bigwino

If you see bubbles, they should be few and fairly far between. A heavier and better pot may also help with the burning as it will lessen the possibility of hotspots on the bottom of the pan. I'm very partial to my Le Creusets for stews and braises. I often do stews in the oven. I find the heat easier to regulate and control and it gets something off the stovetop - avoiding clutter and potential accidents.

Aquavit is a very nice looking coffee table-style book as well as a great cookbook. Babbo, while not the size of a typical coffee table book is a great restaurant cookbook and full of terrific pictures and recipes.

I'm going to Craigie Street tomorrow night! First time, so I don't have any comments yet, but I will report back. Sorry, no pics will be forthcoming. I can't imagine taking pics through my meal...

I haven't had the gnocchi yet. They weren't part of the tasting menu and on my return trip something else got my attention over the gnocchi. I've heard they're pretty incredible. Next time....

Grill 23 is very good, for a steakhouse. Go to any excellent steakhouse in any city and you've got the same thing (I think). I would second No. 9 Park (though I would NOT recommend the tasting menu). I would also strongly recommend Radius. The tasting menu at No. 9 was a disappointment for my wife and me. Very expensive, not well done and the wine pairings were questionable. It is also very expensive for what you get. I returned another time and had an a la carte meal and was very impressed. Just one man's opinion.....

I guess we need to keep the recommendations coming then, huh?

The Arrows Restaurant Cookbook has an interesting tip for air curing. They hook oscillating fans up to one of those house lighting timers that people use when they want the house to look occupied when away. They program the fans to run a few hours a day to ensure good air movement in the curing room (which is their dining room in the offseason. ) I guess you don't want them running continuously, otherwise the meat dries too quickly on the outside, sealing in the moisture on the inside --- BAD.

If I remember correctly from my sausage, pates and terrines class at the CIA, the nitrites/trates are there for color preservation, not for special bacteria-killing properties. The drying/salinity kills the bugs. The nitrites/trates are to keep the meat from going grayish. Also, I can't imagine the recipe could make it past editors and lawyers in a book as high profile as Babbo without it being safe. Others please set me straight if I'm wrong on either count.....

Re: Danskos and wide feet, I have a EEE and they fit wonderfully. The only fit problem I had was with the height (instep?) of one pair of Danskos that I bought over the Web. They're the same size as my others, but fit differently. (I have a high instep = tall feet). I would definitely try some on at a shop. I've also found that ultra web-bargains for Dankos are rare, so buying at a shop doesn't really hurt the wallet any more, either. Re: Danskos and narrow feet, try the ones with a closed back. Like these I've tried Birks, Stegmanns, sneakers, hiking boots, barefoot and Tevas. The Danskos are the only ones that leave my feet feeling fine after a long weekend day of hitting the kitchen hard.

I've been on a tear lately (Thank you Half.com and used bookstores!) Recent additions: Le Bernardin Cookbook Flatbreads and Flavors by Alford & Duguid Balthazar Cookbook Jasper White's Cooking from New England (love it!) Chez Panisse Cooking The Livebait Cookbook ($2 bargain) The Lake House Cookbook ($2 bargain) The Lutece Cookbook HomeBaking by Alford & Duguid The Union Square Cafe Cookbook Lost Recipes by Marion Cunningham Savoring India by Julie Sahni How to Cook Meat by Schlesinger & Willoughby Lidia's Italian Table Michel Richard's Home Cooking with a French Accent Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza & Calzone So, add 16 for me. I have A TON of cooking and reading to do now!

I swear by Dansko clogs. Right now my favorites are the ones with the backs (hmmm... are they still clogs if they have backs?) Dansko website My wife is a recent convert, too. She is on her feet all day chasing two little boys (a 2 y/o and 4 y/o) around the house. She wears Danskos every day now after finding nothing else nearly as comfortable. Her feet and knees no longer ache at the end of the day.

There are plenty of excellent bakeries in the Boston area. No need to mail order. What neighborhood will you be in?

The chef is also ignoring the wonderful variety of tastes and textures from one beast. Flank, chuck, short rib, filet, sirloin... The list is long. Then there is the "fifth quarter": tripe, oxtail, etc. It's analagous to saying that tuna is the only seafood worth cooking and eating! Crazy talk!

Every once in a while I drop into the Brattle Bookshop to browse for used cookbooks. Lo and behold, yesterday they had a HUGE addition of cookbooks. Evidently, they just bought out a big collection. There are still lots of great books left, even after I bought my fill. Where else do you find a good selection of bargain used cookbooks in and around Boston?

I made the Roast Chicken last night for the first time. It was so good I'm daydreaming about it now. Other than having to plan ahead by a day or two, it's much simpler than the number of pages devoted to the recipe would make you believe. I don't know if I'll bother trying another roast chicken recipe now. I didn't do the bread salad part, no leftover bread.

Please let there be a good answer from some miracle worker out there for this..... Shallots are tasty, but they are a pain to peel. I inevitably wait until the pan is on the fire and I'm in the middle of cooking. "Oh, right, chopped shallot!"

I don't know the student hangouts around there, but there are plenty of college-type restaurants right around the campus. I'm sure you could just walk around the area and jump into a few of them. Newbury Street is a block away and is full of students much of the time. It's morphed over the years to being rather a rather expensive area, but student hangouts for non-rich kids are still to be found there. One nice place to consider for dinner would be Brasserie Jo. It's just a couple of blocks away and is a nice, classic French brasserie. Nothing too daring on the menu for the 16 year old, but some nice food for you to enjoy. It's not dressy, so casual is fine there. Abe & Louie's is a very good steakhouse. Casual is OK there, but it's not cheap. Check the Boston.com Dining section for lots of recommendations by neighborhood, too. You can access it here. Click on the name of a restaurant and you can see reviews added by users. I hope that helps.

Any other defining characteristics you're looking for in a restaurant? There are tons of places to eat around there.

L is the new version of Cafe Louis on Newbury Street in Boston. There's an article in today's Globe Food section that mentions it here.

I finally go around to counting them.... 179. More than I thought, but certainly never enough!

Pho Pasteur or one of the other Pho places right near it are fast, cheap and good. Jacob Wirth's (German and bar food) is a fun place. Good beer selection. The food is voluminous though nothing to write home about. Penang is a good, different kind of place (Malaysian food). It's right across from Pho Pasteur. I can't recall if it was particularly fast or cheap, but I know it wasn't slow and expensive. I hope this helps. Have fun.

Last week I went to remove an electric burner element with my bare hand. I didn't know it was still on - medium high (ie. hot as hell, not red). The sizzling of my skin was really nasty. The distance from the stove to the sink seemed very, very long. Notes to self: 1) Check to see if element is on before touching. 2) Get gas stove.

Meat

Another vote for Christina's. I went there after feasting at East Coast Grill the other night. I had Mexican Chocolate (Chocolate with spices and just a touch of chile) and mocha madness (I think that's the name - lots of chocolatey stuff in mocha ice cream). Both were delicious.

Another brand to consider is Vic Firth. His site is here. I have Magnums and Vic Firths (pepper mill acquisition issues, I know) . I find both brands very good. I've found Peugeots to have extreme variation in quality.