chinitav's Profile
What five cookbooks would you keep?
What a great thread - thanks for all the inspiration! Here's my list (this was HARD):
1) How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman (recently supplanted Joy of Cooking for me - sad)
2) How to Bake, Nick Maglieri (sp?)
3) Indian Cooking, Madhur Jaffrey
4) one of Mario Batali's -- currently in love with "Molto Gusto" - also love "Molto Italiano"
5) Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan (can I sneak in both Vol 1 and 2 on a two-fer?)
Fine Cheeses and Charcuterie in St. Louis
I went to Volpi's on Thursday -- they make and carry guanciale. I bought some, haven't used it yet. Will report.
Pls help me find amazing food near St Louis Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Where's the LOVE button? Excellent choices from greggold - you can't go wrong here!
Fine Cheeses and Charcuterie in St. Louis
I am so excited to find out where to buy guanciale locally - thank you! Just got back from Italy and the real deal bucatini all'amatriciana needs guanciale! Grazie mille.
Fine Cheeses and Charcuterie in St. Louis
DiGregorio's carries both domestic and imported pancetta, also some very good imported speck.
Need Help for dining this weekend in St. Louis!
If you want great pie, go to Sugaree Bakery in the Dogtown neighborhood and buy a mini one to go -- they are fabulous. Sugaree is open Fridays and Saturdays.
If you want a very good Italian place, try either Lorenzo's on the Hill (and steer clear of places like Rigazzi's and Cunetto's) or Trattoria Marcella on Watson. Great tapas - very authentic -
can be found at Modesto, also on the Hill. In Clayton area, BarCelona is also an excellent tapas place.
We love Franco in the Soulard area for French/continental food and interesting cocktails.
Have fun and bon appetit!
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Trattoria Marcella
3600 Watson Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63109
Venice, Florence & Rome oh my!
PS - In which sestiere (neighborhood) is your hotel in Venice?
Venice, Florence & Rome oh my!
Hey DaisyDaisy - We just returned from 8 days in Italy - Ferrara, Venice, and Rome. We had great food everywhere, but even with all the research I did ahead of time, Venetian prices were a shocker. I will say that we could have eaten for less there if we'd done some pizza places for dinner, but we are foodies and just couldn't give up trying the Venetian specialities, which are quite unusual. So we'll pay off the credit card...
We had an absolutely outstanding meal at Osteria Oliva Nera in Castello, to the tune of about €50 per person for 3 courses. Desserts were amazing (don't miss the panna cotta and mascarpone cheesecake). It is a mostly locals place, warm and cozy. The owners are lovely and we had a very special evening there.
We were delighted to find that we could eat a 3-course meal for about half of what we paid in Venice. In Trastevere try Otello or Augusto (noisy, local places), near the Pantheon do not miss the superb Ostaria Sostegno (quiet, more elegant spot with the most divine food).
Otello or Augusto will be in the €20-25 range for 3 courses, Sostegno €25-30, depending on what you order. I had spaghetti with black truffles for a primo and it was the most heavenly thing I've ever eaten (€16), but most of their pastas are €9 or 10.
Have fun!!!
Cooks Illustrated Chewy Brownies
I agree, if you're going to use a mix, Ghirardelli is the best. But almost as easy and certainly the best brownies I've ever made are from the Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate box --
they are amazing! Very simple to put together and everyone raves about them.
Slate Counter tops ... any ideas on removing white water spots?
Would love to know the product name. Our counter guys came back in late August, told us they'd been sealed with the wrong stuff, stripped them with denatured alcohol and then added ... Old English Oil -- which I know is not right either. It did not solve the problem. I think they're going to have to hone ours down at some point, but I can't stand the thought of being kitchenless again.
Despite the fact that the company we worked with has been around forever and has a great reputation, they obviously know nothing about slate countertops. I wish they'd just told me that - we'd have gone elsewhere. Grump.
Iowa City
Oh thank you, puzzler! That was driving me crazy -- I kept thinking "Nemo's" and knew it was wrong. Is it still there?
Non-traditional pies that are worth it... Thanksgiving
Wow - so much great stuff here! Thanks, everyone -- now who wants to come over and play
Test Kitchen?
What's your Favorite Christmas Cookie that you give as a Gift?
I always make my grandmother's date bars -- very old skool, very delicious. I also make
cherry streusel bars (recipe from an old Bon Appetit, I think), very decorated cut-out sugar cookies, and for candy -- Martha Stewart's English Toffee recipe. Last year I finally found fudge that I love, too, and sometimes do a 3-nut brittle that kicks.
Iowa City
I see this thread is ancient, but I just gotta say -- is The Sanctuary no longer there? Used to be such fab pizza (at least to a lowly undergrad in the 70's!). Will continue my reminiscence with fond memories of the Sheep's Head Cafe (perhaps mainly b/c an old beau worked there), The Brown Bottle (for a big date), and some cool sub place - can't remember the name - Someone's Sub... ahhhhhh, those were the days...
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The Brown Bottle
1624 5th Avenue, Moline, IL 61265
Brown Bottle
401 E Mill St, Plymouth, WI 53073
Non-traditional pies that are worth it... Thanksgiving
So in my family, Thanksgiving is the one holiday when folks kinda wig out when tradition is messed with. But this year we are going to friends' for the big feast and I'm bringing the pies.
I'll definitely make at least one old-skool pie, but would love to know if there are new, hipster
pies that you think are worth it. Would love to do something fun with cranberry/pecan perhaps?
Do share...
Slate Counter tops ... any ideas on removing white water spots?
Wish I had an answer, but I'm in the same boat... I love the look of them, but the water spots are driving me mad. They were sealed when installed, not quite a year ago, but obviously not well enough. (I think we were supposed to add another coat or two, but it wasn't clear and we were sick of not having a kitchen!) I'm going to break down and call our guy tomorrow -- will let you know what I find out, OK?
