Phil W's Profile
Anyone go to Vegas without making reservations?
I'd be really interested in this also. I've been during the week in busier times (as in a better economy) and had a terrible time just getting in the door to marginal places without reservations. We ended up going from place to place trying to grab a bite - not fun. Last August I had reservations to a few places and found it much more relaxing to not have to worry about wait times. I'm headed out next week and would love to know the current state of play.
Need Suggestions for Vegas - Dining alone
You might check out L'atelier de Joel Robuchon. High end, but not super high end and you eat at the bar/ counter. I also like eating lunch at the bar just inside from the outdoor patio at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris.
-----
Mon Ami Gabi
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Travelling from Australia, need advice on the best place for a Wedding Dinner in Vegas....
I'm really not sure why I didn't list Picasso on my first post. We went for our anniversary last August and loved it. LVI is correct in that the food is not Guy Savoy, but it is very good. The room is not as glittery as Alex, but with $50 mil in original picasso paintings and an incomparable water show right outside, I think the atmosphere is awesome. Of course it all depends on your tastes and expectations. Good luck and congratulations.
Travelling from Australia, need advice on the best place for a Wedding Dinner in Vegas....
I would look at Alex. A bit more expensive, but really a nice room and fabulous food. You might also look at some of the prix fixe menus for other big name restaurants. Le Cirque is in your hotel and the websites for Wynn, Encore, MGM Grand, Caesars and City Center all have dining sections.
Is the $100 per a firm number that includes wine, tax and tip? If so, Alex is out. I'd look for tasting menus that come in around $50. Hopefully others on the board may have an idea for that price range.
Looking to have my mind blown in one meal
Having said all that, if I win a decent amount at the tables next trip, I'm heading straight for the tasting menu with wine parings at Alex.
Looking to have my mind blown in one meal
Vegas certainly has a bevy of options for suberb meals. With budget constraints, however, it makes it tougher. Vegas is not cheap. After reading your entry, I would have suggested for you to create your own tasting menu at the new Julian Serrano.
But if you can stomach the bill, Alex, Guy Savoy and Robuchon are winners. We really enjoyed the tasting menu at Picasso last trip, but I wouldn't call it mind blowing. Food is outstanding, but the real appeal to that restaurant is the setting - original picassos to your left, gigantic water show to your right. Too too vegas.
My suggestion is to price the tasting menus and narrow the list to your budget. My ranking for the top venues would be the same as the first response. Any of the restaurants you are looking at will do wine pairings, however you may get more bang for your buck if you just tell the sommelier your price range and let him pick one or two bottles. Also, you should wear a jacket. There are many in Vegas who can and do pull off the jeans/jacket ensemble at the finer LAS establishments. I'm not one of them. My opinion is that if you have to ask, you're not one of them either.
Good luck.
Need recommendations for downtown Houston
Take a cab to cyclone anaya's on Grey. Tex-Mex and a good bar area if you're solo. There are a couple of pubs/bars and a sushi place on that block as well.
Moving To Houston - Need some recommendations
Check out Teala's on West Dallas (just west of Mid-Town) for fajita nachos and margs on the patio when the weather gets a little warmer. Not a bad place for a Friday after work spot.
2 days in Houston: Seeking Best steak and Mexican Food
Absolutely Pappa Bros. Steakhouse is the best non-chain (I know it has a couple of other locales in Tex, but the one in Houston is the first) for steaks. I would even say best in Houston period, although many will rank Capital Grill, or Flemings or Vic and Anthony's ahead. PB dry ages its beef on site which is reason enough to stay away from the filet. If you're solo you can eat at the counter.
For Tex Mex, I'd suggest El Tiempo or Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen. Of course their are tons of other good Tex mex places in Houston. Ninfa's on Navigation, Armando's, etc.
-----
Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
6401 Woodway Dr, Houston, TX 77057
Ordering in Paris
In addition to the other great advice here these two go a long way:
Bon jour (think julia child when you say it)
L'addition (pronounced "la de see ohn") s'il vous plait. - You may have a hard time paying and leaving without this one.
