Toliver

Steven, thanks for the great report and for taking one for the team. I am curious about the dim sum being served as 4 pieces. Most dim sum place I've dined at won't serve 4 pieces since the number 4 is considered bad luck. But that doesn't seem to be the case at Ping Pang Pong. What have you found in your research of dim dum restaurants? Do the number of pieces vary or is the number 4 usually avoided?

Past Corned Beef discussions on eGullet that may be of help: "Corned Beef At Home - Recipes, Tips, etc., Merged topics" "Corned Beef (and cabbage?), The topic (merged)" "Smoked Corned Beef, Would you like some?" And a variation on corned beef but lots of info and links: "The Great Pastrami & Smoked Meat Experiment, Getting to the bottom of things"

I think this trick was originally posted in either a discussion about spatchcocking or cooking Thanksgiving turkies by eGullet member slkinsey. And it is a great tip, indeed.

I thought I would kick this topic back up since it's nearing that time of year again: San Diego Restaurant Week 2009

I made the Lime Meltaways over Christmas vacation using fresh limes from a neighbor's tree. They had a great flavor and now I'm anxous to try a lemon version to replicate Sunshine brand Lemon Coolers cookies (which are no longer made), though I may wait until summer to try it out. The one issue I had with the Lime Meltaway cookie is that they're supposed to be 1/8 inch slices of the refrigerated dough logs which can make for quite a fragile cookie when handling them to coat in the powdered sugar. I ended up breaking quite a few cookies until I was able to find the right touch for the coating process. Instead of slicing them, do you think they could translate into a ball cookie? Either by hand-rolling or perhaps a small cookie scoop?

I'm not in the restaurant biz but was wondering if you could make extra chili on Thursday and Friday so you don't have to make it on Saturday? Most slow-cook/braising dishes are always better the next day anyway. Potato salad is always better the next day, too. Do you have any other menu items where you could do the same? Just a thought...

Popeye's has come out with a chicken bowl similar to what KFC has. According to their website, the new bowl consists of their red beans & rice topped with pulled chicken (not batter-fried like KFC), their Cajun gravy, cheese and parsley. You have the option of adding sour cream and Louisiana brand hot sauce. They've also added chicken sandwiches (depending on the restaurant's location). KFC has added a new version of their chicken bowl where instead of mashed potatoes, you start with their seasoned rice. Has anyone tried the new Popeye's chicken bowls?

Thanks everyone for the posts about the Lime Meltaway recipes. I'll give them a try in a couple weeks when I visit my family for Christmas (the next door neighbor has a lime tree ).

I love lime cookies. Can you post your recipe for the Lime Snowdrops?

Simply stunning. I call thee Food Porn! Thanks for posting the pictures.

"Scootz" in Santee shut down about a week or so ago. On the plus side: Santee now has a Rubio's across from the Costco (in a horrible location...their street-front signage is hidden by the trees). The Home of the Iowa Porker (I can't recall the actual restaurant name) closed and was replaced by a Filippi's. And rumor has it an "Islands" burger joint will be opening in Santee sometime next year.

Why is the eGullet roasted cailiflower infamous? Or did you mean famous? ← "Roasted Cauliflower, Tastes like French Fries" Sixteen pages and counting...

I thought I'd create an umbrella discussion for Fast Food Chicken... I stopped by El Pollo Loco last night and was floored to see 12 cars waiting in the drive-through line. My guess is that El Pollo Loco must have issued some coupons recently. I was in and out of the restaurant with my order while the drive-through line had only moved forward about 3 car lengths. I was there for the chicken tamale plate which turned out to good...not great, but good. They're being offered for a limited time only. Tamales are a rare item to find in a fast food joint which is why I was interested in giving them a try. They come without any sort of wrapper (like the usual corn husks) topped with what they describe as a "Colorado chili sauce" which is mild and some shredded Jack and cheddar cheese. The styrofoam container they came in was far too big for the two tamales it contained. You can also get a Tamale Bowl which is a single chicken tamale on a bed of rice and pinto beans with the sauce & cheese and even sour cream (which, oddly, doesn't come on the tamale plate). Has anyone else tried the new chicken tamales at El Pollo Loco?

