Architecture, art, football, film, and food -- pretty much all I need in life. Oh yeah, and my wife, too, otherwise there will be nobody to enjoy the architecture, art, film, and food with ;) (...she's not so much a fan of the football part... ;P )
Awesome doodle.
I could go for a Porto's cheese roll right about now...
So it's a pizza that's actually a burger, from a Boston place that's actually in Canada...?
Thanks for making this site great, Alaina!
Best wishes in whatever you've got going next, and please bring Malcolm back to visit :)
@enblithe -- I'd be all over a Milo McFlurry, especially if they used chocolate ice cream. That's basically like a spoon-able chocolate malt!
I totally went to McDonald's in HK just to get these, too! And I'm not ashamed to admit that I went back multiple times! Great idea from an international marketing standpoint when you really think about it -- a pie can be filled with whatever the local culture normally puts in the desserts and viola! Instant regional fast food!
@Evelgest -- They actually did have taro pies at the HK McD's, but apparently they were only for a limited time, and I missed the promotional period when I was there. Taro pies were supposedly the promotion right before the red bean pies. I'm waiting for the lotus paste and salted duck egg yolk pie for Mid-Autimn Festival. It'll probably never happen, but one can still hope!
@Robyn -- Hehe, no, not really. I was just wondering if you noticed that you can get a sundae cup of whole kernel corn as a side instead of fries...
Did you get it with a side of corn...?
We tried China Islamic yesterday and it was awesome! We ordered a lot of the dishes you recommended and they were all really good. The oxtail was one of the clear favorites on the table, as was the lamb with pickled cabbage (we got the non-soup, non-noodle version though). We also got the cut noodles and the sesame bread, the latter of which is required for mopping up all that extra brown sauce (though the whole sesame bread with green onion that you pictured is actually $8.50 -- $2.95 only gets you 4 pieces). The lamb curry was pretty good, but was a fairly standard Asian curry, and nowhere near as good as the other stuff. We also got a few standard Westernized items for the not-so-adventurous at our table, which were as good as you'd expect. Then there was the crispy fried duck, which was tasty, but probably not a must-have -- it was basically an already-roasted duck that they cut up and deep fried, which made for some tasty crispy bits, but left the meat more than a little dry.
And the little bakery next door has some pretty dang good mung bean cakes, too!
Thanks for the recommendation!
Had these in Hong Kong recently, and was wondering what they were...
I've never been able to get there before they run out of croissants, but I can at least attest to the fact that their coconut macaroons are pretty awesome...
Oops, just noticed that you linked Cognoscenti in the Proof "pop-up" blurb -- my mistake... :P
I was under the impression that the coffee served at Proof is via a Cognoscenti pop-up -- is that no longer the case? Since you gave Cognoscenti an honorable mention, it seemed worth noting that maybe they deserve more credit than Proof for the actual coffee. Which, of course, is not to take anything at all away from Proof -- their baked goods are simply perfect!
And if you're in the area, make sure to check out Individual Medley a couple doors down from Proof -- nice little boutique store run by some really nice people.
That bear is awesome...
I got some of the maple sugar tablet candies from the Canadian Maple Delights Vancouver store last summer and, man, were they good! Much more maple flavor than those quaint leaf-shaped maple syrup hard candies.
I made this for my Super Bowl party, too, yesterday -- it's really good!! I didn't add the sriracha, since some of my guests were averse to spicy foods, but even without it, I'm going to start using the dressing with my other salads, too. Thanks for the recipe!!
My friend hosts a BBQ every year for our fantasy football live draft, usually entailing 2-3 lbs of smoked, grilled, and Big-Green-Egged meat per team manager (as well as plenty of old-fashioned soda from Galco's Soda Pop Stop). I know I wasn't the only person who decided to join the league this year just so I could partake in the draft BBQ... :)
Oh, come now, you have to admit that once you've had the gravy, there's really no going back to having the chicken dry!
And it's not the real Roscoe's experience until Big Mamma decides you need some vegetables and starts adding un-requested greens to your order...
@MrsSell -- Appropriately enough, the shop is called the Old Town House of Jerky and Root Beer! I've only been there once, but I agree that it's pretty amazing :) I think there's another outpost of the shop in Old Town Temecula, too, but am not entirely sure it's still there. I did partake of the root beer when I was at the SD location, but neglected to sample any jerky -- maybe next time!
