dls

Some additional Tortola restaurant info w/links where available...... Somewhat upscale: 1. Brandywine Bay - Italian/International - A little east of Roadtown - http://www.brandywinebay.com/ - Also have a nice little casual cafe in Roadtown known as Capriccio di Mare 2. Sugar Mill - Caribbean/International - Little Apple Bay - http://www.sugarmillhotel.com/ Casual: 1. Mrs Scatliffes - West Indian - Carrot Bay - 1 seating nightly in her home. Kitchen and waitstaff entertains following dinner. 2. Rhymers & Quitos West Indian - Cane Garden Bay - Fairly simple island fare. Good rotis, especially goat. 3. J. Blakx - Jerk / BBQ - Roadtown - Mobile jerk wagon - great stuff 4. Foxy's - Jost Van Dyk - West Indian - http://www.foxysbar.com/ - Great Beach Bar with pretty good food. Note - if you don't have access to a boat, there's a ferry and a water taxi service to Jost 2 to avoid that I can recall. Pussers and Skyworld. Pussers has 3 or 4 locations on the island serving tourist food (mediocre burgers, etc) and proprietary clothing, knick knacks, etc. Skyworld has a beautiful view from the highest on the island. Food is very overrated and overpriced. Best bet is to go for a drink before or at sunset then leave and eat elsewhere. I'll send more when (if) I recall them.

Last time I went to Tortola was about 6 years ago. The hotel I stayed at, The Sugar Mill, had a very good restaurant. Considered by many to be among the best onthe island. For drink, one "must do" recommendation is Bomba's Shack, especially if you are there when he has a "Full Moon Party". Words alone cannot describe it. There are a few other pretty good places, the names of which currently escape me. I'll check my file (if I can find it) and get back later.

Don't know where you live but I had something similar during a business visit to Birmingham AL a few years ago. One of my employees wanted to take me to true "locals" place. It was a little stand with a few picnic tables outside. Their signature item was a "Hot Ham Sandwich". Being a first timer, I decided to try it figuring it was either a sandwich with cappicola or some type of warm ham sandwich. I was wrong on both counts. Apparentely, they slice up a quantity of boiled ham each morning and put the slices into a pan with either a commercial or homemade hot sauce. As each order comes up, they pull out a few slices, shake off excess sauce, and place the slices on a standard hamburger roll heavily laden with Miracle Whip. A little bit of iceburg lettuce and a big gob of sweet relish follows. Really nasty!

Fifi - Thanks for the tip and recipe. We were at our secondary residence in FL over the holidays and I was notified by my wife on 01/05 that we were elected to prepare a dinner for 6 neighbors on 01/06. Since we were closing down the FL house and returning to our primary residence in IL on 01/07 and I wanted to do something extremely simple with minimal ingredients and that did not require shopping for a lot of fresh items that would not be fully used and would have to be thrown away afterwards to avoid spoilage prior to our next return Also, needed to do something that was not labor intensive since we were going sailing the same day. Saw you post on 01/04 and said "That's it". Got a somewhat fatty 6 lb. flat and the McCormick spices from the local German butcher and made a few alterations (naturally). Added the sliced onions to the bag with meat and spices and refrigerated overnight. Did not have red pepper flakes but did have dried Anchos and Chipotles. Tore 2 of each into large pieces and sprinkled over the onion slices in the bottom of the Le Cruset. Also, had a 3" piece of fresh ginger that I was about to throw away. Sliced into 1/4" coins and added. Then added meat, brown sugar, and 1/4" of dark beer instead of the water. Covered, cooked as you recommended and went sailing. When we returned, removed meat, strained liquid, and thickened a little with cornstarch. Sliced meat, added sauce, and served with very good prepared baked beans and cole slaw from the butcher. Beverage of choice was more dark beer. Net result was a very simple great meal with minimal little effort. Thanks again. P.S. Thought that I would freeze any leftovers for sandwichs on our next return. No such luck. Not a scrap left.

Over the years I've had many bad meals at the home of others including some posted here. Though (fortunately) I've never had it, this dish really intrigued me. So..... On Christmas eve I decided to prepare it as one of the dishes at the annual get together buffet for my wifes 25-30 relatives (parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.). In addition to a smoked turkey ("This tastes burnt"), ham ("Where are the pineapple rings-my favorite part"), I prepared many appetizers-caviar, sturgeon, oysters, and so forth right down to the bottom of the food chain. I included this recipe as my special offering for 2003. My only alterations were day (week) old Wonder bread (cut into quarters) instead of hamburger buns and, in a festive holiday mood, green and red "Sprinkles" applied following the broiler stage. Bottom line - this dish disappeared in 20 minutes and I've had numerous requests for the recipe. Thank you Elizabeth Ann. I think that my wife's family has finally accepted me.

At this point, approximately 2 dozen nations have put a ban on the importation of US beef. As the world's largest exporter of beef, the economic impact is staggering. I found it odd, if not suspicious, that Canada was not among those participating in the ban. Good neighbor policy? Doubtful. When this story broke on Sat., I guess that my suspicions were confirmed. It also now appears that Canadian officials suspected very early on that they were the source of animal in question. It would look somewhat foolish to put a import ban on a product due to a problem that originated on your soil in the first place and was exported to the US. I think it's a safe bet that those nations banning US beef will hit Canada with the same early next week.

Thank you - Made this a few years ago and everybody loved it. Lost the recipe and could not remember the name. Now I have it again.

Speaking of Chicago hot dogs, etc, has anyone been to Jim's Original stand since the Mayor's Meigs Field-like relocation. I used to go the original location at Halstead and Maxwell all of the time when my office was in the South Loop (loved the way you could smell it from about 2 blocks). Hot dogs were pretty damn good but the real treasure was the Polish sausage. Add in the vendors and blues musicians and it was one hell of a great time.

