JayVaBeach's Profile
What menu items need to be retired?
It's fun to reminisce on old food memories. I remember my Mother was appalled when she came to parents weekend at my prep school (VES) circa 1984, my freshman year eating "good green gravy" - yikes !
What menu items need to be retired?
I can stomach Basil, but Cilantro (aka Coriander) on the otherhand I detest ! It literally causes nausea for me - I think that the flavor is dreadfully awful & it's unfortuante as I enjoy ethnic menus & it's commonly used in Asian, Latin & Middle Eastern cuisine. I try to refrain from reinvented a chef's method while eating out, but Cilantro is where I draw the line. If I think that it's in a dish, I request that the Chef omit it - pretty please !
What menu items need to be retired?
What the heck is "Western" dressing? Here on the east coast, I suppose our "Eastern" dressing is a concoction of :
extra-virgin olive oil, finely chopped shallots, white-wine vinegar, pure maple syrup, kosher salt & fresly gorund black pepper.
Recommended seafood near Norfolk airport?
In keeping your actual traveling in mind (from the airport), I recommend The New Crab (aka The Blue Crab) on Pretty Lake - here's a link for directions...
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4521+Pretty+Lake+Avenue,+Norfolk,+VA&spn=0.011407,0.041096&iwloc=A&hl=en
What menu items need to be retired?
In Wonderment - I see that you're from Charlottesville, VA - wahoo - I love c'ville - I've spent a lot of time there as the University of Virginia was both my father's & sister's alma mater. We use to love eating at Eastern Standard when in town. I was an hour south @ Hampden-Sydney College. "Virginia is for lovers" definitely for fine food.
What menu items need to be retired?
One of my one & only "fried" hors d'oeuvres I truly enjoy & prefer to order them out, as I don't do much frying at home - Calamari Fritti. If I'm not actually in Italy, the next best spot is the Isle of Capri in Virginia Beach - their batter is unique & the calamari is always perfect.
Strange Pairings that Taste Uncommonly Good
A chunk of Maytag Blue, Bleu D'Auvergne & Clemson along with Good-Quality Honey & Crisp Ginger Snaps - makes an extraordinary mini fromage flight.
What menu items need to be retired?
I'm in agreement with you Bunny. I'm looking forward to my Mother's method (this Thanksgiving) for a change - along with the fresh minced garlic, she adds truffle oil to her mashers - they're wonderful.
gas cooktops
Faye - I couldn't agree with you more & at first when my architect insisted on the sealed dual burner, in mind I was thinking that flush flat induction style, which was unappealing aesthetically to me, but what I ended up with, I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China I love it.
What menu items need to be retired?
Good point Sophie. I'm one who has never acquired the taste for flavored fussy java, so the idea of patronizing a Starbucks is unappealing to me & I opt to avoid them as preference; however, I have friends who do enjoy it & if we're out & about & their desire is to stop there, I usually order an iced tea & end up purchasing a CD with a good mix of artists (while their coffee concoction is being prepared), so it's not all that awful afterall. For the record, I love my Dean & Deluca Georgetown blend or for a to-go cup-of-joe, Dunkin Dounuts house - no artificial flavor or fuss !
gas cooktops
I recently finished a major kitchen renovation, restoration & addition all bundled into one & I did Wolf again - it's extraordinary - love it & the smaller scale is doing just fine !
http://www.wolfappliance.com/products/category.aspx?cid=12
This photo shows the same cooktop I did & the marble I chose.
Orlando Airport Vicinity - Hound Challenge
Thanks for the recommendation - my Mother is visiting from Virginia Beach next week & I too am unfamiliar with nice cafes (she won't do chain food). I'll check Chez Vin's out. I'm new to the greater Orlando area as well & it's difficult to truly learn where to go to eat - authentic unsurpassed quality spots.
Is your Thanksgiving menu/setting formal/informal, traditional/contemporary, family/friends?
Sherri - what a nice story & I too share one of your favorite "3's" - having been reared on the Chespeake Bay (Baylake Pines in Virginia Beach), I too am particularly fond of C-Bay Oysters. I can't wait for Christmas - we do a traditional Virginian Oyster stuffing.
What menu items need to be retired?
Likewise Panini ! I recently had a simple Mesclun house salad & there was NO dressing option. The chef's choice this evening was a warm bacon dressing & it was wonderful !
Where to find fresh cherries in the winter
Study Provence & perhaps then you'll understand.
What menu items need to be retired?
My favorite OXYMORON - a Cuban Panini !
Even more humorous is when the chef insists on serving the pressed sandwich combined with Prosciutto Ham in lieu of the classic Cuban Serrano Ham & laces it with Parmigiano-Reggiano & not Cuban Swiss - they throw a few pickles on it & it becomes Cuban - Crazy !
