Passion Fruit Juice

Thanks, I'll check those spots out. I do occasionally see fresh fruit around town, a delicious treat but bit of a fiddle to get enough juice for some recipes.

cynbad in General Chowhounding Topics

Passion Fruit Juice

I love the stuff and used to buy Looza brand passion fruit juice at my local grocery but have been told they've discontinued that flavor from their line. Now that I've started hunting for alternatives I'm not finding ANY passion fruit juice at all, having checked a number of stores in my area (Seattle). Wondering if hounds in other parts of the country are seeing passion fruit juice on grocery shelves, or maybe there's a severe shortage I just haven't heard about? Planned to include it as an ingredient in a recipe for publication, but now thinking twice if it's going to be near impossible to find. I know some tropical (often frozen) juice combos may include passion fruit but those tend to also be rather sweet and lose the pure character of the fruit. Meanwhile, I'll continue with the sleuthing, maybe going off the beaten track a bit.

cynbad in General Chowhounding Topics

Food-Themed Board Games

Curious if Hounds have tried some of the growing number of food-themed games on the market. Foodie Fight's pretty good, we've played that a number of times, though part of the fun can be arguing about the answers we don't exactly agree with. Subject matter has broad coverage from the practical kitchen facts to the very trivial (something about the fairytale Rapunzel and rutabegas....).

Not shooting to overload our game collection with culinary selections. Balderdash, Tripoly, dominoes and Scrabble will remain stalwart favorites. Just wondered if it might be worth adding any others beyond Foodie Fight to the mix.

cynbad in Not About Food

Snoho Cty dining options?

Will be at an afternoon meeting in Monroe area Saturday, hoped to use the opportunity to check out something new (to us) in the vicinity for dinner before heading back to Seattle. My brother swears by Sailfish in Monroe, about the only option I have first-hand info about. Any other recommendations in the Monroe/Snohomish/Bothell-ish region? Or, I guess, even North Seattle since we rarely get that far for dinner.....

Thanks!

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Kimchee question

Thanks to all for the great input and interesting discussion. I'm definitely feeling kimchee-enlightened. And I'll try not to fear the bubbles next time around.

cynbad in Home Cooking

Kimchee question

I don't recall buying kimchee before, or if I did I certainly don't recall this happening: I just returned from the store with a jar of kimchee. Well sealed with the plastic rim on it, refrigerated, well before the "buy by" date. When I opened the jar, the juices immediately started bubbling up and the contents inched up out of the jar a bit. Is this common? A bit disconcerting...but I realize this is a fermented product so perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised.

cynbad in Home Cooking

hoodsport, wa

I second the vote for Robin Hood, a longtime favorite in the area. It's very near Alderbrook Resort, which is a lovely property to walk around but the dining room's not the most reliable. But they should have their outdoor seating area near the docks open and could be fun for a simple burger or sandwich type meal.

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Special Occasion Seattle

Sooke Harbour House is a really outstanding option, but note that it's on Vancouver Island (the city of Vancouver is on the mainland). They'd have to get themselves to the island and need a car once there. And an overnight; they have beautiful rooms at Sooke, or less expensive options in/near Victoria. Just so you know Sooke is a full-on destination restaurant. Highly recommended.

As for Seattle options, I'd add Rover's to the list, French but done with great Northwest influences and a setting that's not at all stuffy. Wine pairings de rigueur. Your other options are all tops too, just very different personalities. Union square downtown, the others more neighborhoody settings. Cuisine shouldn't disappoint at any of them.

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Electric Griddle Question

I've never owned an electric griddle but had a thought this weekend that made me consider getting one. Wanted to get some feedback first to see if my idea holds water. For a small party, had heavy hors d'oeuvres on the menu for dinner, we nibbled on a number of things throughout the evening. Some items held up better to sitting than others. Wondered if a trick to keep something like stuffed mushrooms warm might not be to set the (heat-proof) plate on an electric griddle set to low. I know chafing dishes are another option, but curious about other choices for an item that doesn't need quite that much volume or depth. I didn't know if something about the way those griddles function could impede them being a possible solution. Thanks.

cynbad in Cookware

Terrific teriyaki in Seattle?