B&B or Piero's in Vegas
I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow and have reservations at B&B in the Venetian for an early dinner at B&B (9:30 show tickets). However, I've been tempted to change to Piero's based on stories I've read recently. Wife, who has not been to LV in 12 years, and I are going for an anniversary. I was thinking it might be fun to check out an old school place rather than another hotel place. Our other meals are Craftsteak and Picasso.
Anyone have a view on whether this is a big mistake?
Maryland Style Crab Cakes in Houston
I think Backstreet has the best crab cakes in town, hands down.
Help Me Make Perfect Ribeyes on a Cast Iron Grill
I'm no pro at cast iron, but I would season your grill before you use it the first time. Google will steer you to a number of articles on seasoning cast iron.
As to your questions:
1. Room Temp
2. Dry with paper towels, no oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper only two minutes before.
4. High - let the pan get really hot.
5. For 1/2 inch, maybe 3 min. per side. Touch your thumb to your middle finger - the fleshy part of your palm below your thumb feels like medium rare.
6. Don't use cumin or garlic...
OMG! $65.00 for a Thanksgiving pie [moved from Manhattan board]
Wow, that is absurd. Here is a link to the best pie place in Houston, in my opinion - http://www.flyingsaucerpieshop.com. Pumpkin pies are $8.75. Maybe you can get 'em to ship some to NYC.
Paris 21st for steak+frites lover
I had a very nice steak frites at Chez Georges just north of the Arc de Triomphe. It is not too expensive and easy to get into. Also, the NY Times has a review on Paris steak in its travel section from last year. You can access it online.
Great Bistro in Paris for 1st night
I would second L'Os a Moelle. We also had an excellent meal at Violon d'Ingres in the 7th. I still remember the foie with veal tongue and the caramel souffle. Now that I think about it, the butter, sea salt and radishes on the table when we sat was a nice touch also.
"Don't Open That Bag!!!".....because I'll eat the whole thing.
Chedder Pringles; chocolate covered pretzles and chex mix. My wife buys them and wonders why I've become tubby.
PLEASE! A decent pancake mix?? [Moved from Home Cooking board]
Just use the rule of one and you may never go back to a mix.
One egg, one cup milk (or buttermilk), one cup flour, one pinch salt, one tbsp sugar, one tsp baking powder (also one tsp baking soda if you use buttermilk), one tbsp melted butter.
If you want fluffier pancakes, use more baking powder. If you use buttermilk, you may find the need to add more than one cup to thin the batter out. If you want buckwheat or wholewheat, just use that type of flour.
In any event, I use this every weekend and it is a ton cheaper than a mix and better. And once you realize that you don't have to dig out a recipe, its just as easy.
Mention Problem to Waiter or Grin and Bear It?
"I don't like food, I love it...and if I don't love it, I don't swallow." - Anton Ego.
Ok, I'm not that bad, but I have no qualms about sending food back if the food is ill prepared. I won't send a dish back because I don't care for the recipe. I've found that the most frequent problem is over-cooked meat dishes, which primarily stems from the fact that the grill and saute stations are slammed and sometimes the cook just gets it wrong. I completely understand - it happens. This year I've sent back two dishes: the first a double bone in pork chop that was so overcooked it was dry and tough and the second was a steak frites at a bistro in Vegas. The chop was served at a new restaurant near my house that I love and I would continue to give the place a great review. I ordered the steak rare and it came out with a grey middle; the next one came out rare and everyone was happy.
Sometimes food gets too much heat in the kitchen and I've never thought it bad or wrong to send it back if that is the case. Frankly I don't think its that big of a deal.
Chili by any other name
I don't think anything more need be said about the spicy mana; Frank said it all.
