mythomane's Profile
Advice on Santa Fe: Cafe Pasqual, Geronimo, The Compound, etc
re: PIG
Those places are tourist traps. If you think the food at the Shed is better than that at Geronimo....it is pretty obvious where you stand.
Advice on Santa Fe: Cafe Pasqual, Geronimo, The Compound, etc
The Shed, Pasquals, SantaCafe, Coyote, Railyard. All tourist Traps. AVOID THEM. Those are the places Rachel Ray eats. Also, this is SF -- that is Santa Fe, NOT San Francisco, so if you expect A-1 seafood, well.....not to say you can't get it, but be smart here.
D Magazine's Top 10 Restaurants in Dallas???
D magazine is not a very good guide. I am from New Orleans and have been stuck here for two years. Here is a quick shake:
Tex-Mex: Manny's yes, Hererra's no.
High end: York St. and Fearings yes, Lola and Local no. Haven't been to the new Turtle since the revamp but it used to be in the no category.
Burgers: The funny thing about the "cuilnary" people of Dallas is how much they talk about and think their burgers are great. They are for the most part nothing special. The one exception to this is the sirloin burger at Sol Irlandes. Yes, it is an Irish pub that serves Mexican food. You would never have believed it...but it is the best in the city.
Steakhouses: The great irony is that it is hard to get a decent steak here in steak country. Pappas Bros. yes, Biernat's and most others No Way. The best steaks are available at the Boucherie or at Kubys, but you have to cook them up yourself.
Casual Bistro fare: Hatties yes, everywhere else no.
BBQ: Go to Lockhart. Its only a 4 hour drive. You will thank me later. If you are lazy, Drive 30 minutes to Terrell, Texas and there are a couple of good places on the Southside. Do Not go to the Ranch House.
Bar food: The dogs at the Angry Dog are delicious heart attacks on a plate.
At all costs stay away from Stephan Pyles, Biernat's and Lola. The food isn't bad at Lola but there are other issues such as bad service, overbilling, reservation issues, and general rudeness. Hey, you are in Dallas. This is not a culinary outpost. You get what you deserve.
Chicago's Best
Avenues is not in the same league as Alinea or Tru. Just had a $500 meal there and it was not worth anywhere near the check. Attentive (almost too attentive) service, but out of the 12 courses only about half were any good. They want to play at high-end cuisine but the product is lacking.
French Copper Pots = lined with TIN or STEEL?
Did forget to emphasize that they are really beautiful pans. Nice whites there, geezer!
ethnic cuisine
That shrimp is terrible; at least the time I had it. You want shrimp get the po-boy at Liuzzas across the street.
French Copper Pots = lined with TIN or STEEL?
I have a set of stainless lined pans by Falk and they are great pans, with some reservations. They are Heavy. They state in the instructions not to use salt in your cooking because it wears away the lining. Try cooking without salt some time. Does not work. Once the stainless goes (if it goes) that is it. You have to chuck them away. Handles are 19th century style cast iron. They tend to rust a little which is no big deal, the major problem being that they get very hot when cooking. Potholders are essential, unless you have VERY calloused hands. This is a pain in the neck. I have had them for a year and am not unhappy, but wish they could of used a lighter/less conductive metal for the handles. Oh yeah...they are also expensive as hell. Maybe buy one or two first.
Pazo - Jamon Iberico
The whole bellota hams are only $1600 each. I have had one "on order" now for over a year, while the euro (and the price) continues to climb. The pigs are fed acorns for their last few months of life. Who knows if I will ever see this pig, but you can buy small packages, which I can only hope they have in stock.
Veal Stock -- Best Source?
You can...I know this crazy...MAKE IT ahead of time and then freeze it. Spend a few days and cook it down. You will be rewarded. It is a magic liquid.
Eating Raw Chicken & Pork
There is no trich worm in Aisa/Europe, making the consumption of raw pork less harmful. There still are a very few reported cases of U.S. trich due to wild game, but the processing is such as to make sickness from pork very rare.
A few meals in New Orleans:Lil Dizzy's,Buffa's,Monica's &N'awlins Flavor
These are some of the worst restaurants in New Orleans. How did you pick these?
Mother's - french dip sandwiches
The Debris at mothers is unbeatable, otherwise mortalcoil is dead-on.
Disappointed at Dick & Jenny's
Dick and Jenny's is a good date place with a nice atmosphere, but the food has never been stellar by New Orleans standards.
Best food in New Orleans?
Mchardys is in Mid-City near the track. The only plus is that it is ridiculously cheap. Chickenbox is also terrible. I can't believe anybody would recommend it. Fiorellas or Jacks for chicken! Coops also aint bad.
I just got a bentons ham, now what?
The Benton ham probably would not do well under these preparations. The best use I have found (if the smoke and salt is too much for you) is to use it anywhere you would Tasso, as a spicy addition. Chopped up small or in strips -- it is amazing on pasta. Use it in sauces, soups, etc. Possibilities are endless. You are left with hammy goodness. Infuses things with flavor. They recommend frying it with coke and brown sugar, but a better option is to saute for a time in your current dish....the salt leeches out and the smoke is diffused.
