I've used a recipe from book I think called spice by a Boston chef whose name also escapes me. The idea tho was to pan fry it (no need for oil) then serve with a date, toasted almond and arugula salad tossed with a mustardy balsamic dressing. Sweet, salty, nutty. It was delicious.

Pickle them, a la david Chang. Roughly remember the recipe as vinegar, water, soy sauce, sugar; boil till sugar dissolved, then add shiitakes and poach till done (about 10 min). These keep a long time in fridge and can be used in salads, stir fries, relish trays etc.

Almost always been pleased with the food there. As others have said, not adventurous but generally high quality. Do not miss the smashed peas with mint side. But definitely pass on the liver and onions. Worst rendition of this classic I have ever had - gristly, bitter, gray, absolutely awful.

Think middle eastern-ish. Roast the baby carrots and peppers. Combine with tomatoes, garbanzos, parsley and assorted veg. Make dressing by combining onion dip, yoghurt, chili, cumin, thinned with Meyer lemon. Make it quite lemony and yoghurty. Spread roasted veg on platter and dribble dressing on top at last minute.

I'm going to a potluck tonight and I'm bringing thai-ish chicken salad. Chicken, jicama, red chili, cilantro, onion, ginger and lime dressing. Scatter roasted peanuts on top. Hope they like it.

I do it all the time. Be aware tho that anything liquidy or semi (jam) is a no no if you're not checking luggage. But heads of lettuce, citrus, onions, just about anything is game. I did once have the embarrassing experience of having the tsa guy open my bag and carefully lift bags of half rotten lettuce, yellowed parsley and moldy onions that I had thrown in without looking cuz I saw no point in buying more at my destination 'when I already had perfectly good ones at home'!

I have a 30 in Viking. I don't think it's a new model, probably about 12-15 yrs old. I'm very happy with it tho it doesn't do low simmer very well. Seems to run hot. Also the oven seems to be on the hot side, impt if you do a lot of baking. None of this is a deal breaker if you adjust and compensate. Otherwise, love the power and the look of it.

I'm an sf resident who grew up in mtl. Just came back from a very long stay there and one of our favorite meals was at a place called Lawrence on st Laurent. Good market driven food, meat centric though not exclusively (one of our group is vegetarien and she loved an agnolotti pasta special). I see they do a whole roasted pig head special that looked very gulp lifelike! But the table eating it seemed very satisfied and attacked it with gusto.
I agree with APDC. In the past had the plateau du fruit de mer that was over the top and incredible.
As for language wars, while I speak French, I've dined with people who do not and haven't experienced any tensions when we've ordered in English at any resto in mtl.

I understand that some people need to do it, maybe in a big city (but even that is an if), but what's wrong with having a general plan and then following your nose and your appetite? I've never understood the people who write in asking for critique and they have scheduled EVERY single meal, often at big Michelin star $$$, two or even three per day. Don't they get tired and want to break free of self imposed must eat check the box dining?!

It is the secret of the grain, la graine et le mulet in French. Very sweet movie, I think a big hit in France.

C'mon people. Monterey mkt is a treasure. Right now for ex, they offer strawberries, clearly labelled from 7 or 8 different farms, most organic. When tomatoes come in, we'll have 20 or 30 diff varieties. Ditto for stone fruit. The quality is pretty good to excellent all around. prices are competitive. Sure they've moved things around, but it's not that big a place. How hard can it be to find what you're looking for. To say that its so confusing you'd rather shop at safeway????

I have to put a plug in for eatyourbooks.com. Basically a website that accesses the recipes in YOUR cooking library. That means any cookbooks you own, blogs you follow and magazines you read. Every time I search for a recipe, I find long lost recipes from cookbooks long since forgotten I own. It's a great resource.

Hi, Sunday is the day I get to go to the farmers market. Which is better and why - west Seattle or Ballard?

If you don't mind divey biker bar (very friendly folks), you must go to Chester's tavern in south bend, wa. There's only one thing to have - their fried oysters. The nytimes even wrote about them. They are incredible, and generously portioned. Really really worth a stop.

Barlata has terrible service. Every time I've been there, I've either been ignored, rushed service and/or attitude. The food is ok but not good enough to overcome the service.

If its any consolation, my son at 10, when given a choice on where to eat would choose complete crap - long John silver, taco bell, I hop etc. he's now a sous chef in a Michelin 2 star with a very refined palate (though he still prefers simpler food). I think someone else made the point that he's going for food he doesn't get at home is so true. Give him time.

Hi all. We're looking for suggestions for inexpensive, any ethnicity spot for a mid sized group to dine post a gallery opening convenient to grey gallery around nyu on thurs night. The problem is I won't know the size of group but I'm assuming 10-15 people. I have been tasked to make arrangements by my son tho I've pointed out to him that I'm from out of town, he's the local, but it's his opening and he's too stressed to deal with it. Help!

