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I used to love the chicken mole with white meat (!?!) At Jalepeno's when I lived in Santa Cruz- the sauce was awesome when I'd go in the evening/early night. In my experience there and in the SF Mission, timing is important. In the Mission mole is unusual, since since the people here are mostly Central American; usually from El Salvadore, Oaxaca, and Guatemala. However, one of my favorite non-dive hispanic places, Panchita's 3 on 24th near BART, has an excellent airline wing in mole. I keep wanting to make a big batch, I love all the different peppers available here. Maybe this weekend!

It seems to me that people are always more impressed than strictly necessary with a freeform fruit galette, and the only thing expensive in it is the butter for the short crust. Buy whatever fruit's cheap- if you can get end of the day "fire sale" super ripe fruit at your stores/farmers market/flea market, so much the better. If you live in the burbs and have neighbors with fruit trees full of fresh fruit, see if they mind if you take some- there's lots of good stuff just finishing its season now, and it seems like people are usually happy to get rid of some of it. Here's a good link I found for directions: http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/galettes-rustic-tarts.aspx
If you wanted to get cuh-razy, you could layer some smashed up oreos between the fruit and the crust to soak up any juice- especially if you found some cheap berries or stonefruit.

I can't think of anywhere that is reliably better than In-N-Out, though sometimes Taylor's and Murder Burger knock it out of the park. If I'm making it, griddled medium, Acme pain de mie burger bun, mayo-ish spread, plenty of pickles, onions, tomato, lettuce, mustard, ketchup. Maybe a slice of american if I"m feeling crazy and a little trashy.

quinces. They're awesome!

dang, I gotta go buy an elote now. I also recommend tri tip over medium coals until nice and crusty.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Katz's, Zingerman's, and JUNIOR'S CHEESECAKE?!? Anyone else love the bit in Still Life with Woodpecker about a Junior's cheesecake? If Tom Robbins says it has the power to make love stay, I'm in. On the other hand, Guy Fieri and Bobby freakin' Flay? I may have to reconsider.

A nice banh mi with pate, roast pork and marinated shreds of daikon, carrot and cucumber, garnished with cilantro. Yum! Then again, here in San Francisco, it's not too hard to find a good one on the cheap. A nice baby sandwich of country ham on a biscuit would certainly be enticing too. I would say a croque monsieur, but I can't imagine anyone improving on Tartine's rendition.

I live in CA and a catering company I worked for used to do tri tip all the time. I love it cooked medium rare- it's not the most tender cut ever, but the flavor is sublimely beefy. The company always did it over mesquite to medium, but I find that a broiler works okay too, though you don't get that smokey flavor. It's a thick cut, so be brave about getting a nice deep brown crust. The old hand trick works well for gauging doneness- give it a poke. If it feels like the skin between your thumb and index finger when your hand is relaxed (aka soft and smooshy) it's not done. On the other extreme, if it feels like your hand when you're clenching it tightly in a fist, it will be well done. If you don't have a thermometer and really don't want one (I find them invaluable) you can take it off the heat once it doesn't feel soft and floppy and test it by cutting a small cut in the thickest part (the middle) to have a peek, but try to keep cuts to a minimum until it's cooked and rested.
As far as seasoning, I'm certainly no slouch when it comes to toasting, grinding, and preparing my own blends, but I have to admit my favorite seasoning for tri tip is the same one my old company used to use- good old McCormick's Montreal steak. Aside from Old Bay, curry powder, five spice, and chili powder, it's one of the only premade blends I keep in my kitchen, and tri tip is my favorite application for it.
So, long story short, my advice would be to season it and let it sit out an hour or two to come to temperature, cook it over high heat until you have a nice crust, test it and if it is still red in the middle turn the heat down a bit and give it a few more minutes, and then let it REST under foil- seriously, give it a good 15 or even 20 if it's a big one. Your patience will be rewarded. Cut against the grain, which can be a little challenging since it usually runs perpendicular to the most obtuse angle- if you want to make your carving a little easier and don't need long pieces, cut it in half with the grain and then use your newly cut flat side to cut against the grain. Leftovers make awesome phillys too.

Boccalone http://www.boccalone.com/index.cfm , Incanto's salumeria in San Francisco, has fabulous lardo. I don't see an option to buy just lardo to be shipped, but they have a Lardo, Pancetta, and Guanciale Sampler http://www.boccalone.com/index.cfm?method=products.productDrilldown&productid=9007cc73-9bbe-a959-adbb-19fbc364fc63&pageID=5d727b8e-1e0b-4e34-f01b-576ccc392692&sortBy=rating and I can tell you their guanciale makes the best carbonara I've ever had.

I'd like to add my favorite BBQ glaze recipe for chicken- it takes some time to do its thing, so it'd be good to start now in time for BBQ season. The first step is making habanero honey- just plunk some chopped habaneros in whatever honey you like, and give it a month or two in a cupboard to infuse. You probably want to label the jar well- no one wants to get surprised with that in their tea. You could use a milder pepper, but I really like the fruityness of habaneros. Marinate chicken in the infused honey along with soy sauce and orange juice- the ratio is up to you, but a generous hand with the soy and an overnight marinade will make for moister meat. Grill, preferably over charcoal.
This is excellent with chicken breasts, but it's out of this world with thighs. Make some rice vermicelli (bun), add some combination of bean sprouts, cukes, lettuce, cilantro, chopped peanuts, nuac mam dipping sauce, shredded carrot or daikon, some quick asian pickles, etc. (you get the picture), and get down with your bad vietnamese barbecuein' self.
I think it also bears mentioning that the only thing in this dinner that requires heating a pot is the bun. Start the honey now, thank me later.

I had to satisfy my morbid curiosity of how low food TV could go, and I must say that while I'm no great lover of Deen- I quit food network and all other TV years ago and never looked back- this really seems like an innocent goof. She starts off with explaining her "britches are falling off". I doubt it's the hassle cooks without their names on their jackets face every day of finding their size in the resto's laundry closet, but give her a break. It's hardly a media grab, entirely unlike another "wardrobe malfunction". Maybe she's lost a couple pounds. Chill out.

so many good choices spring to mind- taco salad with my mom's vegan chili, black bean soup with ham hocks, falafel, and the classic BLT are all definitely favorites.

Sid Vicious must be turning in his grave. Schlepping dairy products? Seriously?
At least I still have faith that Biafra would gnaw off his own arm first, and Graffin could always go back to UCLA if he needed the cash that bad. Tim Armstrong gets any bright ideas, though, and I swear I'm on the first BART to Oaktown to relieve him of his mohawk. Pathetic. Filthy Lucre indeed.