tanabutler

Some people, and I'm guessing tana is one of them, have friends who drag them out for a night of beer, grub scarfing, and camaraderie at a joint that everyone can afford. ← As Joe Bob Briggs would say, "El wrongo." I am way too strong to have anyone drag me anywhere. More to the point: I don't like beer (except for perhaps two days in the year here when it's damned hot and there is no access to filtered water.) I don't eat barf food (bar food? Ba rfood? Barrrrffffood?). The idea that I am young and stupid enough to be dragged anywhere is so cute and flattering that I could just bar. F. My two instances at Gordon Biersch involved: 1) A high school friend (who had done exceedingly well) inviting me for a birthday trip to Cirque du Soleil and lunch. She chose GB. Surprise to me: rich Palo Alto friend thought going dutch appropriate on my birthday. She, being a sensitive, quasi-vegetarian sort, selected the place. To me, it placed her roots squarely back in redneck Georgia, our homeland. I'm still irked that she was wealthy and so ignorant of decent food. Fries ensued, and no other memories impressed. Wait, I think she had a Chinese Salad. No actual Chinese were harmed in the making of her salad. BELIEVE ME, I wanted to be impressed. I needed one good memory of the meal to carry away. 2) Second verse, same as the first. Went to Gordon Biersch for food on the opening night of Tres Gringos, in which Bob's nephew is an owner (that would be the Canadian, eh, the tall one in skates). We ate at GB because we could. We knew the zoo next door would be bonkers, and we avoided it. There was nothing at GB that was remotely like "dining," though "eating" would suffice. As I say of McDonald's: "It's not eating, it's caloric entertainment." I have better things to do with my time and money. Neither are plenty. And as Malik says, no way would anyone coming to San Francisco need to go to Gordon Biersch. With all that food? What are you, beer nuts?

I have to out you right now, Randall, as I had recommended you to Marie-Louise, a longtime eG poster who went there and had a bad experience. I hope it was an anomaly. From the sounds of it, it probably was, because I know you've been there a bunch. And I'd stake my turkey against anyone's, pretty much. It's not the fanciest thing in the world, but I've been preaching the gospel since 1994. The few people I know who'd made it swear it the best turkey they've ever had. Wanna bet?!

I had one of the better meals of my life at Farallon, which included perfect service, perfect food, and an introduction to the Gruner Veltliner wine when requesting "something different." And oh, is it a beautiful room.However, I disagree completely about Gordon Biersch being anything to recommend to anyone who enjoys food like we seem to here on this forum. GB is like an Olive Garden with darker décor: there is nothing impressive or memorable there at all. When I say this, it's because I believe I taste industrial restaurant supplies like "vegetable oil in 55-gallon drums from Cisco (or Ledyard, who whoever the supplier is)." It is the opposite of food that tastes like it has been touched by people who truly care about the food. I think anyone who has sullied their hands in a hack joint like TGIF, as I did for four years, would be able to identify industrial compound foods by taste or smell. I'm pretty sure of that. I was at the GB in downtown San Jose twice (one day, one night, months apart). It was exactly what I would expect from One of the Better Chains. But a chain, no less. Don't stoop: go for something unique to this area. (Suggestions above.)

That sandwich looks like Tommy Tomato. Take a cherry tomato and slice it, horizontally, not too very deeply, as though cutting the mouth for a Muppet. (Sort of in half without actual decapitation.) Put two tiny dollops of soft butter, and with the tip of a knife or the tine of a fork, add two little eyes above the cut. Hold the tomato by its newly cut "jaws," and say (in a high, squeaky voice): "My name is Tommy Tomato. I'm going to be siiiiiiick." Then squeeze the tomato. It will look like it's puking. Some things are better left to the imagination. And the description would have been appetizing, but something about having seen Tommy Tomato just makes it...unfortunate. As far as a White Horse sandwich goes: who wants to eat Mister Ed?! I make a sandwich rather like the one you've described (Jinmyo: gravy spread like mayo, thinly, on the bread), but I never thought it had, or needed, a name. Note: I've lived in ten states (everywhere but the Pacific Northwest) and never heard reference to a White Horse sandwich. BUT I LOVE THEM ANYWAY!

