Under an earlier post on calcium, for some reason, there's a discussion of the chocolate gene. I want to settle it once and for all: The chocolate gene is not a purely female gene.

My family laughs at the idea that I love chocolate. They think that I barely tolerate chocolate. ...

That's because I love good milk chocolate, but I'm uninterested in dark chocolate, even high-quality dark chocolate. I don't mean I don't like it; I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

The same goes for chocolate cake, chocolate cookies and so on. I'd rather have an orange-almond cake or a butterscotch brownie. 

My husband and daughter, on the other hand...

My husband will tolerate the desserts I find irresistible, like tarte tatin, napoleons, baklava, lemon souffle; but he would always prefer chocolate.

What's worse, as far as my family is concerned, is that I like to hoard chocolate. I like to know there's some hidden away if I need it, even more than I like to eat it.

And hiding away chocolate isn't easy to do, not living in this household.

(Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Because Bucky hasn't known me long, he doesn't know that I'm very fond of toast. He couldn't figure out why I was so attached to this particular post when he felt he had come up with other, better ones that he kept making me replace it with.

It reminds me of the time after a hurricane's remnants passed through here and we didn't have power in our neighborhood for a week. After about five days I ran into my next door neighbor, and she said, "You know what I miss most?"

Without missing a beat we said in unison, "Toast."

I LOVE this video, by the way.

Here's Bucky: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

I took a look back at what I posted last Halloween, and I was surprised at how few comments I got. An entry that provocative -- are you the kind of Halloween candy buyer who buys candy you won't be tempted to eat or do you stock your favorite candies for trick or treaters, hoping some will be left over? -- would certainly have gotten more comments these days.

Dahlink was Darlene then, for you newbies, and Rosebud was Janet. Owl Meat wasn't much of a presence and Bucky was languishing over at Reality Check.

I wonder when commenting really took off so that publishing them is now almost a full-time job (especially with the blogware being so slow that I have to use two browsers at a time to do it)? My guess is around the start of the year, but I'm too lazy to go back and check.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Although Owl Meat didn't know it at the time, my daughter went to a Halloween party last night as...Sarah Palin!!!! Amazing coincidence!!!!

Here's the Owl Man with a very topical Funtastic Thursday.

If anyone wants to riff on Obama's Halloween party, just post below. And be sure to include some food. EL...

If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
 -- H. L. Mencken
 
Whenever, at a party, I have been in the mood to study fools, I have always looked for a great beauty: they always gather round her like flies around a fruit stall.
-- Jean Paul Richter (1795)
 
Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others.
-- Benjamin Franklin
 
Food, fun, costumes and politicians -- what else do you need?   Governor Sarah Palin hosted a lavish Halloween party at GOP bigwig Martin Chuzzlewit's estate last night in New Hampshire.  Here are some reports from my sources in the field. 
 
There was a wide variety of New Hampshire wines and 14 different flavors of Fanta soda.  An ice sculpture of Cindy McCain was so lifelike that it seemed to move at times.  Republican Party Chairman Derek Smalls planned to fly in fresh salmon, baby elk and spotted moose, but had to cancel the food at the last minute.  It seems that the McCain-Feingold party funding limit had been exceeded, so guests were asked to bring a covered dish.
 
First to arrive was Ann Coulter in costume as Death, complete with a scythe.  She was thrown to the floor by Secret Service agents after John McCain panicked.  He apparently thought she was the actual Grim Reaper.  Her tray of peanut butter on celery was ruined. 

Mitt Romney, in a mischievous Ho Chi Minh costume, was almost turned away at the gate.  He set up an impressive sushi station and was surprisingly adept with the long blade.  Mmmm, he makes a great California roll.
 
Joe Lieberman arrived as a fabulous Elvis with wig, white jumpsuit, and bedazzled cape.  Sadly his noodle kugel wasn't very popular.  He felt unappreciated, became indignant, and threatened to go to a better party across the street. 

After a few mango Margaritas he calmed down and was later seen in the den accosting Diane Feinstein in a Jamaican accent, "Who's your Loverman?  Huh? Who's your Lieberman?  Come on baby, that kills in Bridgeport.  Gimme a smile."  

Ralph Nader was dressed as a hobo and brought some dented cans of baked beans. 

Libertarian Candidate Bob Barr was dressed as a shiny silver spaceman and just brought a handful of Arby's coupons.  He was asked to leave after stuffing his spacesuit with shrimp puffs and bacon-wrapped scallops.
 
There were fun activities for the children: pumpkin carving, pin the tail on the donkey (natch), and bobbing for apples.  One child dressed as an elf became hysterical during the apple bobbing.  He threw a tantrum and screamed to stop "waterboarding" the children.  Hey, that's Dennis Kucinich.  How'd he get in here?
 
John McCain was spotted in the back yard screaming at a thunderstorm after referring to Palin as "ungrateful daughter Goneril."  You might think that he was dressed as King Lear, but no, he was wearing a rabbit suit. 
 
Sarah Palin wore a hunter's costume designed by Roberto Cavalli and Ted Nugent.  She must have been in a playful mood, because she pointed her rifle at McCain and joked, "I got you in my sites there, Grandpa."  Her prop gun was a custom-made AK-47M with side-folding butt stock and scope mounting rail that fired special  '5N7' 5.45x39mm hollow point marzipan ammo designed by noted Sioux City pastry chef and weapons enthusiast David St. Hubbins.
 
Political wonk star couple Mary Matalin and James "The Ragin' Cajun" Carville arrived in mid-argument as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.  Carville contributed two buckets of crawfish and gumbo.  John Edwards, dressed as a pirate, was accompanied by Lindsay Lohan wearing a Lindsay Lohan mask.   (No one was fooled.)  They brought vodka, Red Bull and gummy bears.
 
Also in attendance was Samson the Pro-Life Moose, the mascot for Governor Palin's new anti-abortion/pro-hunting campaign.  Little Piper Palin poked him with a fork several times.  He was adorable -- so cute you just wanted to eat him up (with barbecue sauce!) or shoot him from a helicopter.
 
Todd Palin on bartender duty was a dead ringer for Kevin Federline.  Bill O'Reilly in a cowboy outfit showed up with a half-eaten bucket of KFC, had too many Zimas, and was seen wrestling a child in a Keith Olbermann mask. Mike Huckabee brought Fresca-marinated muskrat kabobs and came as a hillbilly preacherman, which seemed kookier when he created it last Halloween. 
 
Rudy Giuliani was dressed as "9-11 Man" in navy blue tights, red Underoos, a Yankees t-shirt and a USAir blanket for a cape.  He was planning to make a big entrance, but by the time he got there the party was almost over.  He brought pistachios and fruit roll-ups.
 
Someone dressed as Elmer Fudd brought vegetable lasagna and gherkins.  He never removed his mask and was suspected to be Barney Frank crashing the party.  A sad-looking Governor Bill Richardson came as a droopy Zorro and brought grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, which he and Nader ate sullenly by the fireplace. 
 
There was also a White House Hell House.  Ooooo scary!   In one room was a state dinner for  Queen Elizabeth where the entire menu was chicken and waffles.  Guests proceeded to the Scary Oval Office where President Sir Mix-a-Lot was smoking blunts and spanking girls with big butts (which he likes).  That had a certain air of familiarity -- not too scary.  There was a demonic schoolroom where "Nancy Pelosi" forced teenagers to learn the anatomical names for hoohas, trunk junk, and "down there."  Boo!  After wading through a sea of break dancers on the Scary White House lawn, they reentered the mansion and were treated to a concert by Toby Keith.  Keith wrote a song for the occasion dedicated to Governor Palin called "Drillin' All Night Long."
 
All in all a great party (except for the noodle kugel).
 
My field associates sent some snapshots:

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (83)
        

Stephani Renbaum of Salt restaurant and bar called me today to suggest a story on how small independent places are dealing with the changing patterns of wine consumption in this troubled economy.

As she put it, "Diners [are] ordering fewer bottles of wine, wine by the glass or, in many cases, no wine at all."

One problem for Salt, and I'm sure many others, is that chef/owner Jason Ambrose buys many of his wines from overseas, and the price fluctuates from week to week, and probably day to day nowadays. Like other small businesses, Salt has a problem with fluctuating costs. ...

