Hest88

I'm Cantonese. We're all obsessed with food.

That's funny, but not unexpected. I'm sure many chefs are casual about hygiene than we'd like. I used to be a much bigger stickler about hygiene until I started cooking a lot, realized that I was getting sick just because I wasn't following all the rules, and became quite much more lax. I'm sure that many chefs, who cook a WHOLE lot more than I do, feel the same way!

My dad and sister turn beet red when they drink. I've never liked the taste of alcohol so I don't drink at all. And milk gives me gurgles, but I'll still drink milk and eat ice cream when the mood hits me.

Oh, I definitely didn't appreciate my parents' cooking when I was growing up, with a few exceptions. (When they took us to Hong Kong when I was a teenager my younger sister and I sought out pizza!) However, in spite of my food rebellion, they managed to lay the foundation for my palate so when I got to college I suddenly found myself craving and preferring all sorts of foods and preparations I used to sneer at when I was at home!

I learned the hard way once to specify tap water. Ouch, that was pricey! I actually can taste the difference between various still waters. Evian always has a gross, plastic taste to me and I still mourn the loss of a particularly clean bottled water that hasn't been around for years. However, most bottled water tastes close enough so that it's really, really stupid to pay for the "privilege" of one over the other. Especially given a huge restaurant markup.

I'm 1st generation Chinese-American---Cantonese specifically---so my palate has really been shaped by my upbringing. For one, I like clean flavors that let the tastes of the main ingredient shine through, so I prefer California cuisine to anything with heavy saucing. I was appalled the first time I went to a traditional Thanksgiving at someone's house and was confronted by casseroles and sweet potatoes with marshmallows! I also can't go more than two days or so without making myself a heap of stir-fried green vegetables and really can't stand overcooked veggies or seafood. Oh, and I also like my meats to have some kind of sweetness in the marinade. And, to my co-worker's dismay, I also can't eat anything sweet for breakfast; my ideal breakfast would be a steaming bowl of jook!

I like JAZ's idea. What concerns me about the original idea is that it seems less fun and more like work, and I suspect your gourmet club friends are most interested in fun than working on testing their palates. I think starting with a taste test is great, but making them concentrate and evaluate the entire evening might be tedious.

Bluekale, you really got around! Glad you liked Kirala and hope you didn't have to wait too long for a seat. I don't believe I've heard of Charanga but I will definitely go check it out now.

I wet my hand and flick the water into the plastic bag two or three times then tie off the bag. The trick, like the paper towel method, is to get just enough water in there to keep the veggies moist without so much that they'll rot.

This reminds of that Jeffrey Steingarten incident where he chomped on the taro leaf garnish to his in-flight meal. The airline was lucky he didn't sue them!

I think they're what I usually see as Manila mangoes. I've seen them called Champagne mangoes as well. From what I understand, they're premium-grade Ataulfo mangoes. They look nothing like the picture that bague25 posted. They're less elongated. More squat and fat.

Depends. If it's something I do a lot, practically nothing can distract me since the movements are nearly rote. In your example, I make eggs all the time, and plopping an egg on toast wouldn't require any thinking at all so I can certainly hold a conversation while doing it. However, if I'm following a complicated recipe with unfamiliar items and techniques then I need all the concentration I can get!

Love both, but then I like variety in my diet. I actually can't think of any cuisine that doesn't have a few things I like, though some cuisines I prefer overall to others.

Thank you FG! I look forward to his talents, assuming I ever get through the reservation line.

There's also an interesting point someone once pointed out to me regarding "Photoshopping." In traditional photography, a certain amount of tweaking still happens in the darkroom so no one should feel like an inferior photographer if they have to do some digital tweaking.

Ah, I still hate you all! I can't make it up to Canada until October, so no spectacular mangoes for me. I'm making do with Manila mangoes here and made the mistake of buying a Haden earlier this week. Blech! Other than the Manilas the only other decent ones are the Kents that are still not available yet. Oh, I feel so sorry for myself...Damn paranoid government people...

I have no problem with bad service at a cheap local joint. Actually, scratch that. I have no problem with bad service when it's obvious that the husband and wife team who cooks, serves, and busses the tables at their restaurant is swamped when a flood of people enter the door--as long as it's friendly. In our favorite Korean place the service is so slow that we've automatically get our own water now, but we go back because the food is good, our expectations are low, the prices are reasonable, and the service is never rude. What I can't stand, though, is completely incompetent and indifferent service, such as our recent experience at Mel's Diner where the fountain guy was chatting with his friends for so long and then proceeded to fix the orders at such a glacial pace that the elderly couple next to us waited forty minutes for their sundaes. And, of course, the nicer the restaurant the better I expect the service to be. It's nice of some of you to tip 15% even when the service is appalling. They say that women tip worse and I suppose I'm guilty as charged. I consider my tip to be a statement and there's no way I'm tipping 15% for awful service.

You're right. Most tripe in the U.S. has been blanched and bleached. You can buy green tripe, but not easily.

Of course the food is great. That's the minimum standard. Isn't that what everyone's been saying? Methinks this is just getting silly now.

I would in favor is add separate ratings for food and ambiance as well assigning an overall rating. My hometown paper, the SF Chronicle does that, with the addition of a rating for service. I know this was a page ago, but I think the point keeps being missed even though it keeps getting repeated over and over again by different people. So, I'll repeat once more: the food is already implied to be of top quality. It's the ambiance that moves the experience to a more exalted level!

Coming into this late: but four stars is never just about food. Ever. If I'm paying four star prices I expect the ambiance and service to be incredible. I've eaten at many nice restaurants where the creativity of the chef really shines through. Some of the dishes rival those at any four star establishment. However, if I go to a four star I expect an overall experience that elevates my dining experience to the sublime. I also have no problem with an star system. It creates a quick a dirty method to sort through my dining choices and also allows me to understand how the reviewer really felt about his overall experience. I can read the review for details, but I think the addition of the star system also speaks to the review's blanket impression--which is just as important.

Our favorite is the much-lauded Kirala in Berkeley. It's expensive, but the rice is perfectly seasoned and I can always get ankimo!

Quick comments: I live in the SF Bay Area and was really impressed with the Granville Island market. It's more upscale than Pike's Place, but has a much more local flavor than the SF Ferry Building. The variety of food in Vancouver is really incredible. I'm not a big dim sum fan, but we are all blown away by the dim sum at Kirin. I *am* very familiar with high-end Cantonese and was still blown away by dinner at Kirin and Sun Sui Wah. Oh, I don't remember where Sun Sui Wah is---we were ferried around by relatives---but I do remember that the Cambie St. Kirin (there are two, right?) seemed only halfway between downtown Van and the true suburb of Richmond. In that case, it wouldn't be too out of the way. With only one lunch and one dinner in Van, I wouldn't mind having early dim sum at Kirin, hopping over to Granville for the afternoon, munching here and there, and then having a later dinner back at Kirin.

Java, to try his more "fusion-y" stuff, do you usually just ask for omakase? And if so, are there standard price points?

Thanks for the reviews! I still haven't been to Tacos Sinaloa yet, but I think I'll have to make the trip this weekend.