Aack! I find the restaurant at fault here- maybe a little blame on the server for disappearing post-advice/order, too. I've been in the restaurant business ( front and back of the house) for 30 years and this is an example of a poorly run spot. I had one very bad reservation disaster at Greens (SF) several years ago-- made a lunch res for 2; requested a window table and was told one would be available, arrived 10 minutes early, was seated at a most inferior table 40 minutes after reservation time. No apology/explanation/comp goodies-- nothing. Looking back on the experience, I think we were mistreated due to a snotty hostess who was quite obviously seating the most attractively attired folks first... Not that we were homeless in appearance, mind you. Oh well. I never ever went back to Greens. I personally agree with the practice of securing a cc number when taking a res; I have never actually charged a "no-show" fee; we simply did not accept the next time the same named party tried to secure a table-- the caller was told that we were on a "first-come" basis. Gently and politely. Its all about the communication when it comes to customer service and I think you got the short end of the stick.

I'm in with pjracz10-- something simple sexy and finger-friendly--maybe some marinated shrimp( pickled? maybe remoulade?) some oysters on the half shell with a cocktail or mignonette sauce-- fresh berries- don't forget the whipped cream, steamed asparagus with a come back dressing or remoulade sauce or maybe baby crab cakes with a garlic dressing/dip? seafood is usually fairly light if steamed or broiled-- you can compose the sauce or dip way ahead of time-- maybe, when he/she arrives, open the door in a sweet apron and nothing else-- as long as your neighbors aren't too close! then let your creativity and imagination get the best of both of ya'll!

Hobcat here--again-- I expected the stuff to be a bit more homogenous than crunchy-cristally. I suppose i thought that the candy would be like a spread you could use on tacos, sandwiches, cream cheese-- you know, just kinda dippable or spreadable and not crispy/crunchy. Maybe i was incorrect in my expectations??

I do have a candy thermometer but did not use it as the recipe didn't call for any specific temps...

oh geez-- back in my much younger years when i was apprenticing for Chef Paul Prudhomme-(what an awesome chef/mentor/boss) i spent the first 3 months of my employment doing nothing but learning how to make and then making stocks. Every last one of our sauces were done with at least two of the stocks that were made every other day-- we had a chicken, beef, veal, and vegetable stock going most every day. Now that i am older and more tired and more arthritic, i still try to make my own stocks--complete with roasting the bones and vegetables and then simmering the mixture and then clarifying everything-- BUT in a pinch, Better Than Bouillion helps this old kitchen fanatic out wa-a-a-y better than any of the aforementioned canned or boxed stock or broth concoctions--eeech to Swanson's and Emeril; kinda sorta a pass for the Kitchen Basics, ALWAYS a Grade A for the Better Than Brand. And they have organics, too!

hobcat here- i use a whirly-gig popper that is several years old, therefore fairly well seasones so i don't have to add much oil to the popper- i usually use canola or corn oil. I tried the pam-type spray last night and it seemed to work ok-- i suppose i need to use a finer ground salt; i really don't care for those "popcorn" designated products like yellow popcorn salt, etc. I am seriously hungry for good popcorn with nut. yeast and maybe some gumbo file on it-- reminds me off Jazz Fest one year when a local popcorn vender had about 10 different kinds of flavored corn-- Tabasco, gumbo, roasted pepper... Lime? Have yet to see lime around these parts- don't care for the "kettle corn" sweet-salty thing, either. Guess I'm just a savory popcorn lover. (well, there is that once a year Cracker Jack binge...)

@carolrsf, etc AMEN!! Alton's on it, it IS fun to watch (face it) and there is always that kitschy judging! I loved the recent one with Jamie Oliver!

i've used it along with garbanzo flour in cookies for the gluten free friends; sounds like it might be good to use as a dredge for seafood--like maybe soft shell crabs that you pan fry and make an amaretto, butter and toasted almond sauce for-- kinda like a newfangled amandine.

@dbcurrie- yeah- the very first cookbook is the best, in my opinion--K-Paul's Louisiana Louisiana Kitchen. The bible. I was there, watching Chef Paul and his able assistant, Paulette (no kidding) work through every single recipe and scale them down for the home kitchens--he built a "test kitchen" on the street level of the restaurant and they worked together for quite a while on each and every recipe. I still refer to that book for my chicken and sausage gumbo, rabbit in sauce piquant and Lori Taylor's cookies. The sweet potato-pecan pie is a much requested item from my clients during the holidays, too. The lightened up book, I think it is called A Fork in the Road was a little disappointing to me for the use of artificial sweeteners but it was a stab at the diet craze of the 80's. Go with the first one, i assure you that you won't be disappionted!

we had a golden lab, evangeline, who downed an entire side of smoked salmon in about the same amount of time... and managed to ruin a cocktail party buffet i was catering :( she was an awesome critter, tho

OMG! i am so happy with all of the recipes from this post-- As i said earlier, we are huge fans of curries and i certainly have had some great new inspirations-- thanks for the new directions... the apple curry soup is awesome. i added a habanero in the veg mix...

ina garten's smashed sweet potatoes are great; i do a curry roasted dish during the fall and winter that is simple, can be as spicy as you like- cut in an attractive fashion a buncha yams, toss with S&P, yellow curry paste, olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven , shaking the pan sometimes to spread everything around-- we add a chopped habanero or two and roast them till they are crispy. There are a couple of chile and lime sweet potato salad recipes on epicurious that are wonderful, too.

oh, crabcake blt, fried green tomato blt, fakinbacon blt--nah, best ever blt, hands down is the following: any variety of my husband's home grown tomatoes, my homemade sourdough bread, his fresh homemade garlic mayo, my homegrown baby romaine, and last but not least, some of our friend Robbie's home cured slab bacon. wow. i think the love has a LOT to do with it cause i remember a phenomenal blt made by my mom back in the late '50's or very early '60's that was Pepperidge Farm white bread, some grocery store brand of bacon, Blue Plate mayo, iceberg lettuce and a backyard grown tomato... as good as or better than any madeleine, any day.

My mom had a Pennsylvania-Dutch Gramma and we had some strange stuff that i still wish i could make as well as mom did-- She watched a lot of Julia Child and Graham Kerr when i was growing up and i remember stealing her Gourmet magazines as soon as they came in the mail--tis was heady stuff for a girl growing up in the 60's in Jackson, Mississippi! The Penn-Dutch stuff ranged from cooked iceberg lettuce "hot lettuce salad", a creamy corn soup called corn soup with rivels- i used to ask for the soup with "rivets", a noodle dish with sliced boiled eggs, a kinda sweet-clove spiced tomato sauce, bacon and these awfully fatty cooked in bacon grease croutons, the best sloppy joes you ever ate! When she got experimental, she went all the way. Beef wellington from scratch.Handmade pasta for fettucine alfredo. Double cut pork chops baked with granny smith apples and calvados. Calvados?!! You think anyone in Mississippi even could pronounce Calvados much less stock it in a liquor store? My father had to bring it back from France via Germany on one of his amny National Guard trips. Anyhow, Mom was a great cook, an adventurous cook, and an inspiring cook. Probably why i pursued the profession myself, just on a different level. There is, however, a part of me that wishes i could have been a stay at home mom and wife who had, as her daily challenge, trying to find ingredients for Julia's Coq au Vin or Graham's Gratin Dauphinois...