"To combat this, Jason has, among other things, revamped his wine-by-the-glass selections because more and more diners prefer ordering a glass of one over a bottle as it controls cost," Stephani said later in an e-mail. I asked her to e-mail me because I'm on deadline today for a story (how weird is this) on slipcovers.

"Jason is also searching for local wine vendors so he can 'buy American' and support American businesses like his own during this challenging time."

It's an interesting subject, and I wonder how many other small restaurants are making changes like these. Luckily buying locally was the trendy thing to do anyway before the economic crisis hit. This will just accelerate things.

For more on restaurants and the economy, here's a link to a story by the Zagats in today's Wall Street Journal. I hope they're right, but I don't feel as optimistic as they do.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Yesterday at the gym they were having Member Appreciation Day. (Which somehow also involved their dressing in Halloween costumes. Go figure.) Anyway, they also put out trays of cut up fruit, cookies and little miniature muffins.

I know. I know. A gym ought to be putting out, oh, energy bars.

These muffins were fabulous. They were really moist, had an orange flavor and the bottom half was pink. (OK, that part was a little weird.) And they had a kind of crunchy, sugary top.

Unfortunately the person who bought them for the event wasn't around, so I couldn't ask where she got them.

I'm not a muffin eater normally -- if I want a pastry, there are too many others I crave first. But now I've got the bug. So here's my question for you: Where can I get, if not these, then the best muffins in Baltimore?

(Photo courtesy of the Gingerbread Construction Co. Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Two alert readers, SusanWSNJ and Baltofoodie, sent me this wonderful link to Baconnaise, mayonnaise made with bacon fat. Gak.

While I'm linking to things, I forgot to link Sunday to Laura Vozzella's fun column on being offered your choice of black or white napkins at fancy restaurants so you won't get the wrong lint on your clothes. Here it is.

Robert of Cross Keys asked me to link to his wife's new restaurant blog. I plan to add it to the blogroll, but it ties up the site forever to rebuild it, which is something I'm not prepared to do this afternoon when things are funky enough as is. What's with this answering questions in comments before they are asked? Anyway, you can read her blog here.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Tropical Fruit Guru John Lindner graces us with another Shallow Thought Wednesday. He asked me to tell him if his contributions were getting too shallow and negative. Hahaha. Surely you jest, jl. EL

Enough with mango.

I stop eating trendy foods when they show up as ingredients in pet shampoos. Mango is great. I love it. But it's jumped the shark. It's in everything. Why? Because all cool food must contain mango. It's a PC thing.

Cooks and consumers need their mango cred. They need proof they're down with Third World fruit. So, yeah, mango bacon 'n' eggs, mango oven cleaner.

Does your furniture reek of lemon refreshness? Don't be old. Don't be stodgy. Don't be yesterday. Use new lemon-mango Pledge. Mango madness has devolved into a cheap, transparent ploy to attract hip-junkies. It's lost its exotica.

Next up: pomegranate. It's more PC than mango because of the intense labor required to enjoy a milliliter of its meat.

Did you know, however, that "the rind, boiled, has long been used as a remedy for tapeworm"?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

I actually started an entry on this subject three weeks ago and even got art for it, and then got distracted.

I didn't think about it again until Henry Miller posted this under Bucky's last opus:

I was in an Italian restaurant where I ordered "brusketta" and was corrected, being told that it was pronounced "brushetta." Maybe "rage" is appropriate in that case.

I'm not going to discuss here how much I, too, enjoy having my pronunciation corrected by someone who's taking my order. Instead I want to talk about how and when foreign food terms become anglicized. McIntyre will probably be on my case for intruding on his territory here. ...

Bruschetta is a good example. When should we start bowing to the inevitable and pronouncing it "brushetta" just because our primary objective is to communicate our order to the server with the minimum amount of fuss?

It's odd that no one seems to have trouble pronouncing "radicchio" correctly as "radeekeo."

We don't pronounce "crepe," "croissant" or "prix fixe" the way the French do. (Well, I try to, but I know I sound affected.)

How about "tempura"? For sure you don't say it the way your Japanese waitress does. But when you try to say it the non-American way, she doesn't know what you're talking about.

There's a copy editor who speaks Italian on the features copy desk who changes "cannoli" to "cannolo" whenever someone writes about one. I'm afraid readers won't know what I'm talking about if I use "cannolo," so I always write about the Italian pastry in the plural so it won't be an issue.

For some reason, "bronzino" is clear, even though many menus use "bronzini" for one whole fish, and that's what people are most used to.

I had a linguistics professor who just laughed at discussions like this.

"Grammar books are history books, not law books," he would say. I presume he would say the same thing about pronunciation guides.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
        

The whole concept of basic tastes has always fascinated me. The traditional four are salty, sweet, sour and bitter. What are the evolutionary reasons for those basic tastes? How do they translate into what we taste when we eat, say, green beans unadorned with anything? Why does foie gras taste so good? Just kidding with that last one, folks. Just seeing if you're still awake.

Are we sure fat isn't a fifth basic taste? Actually scientists seem to have come up with a fifth one, umami, as discussed on this blog before.

Now one scientist is suggesting a sixth basic taste: calcium. Pretty soon they're going to tell us chocolate is the seventh. ...

Here's the story about calcium perhaps being another basic taste in today's Boston Globe. The researchers have found "special calcium taste receptors" in mice.

Why mice? Oh. Cheese, of course.

Does all this sound a little, well, unlikely? I'm just trying to imagine how you identify special calcium taste receptors in mice.

Toward the end, the story wanders off into a discussion of whether we're getting enough calcium and how we are or aren't getting it, a whole other subject and one I'm rabid about. Don't get me started until I've calmed down about the blogware.

(Business Wire photo)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

While I'm able to post today, I'm going to make the most of my opportunity. Here are two e-mails I've gotten recently asking for information I don't have. Anyone? ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The blogware has reached a new low today. I can't even come up with anything clever to say about it. Thank you, those of you who stuck with it and kept trying to post.

Every time one of you complains in a post about how slow the posting process is, I've been copying your comment and sending it to every Web editor we have in the building. They really love me.

However, this morning I promised not to anymore. ...

I was told today that our contract with the current server, which can't keep up with all the blog traffic, will expire on Nov. 15. It's been handling, or not handling, the blogs for all the Tribune papers. We'll be moving to a "more reliable" internal server.

That will make me, and all the other Sun bloggers very happy, and I hope it will be easier for you to post, too.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

As I was making up this list, I was struck by the fact that I couldn't recommend any restaurants that serve a classic duck a l'orange or duck with black cherry sauce. The duck half roasted well done and then flambeed at your table with a fruit sauce is a dish that time has passed by. (I think I last had it at Haussner's.) Still, if for no other reason than nostalgia, I wish I could have come up with one. Maybe one of you knows of a restaurant that still serves it.

What is incredibly trendy, I found when I was going through my archived reviews, is the pairing of rare duck breast with a duck leg confit.  It's a pairing that works well, and it's a great contrast of textures. If I were doing my Top 15, I would include five more examples of this very dish.

I know duck isn't as popular a subject as, say, crab cakes, so I asked my readers to come up with an alternative headline that might lure non-regulars in. The winners are Bucky  (Top 10 Foods That Came With a Bill Before They Were Served) and Zevonista (Top 10 Dishes You Don't Want to Share with Donald or Daffy).I didn't have the nerve to use either one.

Please remember that with the popularity of ever-changing seasonal menus, some of these dishes may not be on these restaurants' menus year round. So if your heart is set on one, call to make sure it's available. 

Here's my list of favorite duck dishes: ...

* Charred rare duck breast paired with duck confit at Abacrombie near the Meyerhoff

* Duck meatballs with braised cabbage, bacon, apples and Calvados sauce at the Brewer's Art in Mount Vernon

* Pan-Roasted duck breast, roasted root vegetables, speckled butter beans at Charleston in Harbor East

* Smooth but assertive duck liver pate at Clementine in Hamilton

* Roast duck quarter with a fruity pomegranate sauce at the Carlyle Club in Homewood

* Braised duck pizza at Juniors Wine Bar in Federal Hill

* Roast duck breast paired with crisp-skinned quail and a cream sauce with morels at the Kings Contrivance in Columbia

* Duck fesenjune, orange-poached with a walnut-pomegranate sauce at the Orchard Market & Cafe in Towson

* Duck breast with a fresh pear reduction at Osteria 177 in Annapolis

* Peking duck at Szechuan House (1427-29 York Road, 410-825-8181) in Timonium

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Netflix finally sent me season 1, disc 1 of Mad Men. (It's probably been the DVD rental service's most popular TV selection recently.) Anyway, while I was watching I amused myself looking for anachronisms, and in three episodes noticed only two: play groups and personal shoppers.

