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Chocolati on the north side of Greenlake by the wading pool has good hot chocolate. A good balance of sweet with intense chocolate flavor, but not super thick. Perfect after a winter walk around the lake. Hope that's not what makes it so good... The best hot chocolate ever, not that this helps, was at the old Last Exit on Brooklyn west of the U. W. Some weird brand of chocolate that I'd never heard of at the time, and can't remember now, but it had just the right amount of salt in it. They would add an orange twist if you asked.

There are three different kinds of Italian food in Seattle. Kitschy Italian-American, Pretentious and Overwrought Italian-American, and Authentic. We've got some of the first, a fair amount of the second, and almost none of the third. Category 1: Buca di Beppo, Luigi's Grotto, Mamma Melina, The Olde Spaghetti Factory, the Mitchelli family restaurants (Stella's, Trattoria Mitchelli...), etc. Category 2: Serafina, Il Terazzo Carmine, Cafe Lago, Assaggio, Brad's Swingside, Al Boccalino, Bizarro, and almost every other place with an "Italian" theme. Category 3: Salumi, La Spiga, Machiavelli (really!), Tutta Bella. It really depends on what you are looking for. These categories are not limited to food. If you are fine with spaghetti and meatballs, underground restaurants, Chianti, and enlarged photos of opera singers, then probably Mamma Melina. If you want to pay $25 for lamb chops with rosemary and $9 for a glass of Montalpuciano but want to have a cosmopolitan experience... take your pick. If you are willing to take a chance and embrace the reality of traditional Italian food and possibly skip a little atmosphere in favor of personal attention and an individual experience... again, take your pick. I would go for Category 3, but that doesn't mean anyone else would. Figure out what you are specifically craving and call around with sneaky questions. Otherwise, take a chance and have a positive attitude. Good luck.

I just discovered the one on 15th by the Ballard Bridge. Really good burritos with 4 or 5 pork options. The tortilla tasted homemade to me. Not a whole lot of meat in it, though it was tasty and filling. The best I've had lately, and they were pretty busy for being in a parking lot with plastic chairs. Bring your own beer, quietly.

I guess I could just call them, but can someone tell me if they're open on Tuesdays?

A few inches of parchment is about a thousand. Sorry. Why don't you stop by your favorite restaurant and ask them if they have some. Good restaurants that make their own bread and desserts are your best bet. If they do, ask to buy some. If you're nice and you have dinner they may just give you a hundred sheets. It's only about 4 bucks for them...

Tried a new place in Roosevelt the other day. It's called 'Pies and Pints' and serves small, pretty good meat pies. Beer selection was just fine with about 10 choices. The room is really weird, long and thin with the bar in the back and a well lighted few tables in the front. Kitchen along one wall. It's just east of 12th N E on 65th. I think the space used to be part of 'Presidio Cigars', the dismal cigar bar in that spot for the last few years that has since shrunk drastically in size and somehow gotten even more depressing.

Two items: Ate whole roasted habaneros with goat cheese, indian fry bread, etc., and made it through one and a half before going to the bathroom to cry. I wasn't just tearing up, it hurt. Really, the Scoville units on those... Had a Thai soup the other day that I couldn't choke down. It immediately made the insides of my cheeks burn. I wasted $8.50 on that soup. I'm not sure if nationality is the issue here. Seems like you could make anything hotter than hell. If it's part of a cuisine then that's fine, but so often restaurants will cater to thrill seekers. I've heard about a Thai place in Portland (OR) that offers 1 - 20 stars. Authentic Thai heat, maybe, but not for Oregonians. If you get 18 stars are you really in it for the authenticity? 20 is just showing off. It's hard to eat that stuff and think that it's the best representation of the food culture. What are the grandmothers in Thailand eating?

I'll second the Jolly Roger Taproom under the Ballard bridge. Maritime Pacific beer, good food, and an interesting atmosphere. It was mentioned in one of the major papers within the last couple of months (can't post the link, not that smart) as being really good. Stellar Pizza in Georgetown was really good the last time I was there. Good, if somewhat predictable sandwiches (why didn't I try the pizza?), cool atmosphere that probably gets even cooler at night, and very attentive service even though it was busy. Go, go, go. Norm's in Fremont was a hell of a surprise. Good food, good beer, and when I was there during the day it was deserted so I could watch the Food Network on their TV in peace. Cooper's on 80th and Lake City Way is okay. The food doesn't try too hard and comes out pretty good, the beer selection is excellent, and the room has to be appreciated for what it is - pool tables, darts, tall bar stools, and college girls (some nights). Wedgewood Ale House - great beer, good food, smoky room. The space is interesting for it's lack of design. Square room? How about a low horseshoe bar in the middle, and... maybe some tables, and... that's it. Nickerson Street Saloon - south side of the Fremont bridge. Good beer selection, although it's heavy in the popular microbrews (mac 'n jack's, pyramid, etc.), food that sticks to the basics for the most part, and a spacious room that always seems to be half empty when I'm there. I'm not that cool though. It probably gets packed. Safe, but not terribly interesting. Has carpeted floors. Out of town the Conway Tavern has solid American pub food, good beer, and an atmosphere that is all blue-collar. A good stop on the way to, or from, the tulips in La Conner in the spring. (Be careful driving.) In La Conner, the La Conner Pub has the best beer around, good, slightly upscale food, and a modern decor. Ask to see the brewery and you might be led through the door behind the bar to drink beer right from the fermentation tanks. You may knock down a few blue hairs there for the antiques in the process. That's eight so far. Let us know in a week...

