KNorthrup

Why doesn't one person pay the whole thing on his/her card and have everyone reimburse him/her with cash? That's what groups including me do when we don't simply pay the whole thing in cash. Are you sharing $200/person meals in the above situations? I meant in situations where nobody has cash. Many restaurants here now have notices that they won't do separate transactions over a certain number of people, say 6, but that doesn't seem unreasonable. The processing time alone, waiting for the machine to pick up and all, can put a server really far behind on their other tables.

Sorry I didn't notice earlier. I don't know if it's the same but it's Ellen McFarland. Chef Scott Dolich, Sous chef Jeff Reiter. Should snage menus more often. Two entrees besides the lamb that will have to be tried (if they stay on the menu) - Seared sablefish w/olive oil potatoes and sweet pepper stew ($18.00) and Warm duck salad w/black currants and hazelnuts ($18.50).

I love love love clafouti. Here's what was on the menu last week. Lemon raspberry bread pudding Warm Gravenstein apple & blackberry galette w/vanilla bean ice cream Caramel chocolate chunk tart w/salted pecan bark Honey-orange melon gelato w/lime butter cookies Gratin of late summer berries w/cassis sorbet & champagne sabayon

Really? I'm about six issues behind on that too. Never should have gone back to school. Finally trying The Dining Room tomorrow night though. Still haven't tried Murata.

I think the main reason that there's so much cheque splitting these days is that everyone is using plastic and that makes for more complex transactions. It certainly takes much longer than everyone dumping in their respective paper. I know that when I'm part of a group that's divvying up everything onto respective debit cards, I increase the tip in an attempt to offset the inconvenience. It's probably not worth it to the server though.

Portland is getting a PF Chang's too. In the Brewery Blocks, across the street from Sur La Table, diagonal from Whole Foods. Has the one in Seattle opened yet? Has anyone tried it?

I was recently at a one year birthday party where they put him in his high chair with a layer cake about the size of a personal pan pizza. A dozen adults gathered round with cameras waiting for him to dive in and smear it about and he just picked at it delicately. They were very disappointed.

I am so far behind on trying new restaurants. Made it to here last night. They let me take the menu but it's a heck of a lot to type. But anyone is welcome to PM for a fax. It says 'early September' so maybe it's changing soon. We had four of the small plates, although we were tempted to ask them to let us split the "Roast leg of lamb with flageolet beans, chanterelles and roasted chiles ($18.50)." From the Small Hot Plates section, "Salt cod fritters with malt vinegar ($7.50)" and "Batter fried green beens with tarrgon and bacon ($8.00)." From the Small Cold Plates section, "Flank steak with blue cheese, tomatoes and spring onions ($9.50)" and "Freshly marinated anchovies with preserved lemons and fennel ($6.50)." The flank steak was easily the best of the lot. Shavings mounded with the other ingredients, the cheese sort of melting and smearing throughout. Very rare and very tender. More room temp than cold, which helped increase the flavours. The fritters had very little cod flavour. They were pretty much mashed potato balls. Tasty mashed potato balls, but I was hoping for something stronger. Maybe they think most people find salt cod too strong? All the press has been focusing on the green beans and it looked like every table ordered them. Eh. They were greasier than tempura usually is and the bacon only made an occasional appearance. The tarragon was in a creamy dipping sauce on the side. The beans themselves were great, nice and crisp but not raw. I just would have liked a lighter, less greasy batter. And more bacon. Not a huge anchovie fan but apparently these were good. Lemon raspberry bread pudding. This was good. The raspberry sauce with whole berries was so vivid as to resemble canned cherry pie filling but it tasted completely natural, and not at all too sweet. The lemon bread pudding was moist throughout. The "Caramel chocolate chunk tart with salted pecan bark" will have to be tried sometime. I love it when they add salt to chocolate and caramel. All desserts $6.50. Tried a cocktail called a Salt & Pepper. Vodka, pink grapefruit juice and bitters with a salted rim. The aftertaste really does taste like salt and pepper. Pretty sure she said regular vodka, not the pepper kind. Minor quibble that comes up sometimes - when they say a drink has 'grapefruit juice' as a component and it turns out to be the pink kind. They don't taste identical and sometimes it makes a difference. Had an egullet moment when the waitress introduced herself. The two at a nearby table did the introducing themselves back thing. It seemed to be in a very 'we know we're quite well off and you're serving us but we're making a point of acknowledging our shared humanity' sort of guilty liberal way. Overall, the service seemed overtrained, if that's the word. I mean, she did a great job and was obviously trying really hard but in the sense of a sincere robot. All the gestures and descriptions were really precise and she tended to reply with what she was expecting us to have said or asked rather than what we actually said. Everyone in the kitchen seemed pretty relaxed. Not in a bad way. But maintaining a laid back pace. I think there were four people back there. Usually about five tables worth of customers, most of them two people apiece. Nice decor. Elegant but comfortable. Of course the walls were also about the same colour as my living room so maybe I was biased.

