[Soy Milk in desserts]

There's no dairy in coconut cream? When you infuse milk with coconut and use that obviously thats dairy but you're saying that a can of cocoa lopez or the like would be lactose free? Wow thats a great idea.

[Painting kitchen cabinets]

You CAN do it and do it well. There's a product called Well Bond that you can first apply and then over that use very good quality milk paint, I think the brand is called Schreuder but I'm not sure thats right. You can use a roller for a paint delivery system but always use a brush to evenly spread the paint. It doesn't have to look like a factory finish, just a nice piece of painted furniture.

You should probably use a nice warm off-white. Don't forget to get new knobs or pulls. Oh, also, are your hinges exposed? If not you're better off and will end up with a cleaner job.

Don't let them scare you off. This isn't so hard.

[Babbo (First 6 Years)]

Probably in some way the tourists are ruining Babbo but not in the way you think.

Babbo has a national reputation that is enhanced by Mario's TV presence. Therefore, one somewhat small, highly touted restaurant in NYC has attracted some small percentage of a population of 280 million people or so.

That is a huge pressure on a place if only in the sheer volume of interest in acquiring a reservation and ultimately in serving all of those reservations. It has been done sucessfully in some places but it certainly is no mean feat.

[Help - relationship advice]

Dump her...this narrowness is surely not limited to her diet

[New Haven/Shoreline Report]

That dish seems to be a cousin of pasta fagioli where the bread replaces the pasta, no? It certainly reminds me of how I make pasta fagioli.

[Dining in or out]

I totally agree that if wonderful ingredients are easily available then the liklihood that something simple made at home is better than any less-than-topnotch restaurant, is great. I thinkits almost guaranteed. The meal at the less-than-top-notch can cost hundreds of dollars, no less. Sometimes homemade meals are even better than the best restaurants, but not always.

[Lemonade]

I like to make up a big batch of simple syrup and keep it in the fridge.  Less work and a more consistent product than mixing sugar into a cold beverage.

Thats what I would do. You can also add lemon rind to the simpe syrup during cooking. That gives a much better result than attempting to dissolve sugar in cold water.

[Suggestions needed for serving unusual ravioli]

I don't think that theres any reason they all couldn't be served with a simple melted butter, salt and pepper. You could, if you like make a brown butter, especially for the goat cheese, garnish with sage.

[Why I Love Graham Kerr]

My most vivid memory of him is when he injected kiwis with liqueur using a hypodermic needle full of booze.

[Choosing Cooktop & Oven for a New Kitchen]

Have you had experience with both?

[Choosing Cooktop & Oven for a New Kitchen]

Let me second the notion of Monogram. I've had Thermadore, Subzero and Miele and while they're basically functional, the service issues on the Subzero are unbelievable, the body integrity of the Thermadore is questionable and the Miele is just terrible.

GE has the best service record of any major manufacturer of kitchen appliances. Nuf said (and Monogram is very good looking)

[White Trash Delicacies]

Question: Would Toad in the Hole, Bangers n Mash, Chip Butties and such constitute White Trash Delicacies?

Yes but a specialized version called Brittrash delicacies.

[Bisque is not Gazpacho]

I would think that if lobster bisque was really supposed to be cold it would have been listed as cold lobster bisque because lobster bisque is traditionally hot.

[Drake's vs. Hostess]

Aren't Snowballs just the difference between Snowmen and Snowwomen?

[Becco]

I've eaten at Becco on more than one occassion and while the food is well prepared and copious, the place is run like a tourist trap with waiters that have been rehearsed in how to extract the most dollars from the table especially if the diners order the pasta pris=fixe and the ambience on a Saturday night is like feeding time at the zoo.

how do the servers try to get more money out of the customer? through those wine prices (which seem very reasonable as i recall)?

Excessively pushing bottled water, pouring wine as fast as you can take a sip from your glass, gushing over the special extra appetizers, begging you to order dessert- hows that?

[Becco]

I've eaten at Becco on more than one occassion and while the food is well prepared and copious, the place is run like a tourist trap with waiters that have been rehearsed in how to extract the most dollars from the table especially if the diners order the pasta pris=fixe and the ambience on a Saturday night is like feeding time at the zoo.

[White Trash Delicacies]

If it consists of bite-size or at least small pieces of things, has some kind of binding element and is either cold, at room temperature or slightly warm its a salad.

[Greek Delights]

Is there still a branch of Its Greek To Me in the East Village?

[Are professional schools for amateurs as well]

Let me see if I understand this: People who would like to participate in learning the skills and obtaining the knowledge one can get at culinary schools merely because they have a genuine passion for the subject are somehow less worthy than people who want to learn because down the road they can earn money?

Very interesting.