I couldn't decide about the vodka gimlet that Betty Draper ordered when her husband took her out to dinner in the city. Did anybody drink vodka then? I know a vodka martini would have been wrong. ...

But the restaurant itself looked exactly right. Something like the old Chesapeake in Baltimore. When did comfortable, quiet restaurants start also being stodgy I wonder? And the food she ordered was spot on: the glass of tomato juice to begin with, even though she was having a drink, and the filet of sole with the choice of creamed corn or creamed spinach.

Loved those fishsticks she was serving her kids, too.

I'm worried about the actors who weren't smokers to begin with. I wonder if they've all gotten addicted.

(AP Photo/AMC)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

As you know if you read my review of Red Maple in yesterday's paper, I love the atmosphere, the food is good, and the staff couldn't be nicer. I had had just as good an experience if not better when I first reviewed Mount Vernon's stylish lounge just after it opened.

So why haven't I been back until now? I think for me, a meal is such a priority I really don't want to eat essentially balancing a plate on my knees. At least, that's sort of how I feel there. (I don't like buffets at people's homes for the same reason.)

But if you go to Red Maple for drinks and the music and nibbles when you need a little sustenance, then it's just about perfect.

I was interested in the fact that executive chef Jill Snyder's sudden celebrity status hasn't seemed to put Red Maple any more on the map that it already was. Or am I wrong? Have any of you tried it because you learned she was a contestant on Top Chef?

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

1) No more long, skinny, crisp salad peppers (at least I can't find them in any supermarket).

2) Craving red meat when I should be making fish and vegetarian dinners.

3) Playing tennis in earmuffs.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

I don't usually review hotel restaurants around the airport. I mean, what's the point? They exist mainly to serve the people who are staying there. But Luminous in the Westin at BWI is interesting because local celeb chef Edward Kim of Soigne fame is the executive chef.

He's not doing the day-to-day cooking, but he did design the menu at Luminous, and he did bring his sous chef from Saffron,  another stop of his, to be the chef de cuisine.

To see how Luminous stacks up against some of the other restaurants Kim has been involved with, please read my review in next week's Arts & Entertainment section or online.

(Photo courtesy of the Luminous Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Last night as we were driving to Washington in the rain to take my mother-in-law out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Clyde's in Friendship Heights, I was fantasizing about my perfect rainy day restaurant.

The cozy pubs where we sat around the fireplace in Ireland were the first thing that popped into my mind, only I want them to serve something else besides Irish pub food.

Like lobster. 

If my rainy day restaurant was in Baltimore, it would need to have cozy, comfortable booths you could snuggle up in and be warm -- probably warmer than 90 percent of you would like. And if it was a pub, it would have to be a pub where everyone was talking in low voices, and if there was music, it would have to be playing softly. ...

Maybe it would be better to think in terms of afternoon tea on a rainy day. It occurred to me that Teavolve in Harbor East might be a good rainy day restaurant, although I've never been there and it might be too contemporary for these purposes. But it might be nice to have big windows so you can look out at the rain if you're warm and cozy.

Actually one of the best (summer) rainy day restaurant experiences I've had  recently was on the second-floor porch of Sanders' Corner near the Loch Raven Reservoir. We watched the storm approach, and there were awnings so we didn't get wet.

It turned out Clyde's wasn't a bad rainy day restaurant. The booths were comfortable and for once it wasn't too loud. And the place was still running its $18.95 lobster dinner special. (My mother-in-law had a glass of pinot grigio, the Saltines from my husband' s soup and part of a hot fudge sundae. When you're 94 you get to eat like that.) The only downside was we had to drive an hour in the rain to get there. I want my rainy day restaurant to appear next door like Brigadoon when I need it.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I thought it was a pretty good idea for a Top 10. Not brilliant but, you know, doable with a minimum amount of effort on my part.

However, I was willing to move on from places to eat out on Halloween to an even more thrilling topic, duck, which should get me as many page views as Top 10 Crab Houses or Top 10 Sandwiches. Ha ha just kidding.

Anyway, I was grateful that at least one PR person sent me some info on a Halloween bash, and art. I love art.

This is a RA Sushi Halloween roll, made up of  crab, mango, asparagus and kaiware (daikon radish sprouts) with yellow, red and green tempura bits on the outside, drizzled in eel sauce and chili oil for $12. Not sure why it's a Halloween roll, but, hey, I love art.

Maybe this will inspire other restaurants to post Halloween events under here or at least e-mail me. ...

Anyway, here's the RA info:

Boo Bash 2008 will take place at RA Sushi in Harbor East on Oct. 31 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., with food and drink specials (like Satan's sangria) and a guest DJ.

The important thing to know is that there's a costume contest with a $50 gift certificate prize.  Judging begins at midnight for "Scariest Costume," "Most Original Costume" and "What the hell were you thinking? Costume." I love that last one.

(Photo of Halloween roll courtesy of RA Sushi)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Yesterday I saw an ad for Starbucks' Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.

Whoa. 

No, I didn't buy one (but only because it couldn't possibly taste as good as it sounded), but I fantasized about it for the rest of the day.

Faithful readers know I'm fascinated by the naming of things. I may make this a second career: Surely if you were good at it you could get a lucrative job naming new soft drinks and writing restaurant menus.

I'm also fascinated by really bad names. For instance, last night Gailor called me, almost hysterical because she had seen something in the CVS called Pasta Vision.

Worst. Name. Ever. ...

She could not get over the fact that anyone would buy a machine for $49.99 (or whatever it cost at the CVS) that just cooked pasta.

First of all, for Gailor to realize a kitchen gadget is an absurd idea it has to be REALLY absurd. I didn't know before last night she knew that to cook pasta you boil some water in a pot and then put the pasta in, which is basically what the Pasta Vision does.

Maybe after awhile there'll be a separate gadget for everything we cook: a pasta machine, a steak machine, a broccoli machine, all neatly lined up on our counters.

But I guess I'm getting away from the salted caramel hot chocolate. Maybe today if it keeps raining I'd better try one. I like the nutritional info: 550 calories, 24 grams of fat. And that's when it's not made with whole milk.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
        

No, actually I don't. That's the title of a new book by C. L. Freie, with the subtitle: "And Other Stuff White Midwesterners Like."

To quote from the book:

"[E]ver since the ubiquitous ranch dressing landed on the scene, White Midwesterners have been putting this nectar of the gods on nearly everything. Pizza, burgers, fish sticks (guilty as charged), hot dogs -- you name it, ranch dressing goes with whatever artery-clogging meal you rest on your fat thighs while watching TV."

For the record, other things White Midwesterners like include illegal fireworks, track suits, goatees, antique malls, timeshares, buffets, Hallmark collectible ornaments, stoicism, and the Weather Channel. (This last makes me an honorary WM. I love the Weather Channel.) ...

Yesterday I made this promise to Robert of Cross Keys, but oddly there hasn't been a great clamoring for me to do a post on ranch dressing: 

Why is ranch so popular with Americans? It may be one of the most overrated foods of all time. Oh and those places that serve ranch with wings instead of blue cheese....oh, now I'm just rambling.

You have inspired me to do a post on ranch dressing tomorrow. Stay tuned. EL

Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | October 23, 2008 7:51 PM

According to Slate.com, ranch overtook Italian as the most popular dressing in the U.S. in 1992. That fact alone surprised me. I would have guessed one of the sweeter dressings was the most popular. Clorox now owns the secret formula for ranch, which doesn't surprise me. It sort of has that flavor.

I love this sentence in Slate's article:

"...Clorox managed to add the right blend of preservatives to give the dressing a shelf life of approximately 150 days. (The science behind Clorox's innovation is secret, though it's a safe bet that [the] original recipe didn't call for calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate.)" 