Hey, I just saw this movie! I just got digital cable from Comcast, and while there's a lot that I don't understand about it, I did figure out one option. Apparently you can watch tons of shows whenever you want to, just like with TiVo. 'Eat This New York' was on the Independent Film Channel, and it's still there last time I checked. I think it was the 'menu' button, followed by a minute or two of sorting through options. I loved the very short bit in the kitchen at Restaurant Daniel. You can see Boulud hustling around making a couple of different things at once, totally calm but busting ass. At one point he stops, looks over at something someone else is doing, and says firmly, 'Don't do that.' It was cool.

Boy, if non-homogenized milk is good for mozzarella I bet raw milk would be great. I found realmilk.com a week or so ago and called the Fort Bantam Creamery on Vashon Island. It's a teenaged girl who has one cow. Sounds good but she's all out of shares and there's a long waiting list she says. She did offer to connect me to some other folks but I haven't done it yet. The other places on the list sound good too, and there's one listing for goat milk. The only other option I know of is at Whole Foods in Seattle. They sell Straus Farm milk, which is low-temperature pasteurized and not homogenized. Better call ahead to make sure they have some though. Let us know what else you find.

Went to the Tacos Guaymas on Greenlake the other day and was suprised to see a couple of options for meat fillings crossed off of the menu. The waitress said that it was illegal to buy some of those things lately. Anyone else heard of this? I haven't noticed any changes at other restaurants, and the clientele at that particular Guaymas has always been influenced by the U.W., so maybe they just never sold. Stuff's pretty good there still, by the way. It's really close to my house. Maybe that's it...

Hey, rich, can we have the description of the food now?

Take a look at Bargreen Ellingson just north of the big REI store in Seattle. It's kind of the only place restaurants go for industrial strength equipment. I'm not sure if they carry Le Creuset specifically or not, but you could probably order it and it would end up being cheaper. If you're willing to fib and say you work in a restaurant (just pick one...they won't check) you get an even better price. If you do order something make sure they understand that you are serious and that you will come back and put the hurt on if it doesn't show up. Also, they have a huge used selection in the basement. You have to go around in the alley to get in, but the guy down there knows what he's talking about, is friendly, and will go to bat for you. Unlike upstairs...

Oyster knife. Check.

Anything at all will be helpful. Will be there mid-week next week and need suggestions. Also, a (pet friendly) place to stay if anyone happens to have one. Thanks.

You people, all of you, are very strange. Why has no one mentioned bugs? You know, snails. I have never tried one and I never will. Where does the slime go when they die? Kidneys. Had some perfectly cooked veal kidneys in my mouth once. Briefly. How about the blue cheese that the health authorities in Italy have decided isn't such a good idea? Letting it sit out so flies can lay their eggs in it, waiting awhile for the eggs to hatch, letting the blue cheese get very blue, and then trying to eat it with the maggots screaming quietly, 'abandon ship!', as they hit your wrists. I realize this is 'bugs' again... One more, one more. That pink frosting when you were a kid. I would know what was in it if I ever allowed myself to think about it. It was served at the birthday parties of kids you sorta knew, whose mothers seemed to have the mop ready in the next room. Of course you threw up, and somehow those other kids remembered it for years. Why would grown adults do that to us? Cilantro? Yummers.

When potatoes have a green tinge under the skin it must be peeled off. Solanin is the toxin that is produced as a result of potato 'sunburn'. Not sure how poisonous it is. Also, I'm no scientist, so somebody else tell me I'm right. I was in a grocery store the only time I ever saw someone eat a raw potato. It was the checker and he was snacking on a russet as I was coming through the line. 'Paper or plastic?' 'Is that a potato?' 'Yeah, they're great. Crunchy, healthy...' 'Paper.' If you worked in a grocery store would you pick a goddamned raw potato to eat on the run? What about the fucking snack aisle for chrissakes? It's right there...

Oh, man, that's sad. It sounds like they need to do more than iron out the kinks. They sound like a bunch of amateurs. Touching the food after it's left the kitchen, arguing with each other, and not getting you all of your food (even by the time you left the place) says that whoever is in charge ought to get in there and do some ass kicking. I want to know if you had to pay for your meal.

