Does anyone know of large tea bags that can be used to brew tea without it opening up? I have a large glass pitcher that I put a few prepackaged tea bags in half full. After 5 minutes or so I fill the rest with room temp water. I would like to start brewing with loose leaf tea, but the paper tea bags I see for sale are not really sealable. And the one heat sealable type for sale needs an iron which I'd rather not use. They also sell a metal mesh ball but it won't fit into the pitcher.

Any ideas? Thanks.

It was not as moist as the first night, so I think it dried out a bit and the flavor was then concentrated more. It was definitely saltier now that I think about it. I think salting the skin of the fish does not penetrate to the meat possibly because I could not taste much salt at all from the meat. I'm going to experiment with what you wrote as well as adding more salt the night before, maybe that'll do the trick, thanks.

I recently broiled a trout using Mark BIttman's recipe for sardines:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/din...

Everything was done the same except for using trout instead of sardines. It turn out pretty good, albeit a bit bland. A couple of broiled trout were left over and sitting at room temperature for a couple of hours, and then placed in the refrigerator. The next day it was reheated at 250 degrees for around 20 minutes and the result was one of the best tasting fish I have ever had. It was so tasty my 2 year old, who is very picky couldn't stop eating it so I'm not hallucinating.

I would like to know why so I can possibly replicate the results the first time around. Should I have salted the fish earlier in the day so it had a chance to absorb into the fish? (I salted one side only several minutes before putting in oven.) Is it something else? Any ideas are appreciated as I want to try this again soon. Thanks.

I checked and the shells are clean so I imagined washed. She sold from different farms, the packaging looked just like from the grocery, and they weren't reused because each farm had the same packaging.

Maybe this seller is just a reseller, so maybe not as good as direct from the farm, but better than the grocery.

Very interesting, thanks for the info!

In that case that would make sense. I thought maybe Trader Joe's (where I spotted the JAN 5 date) is able to get them on the shelves extra-fast in which case it wouldn't matter was what I was thinking.

Today at the farmer's market I bought some eggs and asked how they were different from the ones in the grocery store. She said that they are fresher, layed within the past 3 days. When I looked at the date on the carton it stated, "JAN 6", and when I went to the grocery store it stated "JAN 5". So what's going on here? Thanks.

I think you're on to something. Today at the farmer's market there was only one place that sold "haricot verts", or French green beans, and lo and behold they looked almost exactly like the other green bean sellers, at a higher price. So I selected the thinner green beans from the cheaper green bean sellers, and am happy. But I also wonder whether a thin green bean and a regular haricot vert are the same thing. They looks the same, but do they taste the same? Are they the same? That is the question.

I can't for the life of me figure out the difference between a green bean and a French green bean or "haricot vert". I'd like to buy some at the farmer's market, but they all look the same to me. They do have these really long ones too, but I think those are used in Asian cooking. Any tips?

I'm looking for a delicious meal in a nice restaurant in that area, it doesn't have to be specifically on Solano. I was thinking Sea Salt would be a good choice until I read so many negative reviews here and elsewhere on it and figured maybe someone knows of a better alternative.

Is there anything near the Solano area which might recommended over Sea Salt? I have already tried Rivoli so should I try Sea Salt, or is there something better? Thanks.

Well it turns out that I was at the harvest festival in Santa Rosa today so how could I pass up a chance to check out long, lost Willow Wood Market Cafe only 15 minutes away?

Indeed it's much larger now that it's expanded, but I went straight to outdoor patio in the back for an early dinner. The butternut squash soup was excellent, the spinach, goat cheese and bacon salad was very good, the egg salad sandwich with pesto, bacon and cheese was excellent and for desert the pumpkin tart was very good but by then I was too stuffed to properly appreciate it anyway.

I suppose it doesn't compare to the amazing omelet had, but I was pleasantly surprised out how good everything was.

I don't have immediate plans but when I do I'l try to remember to post about it. Thanks again.

That's it, Willow Wood Market Cafe! OMG, thank you so much, I can't believe it!

I know this is a long, long shot but I really would like to know the name of a restaraunt I ate in a couple of years ago near the Russian River (22855 Moscow Road, Duncans Mills, CA 95430). I don't remember the town name, but I remember after finishing river rafting, I drove about 30 minutes eastward and found this restaraunt in a small village and had one of the best brunches ever. It was very crowded and they used organic eggs in their omelets. There was a small patio with several tables in the far back.

Also, maybe 10-15 minutes away by car there was a store that sold homemade pies.

Can anyone take a guess at what restaraunt this could be?

Michael Mina is pretty decent, however it is in a hotel.

Any recommendations for a casual restaurant near 32nd St within walking distance or 4 subway stops, preferably downtown, rather than uptown?

Are there weekly farmer's markets in Nassau county? What are some good ones?

I plan on buying a few dozen bagels to bring back to San Francisco and freeze them after my visit to NY, what's the best bagel place out there? H&H? Murray's? Anything else?

I don't much about wine, but I enjoyed the wine pairing at GD much more than FL.

