vermontpoet's Profile
Dim Sum in Chinatown
Quick question .........what is the real name for the buns stuffed with sweet shredded pork? At Grand Chau Chow they offered steamed as well as my favorite baked ones with a beautiful shiny golden brown top. I love them so much and there's nowhere to get them where I live now. Boo hoo!!!
Dim Sum in Chinatown
I second that recommendation!!! Now that I live in Vermont in a small town.......no dim sum is available at all around here. I miss the days when my co-workers and I would walk the few blocks for a wonderful dim sum lunch. We had two dim sum experts in our group who always made sure we tried the tastiest dishes. I admit though, that I was not brave enough to try the chicken feet.
L'Espalier Lobster BLT..anyone tried it?
A photo of the lobster BLT at L'Espalier in the Boston Globe magazine has me wanting to hurry to Boston to try one. Has anyone tasted one? Is it as delicious as it looks in the photo?
Hershey's Special Dark
The kids and I just enjoyed two bagfuls of the Cacao Reserve....that we picked up free from using .......gasp...........coupons from the newspaper!
The kids gobbled the 2 varieties of milk chocolate and I hate the 70% dark all to myself. It put Special Dark to shame!
I used to really enjoy Special Dark.....when I was a kid...but then I journeyed to Switzerland....and practically lived on amazing chocolate for a week...which ruined most Hershey products for me.
Vlora, new Meditteranean in Copley
Was it Yenching Palace (it's been awhile..I may have goofed the spelling of Yenching)? I miss that place!
PTown, Truro and Wellfleet
I second the rec for the Portuguese bakery........ mmmmmmmmm!!
Anyone else love Wegmans?
HungryRubia,
Heh.......now I feel old old old... I graduated in '83!
Brattleboro Suggestions?
The Thai Garden on Main Street is one of my favorites in Brattleboro. Also, the Riverview Cafe (downtown near the green bridge to NH) can be very good and offers many choices made with fresh local ingredients. Top of the Hill Grill on Putney Road. The one time I went to Capers, I wasn't thrilled with my food..but my dining companion's dessert was amazing. For a casual lunch (don't expect great ambiance) the food Co-Op at the bottom of Canal Street/Main Street has some delicious, healthy choices.
If you want breakfast or brunch, try the Chelsea Royal Diner on Rt. 9. If you decide to go the pizza route... I think the best in town is Village Pizza .....near exit 3 off I-91.
Enjoy your stay in Brattleboro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm a 3rd generation Brattleboro resident..so I'm a tad partial to this wonderful, lively town)
Favourite birthday cake idea or recipe?
For a family birthday last year, I made a chocolate layer cake with chocolate whip cream that everyone gobbled up. The recipe was in Williams - Sonoma Chocoate cook book from a whole series of their cookbooks that my hub gave me when he worked there. I'd prefer more adventurous flavors myself, but the rest of the family like traditional and plain flavors best.
Your favorite steak - and how do you prepare it at home?
I'm the only one in the family that loves steak, and I can't justify the expense of the really good cuts...so I make do with boneless sirloin which often goes on sale at my grocery store. I have a grill pan and heat it as high as I can on top of the stove and brush with olive oil. I season the steak with garlic, salt, and pepper only. I sear each side for a couple minutes per side only since I love it bloody rare. I deglaze the pan with either stock, plain water, or red wine.
In the fall and winter, I love to caramelize onion and saute mushrooms to accompany the meat.
Date Nut Bread Dilemma
I'm looking for some advice about a problem I had making date nut bread. The recipe is one that my mom and her circle of friends made for years. As far as I know they all followed the recipe exactly. But, something's changed. The bread used to be deep, very dark in color and rich. Now it comes out much paler in color and blander in flavor...less "datey" goodness. We used to use the Dromedary brand dates that came in a box. That brand is no longer available at the supermarket here. The only dates available were Dole brand.
Could the change in color and taste be due to the change in the brand of dates? Or could I achieve the deep, dark effect by doubling the amount of the dates available? Are their other kinds of dates available somewhere that would be better than the Dole brand?
Thank you for any tips you have for me!!
Anyone else love Wegmans?
I graduated from University of Rochester and lived in Rochester for a year after graduation. Wegman's was great!!! They even accepted Purchase Orders from special interest groups at school, so when planning a party, my theater friends and I could stock up on all we needed without having to worry about payment. Justifying our purchases to the Dean later sometimes posed a bit of trouble though. One of my first major "chowhound" experiences was acting as "executive chef" for our annual Drama House pre-Thanksgiving dinner (guests numbered between 40 and 60). We did most of our shopping for it at Wegmans.
It's been years since I've been to a Wegman's, but I still miss them!
Favorite Seinfeld food moments
Apologies for bumping this thread, but I just read it today after seeing references to it in the similar Friends/food thread and I love it so much that I just have to thank everyone for all the great memories of the all the food-related moments on the show!
I'm hard pressed to find any moments to add that haven't already been mentioned, but I'll give it a go. Did anyone mention Jerry's obsession with egg white omelets? Or how when Jerry offered Elaine a Snapple one time, she complained that she was tired of having to shake everything first.
what's the most unusual thing you've eaten?
Those are indeed a couple of scary sounding salads! That chicken salad sounds like someone just emptied their fridge into a jar of Miracle Whip and voila!
