My dad never cooked anything other than fried eggs. I'm a dad to two sons, and the biggest mistake I made was trying to use my oven stone in the charcoal grill to cook pizza, rather than just putting the dough on the grill right over the coals. It took forever, and didn't really cook right.
It's really fascinating to read everyone's comments! I'm pretty open-minded about foods, but I've never been keen on mushrooms. As others have pointed out, it's the texture that I don't like.
What I wish I could eat is shellfish of any kind, and peaches. Sadly, I'm allergic to both. (Used to love eating them when I was younger.)
Whenever I see somebody order mussels, or lobster, or crab, I get a little jealous. It looks so primal, and so good. But my feeling has always been that if I have to be allergic to something, those foods are easy to avoid. Better that than being allergic to dairy, or wheat, or other common foods.
Baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, and chives. And cold beer.
@Kenji: "I want to work at Garden and Gun"
Me too!!!
Back in the late 80s-mid 90s, I helped to run a creative department for a large magazine-publishing company in Manhattan. One of the jobs my boss gave me was to make sure the department refrigerator was always stocked with soda and beer. We worked some long hours, so it was nice to be able to crack open a cold one around 5:30 or so (and maybe order in some food, on the company tab). Those were the days.
No question: John's on Bleecker.
Awesome. It's obviously just a fun gimmick. Wish they were offering these near me--I'd have to pick one up! (Great for when you're driving and get hungry!)
Hiram's is great. It's been many years since I've eaten there. You've inspired me to make a trip soon.
I'm not sure the beer would last long enough for me to French-press it.
"The cheek hails from Pineland Farms in Maine and is a leaner (but more flavorful) cut, so Ross-Leutwyler combines it with a fattier piece of chuck, which comes from grass-fed and grain-finished California vintage beef."
Oh, my. How precious. I'm sure the burger is delicious (and thanks for pointing out that RAW-looking photo), but surely they can procure decent meat from somewhere closer than the West Coast. I don't give a crap about the carbon footprint (funny bit about the sesame seeds, Noah). I just think the idea of flying beef 3,000 miles to make a burger is a bit silly and over-the-top.
I've seen calzones baked, as well as deep fried. But I've only seen them with ricotta cheese and ham. Not my favorite. Strombolis, on the other hand, are something I could eat every day.
"The calzone, essentially a pizza folded into a half moon..."
Actually that's more my definition of a stromboli.
Big differences?
1. A calzone is deep-fried; a stromboli is baked.
2. A calzone contains ricotta cheese; a stromboli doesn't.
I remember my bachelor days, when I was skinny and could eat anything; I'd order a stromboli with sausage, peppers, onions, and pepperoni. The darned thing would be about the size of a football. I'd eat the whole thing and wash it down with a six-pack of beer....
Oh, those were the days.
Wow. That looks awesome. And easy to make. I've never made dumplings before, but I think I may give this a try. Thanks, Kenji!
The best burger I ever had was one I made myself, from scratch. I bought some boneless short ribs and chuck from the supermarket and ground it at home. Made it into patties, then took some leftover pork fat to grease the cast-iron skillet. Made me and my son a couple of cheeseburgers. So good!
@Wordmaven: I hate "Have a good one!" I always want to say "A good WHAT?"
Thanks, Sarah. But I was just on the Jell-O site, and the closest thing they show is something called "Berry Blue": http://www.jello.com/product/jello-desserts/berry-blue
I'm guessing that will do the trick.
Wait--"Blueberry gelatin"? Are you talking about Jell-O? Or some kind of jelly? Can someone please help me out? (This pie sounds really good. Of course, ALL berry pies sound good to me...)
Oh, so many.
First (and worst): Slow service. There's a restaurant near me that my wife and kids like, that I absolutely HATE. Last time we went there (and it will truly be the LAST time), I had to go find the manager to get a table. Then the waiter took forever to do everything: Take drink orders, bring food, refills, etc. It's like he couldn't care less. Don't make me hunt you down, please!
