SG-

While not recommended by the pros I find that a quick run through my handamerican smooth steels does a quick job of restoring the edges of my japanese gyutous and chinese cleavers.

The dimensions for the kitchen are 17Ft x 14ft. There is a 6' sliding door on the opposite end of the wall where the window by the sink is located. Cabinets length planned currently is 12" lengthwise for either design. It is an enclosed kitchen. On the left of the kitchen is the backyard, on the right is the formal dining room and the opposite end of the range is a glass atrium. The width of the island would remain the same but would be double in length for the galley layout. The actual seating area for the island will be the opposite of what is shown in the drawing. The kitchen, sink, fridge for the galley design are depicted in the second picture. My motivation for the galley kitchen is to maintain a consistent flow of the cabinet on either wall. Additionally the wall where the range is currently against I would add a couple of additional windows at the top to allow for more natural lighting. I could also hang a flat screen TV for viewing while dining on the island. Thanks for the questions. Look forward to any additional feedback or ideas. These darn kitchen renovations cost a bomb!!!!

I’m in the process of remodeling my kitchen and have been working with a designer on a couple of option for my fairly cookie cutter tract housing 8ft ceiling U shaped kitchen. First off I started down the path of keeping the same U shape however my designer threw out modifying it into a galley kitchen instead. (see pics) Traditional U Galley Alternative

I think Percyn's account of his sidetrip to Paris after doing business in Stockholm demonstrates that there's at least one person who travels simply to eat . Your basic point that the attraction of restaurants at best only augments travel decisions for 99.99 percent of the population is spot on; no city is going to bring in significant tourist dollars on strength of food alone if it offers nothing else. But there are the rare crazies among us (does that include most eGulleters?) who plan our trips (or make 100-mile detours) for specific eating experiences. ← Having lived in Philly for well over a decade and recently moving to the West coast. Here's how I envision my future trips back east will go, book a hotel in NYC, visit friends and family in Philly for a couple of days. Other than cheesesteak runs, I'll probably spend all my money on meals in NYC.

The pancake looks a lot like pratha / roti canai.

Gizzard, intestines, liver.

Is this local Aussie Wagyu, similar marbling to the ones here in the US?

Second the recommendation, hit as many top spots as you can for the bargain price lunches!!! You can probably have 3 - 4 lunches for the price of a dinner.

Hmmm my one and only experience at Balthazar was terrible... As for shopping definitely check out Barney's for labels you don't often find around Philly. Also don't forget to browse around Soho, NYC can't be beat when it comes to shopping.

SG: fyi Saigon (Richmond) is closed. it doesn't look like they are coming back. shame. i do like their dim sum. looks like Asian Pearl is taking over, 500 yards away. HK East Ocean (Emeryville) degraded. my last visit was 2 months ago. dim sum down a notch from what it used to be. unlikely that i would go back for a while. i had written off HK Flower Lounge (Milbrae) about 2 years ago - my last visit. dim sum tasted so... so-so. no waiting Saturday at 12:00 pm. imagine that. "high end" Chinese restaurant... i am not sure what that is, sad to say. the best service i had received in Chinese restaurants in SoCal: Panda Inn. they have 5 locations. we had tried the ones in San Diego (Horton Plaza), Pasadena and La Palma. services are all good (better than most other Chinese restaurants). food is not bad. not the best for my taste but not bad overall. note that they target for non-asian patronage. that's where i took my former coworkers to and they all loved it. and i presume the abalone dish is the most pricy dish in your dinner at new concept? ← High end as in casual locations that don't serve abalone, shark's fin, birds' nest etc. or street fare. I knew I shouldn't have used that term in the US, not very applicable here. I thought Saigon was rebuilding the place, guess they decided to invest in their new place down in the South Bay instead. Yes, abalone was the most expensive single item @ $60.

Zuni cafe, great example of the bay area food culture ala Chez Panisse etc.

Steamed Free Range Chicken Frogs Leg Fried with Tea Leaves Braised Abalone Birds' Nest steamed in papaya

Since moving to CA my wife and I have decided to make it our custom to spend Christmas dining on Chinese "splurge" ingredients and catching up on lost years of good Chinese food. Last year's meal was at Koi Palace and this year we decided to try out New Concept in Monterey Park here in SoCal. The restaurant was smaller than I expected being used to the larger banquet style restaurants but tastefully decorated in a manner typical of higher end Chinese restaurants. The room was about 1/2 full when we arrived at 7pm, but I was a little concerned when I saw quite a few tables of non-Asian clientele. We consoled ourselves by the fact that it was Christmas after all and we should not have been surprised. We started off with a 1/2 platter of steamed free range chicken served with the typical ginger and oil dipping sauce. It was served warm which I prefer over many restaurants that serve it slightly chilled and was good but not spectacular. This was followed by frogs legs fried with tea leaves, the leaves left a subtle tea aroma on the lightly battered legs but I wished it was a little more pronounced. Next up was the first of two splurge items for the night, Japanese abalone braised in oyster sauce served with a section of steamed Chinese mustard. The abalone was good sized specimen about 5" in length and quite plump. The meat was braised to a level firmer that I normally prefer but had a good flavor overall. The oyster sauce was not as delicate as the one I had at Koi Palace a year ago and the Chinese mustard was overcooked. Decent abalone but overall execution was not well finished. The next and last splurge item was Birds' Nest steamed in papaya. Surprisingly we were not given any soup spoons to use and had to ask on two separate occasions before finally receiving them. We shocked when a dazed waitress came by with the spoons and instead of placing them on the table she for whatever reason left them on top of a plate of vegetables covered in sauce and rushed off??!?!? At this point after a couple of other previous service missteps we just ended up wiping the sauce off the spoons ourselves. I'll admit it's been quite a few number of years since I last had bird's nest but again I thought the texture was firmer than I was accustomed too but overall the soup was not overly sweet, the flavor of the papaya was very subtle and did not dominate the soup and overall was quite good. Total bill for 2 food and tea came up to $155 + tip. The service was definitely the low point of the evening, the wait staff was not attentive and the incident with soup spoons was just outright incompetence on the part of the waitress. So far my high end Chinese dining experiences in LA have fallen short of my experiences in SF. However this has only been the 2nd seafood style / higher end Chinese restaurant here in LA and there's still a long list of places to try, so I'm confident my future experiences will be more positive. SG’s Chinese Food Ranking (places I’ve tried over a span of a year) SF: Koi Palace, Zen Peninsula, HK Flower Lounge (Milbrae), Asian Pearl (Richmond), Saigon (Richmond), HK East Ocean (Emeryville)

