Vladimir Estragon's Profile
Raw Dairy In PA
Your big problem is going to be that it's Sunday. The only places I've seen that sell raw dairy are Amish, and they won't do business on Sunday.
Galloping Gourmet fans...a bit of news about Graham Kerr
He must be trying to drum up support for a new show. Ever since he gave up drinking, he's been blowing the horn for the current healthy eating fad. He used to be low fat, but that's out, so now he's all about sustainable living.
I have much more respect for Keith Floyd, who lived and died being the drunken gasbag he truly was.
Looking for the Best Wings in York / Lancaster Area ...
My favorite wings in the area are from Joe's Famous Wings & Wieners in Leola. No atmosphere at all (it's really a take-out joint), and nothing else is that great, but the wings are terrific.
IS DD&D Xenophobic?
If we're talking about the same place, the show said that they serve 24,000 pieces of fried chicken a week. They must be doing something right. I agree though that the chili looked awful, essentially boiled beef with canned beans and powdered spices.
Great Food Truck Race
I think a lot of these food trucks have customized their marketing to a specific audience, which might not play well in other environments. The heavy metal aesthetic of Grill Em All seems to be designed for a late night bar/club crowd, and not so much a group of Tennessee churchgoers. The same goes for the Daily Press truck, who stated somewhere that their biggest problem with the show was getting up to work in the daytime. Nom Nom, on the other hand, has demonstrated that they can sell to anybody.
Vietnamese/Asian Grocery in/near Reading, Pa
Rice & Noodles is wonderful, but there's also a big Vietnamese market called Viet My on Franklin St in Lancaster. I'd be surprised if they don't have the herb you're looking for, and they also have a small take-out lunch counter where they make terrific and very inexpensive ban mi.
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Rice & Noodles Restaurant
1238 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601
Fast/ Low Key Food in Lancaster?
Rice and Noodles is very good, but just outside of town.
Isaac's is really nothing special.
Spyro Gyro, right on Queen, is a good casual/funky Greek place.
Cucina Mexicana, on Prince Street, has got your authentic taco fix.
Head to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.. where to eat
Forget the buffets unless you're really big eaters or you have finicky children. The food is rarely better than okay and they are not a bargain anymore. So-called PA Dutch places like Good & Plenty are tourist joints. Some of them make you sit at big common tables, so you can socialize with whatever strangers just got off the bus. Not for me. If you want local flavor, you should definitely hit the Lancaster Central Market, though it's only open two or three days a week and you have to go early. Cucina Mexicana, Spyro Gyro, and Rice & Noodles are all decent, inexpensive ethnic places in or near downtown.
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Rice & Noodles Restaurant
1238 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601
Restaurants near Intercourse, PA
Just FYI, none of the places listed here are what I would call nearby to Intercourse, especially in Memorial Day weekend traffic. Willow Valley is a good half-hour drive and downtown Lancaster maybe a little less.
Weekend Eating in Lancaster, PA
And right down Queen Street from the Fractured Prune and Rice & Beans is Spyro Gyro, a good funky Greek place.
Domino's New Pizza
So, we've been taking your money for fifty years and giving you crap, and we've always known it. Now that you're finally realizing it too, we've decided to give you a slighly better grade of crap, which you will hopefully buy for another fifty years.
Is anyone else appalled by "Worst Cooks in America?"
Humiliation is what TV is all about these days, my friend. Not only do people by the millions tune in to watch others be humiliated, they also line up around the block for the opportunity to be humiliated themselves.
Super Chefs _ Iron Chef America [spoilers]
Well, I would have to say that if you are looking for healthy eating, if you are looking for cooking that emphasizes vegetables, you shouldn't be calling Mario and Emeril, or Bobby Flay either, for that matter. In most high-end restaurant cooking, vegetables are an afterthought, not the main event. I also got the impression that it's been a very long time since Emeril has cooked the line.
So, Mario Batali's profanity
The cult of celebrity in this country makes it very easy for people to get to the point at which they can do anything and get away with it. At any given time, a famous person is loved by some people and hated by others, while many remain indifferent. When that person does something controversial, the allegiances may shift around a bit, but in the end, there are still some who love him, some who hate him, and some who are indifferent. If Mario had groped the queen and urinated in the potted plants, there would still be some people here excusing him and some condemning him, so why should he care what he does or what the press says about him?
Throwdown: 7 Fishes (actually 3)
Nothing gets on television by accident. If you saw the Swanson brand, it was because somebody paid for it to be there.
