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Just noticed this...Ellada's - is that the Greek/Mediterranean place? If so, they've been in Dundee for quite a while - 620 N 50th St. Great food...very small. I never knew they had a spot out on Center.

i agree. no offense to anyone, but i always cringe when i hear this question. since it's one that gets asked soooo frequently. my stock response is always: "my house". i've honestly never had a steak at any restaurant that i've thought was better then what i could cook in my own yard - especially when i splurged on lobel's (drool). there are so many great places in this town to eat it's a shame that people miss out on a lot of stuff in the search for the fabled 'great omaha steak'. i've not been to omaha prime either, but it is a place that usually gets mentioned the most along with the overrated-because-warren-buffet-eats-there gorat's. anyone considering omaha prime should note that it is decidedly the most expensive steakhouse in town. the entire menu is a la carte and can add up pretty quickly. that being said, does anyone know if any of the steakhouses in town actually dry age their beef in-house? i know at one time anthony's steakhouse did, but since the 'o-zone club' moved in there i notice they've taken mention of that off their menu. they do state their beef is aged, but the in-house qualifier seems to have been removed.

I've also seen this around at area Hy-Vee's in 24-oz singles. If I remember the cost was pretty out there...$3, $4 bucks or something. I remember looking at it and wondering if maybe the price tag was for a 6-pack and not the big can, but that was not the case. might try it now, though.

The Vietnamese Asian Restaurant is actually the full name.

Reviews in the OWH are worhtless. Check out the couple of free publications: City Weekly and The Reader. They both have substantially better reviews. One of the reviewers, Ken Mayer, in particular comes across as fairly knowledgeable about food.

The Indian Oven (10th and Howard). If you enjoy Indian food, I think it is one of the better Indian restaurants in the town Another good spot for Indian is The Sitar (2819 S 125th - - they have a lunch buffet, but their dinner menu is really good too). If you would like Italian try Malara's (2123 Pierce) Marino's (79th & Harrison, I believe), or Lo Sole Mio (3001 S 32nd). For Mexican, I would recommend Gudalajara (20th & L. good pozole and tortas) or maybe La Mesa in Bellevue (605 Fort Crook Rd - try the Chile Verde or Chile Colorado; Chilaquiles are good as well) or El Alamo (4917 S 24th). Nettie's (7110 Railroad) between South Omaha and Bellevue is a favored (not mine, though) spot for Tex-Mex fare...if you like that kind of thing and want to hang in the Old Market, hit Trini's (1020 Howard St). For Mexican fusion/traditonal-updating try Stoke's (646 N 114th), I really enjoy this place as an eating spot amongst my less food-knowledgeable co-workers. If you like Czech, then the Bohemian Cafe (1406 S 13th. not my favorite type of food. good for what they do. used to be better. people rave about the liver dumpling soup. whatever you get make sure your sides are dumpling and sweet and sour cabbage). For pizza try Don Carmello's (3558 Farnam) or Franks Pizzaria (132nd & Dodge Street, Westridge Shopping Center). New York "style" places. For an awesome burger in an old diner setting hit Louie M's Burger Lust (1718 Vinton St - limited hours. only open until 3, also open for dinner on friday & saturday. love the chili cheeseburger). Two diner/homecooking joints: Big Daddy's Diner (1901 Farnam huge portions, everything from scratch, breakfast all day long - love this place) or Richies Chicken & Hamburger (3528 Center St - great fried chicken, very nice charred burgers - very small place and smoking is allowed in the entire establishment, if that's an issue). Richie's would have to be my pick for best burger in town. Get a double cheese w/ bacon - they are choice! Stella's (106 Galvin Rd S) out in Bellevue has decent burgers, too. If you like Thai food The Thai Cafe (42nd & Dodge - good larb, spring rolls and tom kha gai. very customer-friendly). They used to be Jit's Thai out by the Crossroads Mall. King Fongs is good for old 50's-style Cantonese/Hunan (315 1/2 S 16th - - - I like the decor better than the food sometimes, but really enjoy their Egg Fo Yong). If barbecue is your thing try Harkert's (48th & Center - - VERY limited seating), Amarillo in Bellevue (303 Fort Crook Rd - very good sausage) or for a very special treat go to Uncle Ernie's Beer Bait & BBQ out in Cedar Creek, Nebraska (these guys have a lot of awards under their belt for their chow, the atmosphere is lousy, but who cares. strongly recommend their pulled pork/pork sandwich). Joe Tess's fresh fish (24th past Q fried carp (yes, carp). try a double rib sandwich w/ jacket fries and extra pickles and don't forget the hot sauce. very fresh fish, the people that own it own a hatchery as well and the fish is freshly fabricated each morning).

