MarkinHouston

I had some in Florence served as a base for gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cream sauce, and it was outstanding. Also served as a base for tagliata (thinly sliced grilled beef filet) and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Squisito!

And if you are not in a crazy fish mood, Pepino's is an excellent little trattoria next door to El Pueblito. Excellent calamari and pastas, The owner and his wife are most gracious, particularly if you speak Italian! Ce vediamo!

The 99 Jadot CSJ is $72.40 at Spec's in Houston. How does that price compare?

Well, the correct answer is that it is available at the Central Market on Westheimer but not at the Central Market/HEB hybrid in The Woodlands which is near my home. Central Market carries about 7 or 8 varieties and I believe they are all priced at 99 cents per pound. That is about half the price of DeCecco's and I think the quality is better than the comparatively priced Barilla or other domestic brands...I would certainly like to knnow someone else's perspective. Thanks.

Elie, my first instinct was to check with Central Market and Spec's, to no avail. Fortunately, the mystery is solved. I just received an e-mail from Fred Cecchini, the Fabianelli USA representative. He informs me that the Fabianelli brand is not marketed in Texas. However, I can find the Maltagliati brand in Albertson's stores, and it is the same product as Fabianelli. Now I just need to remember that on my next road trip to Dallas--I think that is the closed location for Albertson's these days. Mark

I recently cooked some penne made by Fabianelli Pasta in Arezzo, Italy. I am relatively sure I didn't purchase it in Arezzo last spring, but I haven't found it in any of the stores in Houston. I might have picked up the package in Dallas. Any ideas of a distributor here in Texas? (I have e-mailed the company but have not yet received a response.) Thanks in advance.

I think the age of the garlic could be the clue. I've been putting up dill pickles for over twenty years, and every so often I get blue garlic in the finished product. I doubt if the Texas State Fair would give me style-points for it!

Renu's "Tiger Cries" was the first Thai food I ever tasted. What a revelation! And in the mid-80s, Sfuzzi's tiramisu was better than most versions available these days. Anyone have their recipe??

I was able to accumulate a dozen bottles in Florence. Four bottles of 1997 Lisini Brunello, 4 bottles of 1999 La Massa Giorgio Prima Chianti Classico, and four bottles of 2001 Russiz Superiore (my wife wanted a white and we enjoyed this one.) Supplemented with four liters of evoo from Lucca, we had FULL bags. Ironically the only problem with customs were the palm fronds from the Palm Sunday mass at the Cathederal.

Liz, it is still in its own little 16-page magazine format, inserted behind page 10 of the Thursday Preview section. Just pull it out and have some grins.

Again thanks for all of your help. I anticipate a great learning experience in the next few weeks and will report back. (Maybe I'll just get a case of Santa Margherita for 65E!!!)

Thank you for all of this information. I am particularly interested in some of those price comparisons since I need to view them from the perspective of buying IN Italy in the next two weeks versus the US prices. For example I found a price of 38 euros for the '98 Ucceleria that Craig lists at $38--not much of a bargain! But what about a '97 Costanti for 36 Euros or a '97 Canalicchio for 26 euros? I also see a '97 Siro Pacenti for 26 euros (these are at www.casadelvino.it in Florence). There is a '97 Lisini for 31 euros which was rated 95 by WS. Any experience with these bottles? Craig, particular thanks for links to your articles!

I am gaining a healthy mistrust for the Parker-WS advice and would rather know what unbiased (read: no commercials!) opinions might have to say. In an attempt to cut through the marketing behind these wines, I would appreciate some comments regarding whether Super-Tuscans are worth the premium price over Brunellli from the same vintages. Does the inclusion of other grapes with the Sangiovese improve the IGTs to a noticeable extent? (I am under the impression the Brunello is made from a particular strain of Sangiovese.) Thanks. Bonus question ;) I know that many Brunello and Super-Tuscans need years of aging. How long do Chianti Classicos and Riiservas need to age?

Thank you, Diva! I would think that each enotecca has its own particular strengths, so I will probably have to "get educated" at all of them. Does Casa del Vino serve ala an enotecca or is it strictly a retail shop?

"During our time in Florence, we were thinking of taking a couple day trips. One perhaps to Bologna for lunch and another to Siena to check out the wine growing region. What is the easiest way to do this? " Ben, my research would indicate that the train is the best option from Florence to Bologna. There are trains from 0600 to midnight, departing frequently with travel time of about one hour. I have also read that the bus to Siena will drop you off inside the city rather than outside the walls. The bus takes about an hour. We are also taking day trips to Lucca and Arezzo, and the train is the best public transportation to those locations as well. Good luck.

