westvillager02's Profile
Oahu/Waikiki - Relaxed Dinner Recs?
Hi hounds!
I'm hoping to get advice for an upcoming trip. We have a group of 5 adults (family of two senior parents and three adult kids) that are going to be in Waikiki at the end of the month. We are in town for my dad's army reunion so we only have a few meals on our own. We are staying at the Royal Hawaiian.
Can anyone recommend a good place we can have a nice dinner? We have a several formal dinners already booked so on our two free nights (Thursday and Friday) I want to focus on casual and local. My ideal place would be a menu that emphasizes local cuisine, live music, outdoors/patio seating, comfortable atmosphere, mid-or low-priced. I think a bar or cafe that does a light menu would fit the bill but two of our guests are teetotalers so I wouldn't want to take them someplace that was so focused on booze they would feel out of place.
We're flying into Oahu on Thursday from Maui so the Thursday night pic should be within walking distance of the hotel. Friday can be anywhere on the island. Sorry for being so picky! I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!!
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Royal Hawaiian
2259 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
West Chelsea Dinner (more casual than Scarpetta - fancier than Company)
Any ideas for a nice place that could accomodate three on a Wednesday night without a reservation? Looking from W 12th to W 26th...anything west of 8ths Ave.
Thanks
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Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
Maple sugar in manhattan?
I saw some at Manhattan Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market a few weekends ago.
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Manhattan Fruit Exchange
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Where to buy a sausage stuffer?
I'm a in a bit of a pickle. I made six pounds of bratwurst filling but my sausage stuffer attachment to my meat grinder isn't working right.
I need to find a store in the city that sells a stand-alone sausage stuffer. I'm partial to a 5 lb vertical model. Any suggestions? Does anyone know if the places on Bowery tend to carry this type of equipment?
Thanks
London - Business Breakfast (Mayfair/St. James/Soho area)
I'm going to be in London and need to schedule a business breakfast to meet a client. Their office is near the Royal Academy of Arts so anything in that vicinity would be great. I'm staying at a corporate apartment so the usual "breakfast at my hotel" is not an option.
Are there nice hotels in the area that do a fancy breakfast? Barring that, any nice cafes?
I'm a bit ignorant on how they do a business breakfast in London so any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!
London - Picky Eaters
Thanks all for the suggestions. I love fish and chips! We're going to have the pleasure to spend two nights in Whitby where supposedly they're above par and I'm super excited.
Wolseley and Rules are great suggestions. We're staying in Kensington (but unsure of exactly where we'll be during meal hours) if anyone else wants to pitch in.
London - Picky Eaters
I'm going to be in English countryside for a week with my family and we'll have one day in London at the end of the trip. Unfortunately my family are all picky eaters and would never go to a place like St. John's (luckily I've been before).
Any suggestions on where to take two picky seniors and a younger sister whose favorite cuisine is a plain hamburger? In general, Asian food and Indian food is off limits.
Since we be in the countryside before we come to London I assume we'll be full of fish & chips. We'll be there on a Thursday in September. Can you get a Sunday roast and Yorkshire pudding on a Thursday? Any other restaurant that you would take your grandma to?
Thanks in advance.
Solo Culinary Journey
I'm going to be in France for 10 days in September. I finish up traveling with my family in Paris on a Sunday and need to meet a friend in Provence on Wednesday. I'd love to head to the country for a that time and enjoy the food and wine.
Any ideas on fun excursions for the solo traveler? I'm throwing a wide net because I want to come up with something unique. I'd be interested in a short cooking school, a visit a city where I could get a individual tour of the local delicacies, a visit a winery, spending time on a farm, a visit a Michelin starred place in the country. Anything suggestion is appreciated as long as it can be done between Sunday and Wednesday.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Making a special occassion cake in advance
At the request of the mom-to-be, I'm making a red velvet cake for a baby shower in three weeks. I'm using the recipe posted by Axalady http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/388523.
Does anyone have any hints on how to plan ahead to make the cake? I'm going to make two layers (with the added twist that I only have one cake pan so they must be baked separately). I am also going to try to pipe the cake (but if it's not going well, I'll just slop the icing on).
The shower is on a Saturday at 1 pm. Should I make layers ahead and freeze? Make the layers the night before and don't freeze? Make icing day of? Help! Any hints on how to make it less stressful and better tasting are appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Wanted: World's Best Beef Short Rib Recipe
I made the Bouloud recipe last winter and used about $45 worth of wine in it. It was fun to try a recipe from such an esteemed chef but for the time/effort/cost involved in the recipe I'd never do it again. It wasn't that much better than other short ribs I've done in the past so next time I'd do a simpler recipe.
Oktoberfest Help
I'm co-hosting an Oktoberfest party this weekend and need help with some side dishes/desserts. My co-host is doing the beer, pretzels and sausages. I was hoping add a warm potato salad, braised red cabbage and apple strudel.
Any great recipies/tips/suggestions you'd like to share?
Thanks!
Sausage Making Supplies
Tender Quick is just Morton's version of "pink salt". I'm might have to start dialing around to butcher shops because I'm sure someone has it.
Sausage Making Supplies
I'm co-hosting an Oktoberfest party next week and need to get some supplies for homemade wurst. Does anyone know of a store in Manhattan that sells Morton's tender quick and sausage casing (real or synthetic). I was just going to order it online but procrastination has gotten the better of me.
Creative Director of Chow Thinks Your Comments are "Worthless"
Apprently Jeremy LaCroix (creative director of Chow) spoke at a panel last night and had this to say about us:
"LaCroix noted that advertisers were terrified of commenters, and didn't want to be positioned anywhere near the chatting. They prefer chow.com to chowhound.com—Chowhound is the chattiest. "Do I think most of the comments are worthless? Yes, I do," LaCroix said."
