chuck

And you don't have to plan for, and pay, a babysitter.

No membership necessary for Cash and Carry. The name truly says it all, although they of course take credit/debit. I think it's an Associated Grocers company. It's just a restaurant friendly version of a grocery store, so everything generally comes in larger sizes, but the prices are the same for the public. It's worth wandering around the store to see what they have. Prices are lower than regular stores on the same products.

The selection at Cash and Carry (4th Ave S) isn't pretty good, it's unbelievably large. Like a whole aisle. I've often wondered why they have that many, but they've been stocked up for years, so I guess it's working for them. Wild cherry, watermelon-kiwi, chocolate-banana, whatever, it's there.

Is there a way to listen to the show now? Does KIRO have archives anywhere?

I guess I just happened to read this in time to be the first to say, 'Oh, for fuck's sake...' Mark Caro, glad to have you here. Thanks for making the original interviews a little more clear. I understand the chain of events even if others find them hard to believe.

But check this out: There are rules about what businesses must do to not exclude people with dogs, and this link addresses that. If a business wants to cater to, or at least include, people who may show up with dogs these laws seem to suggest that it would be possible to argue on behalf of those people in your business. From the answer to question #3: 'an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal.' So people patronize your restaurant with dogs in tow, and the fuzz come in for a bust, but you say that you weren't required by law to ask for proof of disability for all of the people who were there with their pets. I guess that means that the people who are there with their pets may be in a little bit of trouble, but the business would be able to escape penalties. And all of this so we can discuss a great place I know about populated on my last visit with sleeping retrievers, a french fry-happy weiner dog and a pit bull puppy...

I can understand the reasons for a health code governing pets, but I can't find the specific rules about it. I've trolled around the King County Health Department site for a bit but couldn't find anything. If anyone knows (or can find) anything I would love to see it posted here. I know about the place by Greenlake but haven't been in. I found out about it from a guy walking around the lake who stopped to pet my dog. He said that if anyone asks you can claim that your dog is a service dog without having to prove it. In other words you can say that your dog is 'in service' for personal protection (for instance) even though it isn't wearing anything to signify that fact. This sounds totally made up to me. But I so very much want to believe. There are other places around town where dogs are welcome indoors. Let's get this straightened out and then possibly talk about them!

All of the Chez Panisse books are of high quality and I've found that the recipes really work the way they are supposed to. I especially like the 'Cafe Cookbook' and the 'Desserts' book. They have been very useful over the years. The main difference between these and the majority of newer books out there is the lack of pictures. Sometimes the best thing about cookbooks is the inspiration drawn from a glossy picture of a delicious looking dish. The Chez Panisse books are for people who can think ahead and know that using great ingredients in a simple recipe cooked perfectly is the best place to start. One thing that has been great about these books over the years is trying to find some of the ingredients outside of California. I'm sure many grocery stores in the Bay Area have Meyer lemons, for instance, but the idea of someone in the midwest wanting to try a recipe so badly that they order some to try is something that isn't inspired by a lot of cookbooks. And imagine getting a case of 'em in Omaha in January! I think that at least some of these are available in paperback, which may be a bit cheaper than hardback. Of course, then you need one for the kitchen and one for the bookshelf.

Wow, shouldn't you people be working or something?

I've got a 60 pound pig in a dry cure right now waiting to be cooked in a few days. I need to know what others have tried (or heard about, hell, I'll try anything) that worked really well. I've done this twice before, once in a commercial oven and once in a huge pit lined with wood coals and rocks. Both of those methods are out this time. I think that the most damage I can do to my friend's yard is to clear a fire circle. Thanks for any suggestions.

Generally, fresh herbs are used for their bright, fresh flavors and colors. Freezing almost always destroys both of these. However, if you us heartier herbs as an undercurrent in a dish, rosemary or thyme in a stew for instance, freezing doesn't change much. I've been keeping the more delicate herbs stem down in a jar of water in the fridge, and they keep for quite a while. You might try vaccuum packing and then freezing, but you can still end up with herb-water-in-a-bag. I did try freezing minced chives in a bag. When I thawed them out and used them to garnish they were totally fine.

