As of July 10th, it hasn't opened. Doesn't seem like TJ's will open until at least Fall. There isn't even a roof to the building yet. =(

I second Tony's Brick Oven Pizza on Bay Street. Decent prices and the pizza is great! I always go there whenever we are having pizza. Tried Lees Tavern, Goodfellas and this place down the block from Goodfellas (don't remember the name) and I think Tony's is the best! Glad we live by them!!

I have a decent amount of counter space, but not quite enough for what I leave on my counter:
Musts:
Zorjirushi hot water boiler
Rice cooker
blender
2x Utensil crocks
knife block/knives
Tray for my cooking oils/salt

hoping to get rid of:
dish rack (when we get a dishwasher)

Hi ALL!

My Hubs and I are looking for a kitchen island. We figured an island on casters would be best since we can roll it out of the way if we have a big dinner party. Any suggestions on some islands? We've been eying one at Crate and Barrel, but I'm looking for other alternatives.. Any recs?

Thanks in advance!

Great thread, I lived in SI for the past 10 yrs (Fort. Wadsworth) and haven't been to a lot of the restaurants...I'll def. try some of the recommended ones here. Thanks!!

Wow, thanks for all of the responses!! I think I'm going to go for the 12 in for now and then purchase a 10" later on....
I would mostly use it for fish filets, steak, sear scallops or whatnot. I have a wok for my stir frying needs and I also have a 4 qt. saute pan. I am trying to add the basics into my cookware collection. Thanks so much!!

Hi all Chowsers,

I am looking for a fry pan for every day use but I don't know if a 10 in or a 12 in would be most practical. There are only 2 of us in the household but we have a lot of family dinners. Would I need both?

Also, All Clad SS or MC2?

Thanks in advance!

Good choice with the Electrolux! I recently bought a 30" Electrolux free standing range (the one with "wave touch" controls) and I love it! Looks beautiful and performs very well...I love the ball bearing oven racks and the fact that the oven doors stay put wherever I leave them. For the money this is a great oven, I spent $2,100 and they had the 10% back Visa card promotion...wonderful!

Horrible service, the wait staff are not friendly and they don't know how to be curtious to their customers. My bf and I were seated in the back which was much quieter. Waited 15 - 20 mins just for the waitress to come by to ask if we were ready to order (keep in mind that the place was practically empty besides a few regulars at the bar). After we ordered the food took insanely long to come out (we just ordered some appetizers and a pizza). The waitress never came by to see how we were doing, if we needed more water/drinks, nothing! We had to walk out towards the front to get their attention. Never going back to this dump again. I really miss Lento's!!

I got my pot, the handle on the lid is missing a screw so I have to send it back. Amazon said they'll ship another one out to me but I am now having my doubts. I've read somewhere online about Staub and lead. Is this true? I will have an infant and little children that will eat the food that will be cooked with this pot and I am afraid of lead poisioning. Any insights will be much appreciated...maybe I should stick with my LC after all?

Thanks for everyone's replies! I bought the Staub from Amazon! I am so excited and can't wait to use it =) I really want to see for myself how Staub compares to Le Creuset (I have a 3 qt LC at home). What kind of Staub is that on QVC? Why is there such a big price difference? Is the QVC one an imitation? But it is also made in France....

5qt french oven for $147. Is it a deal?? Should I go for it? How does it compare to Le Creuset? Thanks!!

Would manual sharpenning be better or the use of electric sharpeners? Is the outcome the same, only personal preference?

Try Ray's Steaks in Rosslyn VA, decent prices for some great steaks!

These are actually really popular Asian snacks. It is indeed ginger. You can find these in almost all Chinatowns (NYC,SF, Toronto) at small grocery's or in supermarkets. They are yummy!

I also don't understand why so maybe people are having so much trouble with their grill pan. I use mine for almost everything (steak, grilled sandwiches, grilled salmon, etc) with no problems cleaning it. I just let it soak for a little bit and everything comes off with a little nylon scrubber.

Great!! Thanks for all of the great tips! I got all of the food off by soaking it in hot water. Only thing is what once used to be an all black fry pan now has brown/orangy burn marks on it. Battle wound I suppose... =)

I def. have to try this place out...
I like Congee Village, how does that compare?

Thanks a lot! I hope that it is just an oil stain. I have yet to try cooking on it. I greased it some more and just left it alone, kind of afraid to make it worse. I should try using it tonight.

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering if anyone can help me with this. I don't know what I was trying to do but I put my Le Creuset skillet (oiled with olive oil) on the burner (using medium heat) and then forgot about it. Next thing I know I smelled the burning and ran to it. I saw the skillet smoking, and by the time the smoke settled the inside of my skillet (which is suppose to be black) now has brown spots.

so my question is, is my skillet ruined? Is there anything I can or should do?
Would Le Creuset cover it? I would think this is neglect and they won't but has anyone else have this problem?

Thank you!!!

great post, lots of good info!

Jaws,
What then would you recommend??

Some good suggestions here!

Does anyone know of a good Sushi restaurant in SI? We are taking my sister out to dinner because she passed 2 AP exams!! WOOHOO! We live in SI but we haven't really tried any sushi restaurants here.

Any good recommendations?

Congee Village is great for authentic chinese food. It is one of my favorite places to eat in Ctown! Also try Na Trang on Bayard St. in Ctown for some tasty Vietnamese food!

Revsharkie, I don't know what black and blue steak is either...and I've been to quite a few steakhouses. Just never heard the term before..

I think it just adds more flavor to any type of food. It seems as if anything with MSG tastes good to me. But I think the MSG in instant noodle packages and at the take out chinese rest. are the worst.

I'd go for a variety of things...some nice wooden spoons, a good peppermill, apron (I really like their quailty), bakeware (silpat), random but useful tools and gadgets (eg. lemon reamer). But I've also been eying the All Clad Wok (round bottom).

What about an ice cream maker?? I don't think I would ever buy one for myself, but I would like to receive on as a gift =)

Sur La Table has some very nice ones. I bought mine from there and I love it! The handle end of it has "France" etched on it.