My experience a few years ago was just the opposite. By coincidence, I wass in Oaxaca during the Day Of The Dead period. From about 10/28-11/02, it was a continuous series of public festivals in, in addition to the private celebrations, both the town and surronding area. Also, at least in the area where my hotel was located, the doors to the private homes were open and it was common to go from house to house and celebrate with the families even as a total stranger. Link below for a pretty good description (not mine) of the activities http://www.lavida-oaxaca.com/Day_of_Dead/DayDead_text.htm i should have travelled with you . thanks for the great link. Additional link, for those so inclined, gives an idea of some of the packages available during the period http://www.dia-de-los-muertos.com/packages.htm Also, out of curiosity, I checked air for the period 10/27-11/03. ORD to OAX (via MEX) is around $700.

My experience a few years ago was just the opposite. By coincidence, I wass in Oaxaca during the Day Of The Dead period. From about 10/28-11/02, it was a continuous series of public festivals in, in addition to the private celebrations, both the town and surronding area. Also, at least in the area where my hotel was located, the doors to the private homes were open and it was common to go from house to house and celebrate with the families even as a total stranger. Link below for a pretty good description (not mine) of the activities http://www.lavida-oaxaca.com/Day_of_Dead/DayDead_text.htm

That's because Hefty is a division of the Pactiv Corporation. Link below http://www.pactiv.com/

Check out the following link http://www.jfolse.com/fr_seasoniron.htm

Check the recipes at these sites: www.gumbopages.com www.jfolse.com Also good for mail order sources if certain products are not readily available in your area.

My apoligies to you regarding my prior post. Didn't read your later post before replying. All things considered, 2 buck chuck during unemployment was probably pretty good. There are worse things to deal with.

Went to the local Trader Joes a few months ago when they were introducing 3 buck chuck ($2.99 in Chicago). Asked the manager "how is it"? He asked "do you like wine"? I said "yes". He said "buy something else".

Local Italian market saves Parmesan and Prosciutto rinds for me. No charge. Manager in the seafood department at local Whole Foods lets me know when certain packaged items are "out of code". Example - Charlie Trotter smoked salmon @ $25+. 2 days "out of code" @ $7.50

2 entries from a few years ago: 1. A local barbeque "joint" in a predominately black area of Birmingham AL with a Monkees tape (Great barbeque though). 2. A Ravi Shankur tape at a Polish restaurant on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.

Col Klink - Thanks. The picture of the smoker posted by Huevos Del Toro on 10/23/02 appears to be the actual electric unit that I was considering. I think that I am going to go with one of each. Electric smoker for a house in Chicago with a large wooden deck (safety concerns). WSM for a house in Florida with a stone lanai.

Fifi - I use ruby port. As an aside, I made a batch last night to freeze and take to my house in FL for Thanksgiving (primary res. is Chgo). I just realized that the port used was an 85 Fonseca VP. A bit extravagent for a cranberry dish but it was all that I had on hand.

Most of the recipes referred to contain elements of a cranberry recipe that I've used for years with very favorable results. Simmer 1 C port for 10 min. Add 6 cups fresh cranberries and stir until all have popped - about 5 min. Add 1 C sugar, 3 T minced shallots, 2 T minced ginger, 2 T grated orange zest, 1 T grated lemon zest, 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t cardoman, and 1/4 t salt. Stir until mixture dissolves and mixture returns to simmer - about 5 min. remove from heat, set aside and allow to come to room temp.

Any opinions on electric smokers vs. charcoal? I've had pretty fair success over the years smoking meat with the standard Weber charcoal kettle grill. I've also had pretty poor results with a Weber gas grill (the lowest heat I get is 350). Decided it was time to get an actual home smoker and came accross an electric one that looked interesting - Cookshacks Models 008 or 009 Smokette. In following the posts here, I see the WSM mentioned quite a bit and it now looks interesting to me also (and at about 1/2 the price). Any insights regarding a comparison of the 2 types of smokers and the specific models would be appreciated. Thanks

Paris, obviously, has a number of great restaurants that would make any serious critic's top "X" list. I've had the good fortune to experience a good number of them over the years though I have not been to PG. On the other hand, I always make a point of going to GS at least once everytime I am in Paris (5-6 times a year). What draws me back, aside from all of the obvious reasons, is that I find it very comfortable, warm, and greeting (a factor is not so true with many other of the greats). I seem to recall reading somewhere that GS spent some time at a restaurant in the US and became more attuned to the American psyche. Maybe this plays a role. I also have been led to believe that, because of his US experiences, the restaurant serves a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. If true, that has to be a hit with the expats.

In a word - Maggianos "Sucks". Huge portions of very mediocre food produced by the industrial kitchens of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and served in an overcrowded / rushed atomsphere. I've lived in Chicago for over 25 years and, unfortunately, have eaten at one or another of their locations several times (primarily as a captive guest for business purposes). Having learned the hard way, I now normally get whatever soup their offering and let it be done at that. I get a kick out of the part when the wait person asks you if you would like to take your leftovers with you. If I didn't like the crap at lunch, why in the world would I want to take it home. As it goes with much of America however, it's an oasis and fueling station for those whose priority is quantity.

Traditional bisque is a seasoned shellfish puree flavored with white wine, cognac, and heavy cream. The word is now used inprecisely for several pink pureed soups.

I've eaten at Trotters a number of times and have enjoyed each meal very much (except for the bill). When in attendance, Trotter will circulate through the dining room and visit the diners (often wondered if we were supposed to stand and applaud). On one occasion, we were chatting with him and he spoke very enthusiastically about a special menu he was thinking of offering during the following month. This menu consisted of 9 courses of nothing but potatoes, each course cooked in a different manner. Needless to say, we did not partake.