Oh well, I guess that's ruined now1 ;)

http://www.mafrancegourmet.com/

Sites a bit broken, but at least has address, hours, etc.

Giles Liquors in Medford (on 60, just over the bridge from Arlington) usually has a good selection of Fee Brothers stuff. You might want to give them a call.

Oohh! Can't wait to try it. And Dude, claw is not the preferred nomenclature, chicken feet, please.

Not "traditional" fried chicken, but the Korean style fried chicken at Bon Chon in Harvard Sq. is pretty damn tasty and addictive.

Had a bit of a mixed experience with Rod Dee. My Pad Kee Mao "for here" had a burnt acrid taste, and veg was carelessly prepped and uninteresting, with scorched snow peas and much larger than bite-size pieces of green bell pepper. Had better at Sugar & Spice across the street a week ago. OTH, dumplings I brought home for later, and fried up were great.

I'll try again.

I've had a few pizzas from Capri that were decent, but not comparable to Sabatino's at their best. Nice people at Nicola, too bad their pizza is meh.

Our first experience with Golden Garden tonight (take out). Ordered the H&S Wonton, pork shrimp leek dumplings, cumin lamb , cilantro beef & sautéed string beans (+ white rice). Wife and I both LOVED the soup! Dumplings yummy. Lamb was awesome, but had to keep an eye out for chilis (direct hits were a bit too hot). Cilantro beef, good but a bit on the salty side. String beans may have been having an off night (way overcooked for our taste). And lastly the rice was, well next time I think I'll make my own. Overall, very positive, with plenty of leftovers to reassess over the next couple of days. Except for that rice. Right in the bin.

Has anyone tried their Beef Tendon? Compared to Shangri-La?

They really should set someone up on the sidewalk, lemonade stand style with that soup.

It sounds like the store for you is Shaws at Mt. Auburn ( think there is a connection with their beer guy and Berman's.). Nobody to ask questions of usually, but they score well on variety and price.

Craft Beer Cellar is my main beer provider. It's a little slice of beer heaven.

Clown Shoes Brewery is owned by the son of Berman's owner. Or something like that. I like Berman's OK. They import a number of wines. But if you're buying beer, and want somebody who knows what they're talking about, why aren't you at Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont? I lived across the street from Menotomy for a year, and went there maybe a half-dozen times. My 4-point rating system is price, convenience, variety, shopping experience. Convenience was the only high score.

I've actually had the same reaction to decorative kale (with orange twist), but not with kale that was prepared for human consumption.

I find with both kale and collards, there is a seasonal variability to how much cooking they need. Spring greens, not so much, and winter greens more.

Just over the border in Everett, apparently.

McKinnon's in Malden has bags of the red stuff, and it's really good. I assume it's a year round item? I've only had it around St Paddie's.

The not grilling the roll ups is a big plus with me. Limp warm lettuce is a big turnoff for me. But I think shredded red cabbage and turnip pickles should be required by law on all falafel sandwiches.

I've had Louie's. A guy I worked with for years frequented the Irish American Club across the street and had known Louie for years. Definitely on The Hole-in-the-wall Pizza Joint Tour of Metro-Boston!

Stone Hearth is way too upscale trendy for our weekly pizza night tastes (and expensive). I'm basically a cash-only, hole-in-the-wall, hold-the-arugula type guy when it comes to friday night pizza. And it also has to appeal to my sons. I have tried the 18" at Stellas, and maybe the 6 minute ride home is what didn't do it justice. Part of the appeal of The European was the whole experience: Being seated by the guy in the pastel blue polyester tux, the tacky wood paneling, the glass of cheap red. Sure the pizza at Regina's was usually better, but I often had to wait there awkwardly for 30 minutes (after the 30 minutes they had said on the phone) before an almost comically rude waitress handed me a burnt pizza. Ahh, the 80's in the North End…

Ah, the ever contentious pizza discussions! Well, after moving to Belmont and chowing through an inordinate amount of conveyor belt *greek* style pizza, we were about to give up hope. We tried virtually every place in town before casting our net into nearby Watertown. We felt we were getting close with Stella's, but still not there. Somehow we came across the magical hole-in-the-wall that is Pizza Roma. A true Mom & Pop (and sons) shop. I'd hold this pie up against anything within 20 miles for a solid top-ten finish in the Classic Italian Style category. My wife and I feel it recalls The European in the North End circa 1988 on a good night.

I would be surprised to find kimchi that doesn't at least have fish sauce in it , but is that still cheating? (And by surprised I mean appalled and indignant)

Might give it a try on impulse, but Toraya is only a few minutes away, and is hard to beat.

I'm still digesting pastrami from Elsie's. Loved that place.

If you really are into szechuan peppercorns, try making a vodka infusion. 1/2 tbsp to a pint ratio, steeped for a day, is a place to start. Try a splash in a martini.

I formatted this list for 3X5 "flash" cards. I assume no liability for any accidental orders of Army Base Stew (PDF) : https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByyP...

I might print out some flash cards from this list! Thanks!

If you were living in the woods, subsisting on nuts, this would be sound advice. For most people in modern civilization, the need to maximize nutrients is far less pressing. I somehow doubt a large scale study comparing those who blanche and peel, vs those who don't, would reveal any meaningful differences in overall health. And don't you mean "I've Got You Under My Skin"?

Taste-wise it's not too far removed from the canned (if at all), but more convenient. I have to talk someone at Somerville MB into stocking the Lewis Mountain stuff. At under $2 for a1.1 lb bag, it seems to be the best deal for "live" kraut. Basically a courser and fresher cabbage texture, with a less acidic and salty flavor.

I wouldn't say it's my benchmark, it's just what I put on my hotdogs before I found Lewis Moutain;) Isn't Ba-Tempte vinegar "fortified" ( ie, not living kraut)? I think I have seen Rosoff's as well, and aside from the too-large jar, it is also "dead" kraut? The Lewis Mountain Kraut is the ideal balance of price, unit size, and biological activity. Oh yeah, it tastes good too!

Thanks for the tip on this! Found a bag at MB Woburn, and man is it worlds better than canned silver floss! Bears a much closer resemblance to shredded cabbage in texture, and is both less acidic and salty. And the price is right too. Couldn't find it at MB Somerville or Burlington.

According to wikipedia, the coleslaw variant is usually called a Rachel and calls for pastrami vs. corned beef.

I wish is was served commercially at more places. Doctor Brown's Cel-Ray is essentially a slightly celery flavored ginger ale variant. I used to adore it as a 12 yo at Jack & Marion's in Brookline on a sunday with my parents, washing down a bagel with lox, cream cheese, red onion and tomato. I would think a Reuben sans Russian dressing could still be called a Reuben, and would be kosher? I would certainly rather have a Reuben sans dressing, than never having a Reuben at all! ;)