Quote is from the Radar Online recap of the event.
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/10/web-designers-say-future-is-social-networks-google-and-defin.php
I'm offended!
Best place to buy a cheap pressure cooker in Manhattan?
Don't forget the Astor Place KMart. They have great deals on housewares.
Does anybody know or have any info. about what happened to Burritoville & why they are all closed.
RIP chicken holy mole burrito. I'm a huge mole fan and it's tough to find in NYC.
Manhattan Fruit Exchange
I live in the 'hood and I love going to MFE. Before a big dinner party, I have a routine of hitting MFE for veg/fruit/herbs, Amy's for bread, Lobster Pace for fish, Chelsea wine for booze and across the street to Western Beef for meat. Everything you could every want in a fairly small radius. Don't forget MFE for the awesome spice selection too. Their prices can't be beat and they have some stuff you never see elsewhere.
No stand or hand mixer or food processor?
I tend to be somewhat of a luddite and don't have any electric tools at home besides the immersion blender. Get a nice whisk (big handle that is comfortable to hold and at about 3"- 4" in diameter at the widest point. It's worth the $10 to get a good one.) Pastry blenders are also nice to have.
Robot Coupe
Any experiences with the Robot Coupe food processor? I am thinking of getting one but unsure of which model. Due to my experience with Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart products in the past I would really like to add a professional grade food processor to my kitchen. Would people suggest Waring or Hobart over Robot Coupe?
Thanks
Where to find the corn husks for tamales?
When I lived in East Harlem on 110th street there was a grocery store on the street (I think between lex and 3rd) that carried corn husks, banana leaves, cactus and tons of other specialties from Mexico and the Caribbean islands. That being said, I'm sure there are places closer to home where you can get this stuff.
anyone have a great sangria recipe?
Did some last weekend for a party and it was a hit.
1.5 litre jug (that's right) of Carlo Rossi Paisano.
1 cup brandy
1 cup triple sec
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
Simple syrup to taste
I added lemon and orange slices plus peach and apple slices. Let it sit overnight.
NY munchy gifts to take home to family?
Can you check a bag? I've had great success in putting food in a checked bag - especially because it's so cold in the luggage compartment of the plane.
A few years ago (now I can't remember whether it was before or after the no liquids ban), I brought home tons of cheese from Murray's. After a five hour flight someone opened the overhead bin and said "eww...what stinks?" I didn't claim my cheese until after she left the plane.
How do cooks figure out which tastes go well together?
I think you're right. In the same way a home cook can open up a pantry and make something for dinner a professional should be able to make a dish based on their foundation of knowledge. I couldn't go home tonight and make bimbibop if my life depended on it but I could throw together a pasta dish based on stuff in the fridge/pantry. It's all about where your experience lies.
White Bean Dip Help
I'm looking for recipes and technique tips for a good white bean dip. I am particulary interested in something that serves as a dip for carrot sticks and other vegetables. I tried to make one last weekend with canned beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and chili powder and didn't like it at all. Any tips are appreciated. Do you reserve liquid from the can? Does anyone use dried beans? Olive oil or another kind of oil? Vinegar or lemon juice?
Thanks!
Cocktail dishes that compliment the drinks
I'm hosting bookclub for a group of 8-10 on a Saturday at 2pm. The host usually does drinks and snacks/light lunch. I am planning to offer Martha's Ginger-Lime Fizz cocktail (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/perfect-ginger-lime-fizz?autonomy_kw=ginger%20lime&rsc=rf_result1) and some white wine.
Any suggestions for cocktail dishes? I would love to do a dip (preferably something to goes with veggies) and some other small bites that can be eaten without utencils. I'm trying not to focus on any particular cuisine (Asian/Indian/Spanish etc).
The food will sit on the buffet while we discuss the book so room temp dishes will do best.
Thanks!
High Altitude Cake Dilemma
I grew up at 5500 feet and we never followed the "high altitude" directions on the box of cake mix and things always turned out great. That being said, there are website forums developed to tricks of the trade (with some being altitute specific).
http://www.highaltitudebaking.com/index.htm
http://www.ochef.com/327.htm
Best absolute beginner cookbook?
I think the best strategy to start cooking is get one reference book (Joy of Cooking, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, Better Home and Gardens) and then get a book that inspires you (preferably something with lots of pictures).
Before you buy a beginner cookbook, look at each recipe to make sure it has a manageable list of ingredients. Nothing frustrates the beginner cook like seeing a list of 30 ingredients that are expensive or can't easily be found.
Adult Cocktail Party with a Kid's theme
I love the idea of incorporating vintage lunch boxes in your design. I have a great strawberry shortcake lunchbox (my brother has a star wars, my mom has davey crocket). If you can find enough they would look cute stacked in 3s on the tables.
Also, have you seen the wine that comes packaged like a juice box? It may be too infantile but I love your theme so much.
yeek! my non-ultrapasteurized cream's sell-by date is Mon. August 25--will it turn bad at the stroke of midnight??
For the cake part - your oven is going to get a lot hotter for a lot longer than the pasteuriztion process would've in the first place so don't sweat that at least. Although I do agree that if it smells okay it is okay.
cookshop, lupa, or mary's fish camp?
Mary's doesn't take reservations but they will take your cell and either let you take your drink to the bench outside or let you go to another bar and call you when they're ready.
Personally it's my favorite and probably the least expensive by a hair - although I remember the lobster roll being in the high 20s last time I was there.