Another perfect excuse to go to Pie N' Burger. As if we needed an excuse...
@Osomatic -- their pies are pretty standard diner-style pies, but they're pretty decent. Honestly though, despite always feeling the need to eat both of Pie N' Burger's namesakes, I usually just have the latter and save my calories for their chocolate malt.
The satay pork banh mi, at least at L.A.'s Ba Le(s), is also pretty awesome. As are the jelly teas. Their baguettes are so light that I practically inhaled half my sandwich before I even took a breath last time I was there...
Black, or with a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk.
So according to Yogurtland, today is supposedly National Frozen Yogurt Day. I can't find any documentation about today being the actual day except for Yogurtland ads and people linking to them. The only other thing I found says that there's an entire National Frozen Yogurt Month, but that's supposed to be in June.
I wonder who comes up with these things...?
Let's see how well the SE universe measures up to LA's food guru:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-jonathan-gold-hamburgers-20121205-quiz,0,4172306.story
I only got 8/10 -- I feel like I've shamed AHT... :(
Anyone else hear this yesterday?
http://www.theworld.org/2012/12/food-heritage-coney-island/
I was fortuitously in the car when it came on :)
Hey Gang!
Does anyone have a good alternative for butter in Rice Krispy / Cheerio Treats? I still want to use marshmallows, but want to cut out the butter, but also don't want to burn the melting marshmallows or make the finished product hard as a hockey puck. All the non-butter recipes I've found online also seem to completely omit the marshmallows (opting for honey and peanut butter as the cereal binder/chewy-fier). Anyone have a happy medium that has worked for them?
Thanks!
Hello Again SE'ers!
Anybody know of any microbreweries that make their own root beer in or near downtown San Diego (i.e., Gaslamp Quarter, Harbor Island, and thereabouts)? Or any other shops that have a good variety of root beers for sale?
Thanks again!
Hi SE'ers!
I've got a 2-1/2 hr layover in SEA Airport in a couple weeks. Any ideas on where to grab a good lunch within walking distance?
Thanks!
Hi Everyone!
I've been experimenting with different substitutes for heavy cream in making ice cream in order to get the "normal" ice cream texture. I thought it had something to do with fat content or possibly whipping enough air into the emulsion before I start freezing it (I use a Cuisinart).
Lower fat content, as we have discussed several times already on this board, seems to result in frozen-solid ice cream once it gets transferred into the freezer, so instead of cream, I started using coconut milk, which has less fat than heavy cream, but higher fat than whole milk or soy milk. My last batch was coconut milk in place of cream, and soy milk in place of whole milk (which had the added benefit of being entirely dairy-free), which actually produced a pretty good creamy texture once the ice cream is on the spoon.
The problem I'm still having is that, even with a higher fat content and additional whipping, my ice cream is still "crumbly" in that it doesn't hold together like normal heavy-cream ice cream. While this is fine in a bowl, it means I can't really put it in a cone, or scoop it out in a big scoop at all. It's still a little hard (as in solid), but I haven't tried adding the alcohol/xanthan/pectin that others have suggested, so I don't know if that would make a difference.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Calling all Dim Sum Lovers of the SE Universe!
How do you guys prefer your dim sum: ordered from a cart pushed past your table, or selected from a written list and brought by waiters? Both have their charms -- the former lets you order items based on which carts pass by and whether or not it looks good (regardless of whether or not you know what's in it), while the latter guarantees you'll get what you want (as well as a few surprises if you order an item with an unfamiliar name). So either way, it's good! Just wondering which style people like better :)
Also, I just found out that my go-to push-cart dim sum place in San Gabriel closed down. Since I still have a couple menu/list style places in the bullpen, it's not too big of a concern. However, in your opinion, what remaining push-cart style places in the San Gabriel Valley (or menu-style places, for that matter -- can't have too many dim sum places in the bullpen, after all) would you recommend replacing it with?
Hi All!
Heading up to Ventura this weekend for the day, but don't really know what's up there. Any suggestions as to what to do/see, and especially what/where to eat?
Thanks!
Hi Everyone!
