chezcherie

sorry it was so broad. does this narrow it down: any particular college favorites or must-sees or traditions for potential students of u of o, university of puget sound, lewis and clark, and/or willamette. i appreciate the link to the other board, and will post there as soon as the moderator approves my request.

uh oh... 76 views and no responses. you are scaring me.

i saw them yesterday is So CA.

i will confess to having sent a demo tape to the first season's casting team. after seeing how the contest has devolved, i wonder how they get anyone to apply, let alone sign a contract....

caul fat from niman ranch

I can't believe my baby is getting ready to choose colleges, but 'tis so. She and I, along with her boyfriend and his mother, are planning a 4 day visit to Puget Sound, U of O, Lewis and Clark and Willamette, right before Thanksgiving. The "princess daughter" is a little bit picky--no tomatoes pass her lips, and she's not a big beef eater (although she ordered steak at Jamie Oliver's 15 in London, and swooned over it), bf loves pasta, does not enjoy bacon (??!) but otherwise seems willing to try stuff, and cooks a bit. I'm not certain about his mom's eating prefs. We'll need bfast, lunch and dinner recs in or around Seattle, Portland and Eugene, and would appreciate any must sees or college hang-out favs...all I can think of at the moment is that the bf will love the flying fish at Pike market. Thanks so much for any recommendations!

another vote for the messermeister. i used it in class this week for both tomatoes and gloriously ripe peaches, and gave one to a student who was having trouble peeling lemons for limoncello without a lot of pith remaining. she was astounded at what a great job that messermeister did. (she's making limoncello for her own wedding, so i love the thought that my peeler will play a role in that!) be careful--them suckers is SHARP!

sorry, rjwong--missed this. personally, i'd classify zuni and chez panisse the same only in that they are both seasonally focused, simple techinique-driven kitchens with a norcal feel. other than that, they seem dissimilar to me, although i'm having a hard time pinpointing precisely how they differ. zuni a bit more casual, i think, with a bit more happy-noisy-buzz, and cp more subdued elegance, maybe?

zuni edited to add: sorry--that link does not currently include a menu page, but here's one that has a sample menu. their offerings change daily, and to me, it's iconic CA/SF food. if you can't get a res, the bar area is fun. never had a disappointing bite there.

i drove through sonoma the first weekend in september, and it looked like about half the harvest was already in. we were noticing fruit still hanging on one side of the road, and already harvested on the other. oddly, we saw no evidence of harvest in progress that day...

i loved "bones", and will definitely pick up "fat". i wonder what's next..."skin"? mmm...cracklin's.

only 8 out of 11 for me.

i have absolutely no idea how to help you recreate your recipe, but wanted to chime in to thank you for reminding me of an amazing meal we had at la fourchette nearly a decade ago. i wasn't sure the place was still there, as i have never heard or read a word about it, but we just had the best time there, and it was the first time i had poulet a bresse. thanks for the memories!

i'd return it in a heartbeat. take the $ and go straight to osh, home depot or your local diy store and buy a propane torch with self ignitor. it works so much better than those little gourmet store torches, costs a bit less, and inspires awe when used. you'll have enough left over for a refill propane canister.

it's now a langham property, since january of this year--former ritz, now langham

i do, too. and i don't think i'm super smelly...

methinks food network "lets her get away with that" so that they can publish and sell her cookbook later in the year. probably just in time for holiday shopping.

this canNOT be true. and SUBWAY?

most of the deeply colored ones lose pigment when cooked, so showcase their colors raw.

wait...mcdonalds has LOBSTER ROLLS???!!

it seems the road show is de rigeur now. bourdain, of course, but then they started putting all the hosts on the bus. mario's covered italy, and was pretty enjoyable. then rachael spent $40 (and then i think she had ANOTHER roadshow, without the budget)...then alton ate asphalt twice. paula's sons did it, then guy fieri...now the neelys. i'm sure i've left out a few. no wonder gas prices are so high...it seems food network has rvs out there at every truckstop, greasepit and pop shop. i enjoyed two of them. now they are just another reason to flip the channel. enough with the road shows.

oooh, what about some tea in the vinaigrette?!

ahhh, so it's parmesan, not parma. yeah...i'd def lose the hair reference. cloud, maybe? good luck with your proposal!

just on the off chance you are planning to cut and paste from this for your presentation: Appetizers -Spring/salad rolls - not too frilly for the cowboy -Serrano Asparagus spears -Bruschetta (Bride's request): pinon, tomato, parma hair -Cheese board: one cheese with fruit and crackers parma hair= parma ham, i assume....cuz hair is never appealing on a menu..

gotta be a raspberry vinaigrette, i'm thinkin'. as long as the vinaigrette is on the tart side (i hate fruit puree vins that are too sweet), i think it would be a nice summer plate. i had a salad the other day with caramelized peaches that was lovely.