Raynickben

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Did you know that radishes come in a variety of colors and shapes? One variety is "French Breakfast". Who knew? Susan Taylor did and her article is RAVISHING! Follow that up with Abby Mandel's recipes for radishes beyond the same old salad. Are you a fan of online grocery shopping? I am, and there's a new service in town. Kim Pierce tries it out: GoGoGrocer

better still...... toss a little grated cheddar and a handful of cheese flavored Goldfish crackers and go fishing!!! Campbell's now makes a chicken based GOLDFISH soup. I think the goldfish are fish shaped noodles rather than the Pepperide Farm crackers but they are going to fool a lot of people out there!

I agree the Chik-Fil-A salads are one of the best out there. Boston Market is pretty good as well.

My vote for best NY style pizza is Joe's Pizza in Plano (NW corner Parker and the Tollway). I also like Luciano's which was rated in the article. I used to like Covino's alot until twice I got pizza soup i.e. the pizza had so much cheese on it we had to eat it with a spoon.

As for soliciting customer input in making the ratings... it inevitably ends up being a popularity contest that favors establishments that are the most effective in getting their patrons to submit votes, rather than a true gauge of quality. I see that kind of thing as "Most popular ____ in ____" rather than "best of." To be more specific the Dallas Observer editors list their picks for "the best of" alongside the reader's choices. The picks are often not the same and now I have two views of what's best.

I'm not Kirk B. but I have to agree with him. First of all, I test pizza all the time. It's my favorite food and nothing here compares to NY pizza so if I come across a pizza place in the metroplex I try it hoping that someone can do what the New Yorkers do so well. I do the same thing with subs and steamed clams. I think I need to move back to NJ. Anyway, I love pepperoni pizza but if I am trying a place for the first time I get a plain cheese slice. The mark of a good pizza is the taste of the sauce, the sauce/cheese ratio and the texture of the dough and crust. If you add another variable in there i.e. pepperoni it can skew the results dramatically. Maybe the pepperoni overwhelms the other ingredients, maybe the pepperoni is an inferior product, etc. I wouldn't say the picks were silly but they did leave out so many pizza joints that to say Louie's is "the best" is unfair. There is no way they could test every place so why not just say "here's what we tasted and Louie's is the best of this group". Instead the headline SCREAMS best pizza in Dallas. Unlike the Dallas Observer that solicits reader's votes on "the best of", D Magazine does their own thing time and time again and I have yet to come across a food article that is useful. Heck, when they have their "best of" issue they try 5 (count 'em) margaritas, 5 salsas, 5 barbeque sandwiches, etc. It's absurd. And New Yorkers COULD do a rating of best Tex-Mex but many Texans living there would shake their heads and say....uh...no.

Clearly the editors who voted on the best pizza in Dallas do not hail from any Pizza capitals (New York, Chicago, etc.). Luciano's lost to Campisi's??? It boggles the mind. Read the scores and tell me if you agree or disagree. The Best Pizza in Dallas

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste No More Humble Pie Shortcuts to making pot pies using ready made grocery products. Article by Tina Danze Seafood Bisque follows the trials and tribulations of Chef Rene Peeters of Watel's restaurant as he teaches a class on Seafood Bisque. Recipe and tips from the chef are detailed in Kim Pierce's article.

The Ft. Worth Star Telegram Baking at Home Writer Patricia Rodriguez: "I blame the slow demise of baking in America on Emeril." plus 7 tips to successful home baking.

Banana Liqueur and milk - age 14 Tang and extremely cheap Vodka - age 19 Schlitz beer and extremely cheap Vodka - still age 19

Here's an article in this week's Ft. Worth Star Telegram on "Oscar" desserts.

The Dallas Morning News HOLD THE FRIES! Leslie Garcia reports that kids get twice as many calories when they eat out. Very illuminating Details

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Ten years ago chef cooking classes began at the Dallas Farmers Market as a way to get more people to visit the facility. Kim Pierce's article is here and the companion review of the cookbook Chefs at the Market is here. Includes some recipes from top area chefs. Want to know what to do with the fab Thai sweet chili sauce (other than drink it straight from the bottle)? Kim Pierce has a myriad of suggestions.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Apparently there was a fire last night that caused Per Se to close temporarily. story here Can you imagine being lucky enough to get a Saturday night reservation and then not be able to go because of a fire?!

I wish for a thunderous round of applause and maybe a marching band or two; no matter what I cook.

The Dallas Morning News: Business Section The Mayor of Dallas, execs with the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Chefs Kent Rathburn (Abacus, Japers) and Christof Syre (Four Seasons) are in NYC today to promote Dallas as a tourist destination. They're meeting with Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, etc. Suzanne Marta's article is here My idea to attract tourists to Dallas: Plant one gigantic tree in the middle of the metroplex so it won't feel so darn hot!

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Long on Flavor: Short Ribs Marc Cassel, chef of the Green Room says, Short ribs "are what we chefs love to eat". Find out why in this article by Tina Danze. Suggestions from chefs, recipes, and tips on cooking short ribs are all here. American Pie Author Peter Reinhart's latest book "American Pie" recounts his quest for "the perfect pizza". He's teaching a pizza-making class at Sur La Table and holding a book signing at Arcodoro & Pomodoro. Details listed in this article by Tina Danze. and finally we have Desserts To Go at the Adolphus Susan Taylor presents us with the mouth-watering news that the Adolphus Hotel now offers their desserts To Go. Check out the choices (and the prices!).

I thought he wouldn't eat in restaurants for sanitation fears or he is agoraphobic but the main reason it seems is he doesn't like people looking at his food. That's a whole other issue. He probably wasn't able to eat that tuna sandwich after the photographer took the picture. I feel sorry for him. Very interesting about the wool/linen law too!

Rocky Mountain Oysters

I had to find this thread again because I had a great experience sampling yesterday at Whole Foods which by 3am turned horrible. You can see where I am going with this. Each department at WF had a chili competition and the customers were the judges. There were 9 chili stations, each chili better than the last. The seafood department made a chili with tuna that was amazing in it's lack of fishy flavor, perfect for non-meat eaters. My favorite was the meat department's entry which you would think would have the most meat but in fact used an abundance of tomatoes which was visually appealing and tasted fantastic. (No, they would not give me the recipe). All in all I had a great "lunch" at WF and I complimented myself on being at the store on the right day. Sixteen hours later, I was cursing myself. I was so sick. I am so sick. It's got to have been that chili because the rest of my family isn't sick and they were not with me at WF. I have learned a valuable yet sad lesson. I loved sampling but NO MORE!

I nominate pizza for the New York slot.

Kettle Chips ARE good. But don't you find they have the hardest bags to open? I always had to grab the scissors for those!

The four members of Metallica.

I think you better get used to the mini craze. It's all about portion control and for some people it is easier to eat two mini somethings than eat half a cinnamon roll now and half tomorrow.