Hest88
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Posts posted by Hest88
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I would not go to Gingerbread House. It's really overpriced for mediocre Cajun food.
I would also wait for SF before getting Asian food, in spite of Octaveman's recommendation of PF Chang's. If you have a car--which I'm assuming you do since you talked about Hayward--I'd try Saigon Seafood for dim sum. Or, right next to Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae is Fook Yuen, which is very good as well. Granted, if you're willing to go down to Millbrae you might as well just go to Koi Palace--which would be closer!
I had a really good experience at Aziza as well, if you're interested in upscale, slightly fusion-y, Moroccan.
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Fries, churros, and soft-shell crab.
However, I probably eat fried foods only once or twice a month on average.
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Our favorite in that stretch is Colucci Cafe. We haven't done much of a taste test of the others, though.
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My mother and my aunt separately taught me to just blanch in about 2-3 inches of water. When it boils I throw in the veggies, turn them over with chopsticks so that all the veggies come into contact with the water, and that's it. My greens have always stayed green with this method.
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I really don't like rosemary or cardamon, two items that seem to be in a lot of foods I would otherwise love. Not too fond of cilantro either, unless it's masked in some form---such as in salsa.
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So, you would be comfortable, across the board if prices increased 20%.... at your fave restaurant, your hairstylist, car wash, anywhere you might consider dropping a tip?
Uh, yeah. OTOH, I find it hard to believe that my hairdresser or massage therapist gets paid below minimum wage (thought I could be wrong). The reason we are guilted into tipping waiters a minimum amount no matter how well we are served is because in the U.S. (unlike in Canada) waiters are can be paid below minimum wage with the assumption that our tips make up for it.
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Oh gosh, I can't believe I forgot about PRUNE CANDY! These are the prune flavored hard candies, not preserved plums or anything like that. Problem is, I only like the old-fashioned brand in the waxy wrapper. The surface of the candy, for some reason, gets soft and sort of waxy, but the rest of it has the consistency of hard candy. Perfect balance of sweet and sour, IMO. It seems to have disappeared from the Bay Area, but every so often friends of mine will bring some back from LA.
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Oh yeah, rock candy. But even better was those flat bars of Chinese brown sugar. I used to break off pieces all the time and then my mom would get upset because I hadn't left her enough when needed to make soup!
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My non asian friends have reported having their chopsticks exchanged for forks whilst eating at restaurants that cater mostly to asians. Maybe the servers automatically assume that asians prefer chopsticks and that non-asians don't?
Actually, I believe they assume non-Asians don't know how to use chopsticks. My non-Asian friends gets quite insulted when they're handed forks! ;)
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I like the tipping set-up just the way it is. It is an incentive for waitstaff to perform their job well.
Coming in late, but what makes it especially untrue is how *guilty* we can feel if we leave even a "measly" 10% tip. Tipping is built into the system to such a degree now that it's considered an entitlement and not an incentive. Honestly, I'm one of those who would rather waiters be paid a living wage so I, as a customer, can reward whom I feel really deserved a tip.
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Haw flakes, but only when they're crispy. I used to squeeze the packages of haw flakes to find the ones which seemed reasonably hard.
I have fond memories of Botan Rice Candy but they no longer give toys. Just stickers. Boo. Takes so much of the fun out of it.
Oh, and though I guess it's not really candy (though I suppose haw flakes aren't either), the little tiny pellets made out of something like plum, in the clear, cylindrical containers. There were two kinds, one that was a brown color and was softer and plummier, and the gray colored ones that were hard and salty. I always liked the gray, salty ones which are now really hard to find. I guess most people prefered the brown, soft ones since those seem to be the only ones around!
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Another thing that amuses me is to watch people trying to show off their adroitness with chopsticks by eating(?) loose fried rice off a plate
LOL, Ben! Yep, I'm always amused by that scenario.
I like Chinese chopsticks. Bamboo, non-lacquered. I guess I'm a natural klutz, so anything slippery takes more effort than I'd like. I also must apologize to my Korean friends, but I can't stand those metal Korean chopsticks. They're much too heavy for me.
I tend to use chopsticks for many Western foods when I eat at home. I find it so much easier using chopsticks for salad, for instance, because I have more control over what I'm picking up and how it's going into my mouth.
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Goat cheese and runny egg yolks.
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Thanks for the tip about the crackers and roasted seaweed. Would those be found in the cracker section or the bakery?
Krys, the crackers are in the snack section and the seaweed is where they usually have the large variety of dried seaweed.
