bbqer

If you've ever enjoyed plain cheese curds, Beecher's flavored cheese curds would make you a hopeless addict. Hopefully Amir will share the flavor names...I remember a nice herb blend but I know there are at least 2-3 varieties. Delicious! Nice job, Placebo, on the blog. Will have to stop by Beecher's again soon.

Just read an article in today's New York Times about a popular Brooklyn pizza guy who has branched out to Phoenix of all places. Anyway, his secret to his famous pizza, admired by one and all including the late Frank Sinatra, has to do with his coal-fired pizza oven: "Fifty years ago, 100 years ago, that's all they had in the city was coal ovens," Patsy says, proud to be handing on his retro-coal technique to Phoenix. By his account, the coal-brick approach produces far more heat (800 degrees plus) than gas, and thereby fierce-to-subtle hot spots of artistry to make the pie bubble, crisp and lightly char. "Far better flavor," Patsy assures.... This would seem to bear out Irwin's theory (and others posting here) that the oven needs to be hotter to make a better pie. NYT Article

My wife, daughter, and I are the only wine drinkers in the family. This year I bought several bottles of Willamette Valley Vineyards 2003 Pinot Gris which I hope will please everyone. My wife seems to prefer drinking very dry wines almost exclusively; I hope this Pinot Gris will convince her that there's good flavor, nice fruit, and complexity in an off-dry selection. I'm hoping it will go well with the traditional foods of a Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks for the 25 for $25 lunch review of Flying Fish, LMF. It is indeed one of our favorite restaurants. I am hooked on those smoked shrimp springrolls with the sausage in them. My favorite entree is the monkfish. Yum! Their portions are always good without being overwhelming, the plating artfully done, and as you say, perfectly cooked fish.

Indeed! Thanks to Little Ms. Foodie (Wendy) for taking so much time to show us such an intimate snapshot of her food life and happiness. I'm also proud of what you've shared with eGullet about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We have a lot of fine food, wine, and restaurants in our little blue corner of the country.

Well...they say the family that sprays together, stays together. Or something like that. In any event, sounds like fun!

What flavor did the Mountain Ridge chips impart?

I can understand your feelings. We used to enjoy the lamb biryani at the old place.

We used to enjoy Sahib down on the water next to the train tracks and near the ferry dock. However, the last time we went, the quality seemed to have gone downhill and they looked like they might be under new ownership.

Family Pancake House on Hwy. 99 (23725 Hwy 99) just north of the Sno/King County Line is a good choice. It's family owned, has good pancakes, and is popular for breakfast. Nothing particularly imaginative, but a few notches above IHOP. We like their potato pancakes. Weekends brings the crowds for breakfast, so go early (before 9:00) for best seating.

McDonald's fish sandwich. I've always loved 'em and remember when they first came out and were 25¢ each! Mmmm...a square fried fish filet (filet? square?), a slab of American cheese, and that good Mickey D tartar sauce. Now they seem smaller (or maybe my appetite's bigger), and they charge about $2.50 for the sandwich only, but they do steam the bun so the cheese-tartar sauce-fried fish combo still tastes warm 'n' wonderful. My other secret love is our local (Seattle) Dick's Drive-in Deluxe Cheeseburger. That pickle sauce they put on there is superb. Two beef patties, shredded lettuce, pickle sauce, cheese, on a soft white bun. Mmmm.

I've really enjoyed the food at Cafe Lago both times I've been there. One suggestion, though, for the wine. You have a nice selection, Jordi and Carla, but why not offer some half-bottles as well. Haven't tried the lasagna yet. That will be my next treat there, I think. BTW, the gnocchi was heavenly. Now if only I could pronounce it properly.

Frankly, I wish there would be a law banning smoking in all restaurants. I keep badgering the owner of at least one restaurant we frequent for even maintaining a small smoking section. He says he'd like to go totally non-smoking but doesn't want to lose his smoking trade. I keep saying he wouldn't lose them and the whole restaurant would smell much more appetizing.

I too must defend Matador. The one time we stopped in for lunch, both the food and service were great. And I particularly enjoyed my pulled pork BBQ sandwich (as you might infer from my nom de Gullet).

Looks promising from the menu, reesek! Have you (or anyone) tried Tat's Deli? I should hop a 3rd Ave. bus to Pioneer Square and give it a try one of these noon hours. These guys are Right Coasters according to the website, so they should know good deli. I'm tempted.

I am not disagreeing with you (chacun a son gout) or even putting myself in the same wine drinker class as you. I am an occasional imbiber of wines and not a sophisticated or knowledgeable taster. That said, in my limited experience, I've felt that cabs, as opposed to zins and perhaps merlots, are as a class more nuanced and varied. I've found more to like, sometimes dislike, and occasionally fall in love with amongst the cabs than the others. Perhaps it's my limited experience with all wines. I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on this.

Really Nice, you obviously had no woman willing to drive you to drink, whom you could then neglect to thank (apologies to W.C. Fields).

The only way you'll get to a decent deli by bus in Seattle is if it's Greyhound.

Being a single malt newbie, I haven't had many. I've had Dalwinnie, Aberlour, and Macallan. The Macallan stands out in my mind as being one I truly enjoyed. I like the Aberlour and appreciate its relative value pricewise. I would like to expand my knowledge and experience of single malt Scotches. My thought is to try some out at places specializing in serving single malts. What 3 or 4 would you recommend to broaden my horizons and get me started on some more adventurous tasting?

Production talk aside, I wonder what its effects are. Has anyone drunk it recently (and lived to tell about it)? Does absinthe make the heart grow fonder?

Used to be, an old fashioned was right up there with a martini and a Manhattan, but I'm afraid that cocktail has gone the way of its name.

I second that vote. We like to keep Orowheat's Winter Wheat in our freezer. It's double-wrapped and pre-sliced, making it ideal for keeping frozen and taking out a couple of slices at a time, either for thawing or toasting. I like it for sandwiches because it's sliced uniformly and fairly thin, but the bread itself is hearty and flavorful.

We just bought some great French bread that was noticeably superior to many local breads we have had -- from La Brea in SoCal. My wife and I joked to each other that it was pretty spectacular for bread from the Tar Pits! But seriously, the French was chewy, not crunchy, and had the nicest flavor! We tried a loaf of the whole wheat and it was good but not great. These breads are baked fresh daily and I assume not on the shelf very long. We bought the La Brea breads at Shoreline's Central Market. They come in a sealed cellophane wrapper and are not sliced.

I envy you your BBQ trip, Nick. Thanks for compiling your adventures and sharing with us. My dream still is doing the Memphis in May competition and the Jack Daniels. Maybe when I'm retired (not too far off now). In honor of the saliva you evoked in my mouth, I walked down to the market this noon and had some World Class Texas style chili. It's not brisket or ribs, but it sure tasted good. Maybe someday I'll be able to make that trip. However, your find in Denver suggests that good 'Q can be found most anywhere (and of course in PDX at LOW).

I'll admit it...I enjoy fairly substantial portions. But I've been feeling guilty since reading this thread!