chezcherie

three figs trees, one black mission, one brown turkey, one i-don't-know what. (a volunteer, planted by birds) lots of herbs--rosemary, sage, verbena, thyme. meyer lemon tree. (herb-infused meyer lemonade..mmmmm) avocado tree with sucky/watery avocadoes, but the dog loves them, and they make her coat soooo shiny! and chickens...but we don't eat them (they're pets...with names)---just their lovely, lovely eggs. (see avatar for evidence.)

i know great mexican cooks who put a penny (or a peso) in the water for steaming tamales. the theory is that the penny jingles as the water boils--when the penny stops jingling, it's time to add more water. or wait....does the penny start to jingle as the water level drops? anyway....a penny.

target has some knives that are amazingly good for the $$. i know there is a thread on them here somewhere, but don't have time to search it right now. their knives are chefmate, i think.

a touch of sherry vinegar. a swirl of creme fraiche. oooh, i wish it was soup weather here...

my teenaged sons really enjoy the hat---they are bottomless pits, and can actually finish their order.

try the spanish table clickety i seem to recall seeing the piment d' espelette powder at williams sonoma. not sure whether you seek the whole peppers, or if the powder will do---hopefully, the spanish table will give you options!

steamed until crisp-tender. served in a heap, with crumbled bleu cheese and very rare slices of rib eye. fleur de sel or maldon and lots of black pepper.

okay, i need to try this. silpats, i got. isomalt, fresh out. is it something i can only find at baker's supply houses, or is it readily available? does it have another name? thanks...i want to play with bubble sugar!

zuni does serve at the bar, and i have had excellent solo dining experiences there. first crush (cyril magnin st?) has nice apps to make a meal of, and great flights, and has a good bar for single dining as well. i haven't dined solo at plouf (belden place) but i would...i love that place. those are a couple that jump out---will post more if they leap to mind. have a wonderful time--so many great places to eat!

okay, you're the googlemeister. i never would have found it, as i was unfamiliar with the chef's name! merci beaucoup!

i feel stupid--please help. this sounds too good to pass up, but i'm confused. is this "the recipe" referred to in a more recent post, or is there a more detailed one i missed? also, which website does the above refer to? tried googling for le pichet's website, but didn't come up with the correct one. many thanks--it is finally cool enough to roast something!

ooooh, i will confess my ignorance gladly, in hopes of learning a new trick. what, pray tell, is bubble sugar, and how does one make it? it sounds like a really good thing to know about!

i recently used one of these kyocera slicers for the first time. it is very small, and non-adjustable, but i found it nifty, in that the blade is elevated, and sharp on both sides, so that you can make a cut on the downstroke, then another cut as you slide the food back up--kinda double-barreled, as it were. edited for terrible typing

It has occurred to me that this is a joke one can only tell, not type. But here goes: What is the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can pea soup. ba dum bump..... another second grade fav.

snowangel, when i read what that "person" said to you, i literally couldn't breathe for a second. good god. your darling daughter has certainly taught you a great deal about patience, and about what is and isn't important. leaving was clearly the best choice. (i'm not a violent person, but just reading that makes me want to go pound a little sense and compassion into that waitress.) edited to add: or waiter...or waitron, as you described..which is probably more accurate in this case, as it seems like the least human descriptor.

OMG, tangerine-cello......please DO post the results, in a brand new thread, with BIG CAPS. and a recipe! tangerine-cello.....i'm short of breath.

pork sandwiches---like pulled pork, but maybe not pulled. warm chopped pork in vinegar/sugar solution (with bbq sauce, if you must), on a bun with good, crisp pickles. i plan to make pork sugo with some...with modification, as i usually use raw, chopped pork. will look forward to seeing the other suggestion vs---thansk for starting the thread!(where is the "licking lips" icon?)

hey, now. our ladies lunch trek to uglesich's was one of the highlights of our brief trip to your fair city. miz gail took us right under her wing, and made sure we had all the best stuff to try. absolute heaven. in fact, i now try to keep a constant supply of "uggie sauce" mellowing in the fridge, so i can make shrimp uggie whenever the whim strikes. their website uglesich's has a brief list of signings. i am so there! thanks for the heads-up!

trader joe's carries (or carried---you know how they are...) one called "sublime". kinda cool, tall bottle, and pretty good stuff, especially in a marg. it couldn't have been more than 8 bucks.

no i don't..just looked at the box---it's a "borner"--german, not japanese. whatever. i really get a lot of use out of it, whatever its provenance.

i also have a benriner. and a $300 fancy-schmancy one. i use the benriner nearly every time.

please excuse me if this is ignorant, but isn't that mousse? (i thought pots de creme indicated a bain-marie baked custard, but would love to learn more.)

chipotle creme fraiche. corn-off-the-cob, sauteed with pancetta, enriched with creme fraiche. creme fraiche stirred into soup, just before serving. creme fraiche instead of sour cream in stroganoff (more heat-stable, less breaking/curdling.) ever-so-slightly sweetened, beaten creme fraiche with fresh raspberries and blueberries. or with flourless chocolate cake. a ramekin of creme fraiche, and one of brown sugar, and a basket of strawberries. mmmmm, creme fraiche....i owe 30 lbs to it!

Montrose is a tiny suburb of Glendale, which is a smallish suburb of Los Angeles.

I really wanted to like this place, having heard great things about the one in the valley. Gave it three tries, and each time the food was cold, and wrong. Both. Each time. Got dragged there a fourth time, and it was dismal. Big portions, reasonable prices, but, for my money, not worth the (small) price of dinner.