I haven't seen any recent posts on these. Which would you recommend for a romantic dinner? La Colombe appears to have the longer track record, but also more inconsistent reviews.

The standard refrain has been "six weeks" for several months now. I understand there were some personal delays but they are now making progress and we may be getting closer to some serious cured meats.

Just returned from a week in Rochester. I was concerned by the bad food buzz, but - thanks to the posts here- had a pretty successful week, at least foodwise.

Sontes for tapas -- the place has a nice, but relaxed atmosphere. The tapas was very good, with some of the more mundane sounding dishes standing out. Started with citrus marinated olives (the citrus was a nice touch) and the charcuterie plate - both good. The squid ink ravioli was just ok, but the cannellini bean and rosemary crostini was excellent as was the kohlrabi in dill sauce (my darkhorse favorite of the meal). For desert, the carrot cake was ok, but on the dry side. There were many other dishes (esp. the scallop) I would like to try.

Jasper's (Alsatian) - a small space with very nice atmosphere. The chicken liver pate was fantastic, served with a traditional set (chopped gherkins and onion); I could eat my weight in this dish. The roasted beet salad with goat cheese was also perfect. (Roasted beets were on every menu I saw this week). I had the fried pork cutlet over spaetzle and sauerkraut - which was good, but way too much food - leaving no room for an amazing looking carrot cake for desert. My dining companion had the cou au vin - which was just weird; the chicken meat did not have the usual red wine-soaked color and it was covered with a strange, heavier sauce that had a kick to it. The service was extremely good - especially considering one waitress covered the entire dining room and never missed a beat.

Pescara - the decor is trying a little too hard to be hip; it's in a Doubletree Hotel after all. The service was very good until the end (when the server seemed to have moved on to other tables) - overall very attentive and good recommendations. I had the Cioppino - which was amazing; I'd eat the sauce on anything. My dinner companion had the dayboat halibut - which was cooked perfectly and stunningly fresh (considering we were in MN). For sides, we overdid it because we really wanted to sample a few. The much-recommended truffle risotto lived up to its billing; I could not go back without ordering it again. Grilled asparagus was good. The lobster mac and cheese was bland and should be skipped.

Rainbow Cafe (Pine Island) - with some free time, we drove 20 minutes north to Pine Island for lunch at the Rainbow Cafe. Well worth the trip. Pine Island doesn't even have a traffic light, but they have one hell of a great restaurant. We started with the local cheese plate - which was a slight disappointment with only one cheese (farmhouse cheddar). But they more than made up for it with the lunch. The "signature" pulled pork appears to be a house specialty so I ordered the pork sandwich (served on a homemade bun with house BBQ sauce). The pork was excellent - tender and moist, but not greasy; the homemade bun was also great - toasted perfectly; the tomato-based BBQ sauce was ok but nothing special. I hate being out-ordered, but my dining companion did it this time: an amazingly fresh tasting chicken salad melt on homemade marbled rye. The bread was so good I ate all her scraps. Would love to go back for dinner whenever I'm anywhere within striking distance. Again, well worth the drive.

Nosh - another drive, this time west to Lake City and again well worth the 40 minute trip. The scenery is much nicer - with a view of the frozen lake (and Wisconsin on the other side). We both started with soups. I had the pureed turnip over chorizo; turnip is a tricky flavor for a soup but the chef nailed it. My dining companion had a black bean soup with coconut - which sounds odd, but worked really well. We then shared the charcuterie plate - with house made venison prosciutto (which obviously is not really prosciutto, but was damn good), pork belly (pork belly, need I say more?); and something called "fruit leather" (which I had never tried and which lived up to its name - leather); the cheeses were three and much better than our last attempt. My dining companion had the scallops which were perfectly cooked and had a little kick to them. I had the short rib over risotto - very good. For desert, we split an apple tart with cinnamon ice cream; the ice cream was excellent; the tart was good but not remarkable. Very attentive service from the entire staff.

Daubes' Bakery (the main location, not in the subway) - the bakery case was sensory overload for me. The Long Johns and donuts were excellent - with more heft than your average fried dough. The cinnamon roll-as-big as-your-head was good, but did not live up to my imagination before I ordered it. The coffee was also very good.

Although I didn't have the chance to eat there, I went by Zzest which has crazy variety of food stuffs you won't see most places (lilac confit, truffle honey, etc). The menu looks really good and would I love to try it. Also went by Good Foods - the local coop -- the selection looks good, including locally raised meats.

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Sontes
4 3rd St SW, Rochester, MN 55902

Zaza's (now Trattoria Centrale) does a good daily breakfast and spectacular Sunday brunch.

The same app inspired me to make it at home; I found the sorghum at V Richards

Can anyone recommend a good wine shop?

Gianmarco's was open on Christmas eve last year.

I’d rather have an appendectomy than drive to the Summit during the holidays (or any other time, really), but the pull of Flip was too strong to resist. Went last night and was impressed all the way around. Given the celebrity chef, I expected an outrageous wait, but was pleasantly surprised when the hostess projected 25 minutes and even more so when we were seated faster. The space is very cool; you definitely don’t feel like you’re in a shopping mall. The music gives it an energetic vibe, and also keeps you from having to listen to your neighbor’s conversation.