American Chop Suey
This was one of my favorite meals that my mom made when I was growing up. It was called Goulash in our house.
I had never heard of it being called American Chop Suey until I made it for my husband once before we were married and that's what he called it.
Once in a while, when broke or nearly so, I'll still make it...but it doesn't taste as good as I remember from my childhood. Either my mom had some sort of secret I haven't cracked, or my palate just changed.
Bringing home what is left over from a potluck?
Bringing food to the homes of the bereaved has roots in New England culture as well. Now it's fairly common for the bereaved's family to cater the post-funeral spread instead of relying on neighborhood potluck generosity...but many people still arrive with a cake, tin of cookies or a covered dish anyway.
(Side note....on Nantucket..the most common food item to bring to the bereaved was a Tar Roof Cake. When my uncle died, my aunt received no less that half a dozen Tar Roof Cakes among all the other cakes and cookies. Hardly anyone brought savory dishes, most brought desserts..there was enough cake to feed an army nothing but cake for a month!)
In my family, the leftovers arrangements differ depending on which branch of the family is hosting the event. At my in-law's (I have 9 SILs!) everyone hurries to make up plates at the end of events...any close relatives that couldn't attend have plates made for them first, and then it's a anybody's fair game after.
My sister and her family live in a more affluent neighborhood (not in New England) and NO ONE takes any leftovers home........they're always left for the hostess...though others help in the clean up process and leftovers are always offered to the guests.
My own mother, when hosting, always did whatever she could to encourage the taking of leftovers. She also wrote her name on the bottom of serving dishes that went to potlucks and other events.
Shall I dare bring a toddler?
When I lived in the South End, my neighbor regularly brought her toddler to the Franklin and was received warmly. She even told me that they would make the little girl some off the menu selections that pleased her pre-school palate.
Arthur & Pat's, Marshfield
I lived in Marshfield for several years. There are buses leaving from South Station to Marshfield...but traveling on the weekend might be troublesome...they're really more commuter buses.
If you drive...139 is the exit to take....then basically just drive through Marshfield almost into the Atlantic Ocean!
I think it IS worth the drive. I still dream about their clam rolls!!!!!!!
what's the most unusual thing you've eaten?
Black bear...had it once when i was a kid...don't really remember what it tasted like, though my mother assures me it was gamy and tough and fairly nasty tasting
Rotten bay scallop...sun-baked for hours on the beach
Alligator...not that strange for some parts of the country...but it was different for me
"The Simpsons" and food.
Did anyone see the Simpson's movie cake challenge on TFN last night? I only saw a few minutes of it during a channel surfing fest....so I don't know who won. My personal favorite was a giant multi-cake replica of the infamous pink donut with a revolving mechanism in the center hole that showed Simpson scenes.
One hapless pastry chef was attempting to portray Homer in some kind of compressed brownie crumbs...but was having great structural difficulties.
Another meant to do a Bart on a skateboard cake, but spent so much time on the skateboard that she ran out of time before Bart was ready.
Mom and Pop Seafood Shack Tour
Pat and Arthur's in Marshfield ...worth a trip to the South Shore....try the clam roll....mmmmm...most delicious clams I ever had.
If you really want to make an adventure of it............try Sayles on Nantucket...as I remember it's more of a takeout place.......but ohhhhhhhh the quality and freshness is amazing!
spending 3 mos in Rutland- need places to eat
Take a road trip South and come to the Brattleboro area!!! Try the Riverview Cafe, Top of the Hill Grill, Thai Garden. Stay overnight at one of several charming B&Bs ..then take Route 30 out of town to Newfane and splurge at the Four Columns Inn. Or head the other way and take the Putney Road out of Main Street Brattleboro and drive to Putney (or cheat and take I-91 and get off at exit 5 and be right there without that pesky scenic drive) ;) and satisfy your down and dirty bbq urges if you have them at Curtis's BBQ...I think he bills himself as the 8th wonder of the world. Any guy that converts an old bus to a bbq stand in rural Vermont is an intrepid soul indeed. You can watch Curtis himself tending his chicken and ribs on the outdoor grills.
Three months is a long time to go without a road trip........so hit the road and come to Brattleboro!!
birthday cake
There's a bakery in Chelsea (i don't know the name though...but i have this at many parties at my in-law's) that does a wonderful sheet cake with whipped cream frosting and a filling of strawberry.......not as sweet as strawberry jam, but not as gluey as jelly donut strawberry filling. Also, they tend to use a lot of whole fresh strawberries as cake decorations. There's never any leftovers when this cake goes to a party.
Strange Pairings that Taste Uncommonly Good
A variation to the FFs dipped in honey that I adore is FFs drizzled with honey mustard.
Strange Pairings that Taste Uncommonly Good
ohhh yes! Saltines and Fluff is addictive.
Strange Pairings that Taste Uncommonly Good
I love tuna on raisin bread..i usually add nutmeg...but will now try chili powder!!
Your Favourite jarred goods
Thai Peanut Sauce from William-Sonoma. I think the brand name was Jade. Yum!!! Used to always have a few bottles of it on hand...while my hub worked there and enjoyed an employee discount. Can't afford it now...and there aren't any WS stores anywhere near where I live in VT.
