pgwiz1's Profile
Pitting cherries...without a cherry pitter.
I'm trying to make a cherry sauce, so I don't care about how many holes the cherry has. Does anyone see an issue with me just boiling the cherries in very little water till the flesh falls off, and then just straining it?
Tried and True Recipes from David Thompson's "Thai Food"
Man, am I glad i stumbled upon this thread. I got the Thai Street Food book for Christmas, but really hadn't given it a harder look. I am a thai food fanatic, but have always had less sucess making them (specifically the noodle dishes). Other recipes I've tried I felt tasted too fish "saucy" so not sure if I need to buy a different brand of fish sauce (any recommendations?). I'm gonna pull this book out and put it to good use this weekend :-D. SO EXCITED!
St. Simons Island - Dining Alone
I am coming to St. Simons Island for a wedding in a week, and will be arriving too late to go to the rehearsal dinner. Anyplace I should checkout for dinner on a Friday night? I'll be dining alone, and would prefer no BBQ. Anyplace with a good wine list or a fun/creative menu. Fine dining options are great too.
Sunday night specials - half priced wine
Anyone know of a place that has half priced wine bottles on Sunday night in Dallas (Downtown, Uptown, Knox-Henderson, Greenville, etc)? I know a bunch of places have them on Monday, Tuesday, Wed. Can't seem to find any Sunday ones.
Dog Friendly Patios in Dallas??
Oh and the old Horne and Dekker used to be great. Hopefully the new Snack place will also allow dogs.
Dog Friendly Patios in Dallas??
The places we often visit with the pooch are Villa-O off of Knox, Toulouse on Knox, Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum, Hacienda on Henderson, Mr. Mesero off of Knox. I know Porch also allows dogs. We always have the dog on a leash, which I think is necessary to be polite to others around you...you never know if someone is fearful of dogs, so you don't want to freak them out by having your dog wandering over to them.
Sunday Dinner - Steak/TexMex/BBQ in Dallas
I have a bunch of coworkers coming for a week long work thing, and they arrive to Dallas on Sunday evening. A lot of the options I was going to suggest seem to be closed on Sundays (Neighborhood Services, Papasito's, etc.). Everyone is flying into DFW and staying near 635 and Central. Options closer into Dallas (Knox/Henderson or Uptown area also good).
So, can anyone suggest a few places to take these people? Some have requested Steak or BBQ. I threw in TexMex also. Really any place that has good food and good drink options (beer or wine).
St. Louis Downtown Dining Alone Options
Thanks for the suggestion. I ended up going to Mango and was quite good. Sat at the bar. Worked out very well!
Weekday breakfast in Arlington (Ballston)
Any good breakfast places in Ballston? Looking for a weekday place, walking distance from the Westin at the corner of Glebe and Wilson. Thanks!
St. Louis Downtown Dining Alone Options
This is my first trip to St. Louis (as an adult), and I'm staying at the Renaissance downtown. What's a good option for dinner for someone dining alone? I'm not huge into dining alone, so looking for a bar type setting. Nothing over the top expensive. Thanks!
Leap Day Anniversary Dinner - Looking for a Unique experience in Dallas area
I second Nana (or is that third) for the local option. Dos Brisas would be great if you are willing to take the drive. I have yet to eat at Fuego, so if you go, do post on your experience.
If you think of extending your anniversary celebration thru the weekend, check out Rise. It's pretty casual, and may seem like a strange suggestion given the location, but the inside is a super cute French Bistro setting and the food is yum.
Girls Weekend/Bachelorette Party Ideas
I'm trying to organize a weekend for girls in DC, right before the wedding on Saturday. I'd like to stay in the DC, Arlington, Old Town areas.
I've love to get some ideas on good happy hours or other fun food related activities. So far I have come up with evening tea at the Willard, or Dessert tasting menu at Co Co Sala. Don't want something too expensive. Other ideas I've thought about, but haven't found anything good is a cocktail making (and drinking) class, or a food cooking (and then eating) class.
Amateur Bartending Classes - San Antonio
I am looking for any amateur bartending classes (i.e. not a 25-40 hour program) to give as gifts to my family for Christmas. Ideally, a class that is 2-3 hours on a weekend, where they learn to make basic and some fancy cocktails. Any ideas? I've tried to google for it, but all I get are professional classes, which is a lengthy program... Thanks!
Chef's tasting menu help
Nana at the Hilton Anatole is also worth the consideration. That and Abacus have been my favorite so far (when you count service, inventiveness, uniqueness, etc).
good food, dog friendly restaurant?