I'm slowly working my way through the suggestions. I'll catch up eventually... Went to Persimmon and the menu looked delicious, but they don't serve beer or wine. How the hell can you have lunch without a drinky? Wait, don't tell me. After driving around for a bit I ended up at Norm's in downtown Fremont. Pretty damned good. The food all tasted good, was well seasoned, and was generously portioned. If they ask you how you want your burger cooked, and you tell them, they actually listen to you. That goes a long way. Also, they some interesting things themselves, like Kennebec potato chips. The dessert was huge and bad, but had three good pints of Elysian IPA. Drove up Hwy. 99 and found Barney's Pastrami Dip. Uh, I wasn't that impressed. The meat had a little fat to it, which was good, but not a lot of flavor or tenderness. The bun was dry and the mustard and pickles were slapped on. Wow, that's one depressing location. I'm all for joints, but yikes. Please keep the suggestions coming and thanks for the ideas so far. I've got a lot of eating to do.

I drove by yesterday and Philly's Best looked closed. Dark windows and no people.

Just went to the Roxy's Deli on Crown Hill. The sign there said 'Moved to downtown Ballard. For Sale: $55,000'. Sounds like the whole enterprise isn't doing too well...

I know this isn't a sandwich town. I've been to a couple of places recently that profess to have east-coast style sandwiches, and they sorta sucked. Where do you go for a perfect reuben? Croque monsieur? (I hesitate to even ask...) burger? Anywhere in the Puget Sound region would be helpful at this point.

There are two parts to the liver. Separate them gently, pull out the veins that connect the two, going as far into each piece as you can without breaking up the flesh, and slice away. It helps to leave the foie gras out at room temperature for a couple of hours to soften a bit beforehand. If you are making a terrine to serve cold you would clean up as much as you could, irrespective of the finished appearance of the cleaned liver, because it kind of melts together anyway. When portioning for searing, you'll need to have a solid hunk to portion from. There's no hiding torn up edges. As for searing, I assume you know that the shorter the cooking time the better. It has to be cooked on the outside (and all crispy and black - damn!) but should just be warmed through. A well seasoned and thoroughly heated cast iron pan is best for this. I realize that you've already bought the thing and you've invited the guests, but two ounces per person is about the minimum. If you can't get more foie gras, uninvite somebody, for chrissakes.

Yep, Chilean sea bass is Patagonian Toothfish. Most of it is caught and imported illegally through other countries in South America. It has declined so much in the last few years that it may be totally extinct within the next decade. Recently, some has made it's way to Seattle with an official tag from the Chilean government stating that it was caught within that country's waters. Not really the point anymore... Another dangerous purchase is any Caspian Sea caviar. The whole production is collapsing because of the decemation of the sturgeon by factors which are so overwhelming that the ecosystem may not recover from the point at which it is now. Over-harvesting and unchecked pollution from the bordering countries, none of which, except Iran, are willing to take responsibility for the problems are leading to sure extinction of the Beluga, with the other species not far behind. Here are two more good seafood watch websites. www.seafoodchoices.com www.caviaremptor.org The amazing thing to me is that independent seafood shops, as well as seafood counters within supermarkets, are so ambivalent about the future of what they're selling. The products continue to be offered, but in a few years will be completely gone. I think it would be smarter to alert consumers to sustainable choices and reap the rewards from customer trust than take the money and run. Whole Foods seems to be at the forefront of offering products that reflect a responsibility to the environment, and look how they're doing. No Chilean sea bass and you still can't squeeze through the front door on a Saturday afternoon...

I have recently come across a couple of good Ethiopian spots that you should try. That place off of Broadway sucked. Sorry you had to experience that... The place I have gone back to half a dozen times is in Columbia City just off of Rainier. At the corner with the Starbucks (I'm sure that won't lead to confusion) take a left and it's on the left. Sparse interior but cheap, plentiful, and hearty food. Get meat. Just once tried the restaurant on the corner of 14th and Jefferson. Accidentally got a vegetarian platter but it was great. Lots of variety (within the confines of lentils and vegetables) and plenty of food. Sorry I can't remember the names of these places... Injera is a really interesting item, being both starch and fork. Some of it soaks up what's on top of it and is mushy, but the real stuff should be firm enough to wrap around saucy bits. The thing I've noticed about injera is that it never contains salt. This is probably why it seemed tasteless. Hell, that's why it is tasteless. The seasoning in whatever you eat with it should be strong enough to make up for it. Also, I've heard that injera swells up in your stomach so that if you've crammed what seemed like a reasonable quantity down your gullet, and then you wait 10 minutes, you will feel like lying down with a pillow under your back. If you drink beer with it, which you must, you may be in actual danger of exploding. That's why I get it to go.