Thank you! My mistake has been going to Chinese markets, it seems.

Hi All,
Does anyone know where I could find fresh thai basil in the Ann Arbor area? The Chinese grocery on Washtenaw only had one half-rotted bunch. Also, is there an Asian grocery where I could find kochujang and ssamjang?

Thanks much!

I was just at my husband's friend's house yesterday (in Metro Detroit), where his wife (of Sicilian descent) had just made a batch of ammoglio out of fresh cherry tomatoes from her garden. Her recipe: take a bunch of ripe tomatoes, score the skins, blanch for a minute and then plunge into an ice bath. Remove skins. Rough chop tomatoes and place in strainer to remove excess liquid. (seeds are not removed) Pulse three times in a food processor to produce a very slightly chunky puree. (her husband likes it pretty smooth, but texture is up to you) Add a glug of EVOO, crush as much garlic as you can stand, and sprinkle some oregano, S+P to taste. (fresh basil did not make an appearance). She also said that you can make it with canned tomatoes in the winter.

There's a stand-alone butcher in Warren on 12 Mile Road, just east of Ryan, called Steiners. I've bought some roasts from them, and it was very good. They're very accommodating if you're looking for a special cut, etc.

Two places I can think of - first, the bakery at Pape Joe's Gourmet Market turns out some tasty breads. I have only had them from the Birmingham location, but I'm sure it's good in Rochester too. Also, there is a baker who shows up at the Saturday Farmer's Market in Royal Oak who makes the MOST DELICIOUS multigrain bread. I don't know their name, but at least last summer they didn't have a storefront yet. They sell out of most everything by noon, but if you get there early everything can be had sliced or not.

My husband and I just went to Franco's last night and it was terrible! It recently got a good review from Mel Small in the Metrotimes, too. We had the roasted red pepper appetizer, the lobster bisque, dinner salad, and two entrees: Veal Siciliano and the fettucine alfredo with chicken and spinach. First, the roast peppers were not tasty, and the skins were left on. (I'm not sure if that's typical in Italian cooking, but my Jewish-Moroccan aunties would never dream of leaving a skin on a roasted pepper). The lobster bisque tasted of salt and corn starch, the dinner salads contained the funkiest-tasting cicis, the alfredo was cafeteria-grade at best, and the breading on the veal had the texture of sand. The ammoglio that came with the veal had little flavor as well. Plus, despite the relatively nice decor, the food came served on the typical cafeteria plates that are brown-flecked and have dark brown edging. There was truly nothing good about that meal.

In the metrotimes review, Small compared the food to typical italian chains and suggested that it was better to give the business to someone local. While I normally fully agree with this sentiment, I have to disagree that the quality of the food even approached what you would get at an italian chain. Even if the food was better quality, it would certainly taste better at a chain. I would go to Maggianos or Buca any day of the week over this place.

I live in Madison Heights, and would love some tips on what to order at the Vietnamese places. I stopped in one day and tried the pho, but it was very plain and didn't come with the condiments that I thought it would.

I am a HUGE fan of Edamame. They just opened a couple of months ago in a great little space in a stripmall of all places. The menu is Japanese and they also have some Phillipino dishes as well. The food is VERY well priced and decent quality. I've had americanized sushi rolls there and also the tempura udon, both of which are fantastic. A couple of guys next to me ordered some fantastic-looking jalapeno crispy squid. They also have more traditional stuff like bento boxes.

For Japanese, my husband and I both love Sushiko in West Bloomfield on 12 mile rd and Orchard Lake. Cherry Blossom in Novi is known to be the favority of the Japanese guys he does business with (little pricey). If you're looking for a ginger martini to go with your sushi, try Ronin in Royal Oak. It's a little pricey, but the fish is great quality and it's a great scene on the weekends.

I'm sorry, but Mon Jin Lau is not excellent. It is overpriced, has tiny portions, and is completely inauthentic. There are a bunch of chinese places in Troy with much better food and reasonable prices. Also, my husband experienced discrimination at Mon Jin Lau! He and a couple of his friends ended up at there after a long motorcycle ride. They walked in with their jackets and helmets, put their name on the list, and watched as group after group of people that came in AFTER them was seated. They kept being told that they were next. After an hour and a half of this, they left. And trust me, they're not hooligans, they were all engineers at Ford at the time.