HUGE shoutout to Alan Sudo and bubbleboy79 who suggested Justine's. I can't tell you how much that suggetion helped me. Here's how my Sunday evening went down:
We came back to Austin from Dripping Springs after the full day of bike riding. We still needed a table for 9, and decided if we went to dinner at 6 to Perla's we'd be okay with getting a table. We show up to Perla's, and they literally have two people sitting at each of their 10 top tables, so ofcourse they can't seat us, and tell us that it'll be a 1.5 hour wait (If anyone can get a message to the folks at Perla's, but the really need to do a more logical seating arrangement on their patio). So the whole family (did I mention this is my in-laws?) is in the car, and we're trying to figure out where to go. I pull out the recommendations, and call Justine's and ask if they can seat 9 people outside in 10 minutes. After a 2 minute hold (which seemed like an eternity) they say yes. We head over there (and the drive east had the family a bit concerned on the slightly questionable neighborhood we drove down), but when we go there and got seated, everyone raved about everything! Everyone had a wonderful time, and the family now wants to add this place to the Austin restaurant rotation!
Austin hounders, you guys rock!
good food, dog friendly restaurant?
We tried Perla last year. It was fabulous. What makes it difficult to go back to Perla this year is that we have a larger group (9 people) and Perla doesn't take reservations for their outside seating. So showing up with 9 people + a dog and having to wait an hour just won't work. Hence looking for some other options. Of the list above, I've call Cipollina (they can't fit 9 people outside), Mulberry (they don't have availability for 9 people on Friday), and Perla. Urban seems further than where we want to travel for a dinner (have to get up early for a 5K), and Moonshine didn't seem like the right vibe. Paggi House looks awesome, but a bit pricey for a large group, especially with the in-laws are picking up the check. So certainly welcome some other options!
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Paggi House
200 Lee Barton Dr, Austin, TX 78704
good food, dog friendly restaurant?
A year later, and this is again a question for me, and is helpful!. Are there other places similar to Cipollina, similar to price point that can accomodate a party of 9 + dog that anyone can think of? Perla's won't take reservations outside. Paggi House looks awesome, but a bit pricey for a group of 9 (when 1 person is picking up the check).
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Paggi House
200 Lee Barton Dr, Austin, TX 78704
Dallas restaurants with low calorie options
Rise at Tollway and lovers. They have gaspacho (atleast last time I was there it was a special) AND most of their souffles (even dessert) are low cal.
http://risesouffle.com/
Dining recommendation for a girl's wkend
I would pick Neighborhood Services over Victor Tangos, for food (Victor Tangos does have great cocktails). VT's food is mostly fried and isn't very creative IMHO. Neighborhood services on the other hand something for everyone and is absolutely delicious (show up before 7:30 if you don't want to wait forever for a table tho). They also have very good drinks. Alma is another excellent choice.
Another good "girly" place if you're in the Park cities is Rise. It's by the inwood theather. Very "girly" for tasty souffles.
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Neighborhood Services
5027 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, TX
Restaurant Week menus (2011)
Hmmmm, that is disconcerning. I actually made a reservation at Mansion...I hope it isn't disappointing. Some of the RW menus are terrible..... Wish Mansion had their menu up on their website...
Upscale restaurant recommendations for a corporate event?
NOSH has a private room, but I know they usually have minimum $ amount you have to spend. That may ofcourse not be an issue for a corporate event.
http://www.nosheurobistro.com/
Restaurants in Hotels like Nana which are in big hotels can probably also accomodate your needs, and their food and view is excellent:
www.nanarestaurant.com/
Lamb Ribs?
Hmm, maybe I'll give World Foods Market another try...I actually found it poorer to the cleanliness of Indo Pak the time I went, but perhaps I'll give it another shot....
New Trend in Tipping?
So having just gotten back from Paris and done research on this, European restaurants don't have an expectation of any extra tip, but most leave an extra 5%. The reason for this is, the government wants to ensure everyone pays their taxes (even the servers at restaurants) and hence has standardized the service charge.
As for auto tipping, I think we had that same thing happen to us recently (dinner for two) in Dallas, but can't remember where. Usually I'm okay with it, as I think it works against the restaurant, because if I was just tipping them myself, I would've left 20%, so really they just screwed themselves out of 2% :-/. On the other hand, I have wondered if you can leave a negative tip in the "additional tip" line, if you service was terrible. That would certainly be a fun test! :-D
Sodium alginate local source?
Ordering works best. I haven't found local sources. I have ordered items from both sites below. L'epicerie I believe has a $25 minimum order. Both sites are quite good.
http://www.lepicerie.com/catalog/product_702300_Sodium_Alginate.html
http://www.le-sanctuaire.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ls&Category_Code=Spherifiers
Malai in West Village?
I know I want to get the mango sticky rice dessert (been thinking about it since the writeup on sidedish). Any other main courses I should get and/or stay away from?
Malai in West Village?
Anyone been to Malai? Curious about what people have to say, and if there is a dish they they would recommend above others (or dishes to avoid). Realize it probably won't be authentic thai, but I am a-okay with that...just looking for good tasting and a fun cocktail with my friend on her night out without her new baby.