When you say "low priced," I wish you'd name prices. I don't wish to appear vulgar, but there are those of us for whom money is a consideration, and if we might score something that Florida Jim likes, well, frabjous day. Define "low priced," please? Thank you.

Let's hope it's not to make one of these.

how about a photo of a cigarette? ←

If you doubt Marie-Louise, we will have to come and forcefeed you with Denny's. Thank goodness you asked in the right place.

I Googled "Joree Tamburro." I found this "recipe" (one of the ingredients is a fudge brownie cake mix): Someone needs to stop that woman.

Far be it from me to contradict Brooks, but. But. Gulp. Turkey soup (however you wanna get there) with sliced carrots and shiitakes and Amontillado sherry, and no celery or rice or onions, and leftover gravy (and maybe stuffing, too) makes my turkey soup something Bob waits all year long for. But I'm sure he'd love gumbo, too.

Rent "Babette's Feast" and watch it three times. Then get 'em drunk and feed them YOUR good food.

Tana - got a recette for that turkey soup you chatted about...? Don't see any veggies in there... Got lots of gravy left... Really owe ya now; maybe our family choc truffles recipe... ← There's no recipe, just general guidelines. Throw the bird's carcass in a bit pot with enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil and let it go at medium or so for an hour or so. Let cool, and remove the carcass. This is Bob's department: removing all the bones and icky bits, and tossing the meat back into the pot. He also skims all the fat off. Into that stock, depending on the size of the bird and volume of liquid, I will add sliced carrots, more shiitakes, some of the shiitake gravy (because it's so damned good), even some of the stuffing. I also throw in two-four fresh ORGANIC oranges, whole, and a little of the Amontillado sherry. Organic oranges because I don't want pesticide soup, you know? Thanks, Monsanto, I'll sit this one out. I bring that up to a boil again, stirring occasionally, and then let it simmer and simmer until the house smells good. It's hard to describe when it's done: it just looks and tastes like soup. When it "gets there," I remove the oranges and juice them, and pour some (if not all) of the juice into the pot. I'm trying to think if there is anything else, but I can't. I definitely omit rice and celery, which honestly give it a "school lunch" vibe. The carrots and mushrooms and oranges class it right up. And of course, salt and ground pepper to taste. Does that help?

You won't get any argument from me on that score. They seem to really be hitting their stride, and I think it's a result of the dedication of each person working there: front and back of the house. We weren't the fanciest-dressed group in there when we dined (nor were we slobs, of course). There were some people who were what I think of as over-dressed (rather like the Texas matrons who go to brunch with their furs), but I'm sure they felt comfortable, as we did. It's just that kind of place: you can be in your own little bubble and enjoy the experience as the gift it is. And it really did feel that way to me: like a very thoughtful gift. The staff is tuned to the customer. It's pretty rare, and it's pretty wonderful. I'm sure French Laundry does the same thing. There are some places where the focus is on true service, which is offered with humility, as opposed to razzle dazzle. Very Old World, in the best possible way.

I am so glad if you liked it, and if you like the spiced nuts, too. Yay.

Lovely post, Bond Girl. You mention a lot of dishes in there that I haven't heard of, how cool is that. I love the phrase "winter vegetables." In concluding the work of redesigning their web site, I wrote this: "Manresa is a magical place, dispensing something to mortals that borders on the mystical. It's how things SHOULD be." It sounds like you had that experience, when things add up greater than the sum of their parts.

I am reminded of Marmee in Little Women asking her girls to take their Christmas meal to the ailing Hummel (? I am doubting my memory on that name) family. The girls were so grumpy, but the joy was so abundant once they surrendered to it. It's nice to be called "angels" in the old-fashioned sense, without being afraid of being compared to Lucy Liu or Drew Barrymore.

Vegetarian options: Spanakopita (easy to make trayfuls) Chilaquile Casserole (think "Mexi-lasagne with tortillas instead of noodles," with refried beans, veggies, easily adaptable and delicious). It's easy to make, and it's easy to reheat (or serve room temp). If you chop the tortillas into 1" pieces, it's much quicker than tearing them. With a little mis en place, you could kick out a few 11"x14" pans easily. Note: in that recipe, I always add beans and onions, and I usually add zucchini as well. You could glam it up, too. Vegetarian lasagne, for that matter.

