dscott

Ditto. Some great shots. Made me want to eat the photo. (Isn't that the point?) Anyone have the menu? (if there was a written one).

I loved the choice of location for the crappie photo shoot. Very nice touch! An intentional choice or just fortuitous?

Bummer for you New Yorkers if those buns are coming off the menu. They're everything that people rave about. Had lunch (pork buns) at Ssam today. That lunch special is a great deal. (Thanks for the Noodle Bar recommendation Fat Guy, but I just didn't have the stomach for the full "Momofuku experience" today.)

How'd you make those kale chips?

I know this is hardly re-inventing the wheel in terms of pantry items but success for me with our CSA means keeping the following things on hand: Garlic, onions, shallots, lemons, limes, a variety of nuts in the freezer, dried fruit, spices/peppers/salt, a few good vinegars and oils (olive, sesame, maybe a nut oil), a few cheeses, greek yogurt and, like you mentioned, a variety of grains, pastas and noodles. I assume you'll get fresh herbs w/ the CSA One strategy I try to use is to list what I got at the CSA and a rough estimate of what I have and/or need to use in the fridge (mainly in terms of proteins). Then I try to match up the 2 using what I have in the pantry. It usually works out pretty well but the menus always change over the course of the week. Even with that strategy, I always spend lots of time on food sites trying to figure out how to use up something from the farm (like the 2lbs of Komatsuma stalks and baby bok choy stalks I have in the fridge right now, already used the greens).

I'll be in town next week and would like to do a solo lunch at Ssam. Is lunch as difficult to get in as dinner? What's the best timing strategy for a solo? Are the portions manageable for a solo? (I want those pork buns).

Anyone know what the remaining schedule looks like? (Can't find anything on the website). With 4 contestants headed to PR, how many episodes are we looking at for the finale?

Is that Rick Tramonto as guest judge next week? Nice. For the most part, I've really enjoyed the guest judges this season. Do they seem to be a step up (across the board) since past seasons? The promo for next week is edited to make Richard look like he's on the chopping block The thing is, given the risks that Richard takes with flavors and textures, you can totally see the ax happening at some point. It's clear how everyone/most people on this thread feel about Spike and Lisa. However, don't you fear one of the other 4 having a bad night next week (a la last season's Tre or even Casey at the Finale) and Spike and Lisa keeping on? I know that Tom has said that he doesn't let producers impact the final three (or something to that effect) but I just believe that the producers would love to have either Spike or Lisa in the final 3. [Where is that throw up smilie?]

Bump I need a few updates for 2 lunches 2 dinners in July We know Newport a little bit, but from a long time ago. In other words, we know our way around town but really don't know where to eat. Well, except for the obvious (Flo's will be a stop for old time's sake but that can be in between meals). We prefer somewhat casual. That means no jackets and nowhere that's too pretentious (I can get pretention elsewhere [e.g., NYC]). I've never been to any of the following frequently recommended restaurants but they all seem to fit the bill of too formal, fussy or pretentious: White Horse Tavern, Spiced Pear, Tucker's (less certain abt Tucker's). Asterisk looks and sounds nice but no recent reviews. The good news is that it appears to be open for midweek lunches. Salvation cafe looks interesting too (dinner only). How's Cafe Zelda these days? Menu looks great (e.g., cheeses from Farmstead in Providence, locally source where possible, bistro classics) Cafe Zelda . We have a history at Zelda so I'd love to hit it if the food and reviews are still good. Anything else interesting? We'll be with coastal Californians so I don't think we need to worry about Asian. Seafood would be good (since east coast seafood is different from theirs) but Scales and Shells sounds a bit too loud and rowdy. Any chance at good portuguese or italian flavors? Most important factor is really interesting, tasty food. Thanks in advance

Bravo

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. You missed the best thing at Allen & Son: Desserts (the cue is great too).

A fairly interesting NYT article on Connecticut cheesemakers

Haven't been in a number of years but the Silver Pig was good Carolina style BBQ the last time I tried it. Certainly not fine dining.

Yes, that article was full of descriptions of changes to RL's marketing and their FOH look, but very little about the food and, as importantly to me, their BOH operations. Living relatively near the coast, I have zero need to eat at a RL because I have good seafood options within relatively close proximity. However, if I lived in a small town/city in the heartland, I can see this being tempting if you wanted to eat seafood out. Especially since the grocery stores out there might not be stocking the freshest seafood themselves. So, what would I want to hear from RL? I'd want to know more about this "delivery 6 days a week" statement. From where and what's being delivered? Is the new product matching the hype? More importantly, I'd want to know what they're doing to train their BOH about how to cook fish. I'd be too scared about getting rubbery, overcooked fish. Preparing fresh seafood is different from dropping frozen shrimp in the fryolator. Frankly, I'd probably rather have shrimp from the fryolator than some overcooked, inedible "fresh" fish. Take some lessons from another seafood chain (albeit expensive), Legal Sea Foods. I don't eat there often b/c I have much better options, but I've always had my food prepared well at LSF.

