sbs401's Profile
Garbage disposal uses
did a bit of looking on web, appears both trash and drain are really not advisable
Everyone needs to carry a portable compost bin
http://www.gcbl.org/forum/should-i-throw-my-food-waste-down-the-drain-or-in-the-trash
Garbage disposal uses
Does it really? is cleaning it out of the sewage system enviromentally better than adding it to a giant compost pile of solid waste? -I'm not being sarcatic, I just don't know.
I wonder this every time i spend energy or water trying to get a PB jar clean enough to recycle
Guess it would come down to subjective utility in any case:
is 1 in 50? chance of blowing up $200 disposal worth 20 extra lbs of landfill per year to you?
So WHY were we forced to sit at the table till the food was gone??
Still an issue today, but now i think its more a factor of teaching balanced nutrition and limited attention spans. I have my kids (and wife) assign a numerical rating to every meal, I know they aren't all going to get a 10, because they don't love every vegetable, but i do incorporate their feedback when its useful. - example putting Kale through the food processor before adding it to sauce is preferred to chopping with a chefs knife. Many times they stop eating- saying they're full - but then ask for treats a few minutes later. Sorry- back to the table kids. At some point i had to realize; they aren't full, and they don't detest their dinner, they are just bored, which unfortunately leads to my regular outbursts of - JUST FINISH YOUR DINNER ! WHY ARE YOU STANDING UP? SIT AND EAT! They aren't necessartily picky eaters just easily distracted. If there really is a detested ingredient, i'll be reasonable and pick it out, or just have them try it, but I think its important for them top keep an open mind, and realize that not every meal coudl or shoud be pizza and hot dogs
Chubby Chickpea in Canton
Just visited the CCP food truck outside back-bay station and got the "Chubbychickpea"
schwarma+falafel- all around a solid sandwich
bread was really good, but i thought falafel could have been crispier.
I'd put it behind a Falafel King's Special, but location works a bit better for me so I'll try it again
At What Point is a Recipe Yours? [from General Topics]
I think just as you can't fault a recipe once you start substituting/adding ingredients or changing methods, once you do something substantively different its yours, though I would generally suggest a footnote - "Based on sandylc's Chili Con Carne"
After ATK's extensive trials their suggestion for cranberry sauce was "use recipe on bag, add 1/2 tsp salt" but if i replace water with cider I'm calling it mine
"Fixing" spoiled food and selling it anyway.
Phenomenal quote from the article:
“If food is adulterated in an unacceptable way, reconditioning won’t fix it,” he said. “You can’t cook the poop out of it.”
Embarrassingly dumb Forbes.com article on overpriced restaurant foods
Ripping you off all the way to a 5-8% profit margin! those scoundrels.
Did the author also realize the paper Forbes print edition is produced on only costs 30 cents but they rip everyine off by charging several dollars for it?
Gaslamp Quarter in SD...need recommendations from foodies!
Not a local but recently had tasty good Mexican food and drinks at
La Puerta in the heart of gaslamp
560 4th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101-6905
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La Puerta
560 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
What would you do? "hair" in food
Thanks for all the responses.
Its not that i thought it was an obligation of the manager to comp anything here, but if i was in that position I would want to turn a challenge into a service victory. Rather than having the customer ask questions like these at work (or on chowhound) they would have been more likely to tell of their great experience. A few bucks to comp an entree or desert would have gone a long way as a marketing expense. Fact is I've overlooked hair and bugs before, but this diner was icked out. I just think its better for management to overreact in these scenarios rather than brushing it off (literally in this case). To me doesn't really matter if its hair or straw, it was a foreign object presented to a diner that made them uncomfortable with consuming their meal and that to me is an opportunity for service to excel, and this opportunity was wasted.
What would you do? "hair" in food
This weekend a friend was at a well respected Boston restaurant, when the manager stopped by
to check if everything was ok, one diner pointed out what appeared to be a hair pressed into a side dish of watermelon, the plate was then whisked away to the kitchen.
Moments later the manager returned with the same plate and explained that, the item was not a piece of hair, but a small piece of straw from the crate the watermelon was packed in. It appeared that all
the same food was on the plate, with a small indentation of where the hair/straw had been extracted from the watermelon with fingers, tongs or spoon. Nothing was discounted or comped.
What i probably would have done:
Left the watermelon on the side of the plate, posted here whining about it.
What i wish i would do:
Tell the manager that returning this plate is unacceptable, it should be fully replaced and comped
Even if it was "straw" seems to me it doesn't matter, picking it off was clearly unacceptable, at the very least replace the watermelon.
Don't know that i can recommend this place any longer if this is a typical management reaction.
Questions using soda stream? ( Want to carbonate my own flavors)
Umm yeah ...i did the exact same thing, the result was not tasty and the cleanup continues months later
What to do w/ Fresh Strawberries?