1,000 Mexican Recipes by Marge Poore. I have all the Kennedy and Bayless, a few from Zarela, and have read all of Quintana's; but this is probably the Mexican cookbook I would recommend just for the sheer volume of usable recipes. I'd second the rec on Mexico the Beautiful, great coffee table book that is also quite practical. However, if your collection is totally lacking in this area or if you are totally new to Mexican cooking, Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico is probably the one to own. A few other good ones: The Mexican Gourmet by Maria Dolores Torres Yzabal Recipe of Memory by Victor Valle Seasons of My Heart by Susana Trilling

hey nan - i'm not real familiar with a lot of the liquor stores around town, but do know you can find a selection of a lot of the imports mentioned here at the World Market store out around 78th Dodge. prices, of course, are a bit steeper then your average bud. i'd suggest picking up a bottle of lambic out there. i think they carry the Lindeman's brand - try the cherry (kriek). great, great stuff. i think a 25 or so ounce bottle is like 6 bucks or something - worth it, though.

this one from Bayless is servicable: click for 'Chiles Rellenos' recipe i like to make some meat, some cheese.

there's a recipe here: click for 'Fried Green Tomato Hornworms' recipe on a related note, here is a recipe here for hornworm feed if you would like to raise your own larva: click for Tobacco Hornworm Artificial Diet recipe

I don't know if PBS did this in other broadcast areas but in my area they were showing previews for the final episode before showing the previews for the second to last episode...the focal point of the finale preview being the identity of the last 3 contestants. Kinda takes the surprise outta this next one for me.

Here's one listing of the CI recipe. Will not attest to it's accuracy to the source, though: click here for CI's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

Don't know what you can get in one place but can't get in the other...but off the top of my head I'd think: annato (achiote) seed mexican oregano epazote (but might as well grow your own, dried is useless) chiles: ancho, guajillo, pasilla, arbol, cascabel (in order of importance) canela piloncillo tamarind some packaged/bottled/canned stuff: el yucateco or goya habanero sauce cholula or tapatio hot sauce bufalo hot sauce cans of herdez salsa (good in a pinch when too lazy to make your own) ibarra chocolate if you're up for it you can also look for some utensils: tortilla press, molcajete, tamale steamer, comal, tortilla warmer

When searching, do NOT use the search boxes displayed beneath the banner at the top of the page...instead click the 'Search' link allllll the way at the top of the page, then: search for: "food processor" (in quotations - this will only return searches with these two words together, which is what you want) -> search all forums -> sort however you want -> search titles only Give it a try! You'll see you only get back a handful of threads.

Also, depending on where you live, you may see New Mexicos also labeled as California, Anahiem or Colorado chiles. Some of the pics on this page can help you identify them by sight: click here for fresh and dried chile info.

I only scanned this thread, so excuse me if this has been addressed. The only mention I saw of dressing was of "...oil and vinegar..." served at the table for the diner to dress the salad themselves. Have you considered that people aren't eating the salad because they are not getting their dressing of choice? Could this be an issue? It's possible you are losing people without some 'ranch'.