A friend's in search of suggestions that would be good for a teenager who loves teriyaki (and not a whole lot else....) for a birthday outing on Sunday. Teriyaki's been off my radar for a number of years, though certainly there are--seemingly--hundreds of neighborhood spots in Seattle. Any stand out as particularly good, and apt for a birthday dinner?

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Central alternative?

I made a reservation at Brasserie Beck (not the chef's table though, probably not ideal for this group). Hoped to book at Proof, which looks really great, but they only reserve a month out, so may try for that later. At least BB is on the calendar for sure. Thanks for the feedback and recommendations.

cynbad in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

mâche in Seattle?

This is one of those things I feel I should know the answer to but don't..... Given all the great shopping options in Seattle I figure some must sell mâche but now I'm thinking twice since I don't recall seeing it any time recently. Just called Metro Mkt in Admiral, not in stock right now but "usually it's available," the fellow told me. Just curious if you know of any reliable outlets in town for this lovely lettuce?

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Central alternative?

Thanks for the reminder. Beck had been on our list last year but we didn't get there. I'll look into both of these, thanks!

cynbad in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Central alternative?

I had really hoped that a few months advance would be enough, but found yesterday that the night I'd hoped to book a family dinner at Central for a May birthday won't work out. Had no idea they take just 2 bookings for 8 each night at one specific table. An interesting policy, I guess they prefer not to put together a couple of 4-tops to keep a more intimate feel in the place?

SO, looking for a backup that might be suitable. All but one are coming in from out of town for graduation ceremonies, the GW grad also happens to have a birthday. Having been to Central last year, we loved pretty much everything about the place: casual but with finesse, centrally located, great ambiance (bustling but enjoyable), a varied menu with not a loser among all we tried. And that banana split alone is worth the trip. We're all omnivores, aside from one pescatarian.

Do still hope to get to Central while we're in town. Any ideas for the birthday backup will be welcome!

cynbad in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Buckhead area recs

Just found out our Saturday dinner will be at Aria, so guess that needs to come off my Thursday list.....

cynbad in General South Archive

Buckhead area recs

Just spent some time looking through recent posts about Atlanta restaurants, but could use some help honing in on my best choice. I'll be in town for the first time next week, arriving a day early for meetings, so have one free evening to fill. We're due to dine at Craft the next evening, not sure about Saturday. Staying in Buckhead next to Lenox Square.

I'm in the market for a local flavor, since I get to the South so seldom from way up here in Seattle. For those familiar with restaurants here, I consider local favorites to be spots like Restaurant Zoe, Steelhead Diner, Palace Kitchen, Spring Hill, Sitka & Spruce.

Having checked other posts, a couple good options seem to be Aria, Holeman & Finch and Shaun's (though this seems to be a bit of a hike from Buckhead and I won't have a car). Aria's web site doesn't post prices, curious what the range is there? Hope not to spend a bundle, entrees in $20-ish range would be great.

Any feedback on these three, or other recommendations in Buckhead area, would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

cynbad in General South Archive

Graham flour substitution

Super, thanks for the link. I'll try 1 1/3 cups all-purpose with 1 cup graham and see how things go.

cynbad in Home Cooking

Graham flour substitution

I've got banana bread on the brain and was thinking about mixing up my mom's old, delicious but pretty standard recipe with the addition of some graham flour I happen to have on hand. Would welcome any recommendations about best proportion to shoot for, to get most flavor from the graham flour but still enough structure from the all-purpose. Recipe calls for 2 cups flour, would 1 cup each be about right?

cynbad in Home Cooking

premade tartlet shells in SEA?

I'm on the hunt for a source of premade tartlet shells. I've used the ones from PFI, frozen, they come in a couple difference sizes and both plain and sweet -- a pretty nice product and man-oh-man is it nice to be able to just fill and bake! But not sure if there are other styles/types of tartlet shells available in Seattle area markets. Any that are prebaked?

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Falling Water - where to have lunch?

