jschyun

I just had some Frog Hollow Peach sorbetto from Gelateria Naia in Berkeley. Tasted like a cold, sweet, creamy peach.

Food Tutor, i kind of agree with you when you say it's not a good idea for strict (religious I guess) vegetarians to order fries period. I did eat fries when i was a vegetarian, but not very often, and not when i was a vegan. However, I think that unlike you, the general public is not aware of all the hidden flavorings in various things. They don't have the experience and access that you, a food professional, do. Really the only thing that a normal, non-food-professional can do is write or call the company to check. That's why vegans I know try to call or write the company before eating what appears to them to be a questionable product. That's why when people called or wrote to the company and got a very inaccurate answer, they were ticked off. I think the french fries thing did come as a shock to a lot of people. it's just not an intuitive thing. When I think french fries, I think oil and potatoes. I don't think a little beef flavoring on the side. Sure you can fry in lard, but McDonald's said it was all oil at that point. Maybe you, as a food professional, can roll your eyes at me, but I just don't see french fries as a non-vegetarian product. also I suspect there was a little culture clash going on, which may or may not have added fuel to the fire.

Wow, are you lucky I was looking for an old thread. You sent this right after I left on vacation. Miho does not serve naengmyun, which is what i suspect you're looking for. Stretchy brown noodles in an icy, clear beef broth with slices of meat, kimchi, cuke, asian pear, and a halved egg on top? That's naengmyun, a dish of pure, chilly satisfaction. There is a new naengmyun house that just opened up sort of across the street from Miho, but I haven't been there yet. I'll go there soon and let you know how it is. Miho does serve great knife cut noodles in soup though. Known as "kalguksu" (knife+noodle) you can get it with all sorts of stuff in there. However, in this heat, I'd advise against their kalguksu. Hangari Noodle House does serve naengmyun, i think both the spicy non soup version (bibimnaengmyun) and the one with soup, non spciy (mool naengmyun) Where are you? If you are in irvine, my favorite place is Kaya. Consistently great banchan that I can demolish all by myself, and entrees are for the most part, solid. For lunch the naengmyun (kind with icy soup in it) is $5.99. I should take a pic of the naengmyun wall sign. It says something about how refreshing naengmyun is on a hot day. Actually, I've been going to kaya exclusively for a while. Thanks for reminding me that I need to start getting my butt to other places again. Hangari Noodle House (they speak English quite well here) 9916 Garden Grove Blvd Garden Grove, CA 714-537-0100 Miho Restaurant (no English) 9735 Garden Grove Blvd Garden Grove 92844 714-539-5064 Kaya (sort of speak english here) 14120 Culver Dr , Irvine 949-726-9424 Here's some random pics. The other pics were junk. Miho's chogae kalguksu (knife cut noodles with clams) Kaya storefront if you have room for dessert, go to the food court in Arirang Market ( 8281 Garden Gove Boulevard, Garden Grove, (714) 539-2702). They have the best pahtbingsu (shaved ice with red beans) in OC, IMHO. --at kaya the teriyaki chicken wasn't so good though.

Well, well, coming down to our den of iniquity, eh? Judging from your posts, I'm guessing you'll like Danko. You're too late for reservations, but that's okay. You can sit at the bar and get the full menu there. I think $78 US for a five course meal. i believe you will dislike Zuni.

Hmm, interesting. I can't the difference between Viet baguette and French one. In fact, in my nearest Vietnamese neighborhood, there is a French bakery with French bakers that bakes up baguettes that all the Vietnamese customers snap up. I can ask, but I seriously doubt they put rice flour in their baguettes (quel horreur!) hehe Your description of a Vietnamese baguette: This sounds like a regular French baguette. --spelling edit --i don't understand that recipe.

What about using a regular baguette?

tommy I wasn't talking about your post.

Oh my God, mags just said what I was going to say, but better. Also, we are talking about 2 different lawsuits here. The first, initiated by Harish Bharti in 2001 was about the beef flavoring not being listed as part of what McD's says is the "natural flavoring" in this product. A part of that lawsuit revolved around the fact that McD employees would tell vegetarians that there was no animal products in the fries, and even pointed to the fries and hash browns as vegetarian friendly. If McD's had just come out and said yes there is beef flavoring in the fries, and not had a policy of outright lying and misinformation, there would have been no lawsuit. --edit the company knowingly lied finally they admit it This current lawsuit, as I understand it, is about McD's failure to reduce trans fat levels in their cooking oil. I personally think it is frivolous. I don't understand the comments made by some that suggest that vegetarians shouldn't be eating junk food. If you're eating a healthy diet, a little junk food is fine. Also, since everyone else in America seems to eat at McDonalds, it helps to fit in. I think these comments are unnecessarily harsh and reflect an inability to walk in someone else's shoes. --edit wrote wrong year

If I'm in town, (L.A. that is) and you're interested, I might take you guys on the Joe (won't say his last name to protect his identity) Underbelly Tour of L.A. I'll just say it ends somewhere on Sunset Blvd.