Well, in response to the original question, your usual choices to replace anise are fennel, marjoram, tarragon, and as an outside choice avocado leaf. Star Anise has a bit different flavor than most of these, and five-spice powder can be easily manipulated. You can maybe get some ideas from Katzer's Spice Pages: click here for Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages. Since, apparently, you don't even like the flavor profile to begin with, suitable substitutions are hard to recommend - you may want to proceed with the previous recs and omit it altogether or change the focus of the dish to another flavor. vanilla, maybe?

As an alternative to roasting each individual item I've also had good results by pitching everything under the broiler and then blending. For a red (tomato-based) salsa some garlic is always good; and for a green (tomatillo-baseed) salsa I prefer to leave the onions not roasted. Always top it with some freshly chopped cilantro and stir in a bit of salt - salsa (sauce) is very easy and forgiving.

ohhhh, yeah - that's the stuff. ...and proof that 'cabeza' really does mean 'head' and not just the more politely Anglo 'cheek-meat' which seems so much more acceptable (but, hey, that cheek has to come from somewhere!).

Hey! That sounds really good! But you should also be aware of the wonders of a big pig head thrown in a pot with just seasoning, corn (posole/pozole/hominy), chilis and water. Let it simmer to viciousness and then pick apart the meat and serve in bowls with the usual garnishes...the base can get pretty funkily porky - magnificently so.... ummmm....

Ok, hey...it's that time of year again. Tomorrow (SOS tomorrow) I plan on cooking corned beef, cabbage and red potatoes in my crockpot. For those of you who use the crockpot method for cooking corned beef, does anyone have a (extremely detailed) method? My strategy thus far is to soak it overnight to remove excess salt, discard the prepackaged spices that came with it (should I not toss them? - - sorry, but I'm not going out again to buy crab boil or pickling spices) and toss it in the crockpot with some bay, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and maybe some garlic. The main thing I'm not sure of is the amount of time and at what temp to cook it, the amount of liquid that is necessary (I have a large oval 6+-quart cooker) and how to cook the potatoes and cabbage...pitch everything together and let it go all day? toss the veg into the crock for the last couple hours? cook the veg separately after the corned beef is pulled? Damn, I guess I have a lot of questions. Any guidance in the crockpot cooking of this feast would be appreciated...

For more info on nacatamales check out the Gourmet Sleuth entry: click here for 'Nacatamales' entry They appear to be pretty damned elaborate tamales.

Winslow's has a unique pit set-up - there is a 25-gallon water bath that sits between the flame and the meat. Their beans are supposedly smoked for 3 days.

LC's ain't much too look at on the inside, either. Ignoring comments about service (which can be hard for some to do), the most common complaints are about the dining room being "dirty" and having "greasy floors". Good thing you're not eating off the floor. Bon Appetit accurately described the decor as "...Early Taxidermist...". Oklahoma Joe's serves a solid product. I really think they would benefit from a better sauce, though. As I noted in the review I posted for them, the beans are very different from those you'll find elsewhere. If you liked the fries there I think you'll be pleased when you get a chance at LC's. Fiorella's has, arguably, the best beans in town and is the only place to get lamb ribs - don't miss the cheesy corn bake, either. I think the comparatively posh decor may knock them down a notch on a lot of hardcore 'cue afficionados list, just because.

Haven't been there personally, but I understand one of the specialties is 'snoot' - that is pig snout. Smoki O's had them on offer at the Big Apple Block Party 2004...if you dig up that thread there is some commentary there, I believe. Don't know if they serve them in the restaurant or not. I recall from the PBS 'Sandwiches That You Will Like' special that C & K BBQ Restaurant #3 features snoots on the menu. Also featured in that special was a bit on the 'St Paul Sandwich' served in several St Louis Chinese restaurants (Kim Van was the restaurant featured) . It's a egg foo yung patty served on bread slathered w/ mayo and topped with tomato, lettuce - sometimes pickle.