Also, World Spice on Western under the Pike Place Market has great tea. They sell a large variety in bulk in the lower level of the store. I don't think this is strictly legal, but you can sit on their couches and sample perfectly made cups of anything you are thinking about buying. I think they still do a traditional Oolong service for maybe $12 or so. No food, but sitting in there all comfy and cozy after walking around the market is a great break. The tea itself can't be beat.

Bagel sliced in half, cream cheese, oil-packed kippered snacks, black pepper, and Tabasco. Really addictive. I think shrimp and chicken go really well together. Sort of a vitello tonato rip off.

What about the german deli on Roosevelt at about 50th. The Continental Store?

I bet you could get them to transfer whatever you need to a different store pretty easily. Even if it was just a bottle or two. You might have to find the right person to do it though, maybe the manager of the store nearest you. Also, if you frequent any restaurant and know anyone there they could probably get it the next time they pick up their own liquor. There are rules about which liquor store each restaurant goes to, but I don't think that it's that strict. In fact, I've actually taken the Class H license with someone else's name on it down to pick up some liquor for a restaurant. They didn't check to see that it was me on the license, and I paid with cash. Can't really recommend that though.

The mother of a friend of mine once made a meal for a bunch of us to celebrate my friend's birthday. One of the dishes was a tomato aspic with bay shrimp and celery. His mother was first generation Italian (well, she was foreign, anyway) and looking back on it I probably should have enjoyed it. I think the problem was that everyone at the party was my age, maybe six or seven. A few might have been as old as eight. I remember throwing up, then looking at all of the little pink and green shards in a pool of red, and throwing up more. My mouth is watering now. A friend of mine who's a chef went to dinner a couple of weeks ago at the apartment of a couple she is friends with. The boyfriend cooked and unfortunately my friend wasn't drinking at the time so they had the ensuing meal with water. Some sort of meat (and just by the fact that someone who has been through cooking school can't discern what kind of meat is bad) filled with breadcrumb stuffing, then breaded and baked. Well, almost baked. Apparently the stuffing was still cold and the meat right around the center wasn't cooked. Served with still-crunchy plain steamed broccoli and a large pile of raspberries. Now, we sat around for awhile trying to figure out what would make a person put an entire pint of raspberries on each plate with meat and broccoli. In February. Never came up with anything. A week or so after that my friend made dinner for them at their place. She described what she made as crispy, dark-skinned, salty, juicy roasted chicken with buttery mashed potatoes, artichokes, and gravy. She said that they seemed happy with it, but just pushed it around their plates for awhile before chucking it. Maybe they'll forever remember that meal as 'the time when that woman came over and used all of that butter and cream'.

No one has mentioned the Rhino hot sauces. Maybe a little more expensive, but the flavor is so good. They offer a couple of different heat levels but I think that I've only had the hottest one, labeled 'Extra hot'. African peppers and plenty of garlic are what make it great. Scorned Woman and Inner Beauty are favorites as well. I like a sauce that is very hot while also offering a strong flavor profile. Mix a little into soup for heat or pour a lot over rice and beans for seasoning. Tabasco is a good standby. It's a consistent flavor. Someone else said that it's tasted the same for 40 years. You can't beat a drop or two on a freshly shucked oyster. Dave's is for frat boys.

Yep, all of the liquor stores here are about the same. It's hard to get really weird stuff, but sometimes someone has convinced the state to get a case and they have some laying around. It is getting better, but slowly. The location in Snohomish just east of Everett was always really good for single malt scotch, but I have no idea why. It's a cute little antique store town and is worth a visit for that reason, so you might stop in.