Sliced Strawberries and Nutella on toasted wheat bread is a lovely breakfast
House OF Fortune - Plainville MA
Noticed a new place had gone into one of the stripmalls in front of the North End Deli,
so i decided to take my 4 year old daughter on a scouting mission.
Overall at first glance, this place has the rather typical sino-american strip mall menu featuring pupu platters, General tso's chicken,lo mein and a giant scorpion bowl , however they seem to be really well done: my daughters terriyaki beef and chicken fingers were quite nice (kids box $6) , with the beef actually retaining the good taste and texture often destroyed in overcooking meat on a stick. Also the interior elevates it above many of its competitors whose interiors are really showing their age.
As a nice surprise the menu also feaures a "Authentic Asian Corner" that is probably a bit more appealing to the average chowhound. From this section i selected the cold Soy Bean Sprouts with spicy garlic sauce ($5, refreshing and odd in a good way) , the Hot and sour Spicy Steamed Wontons ($5 excellent good spicing) and the Chicken and Cold Noodle w/ spicy sesame sauce ($6.50 very odd initially and a little offputting, but then i really started liking it)
Service was excellent throughout
A very nice addition to the local scene
/I eventually noticed i recognized the proprietress who ran open and recently sold off the similarly named "Fortune House" In Cumberland, much of the food and decor of the new place are quite similar, though it looks like they at least doubled the square footage of the old place.
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North End Deli
5 Man Mar Dr, Plainville, MA 02762
'Tis the Season! -- What's the WORST "perfect gift for a food-lover" you've ever received?
Got the golden onion by accident this year, seems like they just added chicken boullion, which was a surprise to our vegetarian guest ...oops
Yamato Steak House (and Sushi) - Smithfield
Received a gift certificate for this strip mall habachi restauraunt for XMas
I wasn't expecting much but we were quite pleasantly surprised
Atmosphere was quite nice with appropriate lighting and music.
Apps: Pork Gyoza were tasty, Beef Negimaki was good but a bit weird with addition of
cream cheese filling to scallions in steak stuffing
Sushi seemed very fresh and well prepared
Habachi meals were quite nice, good portions of protein with nicely fried rice
KIds meal versions of habachi meals were quite generous for $7 as well
Overall would reccomend if you are in the area
Raw proteins in supermarket flyer pics?
Just moved to MA and every week we get flyers from S+S and shaws markets and the pictures of all the proteins are of the meat cooked into some awful dish cooked as blandly as possible with a lovely parsley flake or tomatoe garnish. Old neighborhood grocers flyer (Daves in RI) would have pics featuring the raw protein, seems like it would be easier to imagine great things to do with it for the average chowhounder not having to see the awful cooked pics
What do you get/prefer?
'Tis the Season! -- What's the WORST "perfect gift for a food-lover" you've ever received?
i kind of detest clutter so unitaskers and redundancies are my weak spot:
1.two "forever sharp" ginsu knives from my mother in law when my wife specifically told her she was buying me a set of Wusthoffs and a sharpener
2 chocolate fondue set- did use it once though
3. "Ice cream sundae set" - 3 covered ramekins hanging in wire rack -never used
ISO...Your Best Salmon Pate recipe plus idea for an appy that goes with it?
Lately I've been mixing a cryovac 4oz smoked salmon portion with some whipped cream cheese, maybe some sour cream if i have it, some diced shallots and chopped parsley, season with S+P, lemon and/or hot sauce, maybe some grated carrot or whatever else you have on hand for color and texture, very easy and delicious, pair it with pita/bagel chips for app or with toasted bagels/ muffins for brunch
Bottega Fiorentina Newbury Street
agreed Jaffa is already a weekly stop, schwarma with green hot sauce can't be beat
Bottega Fiorentina Newbury Street
I really want to like this place, its right around the corner from my office, the price is ok and with Deluca's off my list for trying to serve leftovers from the fire at their other location I need a good sandwich place. So yesterday I called in an order for a turkey sub to go pick up (Tacchino
Turkey, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles, Hot Peppers, Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Vinegar)
, and they told me 10-15 minutes. I thought that was a bit long for a sub but whatever. So i take my time getting there make in in about 12 minutes and then wait for another 10 as the lone guy behind the bar slowly makes a few sandwiches. Taking so long wasn't a killer but it didn't help.
When I get back to my desk I admire the heft of the sandwich, seems like a good value then i open it up and find the condiments include two pickle ends with stems attached and a slice of tomatoe featuring a big brown section of core in the middle. Again these aren't a killer but are certainly offputting and indicative of rather lazy sandwich making. Even with the standard pickles and hot peppers the sandwich was pretty unremarkable.
I'll probably go back, but less frequently and lowered expectations
Pan City Grille - Plainville, MA
My wife bought some restaraunt.com certificates and bought some for this place just down the street from us so we figured we'd give it a shot. Of course they are under new ownership an don't take those certificates anymore, so that was annoying to start. They say they have contacted restaurant.com several times to no avail.