Chili by any other name
I stand corrected on the onions and completely agree with the addition of the spices - never meant to imply they were forbidden. But I still don't think tomatos belong in Texas chili no matter what LBJ used to do. I suppose however Texas chili has evolved over the past century to where most add them. I hope y'all know this is somewhat tongue and cheek, being that there are about a billion "Texas" chili recipes around. Check out this link for a few, including an "original" texas chili recipe. http://www.g6csy.net/chile/recp-texas.html.
Chili by any other name
In my opinion, words are important and Chili describes a fairly particular dish. I would define it as a braise seasoned with chili peppers. Can you make it with meat other than beef - sure venison is quite popular. Can you make it with tomatos and onions - I suppose if LBJ made it that way it is still chili. Beans - yep. But at some point, you can't call it chili and still be descriptive. That's the whole point of having a rich vocabulary. Etouffee, while certainly delicious, is definitely not a chili; more of a soup or sauce with seafood or meat added later; a type of stew; a derivative of a veloute; or to be completely descriptive, an etouffee.
EN may correct me but authentic Texas chili is a more specific term. No beans, no tomatos, no chili powder (but rather actual chili peppers), no onions, no corn, no bell peppers, no celery. I favor beef, anchos, serranos, cayenne, kidney suet, water used to cook reconstitute the anchos, a shiner bock and some masa.
Waitering tips?
Great perspective from the server's point of view. It has been almost 20 years since Iast waited tables, however I still remember that serving is by no means an easy job and certainly deserves a break from overbearing customers. There are a few things that waiters have started doing lately that I could do without, none of which should make the server's task any more daunting.
Please do not introduce yourself - The best service is that which is unobtrusive, helpful and largely unnoticed. If I'm out with friends, I'm there for conversation, good food and good wine. If I have to think about the service or if the service keeps breaking the flow of conversation, the service is interfering with frivolity. I find the introduction to be awkward and intrusive. Besides, I'm not sure what to do with your first name anyway. Yell it out when I want more wine? Bob!!!!! More wine Bob!!!!!! You there, tell Bob we want more wine!!!! Or are we acquaintances now? So, Bob, how's the soup today, Bob? Got anymore veal chops Bob?
Please avoid "enjoy" and "we" in your vocabulary. Unless I've invited you to sit and nibble on my risotto, "we" aren't enjoying anything.
I concur with the other posters about not having the check dropped until we are finished - with everything. I would much prefer it if waiters would adopt the French custom of not bringing it until asked, but that's probably not realistic in the US.
Don't lie or try to fake an answer. I once heard a waiter assure a young lady that the filet was dry aged.
Potluck-- with no heat!
As long as you have an outlet, I would think you would be a hit with any type of stew, chili or braised meat. Cook it a day or two ahead and reheat it at the office in a crockpot. Those dishes are always better after a night in the fridge anyway.
How do I get my scrambled eggs MOIST?
Yes! This is the best way I have found to cook scambled eggs. I generally modify the above by not using a double boiler but rather a non stick pan on the lowest heat my stove will render. The most important thing is to remove from heat just before the eggs reach their desired consistency. Oh, and stir.
I like to stir in some grated chedder to finish. Add truffles to bring it completely over the top.
Cooking Steak without a Grill? HELP!
You will know when it is medium rare when you see little pearls of redness bubble up to the surface of the steak.
Help Us Picky Eaters on Our Anniversary!
We usually go to Clancy's for our anniversary. Probably around $200 for dinner (or more with good wine). Their lobster ravioli and fried oysters with brie are highlights.
Tex-Mex Essentials
Could be we're talking about the same thing. I've always refered to Ninfa's as Tex-Mex. I really can't stomach the stouffer's microwave chili gravy slop that you might find in a chain in Pittsburgh. I guess my pride in the Mexican food we have in the great state of Texas has kept me from calling the crap outside the state Tex-Mex. As to Nacho's, I mean the authentic kind with skirt steak, real cheese, fresh guac and jalapenos (maybe some dice serranos too). The stuff you find at the ball park is really pretty gross.