Suggestions on Surviving the Olive Garden? (moved from Manhattan Board)
I'd choose any corner pizza/pasta joint over Olive Garden, and would probably get a better meal at half the price. But, seeing as how the boss is paying, leave the chowhound attitude at home and relax. It's not really that bad. Just keep it simple. Chicken parm and spaghetti & meatballs are decent; the soup and salad are ok. Slosh it down with a few glasses of chianti and you'll be fine.
Lancaster: Polenta (pref. Golden Pheasant brand)?
I'm no authority, but there's a restaurant called Cocina Mexicana on Prince Street that has great homemade tortillas,
As far as supermarkets go in this town, Stauffers is the high end and Giant is the low. Giant has good prices on grocery items, but their meat and produce are not good. Stauffers is more expensive, but has terrific meat and produce, and a fish counter that doesn't stink up the whole store. And, if you register on their web site, they'll send you a $5 coupon every week.
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Prince Street Cafe
17 N Prince St, Lancaster, PA 17603
Lancaster: Polenta (pref. Golden Pheasant brand)?
Stauffers of Kissel Hill on Rohrerstown Road has a huge import section.
New Restaurant in Lancaster City: Penn Square Grille
"This is not at all what some people would consider a hotel restaurant," said Josh Nowak, the marketing director for the hotel and center.
Kiss O' Death right there, people.
Graham Kerr / Galloping Gourmet video?
I was a kid when this was first on, and I loved the show. However, I've seen some of them relatively recently, and as a cooking show, it's not very good. The man is literally half-crocked throughout, slurping wine and slopping food all over the place. The food he prepares on camera is usually a disaster; fortunately, they eat a swap-out at the end. The unctious expressions of orgasmic bliss he makes whilst eating are ludicrous and embarassing, particularly in the close-up shots that emphasize every pimple, mole, and driblet of spilled sauce on his face. He can be quite funny and entertaining, but as a TV cook, he's nothing to write home about.
Lunch and tasty pie East of Lancaster
There's a place called The Udder Choice in Ephrata, which is eight or ten miles north of Intercourse. They have great breakfast, basic lunch sandwiches, and really good homemade pie and ice cream.
Potluck Wedding Reception?
You can get a styrofoam cooler at Walmart (or similar) for a few bucks, and not even bother to bring it home from your trip. As a matter of fact, this sounds pretty informal, so you could probably find a good deli or sub shop and have them make a 3 or 6 foot sub, cut it up, and pack it in the cooler for you with condiments and such. Then you just pick it up on your way out of town.
Cookbook recs slow cooker
One trick to get a thicker sauce or stew in the slow cooker is to add a tablespoon or two of instant tapioca granules.
Searing meat first always add flavor, but I sometimes don't, and it usually works out fine. For example, throw a nice chuck pot roast in the cooker with a jar of salsa for 6 or 7 hours until it falls apart, no searing needed, and you get all-purpose mexi-meat you can use for tacos, burritos, or just serve over rice.
And definitely get yourself some of those Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner bags, so you don't have to scrub the stoneware.
Robert Irvine back at FN?
The cooking shows I like best are the ones that give you some idea how the food industry works in the real world. Dinner Impossible is pretty much unique in that it gives you a look inside the catering industry. Symon is undoubtedly a better chef than Irvine, but Irvine is a caterer, and I find his take on things interesting. I like the challenges that are real world, like the inaugural ball cocktail party for the governor, things like that. I don't like the artificial situations that they throw out just to make it difficult, like this stupid random selection gimmick or having to cook vegetarian for cowboys. Irvine is kind of a drama queen, but if you fired everybody on TV who has lied about their qualifications, there would be nobody left.
Robert Irvine back at FN?
The last thing on the mind of that grinning jerk at Yahoo was giving his employees a good meal. This was one big commercial designed to show us how hip and innovative they are. The fact that the food looked totally awful didn't matter at all, except to the poor schmucks who had to eat it.
Why is this restaurant publicy apologizing for this?
Cooks have been touching food with their hands for hundreds of years, and very few people have been sickened by it. I fail to see why it's suddenly become such a horror.
Vetri anniversary dinner - how much?
If your plan is to send your parents there for dinner by themselves, I would suggest that you call the restaurant ahead of time and make arrangements for everything to be charged to your credit card, rather than go the gift certificate route. At those prices, they should be extremely accommodating.
Throwdown with Bobby Flay staged?
I think that this was the whole point of the show, to resurrect Flay's image from that of an arrogant prick to a humble, friendly guy. This way, you get the viewers that liked him to begin with, and the viewers that just like to see him lose.
Ihop-crap
There's something about having a loved one in the hospital that makes even the most mediocre food seem good. I guess because it takes your mind off of your troubles for a few minutes. When my wife was sick, I started to look forward to eating in the hospital cafeteria.