The place is probably best described as perfectly mediocre, esentially a privately owned 99.
Standard bar fare menu. I got the "afternoon delight" sandwich, grilled chicken with avacado, lemon aioli lettuce and tomato, served "toasty" - it was pretty good, could have ben toasted more, served with a big pile of mac salad that was penne with nice creamy sauce and thinly sliced peppers, olives and onions @$10. Wife had thesteak tips cooked a bit past requested medium, but tasty, along with side of green beans and subbed Mashed for fries. My daughter enjoyed themac+cheese kids meal which was a big bowl of penne with a decent cheese sauce with some browned cheese on top.
Total @$45 with 3 beers
Overall a good value, similar to Fitzy's down the street, but less noisy/busy.
Seems likethey are trying to go a little higher end, but the menu really didn't gistinguish itself much.
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Fitzy's
1250 Lawrence St, Lowell, MA 01852
Pan City Grill
60 Man Mar Dr Unit 10, Plainville, MA 02762
South County / Portsmouth / Jamestown Catering
We're chartering a small boat out of Galilee in October and looking to pick up lunch for 10-15 on the way after wedding rehearsal in Portsmouth. Food should be pretty hand eating friendly, but we will have an eating area.Any solid recommendations for a variety of solid deli sandwiches and sides in the area?
need advice on affordable New England wedding venues
http://countrygardens.ws/e-weddings.php
339 Tremont Street
Rehoboth, MA 02769
Phone: 508-431-1255
We had our wedding at Country Gardens in Rehobeth 6 years ago and i think our expenses
for 120 ppl cam in right around $15,000. The Owner Ralph was a pleasure to work with, I highly reccomend
website hasn't been updated but: The 2009 cost for a 5 hour wedding package for 100 people is $9,275.
Lunch Near Wrentham outlets?
The Chieftan Pub is 10 minutes soouth on 1A then over to Rt 1
They have a really nice pub menu, and full specials board most days, really
good steamer buckets
Entertainment starts at 9 mostly on weekends
Cibo Matto Caffe - Mansfield
showed up at 7 on saturday and they were able to squeeze us in
pretty full except for a 10 top awaiting large reservation
beware the seats by the open kitchen can be cold AC blows hard there
overall food was excellent, service dicey
waitress seemed stretched took 15 minutes for her to address neighboring table
bread came to our table with bo butter or oil, neighbors asked and got evoo pour
thought i saw some bean dips on other tables
started with crispy calamari, tossed with arugula, olive oil, garlic and parmesan, spicy marinara 10- it was excellent nicely fried not greasy and arugala was a nice compliment
wine glasses were empty when mains were delivered and waitress didn't check in for another 5
wife had a roasted cod special $26 that she said was one of the best meals she had in a long time. i had the panzanella salad 10 which was quite good, but kind of light on bread which i expected to dominate, more like a balsamic green salad w/ extra croutons either way i enjoyed it
its close by my house and i'd be glad to make it a regular destination
What Do You Do With Your Food When No One Is Looking?
an awful lot of chicken skin "diapppears" when i am grilling up a bunch of thighs
strangely it sometimes pulls itself right off the bird to crisp up a bit more first
San Vivaldo Trattoria, Warwick review
wonderful dinner tonight chef is a true character\\y wife wanted a sparkling wine
so i requested prosseco and he cam up with a fine italian spumante $18
started with mixed plates, (he likes there to be at least 3 components)
we both got greens, tuna stew , baccala salad, brushcetta, frittata,
all were very nice, and i'm not a tuna fan usually.
mains - wife requested pasta and seafood and got an excellent frutti di mare/ spagetti
i asked if he had anything braised, he offered a "italian beef stroganoff" and i was in
very nice served with spinach fettucini a few olives. Lamb stew sounded good too maybe next time
desert
chocolate cake was gooy and moist very good
creme caramel very solid rendition
overall everything was very good and we'll be back but its a unique experience that
could make some uncomfortable at first. My advice is just tell him what you like candidly or make it explicit if you want something specific, look at his online menu if you want hell make any of it anytime
he had an assistant on Saturday night and thought i heard him mention starting to add a carry out pizza option too
Bill
18 wine
15 2 Apps
34 2 mains
13 2 deserts
86.50 w tax worth every cent and more
we were first party there at 6 another couple at 630 another at 7
Go to this gem
2010 Winter RW Report
Hit market for lunch Tuesday.
2 had the crispy clams 2 had the squash soup, all plates were clean
get a second piece of bread to sop up the last of the soup or calm foam
Salmon, chicken and burger were all good
Med rare burger cooked perfectly, though tomato slice and lettuce combine to
make the burger a little slippery
salted caramel ice cream was excellent, lava cake solid
cookie plate looked good, lots of small treats
lunch service was long be prepared for 1.5 hours, or don't hesitate to tell them
you aren;t looking to lounge
