Raynickben

So how do her groceries make it onto the belt, by Jedi mind-trick? She would tell the cashier to do it. Some places here the cashier always unloads the cart onto the belt and in others the customer does. It didn't matter to her what store she was in she always had the cashier unload her cart. Ballsy.

I always tip at least 10% when getting take-out at a full service restaurant. As beans detailed above there is a lot more to getting that order together than meets the eye and I want to recognize that. Even when I am picking up a pizza I put a dollar or two in the tip jar. I think people in the food service industry work very hard for often little reward so why not give something to show your appreciation. However if I get home and something is wrong with my order or it was poorly executed in some manner I call the restaurant immediately and let them know.

I have an ex-friend who refused to put her grocery items on the belt and refused to bag her groceries because that would mean she had handled each item four times (1. taking it off the shelf, 2. putting it on the belt, 3. putting it in the bag, 4. putting it away in her home) No, she was not OCD but SNOB. I know I have been furious and livid and irate at shoppers in the line in front of me but I can't remember why. Point being it's a quick rage that is soon forgotten.

Guess what....that sugary cereal and soda is actually for my husband. The kids get none of it!

Does anyone know if the puffy taco can be found in Dallas?

That's CRAZY! (crazy good not crazy loco).

I hate the plastic covering on the ricotta cheese. There is no little pull tab to use. It is flush with the container so you always have to cut it off with a knife and then you have a dirty knife! And worse than that is yogurt...without fail no matter how carefully I try and peel back the foil the yogurt burps up and all over me.

D Magazine takes their articles off-line after a month or so. You have to pay to read it. I'll try and find it at the library and post the list if I can but if anyone has the issue and can do it please do!

irodguy: Your WWW and TTT sounds like fun. So what is the difference between sushi, sashimi and robato (which conjures up images of Styx)? Why would 9 Fish do one and not the other?

I own Cucina Familiglia and while I have yet to make the timpano everything else I have made from this book from the sauces to the tiramisu has been excellent. (by the way Tracy K.....I always yearn for Jersey )

A few months back I came upon a woman and 5 men (all seemed to be in their early 20's) and their cart was FULL of loaves of white bread, peanut butter, and bananas. I think they took all the bananas from the store. Anyway, I was looking at the peanut butter next to them and I said "wow, that's a lot of bananas" to which the woman said "yeah, these homeless guys really like their bananas" and then she looked right into my eyes and said again "homeless guys really like bananas". I still don't know if she was putting me on or what kind of reaction she was expecting but I doubt I will ever comment on someone's food selection again.

Thanks for the tip on Paparazzi. I'll check it out!

I am not a fan of sushi but my friends who love it say that Nakimoto's at 75 and Parker in Plano is excellent as is 9 Fish at Gaylord Pkwy. in Frisco. I have eaten at both restaurants but my food had to be cooked.

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Lone Stars: A Guide to Texas wines by Wes Marshall. Marshall states that there are 17 wineries within two hours of Dallas/Ft. Worth and he highlights most of them and their products in this article. Kim Pierce looks into two local microwineries: Nashwood Winery and San Martino Winery and Vineyard: Microwineries and now for something completely different.... Ft. Worth Star Telegram Gelatin Salads by Amy Culbertson.

Ft. Worth Star Telegram Wow! The tomato is Mr. Popular these days. Last week the DMN featured the toe-MAY-toe and this week the Star Telegram has their take on the toe-MAH-toe. Let's call the whole thing off and move on to the next article..... The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Ed Bruske delves into the mortar and pestle known as a molcajete. What can you do with it? Where can you get one? Mind your molcajete. The Dallas Observer Mark "I know how to use a thesaurus" Stuertz reviews the Dallas outpost of New York's Il Mulino. Velvet Boot. Comparing his review with Dottie Griffith's DMN review and two things are clear. Il Mulino offers superb food and you will need a bank loan to eat it. When you are finished reading up on Il Mulino check out Dave Faries column on What is soup kitchen food like? Makes you feel like an idiot for wanting to go to Il Mulino doesn't it?

Mine is similar to Rachel's but I also add kosher salt (because I love salt...it's not necessary if you need to watch your salt.) For a baguette I found that 4T softened butter, 2 cloves of garlic, and about 1/2 tsp salt works well. I cut the bread halfway through in slices and spread the garlic butter between each slice, wrap it in tinfoil and heat it in the oven for 20 minutes.

The Dallas Morning News: Religion A local Rabbi is well on his way to putting kosher beef from Texas in area stores. Writer Susan Hogan/Albach visits a slaughterhouse in Coke, TX: Making his mark, views the degrees of keeping kosher, and notes that Camel is never kosher. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Red Alert by Kim Pierce lauds the Texas tomato. Writer Martha Sheridan reviews new cookbooks aimed at guys. Male Call includes recipes. The Ft. Worth Star Telegram Today is the Texan holiday June Nineteenth. Jane P. Marshall's article Freedom Feast has the origins and evolutions of this unique celebration.

And please post your picks by the end of July when I'm traveling there Tupac17616: Can you describe Little Italy and Aldo for me? What do you like about these places?

Health officials in Dallas want to require restaurants to publically post their inspection scores and enroll ALL employees in food handling certification classes. Story by Emily Ramshaw here. Houston and Austin already post their inspection scores so some of the Dallas restauranteurs complaints don't hold a lot of water but I can see their side of things too. I often check the web for the scores now anyway so I wouldn't be gaining a lot if they post them on the doors but I'm sure most patrons would. . . IF they understand what is behind the scores. How is this public display of inspection effecting restaurants in Houston and Austin?

Andiesenji: What is the criteria for getting your kitchen certified? What exactly do you do in your kitchen/who are your customers, etc.?

Mussels. Taste like sewage.

The Ft. Worth Star Telegram Grills, Grills, Grills by Amy Culbertson: the latest in grills, where to purchase, etc. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste And a nominee for cleverest headline: Do you know the way to pan saute?. Martha Sheridan has tips and tricks to saute perfectly.

What exactly is Pan Bimbo?

Front Page, The Dallas Morning News: Evolving Mexican tastes chip away at tortillas' niche Writer Laurence Iliff quotes corn chamber director Jose Enrique Tron as saying "The tortillas in the United States...are better than those in Mexico City". Is this true? I wouldn't know but how can it be true?

I can't recall if this has been mentioned at all on this thread, but Rocco's cookbook won a James Beard Award this year, oddly enough for the category "Cooking from a Professional Point of View." No matter what we all think about him and his shenanigans on TV, apparently there are professionals out there who think Rocco does some good work. Shocking, no? He can't be as clueless as he appears on TV. In an effort to improve my own cooking - I now salt things with my hand over my head. The results have been spectacular I tried to salt over my head but I just made a mess (and then I had to throw the salt over my left shoulder since I spilled salt and well....more mess.)