Food was incredible, best meal I have ever eaten. It made the $125 Summer Truffles menu I had the night before at Meadowood pale in comparison, although I did like the Kobe beef entree.

The entire meal took slightly over 2 hours, seeing as we were the first ones in the restaurant at 11:15, and did not have tea or coffee afterwards.

Dress Code
-----------------
Since a jacket is required, I arrived in a sports jacket, whereupon being seated I took it off and attempted to hang it on the back of my chair. At this point, the woman who seated us requested that the jacket remain on at all times. I replied whether she was serious, and she replied affirmatively and then stated that she didn't want me to be uncomfortable so she would inquire with management. After a few minutes a man came over and asked for the jacket. I told him that if the rule is that a jacket be worn at all times, I don't want to go against the rules, but he replied that he doesn't want me to be uncomfortable. After I confirmed with him whether he was sure, I happily handed over my jacket, and enjoyed the freer movement and air circulation. Considering the semi-rustic atmosphere of the restaurant, the jacket required dress code seems a bit out-of-place, and the fact that the hostess insisted I at first wear the jacket, only relenting when I questioned her, indicates to me that those less pushy would have to suffer more doesn't seem quite fair or proper to me. Later in the meal, I noticed quite a few diners with their jackets off, including at least one hanging from the back of their chair.

Tipping
----------
The bottom of the menu states "SERVICE INCLUDED" next to the price, $240, however, at the end of the meal, the "ticket" that acts as the receipt, only indicates Food, Wine and Tax. In addition, the credit card receipt includes a line for "ADDITIONAL GRATUITY", which I think might confuse more than a few diners. I believe I remember seeing a 20/20 or Dateline episode where one of the tricks used was including a line for tips without informing diners that gratuity has been added. Of course this is nowhere near as egregious, but I do not feel it is appropriate that they do this without mentioning that gratuity has been added anywhere other than at the bottom of the menu, which, several hours later, diners may forget about. And no, I don't think having the "additonal" part is enough warning that service has been paid already.

Food
-------
Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" - Outstanding, light, refreshing, went well with the champagne pairing

Moulard Duck "Foie Gras en Terrine" - Outstanding. I had never had fois gras before, and felt if there were ever a place to try it, FL would be the place. The $30 supplement was well worth it. I also enjoyed the 3 types of salt they provided, one Japanese, one French,and one from the salt mines of Nebraska (?) I believe. I enjoyed the Japanese salt the most.

"Fricassee" of Mary's Garden "Escargot" - Outstanding, everything worked well together.

Sweet Butter-Poached Main Lobster Tail - Outstanding, reminded me of the one I had eaten at Fleur de Lys earlier this year

"Boudin Blanc aux Cerises" - Good, quite plain tasting overall

Elysian Field Farm Lamb Saddle - Very Good, maybe I was getting too stuffed which is why I didn't appreciate it more. The seasoning was quite nice

"Correzon" - Excellent. I'm a sucker for cheese so...

"Confiserie de Fruits Exotiques" - Excellent, refreshing

"Summer Pudding" - Excellent, again, very refreshing and a great way to end the meal

In addition to the entrees listed above, I particularly enjoyed the bread selections, especially the Ciabatta. So crunchy on the outside, yet just the right amount of moistness on the inside, I could finally comprehend what Anthony Bourdain wrote about in Kitchen Confidential as to the love he had for the bread baker who produced the most amazing breads.

There were 2 choices of butter, the one we loved the most was produced locally in Petaluma. Unsalted, so fresh, yellow in color, delicious.

Wine
--------
I can't remember exactly what was served, it was a pairing selection. I did enjoy the Sauternes served with the fois gras, although overall I was not impressed. I enjoyed the paring at Gary Danko much more.

Misc
----------
My partner had the iced tea, which was outstanding, the best we've had in a long time. The waiter wrapped the chocolates to go, and brought the menu at the end which was nice. Overall, the service was great, attentive but not overbearing. When I came downstairs from the bathroom, I noticed the waiters/runners hovering in the hallway, which reinforced my image of attentive service being provided. I like how there is a French Laundry garden across the street, but it seems like the exhaust from traffic would not be beneficial to the vegetables. Anyway, overall I'd go back again, highly recommend.

Holy cow, what a report! You should start a blog. Good reading.

Today at the Concord farmer's market I bought a 3 pack of organic strawberries for $6. However, the strawberries were just as big and nice-looking as the non-organic strawberries selling for $5. I thought that organic strawberries are generally smaller than non-organic ones, which is why I'm wondering if it's possible they were really selling non-organic ones and marking them as organic. Has this ever happened to anyone before, or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

I have only been to farmers markets in Walnut Creek and Concord, but I've noticed that there is always at most only one seller per market. Is there some kind of collusion among blueberry sellers to limit competition in the East Bay? Does anyone know what's going on? Thanks.

Very interesting. I have reservations there next month and this gives me a good idea of what it'll be like, thanks. I was wondering how you took those photos, do they allow photography in the restaraunt? Or did you take it surreptiously with your cell phone?