Since my house is fairly cool, I actually let it rest about 20 hrs without touching it at all. It rises beautifully, looks and feels gorgeous. The taste though is just bland, and the hole structure after baking is really small. Not like a well risen Neapolitan crust. My husband says it tastes like it doesn't have enuf salt though I follow lahy's instructions precisely (using a scale). Can't understand it.

Hi, I've been using Jim lahy's no knead pizza recipe (essentially flour, water, yeast and salt; very slow rise time). The consistency of the dough is beautiful, stretches into pie shape effortlessly with no need for rolling pin. I use a pizza stone, preheated at highest setting for 1 hr, then turned onto broil when pie goes in oven. Pizza is done in less than 5 min.
My question - the taste and texture of the finished crust is meh. How come? It doesn't have the crispness AND chewiness that I associate with Neapolitan crust. It's kind of bland tasting without the airy texture and crispness and chewiness I love. The last time, I put in a tsp of honey hoping that would help. No go. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

I had a plumber take out my garbage disposal. I used to have to run it every day because it was constantly clogging up. The amount of water it used! My city accepts meat and veg scraps for compost so dispose of everything that way (in a paper bag). Frankly can't understand the purpose of a garbage disposal. People lived in houses with running water for centuries without need of one.

Forgive me if I missed someone else responding in the same vein, but one ethical issue (from the animal perspective, I guess) is that unless you eat it, it won't exist. Don't flame me please, but wat I mean is the commercial production of animals is dictated by the market place. If farmers couldn't recoup their costs, do you think they would raise the animals in the first p,ace. An example is the resurgence of old heritage breeds of pigs, cows, turkeys, whatever. Domestic animals have been bred for so long that they depend on us for their very existence. is it ethical to say that if we didn't eat them, they wouldn't exist? My answer is absolutely.

Mee too. Love love love Monterey mkt..except on weekends, in which case you're better off walking (15 min for me) than driving and trying to get into that crappy parking lot.

Thanks all for some great suggestions. I especially like the idea of chalet BBQ. I haven't had that in years. Live in sf and my tastes have 'evolved' over the years but it sure brings back memories. I also must try burger de ville. I've noticed it on return visits home and my mom lives on Westminster so it should work.
How is taverne on monkland these days. It used to be ok.

Hello all, I'm visiting my mother in Montreal west. Wish I could say that my stay will include fine dining but I will be limited to the immediate neighborhoods. Anything interesting going on on monkland ave, west west Sherbrooke, snowdon, ndg and that general vicinity. It's going to be a difficult trip and it would be really nice to have it broken up by an enjoyable meal and a decent glass of wine. Any ethnicity and price point is fine. Thanks.

Aside from the flavor of wine, I think it also gives a little bright acidity to cut thru the richness of the dish. What about using a really good beef stock and then hit it with a teaspoon or so of red wine vinegar at the end. You might need to cook for another 10-15 minutes so that it smooths into the sauce.

I remember but don't have access to a recipe that Craig Claiborne years ago wrote in the nytimes cookbook, circa 1970s, for roast chicken stuffed with scrambled eggs. He lovingly described the stuffing delicately setting and perfuming the chicken as the chicken roasted. Does anyone else remember this dish? Have the recipe?

Had no problem walking in as a single diner and sat at the bar. However, really didn't get the hype. The food was pretty ordinary- nothing better or different than I would get at a good bay area Italian restaurant. Also had the misfortune to sit next to a truly nasty b*tch who spoilt my meal. Not really the restaurant's fault though.

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Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

I'm planning to make a mushroom farro risotto for dinner party tonight and I've done my research on the net. Cooking times for farro are all over the place. Some would have you cook it for about 25-30 min. Some say you must par boil or start with already cooked farro before continuing with risotto. Some tell you to precook for 2 hrs. Which is it? How long does farro need to cook? Help.

Speaking as a former montrealer living for a long time in berkeley, ca, here's my question. No question we have far better selection and varietal and freshness of produce here in ca, but how come the prices in mtl are cheaper? They're all imported from ca or fl or south America, yet typically prices especially at the small neighborhood fruiteries are less than I pay for the equivalent in Monterey mkt or berkeley bowl. Please explain.

I have had the professional grade cuprinox copper/stainless lined pots from dehillerin for well over 25 years. I own at least 10 in various sizes, have used them in restaurant kitchens and at home. I'm not great about polishing the outside so they never look shiny and new. My biggest beef is with the largest pot. It has a handle but could really benefit from a opposing handle to make hoisting it while full easier. That is the benefit and drawback to these pots - they are heavy, but because of the weight and thickness of the copper, they cook evenly with no burn spots. Other than that, they are superbly functional work horses..