When are those ferrets gonna learn to type? Huh? It's way too quiet in here: are you playing Twister with the parental units? WHAT'S COOKING NOW, SAM? GET ON IT!

Thank God Bonny Doon redesigned their web site: the previous incarnation should have been grounds for criminal prosecution. It was truly one of the worst designs (or "lack of designs") I've ever seen, and it completely overwhelmed the incomparable content. Now it's got a great palette and just soars with life and color. Finally, a web site worthy of their reputation. You beat me to the punch on Frog's Leap. Even though I'm not wild about Flash in general, I think it's a wonderful design, and it reflects the heartfulness of the owner. John Williams was the most gracious host you could imagine at the farm dinner this summer. Yow. Unbelievably generous. What a guy. I find that there is a dearth of great wine sites, even moreso than restaurants. Most of what's out there is monochromatic and boring. Even the pictures of the vineyards, which should draw you in, come to look like stock photography after the fiftieth time. "Oh, look! It's sunlight and vines!" Nothing distinguishes the wineries from one another, with the rare exceptions. It's like there is a special box of 8 Crayola Crayons for Wineries: sage green, dark red, tan, buff, hunter green, dark brown, gold, purple (rare but still), and the green-gold of the hills. They all look the same! Here are some places I visited in a hasty and somewhat random drive-by. I avoided places that I know to be cheesy, and visited sites for wineries I have respect for. In a few cases, I'd visit a "popular" (read: popular with the sort of people who think the Olive Garden is a restaurant) winery's site just to see if money could achieve greatness. http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/.../Wine/Wineries/ http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/.../Wine/Wineries/ http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/.../Wine/Wineries/ In no particular order, I found these to be worthy of inclusion in a list of good web sites for wineries: http://www.jwine.com/ Beautiful palette, great design, interesting navigation. http://www.jordanwinery.com/ Simply splendid. http://www.ranchozabaco.com/ Big, bold, captivating. Style that matches their label. http://www.pepi.com/index.html Attractive. Fresh. Different. Modern without being cold. http://www.niebaum-coppola.com/site.php Oh, yeah, baby! Show me the money! The timeline on the winery is amazing. http://www.opusonewinery.com/ We take ourselves very seriously. We have money to burn. We had this music especially commissioned. No, really. http://www.peju.com/home.htm Well, alrighty then! Refreshing. http://www.robertmondavi.com/ Surprisingly classy. Complex and well-organized. Recipes, mmmmmm. http://www.clarkclaudon.com/ Nice, in a subdued way. http://www.milat.com/ Ditto. But the monochromatic stuff gets monotonous. http://www.meruswines.com/ Very attractive. Great photographic effects. The link to the woman's other website (UXUS) is just one of those little gems you find online. I like this one very much. http://www.justinwine.com/ Lovely colors, but lose the music. http://www.pineridgewinery.com/ Very well done, despite that I'm very over GREEN right now. http://www.clospegase.com/ Nice splash. Inside, the 8 Crayolas again, though. Take it back: they added Burnt Orange. http://www.raymondburrvineyards.com/ Very different: thanks for the unusual splash screen. Even though you click in, and it's beyond boring (naked vines, anyone?) at least the splash is good. And the worst: http://www.randomridge.com/

This is a great idea, I think.

Never mind. EDITED to conceal heavy drug use and idiocy.

Nice work on the soup, lovebenton0! Beautiful. I can almost taste it. And so colorful. What a nice balance. And your avocado salsa verde made me want to lick my monitor. (Which I can't do because I'd erase all the baby handprints where Logan grabs it, trying to get to the movies of himself he sees there.)

California Gold Country (an older thread from May, 2004.)

Some restaurants don't show menus because they are spontaneous. A vendor might stop in with a once-only offering of foraged mushrooms, which are very seasonal and unpredictable. You can't write that onto a static menu easily.