LA Times Food Section -- July 14, 2004 To view the articles below, register a username with www.latimes.com. Registration is free. There is a separate Calendar section with more food articles, but you have to pay a fee for those. Special Issue/ The French in L.A. A picnic with Alain -- Leslie Brenner "In honor of Bastille Day, Alain Giraud, L.A.'s top French chef, prepares a Provençal lunch made for our great outdoors." Recipes Go west, Jean-François -- Charles Perry A little history on French immigrants in L.A in the late 1800's, early 1900's. There was once a "Frenchtown" in L.A. The long, exquisite moment -- Daniel Young A piece about aperitifs, a drink to start a meal. Talks about different types of aperitifs, shifts in tastes. Includes list of places where you can buy aperitifs. Carême de la Carême -- Regina Schrambling Talks about the book "Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef" by Ian Kelly ($26) a biography and cookbook. Recipes A French classic returns -- Sarah Grausz Piece on ile flottante (floating island) Recipe California adventure -- David Shaw French-born winemaker Stephan Asseo is producing some interesting wines from his Paso Robles vineyard. Wine of the Week -- S. Irene Virbila Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée No. 728 Brut: "...a beautifully complex Champagne, one of the best I've ever tasted as this price level. It's nice and toasty on the nose, has lots of fine bubbles and a lovely, drawn-out finish." About $40 Authentic fare that's magnifique -- Leslee Komaiko "Special French-themed nights, even French-themed weeks, are an ongoing attraction at restaurants all around town" including JiRaffe, Chaya, Mimosa, Bosc and others. A lovely little bistro by starlight -- S. Irene Virbila Cafe Stella in Silver Lake gets 1*. "An interesting L.A.-French vibe", good service, and food is textbook French bistro but not stellar. LA Times Hot Food Book List Formatting is weird. You need to scroll way down to see it. " Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill" is #1.

I know there are plenty of LGBT workers in restaurants. On the other hand, I live in California. Another celebrity guess, Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake, SF. --this might be another thread...

Lovely blog. I was feeling a little unhealthy today, but I read your blog and felt much better.

It appears that stone fruit in general are great this year, thanks to the hot spring weather we had. That could explain why docsconz had some great fruit this year, and not so great the other year, from the same supplier. If you followed the papers, there were a handful of articles about the great stone fruit this year, including the cool articles mentioned by Russ Parsons above.

By the way, I was just in Northridge and saw the HUGE Galleria Market there. I went inside and it's probably the most upscale Korean market in the U.S. that I have ever seen. Unbelieveable!

Thanks! I'm more amazed with the Galleria than ever. I used to think it was only a place for overpriced clothes and such. Also, I found them at Ranch 99 but I haven't bought them yet. Apparently this was originally a Chinese dish that Koreans made their own.

do you TOUCH THEM!!! DO YOU TOUCH THEM!!?????! But of course you guys know that eggs come out of a chicken's butt. alright, alright, it's called the "vent", but everything comes out of there... I mean everything. But don't worry, they wash the eggs before sticking them in a carton for your enjoyment.

sorry, I'm catching up and i'm a slow reader. thanks.

any more news on whether chef g is leaving and if so, when? I am about to reserve plane tickets and a reservation for 2 at Trio, in early Sept. Lovely pix.

What, may I ask, is a lower-fat oil? Is this an oxymoron or what?

I don't know if mustard is the best example to use, to argue that breaking open jars and sticking your finger in there wil cause others to get sick. I believe mustard oil has antibacterial properties, so the likelihood that someone will get sick from your finger is pretty remote. And if the mustard oil doesn't work, the vinegar and salt would inhibit bacterial growth to some extent. But I sure as hell will not be buying that jar! I think a better example would be maybe jars of fruit or veggies in liquid. Perfect for little baby bacteria. Slightly off topic, I think it sucks when I buy some cosmetic product, say a foundation compact and I get home and someone has taken a finger and swabbed it already. Cosmetic items can be breeding grounds for germs, thus I refuse to use tainted products. But I can't take it back because it's already been used. (I think Rite-Aid allows returns, however). Now, I try to check before buying, but I sometimes forget. One reason to buy your cosmetics at the cosmetics counter at Macy's. --or go bare!

Like Germany?

if waste is the real reason behind your stem picking, realize that those stems are going to be thrown away by someone, whether it be you or the grocer. The only difference is that you are not paying for them. I'm not saying it's wrong or right, but your rationalization is based on the faulty assumption that picking off your stems means less waste. you just don't pay for the waste, that's all.

I love carrots, but i don't think salmon are eating carrot meal. Instead I think they get a vitamin supplement called astaxanthin that wild salmon gets naturally from their diet of lobster, shrimp and such. astaxanthin is a carotene related to the beta-carotene found in carrots, but not the same thing. astaxanthin can also be found in those pills you take to tan "naturally". i heard it turns your sweat orange, but I couldn't find a link that said that.

hell if i know. i can't figure out the sf chron's rating system, except in the most general way (most of the restaurants I want to visit get about 1-2.5 stars). i don't even look at the stars anymore, i try to divine how good it was from the enthusiasm of the reviewer, but that has failed me before.

2 stars means good. "RATINGS KEY FOUR STARS: Extraordinary THREE STARS: Excellent TWO STARS: Good ONE STAR: Fair (box): Poor "