What menu items need to be retired?
Okay - I'm in agreement with Lavender flavored food - it's silly actually; however, there's nothing more fresh, crisp & clean than Williams-Sonoma French Lavender Essential Oil Collection ! The hand soap and lotion are awesome. The dish soap contains soapbark extract, one of nature's best degreasers. The subtle scent of the smoke-free kitchen candle neutralizes cooking odors and lightly diffuses throughout my loft.
What menu items need to be retired?
Tay - they were absolutely fabulous - as was everything she did. God rest Sueshee's soul (she passed 2 years ago & I miss her more than some family members), she made life a treat everyday - literally ! She taught my siblings & me what "sueshee" was before sushi was trendy (I'm talking early 70s) & what fusion cusine really is. Cuban cuisine, aka, Criollo cooking is truly a combination of what she always prepared - a fusion of African, Caribbean & Spanish - so many folks consider it similar to Mexican & it truly is quite different & much better in my preference. My favorite hamburger still today were Sueshee's & I seldom share with my dinner guests what my secret ingredient is in the ground round (I season it with paprika & chopped shallots), making the patties tiny (just like Sueshee did) then grilling them & topping them with her special mojo sauce - they're really good & everyone has more than one.
What menu items need to be retired?
Wraps are so ignorantly perceived as a healthier option to a good old-fashioned sandwich, thanks to today's menu architects. I so disagree. I will reminisce back to my childhood (early 70s) & my "Sueshee" (my Cuban nannie) made "croquetas," which were her version of "wraps" filled with a yummie bechamel sauce and ham, chicken, or just good cheese, covered with breadcrumbs and deep fried - they were wonderful, but certainly not healthy - now that's a WRAP.
Avant-garde Thanksgiving recipes?
oh D-Bug - yum - anything with puff pastry is a-ok in my book.
Still love the elegant pigs-in-a-blanket, aka, lamb sausages in puff pastry !
Old school table manners... what were you taught?
I recall this memory while I was an exchange student in Ukraine & I actually enjoyed it. Food is a blessing to them, as it truly is.
Keeping hard boiled eggs
I call my neighbor, aka, my Jewish Mother & I beg her to prepare her famous egg salad for me - the rest (& I always boil too many) she brings to the urban synagogue.
Avant-garde Thanksgiving recipes?
Jewels - my Mother has been preparing her "mashers" using truffle oil for the past several years, & I must say, they are a show stopper time & time again !
Avant-garde Thanksgiving recipes?
Our tradition is no hors d'oeuvres at Thanksgiving - just cashews & Veuve Clicquot or Kirs Royales; I mix one teaspoon of cassis per glass of Champagne.
Too many nibblies before the sit-down will ruin the appetence !
Our "cuisine vanguard" this year will be our first course, Carolina she-crab soup (lump backfin bulging over-the-top),
blue crab broth—spanish sherry—old bay—sweet cream !
Cooking (and drinking) with sherry
This isn't necessarily a Spanish dish; however, it does have Spanish Sherry & it's extraordinary...
Carolina She-Crab Soup (the very best lump backfin bulging over-the-top)
blue crab broth—spanish sherry—old bay—sweet cream !
We serve it as a first course during the holidays.
What makes a restaurant great?
My personal preference are no chains. A great chef/owner with personable staff maintaining longevity & a seasonal unsurpassed menu with an impressive wine list all bundled together makes for a catchy cafe, i.e. http://www.thebluepoint.com/
Where to find fresh cherries in the winter
The South of France (Sainte-Maxime) beautiful provence produce stands all through our winter months !
what are the best pots and pans????
Gelato - I couldn't agree with you more; in fact, my most prized possession in my "skillet collection" is one from my late grandmother - an All-Clad circa '74 - I was just a mere child & I still today use it exclusively for good old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches, just the way she prepared them when I was a child. It has aged/seasoned well.
By-the-way, I featured one of your favorite restaurants, Roaring Fork in Scottsdale last month. I'm normally not a dessert fan; however, I had one of the best desserts that I've ever expereinced there, the Hot Huckleberry Bread Pudding
Drizzled with Huckleberry Sauce, Crème Anglaise And Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - it was truly devine !
What wine do you recommend to go with Thanksgiving Turkey?
Our Virginian tradition is to pay tribute to our Williamsburg & Jamestown pilgrim settlers, so we pour from Williamsburg Winery each Thanksgiving - Governor's White & Two Shilling Red. They're both simple, yet rich in history & flavor. For dessert course, we pour Late Harvest Vidal or Blackberry Merlot.
