porcupine

If that's the place in New Baltimore, where all the gazebos are sold, yes. Decent if you happen to be in the area but not worth a special trip.

Please do keep us informed. 30 beers on tap... mmm...

That was my favorite breakfast when I was a kid ('cept Mom used polenta). That and jelly crepes. Damn I'm getting hungry reading this forum. Braised beef, Palena-esque chicken, ricotta donuts....

All the activity on this thread put me in the mood for brasied beef, so today I bought what I need to make the sauerbraten in the new Gourmet cookbook. But I couldn't find juniper berries, and I don't have the time to go hunting for them. So, any advice on whether a shot of gin will do the trick? Or should I just go without? The meat marinates for two-four days in a mixture of red wine and red wine vinegar (and spices).

See my recipe for panna cotta in the Meyer lemon thread. I also like to flavor it with Tahitian vanilla, or rosewater, or orange flower water, and serve it with fresh fruit in season. I'm especially fond of the rosewater flavor with strawberries.

The waffles are amazingly bland and boring. The shrimp and grits, otoh, are worth the long drive and the wait in the cold.

Well, at 12:10 yesterday, it was 15 minutes.

"Sometime next week" according to the message that was left on my answering machine yesterday, to inform me that they could not honor my reservation for tonight. I don't hold this against them, btw. Construction sucks. According to their answering machine, they will re-open Jan 17. Hope that helps.

as does 2941, but otherwise it doesn't fit your criteria.

For a maxi-burgher check out 2941.

As did I. (Thanks, goldenticket!) Go for the apple tart. Best dish I've had at Corduroy yet.

I've got a res for dinner at FF on Friday - anybody want to meet there for HH before? say 'round 6?

I'm fond of taking leftover meat (from roasts, usually) and turning it into filling for burritos. Guess that isn't terribly creative, though.

I used to love the one in James Beard's American Cookery . As I'm still unsure about copyright issues I'm hesitant to post it here.

I agree with Joe's assessment. Wanting a small meal, I ordered the appetizer of tamale with fried pork. It was huge! More than I could eat (and I have a big appetite). The fried pork was quite tasty, tasting of pork and little else, and most pieces were not fatty. The corn tamale had a quarter of hard boiled egg and some more pork (not fried), and a bit of salsa; likewise it was pretty simple but well-executed. My "thousand layer" dessert - caramel and chocolate in thin layers of pastry, resembling a Napoleon - was not worth the effort I just took in describing it. I think danielk hit the jackpot, though, with his seafood soup. Over to you now, Daniel. damnit, now I'm craving a real Napoleon

Tonight, posole (aka pozole - pork and hominy stew). Here's the basic recipe (I change the way I season it almost every time I make it, and I rarely measure anything). Cut a 2 lb piece of pork (shoulder or loin, trimmed of some fat) into a few large chunks and place in a pot with just enough water to cover (with a bay leaf, a chunk of onion, and a dried habanero or two). Bring to a bare simmer, skim, and simmer until just barely cooked. Let the meat cool in the broth, then shred or chop the meat, and strain the broth. Meanwhile, in some pork fat (I render it from fatback or salt pork; bacon would work, but it gives a different flavor) cook a medium sweet onion, chopped, and some minced hot peppers (I like serrano, about 4; adust for your taste). Add about 1/2 cup of paste made from dried ancho peppers and garlic (clean, seed, devein, fry, soak, puree the peppers) and cook for a few minutes. Add 2 20 oz cans posole (I get much better results with canned than dried), and season with cumin, coriander, black pepper, oregano, and a bay leaf. Add the strained pork broth and salt to taste. If it needs more liquid use chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and add the shredded pork; cook until somewhat reduced and thickened. (Sometimes I'll add homemade chicken boullion if needed to punch up the flavor). Roast, peel, and chop about 2 red bell peppers and 3 poblano pepper and add to the posole. Serve in big bowls with lots of shredded Monterey Jack cheese or cheddar. (Many people serve it with separate bowls of chopped onion, cilantro, hot peppers, lime wedges, you name it. Sour cream is good with it, too. So are flour tortillas. Or corn bread. And a good Belgian ale.)

That drink is da bomb. Second-best cocktail in the known universe. If you're interested in making it at home, you should be able to get the acqua de cedro from the liquor store down the street - I asked them to order it for me, and they may have a few bottles left.

How do you deal with stress? I bake cookies. Here I sit, trying to concentrate on my notes - ha! - for a program I'm putting on work tomorrow. So what have I been doing this afternoon? Baking cookies. Specifically, ones a co-worker fell in love with and asked me to make. Here's my recipe, such as it is, for my favorite cookie. (Yep, more procrastinating via donrockwell.com). Pie Crust Spirals Make a pie crust -preferrably with lots of butter. Divide in two pieces if necessary. Roll into a very thin rectangle. Spread generously with good quality butter, and sprinkle liberally with lots of cinnamon sugar. Use extra cinnamon. Roll up as tightly as you can and pinch to try to seal the seam (otherwise the cookies unwind a bit as they bake). If you roll them lengthwise, you get lots of tiny cookies. If you roll widthwise, you get a few ginormous cookies. If the rectangle is more of a square, you get a moderate amount of medium-sized cookies. Cut into even slices no more than half an inch thick (I think). Place on baking sheets and bake at 375 until lightly browned. Remove immediately to a rack to cool. yours, woefully unprepared,

Anybody here ever make marshmallows? They're sloppy but really fun, especially when serving to friends who didn't know home marshmallow making is possible. I usually flavor them with vanilla, but recently had the idea of using rosewater or orange flower water. Any thoughts?

Thanks for all the tips on making limoncello. The batch I started a few weeks ago came out quite nicely. I used the (microplaned) zest of seven Meyer lemons in half a bottle of Pearl vodka. Strained that and added the other half of the bottle. Took half of that mixture and mixed it one:one with simple syrup. Some people like the result, but it's a bit sweet for me, so I spike mine with some of the unsweetened mixture. It's nice and mellow and the Meyer lemon flavor really comes through.

The spaghetti carbonara is quite good. Haven't made any of the others.

Short, wavy, black hair, bit of an accent? That's Bea (don't know if that's the right spelling). She's a dear. And a conscientious waitress.

Yes, it is. See my previous reply re: intimate. It is not necessarily the same as "sexual". And please. Those of us who have dared to disagree have been polite and reasonable in our discourse. Your post is full of insults. Grow up yourself. [trying hard to resist using the emoticon. d'oh!)

Mr. P, ol_ironstomach, and I are dining at Ray's the Steaks tonight. Our fourth member had to drop out, and no one else we know is free to take the spot. Hate to see that chair empty. Any Rockwellians care to join us? We're pretty laid back and friendly, but we do tend to go on about cars and driving and racing. But we can converse on other topics, too. ol_ironstomach is pretty cosmopolitan, actually. First one to pm me wins. For the sake of the community, please don't post responses to this thread.

Dean dn Deluca had 'em. Pretty sure I've seen 'em at Whole Foods, too. chiles moras ? (source: Diane Kennedy)