Trying it out in advance was a good idea. Unfortunately, all I had that is vaguely custard-like was some fat-free sugar-free chocolate pudding. It was kind of hard to distinguish the browned sugar from the brown pudding. But it didn't take that long.

So when you torch the sugar, does it actually take a bit to set into the crunchy end state? I think the pudding melted a little underneath, so I had to put it into the fridge for a couple of minute for the sugar to set.

I am going to be making creme brulee for a little dinner party held at a friend's home. I've never actually made it before, and I'm afraid that it'll take too long to torch the tops of them with my little williams-sonoma-type torch and I'd really just like to bring them ready to eat. I want to enjoy the party, after all! How far in advance can I make the crackly top without them losing their snap? Every recipe I've seen says to do it right before serving...

I thought this post was fascinating. It's interesting to learn about rituals (and their rules) which have fallen almost completely out of use. I'm curious to know more about the type of people who are able to keep such things alive. I have a hard enough time trying to get a timely RSVP out of most of my friends. All of this detail would be completely lost on them. To the OP, on what kinds of occasions do you set a table (and cook a meal!) this formally?

I agree with most of the posters here - Slows is pretty good, but not great. I think you go there for the atmosphere more than anything else. Famous Dave's is disgusting, I would never go there again.

Honestly, the best and most consisently good ribs I've had in this area are at any one of the three J Alexander's. I know it's a chain, but I love their sauce, and the ribs always fall off the bone. Fantastic sides, too. The mac and cheese there IS amazing.

I have to second Streetside - it's definitely cozy and the food is great. No reservatons, though, so if you arrive after 6pm, you'll be standing for an hour in a crowd around the bar.

Another nice place that recently opened is the Town Tavern in Royal Oak. It's a lot roomier than Streetside, and they also have fresh fish specials everyday as well as great comfort foods.

If you're looking for something quieter, you could try Fiddleheads, also in Royal Oak but not downtown. Space is nicely minimal, food is a bit cerebral. It's a nice experience.

I also put in a big vote for Loui's - the best!

For Thai, I have recently been enjoying a place in Madison Heights (not far at all from Warren) called Nak Thai on John R between 11 and 12 mile road. They seem to have a slightly larger than normal selection with dishes that I don't see at every other Thai place.

I know the coney debate has been beat to death, but I would say that what makes coney islands such a uniquely detroit thing isn't the specifics of the chili dog, but the strange union of greek foods (gyros, etc) with chili dogs, chili fries, etc. I don't know if these places were all originally owned by greeks, but at almost any coney island you go to, you will certainly be able to order a gyros, chicken gryos, greek salad, sometimes even lamb chops or lamp shanks, rice with red sauce etc. I have always been puzzled and pleased by this strange and seemingly random union.

Father's Office if it's a boozy lunch...good selection of beer and wine, plus good burgers.

My husband and I stay in Pompano Beach, so most of the places we know of are really between Pompano and downtown Fort Lauderdale. Last time we were there, we kept driving past this cute place on Atlantic called Kitchenetta. I'm glad we stopped, because they had the most amazing coal-fired pizzas! The place is charming as well! We had the caprese salad and risotto balls, and both were fantastic. The quality of everything else looked top notch. Anyone else been there?

Also (I know it's a chain-sorry), but we love to go to Houston's when were in the area. They're sited on the intercoastal, so you can sit at the bar and watch the hugest yachts pull up for dinner. The ribs and prime rib are fantastic, as is the smoked salmon.

I like to make a soup like this too. However, I often add pumpkin (fresh or canned, fresh is better) or garbanzo beans to the mix as well. If you are looking for some added creaminess without dairy, coconut milk tastes amazing especially with the curry powder. Adding a cup of chopped cilantro (intead of the parsley) tastes great in there too.

My husband and I travelled to Belize for our honeymoon, and one of the resorts we visited was located near a Garifuna village. One night, we ate something called a 'seafood sere', which was a seafood soup with coconut milk and maybe lime? They served it with rice on the side to mix in as you pleased. I've been searching for the recipe ever since, because it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. If anyone can point the way, it would be much appreciated!