Mmmmm...ranch dressing. Not.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (171)
        

I meant to link to Midnight Sun's item on Kiss Cafe before now but forgot. I haven't heard anything about its closing permanently, and I usually do. If any of you knows anything, please post below.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

I'm bowing to the inevitable here. I just don't see a huge amount of interest in Top 10 Restaurants to Eat at on Halloween.

Do I make five of them places that do nothing for those who hate pumpkin cheesecake and cute costumes and the other five restaurants that go overboard with decorations and spooktacular dishes for those who love the holiday?

I think not. 

The only other idea there seemed to be any enthusiasm for was Top 10 Great Restaurant Duck Dishes. Although when I write it like that it sounds really lame, something only 12 people in the whole universe would want to click on. So we need to come up with a snazzier headline, please.

(Melissa Golden/Bloomberg News)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

OK, I cheated a bit with that headline. This is a carefully crafted and thoughtful post by our friend and guest poster Bronco Bucky that was hard to sum up with just a few words. But it's not entirely off base, as you will see if you read on. EL 

A few days ago, bill wrote a comment that struck me as interesting.  In talking about a call to 311 that resulted in his car being towed, bill said he felt "reasonable rage" over the situation.

Let me digress for a moment and say I’m fascinated by the concept of 311.  I am assuming, from the context of the discussion, that it is used to report things that are only about one third as important as what 911 is used for. 

What a concept. 

This is why y’all back east are considered more civilized than those of us out here in the Mountain Time zone.  Here, if the situation isn’t important enough to call 911, you just shoot the perpetrator yourself, rather than waiting for the police to come and do it for you.  It’s why we overwhelmingly support "must-issue, concealed carry" laws.

But back to the topic at hand. …

"Reasonable rage" has been coming up with increasing frequency in this blog, it seems to me.  Most recently — and apart from the parking situation by Elizabeth’s home — it is evident in the discussions about children in restaurants.  I think, too, we’ve all seen "reasonable rage" over tipping, from you-know-who (wouldn’t it be easier to order the ranch on the salad instead of on the side, where it is more easily forgotten?)  And let’s not even get started on (always food-related) posts related to Sarah Palin.

I think it would be cathartic for all of us to get it all out of our system, right now, as we turn the corner on the calendar and head for the holiday season, a time when we should all be thankful, cheerful and getting along.

So, today’s topic is "things about food and eating out that lead to reasonable rage."

Mrs. Bucky has volunteered to start.  She develops reasonable rage when she goes to a nice restaurant and the restrooms are anything less than operating-room clean.  (She would come totally unglued at an upscale restaurant that has rocks in the restroom sink, but she still believes that jl was playing a practical joke on the Sandbox and I was the doofus who fell for it.)

I’m next.  I get reasonably rageful when a co-worker brings a box of chocolates to work and when I go to get a piece, I find that someone has smushed them up, trying to find the caramels.

How about everyone else?    

(Photo courtesy of Larry's Photo Gallery)
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

I feel like next week's Top 10 Tuesday should have a Halloween theme. I know even as I type this that it's a stupid idea. I have another story due next week so I don't want it to be difficult, but can I get away with Top 10 Halloween Candies? I don't think so.

Or because Halloween falls on a Friday this year, Top 10 Restaurants to Celebrate Halloween? I'm thinking they would qualify because of their great decorating, or drinks or menus with a Halloween theme. Do restaurants even do this? ...

It reminds me of an article in Woman's Day about throwing a Halloween-themed Alfred Hitchcock party that fascinated me as a child. I don't remember much of it except that one thing you could do was make green Jell-O, pour it over either a naked baby doll or some of its parts, and let it set. That would be the centerpiece.

I also remember one of the games we played at some children's Halloween party in the distant past that had a food theme: Everyone was blindfolded and we were told they were passing around an ear (a dried apricot), an eyeball (a peeled grape) and intestines (cold spaghetti).

I guess none of that would work for a Top 10.

(AP Photo/Larry Crowe) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I bet you thought Owl Meat had forgotten us again. Not so. Here he with yet another funtastic Thursday treat for us. You Could Not Make This Stuff Up. EL

Everybody needs a buddy.  Bubbles are fun. Bacon is great. But does anyone need a Bacon Bubble Buddy?  It's a bubble gun that shoots bacon-flavored bubbles (with barbecue-chicken bubble refills).  The suggested use is for your dog, but I wonder how many humans are sitting around trying it out themselves.  Downside: eating soap bubbles.
 
Finally, there is an evil product called David Burke Flavor Spray. You spray a little flavor mist on food and it's magically delicious. They promise that "After eliminating toppings, gravies, dressings, and sauces, Flavor Spray replaces the flavor that diets forbid. No longer will you crave sweetness or yearn for flavor ..."  Yeah, just like food methadone.  Some may think of David Burke as a hero, but I call him Captain Hitler-Stalin ... a world without toppings, gravies, dressing, and sauces?  That's the level of Hell where Caligula is currently buried up to his neck in lava. 
 
The idea that "ranch" is a flavor baffles me, given that ranches smell like manure and effort.  Their "ranch" flavor is composed of water, natural and artificial flavors, salt, and sodium benzoate.  Actually, those are the ingredients for all flavors.

Other flavors:  Parmesan cheese, buttery, pesto, tomato basil, smoked bacon, carmelized onion, ketchup, popcorn butter, bleu cheese, cheddar cheese, honey, garlic and oil, hot and sour, ice blue salt (what?), Memphis BBQ, pepper city (really?), teriyaki, banana split, birthday cake, chocolate fudge, cookies & cream, marshmallow, mochaccino, raspberry bubblegum, root beer float, strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, apple pie, raspberry chocolate truffle, and peanut brittle.
 
I would use the bacon spray as an air freshener or cologne.
 
Happy birthday, Johnny.  You're too fat for cake this year, so let me spray some cake smell on a plastic fork for you.  What exactly would you spray root beer float flavor on?  My guess is that there are a bunch of crazed dieters out there just spraying it in their mouth or huffing it like model airplane glue from a paper bag.   

Photo credit: Getty Images
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Gailor and I were discussing happy foods last night. (It came up because she's worried I'm getting into my crazed winter mode and it's not even November yet.)

"This may be a little deep," she said, "but happy foods may be different from fun foods."

If that's her definition of deep, she's been at business school too long already.

They are also different from comfort foods. ...

She called me back later to say happy foods aren't your favorite foods. In other words, you can't say pizza is a happy food just because you like pizza. She doesn't like Chicken McNuggets, but she thinks of them as a happy food because of the way you eat them.

Popcorn is a happy food (because you eat it at the movies). Cotton candy is a happy food. You have to smile when you eat it. Corn on the cob is a happy food. Borscht is not a happy food.

I sort of get the concept, but I don't think I quite have a handle on it yet. For instance, candy is too easy to categorize as happy. Take M & Ms, where you eat all the green ones first. Or is that a fun food?

We should probably eliminate candy for the purposes of this discussion.

Spaghetti with meatballs is a happy food.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

While I was cleaning out my inbox the other day, I overlooked an e-mail from one of the most respected food (among other things) trend analysts, the NPD Group. The company has released its 23rd annual Eating Patterns Report, which finds that consumers are eating at home more but not using restaurants less. ...

Other findings:

1) Breakfast bars and yogurt hit a new high at breakfast, but stopping at restaurants for breakfast also hit a new high this year.

2) Americans are losing interest in losing weight as dieting was at a new low this year.

3) Snacking isn't as impulsive as we all think. Most snacks are planned more than six hours earlier. [This I find hard to believe. EL] There's been a shift in when the most snacking occurs — more in the morning and less in the evening.

4) Probiotics is the "new" health topic, as concerns about trans-fat fade.  

5) Winter is becoming a grilling season.

(AP Photo of a yogurt breakfast parfait/Almond Board of California)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

We've had a trying morning here at the Sun, what with the network meltdown and all. You know how I hate to be out of touch. Even more troubling, I haven't been able to publish Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Master Imbiber John Lindner's Shallow Thought Wednesday until now.

Here's John: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (52)
        

Gailor, whose hipness quotient is still up there even though she's moved to Evanston, Ill., sent me an e-mail alerting me to the brasserie trend happening in Los Angeles. Apparently she learned about it because she still subscribes to Los Angeles magazine.

