fifi

Those of you that have the vintage CAs, pat them fondly and tuck them into a safe bed at night. When I had to replace the bowl and lid on the one that I inherited from my mother, (one of the originals) the new design made it almost useless. I use the grating and slicing blades as much as anything and the feed tube design was impossible. Since I used those blades so much, the flat top lid wasn't an answer. I sent the useless thing to my sister's country house. When Kohl's put the KAs on sale, I bit. There are so many neat design features that I do a happy dance everytime I use it... simple feed tube, grater blades have a separate spindle and store flat, mini bowl, food pusher doubles as a measuring cup, perfectly designed spatula... I just finished a batch of hummus and I made cole slaw yesterday and I cook for one. I am now lusting for the julienne blade and the parmesan/ice shaver blade. Suzannes questions are excellent. After you figure out what you do most, do not just order over the internet. Go to a store and play with the various models. Don't just look. Take the lid off. Take the bowl off. Make like you are feeding carrots or cheese for grating. Imagine storing the parts and pieces.

I'm too old for "Reservoir Dogs". Nope, "Magnificent Seven". The promo picture was the guys lined up in silouette and so looked black.

Thanks for bringing up the Holiday Experience, jess. Yes... It is truly amazing. I haven't done that in a couple of years. With the remodel of the previously odd collection of ramshackle buildings into the "palace of indulgence" that you see today, I just might have to reprise that tradition. Brooks, you wouldn't know the old neighborhood. The whole area between downtown and the medical center is now dubbed Mid Town. I always wondered why that prime real estate was such a mess. The old Spec's fit right in. A few years ago, some folks came up with a "vision", got tax incentives, and BOOM! There is a lot of medium to high density residential being built so that may have helped make the expansion and renovation of Spec's economically feasible. That may have had something to do with the expansion of their food offerings. They even have a produce section. Beautiful stuff and CHEAP! If you are a Mid Town resident, you can go to the new Randall's about two blocks away for the staples and pop into Spec's for the wine and good stuff. The local customer base continues to build and it still retains its status as a "stop off" for office drones headed out of downtown for the 'burbs. No... I didn't buy the pickled okra. But I do have suspicions about what was in my sister's cart.

I had one of those "mental video" moments... a bunch of eGulleteers sauntering in dressed in black with black stetsons and sunglasses. "The Magnificent Seven" came to mind.

Bravo! THAT was an excellent value.

Reprising a quote from Jason Webley lyrics that I used in the GUMBO thread... Gonna carve a jack-o-lantern, hang the garlic high, This crop's been coming for a long, long time. Flaming red peppers will rain down from the sky, And your tap water'll turn into okra slime. Therapists? Honey... Dr. Phil couldn't make me like the stuff.