Next: I agree with PoorOldMama: We're not "guys" (even though I am a man). Call us "folks" if anything. Better yet, don't use a term for the group. Just say "May I take your order, please?" or "Will there be anything else?"
I'm with the others who don't like cold bread/butter. I also don't like butter in those individually-wrapped pats. I know it's probably more economical for the restaurant, but it makes a mess and it's so inelegant.
Mostly it's about the service, though. If that's great, I can put up with an awful lot. If it stinks, I just can't wait to leave and never come back.
@nique jim: Sounds like an interesting variation on a Scotch egg. Maybe add some breakfast sausage prior to the panko. (Sounds like nirvana to me!)
These look so incredible. It's a shame nobody else in my family likes eggs (my wife only likes them scrambled and cooked to the consistency of shoe leather).
I live with Philistines.
@zale.x: I think you've hit on something amazing...
That looks amazing. Too bad nobody else in my house likes eggs (well, my wife does, but only scrambled and cooked to death). Philistines.
I like mine on rye bread. Lately I've been adding slices of pepperoni. Last Saturday, I added a bunch of mozzarella, too. YUM!
Bravo, Kenji. My "specialized equipment" consists of a King Arthur Flour baking stone ($54.95) and a wooden peel (it was a gift from my brother-in-law about 20 years ago. Replacement cost: Approx. $23 at KAF, probably cheaper elsewhere). So for less than 80 bucks, I've got the equipment to make pizza that's far better than even my local North Jersey pizzerias. Figure I make at least 6-8 pies per month, and the equipment pays for itself in no time.
Nice riposte, Kenji!
I simply can't imagine why anybody would want to eat something like this. Yeesh, it looks terrible! If you want a "pizza burger" (and I can't imagine why you would), why not just put tomato sauce and mozzarella on a burger?
Hi, folks: I'll be stopping in Roanoke, VA on my way to my niece's wedding in early April. I'll be traveling alone, and that's the halfway point. Curious about a good place for dinner that night. I'm a burger-and-beer kind of guy, but I want local flavor, maybe barbecue. Not looking for a white tablecloth place, but rather a local joint with character. Any suggestions?
Hi, everybody:
I work for a national company that employs more than 20,000 people. My department is tasked with finding a great employee gift for the summer.
In the past, we've sent steaks and ice cream (people can go online and place their order to arrive when they want it). This year we want to try something different.
Any ideas? Some thoughts:
1. Cost (including shipping) can't exceed $75 each.
2. Need to have options for kosher, vegetarian, etc diets
3. The company needs to be big enough to handle thousands of orders at once.
4. The population skews young--most employees are 40 or younger.
Thanks!
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I grew up in Pompton Lakes, NJ. We had a place called the Old Barn Milk Bar. It was located in an 18th-Century Dutch barn. The place was made into an ice cream shop in 1930, with the horse stalls converted into booths. They served Welsh Farms ice cream, along with a basic diner menu of burgers, etc. But the big draw were the ice cream cones. Even the single-scoop was the size of a softball, served up by young guys whose arms would double in size over the course of a summer, from digging deep into the five-gallon containers.
It was the place everyone went in the summer; a line would form at the window, where you could buy your ice cream. Huge old trees shaded the parking lot, and folks would just stay there, eating their ice cream and catching up with neighbors.
Sadly, the place went out of business in December 2001. The property was bought by a neighboring car dealer, and the barn dismantled and given to the town's historical society. I remember thinking they could really have kept it going if they'd upgraded the food menu and made it into a BYOB place (liquor licenses can be very hard to acquire in New Jersey).
The car dealer went out of business itself a couple of years later, so now all that's left is a paved-over lot.
Here's an article about the place, with a photo. I miss it: http://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/169583226_At_Old_Barn__summer_bliss_came_in_softball-size_scoops.html