We'll be packing up the car for a road trip for the long weekend, and were wondering if anyone had a recommendation for a good burger & malt we can get between LA and Santa Ynez. We'll probably be passing through the Santa Barbara/Goleta area at lunchtime, so things around there are preferable, but not required. Been to The Habit already, so that's my backup plan, and unfortunately the Burger Bus isn't running on Saturdays, so I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks!
Hi there everyone!
I've discovered some beef tenderloin steaks in my freezer that have been there for a while. The package says that they're filet mignons, but I really can't tell (like I said, they've been in the freezer a while -- MIL just gave them to my wife before they went out of town...). They're probably 2" thick, but somewhat freezerburned. Seeing as they've been in the freezer for a while, does anyone know if they're still safe to use as steaks (i.e., not cooking the insides through all the way)? Seems an awful shame to use filet mignon for stewing meat, so I'm just wondering if there are better ways to use it...
Also, has anyone every tried salting filet mignon like they would salt other steaks? (i.e., salt crust at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before cooking, rinsing off salt and patting down, then skillet cooking) I've used that method for lower quality cuts of meat before (chuck steaks, sirloins, and even ribeyes), and I'm told it works really well for porterhouses, but I'm not sure if that's the proper prep for a nicer cut -- I've honestly never cooked the really nice cuts before myself...!
Thanks!
Hey there, fellow Serious Eaters!
I'm planning a bachelor party in late May for my buddy, and we've decided to hit up Portland, OR for the weekend. We wanted to go to a city none of us had ever been to before, and Portland sounded cool (we're all from either San Francisco or Los Angeles...). Consequently, we have no idea what there is to do/see in Portland, and more importantly, have no idea where to eat...
Thus I am appealing to your culinary wisdom: given that we only have a weekend (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2-3 dinners) and we'll be staying somewhere around the riverside/downtown area with only public transit at our disposal, where would you say we MUST eat while we're there??
Portland specialties, burger joints, and at least one place for a nice dinner would be great! And if you have recommendations for what to do/see while we're there, that would be great, too!
Thanks folks!
The way we see it, the only thing better than iced coffee or iced tea in hot weather is something even more frigid: iced coffee or iced tea ice cream. With that in mind, we've gathered nine coffee- and tea-centric frozen treat recipes: ice cream, sherbet, and even a milkshake for good measure. More
This guide will show you exactly how to dry-age at home, how relatively simple it is, and how it can vastly improve the eating quality of your steaks and roasts until they are better than what you can buy at even the best gourmet supermarket. And unlike many other places that claim similar results, I actually have the blind taste tests to prove it! More
On a recent trip to Montreal, I visited the Maple Museum which chronicles the history and science of maple syrup and the shop sells a range of maple-related food products, such as maple salad dressings, maple salts, and maple butter. Here are five things to know about maple. More
Mild, easygoing clementines make this sorbet taste like a dairy-free creamsicle. More
Summers are made for the grill, but what's a steak lover to do when the weather's too cold and wet to light the suckers up? Just cook them indoors. Indeed, pan-seared steaks have several distinct advantages over grilled steaks—enough that there are times when given the two choices, I'll choose pan-seared just for the sake of it. While grilling will get you a rapid-fire crust on your steak with all those delightfully crisp, on-the-verge-of-burnt bits and a good smoky flavor, I find that the even golden brown crust you can develop in a hot cast-iron pan really accentuates the flavor of the beef itself, letting it shine. On top of that, pan-searing affords you the opportunity to add your own flavorings in the form of aromatics. Pan-seared steaks come out about 4 percent moister to boot.
Here's the best way to do it.
