it after 2 or 3 hours (I don't know for sure) and it was getting really tender when I thought that if I took the lid off for a bit, the liquid would cook down a bit and maybe glaze the pork a bit. Uuuuh... I forgot about it. I am in here working away and I start to smell this smell. Not a bad smell... wonder what the neighbor is cooking... OH CRAP! I go to check on my "braised pork". Heh... It ain't braised any more. It is all browned and the fat is in a fairly deep puddle in the bottom. I took a couple of pieces off the bone and tasted. Houston! We have carnitas! I have finally made the carnitas I have been seeking through thorough analysis and exceptional culinary skill. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. )

You aren't doing anything wrong. I have done it two ways. Some folks just start whacking at the whole thing. Even with my big french chef, I found that harder to do. I had better luck cutting it in half first. But, I keep going back to breaking off the florets and slicing them. Then I do the core separately. I seem to have better control that way and the pieces are more uniform. Crumbs are a good thing! They are my favorite part. I may have posted this up-thread but I will repeat it. I have dropped the oven temperature to 375F. I line the sheet pan with a piece of foil. The new non-stick foil makes it really easy to move the stuff around. That layer of foil provides a little bit of insulation from the pan. I seem to get more crunch and more even browning. It takes a bit longer, up to 50 minutes, but I think that more water is driven off before it gets too brown and that accounts for the crunch.

Don't give up on the InterMetro shelving because of the floor. I had the same concern because of the CVT flooring that will extend under that section that is under the island and will also be in the pantry. I was told that they make end caps for the uprights that spread the load, though I haven't actually gone looking for them yet. BTW... That would be something to look out for if you use it for book cases as well. Also, I have seen different "weights" of the InterMetro. Some of the stuff in the retail stores looks pretty flimsy. Some of it looks like knock-offs. The stuff I have seen at the restaurant supply where I shop (they have used it all over the place for display) looks pretty stout. Uuuhhh... I didn't do anything to my tile except mop it. I really didn't care if it was shiny or not. (But then, I never worried about ring-around-the-collar either. ) If you want shine, just use those "wax" type things you get at the store. My housekeeper did that a couple of times. My reaction was... eh. Check with one of the tile manufactrers. Don't even THINK about polyurethane. It probably isn't compatible and once it gets worn it is a MAJOR job to renew. Love the red tile idea for the backsplash. This is looking good in my minds eye. The yellow wall, red and white, a few blue accessories... wowser.

A few more details please. I have always heard of this but have never tried it. When I look at the typical pumpkin patch pumpkin seeds they look like the shell is way to hard to be palatable. In fact I admit that I worry that they might not be too good for the ummmm... digestive tract. I can't see how the pumpkin seeds that you buy (pepitas) could come from what I see. What am I missing? Also, how well do you have to clean that stringy stuff off of the seeds? Is there an easy way to do it?

Those are really cool pot racks for the price! That place is getting added to my favorites. Thanks FG! I agree. For that price I wouldn't muck with anything else.

This thread on a 30 year retrospective of Dallas restaurants started some discussion among friends and family. That brought up memories I had forgotten. However... My experience goes back to the 50s so I am not stopping at 30 years. I suspect that Houston is like a lot of other cities in that the restaurant scene was very different in "the good old days". Going out to eat was a special occasion, not an everyday event. We certainly didn't have the diversity that we do today. Things we take for granted now would have been impossibly exotic back then. I will start a list of what I remember and it won't be comprehensive so please jump in if you have anything to add. If you remember any dates of closing or have other information or memories please add those as well. Valian's - Valian's was across from the Shamrock Hotel and is reputed to be the first place in Houston to serve pizza, or at least feature it. (60s, maybe earlier) Bud Bigelow's - I saw a live Maine Lobster in a tank for the first time at Bud Bigelow's. (Late 50s) Sonny Look's - A Houston institution but I only vaguely remember going there with my grandfather when I was very young. (had to be the 50s) The Red Lion - This was just down from the Shamrock on South Main. It was about the only place in town that had "English Cuisine". The attraction for us young folks was the pub upstairs. They had this huge black lab that would great each new guest by coming to the table, quietly sitting and staring at you. If you wanted to pet him, fine. If you didn't, he would quietly slink off. That dog was a real gentleman. (60s) Ernie Coker's Ye Olde College Inn - This was at University and Main, I think. They were famous for Angel's on Horseback and Green Goddess dressing. I will swear I can't remember exactly what those "Angels" were but the name stuck. And I don't know if they invented Green Goddess dressing or if everyone just liked their version. There was a family connection there. After hurricane Carla (62) blew away my aunt and uncle's bay house, they bought Ernie Coker's house that survived in the same neighborhood. Felix - We discussed this Tex-Mex legend here.

Oooo... Oooo... I just had another idea for your 2x6 table! The "industrial" look had me think of it. What about getting the appropriate sizes of Intermetro shelving, putting together the sizes needed as a base by clamping them together. Then, find something for a top. You could probably do a laminate top (Formica type) pretty cheap. Red Formica! Cool! I have actually had laminate counters for just about all of my cooking life and I actually like them. The price is certainly right. That shelving is all over the place and you might find some pretty cheap in a second hand restaurant supply store. (I am actually doing this under the side of the island across from the stove in the new house for frequently used pot storage.) edit to add: I found some cool looking plastic "milk crates" at Garden Ridge for stacking storage in the end of my dining area. They are so cool, I will be using them on the InterMetro shelving in my pantry and that area under the island. They were about $5 apiece!

Half granite and half block might be a great idea. I wonder if you could snag a deal on the granite by using a sink cut out? I have no idea what they do with those things or what it would cost but it may be worth a couple of phone calls. The tiles are certainly an alternative. My sister suspended some pipes from the ceiling from chains. I can't tell if you have the drop in ceiling tiles but I think it is similar to her ceiling. She had to remove the ceiling sections to get to the joists. Then, I think she just drilled holes in the ceiling tiles and threaded the chain through. Some big S hooks and you are in business. I am thinking that an "industrial" look could be fun. Your tool cabinet has me thinking that. For that look, galvanized pipe, chain and hooks would look cool and be cheap. OMG! That vinyl tile is the bomb! I have had it in two kitchens now and I LOVE the stuff. It is going into the new house. Red and white check, that red tool cabinet. Man... This could get really cool! You might want to see if Sears has a scratch and dent outlet for the tool cabinet.

I am wishing that there was a book like that for every state. I have this fantasy road trip in mind. I am in Houston and my daughter is in DC. I get in my car and head for DC, avoiding the Interstates wherever possible, and just make my way along routes that tickle my fancy. This is not a road trip, it is a mosey. I don't have to be anywhere by any particular time. The trip east would probably skirt the gulf coast through Florida and wind its way up the east coast. The return would take a more northerly route. I think I could cover a lot of southern food on that one. But I do get impatient from time to time so I would likely duck onto an Interstate. What a valuble resource those books would be.