I always wonder the same thing for the first few days, and then you remember. Come to think of it, I always ate Sailor Boy pilot crackers in Sitka and nowhere else. A staple on my grandfather's boat. Ironically, I received a completely unexpected care package from there in the mail last night and it included a bar of Theobroma chocolate and two bars of another local brand. Moose something? White wrapper. Two chocolate companies in a town that size. ???

Oooo. I have a friend who is dreading her toddler's first wedding experience. Then again, his first plane ride went quite smoothly. She's just afraid that the profusion of horror stories means that it's one of those settings where an otherwise well-behaved child (which he is) goes mysteriously out of control. I have a dim wedding memory of my 3yo brother taking fistfuls of sweet and sour meatballs from the chafing dish at a reception. Everyone found it adorable, especially once he ended up with sauce smeared across his face.

Well that's certainly more appealing than The Women of WalMart, which really is the next Playboy offering.

They've signed Oprah's diet guru as a spokesperson/consultant. Greene? Not Dr Phil.

Fratelli's will always be a sentimental favourite for me because I had my first experience with gnocchi there and was blown away by how this was clearly the most delicious food ever and how could a pasta be that luscious and then I found out that that was actually because the dish also included my first truffle experience. Great recipe - Yukon gold potato gnocchi with spinach and proscuitto and fontina. And white truffle oil. They wrote it out. I made it once -- took all day. But mmmm. I really liked the duck-cabbage-wasabi spring rolls at VQ but it's not worth the attitude. Which is usually coming from the other customers, not the staff, in my experience.

One of the local cheese shops has switched to a different creamery(sorry, forgetting the name) because they say the longtime Maytag cheesemaker left for the new one and thus it's for all intents and purposes more authentically Maytag than what is now being sold under the Maytag name. Plus something about Maytag going more corporate and packaging in plastic and so on and the quality has slipped. Someone here probably knows the name of the new place. If not, I can call and ask.

I've been looking forward to Heather getting tagged. In part to hear about the munchkin meals. Not to mention how their presence imacts the actual prep part.

I always assume it's management decision, not the server's, so don't hold it against them. I don't really care one way or the other. About them giving their name. Getting chatty, on the other hand, sometimes seems inappropriate but it can depend on the context. I always assumed (with no basis in experience) that the whole "I'll be your server" was started as a way of allowing you to tell them apart from the person bringing your water, etc. Because sometimes there are half a dozen people bringing various things to your table and it's awkward to try to ask one for something and be told it's not their role. The peeve I do have is when they compliment me on my choice. Hate that. But I don't ever say so.

I love duck. Esp confit. I order it whenever it's on the menu. Unless it's an Asian restaurant because I've ended up with jerky way too many times. But I don't cook it very often. For the same reasons as everyone else. That goose sounds wonderful. We've done a version for Christmas a few times but the prime rib contingent usually wins out.

I eat lamb at least once a week. Primarily because I like gamey. Also to help the market share and encourage the supermarket to keep carrying it.

That's where I get my Schweppe's bitter lemon too. (In Portland.)

That's mine too. Couldn't find any embarassing food. Disappointed.

That's what I do. And let them fuss over you -- that helps. And then savour the leftovers the next day. And then try to duplicate the recipe.

Freak. That's just fun to say. I'm probably odder because I can't stand milk chocolate at all. To the point of if it's the only choice, I'll go without. Not the same as a preference.

In what ways do you see soul food evolving and are they all positive? Are there cases where it should stick more to its roots? What innovations are out there that excite you? And thanks so much for participating.

Louisa - Catching up late but I had to mention I loved the image of shaking elbows during your first day. This is fascinating stuff regardless (no graham crackers?) and your descriptive talent is a heck of a bonus.

It did turn out fine. Thanks much for the info/assurance. It's nice when food is willing to be flexible.