Well... That was more fun than I expected. I have beaten ImageGullet into submission so here goes. I look at this as a photo essay since, while I love cheese, I am certainly no expert and would look pretty silly trying to critique any specific offering. My goal was to try to capture a bit of the atmosphere of the place and the event. Perhaps next year we could have someone that actually knows what they are doing with cheese attend and report on the specifics. First a little about Spec's. If you are new to Houston you may not know about this Houston institution. And, if you are like a lot of us suburbanites, you shop at your local Spec's and haven't been to the "home store" on Smith Street in downtown (well... what we now call Mid Town) for a while. This place is so big, they had to build a parking garage! I love the developing topiary of the trademark Spec's rabbit. First, I have to thank my gracious hosts, Manager Ryan Holder and Chef and Deli Manager, Jeff Lake. Jeff was especially helpful and may be my "new best friend". [off topic fashion statement] I had to take note of the pants. Yes, Fat Guy, he also has the fish pants. He only wears these pants on Saturday. All other days he is dressed in a subdued and sophisticated all black ensemble. No, there are no pearls. The purple bandana was chosen in honor of the beauty of the eggplants in the produce section. [/end of off topic fashion statement] Next we need to get with Jose. This is the man to go to about cheese. And now a little about how this works. There are two long displays set up here. There is another long set up in another part of the store. You circulate around tasting as you go. There are some opportunities to taste wine, beer and cordials spotted around. There was a Boar's Head tasting table in the deli. I really like the Boar's Head horseradish cheddar. Just to give you an idea of the variety of cheese that Spec's carries, here is one of three cheese cases. Then there is a special case of Jeff's favorites. He is particularly fond of this Carr Valley cheddar. He has compared it to the best from England and says it is as good as the best. The next "best thing" of this do is the chef tastings. Guest chefs cook up something and you get a bite. The first one I encountered on Saturday was Chef Matt Maroni from Rainbow Lodge. If you haven't been there, you have missed a unique experience. Years ago, on my first visit, I was shocked to find that my beloved pediatrician, Dr. John Collier, built the original part of it as his home. Meet Matt... He prepared this alarmingly delicious potato gnocchi with morels and pecorino di fasso. A little later on, Chef Ben Hager from our new Wolfgang Puck's Express made an appearance. Our location hasn't made it to the web site yet but it is on Westheimer in the Carillon shopping center. He prepared this lovely salad using baby spinach and radichio with gorgonzola, caramelized pecans and the house sherry vinaigrette. As you can see, he was making it as fast as he could. He also kept running out of spinach. As I would go by, he would say "If you see Jeff, I need more spinach." He was in a constant spinach crisis because the hungry masses couldn't get enough. And now for a bit of "wow". This custom made cheddar weighs 2000 pounds. Yes... When they say they have "a ton of cheddar" they really mean it. Our friend was slicing as fast as he could to feed the crowd. It was quite good, by the way. The other wow factor was possibly the biggest provolone on the planet. We are talking 600 pounds here. I have to say that it is also a memorable cheese. They were slicing some of it for sampling. I wonder how much Parmesan-Bucks are tied up in this display? Actually, Spec's prices are amazing. The Parm in the case was $10+ a pound. I remember that we have a thread here somewhere about the various Parms but I can't find it. I may need to have a discussion with Jose. And now to my favorite find of the day. I did not know that this cheese maker was in our neighborhood. Check this out. I spoke with James Keliehor, the Operations Manager, at some length. They have three brands: Jaimito Mexican style cheeses, Lone Star Farmstead Texas Goat Cheeses, and Texas Fresh Mozzarella. And they have goat's milk. James may be the Operations Manager, but I think these gals are the Production Managers. They do tours of the operation and that sounds like a good idea to me. Do check out the web site linked above. It is very well done. And now that we have had our fill of cheese, I will go slightly off topic to some other fun things that I found. First we have to get a glass for some bubbly to keep our thirst quenched while wandering around. Ummm... That is Baccarat. The $320 is each. Not a set of 8. Oh... but if you pay cash it is $304. Such a deal! You could even gleefully throw one into the fireplace at that price. Since we have images of whole pigs brining in bathtubs, I couldn't resist this. (Ummm... the pigs probably taste better.) The olive bar is just incredible. Just the thing to nibble with your cheese. Now this is funny. The packs of foie gras at $100+ per pack nestled in the freezer case next to Tyson. Well... ok... they are rock cornish hens. And last, but not least, and just for Mayhaw Man... there was this big display of this questionable condiment. Guys... This was fun. We need to keep our eyes open for next year's event. Spec's on Smith Street is a fun place to go. I did my shopping to get my supply of goose fat, dried porcini, Mexican and Venezuelan chocolate, and a few bottles of wine. The prices can't be beat. Oh... I almost forgot. The deli makes sandwiches and such and there are tables up front where you can hang out and munch. I had an outstanding chicken salad sandwich with crisp bacon and lettuce. This place is a trip. I didn't go into it but the focus of their market is wine and spirits. The selection and prices will blow you away. The fine food is a fortunate sideline that is incredibly well done. Go there.

Just please don't munch on this one!

Thanks for the botanical names, Rachel. That clears it up... some. I was too lazy at the time to start looking it all up. I wonder if the "wild anise" is the same as Pimpinella anisum. Interestingly enough, this site implies that true anise is not native to the New World. The plot thickens!

I vote for half portions. I am not a big eater so I regularly bring home those styrofoam containers. I also regularly order an appetizer and soup or a salad. Most of the time, even in a casual dining establishment, I am there for the experience and company as much as the food so I understand that that is a big part of what I am paying for. I don't know the numbers, but the cost of the actual food can't be that important so I wouldn't expect a half portion to be half price. What I do wonder is if the average dining public understands that.

I just found out about this and decided to go at the last minute. The last day was Saturday Sept 18 from 11:00 to 7:00: The Downtown Spec's, 2410 Smith Street, is holding The First Annual Cheese Festival. There are over 800 cheeses featured. Apparantly, wine and beers are also on offer. I have been invited by the manager to cover it. (My sister knows the chef and the manager for Spec's.) There are demonstrations from Rainbow Lodge at 11:00 and another for Wolfgang Puck's local chef at 1:00, another demo at 3:00 that we don't know about yet. I don't know if I will hold out that long anyway. I also think it would be interesting to cover it with an eye to next year. Stay tuned for a report... with pictures. (Oh dear... That means that I am going to have to figure out the new ImageGullet.)

