I will soon be taking care of a garden that includes but is not limited to: heirloom tomatoes, figs, guavas, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, eggplants, chili peppers. I know absolutely *nothing* about gardening. Where should I start? Magazines, books, websites?
I am going to share my mom's recipe for chicken in the rice cooker - it's delicious and simple, and great for you homesick college kids! Please also post your own suggestions for other stuff you can cook in the rice cooker.
I found this article pretty interesting, and am still amazed (although I shouldn't be) that they are making less than $2 an hour in New York. (Even if they were being paid the actual minimum wage, it's still less than $5 an hour.) How do they feed themselves, let alone their families?
What, no recaps for one of the best travel and food shows ever? This time Anthony Bourdain travels to Shanghai, China, and looks for Shangri-La. I really liked that he got to go out of Shanghai and see the life of some of China's ethnic minorities, which I admit I know nothing about. I'm already looking forward to the next show. What are your thoughts?
I don't drink much soda by most people's standards. Sometimes I'll have one for lunch or dinner, but I want to cut it out entirely. I drink lots of tea, but a lot of times I'd rather drink something cold, and preferable made with real and less sugar. I hate drinking just plain water. I've been drinking Honest Tea a lot lately, but surely that's not the only thing out there. What are your favorite non-soda substitutes?
Summer's coming up and you know what that means! Last week I noticed that Haagen Daz had this new "reserve" flavors, and I bought one to try it out - I got Pomegranate with Dark Chocolate Chips. It is very delicious (and expensive). I know that Ben & Jerry's came out with Stephen Colbert's flavor - I forget what it's called. So what have you tried lately? Did you like it?
I just moved in with my boyfriend. We both cook a lot, and now we have multiple sets of everything. How do you decide what to keep or toss out? Do we keep more than one stockpot for soups and pastas? How many frying pans should we keep?
I was lucky enough to grow up with my mom growing plants for eating in our own backyard. Even now, every spring and summer I get zucchinis bigger than my head, tomatoes more delicious than anything I've bought from a market, even the farmer's markets, and sweet peas. She regularly cuts scallions to be added to the fish we steam or fry. Do you garden, or keep a little herb box on your balcony?
I thought Rachael Ray deserves her own topic, considering how much of the Food Network thread is devoted to her. I myself have a soft spot for her, as I see her as one of those overachieving kids who just tries way too hard to be cool. And, um, we sometimes use her $40 a Day show to figure out where to go when we travel - please do not worry, Anthony Bourdain, we tip well. She's got, what, a million cookbooks, three shows, and a magazine? She's taking over the world, Oprah-style. And she made EVOO a word in the dictionary.
I had dinner at the Ritz Carlton recently, and I loved it, but at the end of the night, the bill crushed whatever joy I had taken in the food. I couldn't stop thinking - this would be half a month's rent, this could have paid for five outfits for work, this could have paid off some bills... I could have had twenty dim sum meals for this price! I grew up poor, and it's only recently that I have the means to treat myself to these luxuries, but they always come with the price of serious guilt. Is it the same for you?
The Counter, for their burgers and sweet potato fries.
Bistro Elan for French food. It's a bit pricey, but definitely worth it.
The site also mentions a new site they're working on: Liquorious in alpha, devoted to, you guessed it - drinks! This may tide some of you over for a bit.
I don't know where you live, but you might want to check and see if there are any local wine shops in your area that have a wine club, which may offer more personalized service and be cheaper at the same time. I've joined the one in my neighborhood - Silverlake Wine, and they've done a more than decent job for me at $25 a month. They specialize in artisan wines, so none of it is anything I've ever spotted in a Safeway, and most of the wines are very reasonably priced on their own.They asked me what I liked, and didn't like, and matched our tastes perfectly with each selection. They also offer to deliver, or call us to let us know it's ready, and since it's just down the street from me, I just walk there and back.
It usually depends for me - on what I'm making, what mood I'm in, and how willing I am to brave traffic in Los Angeles. These are just some of the stores I frequent:
Whole Foods - Although I avoid this place as much as possible, due to outrageous prices even for the things that aren't organic or free-range, sometimes I want really good dry-aged beef.
Trader Joe's - For most of my staples and basics, although I find their selection to be pretty meager.
Super King - Arab (?) ethnic market with fresh produce and absurdly cheap prices. 3 pounds of oranges for 99 cents? 5 bunches of green onions for a dollar? I'm so there.
Fish King - A fishmonger in Glendale. I've only been here once, but the fish is fantastic, if not cheap.
After that, any market in Monterey Park will work.
Just as an FYI, your first link goes to the Christopher Peacock article. Can you please correct that? I'd love to find out how the woman renovated her kitchen.
I have one of these. (Not a Zojirushi brand one, but close enough.) Hot water available for tea and coffee and other things all the time!
See if they have fresh pizza dough. I just made some pizza from the dough last night and it was delicious. Also, their spice section is awesome and pretty cheap, too.
Thanks for the post - this was really interesting and the live chat is posted now, with even more fascinating info.
