marie-louise

I notice that the place is usually open for dinner (it was closing at 4pm on NYE.) Yesterday's menu was mostly soups & sandwiches, although they did have a whole garlic roasted crab as a special. Is it a different menu for dinner? I bet it's lovely sitting at one of the outside tables on a summer evening. PS Their fries are very good-spicy and thin, very crisp.

Just got back from a fun seafood place in Sausalito called "Fish". It's a very casual lunch place-feel free to go in your hiking or biking clothes-but the seafood is first-rate. The chef used to be the executive chef at Masa's. I had some of the best clam chowder I've ever eaten, and a nice grilled hamachi sandwich. My husband had something called a Saigon sandwich-salmon w/ Asian flavors. It's a little hard to find-use the map that is attached to this review: http://www.gayot.com/restaurantpages/info....S040504&code=SF

Yes, my cat's are still waiting for theirs as well. But as you can see from my avatar, one of them makes himself at home in a green long narrow platter. He's also quite fond of sitting in one of their large pasta serving bowls... despite 10 years of my insisting it is not okay to get up on the kitchen counters.

Love Benton- Have you ever seen Luna Garcia? I posted the link above, but here is another picture w/ all their colors: http://www.lunagarcia.com/lunacolors.php Their pottery is exquisite; deep rich colors, all just slightly irregular so you can tell it is hand-thrown. Each piece is signed. They use it for breakfast at The Post Ranch Inn (they also sell it there-at marked up prices); I lusted after it for years after just one meal there, and finally bought it fo my 50th birthday present. Luna Garcia has terrific 25% off sales twice a year; that's how I am collecting mine. This picture looks a little better-you can see how it mixes and matches: http://www.lunagarcia.com/index.php?cPath=23 I have a set of their black square plates, in addition to about half the colors.

Yes-these are our best local oysters, and it is a terrific place to eat them. (In addition to many restarants and stores, you can also drive up to Tomales Bay and eat them where they are grown.) I will be interested to hear how you think these oysters compare to the ones grown in Washington. You could also go upstairs to Chez Panisse; there is usually fish on the menu, and I've never had anything that wasn't terrific. Terra in St. Helena is another place where I've had some great seafood. Bouchon in Yountville has a seafood plate with assorted cold poached and raw shellfish, served w/ assorted sauces. We don't have seafood restaurants here as much as we have restaurants that do seafood well. I had a terrific scallop last night at Manresa-but I also had steak and a pork terrine. I could have had a whole meal of seafood if I'd wanted it.

I've noticed Strauss Creamery egg nog this year at the grocery. Anyone tried it? I'm not much of an eggnog fan, but it seems if anyone could make it special it would be Strauss.

I think I would hate cleaning that ridge on the SLT pan.

Those Le Creuset roasting pans are terrific for anything you want to put a crust on-I use them for baking stuffing, roasting vegetables, baked penne, that sort of thing. I occasionally roast a chicken or pork tenderloin in them, although I also tend to just use a saute pan for that. While I think they are a great addition to my cookware collection, I wouldn't want them as my only roasting pans. They are too small and shallow. I have a set of Calphalon roasters that are about 15 years old-they work well enough, although I don't like that they're dark-harder to see what you're deglazing afterwards. Their shape is like the link to that W-S pan someone posted above-big handles, deep sides, sturdy but not too heavy. Sorry to hear that All Clad has changed their line; I would love to have a SS roasting pan made like my saute pan. At that sale price, I'd recommend that W-S pan.

At the risk of sounding like a complete airhead, perhaps you can help me find this restaurant again. We were driving down to Carmel on 101 earlier this year. Somewhere around Blossom Hill Road/ Highway 85 it starts to become obvious you are leaving civilization. We were hungry, so we exited the freeway and went right (more or less west.) We drove through suberbia for what seemed to be a verry long time without passing any shopping centers. We came to another large street and found a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant on the far right side of the intersection. I think it was white. It had booths and a funny entrance-you had to walk around the buildingfrom the parking lot to get in. We had some of the best bun I've ever tasted. I think we might have had Pho, too. Any chance anyone could help me find this again?

← A classic Napa review.

Apparently, it is a chain... unless Carolyn had so much fun in college that she forgot what city she lived in!

Welcome, Krys. I had NO idea this place still existed. My parents used to take me there when I was in college at SF State, uh, shall we say, when the restaurant was just starting... I will have to go someday just for nostalgia's sake. They didn't used to have buffets-I just remember lunch & a cheery garden decor. I live right by The Claremont Hotel-they also have a great buffet, but I'm not a big fan of buffets in general.