I will add a second vote for Fabuloso. My sister stumbled onto it on the bottom shelf of the HEB, a store that caters to a lot of Latin Americans. I can't live without it now. When the supply runs low, I get a BIG NOTE from my housekeeper. My new find is the non-stick foil. I do a lot of different things in the oven on a baking sheet. Some of the oven fried things tend to stick, even to regular foil, when there is an egg component. This stuff is magic and the food even seems to brown more evenly.

Guys... This is much too good to hide out in Texas. I have moved it to Food Media & News.

I am currently in an apartment with the classic electric coil range. The left front small "burner" has this problem by at least a half inch. It takes a heavy Le Creuset to make it level out. Having taken this as a personal challenge and a small, but interesting, engineering challenge, I have endeavored to solve the problem. No luck. Can't figure it. No obvious cause. I even called our truly excellent maintenance guy. He left scratching his head. I have chalked it up to one of those imponderable mysteries of nature.

OMG that is funny. Now that I am picking myself up off the floor... I am contemplating a trip to Portofino (I haven't been there in over a year) just to pull the owner's chain. They are in the neighborhood. The entertainment factor sounds worth it. What I really appreciate is Robb's persistence in research to show that he is not operating on just opinion but fact.

I never thought of double cream in beans. That is totally new to me. Anything with double cream has to be good. I will have to try that. No... Richard, you try it and report back. The sage sounds like a good idea. The famous (or infamous) dried bean thread is here. There was some discussion about old world versus new world beans and the relation to salting but I don't think we ever reached any conclusions.

Yeah... I forgot to add about the fitted racks. I have the wire thingies that double as cooling racks. They work well for doing a whole package of bacon in the oven as well. I like that set up better than the broiler pan with the slits that usually comes with the stove.

I don't think it is at all unpopular or unusual. Whether in my house or my current apartment, using the oven broiler has been the only option. As I said above, I just use a half sheet pan, elevated as necessary because even the highest rack setting isn't close enough. I just can't figure out why anyone would offer a teflon coated broiler pan.

Hmmm... Good question. I have never tried to measure the temperature. What little broiling I have done in the past few years has been under the typical electric element in the oven. I would use another pan to elevate the "broiler pan" closer to the element. Typically, I am broiling fairly thin fish filets and want them to go really fast so the filets are on one of my heavy aluminum half sheets sitting on something of appropriate height. Those half sheets from the restaurant supply don't go "sproing" and work quite well. I would NEVER put anything with teflon that close. I am betting that the temp exceeds 700F.

Yeah... Just don't keep any pet birds in the area.

I am not sure I like the idea of non-stick on a broiler pan. It would seem to me that you could exceed the temperature recommended for the teflon, even if it is only exposed on the upper lip of the pan, it worries me.

Many thanks for the diligent research. Now that looks like what I remember. As I said above, I prefer the regular as I find the meat, bread, seasoning ratio more pleasing. It may not be haute cuisine, but it is somewhat addicting. I don't know any of the shops that "make to order" with any aplomb. They have always been prewrapped in the fridge case. Turnover at lunch time means that they are usually fine and they "weather" rather well. The buns at my Randall's didn't even have a fake cleft that I remember. Those pictures are pretty good to have come from a cell phone. Ain't technology grand.

Ever since this thread started, I have to have liverwurst. I had not eaten it in years. Most of the sandwiches mentioned are the typical vehicle. But the really odd one was the liverwurst taco. I had some pickled red onion (thinly sliced in lime juice and s&p) and Mexican Crema. Wrapped in a hot flour tortilla it was pretty tasty. I don't have any good delis near me so I have to rely on what is available in the grocery deli. I have determined that the Boar's Head is the best option. Evil thread. Pure evil.

I used to keep fennel going to provide a host plant for the swallowtail butterflies. When they were really going, I could count on finding a new butterfly spreading its wings in the morning sun as I left for the office. I get a little confused as to what is anise and what is fennel. In the markets here, they sometimes call the fennel bulbs anise. Anyway, I would clip off the seed heads (that the caterpillars hadn't munched) and use a comb to remove the seeds from the stems. I used them in various Italian spagetti sauces and such. They were great. The flavor of my "fresh" seeds was more intense than those bought at the store. So, I say go for it if you have some seeds on your plants. As to the recipe, I am not a baker, either. But I will bet that Zarela's recipe will work wonderfully. I have that book and find that the recipes are very reliable. Some of my favorite things are from that book and have become family staples. Now that this comes up, I am tempted to try it myself.

I have only been to the pyramids once and that was about 5 years ago. I can't imagine why they would locate a Wal-Mart anywhere near there, much less a half a mile away. We had a driver and set out from Mexico City and all I remember is a rural, rather vacant landscape, once out of Mexico City. Puzzling.