If you feel like travelling farther for wine, my favorite wine shop in Metro Detroit is Cloverleaf in Southfield (Northwestern HWY, south of 13 Mile Road). I've never been out of there in less than 45 minutes because the people that work there are so enthusiastic about wine, they'll talk with you about it forever. Plus, the buyers for that store travel extensively to choose the wines, so there's always a great story of how they found this wine or that. They have wines that are a very good value for the quality. Plus a decent selection of kosher wines beyond the ubitquitous Baron Herzog. Check it out if you come over this way! Call first, though, their hours don't go so late.

I actually went to a wedding shower at Maggiano's and it was really elegant! They have this round room in the front that they use for them, and it was quite charming. Apps were served buffet style in the middle of the room so everyone could have a cocktail and mingle before sitting down. Then the food was, as you know, served family style, but it was good quality and presented well. You should take your grandmother to dinner there so she can experience herself. I had my rehersal dinner at Andiamos on the Riverfront (in the Ren Cen) and they have a private room you can book OR a semi-private area if you have less than 45-ish people. They did a fantastic job too. I had my engagement party at D'Amatos in Royal Oak on a Sunday when they are not normally open. It was also family style, but you could probably pay more and get it plated. They did a very nice job, but you could tell the waitstaff was not particularly happy to be working on Sunday and they weren't so snappy about the drinks as the event wore on (though we were paying for each and every one of them). All of these places are very nice but really not that formal. D'Amatos was around $20-25 a person not including alcohol, Andiamos ran about $50, including full bar. Good luck!

Definitely try Lafayette Coney Island - it's the Pink's of Detroit!

There's Luciano's in Clinton Township, which is supposed to be good, though I haven't been. Of course, Salvatore Scallopini is a local chain with maybe 3 locations. It's fairly inexpensive and the food is pretty good. The Gratiot location, though in a strip mall, has a well-decorated interior. Not too far from Macomb County is Mario's in Troy. I've been there once. It seems to have a huge following (reservations recommended!), but the food seemed overpriced for what it was. If you're looking for more forward Italian cuisine, try Via Nove in Ferndale. The food is beautifully composed, but don't go there looking for spaghetti and meatballs, it's not that kind of place. Also there's Bacco's in Southfield, which was a recent 'Hour Detroit Restaurant of the Year', and priced accordingly.

There used to be this great Italian coffeehouse in Clinton Township...I forgot was it was called, but they had the most amazing homemade gelato! It was filled with all these old Italian guys playing cards and watching soccer. I think it's a mobile phone store now...

Thanks for everyone's advice. I guess there can be too much of a good thing.

I was going to use one of the marinades in last month's Cook's Illustrated. It included soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, curry paste, and brown sugar. The instructions said to reserve a quarter cup of the marinade, add some lime juice and vineagar, and to toss it with the meat after it had been cooked. The instructions specify to only marinate it for an hour, but the article made it sound like that was a minimum for people who hadn't thought to do it the night before.

Can you marinate meat for too long?

I'm considering marinating a flank steak for grilling tomorrow, but there is a chance I won't be able to cook it until Tuesday...

Go for it, or Wait?

I've read that you can chop up fresh herbs, and put them in an ice cube tray with a bit of water, freeze them, then store them in a freezer bag for later use. Never tried it, but seems reasonable.

I just bought some patty pan squash yesterday at the local farmer's market. They're so cute, but I have no idea what to do with them. The woman who sold them to me suggested dicing them and sauteeing with white wine. Searching online yielded little in the way of recipes, except for one that had them baked in vanilla and sugar and a couple that would have me stuff them. They seem way too small to stuff and I would like to serve them as a veggie side dish, on the savory and salty side rather than sweet. Any suggestions? I probably have 8 of the little guys.

I think it's always nice to bring a little something when invited over for a dinner. However, it's important to bring items that will not inconvenience the host or hostess, especially if they're preparing something elaborate. I think sometimes even a bouquet of flowers isn't the best because then the hostess has to go and find a vase, cut the stems, and arrange them right there. Bottles of wine are great, but don't expect it to necessarily be opened that night - if the food has been carefully planned, chances are the beverages have been too. I personally would find it odd to receive a book or notecards as a hostess gift for a dinner party. A thank-you note after the fact would be even better.

I think most people do feel the need to bring something, so the smart hostess should plan for this by having an answer ready to the inevitable question - 'What should I bring?'