Another recommendation around the financial district is Cafe Bastille. Nice selection of classical french items, casual laid back atmosphere. Really enjoyed the boudin noir I had there. Also noticed that it seems popular with the french locals. Caution.. some might be put off by the setting in the alley.

If its just 2 of you go to the sushi bar at morimoto. Though its a bit disorganized by Yasuda san's standards, its still fun to watch and .....really the sushi isnt that expensive, it's the hot foods and mildly inspired omakases that make it expensive. The morimoto sashimi plate is very good as are the kumamotos and the chicken soup, thats just about it. But when it comes to the really tasty hot food...hands down Sagami. For the record without a hint of reluctance, the two consistently best tasting dishes for the last 5 years in philly are both at sagami. Nasu shigiyaki. Hamachi Kama. Edited: to add Sagami is in NJ, I meant the phillly area. ← Trick with Morimoto is to go for lunch on a weekday at about 1:30pm when most of the crowd is leaving and sit at the bar . You'll have virtually undivided attention and if you show some level of sushi knowledge you'll get served the better quality items. My couple of lunches under these circumstances have been the best sushi experiences while living in Philly. Rice preparation could still have been better but fish quality and variety were very good, in addition I was given fresh wasabi without even having to ask for it. If you go for dinner, whole different story... sushi not served quick enough and is usually dried out by the time it arrives...

Not good at all.

Never thought I'd say this but I think Bristol Farms is even more expensive than Whole Foods.

Had dinner today at Sushi Shibucho in Costa Mesa, classic traditional no nonsense sushi. I love this place, have been eager to come back since my one and only visit 3 yrs ago. Make sure you make reservations though, it was packed when we got there at 6pm. Last nite was Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis, good wine list, decent new american food, service was not as polished as it should have been, not very exciting desserts and bad espresso. Wasn't expecting much so I wasn't dissapointed.

Me mum spent years before finally perfecting hers. It's moist and not at all dry unlike the the versions you find sold here in the US. Didn't realize how good her scones were til I move to the states. Fear not, the elusive moist scone does exists, unfortunately I don't have her recipe.

Still beats the crap they're putting on Food Network these days.

Thanks for the reminder, just moved down to LA from SF and I was trying to remember where this is located. I was very impressed during my stop many years ago.

HOT DANG!!!!! All those pictures, China is quickly rediscovering it's decadent past!!!!!!!

My colleague from China, thinks it's one the more authentic restaurants serving mainland food.

Thanks woodburner. I want to go the charcoal route and was curious about how you effectively adjust the heat, Hasty Bake's option of an adjustable fire box does seem to give you the best of both worlds. ← I have been cookin with 'wood" for twenty years or so on various grills. I suggest you go to Barbeque's Galore. Barbeques Galore My current grill is a Bar B Chef (their house brand) Best I have ever used for the money! This is the rig that Alton Brown uses on his grilling episodes. These grills have an adjustable fire box (crank handle) like the Hasty Bake (a good model but IMOP expensive). Cast iron grates etc and a front loading door with easy access to the fire box so you can add fuel easily. Mine cost me about $500 and is very well made. also Barbeques Galore (a chain operation) is a great place-everything one needs for grilling and smoking--from a large selection of fuels to implements to grills gas and wood, charcoal grills and smokers , hot sauces, marinades, you name it they probably got it. Highly recommended. ← I recently just moved to an area with a BBQ Galore store but never paid much attention. This thread got me interested and decided to check them out after work today. Looked at both the Bar-B-Chef Texas ($499) and Bar-B-Chef Offset Smoker ($239) and I like what I saw. Both made of sturdy gauge steel (12 vs. Chargriller's 14 vs. Weber's 17 ), well designed and built. I currently have the Chargriller with smoker option I purchased from Lowe's a couple years ago and given a choice today I would definitely pay a little bit more $ and opt for the Bar-B-Chef Offset instead. And if I had more to spend or was looking to upgrade, I would definitely consider the Bar-B-Chef Texas. Definitely worth checking out if there is a store near you.

I had to attend a business lunch today and did not have much expectations having read the somewhat negative feedback on this thread. Among the different items we had at the table were: Spring rolls crispy spring rolls vietnamese crepe rice noodles stir-fry with chicken, sprouts and eggs shaking beef caramelized tiger prawns mesquite grilled ahi tuna spicy japanese eggplant asparagus I have to say that for a restaurants that now appears to be geared towards a primarily non-asian clientele in a very touristy location, that overall the food was quite good. Sure it's not as good as some hardcore hole-in-the-wall vietnamese only clientele restaurants around the area. But compared to say a PF chang, light years better. I would go as far as saying that given a choice between this and thai restaurants (I still have yet to find one that's good) in the area, I would pick the slanted door. For non-asian folks that are not familiar with vietnamese cuisine I think it offers decent food in a non-intimidating environment. Doesn't hurt that I didn't have to pay for lunch but just my 2 cents.