mojoman's Profile
Bangin on some pots and pans...
I'm a scientist (medical) and I like you're logical and evidence-based approach Candy.
Your tips about non-stick are great...some I didn't know. I recently bought an All Clad SS non-stick so the tips are very timely.
Bourdain's take on the Cheftestants (Top Chef)
Good find wingman. I agree with Bourdain's assessments.
Foie-gras/veal -ophobic
Young man, you will eat everything put in front of you and you'll like it too.
Just think about all the children starving in China.
See the post on narcissistic, bossy chefs.
Dinner near Friendship Heights Metro?
I've been to Indique Heights. Advantage...it's right there cuz it's gonna be cold again tonite. The food was OK. I had some kind of sampler platter and some apps. I do remember that there was a hammock-like place to sit in the waiting area.
Nothing else to recommend it.
Does authentic always = good and does un-authentic always = "un-good"?
The whole authentic thing is so much snobbery. You like what you like. If your likes coincide with what is "authentic" so much the better for the admiration of the CHers. If you prefer a more Americanized version of something, power to you.
Stick with us, please
I'm new here (although I've been here long enough to have seen the "old" site). While I'm sure the board participants feel (rightly) that they are what make the board exist (and in their own minds make it great). I'm not so sure I agree that it's great. So, far, I've found that it's not quite to my liking because of the gross ignorance of some of the thread starters (answers to questions posed are easily found by simple web searches) and triteness of some of the threads (since this is supposed to be a board for food enthusiasts). My opinion...hardcore CHers would obviously beg to differ. Whatever floats your boat.
Question for the complainers/critiquers - Haven't you heard the cliche "You get what you pay for"? This is a free bulletin board. I've been getting a sense of entitlement from the complainers that really bothers me.
Carry on.
La Viola - Inconsiderate and greedy? [moved from Pennsylvania board]
51% restaurant's fault for not meeting their obligation; 49% your fault for being bullheaded.
Clearly, from your initial post, you were bullheaded about getting this reservation at this time. The resto was hesitant initially and hesitant on each follow up. You continued to pester and insist on your way despite your concerns.
Both of you got what you deserve. The restaurant gets a bad review for taking the reservation, then not really honoring it. You were inconvenienced because you were so stubborn.
The scales of justice are balanced.
Go somewhere else next time and listen to what they tell you.
La Viola - Inconsiderate and greedy? [moved from Pennsylvania board]
Re-read your post.
Let's see. On the initial contact, you requested, they resisted, you requested, they dilly dallied and "compromised", you requested, they (wrongly) acquiesced.
On the follow up phone call, you requested, they resisted, you said it's for a surprise birthday party and said you expect that your table to be ready. It's not clear that they acquiesced at that time.
All in all, this is an example of bad service on their part and bullheadedness on your part. Both of you got what you deserved.
Is a wooden spoon just a wooden spoon?
Interesting question. I'd like to hear some answers.
Is it OK to start eating before your host eats?
No, it is not acceptable to start eating unless specifically told to numerous times.
The $25,000 Food Question
I nailed the quiz (30) although I had to guess on several answers so I was lucky.
"True Confessions"?
I'm new here so I don't know the local traditions. However, I've seen some threads started with the "True Confessions" phrase.
Doesn't "True Confessions" imply some kind of prurient subject matter? In my mind, beat up or old kitchenware is incongruent with "true confessions."
Is the use of "true confessions" some kind of tradition on this board? No offense to anyone...just trying to understand how things work around here.
All-time best sodas
Fresca-the original citrus
or
a delicous tamarindo Italian soda in Berkeley
Ray's the Classics
I went with my GF a couple of months ago. While the problem could have been that my expectations were too high, I wasn't too impressed.
We both had filet. She had hers in some kind of mushroom sauce (if I remember correctly) I had mine peppered. We shared scalloped potatoes or something like that as a side. We both had some kind of salad. Obviously salad and dessert were not very memorable (either good or bad).
I do recall that my pepper steak was too peppery though.
So, my recollection was that it was good but not great and nothing to get excited about.
"Hotel Room Gourmet" contest - with only a coffeemaker & a microwave
Ahh yes, AB.
While I am very impressed by the ingenuity of the CHers, no one has been able to beat the episode where he cured and smoked a salmon.
Pier 7 - not recommended
CHers,
Last Friday, we had tickets to Noises Off (not recommended by the way). There aren't a lot of dining choices in that Waterfront area (especially with RW going on). I ended up getting a reservation at Pier 7. The theater recommended since it is close in proximity.
It is in a hotel/motel and has a very old school look (lots of dark wood) and feel (lots of septagenarians). I suppose that the view from the window seats might be nice in the daytime. It is mainly a seafood place.
That is why my GF and I were shocked and grossed out when, upon entering the dining establishment, we were assailed by the odor of old fish. Both of us decided to avoid the fish dishes upon taking our first breaths in that atmosphere.
My GF wanted champagne. She was served a tiny bottle of Cooks (that's all they had!). I had a martini that was served in a 1960's-era champagne coupe and had a lime wedge, not an olive.