Not sure how I missed this thread originally. I went through a going-out-for-breakfast phase that lasted a good couple of months last summer. Here goes. The Maltby Cafe is one of the best meals I've ever had for two reasons. The first has nothing to do with the food. I had to drop a couple of friends off at the airport early on a Saturday morning and I wanted to go out for breakfast by myself afterward. At 6AM on a weekend apparently nothing between Sea-Tac and Belltown is open for another hour so I ended up looking farther afield. I was at the Maltby Cafe by about 6:30. At seven I fell in with the doors and the other people waiting in their cars in the lot. Cool time to be there after the easy drive and with the sun still rising. The second reason it was so great was the experience in the restaurant, which is in the basement of an old school, for the next hour or so. Great coffee, super friendly staff, and the morning paper. When I got my eggs benedict (about $9) I was floored by how delicious it was. Three eggs on three bisquits, tasty sauteed potatoes, cooked perfectly and well seasoned, and all washed down with more coffee. I took half of my meal with me when I left (and I started hungry) and one of their cinnamon rolls, which are about 2 pounds each and good, but a little heavy on the fake almond flavor. Drove back along Lake City Way and was back in Seattle 20 minutes later. If you consider that you might drive from one part of Seattle to another (especially if you end up on Capitol Hill) and then try to park you will actually spend less time in your car by driving 5 miles past Bothell on SR522. 25 minutes from downtown, twenty minutes back 'cause I knew exactly where I was going, and I was back in bed by 8:30. 425 483 3123. Voula's Offshore Cafe on Northlake under the freeway bridge is also tops. They open for breakfast at six, but they put coffee on about five. If you get there early you can go in, sit down, pour yourself some coffee, and read the paper until the cook's ready. The food is really damned tasty and pretty cheap, the coffee makes the rounds of the room about once every two minutes, and everyone in there is most likely headed to their blue collar job after they finish. Parking right out front. 206 634 0183. Stoneway Cafe in Wallingford down by Lake Union had really good food. The best bisquits and gravy I've had in a restaurant. Had to wait a bit because it is really small and I think we were there on a weekend. The coffee was a little thin, but better than a ton of other breakfast places that I've been to. The service is a little bit more business-like, but fast and efficient. Easy street parking. 206 547 9958. Le Pichet serves a good breakfast, although not with the usual American menu items. A baguette, butter, and jam comes free if you order other stuff, I think. I had baked eggs over ham that were rich and delicious, but not served with anything to soak up the goodness. The coffee was the most impressive part. I thought it was espresso, but they kept filling my cup. Thick, bitter, and I spent the rest of the morning trying to overcome the shakes. Cool. Most of the food on the morning menu is similar to what I would consider eating during the rest of the day: pate, olives, cheese. I almost got a glass of pastis with my eggs but was a touch too hung over. Hard to park, but the best bet is on 2nd or 3rd. 206 256 1499. The Sunlight Cafe in Roosevelt was okay when I was there. I don't have a whole lot of confidence in hippy cooking, but I stuck with the granola and yogurt and got drip coffee and everything turned out okay. Didn't try anything with brown rice in it, as it was morning. It lives up to it's name, so don't go if you had a drop of liquor the night before. If you are already feeling good about yourself, however, this will only help, sitting in there with all of those self-righteous kids in the beams of sunlight. Parking is fine. 206 522 9060. Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe was fine for a weekday morning when there wasn't a line, but my hashbrowns were burnt and the service was kind of weird. They have a pretty big menu and the rooms are kitschy cool. Sort of expensive and surprisingly hard to park within a couple of blocks. 206 782 1222. The Hi-Spot sucked when I was there. No salt on anything, even the stuff that shouldn't be served without it, including their undercooked sauteed potatoes. Bad service, the food was uneven (the curry Hollandaise was really bad), and it was overpriced even if it had been good. Cool old house, though. 206 325 7905. Let's talk about Chow Foods. I have tried Jitterbug, Atlas, 5-Spot, and Coastal Kitchen for breakfast (and other meals) over the last five or six years and every time I leave one of them I tell myself that I will not go back for that shit again. Haven't gone for a year or so, so I think it might finally be sticking. It's like an expensive, hip Denny's, and since they are still doing pretty well I don't think they are fixing anything that's wrong. I've thrown up after eating there (check out their King County Health Dept. record - yikes!), I've been served broken aioli (a little bit of creamy mass in the bottom of a ramekin and 3 tablespoons of oil on top of that), I've felt abused and frazzled by the service. Overcooked, undercooked, dry, cold food time after time. They have a few menu items with ingredients that have name recognition (I think they used Niman Ranch for pork a few years ago at the Jitterbug) but for the most part it's obvious that they use totally sub-par ingredients. And the wait on weekends at any of them is unbelievable. It's a factory. My theory is that it's the fallback option for a lot of people who are too lazy to think, but only because I try not to mull it over too much. They were smart to go into neighborhoods that grew around them, but I wish they'd stop expanding and focus on the places they have. Look up the phone numbers yourselves. This is a summary of my experiences lately. I'd love to hear about more places.