Then the other day I saw that USA Today did a trend story on brasseries in LA, and how all the stars are eating at them. (Who knows? Maybe the paper "borrowed" the idea from the magazine. Or maybe it's a real trend that various people are noticing.)

Why do we care? Because these trends that start in California usually work their way east, and eventually to us. ...

We already have one Baltimore brasserie, of course, Brasserie Tatin -- although I don't know that in the U.S. we make much of a distinction between bistros (Petit Louis), brasseries and French cafes (a la Cafe de Paris in Columbia).

Basically the idea of them all is French and casual (although Tatin can be quite formal about its food). I'm not sure what the trend is except maybe that traditional casual French food is making a comeback? I'm thinking of coq au vin and steak frites.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

In the interests of full disclosure, I have to tell you that something called Stoney River just left a raw steak with the Sun's front lobby security for me.

Normally when we get unsolicitated food (actually I don't usually get food, it's more the food editor), we put it out and people take what they want. I don't think that's going to work with raw meat.

Should I take it home for dinner? Very tempting: That will mean I won't have to make the seven-zillionth trip to the supermarket this week because I didn't think ahead. ...

On the other hand, will it be safe to eat? I'm getting really paranoid about food pathogens (I love that phrase). Who knows how long the steak sat unrefrigerated before I stuck it in the company fridge?

Maybe I better look at the instructions that came with it.

Mmmmm:

1.) Remove steak from cryo-vac and place on plate.

2) Remove excess blood with linen napkin.

Whoa. Stop right there. First of all, this is not appetizing. Second, while I do have linen napkins, which I bring out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I do not give them to my family to use day in and day out, and I'm certainly not going to blot a bloody steak with them.

Stoney River PR person, do you know how hard it is to get blood out of a linen napkin? 

I'd better go take a look at the Stoney River Web site now. 

OK, Stoney River turns out to be a national steak house chain that's coming to Annapolis. And it seems to be selling itself as an oasis of calm as much as a steak house. At least the motto is "Steaks. Seafood. Sanctuary."

However, I'm too jittery at the thought of having to get all that blood out of my linen napkins to be calmed down by the photos of riverbanks in the mist etc.

Still, the PR gimmick worked: I wrote about it on my blog.

(Photo courtesy of Stoney River Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I didn't write about Sunday's neighborhood block party yesterday because I forgot the camera cord to upload the pictures. Although seeing the photos, I wonder why I bothered. I kind of like this first one even though it's out of focus because it gives a good sense of what the party was like.

In a way, it was a classic example of the new millennium neighborhood block party. ...

I keep expecting people to bring the wonderful family recipes they used to. (I still crave Ruth Goodman's incredibly rich kugel.) We have quite an ethnically diverse neighborhood, so the pot luck could have resulted in some wonderful dishes.

The fact is, though, people are too busy these days to spend their weekends cooking for a block party. There was some hummus, a lasagna, a rice dish with spicy sausage, and a salad with cranberries and mandarin orange segments. But for the most part people brought store-bought pies and chips and such. Did I mention the shriveled and blackened hot dogs?

One neighbor had died a couple of days before, and his widow contributed several unused platters from his catered wake. 

I could have made something Sunday morning with the ingredients I had on hand. (Thanks for the suggestion of bread pudding, Michael A. Gray, but no bread lasts long enough in our house to get stale.)

Instead I was craving potato salad. Yes, I know it isn't the ideal party dish in almost-November. That meant I had to go to the supermarket, even though I had been to two food stores and the farmers market the day before.

I spent $9.48 for the potato salad ingredients, and $26.54 on impulse items I could have done without.

Then I spent more time than I should have peeling and cooking potatoes, stringing and slicing celery, and chopping olives. The recipe -- such as it is -- is here.

Next year, when I bring up the block party, please remind me of this entry. We didn't get to the party till 5 p.m., by which time most people were finishing up eating and moving on to dessert. It could have been the best potato salad in the universe, and no one would have cared. My husband and I will be eating potato salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner all week.

And did we solve all our neighborhood problems? Of course not. The man with the dog never showed up, and the neighborhood is pretty evenly divided between people who are very social so they don't want a parking permit system and those who aren't.

I did learn that in Baltimore City a car is considered abandoned after 48 hours, so you can call 311 and report it. The city will eventually come and tow it away. Then maybe that person won't be so quick to leave his car for weeks on end in your parking place.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (53)
        

I mostly have to credit readers with these suggestions because you have to be eating with your infant or toddler to really know how restaurants are going to treat you.

The one restaurant that was mentioned numerous times but isn't included is Amer's Cafe in Fullerton. The Web site has disappeared and the phone number rings and rings without an answering machine picking up (but that may be because I was calling on a Monday), so I couldn't verify that it's still open. I even tried to call the theater next door. If you've been recently, please let us know.

Anyway, here's my list. Other suggestions are welcome, but please tell us why you're recommending the restaurant. ...

* Alexander's Tavern in Fells Point has a kids' menu, crayons and four Leapsters for children to play with while they wait for their orders.

* Amicci's in Little Italy has a children's menu and high chairs. Probably the best choice for small kids in the popular tourist destination.

* Clementine in Hamilton expanded and put in a lounge for adults after it opened with a play area for children.

* Friendly Farm in Upperco. The archetypal child-friendly restaurant in the area, with family-style dining.

* Golden West Cafe in Hampden probably got the most votes from readers for toys and a children's menu, and (for once it's a plus) noise, so no one notices if your kid is loud.

* Iggies in Mount Vernon. People who love their dogs so much they name their gourmet pizza parlor after them are probably going to welcome kids as well.

* Koco's Pub in Lauraville has a "children's corner," a kids' menu with a popsicle for dessert, and what some consider the best crab cake in town.

* Lebanese Taverna in Harbor East. Who knew a restaurant in such a trendy neighborhood catering to young professionals would be welcoming to kids?

* Sushi Hana in Towson has a koi pond and, unlike the new location, isn't crowded. MariaB suggested chicken on a stick and rice for little ones. She mentioned the staff is "kind and efficient."

* Zen West in Govans. It's family friendly with a children's menu and a lively decor that appeals to youngsters.

(David Hobby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

* Sally tells me that Rocket to Venus in Hampden serves brussels sprouts regularly. This struck me as odd and something of a non sequitur until I realized she must be referring to my review yesterday when I mentioned that Michael's Steak & Lobster House in Bayview had brussels sprouts on the menu.

* Robert sent me an e-mail saying that the Grandview in Hampden now has a Web site. You might get a kick out of it. And, hey, looking at the "signature menu" I see there are TWO brussels sprouts dishes.

* This reminds me that the brussels sprouts I bought for my husband two weeks ago at the farmers market are still sitting in my fridge. Funny how you can love cabbage and not care if you never saw another brussels sprout.

* I got something from Stone Hearth Newsletters, the subject line of which was "The power of food: it may be a cure for drug addiction."  But what's the cure for food addiction?

* Retired in Elkridge sent me this link to a story in USA Today about a man eating a 15-pound burger, hold the lettuce. I made that last part up.

* Andrea writes that a new restaurant, CC's Grill, is supposed to open soon in Union Square. Sounds like it will be Caribbean.

*  Brasserie Tatin in Homewood is having a guest chef for two nights: Georges Perrier, Maitre Cuisinier de France and chef/owner of Philadelphia’s Le Bec Fin.  To celebrate Brasserie Tatin’s third anniversary, on Oct. 23 and 24 Chef Perrier will prepare a four-course menu of "contemporary brasserie fare." Some of the dishes will be incorporated into Tatin’s winter menu.  "Mindful of the economic realities we are making this menu very affordable at $50 per person and wine pairings at an additional $18."

* Tom reminds me that his Web site 600block.com collects and organizes food and drink specials around the city. "We're up to 500 specials, from 1/2-price entrees to steak nights and brunch deals."

* Finally, Food Editor Kate sent me and other food writers a congratulatory e-mail because the Sun's food section won third place for best food section in its circulation category in the Association of Food Journalists' competition. It seems to me we ought to have been congratulating her.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Ed Scherer, the owner of Helen's Garden in Canton, sent me a list of the specials and such his restaurant is offering to lure in customers. His idea, he says, is that "sitting at home worrying only makes it worse."

