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Ina Garten's lemon chicken with croutons.

The roast lemon chicken with croutons from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris, with an arugula salad, a bottle of crisp pinot noir rose, and butterscotch pudding for dessert!

This is kinda like an AskANinja Omnibus....

I live at altitude and notice that when I sautee, everything browns/burns much faster than recipes predict--probably 30% faster: onions, spices, etc. Is it just because the air is also a lot dryer up here (and therefore I should add a little bit of water to the pan to counterbalance), or is it something about altitude/boiling point (in which case, what do I do?)

Thanks, Kenji!

That's so funny--I just had gyokuro for the first time ever on Sunday at Midori's Floating World in MSP. It was fantastic--salty, green, and strong but not bitter--and I'm pretty sure the brewing instructions above were violated in several ways. I guess that flexibility is good news for those of us who are thinking of investing in a few ounces, which I'm definitely planning to after tasting it and reading this article. Thanks!

@darklighter, franko: Winter naan is actually easier, IMHO. I think I got this technique from Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes: you simulate a tandoor using your oven and a pizza stone. You put your pizza stone in a cold oven about 5 inches or so below the broiler and then heat the oven up (using the bottom element, not the broiler yet) to as hot as it will go for a good 45 minutes or so. Then, you turn on the broiler on high for 5-10 minutes until it's good and hot. (Don't be tempted to skip the pre-heat step or you will crack your pizza stone down the middle.) When the broiler's roaring away, you carefully slide out the rack w/ the hot pizza stone far enough to throw your naan on the stone, and you slide it back under the broiler. When it's done on top, it's done underneath, too! (Usually takes about 2 minutes, but that depends on a lot of things; basically, you have to watch it like a hawk.) I find that for me it comes out more tender this way than on the grill, though I do it that way in the summer to avoid heating up the house.

YESSSS! Finally the perfect answer to my breakfast dilemma of "I love cinnamon rolls" vs. "I am too procrastinate-y to remember to start the yeast dough the night before."

My husband had something called Smoke on the Water at the View bar in the Marriott in SFO: nice vodka like Tito's, an island single malt (I think Lagavulin), and a splash of dry vermouth. He's replicated it a couple times at home, and it's super good. Has to be a smoky island single malt, though, like Lagavulin or Talisker, or it doesn't work.

I had a really nice time at the Acorn House up in Islington (69 Swinton St. near Gray's Inn); fantastic pork cappellacci and lemon posset for dessert. The best Indian food of my *life* was at Moti Mahal (45 Great Queen St. near the Holborn tube stop).

I love this thread. Everyone's all like, "Personally, I'm not at *all* judgmental, but people who are are total jerks!" I'll take an extra slice of delicious irony, please.

Carrot sticks with yoghurt dip. Seriously. And popcorn. It's so sad.... While normally adventurous and dedicated to cooking a good meal, I nevertheless morph into the laziest cook in the world if I don't have someone to eat with.

If you want to get out of SFO and stretch your legs a bit, I like La Torta Sabrosa, 439 Grand Ave. in So. San Francisco. It's like .5 hour on BART (to Millbrae and then a local Caltrain to So. San Francisco) and then a 12-15 min. walk from the So. San Francisco Station down Dubuque to Grand and then right up Grand. But then you have enough time to get to the Mission, if you want...and there's a zillion options there.

Minneapolis: I think Hell's Kitchen (80 9th St S) is a must for breakfast/brunch: get the granola or the lemon-ricotta cakes but not the huevos rancheros. Burger Jones (3200 West Lake Street) is fun if you're down by the lakes; they make great milkshakes. I second the Everest and Punch recs above and would add on the St Paul side Obento Ya (1510 Como Blvd on the edge of St. Paul) for great Japanese food and Kopplin's for fantastic coffee (490 Hamline South). For pub grub, we like the Happy Gnome (498 Selby) and the Muddy Pig (162 Dale) both in St Paul as well. Have a pint of local Surly brew somewhere while you're there.

Hi everyone--Thanks for the comments. I tried lemon basil, and it was a nice flavor, not at all jarring, but I'm sure pretty different from the intended flavor of the curry leaves. I think I'll order some; I've read you can keep extras in the freezer? Thanks again.