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By Market Center? Welcome to eG tinytim! I found the restaurant I'm interested in is Ludvig's and not Luigi's. Spanish tapas are featured... I must make it over there this week! Found some old favourites for breakfast (kinda lumpy oatmeal) and lunch. We ate smoked sockeye on large Sailor Boy brand crackers. The salmon wasy from my Grandfather's stash that he caught, smoked and jarred himself. Grocery shopping was hit or miss. I forgot how hard it is to find a particular product or brand and then try to find it here. Oh well, jarred and premade mayo is mayo right? It does state "real" on the label. It's a good thing we take an early evening walk of about 4+ miles. My Grandfather eats breakfast precisely at 8:30 a.m.; lunch at noon and dinner at 5:30 p.m. No deviation. I eat half of that at home and never on a schedule! I'm formulating my mental list of goodies to pack up to take back to Cleveland. There appears to be several varieties of caribou/reindeer sausages. (yum) And I think I'm going to hunt down a good source for Sitka Rose jelly and some Sitka Spruce Tip Syrup. Didn't shop too much as there was a cruise ship in port and I had little patience for the touristas and their general milling about. (They will, without fail step off the curb and into the street to photograph this or that and not observe traffic! Grrrrrr.) Got a fab picture though -- it's of my Mom posing with a gigantic stuffed (fake) bear. Now if I can only get my laptop to recognize the USB cable for the digital camera....

Traveling is always tough. I had my first bite to eat on Northworst en route to Minneapolis, aka "the Kremlin" to the oldtimer Nortwest employee. It was a Quaker oat and raisin Chewy with a cup of luke warm black coffee. Turbulant flight over the Dakotas. The next segment of the trip I opted for the turkey sangie. It came with that Hellman's Dijon Mayo, small bag of Fritos, a tiny sealed cup of Spring Water and an apple. It was dinner roll sized, but not all bad. The apple was sour. Alaska Air was dismal. "Juice" service with salty Beer Nut brand peanuts. The juice was in these little 3 ounce sized portions. I felt like five years old again while taking a sip from these. I opted for the apple juice. I sat a bit in Seattle and people watched. One of my old regulars from Sitka's Pioneer Bar was on board the same flight! I got to Sitka and had the worst watered down Belvedere Martini, up, I've ever encountered. Back up plan -- my favourite Alaskan Amber, but somehow it wasn't the same beer I adored a couple years back when I lived here. Maybe it was the pint glasses and excess soap (from washing and not a thorough rinse) killing my enjoyment. But before the martini flop, my aunt and I took a brisk walk through town. New food happenings here. A new sushi place appears days away from a Grand Opening! My friend's Mojo moved (a small cafe that used to have odd operating hours). It still looked quite styling in its new location and remained as ecclectic as its artistic owner. In the old Mojos was a new place called Luigi's. It looked postively charming. Must stroll by when I'm not power walking and huffing and puffing to catch up with my very cardio in shape aunt! What a gloriously sunny day. I thought it looked odd that many of the pituresque mountains didn't have any snow on their caps. Nor the volcano. *yawn* It's late. Good night y'all.

[while ignoring Matthew ] Hi capnhank! Welcome to eG! Safety/privacy is one reason. That's cool. Fun is another. We had a "Bar Flower," "Christmas" -- for a gal that was named Mary Christine, a "Slayer," the "Terminator" and "Starr." That was near the end of a busy season and anything to be silly was good while working 16-18 hour days. Our crowds are happy go lucky boaters, so all is very relaxed and friendly. (But not the "Let me sit with you and chat while getting your order" friendly). Oh, and fake names and the bartending -- with several shouting any bartender's name to grab attention: (We have huge crowds, especially when we have a free outdoor concert on the pool patio stage). Somehow you never get used to that and will glance at who is calling you with the default thought it is someone you know.

I totally get what Soba's saying. I almost walked out and chose another restaurant when our server actually sat down alongside me and then dared to touch my shoulder after telling us her name. That is more interaction than I'd care to sign up for -- either as the guest or employee!! (We never went back either....) That was a bit too friendly and invasive. Either that, or I just don't like being touched by strangers!

So soba -- No posts on my Alaskan trip and the food my family prepares from foraging, fishing and hunting? Easily accomplished!

Are vacation foodblogs a part of this? Or seperate? The birthday celebration will be in the usual Alaskan Pot Luck style, with some very traditional "southeast Alaskan" foods (if there is such a thing).

IrishCream: Very lovely of you to read the presented classes. I like mine that way too. Except I'lll add a drop or two of Simple Syrup (gomme). It's all out of personal preference, and I love fresh lime juice over anything else. Even a Gimlet. To me, I couldn't use up enough Rose's in a year to warrant the purchase of an entire bottle for it to only turn a funky red colour. (indicative of bad) As I said, the person behind the bar isn't always the top representative sample of the game. There are good cooks and there are bad cooks. Very true of bartenders too. If there is any interest in good communication or a pleasant evening out, teach that person your preference. They'll be happy to comply and should not forget your preference the next time you visit! Cheers!

