tanabutler

Oooooh, pretty website for the restaurant.

I like him messy.

BWAH! Keyboard spew! Y'all are hilarious. (Elyse, I'm looking at you, too.)

I thought he looked like a baby.

David, I'm one of your 8000 subscribers, and I would like to say that your web design is uncommonly lovely—especially since you say you did it yourself. As a website designer (and a copywriter myself), I can tell you that, unfortunately, I don't recommend that everyone do it themselves. The large majority of self-made websites I see are, well, embarrassing. One well-known food site, while full of information and articles that are compelling, is so cluttered and ugly (bad colors, bad nav, HTML-based text, no style sheets) that I can't bear to go there. I subscribe to their newsletter, but I can't visit the website. I don't mean to be a snob, but the screamingly bad colors and the junky looking graphics just shriek "unprofessional." I can't take them seriously. My brain doesn't want to take in information if it's presented in an appealing way—just as my mouth doesn't want to eat something, no matter how healthy, unless it tastes good. Websites shouldn't be terribly expensive, and I agree that bells and whistles are just a big ol' turn-off. Save them for the high-end ad agencies. I strive for designs that look like gallery walls or good magazines: lots of white framing with clean, elegantly-formatted text and graphics. I start in Photoshop and do the layout there, from the design I'd started on graph paper. For those new to the process, there are certain basics you decide beforehand like "800x600 or 640x480 or ______?", etcetera. I think your suggestion for using templates is probably a good one, given the choice between that and do-it-yourself if, say, you're a better writer than graphic designer. Is it really your experience that designers just want to show off? I hope that's not true. I never ever want to "show off my talents" unless it is in the service of finding and highlighting the essence of my client's work. I won't take a job unless I feel I can do justice to their products or services—it's just not enjoyable. I have gotten several jobs just from approaching artists whose work I admired and got enthusiastic about. Those are the ones I can say, "This is going to be beautiful." Darn it, I wish you'd post links to the winners and others. I'm such a voyeur. Finally, you said this: I just want it known that I do not aspire to write for the LA Times. You know who you are, Mr. "I Have Your Cookbook." David, I really like your instructive post—I'll be reading it again. Many thanks for the time and the visit. And congratulations on your tasty website. You shot, you scored!

So how old is this Rocco guy? In human years, not emotionally.

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd add on here since y'all seem to know the LA food scene well. Are there any restaurants in LA that have their own chef's gardens? A few do here in Santa Cruz—I'm not sure it's possible in LA, given the cost of real estate.

Well-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l? Inquiring minds want to know. How'd it go?

BWAH!! I usually think lamb just tastes dead, dead, dead—and then they served it (two different ways) at Sunday's farm dinner, and by golly, it was good. I had seconds. No way was I going to be a picky eater in front of Alice Waters. I can't eat anything with liver. I think to myself, "Animal diapers. I'm eating animal diapers."

43K among how many posters?

Good luck. The website is so beautiful.

Dinner tonight—I wanted to make Mexican Home Fries à la Mollie Katzen. I had most of the ingredients but found the corn tortillas to be stale. So I boiled new potatoes and tossed them into Calphalon wok with already-sautéed onions and red peppers. Cooked high until brown, and added diced/smoked breast of chicken and diced tomatoes from our garden. Then some chunky salsa with black beans and corn, because I need to make room for new condiments. Finally added cilantro (oh hush, you naysaying soap-mouths). Put in a dish and topped with grated cheese. Jack would have been best but all I had was cheddar. It was very good, despite my variations from a recipe that I've not much veered from before. Very easy, very unfancy, and pretty satisfying. And a "regular" meal.

Steve Klc beat me to it. I am learning so much every day at eGullet. It's so great to read the input of people who know so many different aspects of food. Thanks.

I just posted elsethread that I experienced Alice Waters as being an idealist—she's got light just pouring from her eyes—and someone who regards the world much as Robert Kennedy must have: "Some men see things as they are and say 'why?'. I dream things that never were and say 'why not.' " I know what you mean about living on top of the mountain, but I don't think she'd put herself there. I think her idealism transcends everything—including fussing about legalities and monetary issues. Someone's got to hold that ground. She's, um, ideal. Visionaries hold the vision, and inspire others to achieve it. And I've never seen a true visionary that could give up what they see, because they see with a different pair of (inner) eyes than most people. I get excited being around people like that, because generally the goodness ripples out. I'd never think of her as a saint, though.

Steve, I hope I am linking properly. It's different than the WebX I've been used to from Salon and Readerville. Outstanding in the Field farm dinner— August 17, 2003

Interesting—I just posted about the day I spent yesterday with both Alice Waters and John Fiscalini at Frog Hollow Farm. I'm going to send that article to the chef who coordinates the event and see what he says. The Fiscalini cheeses, by the way, were extraordinary. He brought the prize-winning San Joaquin Gold and the Farmstead Bandage-Wrapped cheddar. Just typing those words made my mouth water.

BFE suburbia = that little place in Egypt, aka "East Hell and Gone"?

Me, neither. I've had a virus-free Macintosh for fifteen years. Rachel, Drano is fine. It used to be an issue back in the Sixties, but it's fine now. My husband is a general contractor. He's still asleep, or I'd get an exact reason for you, but I do know it's fine to use. I think your plumbers are passing down old lore with no good justification. When Bob wakes up and is here next time this thread is in front of me, I'll ask him to explain. (I just went through this recently on another forum, helping a friend online with her clogged drain. I always volunteer Bob to help people.)

It's actually in Palo Alto, California. Why they review it in a Pennsylvania newspaper is beyond me.

When I read your posts, I feel as though I've just eaten, Bill. Yet strangely empty. Y'all (collective "y'all"—no true Southerner ever calls one person "y'all") can just call me "Tana." When I signed in, I didn't know my user name would be the handle. I'm a little embarrassed not to be properly named "Tana Butler," but on the other hand, it's nice not to be rigid about it for once. Just "Tana" is fine. Grazie.

A search at MySimon.com found Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert in like-new condition for $44.71 at Half.com, about $10 cheaper than Chipsbooks.com. And if you go to the link, you can find it new for under $40. That may be depending on the edition, but I think it's worth the sleuthing.

I think it's a cocktail with (Dear God) Guinness, Bailey's and Irish Whiskey. Boy, would I be doing the Technicolor Yawn after one of those. Maybe enough to get me back into a size 8 dress.

Florida Jim, I had my first Gruner Veltliner at Farallon back in January. I adored it. I came home smitten and Googled it, and found this article. The one I had is called Dinstlgut Loiben Gruner Veltliner Pfaffenberg. I can't find it in my area, but am on the hunt.

Add one for me. Someone gave me The Art of Preserving yesterday. Assuming that the fruit on the cover is any indication, it doesn't seem to be about embalming.

I am dumbfounded by the detail, the beauty, and the utter inaccessability of your equipment, ingredients and technique. This is a gorgeous post that will no doubt be picked up by a Major Publication. Meanwhile, I can't believe you do all this on the Atkins Diet. What a guy! (Kudos, Bill. I will re-read it in the morning. I'd dead tired and loved the post, but you deserve more than my weary attention.)