As I admit in this recipe for Dill Oyster Crackers, it's totally Sandra Lee-ish (or Paula Deen-ish, if you like), but they're so easy to make and the finished crackers are salty, crunchy and addictive.

Dill Oyster Crackers This recipe is totally Sandra Lee-ish but the finished crackers are addictive. 1 pkg Oyster Crackers (16 ounces) (they're the little crackers you use with chowders, etc) 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing mix (it’s a powder) 1/4 tsp lemon pepper 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp dill weed 3/4 c vegetable oil Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour onto a rimmed cookie sheet (like a jelly roll pan) or use a 13x9 pan. Bake the crackers 15-20 minutes. Stir the crackers at the half-way point. The finished crackers will get a little golden/brown in color. We usually double the recipe and use a 13x9 pan for baking the crackers since it holds a larger amount and makes stirring the crackers at the halfway point easier to do. Store in an air-tight container. Keywords: Easy ( RG2150 )

I think some of the repetitive cuisine is due to Gwenyth being a vegetarian who, it seems, does eat shellfish. Otherwise, she'd be drinking her wine while watching the others dig in.

Doritos Collisions' Newest Flavor combo: Pizza Cravers and Ranch I saw this newest Collisions flavor this past weekend at my local AM/PM. I've been slow to realize that Collisions aren't a flavor combination on a single corn chip but are two kinds of chips in one bag. Don't I feel foolish? Having finally brainstormed that concept, I have to say again that the Ranch are just okay...not one of Dorito's top flavors, IMHO. I think the Ranch chips would be best served when combined with a spicy chip. The problem with this is that Doritos doesn't really have a spicy (as in "hot") chip in their lineup of products. The Pizza Craver chips are pretty good. There's a light basil/oregano flavor on the chips to give you that pizza-y flavor. I would have preferred an entire bag of the Pizza Craver chips than this mixture. The downside to this newest Collisions flavor in that there seemed to be too many Ranch chips in the bag and the Pizza Cravers were few and far between.

Strictly speaking not a sandwich, but I've never had one. What are they like? Is it a potato-instead-of-meat thing? Or is it connected to a Meso American or Andean tradition? ← I've had potato tacos (along with goat tacos) at the "Mexican Village" in the county fair. If they're well made you don't mind that there's no meat. I believe the last one I had was flavored with chorizo (it had the orangish hue like it had been cooked with chorizo but had little to no meat in it). As for potato chips in sandwiches...it was a regular addition to sandwiches when I was a kid growing up in San Diego. I think it's a texural thing to have that little bit of crunch to go with your uber soft Wonder white bread sandwiches.

Of course, there's more cake left over. You can feed more souls with a copious cake than with a puny pie.

Have you ever tried the chinese dish Gotlet Chicken? The wing meat is pulled down to one end of the bone creating a sort of chicken "lollipop". Then it's dipped in an egg wash and then rolled in a crumb mixture and can be either deep fried or oven-baked.

Whoo-hoo! I spy McRibs! Once the Monopoly promotion finished, they finally resurfaced in this area. They're having a 2 for $3.33 special right now. Gosh, I'm so easy to please...

Horseradish and mayo are great for meatloaf sandwiches and roast beef sandwiches. I never thought about adding soy...will have to give it a try! My sister-in-law makes a chipotle & mayo condiment that's great on chicken sandwiches or used as a dip for quesadillas or tacquitos.

Jaymes, I wondered about that. The fact that they sought bankruptcy protection was interesting to me. It seemed to intimate that they weren't really going out of business but were either trying to reorganize or trying to find a buyer. I am in hopes that they get bought (though in these precarious financial times, that may not happen). The supplies on the local grocery shelves are dwindling quickly.

On the last show, I watched as Gwenyth ate a little lobster, finished her wine and then proceeded to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes so she could leave to fly home. What's wrong with this picture?

It's interesting to compare this show to the "Batali-Paltrow-et al" show. I enjoy Jose's version much more. He's an enthusiatic host who is obviously passionate about Spanish cuisine, its ingredients and the Spanish people who make it. His show makes me want to make the food myself or to even visit Spain.