what to make with lobster broth that is not super expensive?

Butternut (squash) lobster bisque

avgolemona in Home Cooking

what to make with lobster broth that is not super expensive?

IMO, risotto is the LEAST "wasteful" way to use your lovely lobster stock. You get the concentrated flavor of lobster in every bite of (relatively) inexpensive rice. I sometimes buy a single 4 oz tail for the sole reason of making lobster stock for risotto - of course I eat the lobster flesh, but the real treat is the stock to make risotto from. I add chopped shrimp, nothing more (aside from the usual oil, wine, parm and butter). It's elegant enough for company, but more often I eat it all myself. Besides, you have three quarts. You'd only need one quart to make risotto for two and you'd still have enough for soup.

For the soup, try seafood abondigas.

avgolemona in Home Cooking

Where to get the best green chili in Denver?

Brewery Bar II is at Kalamath and 2nd Ave.

avgolemona in Mountain States

HELP! Denver, CO. Grilled Elote & Esquites

If you're still looking, I drove past an elote stand on Alameda yesterday. It's on the south side of the street between Tejon and Federal.

avgolemona in Mountain States

Have we talked Denver Restaurant Week yet?

I've been "doing" DRW for three years now. I notice a difference between then and now.

I'm one of those people who use 5280 as a trial to see if I'd come back and pay full price. So far this year, none of the places I've been to have passed the test.

I don't expect large (or small) helpings of mediocre or even poor food at normally good restaurants during 5280, which is what I've gotten this year. I also don't expect the absolute pinnacle of culinary delight. I expect three small, imaginative dishes done very well. Not the deal of a lifetime, not the most expensive ingredients, but a sampling of a restaurant's essence. I'd be happier with a half chicken breast, a dab of mashed potatoes, and bread pudding done perfectly than lobster, shiitake risotto, and creme brulee ruined.

Steakhouses have actually been some of the worst offenders, in my experience, in treating restaurant week diners like beggars.

I'm looking for a place I can consider for when I get another job someday and want to celebrate, or when an old friend blows into town on an expense account.

I'm the one who complained about requiring credit cards to confirm a reservation upthread. One more useless exposure of my credit information to secure a reservation (when I am religious about confirming and canceling) is something I don't need. That's one reason I reserve through OpenTable, where good reservation etiquette is rewarded. And so far, nowhere has been overbooked or even full.

Yeah, I'm unhappy. 5280 was supposed to be my chance to have some great food while unemployed. It may be months before I can afford to have a nice restaurant meal again. Going by this year's offerings, a lot of these restaurants will be out of customers and closed by then. Deservedly so.

avgolemona in Southwest

Have we talked Denver Restaurant Week yet?

We went to The Fort last night. It was disappointing to say the least. The salad was just OK, the buffalo was tough, the mashed potatoes were gluey, the green beans were just OK. Nothing I couldn't do better myself. The quail was good, as were the mini-muffins in the bread basket. The apple crisp was undercooked. In fact the only good thing was the tongue appetizer, from the regular menu. The service was outstanding, too bad the food wasn't.

It's doubly disappointing because I could only afford one or two 5280 meals this year, and this was the one I was really looking forward to.

avgolemona in Southwest

Web sites/ blogs that inspire you?

I visit Foodgawker (http://foodgawker.com/) every day (sometimes more than once) to gawk at beautiful food and get ideas - the photos link to blogs I would otherwise never find. Bittman, either in the Bitten blog (http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/) or the NYT The Minimalist column (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25mini.html?ref=dining) is always good for ideas and recipes.

What's your favorite?

avgolemona in Food Media & News

Have we talked Denver Restaurant Week yet?

I helped out by cancelling all reservations except The Fort and Sonoda's yesterday. Just can't afford it right now, but Sonoda's is an exceptional bargain for decent sushi and I've always wanted to try The Fort.

Here's an article in the Denver Post: 10 sure bets for Denver Restaurant Week

http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_11717745

avgolemona in Southwest

The End of the World as We Know it

Well, so far it's been a week and a half, and the only thing I've bought is half and half for my coffee. I'm making it last by drinking more tea. I have enough tea stocked to last me for months.