Don't forget Western Mass maple syrup. This place might be open (N. Hadley Sugar Shack) and, if not, Atkins Farms Mkt should have some. They both can be pretty drives from Hatfield.

Yep, I'd say it's all pretty much in this list. Green St. Cafe has closed, unfortunately, and a few other places have changed hands. My the preference order would be: TJ Buckleys Blue Heron Circa Del Raye I've heard that Chez Albert in Amherst is great (maybe better than TJ Buckleys), but I haven't tried it. Of course, the Smithsonian in Hatfield has that country charm. July? Take a drive around and look at how lucky we are to have all the great farm stands in Hatfield and Whately.

Don't know where you're staying so here's a variety of dinner options in or near to Springfield (with websites or menus/reviews): Max's Tavern The Federal (next to S'field in Agawam, if you have a car) Federal Chef Wayne's Big Mamou (cajun, creole) Big Mamou Pho Saigon Couple of old school german options w/ good beer: Student Prince Hofbrauhaus Killer roadfood greasy burgers:White Hut Have a beer across the street at Hofbrauhaus and chase it with a couple of burgers from White Hut. Breakfast? Nothing spectacular in Springfield jumps out at me. This place is o.k. Rein's. Do you have a car? One exit north on 91 (Exit 13, Riverdale Road-Rte 5 North) gets you some absolutely killer donuts at Donut Dip. Search Northampton/Amherst for other options if you are willing to drive a little ways.

Based on your comments, Zen's your spot. I find it very relaxing and it's comfortable enough (no couches or anything like that, however). Woodstar is just as busy as Sylvester's and it's more cramped, so it's not particularly comfortable. Frankly, it's a great place to grab a sandwich and coffee for an in-town picnic. Usually, I'm a big Sylvester's fan for casual breakfast and lunch, but the food has been simply average on my last several visits. If you have any reason to be heading toward Amherst, I think that Esselon Cafe on Rte 9 in Hadley does fit your bill. I've never found it noisy, even when it's busy, and on a nice day there's both a nice porch and patio. It's a welcome addition to the area. Plus, the food and coffee are both very good. Having said all of that, in Northampton, Zen is my go-to nice lunch spot.

The Green St situation is disappointing. Though I keep hearing different stories. Last thing I heard was that they had made all of their required fixes and had re-opened, but your phone call would contradict that. I have not been or called myself. My strongest recommendation, after Green St, would be Zen. Zen is a nice Pan-Asian place for lunch. The food is reliable (and, more often than not, excellent). The space is very pleasant and welcoming. Would you mind a good sandwich and/or soup? Woodstar Cafe on Masonic is the type of bakery/coffee shop that every town deserves. THe sandwiches are excellent and it's a wonderful spot. It's biggest problem is that it's often busy, although I'm sure everywhere will be busy w/ the parade this weekend. Paul and Elizabeth's is popular among a number of folks I know, but I've never been myself. Other than that, yes, you're looking at casual and ethnic places open for lunch. However, if you are coming this weekend, it may be worth a call into the nicer places to see if they'll be open b/c of the parade. Good luck.

Carrboro, NC

Arne, thanks for sending me on a wild goose chase on prices for your great suggestion. You could have mentioned that your "preference" costs ~$8000! Anyone else doing a similar thing to Thermador at a lower entry cost? I really want that Japanese fridge.

IMHO, in that area, Bobby and June's (10th ave?) is a better roadfood spot than the Varsity. Having said that, the Varsity certainly is fun and legend, and I always try to get a frosted orange (or whatever it's called) when I'm in town.

Just spent a week in Breck and wanted to concur with the Empire Burger comments. We cooked and ate in the condo most of the time but did hit Empire Burger (3 times actually). Great burgers and what appeared to be homemade fries and onion rings. I too loved the sriracha mayo but was less fond of the green curry sauce. Salads looked pretty good and the wings were excellent. Great bar food, nice setting and they have Stone on tap (one of my favorite micros). Saw all types in there: families, apres ski drinkers, late night crowds. Not fine dining but good value. Also enjoyed Mi Casa, but more for the margaritas than the food Love the cookie shop too (maybe called Mary's Mtn Cookies?).

TJ Buckleys in Brattleboro (30 miles) would keep you very happy and might even serve you some good VT cheeses. Two constraints: 1) It only seats about 20 so you'd almost need to reserve the whole joint (it's in a small caboose), 2) Cash only.