alacarte

yes, I think that would pacify me. bring on the peppers!

I wouldn't want to eat anything right off the coals like that, even though I know the skin gets peeled. I'll probably be chided for being too fastidious by all the "macho grillers" out there.

Epicurious. I find the Food TV site hard to navigate too. If I can find anything by Curtis Aikens though, I'm happy.

It looks like fun, but I have to say that it doesn't look very sanitary...

Wouldn't it be convenient if restaurants offered menus with check boxes, so you could check off the dishes you've tried? Only place I ever saw do this was Artisanal, with their cheese menu. I do like the idea of downloading the menu into a Palm Pilot etc. for easy tracking.

Have you ever methodically eaten everything listed on a given restaurant menu? Not all at one time, of course. I found an interesting little German restaurant & I've been trying to sample every variation of wurst, schnitzel, spaetzle, etc. on the menu. It's a herculean task, but I'm game.

aw, poor baby. our rule is tea, toast, consomme...and later, whatever the ailing eater is actively craving (though in small amounts).

Yes!! I've seen these too, and I thought it was just a weird aberration. could it be an extension of the "Chino-Latino" connection?

Boston Globe – June 18, 2003 For Trillin, eating locally is a passion Cobblers: Make the most of the short-lived strawberry season Tastes of Saigon in Bangor Malay cuisine is a spicy mix Asparagus bread pudding Not my cup of tea, but perhaps someone out there will enjoy this recipe.

This is off topic -- but why don't you trust them?

so what will the Halloween peeps look like? Edit: all it says on their website is that they will be called "Creepy Peeps"!!!

I don't know if I can handle these cliffhangers, Louisa. Congrats on the diploma!

I'm surprised that sidewalk cafes would be identified as an anti-recession tool. Yes, it will help keep more smokers patronizing an establishment. But it's highly subjective to the weather: few people want to eat outdoors in the winter months (which often extend into spring & fall in NY), and once it becomes blazing hot in July & August, I know I want all the comfort of enclosed air-conditioning. Plus, this spring it's rained nearly every day, which makes dining outdoors (even beneath an awning) a lot less desirable. In sum -- dining outdoors is great, for maybe 15 days out of the year. Hardly a recession-buster. We already have NY retailers blaming the weather for economic ups and downs. The proliferation of outdoor cafes means that more restaurateurs will do the same.

So -- a chef is really just a middle manager who can cook? He manages the kitchen staff, but still reports up to the owner of the restaurant. wow, if only I could cook, I could be a chef.

OK, the "serious post." Apparently Drakes cakes are considered an "eastern" thing while Hostess is considered a West-coast treat. Find your treats here.

I vote for whatever is in the vending machine at work.

count me in, please.

It's hard to say, given the (lack of) methodology in constructing the list. I can say that I've seen more stilted lists. I think that's as generous as I'm willing to be today.

Capricious. Random. Utterly Subjective. Scattershot. I think I've made my opinion clear.

I repeat: arbitrary.

Ummmm.....why exactly is the Chicago Trib an authority on magazines? Kind of arbitrary of them to decide to issue such a rating.

Glad to hear you're doing fine. More power to you! (I had worried a bit since we didn't hear back from you...)

I'd lay odds that they'd print it. That's an unusual -- and hilarious-- correction to request!

I had fake absinthe once, at a culinary historians of NY meeting. Alexandra Leaf gave a lecture on her book about Van Gogh's last days at the Auberge. She served foods that Van Gogh might have eaten -- baguettes and camembert; a wonderful apple cake; a carrot soup that included butter as the main ingredient; lots of wine; and the fake absinthe. We were given sugar cubes to sip the drink through. I almost couldn't concentrate on the lecture...was too busy watching my green-glowing drink -- hypnotic!

oh my, I still love this thead. Nothing makes me giggle like peeps!