That includes expanding the restaurant's hours of service, a trend I read about recently in New York as places try to get a little extra business in this economy. 

I wish more restaurants would tell us what they're doing in the way of deals and specials, so if you know of anything new, please post it here.

Here's what Helen's Garden sent me:

1) Dining room happy hour: get in the door by 6 p.m. and out the door no later than 7 p.m., and you can get a 20 percent discount on your dinner check (Wednesdays, Sundays and other discounted items excluded).

2) Brunch is now offered on Saturday as well as Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

3) Tuesdays and Thursdays, get a 4-ounce pour glass of wine, salad and select dinner entrees for $16.95.

4) Wednesdays still feature $12 dinner entrees.

5) Helen's Garden is now open between brunch and dinner on Sundays (2 p.m. to 5 p.m.), serving light fare and wine, cocktails, etc. "to brighten your spirits."

6) The places boasts the longest happy hour in town from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. (in the bar area only).

7) The restaurant is extending its hours till 1 a.m. (or 1:30 a.m. if the bar remains busy), offering light fare and cocktails, wine, etc. in both the bar and dining room so that people have an alternative to the Canton sports bar environment.

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I've written so much here about Michael's Steak & Lobster House, which I reviewed yesterday, and Old Baltimore restaurants, I'm not sure there's much else to say.

I was interested that Robert (the Single One) has had better luck than we did with the beef. Maybe we ordered the wrong cut.

To show you the power of pictures over words (like it needed to be illustrated), at the block party yesterday a guy came up to me and said, "I'm heading out to Michael's. The prime rib in that photo with your review looked really good."

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

This rather ominous photo is from Red Maple, the tapas lounge in Mount Vernon. Once I heard its executive chef, Jill Snyder, had been chosen as a contestant on Bravo's reality show Top Chef, I had to go try the food for myself. 

I had reviewed Red Maple when it first opened, but she wasn't the head chef then, so I had never tried her cooking. 

To find out what I thought you'll have to read my review in next week's Arts & Entertainment section or online, but I will say both this time and last I was impressed that the staff seemed genuinely glad we were there -- even though we aren't nearly cool enough for the surroundings. (Well, maybe I am, especially when I'm wearing the silver Corso Comos Gailor gave me for Mother's Day; but the rest of my companions aren't.)

And now off to the block party.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Here it is at 8:30 on a Sunday morning. At 4:00 this afternoon our neighborhood block party starts, and I haven't cooked anything, or even decided what I should take.

My husband says go buy something, but I feel like I have a reputation to uphold. There was a time when I would have made Moroccan chicken or Maida Heatter's Pie That's Better Than Sex and it would be in the fridge RIGHT NOW all ready to go. Instead I have to decide quickly, get to the store and at least start something before  another commitment at 11 a.m.

These block parties always interest me because we are such an unneighborly neighborhood.

We had a neighborhood association, but it withered on the vine. The only thing we ever did was block the church from tearing down a house and putting in a parking lot it badly needed. The same church is actually letting us hold the block party there, which I think is a fine example of Christian forgiveness. ...

Then there was a time we were going to hold a neighborhood yard sale in a postage-stamp grassy area the city owns, and one of the neighbors called the police and reported us (no permit) because he didn't want us to bring potential burglers, I guess, into the neighborhood.

Speaking of burglers, two houses have been hit recently, and one of the owners told me he's sure it's someone else in the neighborhood who did it. And he knows who.

I'm looking forward to the  block party so I can accost the neighbor whose crazed German shepherd barks from dawn to dusk. And we need to have the fight about whether to require parking permits for residents or not.

I think I better bring something really good to calm everyone down. Maybe vodka.

(AP Photo)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (94)
        

I was so taken with the looks of the cauliflower varieties at the Waverly farmers market this morning I had to Google them. What I learned is from various sites:

The peak cauliflower growing season is October through December. The names are great: Early Snowball and Super Snowball are the, duh, earliest, then Snowdrift and Danish Giant. (The Naming Guy must have been asleep when he came up with that last.) I'm not sure where White Sails falls in the season. ...

The reason cauliflower is more expensive than broccoli -- I love this -- is that the grower has to tie their leaves over the heads to protect them from the sun so they'll be white.

Who knew cauliflower could tan?

The yellowish green variety that has a lot of flavor is called Romanesco. Broccoflower is the greener one that is a, and I quote, "mutant strain." That does make it less appetizing, doesn't it?

And then there are Purple Cape and Orange Bouquet, but they never seem like real food to me. More like those carnations florists dye whatever color they happen to need.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I have to admit that the first thing that comes to mind when I think of cruise ship cuisine is, um, food pathogens. Of course, I'm not a big fan of buffets anyway.

I doubt if I'll ever end up on a cruise. It's just not the kind of vacation that speaks to me. But I did find this piece about changing culinary trends on cruises interesting.

What is the appeal of cruises, anyway? Being on the sea for days? Being on the sea and having all your needs taken care of?

Meals seem to be the highlight of the day from what I've heard.

(Sun archives)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

While I was at lunch I started leaning toward kid-friendly restaurants for a Top 10 topic because it would have two benefits.

First, of course, parents would have a list of good places that aren't chains that welcome children. But second, the rest of you meanies ha ha would know which restaurants to avoid, at least until beddie-bye time. Don't scoff at the value of this.

Then I get back to my desk, and what do I find? ...

Yes, gorelick (otherwise known as Weekend Reviewer Richard), my hero, has come up with four -- count 'em, four -- children-friendly restaurants for my list. Our minds were as one. And that one always starts with "I get that (fill in the blank) question a lot."

So let's come up with the other six. It would be nice to know in what way they are kid-friendly; for instance, Clementine actually has a children's play area.

And the rest of you: I promise I will do the Top 10 Restaurants Never, Never, Never to Take Kids soon.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

I don't usually like to scoop myself, but Monica's photos of the newly reinvented Corks in Federal Hill are so beautiful I can't resist using a couple. I can't use them without explaining that after two months, Jerry Pellegrino's restaurant has finally reopened. Patrick Sutton Associates did the extensive renovations.

Corks has become more casual and cheese-centric, with five upscale grilled cheese sandwiches and three fondues on the menu. The selection of cheeses for the cheese plates sounds good, too.

Mmmm...cheese.

Anyway, look for my Table Talk column next Wednesday for more details.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

This is the entry you've been waiting for. The one where you CAN'T go off topic. Here's Guest Blogger Bucky. EL

Commenter's Choice Friday

I think all of us have had the D@L experience, at one time or another, of having an epiphanic, yet random, moment that we want to share with the Sandbox, but not being able to find an appropriate topic to put it under.

I’m from HR and I’m here to help you.

Today’s topic: ...

You go to your favorite restaurant (the one you would recommend to out-of-town-visitors or the one that reminds you of the place your Uncle Larry used to take you to on your birthday) and instead of ordering Baltimore’s best crab cake, you order a cheeseburger, even though you think the lettuce and tomato that will come with it aren’t as good as the ones you can get at your favorite farmers market, which reminds you of an odd Web site (food-related, of course) that you ran across recently while looking for a recap of your favorite television program that you missed because you were watching the candidate debates and trying to decide what experiences do qualify a person to run for Vice President, anyway?

While waiting to be seated (because the restaurant’s reservations system apparently needs work), you order a bottle of your favorite bourbon and wait for your blind date to arrive, hoping you won’t have to dine alone, and wonder if both your blind date and the server will think you are weird if you ask for split checks. 

As you peruse the menu, you notice that, for a small additional charge, bacon can be added to every entree and you drift off into that "shallow thought zone"... the one where only bacon and one other thing can take you.  

You are, suddenly and without warning, snapped out of your culinary trance when a raptor-like beast (or is it a witch-doctor pig?) swoops down out of the rafters and the noise level in the restaurant rises to that of the emergency first-responders rushing to a major car crash that shuts down I-95 south on a busy Saturday night.

Your immediate thought, as you watch the owl dart frenetically through the air — first here, then there — is "How much do they expect me to tip?"

Bookmark this topic, my friends, and your future "where do I put this random comment" problems are resolved.  

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (54)
        

It suddenly occurs to me that we haven't come up with a Top 10 topic for next Tuesday. I looked back at my list and none of them leaped out at me: Top 10 Restaurants You Wouldn't Expect to Be Kid Friendly, Top 10 Places to People Watch, Top 10 Best Deals on Wine (didn't we do that one?),  Top 10 Places to Eat at the Bar.

