WHS

Never store salt and sugar in identical mason jars and not label them...

Here's my Harlingen report: It's 83 degrees in January, there's corn growing across the road, and the garden center is selling tomato plants...tomorrow we go back to New Hampshire, where we can look forward to a foot of snow. We've eaten Tex-Mex at Tila's, a funky place in a strip mall next to Target. The refried beans were the best, probably made with lard. My new addiction is pico de gallo and chili con queso. Dora Vela's downtown is open 24/365 and has that authentic cement block ambience with big family tables. Garcia's was also good. We had grilled quail at Lone Star BBQ on Business 83. The quail was finger-lickin good--whatever they marinate it in keeps it moist and toothsome. The brisket was dry, beef ribs were good, cole slaw, beans and potato salad were above average. We went to Marchan's at the White Sands Motel in Port Isabel. This is a place my dad used to take us back in the 70's and it hasn't changed. It was great to sit outside by the marina, drink 99 cent frozen margaritas, and watch the pelicans. Mixed reviews on the food--the u-peel-em shrimp had that iodine taste which means they've been around a while, the clam chowder (what were we thinking?) was wallpaper paste, but the ceviche was tasty and fresh, the fried oysters were plump and juicy, and the whole fried flounder was excellent. The surprise of the visit was Sopa's Stone Court Cafe on Stuart Place Rd. It's owned by a Thai lady, and the food was some of best Thai home cooking I've had in the States. The Beef Salad was incendiary, and the green chicken curry was authentic. Good Pad Thai and spring rolls. It's the only Thai restaurant I've been to that has chicken-fried steak and Ruben sandwiches on the menu too.

Yeah, I found a couple too--sort of like finding that extra sock in the dryer...

Fernando's used to make a great pasta with sardines, and a nice stuffed squid. There's a good salumeria across the street that makes its own fresh mozz. Been a while since I was there.

Ah, pastrami to make you weep...I lived across Houston Street from Katz's and Russ & Daughters back in the '80's--did I go? I was too busy eating bad trendy food in SoHo. Now that it's a 4 hour drive, I miss it.

I got ambitious yesterday and cleaned out the freezer in the cellar. I reacquainted myself with some items that have been languishing for a long, long, long time. For example: Sweetbreads dated 1998! Duck Legs from 2000! Tupperware containers filled with ??? I think it was pesto from the summer of '02, and that prune compote....what was that about? Also, onion rolls from Ratners-remember when they closed? This is the tip of the (literal) iceberg. I ended up taking two 33 gallon hefty bags of freezer-burned mystery meat and other sundry items to the dump. My New Year's resolution is to label everything that goes downstairs. Share your horror stories...

Do you have recipes, pictures, or better descriptions of this.. Sounds great! ← A cream soup with the velvety texture of Billi Bi, with yuzu and "japanese pepper" (shichimi?). The lobster's there to justify the $16 price--what elevates this dish is the uni--it's like eating the ocean.

New Year's Eve at Spice Market at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok Pizza at Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn Porterhouse steak at Wolfgang's, New York Dinner at Notchland Inn, Crawford Notch, NH Cassolette of Lobster and Sea Urchin at Clio, Boston 8 course tasting menu at EVOO in Somerville MA 5 course dinner at Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge, Ballingary, Ireland Scallops at Out of the Blue in Dingle, Ireland Hot Dogs at Nathans, Oceanside, Long Island Seafood Risotto and grilled branzino at Angelo's, Flushing, Queens

Watercress and bean sprouts!

I have a Japanese friend who adds butter for "battah ramen"

What's your preferred ramen brand? I only use Sapporo Ichiban Original.

Sometimes I make it with canned low sodium, low fat chicken stock, leave out the flavor packet and add soy sauce and sesame oil. I add tofu, potstickers, kamaboko, leftover chicken to the stock and add a raw egg to semi-cook for the last 2 minutes. I'll add kimchi and scallions to the bowl and pour the soup over them. Top with shichimi and furikake.

No, I meant we had Isaan dishes AND duck curry and a bunch of other stuff...there were seven of us so we went crazy and ordered everything. Of course there were a hundred food stalls and restaurants between the hotel and the Pratunam bridge which were maybe even better, but it was so easy to sink into the plush.

Praline Bacon--bacon, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne and pecans...I just made a batch for the office Christmas party and had to sample a "few" slices...I feel sick...but in a good way...

Austin, I think you are overstating the case that dining in the US is more "exclusive" than in Thailand. What about restaurants like Mahanaga or any of the upscale places around Ekamai that cater to sophisticated, rich Thais? They use ingredients like foie gras or kobe beef and combine them with things like lemongrass and galangal. I would agree with you that food in Thailand tends to be more egalitarian in preparation though. The first night we arrived in Bangkok after a 26 hour flight we took the easy route and had dinner at the Erawan, and I must say it was delicious. We has Isaan dishes, duck curry, mee krob, sticky rice with mango, etc. We could have had the same dishes anywhere else in Bangkok at a tenth of the price. However, the place was filled with well-to-do Thais, not just farangs. So I think the desire for exclusivity exists everywhere. And if you don't think Thai people can be pretentious, materialistic snobs, just take a visit to the Prada boutique in Gaysorn Plaza.

Enjoy--and for your files, here is a recipe for Duck with ginger and honey from a restaurant in Prague called U Modre Kachnichky, which is famous for its duck: http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2005/Art/1215/featu1.php

I did a "peking-style" duck a few years back which involved par-boiling the whole bird in a mixture of water, soy sauce, star anise, ginger and garlic for about 10-15 minutes to render some of the fat, then letting it air-dry overnight to crisp up the skin. Then you roast it as you would western-style. You get the succulent meat and the crispy skin, without having to install a whole Chinese kitchen. I also have a "Stewed Chinese Duck" recipe from the Bangkok Post if you're interested...

Kolkovna Group has a group of pubs and restaurants that serve good Czech food and have clean bathrooms! Try the pig's shank stuffed with sauerkraut or the stinky cheese and sausage plate. Website: http://www.kolkovna.cz The usual list of high end places include Bellevue, Kampa Park, U Modre Kachnicky, and the beautiful art nouveau restaurant in the Hotel Pariz. The Prague Post has extensive restaurant listings: http://www.praguepost.com/

Just bought "Bouchon" for $15 at Building 19 in Nashua! $50 retail...

Using basmati rice to cure my dog of the runs.

One of my greatest disappointments was when they discontinued garlic pistachios.

Maybe not cutting edge, but "Out of the Blue" in Dingle, Ireland has some of the freshest seafood available, prepared by a chef from Brittany. The owner's brother is a fisherman, and if he doesn't think the catch is good, he doesn't open the restaurant. Here's the website: http://www.outoftheblue.ie

I've heard good things about Helmand. Any recs for Korean food? ← I really like Hometown in Union Square (Somerville), but New Jang Su (Burlington) has great BBQ. You'd need a car to get to New Jang Su however as it is 20 minutes north of the city. ← And 30 minutes south of Nashua--thanks!

I think the worst meal we ever served was the first year we moved to New Hampshire from New York City. We had some people from the office over for dinner and served them a "napoleon" of asparagus--layers of puff pastry with a lemon sauce, followed by chicken breast in parchment. Everybody poked at the asparagus and didn't know what to do with the parchment. We went through a lot of bread though. Later, one of our guests told us they had never eaten asparagus before, and that her husband makes her strain bottled Ragu spaghetti sauce to get rid of the chunks.

I've heard good things about Helmand. Any recs for Korean food?