Also, MadelynRodriguez, I don't know where you went in China, but when I went I was stuck in a tour bus and they only stopped at restaurants where other tour buses stopped. If I never see another orange slice again I'll be happy. However, once we were out on our own in Guangzhou (I visited relatives) and my cousin was able to take us to "authentic" places, the quality of the food went way, way up.
If you're not cooking in a wok, I'd recommend adding the aromatics a few minutes after you add the meat since adding them too early means that the garlic/ginger/onions will burn.
Uh, I just spent nearly $20 on a whole chicken at Gelson's to roast Thomas Keller-style. It is organic and free-range, but I am still not sure it justifies the cost.
I hate that there are no butcher shops nearby. I just moved to LA and this is one of the biggest things I miss about the Bay Area - I could just walk to Lunardi's and go to the butcher counter and nothing was shrink-wrapped.
Oh god. There really are a lot of things I will not eat. There is not just one. But, here are a few:
~Roasted Peppers - I will not eat them or anything they touch. AWFUL
~Mushrooms
~Asparagus
~Water Chestnuts
~FISH (but I do eat the Shellfish family-MMMM)
~Anything that has nuts in it. Hate it when people put nuts in bownies! No. This ruins the taste. But man, do I love nuts by themselves.
~Miracle Whip
I could go on, but I will stop here...
it's a very very...very long list... it's probably quicker/easier to list what I will eat.
One thing I absolutely refuse to pick around is mushrooms, if anything has mushrooms in it, I would rather starve than consume.... it's tainted.
W. Who wants to eat anill eat bananas and pineapple and peaches; but nothing with them as an ingredient.
I too, try to stay away from organs (except liver.) Oh, and lima beans.
Crabs have brains large enough to extract and serve?!?
Fish. Fish sauce. Anything remotely fishy.
Also, I HATE runny egg yolks, they remind me of mucous.
Beets and turnips. Can't get around the metallic taste either. Used to hate brussels sprouts, but found a way to make them yummy (roast them!).
As to the "sea urchin roe" detester, I can guarantee you have never tasted nor even seen sea urchin roe. Uni, which is the food that comes from the sea urchin is, in fact, gonads. When you order sea urchin in a sushi restaurant, you are getting the testicles from the hermaphroditic aquatic hedgehog. But I know what you mean. Uni is not my favorite either. Nor are crab brains, which I was served many times when I lived in Japan. For that matter, any kind of brains--sweatbreads from cattle, etc.
Back to gonads. There's a lovely restaurant in Oklahoma City, OK called Cattlemen's. They serve a dish called "lamb fries." We ordered it and ate it up with relish without knowing it was, you guessed it, lamb testicles. All I can say is they were incredibly tender and tasty.
Casual or Expensive? Dinner or Lunch?
A few of my favorites:
Amber India (Mountain View -- best Indian around)
Joanie's Cafe on California Ave.
Zibbibo in downtown PA
Evvia in downtown PA
Pasta? in downtown PA and downtown MV
Enjoy!!
Thank you, Toasty Kitten and Latte a Day! I will be sure to visit those places! I have already been to Mediterranean Wraps and liked it a lot!
Hi Patty. My family and I just moved to Palo alto 2 years ago, and I think we have already eaten at more of the local restaurants than many of our friends who have been here much longer. Here are some of the favorites that come to mind:
Casual, Cheap and Quick:
Zao Noodle Bar on University. Their vermicelli noodle bowls are made with the highest quality ingredients and are absolutely delicious.
Tofu House -- authentic Korean. Zero ambience, brusque service, fabulous food.
Mediterranean Wraps on California Ave -- great middle eastern food.
Moderately Priced:
Palo Alto Sol on California Ave.--modern Cal-Mex cuisine
La Bodeguita del Medio--excellent cuban food, fun atmosphere, great cocktails
Fancier:
Evvia -- one of my definite favorites. Mediterranean cuisine with a California spin. Great service. Pretty restaurant.
Zbibbo -- I haven't been yet, but it comes highly recommended. High on my list.
Il Fornaio -- in the Garden Court Hotel downtown. It's a small chain, but it's very good.
Breakfast:
Don't miss the California Ave. Farmer's Market every Sunday a.m. year-round. You can eat lunch at one of the many wonderful food stands, or have a great brunch at Cafe Brioche or Joanie's (?) Cafe next door.
Not in Palo Alto but nearby favorites:
Xanh's Vietnamese Restaurant on Castro St. in Mountain View-- easily the hippest, coolest decor on the Peninsula, and the food is outstanding.
CasCal on Castro in Mountain View -- Great tapas, excellent cocktails, live entertainment on weekends.
Amber India on El Camino in Mountain View -- great Indian food.
DishDash on Murphy St. in Sunnyvale -- Really good, slightly unusual middle eastern fare
Well, that's a start. Welcome to Palo Alto!
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Favorite foods: fried chicken, dim sum, tofu, chips, sodas, teas, snacks, cheese, chow mein, chow fun, salt & pepper pork, sizzling rice soup
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