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My late FIL had a great philosophy: Cook.Clean

He and my MIL had a small kitchen and they frequently fed a very large family. Cleaning up in between cooking courses or prepping was a revelation for me and in the ensuing years, we've actually picked appliances, counters and flooring that maximized our ease in keeping clean, tidy and a good work flow. A commitment to clean surfaces and utensils before, during and after a meal is, for me, both an aesthetic as well as a health consideration. I think of a very clean kitchen as an integral part of the overall presentation of a dish/meal...at home. All that said, I don't ever feel comfortable in looking too closely at someone else's kitchen. I am reminded of a classic bit of Jewish humor - a woman takes the whole chicken from the butcher and sniffs under the wings, the legs and in the cavity and then hands it back to the butcher and demands another chicken. The butcher responds, "Lady, could you pass that test?"

In 1976, my wife and I were on our back to the west coast after living in NYC for a year. We stopped at a roadside cafe for breakfast in a tiny town in Kansas. What attracted my attention on the highway was the sign advertising the world's largest prarie dog statue.

I ate a lot of meat in those days and ordered steak and eggs. I was commenting about how cheap the steak was when my eyes wandered to the bottom of the menu. It read, "Can't believe our beef prices? Our brother-in-law is a cattler rustler." Even 35 years later, the combination of the prarie dog statue and that tag line still makes me laugh.

As a teenager growing up in the Valley, Antonio's was one of my first-choice Italian places to eat with friends or to take a date. We moved from the LA area twenty years ago, but I have very fond memories of a then-relatively-new Antonio's...big portions, tasty food and nice people. When our kids were little, we preferred Lido's on Victory Blvd mainly because it was so close to our house, but we ate at Antonio's many times in the '80's as well. Thanks, Lara for bringing back some happy memories.

We have a gas grill with 3 horizontal burners. We also use an inexpensive square kiln shelf (purchased from a pottery supply company for 25% of what you'd pay for a pizza stone that's made from the same stuff). We use a lower, indirect fire and put a generous handful of corn meal under the pizza. We also tend to use pre-formed corn meal crusts for our pizzas. However, we cook/roast a huge variety of breads, meats, veggies, etc. on the grill...often using the stone to spread the heat. Especially during the summer, this helps with keeping the house cooler and the a/c bills lower.

feistyfoodie nails it..."people really do appreciate being remembered." I began my working life scooping ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins store. I learned, early on, that a smile, a warm greeting and if possible, a reference to a regular or recent order, combined with a good product at a fair price is the right path to success. Nothing I've experienced in the ensuing 43 years has taken the shine off that early lesson. Great job, Hannah!

Andreas, great tip...thanks so much.

Help me out here folks...I was taught to slice the brisket with the grain. I did a very similar recipe for our Hanukah celebration and sliced with the grain...tender as could be. Also, I put the 5+ lbs of brisket in our cold smoker for nearly 6 hours with a mixture of hickory and alderwood before the slow cooking in the oven. Even the pan juices had a subtle smoky flavor...it was a great additional layer of flavor...our guests all commented positively on both the meat and the pan juices I served with it.

Our late and beloved 98 lb Lab/Rotweiler mix was capable of eating huge amounts of anything that resembled food. My late and beloved mother in law was visiting for Passover one year and had just taken the traditional gigantic brisket out of the oven and (non-dog owning person that she was) simply put it on the counter for my father-in-law to slice. She returned from her afternoon walk and assumed that her husband has sliced the brisket, wrapped it in foil and put it in the fridge..the pan was empty, after all. Well, not a 5 seconds later, the dog came around the corner from the living room with onions literally dripping from his chin. He had consumed nearly 5 lbs of brisket with onions and gravy. Other than a couple of loud belches, he (and we) suffered no ill effects.

Two years ago next month, my wife and I went cold turkey together...responding to different but serious health conditions. I have had the exact same situation as pjracz...if I add even tiny amounts of salt, I notice it and worse, my blood pressure elevates 10-20 points.

As a former Seattleite (Bainbridge Island, actually), I heartily agree with all the recommendations. We had an amazing meal at the Steelhead Diner last year. I also love Shanghai Garden in the International District. If you have a few hours, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island and have brunch/lunch at the Streamliner Diner, about 3 blocks from the ferry terminal. No matter how good or bad the weather is, the 35 minute ride is beautiful. Have a great visit!

I'll look forward to trying Andre's but the only bad food memory that I have of my Hungarian grandmother is walking in the house after school and the wave of horrific cabbage odor that would smack me and my brothers in the face. It meant that a) relatives were on the way over b) cabbage strudel would be part of the menu. On the other hand, it also meant that our reward for helping to pull the strudel dough into paper-thin sheets was that our grandmother would trim the edges, bake the narrow strips of dough, and layer them with vanilla pastry cream in what seemed like a foot-tall pile. No dessert I've ever eaten could match how good that tasted.

I am legendary for a dish I cooked in grad school...trying to make fried rice with assorted vegetables. Instead, it was a gloppy, gelatinous mess of half-cooked rice, scrambled egg and salty, mushy mixed vegetables from a Bird's Eye bag that had been sitting in the back of the freezer for most of that semester. My old roommate brings it up any chance he gets...even though, thanks to my wife, I have become a reasonably good cook. It is still good for a big laugh.

It's been 18 years since I moved away from LA...but I ALWAYS go back to The Apple Pan (and Tito's Tacos) when I visit. You are correct...virtually nothing has changed at TAP. I went there for the first time in 1966 when I took my mom's car "over the hill" (from the San Fernando Valley to West LA) for the first time and met some friends there. It is still my favorite burger on the planet. Quality Forever is more than a slogan...TAP puts it to work with every burger, sandwich, order of fries and piece of pie.