MoreOf all the foods off the A1 through A24 section of your local Chinese takeout menu, fried dumplings (that's Peking ravioli to you Bostonians) are perhaps the ones that benefit most from some home treatment. Unless you're really lucky, takeout dumplings are thick-skinned and greasy, any crunch having left them in the long steamy bike ride from the kitchen to your door. More
[Photographs: Adam Kuban] This is my go-to recipe for homemade bagels. It's adapted from Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Breads. Clayton, in turn, got the recipe from the folks at the now-defunct Jo Goldenberg's, the famous Jewish restaurant and delicatessen... More
Susan Feniger's Ukrainian dumpling recipe takes what could be a heavy appetizer and brightens it up with summer vegetables. Instead of overloading the dumplings with meat or starch, she brings zucchini and spinach together with earthy potatoes and tangy feta cheese. More
Being a town so close to the sea, it's no surprise that many of these taquerias don't need to abut the water in order to deliver fresh, juicy, wonderfully tasty fish tacos. Plus, with a wealth of proper tortillas to serve as the backbone, Los Angeles is a city with several fish taco gems. You just have to know where to look. More
Until I was 13, I was convinced that root beer was alcoholic. I couldn't believe that my otherwise responsible dad would offer me sips of his root beer. Being a quite conservative child, I would always refuse. More
Homemade root beer is earthy, bold, and sweet all at the same time. More
Why the heck would you want to roll around balls of ground meat mixture in rice? Because, it tastes really good. Imagine the juicy meat covered in a delicate layer of starch, so light and fluffy that the whole thing sort of melts in your mouth (or as much as ground meat could melt). More
Latte, cappuccino, and macchiato are all familiar words on the menu of our favorite coffee shops, but what do these terms really mean mean—and how do each of these drinks differ? More
Even if you're just a casual coffee lover, you've got a basic bean-spotter's vocabulary down, I'm sure. "Dark roast" is going to look darker than "light roast", and things called "Italian", "French" or "Viennese" may be distractingly dark and shiny. But have you ever explored the layers beyond—or even before—everyday roasted coffee? We offer this first in a series of pictorial field guides to help expand your visual vocabulary, one bean at a time. More
This ice cream tastes just like a cup of Thai iced tea, but with a stronger tea kick. Serve with a slurp (or two) of sweetened condensed milk. If you want to remove all tea particles from the ice cream, strain the custard through a cheesecloth. More
We do quite a bit of steak talk around here, but we've never covered the true basics: how to pick the one you want. Come check out our handy guide. More
This week we're getting back to the basics, exploring a few of the simplest, yet most persistent points of contention amongst steak-fryers and grillers. Namely, salting, searing, and poking, in that order. More
Now that I've gone and said that I like my guacamole super-simple in today's Food Lab post, I'm gonna go against everything I said and offer up a dozen or so variations on the beast. Guacamole with roasted garlic, pumpkin seeds, Sriracha, Old Bay, and many more add-ins—check them all out here. More
This recipe from Mark Bittman's Minimalist column in the New York Times is by far the best quick version of pad Thai I have been able to find. It's incredibly flavorful and balanced—not too sweet or heavy, plus the cabbage helps bulk things out. More
We love Kansas City burnt ends as much as we love a perfect chopped whole hog from Eastern Carolina. That said, we decided it'd be useful to define the distinct regional styles across America. More
Guacamole was the very first dish I learned how to make, unless you count heating up a frozen chicken pot pie or pouring hot water into a Cup of Noodles. The best guacamole is the simplest. What's the best way to incorporate aromatics? Does the seed really prevent it from browning? What's the best way to mash your 'cados? We'll answer all of those questions today. More
Here's a quick-fix dessert that doesn't taste like desperation: chocolate cake prepared in a mug, in the microwave. With a consistency something like a steamed pudding, this chocolate cake might not rival a French chocolate cake in sophistication, but nonetheless holds its own as an easy convenience dessert. And should you find some ice cream or whipped cream to top it with, well, all the better. More
This whole roasted tenderloin recipe is a holiday dinner ace up your sleeve—one you can easily serve (and impress) in about an hour, including resting time, with some simple herb-roasted potatoes that can be roasted simultaneously. When dealing with tenderloin this size, variations in temperature are a given—you'll have slices ranging from rare to well, pleasing a variety of meat eaters. Once sliced, the tenderloin is sauced with a red wine reduced with red wine vinegar and shallots, then finished with a sizable knob of butter, a sauce that is simple, rich and absolutely delicious. More
I'd be willing to wager that anyone who complains how difficult and messy it is to deep-fry at home has never tried deep-frying in a wok. Why don't people fry at home? The most common answers are: it's messy, it's expensive ("What do I do with all the leftover oil?"), and it's unhealthy. Well a wok can certainly help solve your first two problems. You're on your own for the third. This is our second piece in this week's Wok Skills 101 series. More
LaFrieda-blend burger griddled at home, and I can assure you that my execution had nothing to do with why it was the best burger I ever had -- this was simply some seriously good meat...!