Where can I buy truffles?

There are big differences between types of truffles. The ones that come in jars either whole or shaved are both inferior species and preserved, not fresh. They taste NOTHING like real truffles.

The types of truffles most people refer to are the white or black varieties from southern France and northern Italy. As compared to the jarred varieties, a fresh white truffle at current market prices will run you about $125 per 1/2 ounce, or $4,000 a pound.

wafflepunk in Chicago Area

Where can I buy frozen Tilapia Loins?

Tilapia is a generic term for all sorts of different species of cichlids and cichlid-ish fish. Here in north Florida our "Tilapia" is generally Nile Perch, that can grow to 400lbs+. Makes for a big loin. =O

wafflepunk in Chicago Area

First time in Chicago - how to narrow it down??

As mentioned, you're going to be in town during the two week long Taste of Chicago...the largest food festival in the world. Definitely plan on spending a day or two wandering around there in Grant Park. There's 70+ vendors with eats.

wafflepunk in Chicago Area

CO Springs - Rocky Mountain Oysters?

I'm going to be out in CO Springs later this month for my kid brother's graduation ceremonies at the Air Force Academy, and naturally I'm most excited about...food! I can't make a trip from the Florida Gulf Coast to the Rockies without sampling one of the few remaining all-American gross-out foods not checked off my list.

The things is, there's going to be about 30 family members flying in from around the country, and myself and three other gastronomically-attuned siblings have been asked to "cater" a sit-down dinner for everyone. We'll be eclectically mixing a number of different regional fares so as to both offend and accommodate as many people as possible, and I personally would like to try my hand and cooking up some bull balls.

So my question is, is there someplace in CO Springs to buy Rocky Mountain Oysters retail? And barring that I'm willing to settle for a decent restaurant that serves them up, preferably a couple of different ways, that I can organize a day-trip to for anyone else who's interested. If that's the case, I'll be picking up the bill so I'd rather not have to go to somewhere like Briarhurst Manor.

Thanks for any leads! Chow on!

wafflepunk in Southwest

Key Largo to Key West unique eats?

Thanks for all the tips so far guys. Alas at commercialization. Keep 'em coming though, I've got a long list to feed.

wafflepunk in Florida

Liam's Tallahassee/Thomasville

Cheers to that.

wafflepunk in Florida

Key Largo to Key West unique eats?

I've got an old college buddy flying down from Michigan for a couple of days to hit the roads between SoBe and Key West next week. We're keeping it deliberately low key as he's recovering from wedding expenses and we both enjoy "roughing it" anyway. Consequently we'll be hosteling and camping the whole way down, and want to keep our dining habits similarly unlavish.

We do plan on cheating a bit in Miami for tapas and sushi ( who wouldn't? ), but mostly we'll be sticking to Latin and Caribbean street food while in the area. Once we hit the keys we're looking for similarly "local" cuisine. Though on a recent trip to Atlanta I managed to spend three times as much on restaurants as on lodging, this time around we're more interested in small expenditures and a variety of tastes. We don't need fried fish and chips, BBQ or grilled mahi, or even sit down dinners. After all, we're under time constraints and have a lot of ground to cover.

We're looking for unique tips, like "There's this guy on Marathon that makes the best oyster chowder in his garage..." or "Down on dock four on Big Pine there's a midget that sells raw abalone salad..." etc. We'd much rather eat 5 or 8 mini-snacks scattered throughout the islands than get a combo basket at the Tourist Trap Cafe.

Also, other not-strictly food tips are also most welcome, i.e. interesting bars or other social attractions we might not have found on Google.

Having said that, any suggestions?

wafflepunk in Florida

Liam's Tallahassee/Thomasville

Sigh, Avenue Sea and especially Cypress are so over-hyped IMO.

The food at Cypress has always been severely overpriced compared to the rest of Tallahassee, and it simply isn't any better executed than the "other" joints around town. You pay for the "atmosphere."

Avenue Sea is good, but it isn't Liams. The creativity, blending of flavors and execution at Liam's is simply unrivaled without heading to Atlanta, New Orleans or Miami.

wafflepunk in Florida

avenue sea in apalachicola fl

It's not in Apalachicola, but it's certainly the best food within 150 miles of the area...

Liams, in Thomasville, GA.

Avenue Sea doesn't touch the place. I think most people who've been there would agree, it's worth the trip.

wafflepunk in Florida

Atlanta - 3 Days to Chow. Help?

Since so far everyone says skip the Fish Market, is there somewhere else to go for a regional selection of oysters from around the world? How about anywhere for some "exotic" fish or shellfish selections? We don't get much other than Grouper, Snapper, Redfish and Pompano in Tallahassee. Seems like there's got to be somewhere in Atlanta to go for Geoduck, Razor Clams, Monkfish Liver and the like...

Is the Dining Room at the Ritz really that special? How about for a cost to experience ratio? I've never once been impressed with a Ritz Carlton restaurant, though I know this one is "Five Star" rated, along with Charlie Trotter's and French Laundry. Am I going to go there and spend $300-400, and get that much more value out of it?

Since Cafe Intermezzo also seems a no-no, is there another great late-night coffee/dessert bar? Downtown or in Buckhead?

Thanks for the replies so far!

wafflepunk in General South Archive