I had the antipasto plate (not too bad-some cold cuts, fresh moz, grilled vegs) and the GF had the broiled mushrooms. This turned out to be jumbo CANNED mushrooms thrown on a sizzle platter, sprinkled with chopped parsley, and broiled just to heat. Yuck!
For the entree, I had the filet mignon and she had the eggplant parm. The filet was cooked to a medium-rare as I requested and was served on a toast round with the afore mentioned broiled mushrooms and a baked potato. The steak was fine except it was hardly grill marked or browned, almost as if it had been cooked at a low temperature. The eggplant parm was served with some penne. Neither the eggplant or the penne were very good but they weren't terrible either. She thought the best part of the meal was the baked potato.
Dessert was the pecan pie for her and the strawberry pyramid for me. Her pecan pie was OK but could have been bought at Giant - nothing special. My strawberry pyramid seemed like something you'd buy at a mid-level bakery. A shell of puff pastry, some pastry cream, several strawberries, glazed with the red stuff.
We ran up the bill but it came to almost $100 for two (pre-tip).
In fairness, the fish could be better than the food we had since it is supposed to be a seafood joint. However, given the potent smell of bad fish that pervades the restaurant, I can only conclude that this place should be avoided.
What do you take to eat on a plane?
If I can get one, I like a Togo's Eatery sandwich.
Crowd-pleasing dinners for a group of friends to make together?
How about doing a fajita party?
what to do with marmalade?
On New Scandanavian Cooking, Andreas made an interesting sammich composed of ham, Jarlsburg, blue cheese, and marmelade on toast. I tried it too and it was quite delicious.
Why Trader Joe's?
I've been shopping at TJs since the mid-90s so I have plenty of experience.
IMO, TJs is great for cheese, cold cuts, some produce (such as bagged greens and kumquats), yogurt, juices, crackers, dried fruits, nuts, cereal, milk, eggs, water (Pelligrino and Gerolsteiner), frozen veggies, and some cookies/candy.
The frozen, prepared stuff is hit or miss.
I avoid packaged produce such as apples since, lots of the time, there are hidden bad spots. I think their baked stuff generally sucks except some of the bread products. The salsa and spaghetti sauces are mostly miss and not hits for me.
I do like the variety and finding new things there as someone else said.
How do you IN-N-OUT?
I NEVER got the attraction to In-N-Out.
I grew up in No Cal in the 80s. Always saw the So Cal peeps with the In-N-Out, provocative t-shirts.
Moved to So Cal in the early 90s. Tried it all...Tommy's, Pinks, In-N-Out.
IMO, In-N-Out has some of the WORST fries. If they cool at all, they are like cardboard. Plus, I don't like mustard on my burger. Their burgers, I think, are OK at best.
Tommy's and Pinks were good...about what I expected.
But In-N-Out? Give me Fatburger ANY DAY.
What foods do you "ruin" with a strong-tasting condiment?
This AM, I started a thread that basically stated that not much distinguishes an OK breakfast from an expensive one (basic American bfast--noting haute cuisine).
I was corrected with several thoughtful and correct replies. The fact is, I tend to use a lot of ketchup and Tabasco on my eggs and hash browns as well as my burgers and fries. So, I admit that subtle (and not so subtle) differences in these food items are pretty much lost on me. That is why I wrongly concluded that breakfast is breakfast.
For most other food items, I tend to prefer a simpler preparation where the quality of the ingredients can shine (true foodie philosophy). As another example of food that I may ruin, I have been known to use an excess of shoyu and "wasabi" on less than perfect sushi too.
So Chowhounders, which foods do you adulterate with strong tasting accompaniments, thus minimizing the differences in quality of the main ingredients?
Breakfast is breakfast...or am I just not very discriminating?
Zin,
Your points are well taken and are true. My point is this. I do not believe that the gustatory differences between say homemade hash browns and the cheaper, mass-produced ones or Niman Ranch bacon cooked on a rack in the oven versus Oscar Mayer cooked on a griddle come anywhere near the difference between a finely crafted dish (quality of ingredients, ingredients selected, skill in preparation, fineness of the seasoning, choice of herbs/spices used, etc.) that you get in food from a fine restaurant versus something crummy like Red Lobster.
Breakfast is breakfast...or am I just not very discriminating?
CHers,
I was having a discussion with my GF (not much of a foodie) yesterday over breakfast. She was raving about this diner and saying how popular it was. When we ate there, my reaction was that is was breakfast..what can you do to it?
I'm referring to the standard American breakfast (eggs, meat, potatoes, toast), not a gourmet morning dining experience. I feel that the American breakfast is much the same where ever you go. Yes, if you go to a nice $15+ place, the bacon is better quality and the china is thinner.
Am I just a Denny's-going indiscriminating pig or do I have a point?
Once and for all -- rice in a burrito -- Yay or nay?
I like a little rice on my burrito. So, I vote "YEA." Doesn't anyone on this board know how to spell "yea" in this context? "Yay" is synonomous with "hurray" or is a street term for cocaine.
