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I haven't been there much, but last time I went, my bf and his buddy that we stayed with (both SLC natives) took me to Tiburon. Not sure how it stacks up to other options, but I really, really enjoyed their food.

I started cooking with tofu somewhat recently, and what I've learned is that you have to learn how to cook the tofu to desired texture before you get hung up on what kind of flavor/dish you're going to go with. Many applications have you slice and drain (several layers of paper towel on either side, then weighted evenly to press out the moisture), then marinate. After that, I prefer baking or browning in cast iron. There's also grilling (not now, where I am anyway hah), frying, steaming, etc.

This baked tofu curry recipe got me into tofu (the sauce is a little weak, thick - needs lots of doctoring), but the baked tofu came out great. One tip on that: shake off ALL the excess cornstarch before baking or you can get a chalky note here and there. I put it all in a large fine strainer and shake until it's good.

If I want tofu for say, cold noodles and peanut sauce or an attempt at a pho-like dish, I cut a slab ~1/3" thick, drain (see note above), then marinate in soy or ponzu, fish sauce (not if the food needs to stay vegetarian!), sesame oil, 1t chili paste, and 1t lemongrass. Marinate for about 20 minutes (depending on how patient I am, heh), then brown it in cast iron, pressing down on it here and there so it browns evenly(something you'd never do to meat!). Once it's browned on both sides (and the ends, if you feel like messing with it), cool a touch and slice as best works with what you're making.

Also, go to your library and look for a vegetarian or even tofu-specific cookbook. You never know what you'll find/lerarn!

mmmmm sounds good. Looks very protein-heavy without resorting to meat-overload ... exactly the kind of stuff I'm always on the lookout for!

yep :)

I have a Staub (similar pricing to LC), and I debated between it, LC, and Tramontina, another cheaper brand. What threw me off of the cheaper ones was the lid handle - wasn't ovensafe to the degree other ones were. If you're dying for the LC style coating, save up and go for it. I happened to prefer the Staub. One thing I didn't think super hard about that I ended up loving about it and would urge you to check out as you shop is the size of the handles. It's been a while since I handled an LC, so I'm not sure how it is in this department, but my Staub has nice, big handles that I can fit all four fingers through and very, very easily move around with confidence even with potholders. It seems like a small detail, but when that heavy dude is even heavier filled with food and piping hot, it's nice to grab it and not feel like you can barely wrangle it.

If you're not using the enamel coating as the main driver behind your purchase and are looking to save money, go with Lodge/plain cast iron.

*spit it out back into my HAND. d'oh.

Flagstaff, AZ: not exactly a destination food-wise, but given the remote, small-town nature of the place, the offerings could be a hell of a lot worse.

MartAnns - little Mexican breakfast diner infamous for the line of people waiting outside on weekend mornings regardless of the weather. A popular place to run into friends sporting a black eye from overdoing it the night before :P

Diablo Burger - Flag is pretty us v. them in their locals culture, so I find it endlessly amusing that this burger joint is based on the idea of local food (produce from the valley and beef from a nearby ranch, both places supply the local CSA). Grass-fed burgers on an english muffin and some of the best fries I've ever eaten. Quite good.

Macy's - I don't actually eat here that often, but it's a little hippy coffee shop/cafe known for attracting the local hippy/hipster brigade and makes for fantastic people watching (and random dog petting). The menu is vegetarian and they're so aware of their food and others' dietary restrictions that one of my friend's dates joked to the cashier (who had asked another patron if it was ok if both items were on the same plate) "what is this, pastry apartheid?"

Pato Thai - we have pretty much no good Chinese food, but we have some great Thai. This restaurant is my favorite Thai place, partially because it's spicy/star ratings are the stiffest in town. Oh, that and the food is consistently awesome.

Pay 'n Take - little bar with a great cooler/microbrew selection frequented by the firefighter/mt. biker/climber-centric brand of locals. The dog-friendly alley-patio with a view of the peaks makes for a very Flagstaff afternoon, especially when the weather is warm and the days are long.

New Frontiers - the AZ/CA version of Whole Paycheck. Similarly expensive, but it's perfect for picking up some high quality nibbles for a day out visiting Sedona, the grand canyon, etc. Semi-hard goat cheese + dried apricots + baguette > clif bar.

$100 says your mom's meatloaf IS better than my mom's. Despite trying every meatloaf recipe under the sun and otherwise being a pretty good cook, she ended up with the nickname "Mom's killer meatloaf kitchen." However, I've never tasted a meatloaf I've actually liked, so I'm thinking maybe everyone else in my family is just naturally averse to meatloaf.

@lorenzo - your point was pretty clear the first time - you just seem to be in the minority in supporting it ...

I'll add 101 cookbooks to the others listed above. And don't forget SE! Making dumplings for Christmas was one of the most projecty meals I've done in a long time, and I referenced several posts here to help.

To those wondering why anyone would bother with cast iron when you could so obviously just be using a pizza stone: NOT EVERYONE HAS A STONE. And while they might not be expensive, some of us don't like to go buy kitchen things that won't get a ton of use when the tools we already have will get the job done.

Thanks guys (and keep the rec's coming if there's more!). @LunaPier - awesome, he loves middle eastern food and aside from a half-decent greek restaurant that just came to our town, he hasn't really had it in a while.

@MFalk - I've never purchased them either ... but I do the same thing with sundried tomatoes! Used the oil from them to start my roasted red pepper sauce actually.