I second or third El Rey

Casting my vote for Houston. I agree with the previous posts about Houston having more ethnic variety and Dallas being more of a chain town (just a generalization... I know there are exceptions).

Where is Lai Lai?

I second and third the parchment paper over foil

I just saw basically this same post from someone in Los Angeles and thought it would be great to see what Houstonians think.

I nominate the following

Tortilla soup from El Rey
Cafe' Latte from Catalina Coffee

I love La Mora. I haven't been there in awhile though.

I don't defrost either. I also find that adding them as the last ingredient and folding in gently keeps them intact with minimal "bleeding".

Definitely want to use ricotta. I've tried ready to use and don't think it tastes as good as boiling the pasta first.

In a rub for salmon

My guess is that the toll house chocolate is the most popular, but I adore oatmeal raisin. They are a staple in my daughter's lunch box.

What flavor? I used to, many moons ago, doctor up Duncan Hines butter cake with an extra egg and maybe buttermilk. It's been so many years I'm not sure about the buttermilk, but I do distinctly remember adding the extra egg. It made the cake extremely moist. Good luck!

On the original question of this thread... my reply is what the .....????? I think if your coffee needs "fixing" it's not good enough to drink. Just my opinion, being someone who really likes the taste of good coffee.

ditto! If they can't spring for water (no pun intended) I'm not going to be a customer.

Money, they'll need it! Just kidding, but not really. The best gift you can give him is patronage. Go often and tell all your friends!

I'm from Shreveport, LA and I remember Charlie Chips too!

I swear I have a psychic connection with chowhound. I was craving peanut butter because dinner was too skimpy or something. I just made a small pb&j with the heals of an oatmeal bread that I made, Jif crunchy and French strawberry preserves. Logged onto chowhound as I sat to eat the mini sandwich. I am now sated.

Indulgence, I was with you all the way until go got to Amy's Ice Creams. I got hooked on Haagen-daz when I entered their Scoop contest this year. It's not dining out, but it's ruined me for most places. However, I had gelato at Rain Drop Chocolate and it was fantastic.

Well, we went to Flemings last Saturday night, basically a free meal since I used Am Ex rewards. I'm so glad we didn't spend $100+ out of our own pocket. We ordered the petite fillet, lamb chops, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and 2 glasses of wine.... $110.00. Everything was over salted. The place was super loud. I could have done the whole thing better at home for a fraction of the cost. I think it's a nice franchise, as franchises go... many people think it's fine cuisine. My husband and I rate it mediocre.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/418388 Here you go.

Thanks for the suggestions. My husband and I are going there next weekend... Am Ex rewards!

Here's another thread about PFC:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/416969

Pei Wei is the quick service version of PFC and is owned by them.

Enchiladas are super easy. Be sure to use Pam (non-cook spray) on the bottom of the dish. You can use flour or corn enchidas, cheese and onions and top with canned chili and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. That was one of my first dishes to cook in college. If you want to get more "gourmet" and healthier you can use fresh spinach, cheese, jalepeno's (if you like spice) and top with a tomatillo or tomato based enchilada sauce. If you like the enchilada idea and want help on homemade sauces let me know.

I agree with some of the comments about not worrying if you're better than other cooks. Cooking for the shear love of cooking is where the happiness is. Yes, it takes time to learn the basics and beyond. I agree with everyone who says get the best ingredients, read cookbooks, watch cooking tv and read chowhound. I have subscribed to Bon Appetit and Gourmet for years. Bon Appetit is great for not too intimidating everyday cooking. Plan what you want to cook for the week on the weekends and shop with a list so you can actually cook every night or almost every night. Definitely spend some bucks for the essentials. I swear by my Kitchen Aid mixer. Stock your pantry well. Always read recipes all the way through before you start to make sure have the ingredients and the time to do a good job. Relax and enjoy.

Breadcrumbs! You can make tuna or salmon cakes, or use the breadcrumbs in meatloaf. Another idea is making meatball sandwiches or other, non hotdog sandwiches. Bread freezes really well if wrapped properly. You can freeze them whole and decide later if you want to use them as buns or breadcrumbs.

When a place becomes inconsistent we call it quits when we find a good replacement, or the experience is just too bad to ignore any longer.

I'm with air. I like Star, but it is inconsistent. I prefer Antonio's Flying Pizza on Hillcroft.

I know that this isn't what you asked.... but you can have perfect oatmeal on the stovetop in 5 minutes.

I think lemonade sweetness is a personal preference. I would just experiment until I got it just the way I wanted... then replicate!

Here's an answer: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/Bu...

I recently took butter and milk out of my husband's diet to see if he was lactose intolerant and/or allergic to milk and had pretty good success with soy milk and oil for muffins. I have a recipe for gingersnaps that uses only oil and they are heavenly. I think the oil vs butter is more a matter or personal taste than anything else.