We just visited from Seattle and had posted the very same question a month or two ago. Based on recommendations here, we went to Nemacolin, which was an interesting property to see anyway. As someone mentions below, we also went to the Tavern and had good sandwiches and one sloppy but very tasty burger. Definitely not a spot that has a lot of "local charm" that you might think of for countryside dining but it worked well for us. FYI, if lunch falls AFTER your visit to Fallingwater, the ticket/info booth has a large ring-binder with info on many restaurants in the area, lots of them looked like small diners and local joints. But we needed to lunch on our way there.

cynbad in Pennsylvania

Looking for food and jazz in Seattle

Those are three top jazz venues in town, to be sure. On the food side of things (not sure how high a priority it is in this case), Jazz Alley is pretty ho-hum but typically the dinner reservation tables get top placement so certainly worth doing if scoring a table closer to the stage is important. But even with just a drink in the balcony or back in the bar, it's a great spot for live music. Triple Door, being associated with upstairs Wild Ginger, has a more interesting/better dinner menu, for what it's worth. Not at all familiar with Tula's food offerings.

cynbad in Pacific Northwest

Western PA recs?

Thanks to you both for the info. Nemacolin looks like a good option, both for the variety of things to see/do on the property and for the different dining options. Gives us a nice little loop to continue down from Fallingwater, then up back to Pittsburgh via Uniontown. I'll do my best to report back after we return.

cynbad in Pennsylvania

Western PA recs?

I've been reading helpful posts on this board with ideas for our couple days in Pittsburgh later this month. Saturday we'll be driving down to check out Fallingwater, which I understand is in a very rural area. Sounded like a nice chance to see some PA countryside before flying back to Seattle. Any CH recommendations for a lunch spot en route or in the area down there? or any other points of interest for first-timers to this region?

cynbad in Pennsylvania

LV farmers markets, other local foods?

Outstanding, thanks! I had been to that Winder Farms web site and glazed over a bit when I saw ALL the products they have, complete with prepared foods. Good to know that the dairy part, their roots, is a stand-out offering they have. The Egg Lady sounds like a hoot, will explore that as well. Cheers.

cynbad in Southwest

LV farmers markets, other local foods?

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. I'll do a little more board-searching for Gilcrease and other orchards/farms on the site. Admittedly spoiled by our farmers markets in Seattle!

cynbad in Southwest

LV farmers markets, other local foods?

Is there a great farmers market in Las Vegas or the surrounding area that would be worth a visit on a future trip? With each trip to Las Vegas, I wonder about the regional, non-casino-based food culture in town. Our server at Enoteca San Marco last week hinted at regional/seasonal elements of their menu and I should have asked her for more specifics, but wasn't in a quizzical mood that afternoon I guess. Will starting asking more questions about local provenence of ingredients on upcoming visits, especially dining off-Strip. But just curious in general if there are local farmstead cheesemakers, grass-feed beef producers, other artisan or small-production food businesses worth seeking out on menus in and around Vegas. The only obviously local ingredient I see on Rosemary's current online menu is Nevada peach coulis for the foie gras. I know it's the middle of the desert and all, but thought perhaps small farm operations could be found in the area.

cynbad in Southwest

Condiments still safe?

That is hilarious, thanks for sharing! Now if only someone tried to replicate that with reliable info, it sure would be handy. New fridge is in place and holding my couple dozen saves jars/bottles of capers, pomegranate molasses, pickles, chile garlic sauce, curry paste, things that really did seem to be safely temp-resilient.

cynbad in General Chowhounding Topics

Las Vegas group dining, off-strip???

We've been to Hugo's a couple of times in the past year and had a great meal both times. Granted, it is very old school and if the group's likely to not play along with the fun of old school (i.e. judge it against contemporary dining options in Vegas and elsewhere) it may not be the best pick. Our last visit, there were 6 of us, most of the group professional chefs/consultants and it was a huge hit. Down to the pimento cheese that's on the bar if you choose to have cocktails there first (though with 12 there's not really room enough). Service is great (we've had Michael both visits), wine list is up to snuff, meat quality's very good, we find it a very enjoyable change of pace and scenery from all those options on the Strip. Just not sure how easy it will be to stay under $50 per person, though salad/sides are included in entree price if I remember correctly. So I suppose it's a manageable goal.

cynbad in Southwest