Oh, I Googled a reference to Pusan Market now being called "Koreana Plaza"!
There's also a newer Korean Market, but I haven't been able to come up with the name. My mother prefers it to Pusan, because she says it's cleaner, and it's easier to park. It's in that shopping complex at approximately 7th and Market, across the freeway from downtown Oakland.
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Krys, is this Pusang Market, right? They also have an extensive meat counter, as you no doubt noticed. They also have some of favorite Korean snacks: sweet millet crackers and roasted seaweed (laver).
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Thanks Carolyn! We all had a great time. The standout dishes for me were the beet salad (because I discovered that yellow beets are actually quite tasty) and the scrumptious quail. Everything else was really good. I believe the only real disppointment among the group was the bastilla with its indistinct flavors.
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That Tea Forte is really beautiful, Krys, but I tend to agree with you: bagged tea can only be so good, so you're really paying extra for the pretty packaging. I'd be curious to try the Mighty Leaf, though.
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1) Yes
2) "Babette's Feast"
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No Flash, please! And do you really need a splash page? No. I want an attractive, professional, fast-loading site that makes it easy for me to find the phone number or directions when I'm running out the door for my reservations, but yet also gives me a good sense of the restaurant when I'm just browsing for info.
I was just on this restaurant site, and it has the simple yet attractive elements I like: http://www.aziza-sf.com
Or something like Manresa's site: http://www.manresarestaurant.com/, concept-wise.
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In one of the few times I've heard Andy Rooney (the 60 Minutes guy) he was doing an "expose" of packaging downsizing and ranting at how it was a sneaky way for companies to start overcharging us without our knowledge. His example was some brand of coffee, as I recall.
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Le Cheval is up-ish scale, which unfortunately in my mind just translates to food I get cheaper elsewhere.
Another on the "up-ish" scale, which I'm hoping to try soon, is Saigon City in Berkeley.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...5.DTL&type=food
Oh yeah, and Huynh around Oakland Chinatown is also nicer than the usual mom and pop place.
As for mom and pop places in the East Bay, Cam Huong in Oakland Chinatown for banh mi, and there are a number of pho-type places in the area and along "New Chinatown" down Int'l Avenue. I can't remember their names, though; I just stop when I see them.
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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section for Wednesday, January 8, 2005
Morning Comfort, Lynne Char Bennett
Every cuisine has some version of hot cereal, be it oatmeal, jook, or champurrado. Read all about the real "Breakfast of Champions"!
The Inside Scoop, GraceAnn Walden
What are the hot restaurants for 2005? Take your pick!
Seasonal Cook, Georgeanne Brennan
Sun-colored squash brightens the plate – Winter squash is both tasty AND healthy. Articles includes recipes and photos of the kinds of squash you can use to add some color to your winter dishes.
Taster’s Choice, Carol Ness
Can any brand of packaged gnocchi compare to grandma's? The Chronicle tasters say "no"!
The Exchange Karola Saekel
When life gives you oranges
Chocolate dipped orange peel recipe found, and new requests for old-fashioned fare.
Cook’s Books, Karola Saekel
Lidia's Family Table, by Lidia Bastianich
Lidia's fourth Istrian cookbook.
Dining Out, Amanda Berne
Laurel's Cuban
Is this Hayes Valley restaurant worth the price of the mojitos?
Winter Squash Pancakes With Pomegranates
Musquee de Provence Gratin With Two Cheeses
Butternut Gnocchi With Butter & Parmesan, more
Cauliflower & Egg Salad
Chocolate-Dipped Candied Orange Peel
Turkey Jook
Cream of Wheat
Kao Dom
Champurrado (chocolate atole), more
Pâté & Pear Crostini
Organized Chaos
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Oh yeah, NO TOUCHING! Nullo, I just can't stand it when people initiate contact without my consent.
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The food they made was great but, when I asked them why they were preparing their own food, they told me that they felt sure I was planning to prepare hamburgers for them, and they couldn't eat ham.
That's funny. My mom still quizzes my DH about what his mom served him for dinner, and is always surprised when he tells her that they didn't just eat bread, meatloaf, steak, and salad.
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As I am with canned soups, my favorite frozen foods are the ones that taste nothing like the real thing. My sentimental favorite, and the one that was one of my college standbys, is Swanson's chicken or turkey pot pies. Cheap, filling, and with a tasty double crust. I haven't had one in years, though.
The one I grab more often, though, are Stouffer's hot wings. They taste nothing like buffalo wings, but they really hit the spot when I need something savory.