Also, someone suggested picking a neighborhood and doing Top 10 Places to Eat or Top 10 Places to Eat for Under $25.

Any of these appeal? Other suggestions?

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

That looks pretty good, doesn't it? I must be hungry. It's a photo of Joe Squared Pizza's new coal-fired pizza oven, which owner Joe Edwardsen says cooks a pizza in three and a half minutes. I want someone to go RIGHT NOW (I can't), have a pizza, and tell me if a pizza cooked in three and a half minutes really tastes as good as he makes it sound. Here's his e-mail, which I'll just copy so I don't get any of the technical details wrong: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Pizza
        

Jason suggested a Top 10 of menu items, the idea being if he had a small restaurant and were creating a menu of just 10 things, what might they be? It might be more interesting to break the 10 down into, say, bar food, brunch dishes, and comfort food. Or not.

Of course, I'd be tempted to say pick 10 things your chef can cook well and they will come. But maybe you ought to go for what's most popular in the Baltimore area to guarantee success.

I don't think it's really a Top 10 because the lists would be so individual, but I like it as a taking-off point for a discussion.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

Here's Owl Meat and his latest fantastic Funtastic Thursday diversion. Remember, you can look up the answers on the Internet; but that would be cheating, wouldn't it? EL

Gnocchi Docchi
 
Time to sort through the leaves and twigs of the Nest of Solitude for a refreshing new diversion.  My muse and quoits partner Bourbon Girl suggested that I create a new game for today and nothing too brain-hurty.  
 
Researchers read a list of English phrases to French speakers who didn't know their meaning.  The most beautiful sounding phrase in English to French ears: cellar door.  Cellar door. Some food names also sound better in foreign languages.  For example, crème brûlée has a nice ring to it, better than scorched cream (plus three different diacritical marks in three syllables).   Zut alors!  Perhaps to German or Uzbeki ears "meat balls" is euphonious and not just a graceless description of a wad o' meat.

The root of the word lasagna comes from the Latin lasanum or chamber pot.  Hmmm ... not so tasty etymology.  Etymology, that's the little green soybeans you get at sushi bars, right?   

Below are some more fanciful translations or roots of various kinds of pasta.  How many can you guess? ...

1) butterflies

2) twins

3) lilies

4) little ears

5) small radiators

6) little tongues

7) little strings

8) small ribbons

9) knuckles

10) muff

11) bride's (macaroni)

12) to gobble up

13) little turnip

14) little cakes

15) little worms
 
Bonus questions:
 
1) Is capellini (angel hair) ever a good choice when eating out?  It usually arrives as a big lump.  My thinking is that it should be plated in small quantities and tossed in the sauce rather than ladled on top.
 
2) Cutting up long pasta - acceptable or something for which you should be sent to the sixth level of Hell? Interesting point: The followers of Epicurus are on Level 6 of Dante's Hell.

Watch your step as you enter.  Going down.  Level Six:  handbags, notions and Epicureans.  Have a good Eternity.  Thank you for shopping in Hell.

3) How can people have driver's licenses and not be able to twirl pasta properly? (And no spoon crutches!)
 
The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.
- Epicurus

(Photo credit: Getty Images)
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

Food editor Kate has asked me to mention the Sun's holiday cookie contest, although I shudder to think of the recipes she could get from some of you. So Be Nice.

It reminds me of when Gailor was little and every day I made a different cookie starting Dec. 1 until Christmas Eve.  (I think I've told you this story before.) 

But Gailor grew up, and we all felt a little guilty about eating a lot of sweets. Not to mention the time it took. Somehow the tradition died out.

Anyway, here are the instructions for the cookie contest: ...

"Send your best recipes to Kate Shatzkin, Food Editor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; fax them to 410-783-2519; or e-mail them to food@baltsun.com with "cookie contest" in the subject line. Please include your name, address and phone number. The deadline is Nov. 5. We will select the best to be published in early December. This year, we’re offering an extra incentive — cookbook prizes for those whose recipes are chosen."

(David Hobby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Today for Shallow Thought Wednesday, Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Biker Dude John Lindner isn't messing around. He's even referring to himself in the third person. The video is great; I feel sorry for all of you whose work blocks it. Obviously you need to get another job. EL

This from George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London* (whereby jl ends, forever more, all quibbling regarding tipping practices): ...

"The moral is, never be sorry for a waiter. Sometimes when you sit in a restaurant, still stuffing yourself half an hour after closing time, you feel that the tired waiter at your side must surely be despising you. But he is not. He is not thinking as he looks at you, "What an over-fed lout"; he is thinking, "One day, when I have saved enough money, I shall be able to imitate that man." He is ministering to a kind of pleasure he thoroughly understands and admires. And that is why waiters are seldom Socialists, have no effective trade union, and will work twelve hours a day – they work fifteen hours, seven days a week, in many cafes. They are snobs, and they find the servile nature of their work rather congenial."

*(Harcourt, pg. 77)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Tipping
        

Hot dogs. The Baconator. In-and-Out burgers. Clearly the refined sensibility of Dining@Large is deteriorating. (Although fancy crab cakes and bottle service have kept it from going completely off the rails.)

Just so we won't lose our reputation for effete snobbery completely, I think we need a discussion of the most elegant meal you've ever had, preferably in a restaurant.

Actually, elegance has sort of gone out of style. Nowadays people equate it with stuffy. But at places like the long-gone nouvelle restaurant Stall 1043 and the more recently closed Hampton's, elegance was the order of the day.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

Read it and weep, boys and girls.

But at least it's nice to know that the Bon Appetit blogger, Andrew Knowlton, has as refined tastes as we do.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

You have to love the phrase "fear cuisine." Unfortunately I can't take credit for it; Gourmet magazine has a story on Depression-era food in its current issue.

Citing icebox cake and marshmallow-spiked salads, the author asks what "culinary disasters" the present economic crisis will bring.

But this is just the taking-off point. ...

So check out the story and tell us what you think.

And what's wrong with icebox cake, anyway?

OK, now that I've looked at a recipe, I see. I didn't know an icebox cake had to be made out of pudding mix, whipped topping and pre-made frosting. Did they even have those things during the Depression?

(AP Photo/Norton/Gentl & Hyers/Edge of Old-Fashioned Berry Icebox Cake)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

This Top 10 started with a query by the editor of AirTran's Go magazine.

I thought fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist would make a good Top 10, but I quickly realized that you can only make a crab cake interesting in three ways: How you season it, what you sauce it with, and what you serve with it.

I also realized that most of the list would come from fine-dining restaurants downtown because tourists want crab cakes. So no matter what kind of restaurant you are -- Italian, Asian fusion, genteel Southern -- if you're in the harbor area, you have to offer one. But you don't have to be boring about it.

Remember, these are fancy restaurant crab cakes. If you want to see the Top 10 list of crab cakes in general, click here.

And here's my list of Top 10 fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist: ...

* Black Olive in Fells Point. The olive oil-based homemade mayonnaise that comes with the mezze lump crab cake is what makes it special.

* Brasserie Tatin in Homewood. The kitchen has an interesting twist on the crab cake: lobster meat. It mixes the crab with lobster and pan-sears the result.

* Charleston in Harbor East.  I had a delicious baby crab cake with avocado, Silver Queen corn and cilantro oil. The menu changes but I bet that's a recurring item.

* Della Notte in Little Italy. Two Maryland-style jumbo lump crab cakes, basil vinaigrette, tomato-olive relish.

* Fin in Fells Point. I recommend the crab cake trio appetizer: one miniature traditional, one Asian with sesame seeds and a soy-based sauce, one southwestern-spicy with a chipotle sauce.

* Gertrude's in the Baltimore Museum of Art.  Besides the traditional crab cake, Gertrude's has a crab cake du jour, and there's a long list of sauces, like orange and chipotle, you can try with it.

* Pierpoint in Fells Point. Nancy Longo's famous smoked crab cake with a Silver Queen corn cake.

* Pisces in the Baltimore Hyatt.  This was one of the best crab cakes I've had all year. The twist was horseradish sauce as an accompaniment.