I'm doing Bittman's "vegetarian until 6" eating plan, extending it to "vegetarian cooked at home until the weekend (unless someone else is buying)." It's actually not that hard - I have plenty of time to find recipes and to cook. I'm trying to use up everything I have stored before I buy more. So far, that means a lot of quinoa, beans, bulgur, oats, rice, canned and dried tomatoes, and pasta. I've made the large bunch of fresh spinach I bought the day before the layoff last long enough for three big salads, and the rest of it is getting creamed tonight. I've still got most of a big bag of Brussels sprouts likewise bought before the axe fell, plus squash stored from last summer's garden. They key is to buy and grow things that keep well.

Now if spring will just hurry up a little, I'll have fresh greens (spinach, lettuce) from the garden.

avgolemona in Not About Food

The End of the World as We Know it

I pretty much do all these things already.

I was recently laid off. It was totally unexpected; I just got a major raise two months ago, plus the assurance of my boss that my job was safe.

One of the things I'm pleased about is that my pantry and freezer are well-stocked. I've already bought my vegetable seeds for the garden, which I had the foresight to increase by 1/3 last fall. I'm trying to make a game out of seeing how long I can get by without buying anything other than dairy.

avgolemona in Not About Food

The End of the World as We Know it

This is all true, but the fact remains that our standard of living is precariously based on a national industrial food supply that is in turn based on fossil fuel. For people who have no idea of where to obtain food other than a grocery store, this is (and should be) terrifying.

I lived in Santa Cruz during the Loma Prieta quake. Traffic (and grocery deliveries to stores) was extremely curtailed for weeks while the roads were repaired. Most Americans have probably never experienced shopping in stores with mostly empty shelves, and no other source of food. I have.

I didn't starve (obviously). I did, however, come away with a realization of how dependent we are on the meat packers, vegetable harvesters, and above all trucks and trains for our food supply. Yes, we live very well. But if there were a true crisis, those who live on locally-grown beans and rice in third-world countries will be able to cope with it much better than the average American will.

avgolemona in Not About Food

Dining alone in Denver?

I agree, it's self-imposed. Eating out by myself is something I enjoy and consider a treat - I like being waited on for a change. I take a book, or snag the crossword from the paper if it's breakfast or brunch. Plus there's always people-watching. And you're not stuck with bad company.

avgolemona in Southwest

Dining alone in Denver?

I have never understood what the stigma is about dining out solo, or how a restaurant could be good or bad for parties of one. If it's good, its good, whether you're with a crowd, with a date, or alone, IMO.

That said, Barolo is very friendly and you can eat at the bar (but you don't have to).

avgolemona in Southwest

Best Fried Chicken in Denver?

That's pretty subjective, since I have no idea what kind of a drive it is for you, and what you expect from fried chicken.

It's good fried chicken. It's reasonably priced. It's better than RM Diner and FAR better than KFC, but I doubt if you'll sit there and moan at the sheer fabulosity of the chicken.

If all I wanted was really outstanding fried chicken, I'd make it myself - but White Fence Farms is more fun. YMMV.

avgolemona in Southwest

Making Fajitas at Home

Lime juice is the key to making it taste like fajitas.

avgolemona in Home Cooking

Best culinary lessons in Denver area?

Not Cook Street. I bought a "class" there for a friend and myself, and all we did was cook our own meal as a group, from a recipe, and then they served it to us. I didn't learn a thing. Basically I paid (a lot) to have the experience of cooking in a strange kitchen with a bunch of strangers, then being served the food I cooked. I can do that at home in my own kitchen. Not recommended.

avgolemona in Southwest

Denver: Restaurants with a 'neighboorhood' feel

Perhaps Mona's, either on south Broadway or in the Highlands. I like their French onion soup and their salads are great. So are breakfasts.

Don't miss My Brother's Bar for burgers. It's on the corner of 15th and Platte, just down the block from Mona's (in Highlands). There is no sign. It's a very local kind of place.

avgolemona in Southwest

Best Fried Chicken in Denver?

