dscott

Thanks

Friends in Richmond recently had 1st kid. Want to get them a personal chef to cook a week's worth of meals, or so. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. They're near the Museum District.

More fuel to the fire: From the Baltimore Sun (via Eater): Michael Voltaggio said their mother can't wait for it to be over. "She probably would have preferred to see us both go home a long time ago and not have to go through this," he said. Said Bryan: "She knows, obviously, only one of us will win." True enough, if you discount the possibility that neither Voltaggio wins and the prize goes to Gillespie. Did Bryan mean to say, "only one of us can win"? Or was that a slip?Baltimore Sun

That's how it looked. But maybe they're playing us.

I have quite the opposite reaction (albeit off of a very small sample). I find his writing witty, a bit sarcastic, rich and entertaining. Look forward to more. I enjoyed "The Cheat" article too.

Thems are fighting words. I KNOW my wife would disagree with you. Now that I have kids "helping" me in the kitchen, I think FEMA should get involved.

As for the lack of personality, I wonder how much is just an editorial decision on how to cut the episodes? They simply don't have the time to build up too many personalities. The recipe from previous seasons seems to be 1-2 personalities are heavily framed (Stephan, Spike/Lisa...). It also seems that the chosen personality usually makes it pretty far (or else they wouldn't focus on him in the editing room...although Spike was an exception). That would bode well for Mike I. Sounds/looks like Eli and Ash have some pretty big personalities that don't get too much time. Aren't we nearing the stage of the season where we lose one of the top contestants as a result of an unexpectedly poor performance (thought that was Mike V last week)? Will Eli and Mike I. ever cook up to their pedigree?

That was a great post oakapple.

This news makes me sad. I liked the mix of content that Gourmet provided and felt that it was getting even better recently. Specifically the online content was getting really good and, after a hiatus of a couple of years, I was about to renew my hard-copy subscription. I wonder if Bon App will change much to incorporate a more Gourmet feel or if it's gone forever. Food and Wine might be the biggest beneficiary.

me too. ← Loved it.

Agree w/ rconnelly's and ochowie's sentiments about Jamie.

Duck fat is the new bacon. ← I think that lamb fat might become fairly popular too.

What you're basically saying is that the rules produce a "meh" winner 40% of the time. Of course, without a larger sample the actual probability is not known—over many years, if it lasts that long, the show could be better or worse than that. To "fix" it, they need to tone down the elements of chance and luck, because those are the factors that produce undeserving winners.ETA: What I'm saying is that I don't think Bravo fixed anything after Season 2, or that they necessarily broke anything in Season 5. It could have been just bad luck that we had undeserving winners twice, or good luck that it did not turn out that way a lot more often. ← One thing that felt that it had been "fixed" prior to Season 5 was casting. Off the top of my head, the competitors seemed weak in Season 5 compared to previous seasons (I'm certainly not the first to state this). For example, IIRC, didn't they go out and recruit Blais to compete in season 4? Did they do that in Season 5? Other than Jamie, none of the season 5 competitors seem that they might have been recruited? I guess my point is that better casting can make a difference. Having said that, could the previous couple of season's casting been due to good luck in casting? Perhaps, but the Blais anecdote seems to suggest otherwise. EDITED: corrected obnoxious use of quotation marks

I strongly 3rd the Sweatman's opinion, if time permit's. I usually swear by Holly's recommendations but I thought Maurice's was mediocre, at best. Maybe I caught it on a bad day. Like he said, there's plenty of other really good food in Charleston.

Thanks for the recommendations Carolyn. I fell horribly ill and missed out on everything. Completely disappointed. I will carry these recommendations with me for the next time.

Had good meals at both Zin and Pomme Frite. Zin: Everyone seem to enjoy their meals. My hangar steak was cooked perfectly and delicious. Steak tartare was good also. Very good service, extensive wine list with a nice recommendation from the server. Had a nice lunch also. Very nice atmosphere. I would definitely second all of the positive comments above. Pomme Frite: Food was good, if not as good as Zin, but less expensive IIRC. I would definitely go back here also.

After a long trip eating with others, I will have one night this Friday alone in SF. I can't decide between all the recommendations others have made here for one meal. Are there any good neighborhoods for a solo diner to hit multiple places in one night, squeezing in to the bar for a drink and a small plate, and then moving on to the next place? It'll be this Friday, so I expect crowds may be a challenge. Relevant info: *Staying in the financial district but willing to go anywhere that it's easy to get a cab *Will eat anything. No restrictions. *Willing to go low end or high end or a mix *Savory is far more important than sweet *Food is more important than drink (but drinks are always nice) Thanks in advance for recommendations.

Top of the head thoughts (from North to South), though I'm sure others will have more. Take the 13/301 detour to avoid Baltimore and DC and eat blue crab at Captain Billy's in Pope's Creek, MD. Not sure how the timing of your trip will coincide with crabbing. Annapolis has several options too. Richmond, VA: The restaurant Comfort, for good new Southern food. Relatively close to the highway also. Raleigh/Chapel Hill. Raleigh's about a 30 min detour off of 95 but the Triangle makes for a good overnight stop. I'd probably hit Lantern in Chapel Hill or Magnolia Grill in Durham if I had one nice meal in the Triangle. I'd also hit the state farmer's market in Raleigh for some inspiration on what still grows in the South in the winter. Barbecue: Wilbur's in Goldsboro, NC or Sweatman's in Holly Hill, SC. Both about a 30 min detour off 95. There's another place in Wilson, NC that I can't remember the name of right now.

That was the question that came to my mind, are the "Mackerel and squid and other fatty fish" sustainable themselves for this practice or are we just pushing the problems lower on the chain? Looks delicious.

celery victor. celery a la grecque.

I've never (knowingly) eaten a bug but those junebugs did look intriguing.

I've been a big fan of Edible Communities publications for a while. Sometimes pick them up when I'm visiting a region and have even sent a gift subscription. I'm excited that the Valley has its own version now: Edible Pioneer Valley. I picked up the premier issue for free at River Valley Market in Northampton. I've only read parts of this issue but have enjoyed what's in there. It includes a nice balance of articles about eating, produce, restaurants, and the entire food culture in the Valley. It encapsulates why living here is great if you love food. The website is still very much under construction but you can see it here.

Hooray for The Fort

Bravo. Both for the meal and the report. Thanks much.

Anyone know the policy? I've searched, but cannot find any info. Thanks in advance.