Giovanni, Thank you very much for your insight. I plan to use your suggestions and hope to report back on a successful accumulation of wines. I plan to use the trains for most of our day trips (Lucca, Bologna, and Arezzo). However, a drive into the Chianti countryside would make for a memorable day in Tuscany.

I want to take an empty carrier with me to Florence and fill it an assortment of nice bottles of wine. I can't afford a case of Super Tuscans, but can a selection of Chianti, Carmignano, and perhaps one or two Brunello/Super Tuscans be done without breaking the bank? Are other regions represented there (I'd pick up some of Craig Camo's pinot grigio selections if I could. Thanks.

As an aside to Schielke's thread in which Pan provides some excellent information regarding Florence itself, I would like some ideas regarding day trips. We will have about 8 days in Florence, and we want to venture out in several directions: to Arezzo, Siena, Lucca, and Bologna. I have read that the bus is the best transport to Siena, and I would expect the train to Bologna is fastest. But my primary concern is whether a one day round trip to Bologna via public transportation is worthwhile--if the last train leaves at 2030 and my only dinner reservations are at 2100, we have a problem. My wife wants to go to Arezzo, so I have no input on that one! We have been to Siena and could probably survive on a quick trip ino town. Lucca may present the same issues as Bologna--does bus/train travel really allow for a one-day trip from Florence, or will a rental car ameliorate the situation? Thanks.

I used to make Atomic Peanut Butter Cookies. Using butter infused with the essence of a pound of Afghani Cannabis Indica shade leaves, I made the peanut butter cookies straight out of Joy of Cooking. One cookie was good for an incredible desire for any kind of munchies followed by several hours of technicolor dreams. Before one of The Who's "final tours" I dropped a tablespoon of the Afghanny ghee onto some steamed green beans. IT was a stunning experience to say the least!

I've never deep-fried turkey wings but a whole turkey goes into the oil for about 3 minutes per pound. I wouldn't walk away from the fryer for another beer if I were you! I would think you would want to use an injector for getting the seasonings into the wings. Use a basket (like for boiled shrimp) rather than fishing them out with tongs. There are probably threads discussing fried turkey, but I don't know if the wings were part of a topic. Good luck, and report back!

I use them with my slingshot to keep the squirrels off of the bird feeder... Oops, I thought you meant beef bouillon cubes, never mind Beef stew, goulash, and chile are my usual suspects.

The benefits of living within an hour of where the shrimp boats dock can not be underestimated! Farm-raised shrimp from Texas is also available in groceries here---should the same concerns raised in Asia apply here as well?

"Coming from the country and being fairly conservative and thereby willing to accept one never knows what might be headed one's way - think about what you might need in the cupboard if things got tight. Like all you had to eat for the next two or three months was what you had on hand. What's in your cupboard, or freezer, that will get you by for a couple of months?" While I don't consciously keep that sort of staples on hand intentionally for just my wife and myself, I ordinarily have about five pounds of assorted rice varieties on hand (Texmati, arborio, and "wild"), three or four pounds of dry pasta (spaghetti, penne, and macaroni), and four to five pounds of dried beans (cannelini, small red, Navy, and probably some chickpeas and Lentils du Puy). I have to replenish the aromatics such as onions and garlic, and things such as canned tomatoes and fresh dairy items, but with fifteen or twenty pounds of chicken, beef, pork, and ground venison in the freezer, we could survive until the mortgage company got feisty!!! We have friends with three teenagers who can scarcely last two days without a major marketing trip--their tales of the kids and associated friends moving through the kitchen like locusts are stuff of legends!

I can corroborate the nomination of Pete's Fine Meats; it is definitely the best full-service butcher shop in Houston. But you really need to take a walk through Central Market anyway, so stop by their meat department as well. Their selections are way above most other meat vendors except Pete's.

The local wine shop is selling some wines labeled "Vampire" and produced in Transylvania, or modern-day Romania. The offerings include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, and each is priced under $7 per bottle. Any experiences, good or otherwise, with these wines that "ignite the nocturnal passions"? The clerk mentioned a tasting earlier in the week and recommended the merlot and the cab, but his wine palate is suspected akin to his taste in tattoos---I prefer another opinion! Fangs for your help.