Bend has really come along in the last ten years or so as far as dining destinations. Try the Deschutes Brewery for some interesting pub food, and a ton of beers that are only available at the source. Also, Bendistillery has a bar in downtown Bend facing the river. Cool cocktails, swanky dark room, and you can buy their gin and vodka to go. There's also a roadhouse-type place to the west of Bend that I can't remember the name of that had an old west theme. Pretty cool, probably gets crowded with locals on the weekends.

If I'm not sure about the other people I'm dining with I'll start a discussion at the end of the meal about how the service was. Something like, 'I thought the service was fine, I think I'd tip 20%. What do you guys think?' More diplomatic than telling everyone what to tip, and you find out for sure if someone else is going to tip 12%.

I'll second Blenheim's ginger ale. It's from Tennessee or somewhere and pretty hard to find, at least on the west coast. The previous poster mentioned that there are different colored caps. They correspond to different amounts of ginger. I haven't had one for a year or so, but I think it was the pink cap that sets your hair on fire - you drink, then gasp for air for awhile, then enjoy the endorphins. So hot but a great clean flavor as well.

You may be able to have something delivered by mid day on Monday. If not, celebrate Tuesday. I am stunned by the variety of product on this site. The prices are high, but these are not easy to find. www.chocosphere.com Check out the Pralus, Dolfin, and Michel Cluizel sampler sets.

Bernard Loiseau's early life and rise to three Michelin stars was chronicled in 'Burgundy Stars' by William Echikson. That was really a great read and it gives a good idea of the pressures of aiming so high. I just looked on Amazon but didn't see it, although that's where I got it a couple of years ago, I think.

Really, what we're talking about here, is the benefit of sanitizing with bleach periodically versus not sanitizing. Using bleach correctly is a very effective way of killing bacteria, some of which are deadly. (This, of course, is not what the original topic is directly about, but what it has become.) If you want to cook and eat a burger cooked to rare or medium rare, then sanitize the equipment that comes into contact with the ground beef. If bacteria exists on prep surfaces it should be taken care of before it comes into contact with food. Arguing against this is transparently stupid and irresponsible. The rules regarding sanitation for restaurants are severe because of the increased risk of bacterial contamination inherent in serving multiple meals to the public. (The rule is wash with soap, rinse with clean water, and then sanitize with a bleach solution to kill as much bacteria as possible.) This fact does not suggest that we should ignore the risks of potential illness at home because the risks are fewer. The dangers don't change that much if only a few people are involved. If you are serving your own family I can't imagine that you wouldn't take every reasonable precaution to protect them. Are you willing to tell your children that they may not live past age seven but that last undercooked chicken breast will make them so happy that they won't care? Pretending that a cutting board contaminated with raw meat, regardless of the potential benefits of building up an immunity to salmonella or e. coli, is harmless and then using it for other items is not okay. Take a chance if you want to, but don't risk the health (or lives) of others because you are reasonably sure that what you do to protect yourself is enough for others.