The food was very good; the service was friendly and reasonably efficient, especially since they just opened this week. The pricing is shockingly inexpensive (the basic burger is $5.50; most of the sides (read: fried stuff) are around $3). My date had the bacon cheeseburger, which was good, but (and I never thought I would type this) it had too much bacon -- which overwhelmed the taste of the beef. Caught up in the emotion of the moment, I ordered the A5 (Kobe beef and foie gras), the most decadent thing on the menu and priced accordingly. It was excellent, perfectly cooked and with a very complex layering of flavors. I might put less of the condiments on it, because the meat was so good by itself, but I’m not complaining; it rocked.

We also ordered the tempura fried zucchini and tempura fried okra.. Both were good, but the zucchini was much better; it has a stronger taste, while the baby okra mostly tasted of the tempura batter – not that there is anything wrong with that. Although stuffed, we both had to try the nitrogen shakes. I had pistachio and white truffle oil shake; the flavor was very good, but the pungent smell of truffle oil was a little discordant with sweet taste of the shake. I still liked it, though my date was not a fan of the truffle oil. She ordered the Krispy Kreme shake – which was amazing. It was an exact flavor match for a glazed donut, and somehow also evoked the texture of a cake donut. I don’t know how they pulled the texture trick off, but it was impressive.

And the final surprise, Richard Blais was in the house, actually prepping food and also periodically checking on patrons and introducing himself. Nice guy.

Oh, and the house drinks were good also; the peach tea was my favorite of the group.

There for brunch on Sunday. They do not take reservations for brunch. We arrived shortly after they opened at 11 and the place was full soon after we arrived. There are only a few tables and none of the tables turned over while were there. So get there early.

The food was creative and excellent (eggs benedict with a mushroom hollandaise over sweet potato biscuits); the service was slow, but comfortable and friendly.

Very interested in this place, but know it's very small. Do you need reservations for Sunday brunch (and, implicitly, do they accept reservations for brunch)?

Making post-dinner plans, but don't want to rush the experience. How long should I anticipate dinner at Masa taking?

Went to the Martini House recently and it was, hands down, the most disappointing eating experience of my life. After being seated, we didn't talk to a server for more than twenty minutes. Made the mistake of ordering the tasting menu (as it was the only way to have the foie gras). The food was passable, but each course was separated by more than twenty minutes (between clearing the previous course and delivering the next). The wine pairings were very skimpy pours (esp. since there were only three) and not particularly great pairings. The waitress (Maryanne) didn't even ask if we wanted coffee or a drink, just quickly delivered the desserts and ran away. From looking around, it was obvious from some of the other faces that we were not alone in being ignored. I had hoped that this was an off-night, but heard from others at our hotel of similar experiences. Stay away. There are too many fantastic options with superb service. We loved JoLe, Redd, Ad Hoc, and Auberge du Solei.

Thanks for the suggestion on TFL; will keep trying. Your posts on the board have been extremely helpful. I'm intrigued by your comments elsewhere on The Dining Room at the Ritz, but think it may be too formal (going to Coi the next night). Would you care to weigh in on Ame vs. Boulevard?

After studying the comments here, I've made reservations for JoLe and Martini House. I have one dinner slot left and am torn between Redd and Ad Hoc. My leaning toward Ad Hoc is primarily because I've waited too late to get into TFL, but also know it's a very different experience. I'd appreciate any thoughts to help tip the balance. So little time, so much to eat.

Though I am hopelessly unqualified to answer any question about eating healthy, when I'm feeling guilty for being unusually glutinous, I have two go-to spots. The Fish Market and Newks. All of the simple grilled fish (esp. snapper) at the Fish Market is excellent. The salads at Newks are enormous; I like the Newks' Favorite - which comes with grilled chicken and enough other stuff (dried cranberry, artichoke hearts, etc.) to make it interesting. The grilled chicken feta wrap at Nabeels would also rate on the healthy side.

Geronimo has been one of my favorite in Santa Fe for almost a decade - so I was concerned about the change, but am happy to report that they have not missed a beat. The service was excellent - attentive, but comfortable. The wine list was well-matched to the food choices - though priced on the high end. And the food was excellent. The standards (elk and the chile prawns) were still there and, as Salt of the Earth noted, the changes on the menu nicely show off Rios' influences - like a deconstructed corn soup.

It looks like everyone has switched kitchens since my last visit to Santa Fe. I've heard rumors that Martin Rios is now at Geronimo since DiStefano jumped to Coyote. Can anyone confirm? Has anyone been since the changes? And what's happened to the menu?

26 has an after-10 menu, but I'm not sure if they offer it on weeknights.

Different ABC stores have different selections, although none will be as broad as you can find in ATL, esp. if you're looking for gin like Hendricks. You can get the standards (Saphire, etc) at most ABC stores.

For wine, the Western in Mountainbrook Village has a decent selection and the Village Wine in English Village has a very good selection. They also have regular tastings - but be careful about purchasing under the influence.

