Does anyone know the projected opening date for the Whole Foods that is replacing the Johnnie's Foodmaster on Beacon St. in Somerville?

Pesto, shrimp, sliced tomato, scallions and fontina. And some red pepper flakes.

Harvard University's Faculty Club had horse meat on the menu for over 100 years, until 1985.

I'm surprised that this long list did not yet include Nino, the super-gracious "maestro" at Gran Gusto. He not only always remembers my wife and I, he remembers things we discussed during previous visits.

I don't strain, and unfortunately, I don't use the refrigerated bacon fat nearly often enough. How long can one expect to keep bit-enhanced bacon fat in the fridge? Weeks? Months? Longer? I usually end up discarding it after several months and starting over.

Jordan Seafood had them at last Saturday's Somerville Winter Farmer's Market.

$10/lb.!!!

I agree with the other posters that roasted is much better than steamed, but I often find myself wanting butternut squash as a side to roast pork. Since they cook at different temperatures, I end up steaming the squash and mashing it with butter, ginger and cinnamon. It's pretty tasty.

According to MK, cod not only changed America (among other things, it led to the rise of a middle class in New England) it was also the fish that changed the world.

My sense is that their inventory at any given time is fairly limited, but if you don’t see what you’re looking for in the display case, ask for it. Michael (Dulock) was happy to cut two strip steaks for me last week from a primal cut he retrieved from his walk-in cooler.

His South End townhouse was up for sale a while ago. I think the asking price was $4M. It was where they shot the PBS special "Fanny's Last Supper" a year or two back.

ATKR is also a weekly podcast available through iTunes or americastestkitchen.com.

From Five Easy Pieces--

[Bobby wants plain toast, which isn't on the menu]
Bobby: I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A #2, chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh?
Bobby: I want you to hold it between your knees.

Finnan haddie.

Datenut bread and cream cheese!

Peanut butter (creamy) and mayonnaise (Hellman's) on Wonder Bread!

I was thinking about the farm stand at Rock Spray Nursery on Truro Center Road near the westbound entrance to Rt 6.

Can’t tell you much about the Hyannis area, but there’s practically nothing in Truro—you’ll need to either stop in Wellfleet or continue out to Provincetown. I’ll second the recommendation for the little farm stand just outside Truro Center, but avoid the little grocery store, Jams, whose prices are astronomical. The Truro outlet of Macs seafood is very good and they now carry a limited selection of meat. Wellfleet Marketplace in Wellfleet Center isn’t bad for groceries (they also carry beer and wine, which isn’t always the case in Massachusetts), but for seafood I prefer Hatch’s. On the way to Truro, there’s a Stop & Shop (supermarket) just off the rotary in Orleans which has reasonably priced groceries. There’s a nice little spot for lunch, the Orleans Inn, across the street. Ask to be seated on the deck.

But do check the Southern New England Board, which is where the moderators will probably be moving this thread soon.

Enjoy your trip!

Validated parking in the Tech Sq garage is a nice bonus.

My wife and I had a lovely meal at Catalyst about a week ago. Started with a Ward Eight cocktail, which was well executed, although not quite as delicious as Craigie’s. The corn soup with crab and truffle is divine (although it probably contains a stick of butter.) The Tournedos of Beef are tender yet full of flavor and the Blue Cod au Nage was perfectly prepared. We ordered wine by the glass and found the pairings from the limited selection to work nicely. We were seated in the front room, which is spacious and conducive to conversation and privacy from fellow diners. I’m not sure the same can be said for the other rooms. The service is quite competent. All in all, it was a delightful experience and I’m sure we’ll be back.

Cook them in a double boiler. The gentle heat pretty much guarantees perfect results.

Cook's Illustrated has a (free!) video on their web site describing a recipe for crab cakes using ground shrimp and cream as a binder. I've tried it with excellent results.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/video...

Just saw this recipe for Chicken Patties with Mint Yogurt Sauce on TasteSpotting. Looks good!

http://veryculinary.com/2012/05/31/ch...

Back in the '80s, when Julia Child taught us to peel the bottom half of asparagus stalks prior to cooking, my (late) father asked me, "Will my pee still smell?" It did, and I think we were all relieved.

"Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick McGhee and his Buddies

I had a 10 minute wait at about 1p on Friday 5/25. I picked up a baguette that smelled so wonderful it took all my willpower not to devour it on the way to Truro. Went back late Sunday around 4p to pick up another baguette and some of the delicious-looking tartes I had seen on Friday, but the shelves and display cases were completely empty! Chef Philippe (I assume it was he) felt my pain and gave me a twisty baguette-like loaf that he said couldn't be sold because it was broken. That certainly didn't diminish its flavor! I can't wait to return next month!

Are there still crazy long lines at the Wellfleet bakery? Heading down to Truro tomorrow for the long weekend and wanted to hit PB on the way.

I, too, had dinner at Bergamot on 5/17 and while I didn't notice how crowded the bar was, I did notice that there were quite a few empty tables at prime time (7:45-9p.) With all the new places opening in Somerville, I hope that people won't abandon fine places like Bergamot which have served us so well over the years. For the record, food and service on my 5/17 visit were excellent, as usual.

The crispy mussels sound divine! I haven't heard much about this place but your review makes me want to give it a try. It definitely gets bonus points for being "not too loud."

There's an interesting discussion of this phenomenon on this week's America's Test Kitchen radio. Check out the podcast.

Pork lo mein
Kung pao shrimp