Best food in New Orleans?
The Gumbo at Jacks is top notch. A pick at any of the po-boy specials on the back board is usually a good accompiament.
El Gato Negro
Grease trucks are the way to go. What happened to The Union Supermarket? Did they re-open?
What About Felix's........Friend Of Mine......
Many people that visit New Orleans aren't there so much for the food (though there are some that are) but instead are there to "party down." Gratefully, most of them never make it past Bourbon Street, let alone the French Quarter. The economy that is New Orleans has never been flush. It is a poor city, separated from the rest of the country not only spiritually, but until the early 70s by very real geographical barriers. We are a port city for sure, but one whose character tends to assimilate rather than bend with forces from the outside. In my opinion, a good traveler not only accepts these differences but embraces them. Having been a concierge in the Quarter for many years I am more than familiar with the ugly breed of tourist that visits New Orleans, and for my part can do without them. The restaurants, being as good as they are, will not suffer much from losing that kind of business.
Uptownlibrarian: I prefer a cool empty street to one full of tourists. I think that is a matter of personal opinion.
As far as the oysters at the bon temps -- they are free because they are second rate. I love the bon temps. It is a great place to get drunk and see live music. I lived directly across the street for years. The bar was, effectively, my patio. The food, however, is not so hot. In my youth I would myself eat those oysters, but with age comes some wisdom. Oysters are like loaded guns. They are not to be played with.
What About Felix's........Friend Of Mine......
Umm. There are a reason those oysters are free at the Bon Temps. Casmentos, Felix's, or Drago's if you want to make the hike to Fat City. Acme is a trap/chain. The oysters are ok, but you will be elbow to elbow with god-awful tourists. If you are in the quarter and dont mind spending, the Bourbon House is excellent -- sit at the bar or you will be looking down the barrel of a $200 check.
Visiting NO
Liuzzas. By the track is second best in my book, but the bbq shrimp po-boy is good at that location. domilises. coops on decatur. have the redfish. the dock in algiers. good gumbo. frozen coffee at mollys. cafe du monde, of course. Village Inn. Hit rock and bowl while you are close. Cheese fries at the F&M. Order them at 4am. They taste better. Oysters at Felix's or Casamentos. Johnny Po-boys. Have the Judge. Hansen's snowballs. Try the hot rod. Frankie and Johnnys. Fried chicken at Fiorellas. Muffeletta at Central Grocery. Praline Connection looks touristy but the food is the real deal. Port of Call for burgers. All local places, though some are busy as they are in the Quarter. There are 3 or 4 more I can think of, but they have been washed away. Get drunk at the Mapleleaf, Le Bon Temps, Vaughns and the Saturn Bar.
What not to miss while in Dallas
The are knocking Vera's down to make way for yet more condos! The food is of the funky home-cooked variety. It isn't at the top of the list, but it is one of the only places with some soul in an otherwise vacuous city.
Santa Fe Must-Eats?
You are maybe thinking of the Plaza? The huevos there is also my favorite. A nod also to Ristra and Casa Sena.
Dallas Steakhouses Review
Your reviews seem fairly on, though I haven't been to the Capital. To save you the trouble both Y.O. Steakhouse and Biernat's (pronounced Bear-nays) are both rather bad. The bottom line on steakhouses is that they have for the most part suffered from mass-production. The meat available to most restaurants wanting to stay afloat, in significant quanity, must by necessity at this stage of the game be somewhat sub-par. I have had, as various posters have suggested, both good and bad experiences at Pappas Bros., etc. When you are spending 200$+ on dinner for two the crap shoot hardly seems worth it. After 20 or so hit-or-miss experiences I have switched to buying high-grade kobe online and searing it in a pan. It is amazing. If I am feeling particulary macho I stoke up the grill with some mesquite and slap down a Niman ranch or a Lugers. There are many good online sources for meat with the quality more guaranteed and giving you absolute control over choice and fire. Rudolphs Market might be worth a try. That "wet-drying" in a vacuum bag is just a joke. It seems funny for me to say this, as it isn't a steakhouse, but the best meat I have had in Dallas was at York St. The kobe was cut into small lozenges. The flavor blew my socks off. Keep in mind also that you are in cattle country. There are many local producers selling fresh and local antibiotic-free meat in the DFW area. There is a learning curve here as the choices are many, but the rewards are worth it.
Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe (San Diego)
Having lived in New Orleans for 12 years, the general rule is: Do not eat New Orleans food outside of New Orleans. If you have to have a po-boy and bbq shrimp, fly to New Orleans and get it. It will be worth it.
San Diego Gaslamp area
Osetra has the mission impossible wine gimmick, but that is about it. Terrible and overpriced seafood. Cafe Chloe is a great bet everytime. I ate there every day on my last trip there.
Osetra Restaurant (San Diego) Comments
Don't Go! Its the worst. Week old fish. Very, very overpriced. Tourist trap.