It's on Lorna Road in a shopping center before you cross 459. I didn't care for the TV show but made the mistake with the name. I could eat my weight in the spicy chutney they serve as a teaser. I agree that the heat is different; the waiters may be a little overly cautious in steering you away from the hot.

He imported the wood burning oven from Italy, and imports his flour as well. If you work close, you gotta go.

Sheilal covered the waterfront very well. A couple of additional thoughts:

Depending on the fish your looking for, Tria is good for the more exotic and flown-in from afar fish; Fish Market is best for fish straight out of the gulf.

I second Sheilal on the Italian, Gianmarco's is best by far; Bottega Cafe is very good.

For pizza, I highly recommend Betola (at Pepper Place); it's a neopolitan style with charred crust.

For Indian, Taj India is my favorite, but Silver Spoon on Lorna Road is also very good.

My one disagreement is Fox Valley - used to be worth the 20 minute drive, now I wouldn't cross the street to eat there. I don't know what happened, but it's not even a shadow of its former self.

You didn't ask about sushi, but Jin Sei in Homewood is out of this world.

Hopefully, you stumble on some places we haven't found yet. Please let us know.

It unfortunately is no longer there; razed as part of the development along the river. I have great memories buying a cone from a window in the ice cream factory.

For home cooking, especially the best biscuits anywhere, I second the Waysider on Greensboro Ave @ 15th Street in Tuscaloosa. You must go there for breakfast. Not exactly the whole in the wall you requested, but The Globe on Main Ave in Northport is excellent. To me most of Tuscaloosa's "nicer" restaurants (such as DePalma's) are a real disappointment - -though I've heard Cozy's is an exception (no personal experience).

There must have been some change, as I have heard similar complaints since I started griping about this experience. While I didn't expect stellar service, this was flat out neglectful. Over the last few years, I have been discouraged by the traffic as well; now, I won't feel like I'm missing anything. Save the planet - don't waste the gas.

Although you had to pack a lunch for the trip, we used to look forward to the pilgrimage out to Maylene to sup at Fox Valley. There was something intriguing about eating inventive, delicately balanced dishes in simple, unadorned joint next to a Shell station that could just as easily be serving a meat and three. Their crab cakes were some of the best I've had outside the state of Maryland and their wine list has deservedly won several awards.

But the food is no more. After trekking out there (with several long road construction delays), we were surprised to find a menu that was reminiscent of the bad Florida panhandle restaurants of my childhood - where otherwise good fish is adorned with fried everything and slathered in heavy sauces. (Make no mistake, I love fried everything, just not on top of my $25 entree). The menu had expanded to include - in my estimation - way too many entrees for them to be fresh and prepared well, and was now cow heavy - most of which was also dressed with fried everything and covered in heavy sauces. Even the signature crab cakes were not as good as I remembered - not firm at all and overwhelmed by the sauce in which it swam (and almost drowned).

The service was disappointing as well. When you eat next to the Shell station, you don't expect to have your napkin folded when you leave the table, but you do expect friendly attentive service. We got ignored even though our waiter only had two tables. He disappeared regularly and wasn't particularly helpful when he was around. (He took our orders and then stopped to talk to the next table for ten minutes before he put ours in).

On the upside, the wine list is still very good (one of the best dessert wine lists in town), but not worth the hike when the food is so disappointing. We were very sad at the loss of very good food in a unique venue.

I haven't heard any buzz about it in a few years and wonder whether 315 is still worth a visit on a very short trip to Santa Fe? If not, anything new and interesting in town (new in the last year or so)?

Not necessarily romantic, but definitely intimate, try Jensei in Homewood. Best sushi joint in town by a long shot- with chef trained by Nobu and fish flown in daily from Japan and Australia. The sushi is excellent (recommend the serrano yellowtail); the wine it outrageously expensive ($15/glass) and the wait is generally long (no reservations). It only has a handful of tables (maybe 20 seats) so the service is very attentive.

For romantic, I agree with all of the recs above, esp. GianMarco. For their initial introduction to town, I'd have to go with Highlands.

For a dinner party, prepared (for the first time) a Portuguese dish of Cod with a olive tapenade over saffron rice with chorizo. Pre-ordered the cod from my local market. When I picked it up, the fish was already wrapped in butcher paper; I thought nothing of it since it was special ordered. Spent hours preparing the meal and presented it with great fanfare, only to see my very polite guests struggling to choke it down. When I tasted it, I realized the market had given me salt cod (cured in the way of 17th Century sailors). The salt destroyed the taste of anything that came within a two foot radius (including the safron rice on top of which it had been plated). Truly awful - but I am not sure anyone would have mentioned it had I not discovered my screw-up. We all drank much wine and ate dessert. The recipe sounded so good but I haven't had the nerve to try it again.

Marcella Hazan has simple but excellent recipe for Broccoli sauted w/ garlic. Tim the tough green skin off the stalks; boil for 3-5 minutes until tender. Then saute in olive oil and garlic immediately before serving.