I had tears streaming from the corners of my eyes with the monkeys poked! You go girl! I leave for Alaska Tuesday in the very early morn. Ahhh, vacation. But an ambitious one. I guess the planning of my elderly Grandfather's birthday has become quite an event for the small town.... (he's a published and well known Tlingit "Elder" for Tlingit culture and history) and has become large enough to warrant a community center Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi house party. It should be quite an event. Thankfully, "Dr. Frank" of Shooters will be providing me with a digital camera for borrow for the trip. And I found the AOL 800 number access.... After inheriting my Grandmother's recipes and endless cookbook collection, I thought I'd be making him the forever fav Pineapple Upside Down Cake .... More like for a group of 100+

Who's that "Barney" ??? Oh, that PBS purple monster that entertained children? Yep, that goes right along with what our non-corporate management wants or perceives as personalized service! Even in fine dining (yup we have some in Cleveland) I've been told the name of our servers. (BTW, not waiters). Just my little, brash opinion.

I worked with a Polish bartender (from Krakow) by the name of Marek. Somehow that name was too difficult for most and was simplified to "Mark." Good natured person he was, he didn't mind. Now, (and some time ago, I returned to an old employer) name tags are big. If forgotten you get "fined" and a new one must be purchased prior to your shift, or don't work at all. Most of the barstaff (48 of us) have used a fake name on our name tags because of how many times you'll hear your name shouted. (we get busy) One day, one of my friends took the label-maker and typed out "Ike". Somehow it was funny. We spent the rest of the day renaming eachother for purely the fun part of it. Aside, really. The regulars thing is a tough but good training for a newbie. Oh, they will put you through the hoops. And I, as a guest, do like knowing the server's name. We too will ask for that section or the nights that tender works to patronize again in the future. I worked one place that it clogged up the hostess stand something fierce with a lovely server who took me under her wing during my short my stint of diningroom/menu training when I accepted a bar position. She turned out to be the most requested server and I understood why.

Is that why our managers insist upon personalized service? To help us out with making new friends or gettin lucky?

Oh, that is always fun. I usually will approach that guest and use their name when I ask how they are finding their meal! I've even made an outside of work friend or two, too!

Or that person that really emphasizes it by using your name with all of their requests.... Believe me it is something different than when someone is being friendly. Either way, I think it's funny. I remember one fun afternoon with my vacationing guests that thought bar stools built in as permanent structures in a pool were the best thing since sliced bread. When I was done for the evening, I trekked over to my fav Roundhouse Bar to catch the last set of Killer Flamingos (from Detroit) and grab an after-work beer. I walked in the back door and heard this same group all scream my name while drinking their buckets of beer (and while a few of the guys were wearing their red plastic buckets). Guess I did my Hard Rock training proud -- throw a party each and every shift worked!

So hard to choose! Wagyu beef Chateaubriand? Free Range rack of lamb? Kurobuta crown roast of pork? I imagine the family celebrations and holidays around the Lobel household are fabulous! So what are the favourite cuts? Why? Any special, favourite preparation? Thank you!

It airs on Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. starting October 1, 2003. The first episode is about pizza from New York to Los Angeles; the second (the 8th) showcases North Beach of San Francisco (they catch anchovies and make foccacia); as of yet, nothing appears on the schedule for the 15th; and on the 22nd, Mario returns to Seattle and visits his father's Salumi.

Which is the best? The way you like to drink it! I've never been that far north.... One day I'll get to Fairbanks. The women there have a good sense of humour too. (Check out a book called "Catch and Release: The Insider's Guide to Alaskan Men" written by five women from Fairbanks -- it's a hoot, and all around *bad* !!) We've always made them with the addition of vodka. As a matter of fact when I first started bartending it was easier for me to remember it was a White Russian with cola on top. Same thing for the Cocaine Lady. It's a Colorado Bulldog with the addition of Amaretto, served up tall.

Counter thawing -- bad. Refrigerator thawing -- good.

I've been singing this around the house today -- the Hamster Dance version in that little cartoon voice. Halibut cheeks They are heavenly. Although, I get them already cheek'ed.

ouch! I suppose the cuteness factor could carry over to pigs, cows and chickens. I don't find that to be a valid reason. I've gone deer hunting. Bambi is mighty cute. I think most prohibitive is the price for a rack of lamb. It is usually an occasion that we'll splurge for it.

Katie- I love your foodblog! Somehow reading about someone else counting unending bottles for inventory ... Seriously though, sharing that very sentimental celebration of a new, perfect little being was lovely. Oh, don't tag me! I'll foodblog, but not until I get to my beloved Alaska next week. *sigh*

My last pie that runneth over was blackberry. Juicy little bastards! My oven still smokes.

Hi Sweet Willie. Jäger calls my name from time to time. The Jäger Bomb, proper, is a small pony glass filled with the cough like syrup liqueur and served along side of a pint glass filled with about 3 ounces of Red Bull. The proper process is to toast/cheer, carefully clink pony glasses, drop the pony glass into the Red Bull and then consume in one gulp. The short cut is just pour it in on top of the Red Bull. I once sold a long time regular my Jäger logo gift cloisonne pin upon his generous $30 offer. When I found a second one, he bought that one too.... Good ole' Uncle Joe. At least he has a drink named after him at the establishment wherein I work/live at.

I don't have a favourite yet. I kinda love all of them. The last time I used apples (last Autumn) I enjoyed and was quite pleased with the results of trying the Northern Spy variety. Region? New York, Northern Michigan and Canada

Small packages of sugar free grape Kool Aid.

Is that something I hear the boys talking about (more like griping) the "courtesy flush"?? Yuk!