It's fun to go on Thursday nights when they have a bluegrass jam. People show up with their instruments and at times there will be as many as 13 people playing. This is in the "barn" area where you can get a limited range of drinks while you're waiting for your number to be called, or have dessert afterwards. (Don't forget to get a number for dining. They don't do reservations.)

In the summer you can stroll the grounds and feed the ducks in the pond or look at the peacocks in the aviary.

Their chicken dinner comes with corn fritters (hushpuppies), pickled beets, bean salad, coleslaw and cottage cheese.

The decor is Midwestern mid-century pseudo-elegant, the clientele is (ahem) "older," the ambiance is hokey as hell, but the service is really good and the food is pretty good for the money. It's not fine dining by any stretch, but it's not bad for a change of pace. It is, above all, not pretentious. Or expensive.

avgolemona in Southwest

I know epi's doing it, but what are your 5 favorite kitchen things?

I forgot something that has nothing to do with cooking, really, but makes it more enjoyable anyway: the combination phone/radio that is mounted under the cabinet next to the stove. I can listen to NPR and answer the phone while cooking, without moving a single step.

avgolemona in Cookware

I know epi's doing it, but what are your 5 favorite kitchen things?

My original view was roughly 5,000 square feet of rocks and weeds on top of landfill. So I made my own better view by building a pond and landscaping.

Come to flyover country, young kay. Real estate is cheap (my mortgage is $700/mo). And we have real kitchens.

avgolemona in Cookware

I know epi's doing it, but what are your 5 favorite kitchen things?

Buy yourself a good knife. Trust me. You deserve it and you won't ruin it.

avgolemona in Cookware

I know epi's doing it, but what are your 5 favorite kitchen things?

I have to do that too (actually architecture plus gear), because great gear in a bad space, or bad gear in a great space, would not be the same. There is some overlap:

Architecture:
The view of the pond and waterfall.
The high ceilings.
The many cabinets and all the counter space.
The slide-out shelves in lower cabinets.
The pot rack.

Gear:
Knives
Gas stove (nothing fancy, but it's GAS)
Microplanes
Electric kettle (how did I ever live without this?)
Cuisinart

avgolemona in Cookware

Best Fried Chicken in Denver?

White Fence Farms is good. Very hokey atmosphere, though.

I found the RM Diner food is awful, but the building is beautiful.

avgolemona in Southwest

A different lamb stew - Ideas?

Lamb stew with spinach and garbanzo beans. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lamb-Stew-with-Spinach-and-Garbanzo-Beans-5922

Best with home made stock - chicken or turkey.

avgolemona in Home Cooking

Your REAL thoughts on super-processed, horribly delicious food...

Top ramen, throw away the seasoning packet, drain and add Velveeta. Sooo awful, it grosses me out to think about it. I only do it about once a year or so, and it's the only time I eat either ramen or Velveeta.

Also, Cheez Whiz on crackers.

avgolemona in General Chowhounding Topics

Complete my menu, please! (Meat dish & sides)

Since it's a buffet you'll want something that can be eaten one-handed.

How about amb kebabs? Get a boneless leg cut into stew-sized chunks, marinate in herbs/olive oil/lemon juice, skewer with red onion chunks and pepper sections, broil or grill depending on the weather. Or just serve the marinated, cooked chunks of lamb with pita bread, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions so guests can assemble their own "gyros."

You've already got hummus, but you could also serve whole garbanzo salad, with red onions, olive oil, lemon juice and cilantro.

avgolemona in Home Cooking

Brussels Sprouts recipe?

I like to shred them and cook in butter, then toss with toasted pine nuts, a little cream and parmesan, optionally with fettucine. Like this: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/11/refilled-and-refueled.html (scroll down for recipe).

This is also good: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2005/11/state-of-sprout.html

avgolemona in Home Cooking

Suggestions for 40th bday rest. in Denver

Just be aware that Elway's Cherry Creek - especially the bar area - is known as a "cougar preserve," IYKWIM, and take that into consideration.

avgolemona in Southwest

Refrigerator repair in NYC?

Angie's List has what you need.

http://www.angieslist.com/

avgolemona in Not About Food