We had a very enjoyable meal at Piperade last night. The two of us shared 4 small plates. First, we split an order of the garlic soup; that was pretty good. Next were the cod fritters, served w/ mayonnaise laced w/ that smoked paprika. Very good. The best two plates were the peppers stuffed w/ goat cheese and a pizza-type item they called some other word. Oh my God, what a pizza! It had a thin cornmeal crust and was piled high w/ thickly sliced chanterelles & unbaked thin slices of cheese that just barely melted over the mushrooms. We had a bottle of inexpensive red meritage wine w/ the meal that went well. We had two desserts: the sheep milk & walnut gratin that was very good, but too rich to enjoy more than a few bites, and an incredible mousse cake w/ the best toasted almonds on top. Out the door, including tip, was a little more than $100. I love places like this-warm, comfortable, not too formal. We will definitely be back. PS There was tons of parking out front. We took BART so we could walk around the city & look at all the lights before dinner, but we could have driven right up to the door.

Just checked your original post. Since you're planning to be in the valley for a week, I think a trip into the Alexander Valley, and perhaps over to the Dry Creek Valley would be enjoyable. Much quieter than Napa...especially Dry Creek, where they make dynamite zins. It's a very pretty drive north and west of Calistoga, and a really easy day trip from Yountville. There are several places to lunch in Healdsburg, or you could buy picnic supplies at the Dry Creek Store and picnic (weather permitting) at one of the wineries. Just a suggestion. ← Stop at the Jimtown Store too. You can buy Rancho Gordo beans there or at Dean & DeLucca.

That's true in the Bay Area, too, but then, we have a Starbuck's on every corner, so I'm not sure there's an affiliation! PS I only drink the 16 oz. size-they are under 300 calories, about the same as one of those energy bars. Plus, I only crave them after a long (2-3 hour) hike.

As promised, I'm bring this one back to the top. How did you do?

I love them BUT beware, their taste changes after a few hours out of the water. I used to drive by Hog Island Oyster Co. on the way home from my beach house. Their "store" is literally at water's edge-they fish them out of their holding tanks filled w/ the same water they grew in. We'd buy enough for a few days. While they were still very fresh the next day, and still good the second day, they weren't nearly as good as they were the same day they were harvested. I suspect most restaurants and fish stores are serving them a few days out of the water. So... before you give up, try them right from the water.

There's only one or two 16 oz. size that have that many calories. Most of them are slightly less than 300 calories. Yes, they have sugar, but it is sugar from fruit juice, not high fructose corn syrup. (They also make some w/ Splenda.) The nutritional infor is on the link I posted. After a few hour hike, I need some sugar. I can't see having them as a meal replacement unless it was really hot. Then it mighthit the spot... I think the boosts have a taste, but my friends tell me I'm imagining it. Glad to hear someone else thinks so!

That sounds like a good plan. I have a Bosch, and while I love it, it is SLOW. The cycle itself takes about 75-100 minutes (it's a little different every time), and then it has to cool down for another hour or two before you can unload the dishes (the dishes dry from the residual heat of the SS interior.) So, each load of dishes takes a few hours to do. It's only a problem for the two of us when we entertain, but w/ all those little Varmits, you'd probably use two dishwashers on a regular basis. Someone (Viking?) makes a DW than does a load in a few minutes-now THAT would be handy. I think wine fridges look cool in a pantry. Speaking of your pantry, one of the best features about mine is a small 30-inch high counter (mine is the top of my Elfa baskets.) It's very handy to have a place to set things down. Perhaps the top of the wine cooler could be fitted w/ a countertop?

They are mostly in CA (no surprise, I guess) but many other states seem to have a few. http://www.jambajuice.com/what/index.html I'm curious what others think of them; I've never seen anyone mention them on eGullet. In my opinion, these are the perfect food for after a hike-fluid, carbs, and cold. My previous favorite post-hike snacks have been Scharffenberger bittersweet chocolate & ice water; a homemade chocolate chip-oatmeal cookie; an It's-It; or an In-n-Out chocolate milkshake. I actually like these better than any of my previous chocolate treats!!! I'm slowly but surely finding all of the nearest locations to each of our local parks. My favorite flavor is Orange-a-Peel,but I also like the cranberry one, Razzamataz, and the two w/ passion fruit in them. The mango one isn't too bad, either. I get the Femme boost.

All right, I have to go see what all the fuss is about. We're going there the week between Christmas & New Year's-we have early dinner reservations. I'm not up for the tasting menu; I'm leaning towards the "Fireplace Menu," which is small plates similar to what they serve on the terrace in the summer. I take it one of the dining rooms has a fireplace in it. Suggestions for what to order off that menu?

Wow-small world, or is simply everyone on eGullet these days?

Well, it's 60 & sunny here. Just got back from a hike-had to take off my fleece & hike in my T-shirt, I was so hot. I'm making Bourdain's pork tenderloin w/ the bacon & roast garlic in the middle. Serving it w/ mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe or Brussels sprouts.

Not a cookbook, but there have been some good threads on eGullet: This one references a Mark Bittman article that you might want to pay a few bucks to read: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=16076 And another thread about Gourmet Slow Cooker recipes: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=17342&hl=

"Brilliant, inspiring and sexy." Oh, wait, you weren't talking about ME. It sounds wonderful-I will go search for it now.