* Red Maple in Mount Vernon. The Asian crab cakes with wasabi aioli, among others, have been on the ever-changing tapas menu in the past.

* Watertable in the Inner Harbor. A jumbo lump crab cake with citrus segments, greens, fried polenta, citrus sauce.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer: Red Maple's lobster and lump crab cake with tandoori-spiced vegetable slaw and pomegranate drizzle)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (54)
Categories: Crab Cakes, Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Richard in San Francisco wanted me to do a Top 10 on best bar food steamed shellfish. That's pretty specialized (of course, I am doing fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist for tomorrow), but it could be broadened to restaurants as well as bars.

I have to nominate Hamilton Tavern's clams in an addictively good broth of wine, tomatoes and garlic.

Sometimes you can't believe how good this simple preparation can be, while other times the kitchen seems to have simply dumped the ingredients in a pan together, thinking that the only thing the customer really cares about is the shellfish.

(Photo of Brasserie Tatin's mussels by Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I got an e-mail from DN about a restaurant I had just noticed, Vernisage in Pikesville. I haven't heard word one about it, though, and the Internet for once is no help. Anybody know anything about it?

Hi! I enjoy your columns and blog; wonder if anyone has tried Vernisage in Pikesville. It appears to be mostly Russian/Ukrainian/Georgian cuisine with some standard American dishes as well. Located at 1004 Reisterstown Rd and appears to be quite new, but I do not recall seeing any ads for it.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Some weird products amuse me, some creep me out. Peanut butter slices creep me out. The basic thing about peanut butter is its yummy stick-to-the roof-of-your-mouth consistency, isn't it? Otherwise wouldn't you just, well, eat peanuts?

P. B. Slices isn't a new product, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere but in the West, so I hadn't heard about it before. According to the Web site, it took more than 5,000 pounds of peanut butter, four years and 432 formulations to find the perfect P.B. Slices recipe.

I'm not even sure what the perfect peanut butter slice would consist of, let alone imagine wasting four years of my life looking for it.

OK, maybe I'm a little cranky today. It's Monday.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

Gailor is obsessed with the Baconator. This is odd for someone who is a vegetarian, except that she says sushi and prime filet mignon don't count.

The Baconator, if anyone isn't familiar with it, is Wendy's bacon burger made with two beef patties, six strips of bacon and two slices of cheese.

Not that Gailor would ever eat one. But she likes to imagine the naming process. ...

Sometimes she does a whole comedy routine about how they came up with the name, which I couldn't possibly do justice to here, but let me simply say that she and I agree that Terminator is the greatest movie of all time. Or at least she pretends to love it as much as I do.

Anyway, if the Baconator is at the low end of America's obsession with bacon, Gailor has come up with the high end.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present...

Animal.

This is a new-as-of-this-summer Los Angeles restaurant at 435 N. Fairfax Ave. dedicated to meat, and especially bacon. If you like slab bacon and pork belly, Animal is your restaurant.

Gailor sent me the mini-review  from the Los Angeles magazine. The photo showed foie gras with biscuits and gravy, and the review mentioned fried quail with grits, but the sentence that caught my eye was "Not to blaspheme, but is there such a thing as too much bacon?"

Bacon appears in every course, if you so desire, including a fudge brownie dessert with crumbled bacon.

(Los Angeles Times photo of Animal)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

Next Sunday I'll review Michael's Steak & Lobster House in Bayview. This is not going to come as a surprise to many of you, considering that I've milked it for so many posts already: Old Baltimore restaurants, a Top 10 and even champagne cocktails.

I believe this is the kind of restaurant where if you're a regular you know what and what not to order on the menu, so you never have a bad meal. Coming in cold, we had some hits and misses.

I was impressed that the place offers steamed crabs year round. Not many white tablecloth restaurants do that.

Anyway, look for my review in next Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section or, of course, online.

There won't be a Monday Morning Quarterbacking tomorrow, by the way, because Elizabeth Large Was on Vacation in the section today. Do you get as confused with my deadlines as I do?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Review Preview
        

I was just going through my photos from the Chicago trip, and I came upon this one.

I don't know why it strikes me so much more absurd than, say, one of our barbecue chains. But here it was in the middle of a northern college town (Evanston, Ill.) filled with chic sushi restaurants, upscale coffee houses and expensive day spas.

If you click on the link for Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop (or don't bother, I'll just tell you), you'll find that it's a Chicago chain, surprise, that opened in 1994. The owners aren't from the South.

Also they don't sell bait.

I don't want to be mean about the place, and I didn't go in so I'm not saying anything about the food, which could be wonderful. But I am having a hard time coming up with something that looks equally out of place in Baltimore.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

My friend Patti-the-analyst-in-training and I were having coffee this morning, and she told me her son had gotten an iTouch. I told her I wanted an iPhone, but it wasn't going to happen unless I bought it in the middle of winter to cheer myself up.

"Ah," she said. "Retail therapy."

I love this concept. It's much cheaper than psychotherapy (well, OK, maybe not the iPhone) and as far as I can tell, just as effective. ...

Since this is a food blog, we'll stick to food retail therapy.

I spend too much money on meat in the winter, something I can do without in the summer. I buy good chocolate. Lattes. And, of course, out-of-season produce.

But the ultimate in winter food retail therapy, it seems to me, is fruit from Harry & David, those enormous Royal Riviera pears that squirt juice all over you when you eat them and are almost too big to finish. I love those pears.

I know Whole Foods and even Giant carry Comice pears now, but they aren't therapeutic unless they come from Harry & David. Retail therapy, like psychotherapy, has to be expensive to work.

(Photo courtesy of Harry & David)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I made the mistake of thinking that even though it was somewhat dark at 6:45 a.m. I could wait until after 7 to go to the Waverly Farmers Market this morning. The place was packed. I shouldn't have parked in the parking lot, which I can get away with if I'm there before 7. It was like a Los Angeles freeway at rush hour.

Along with all the expected fall produce, I was surprised to see there were still red tomatoes and corn. Is that usually true in October? Some summers I go through a whole season and never buy an ear of corn, but this year I couldn't get enough of it. I couldn't bring myself to buy it today, though. I just can't believe it would be good this late. ...

And the last heirloom tomatoes I bought before my trip (at $3.49 a pound) were watery and mushy, so I didn't get any tomatoes either. But if any of you did, tell us how they were.

I also need some advice with apples. I wanted to branch out from HoneyCrisps because, good as they are, I've had a lot of them; and they are usually bigger than I want in one sitting. But when I got some Nittanys a couple of weeks ago they were still green. And the Fujis at Reid's looked green to me today. Anybody tried any other varieties that you'd recommend?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

LeeAnn sent me this link to a story about restaurants and the economy that appeared on Time.com today. Nothing new, really, but fairly interesting.

I have an ostrich personality anyway, so maybe it's not surprising that I didn't click on the link at the end of the story that said: "View images of the global food crisis here."

Uh, maybe in the morning.

(Photo courtesy of Time.com)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I ate at Red Maple in Mount Vernon recently, and it was the first time I had noticed bottle service at a Baltimore restaurant. (Although you can argue that Red Maple is more lounge than restaurant, the fact that Jill Snyder, its executive chef, is a contestant on the current season of Bravo's Top Chef suggests otherwise.)

In case you're not familiar with the concept, you buy a bottle of premium liquor at a breathtaking mark up. For the money you get mixers, fruit and ice -- and at clubs, a reserved table. The advantage is that you get your drinks on your terms.

And, more importantly, there's the cool factor. ...

I asked Midnight Sun Sam how common bottle service was in Baltimore, and he told me it's gaining ground slowly. It started appearing about five years ago, he said. It's been slow to catch on, Sam thinks, because the concept hasn't been explained well to potential customers.

Of course, a $225 tab for a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black might be another reason.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (55)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Subject line: Elizabeth, Unleash the Restaurant Critic in You! 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

I ate at a cutting-edge little spot recently, and I was surprised to see the purple orchid garnish on several of the dishes. (No, the dish pictured isn't from the restaurant. That was all I could find in our archives to show you what I meant.)

This particular garnish just seems very yesterday to me. It also seems wasteful unless it's reused, which I hope it isn't. ...

The orchids are edible, but does anyone really eat them? (I also don't like having the sprig of rosemary on everything, even when rosemary isn't flavoring the dish.)

I know I'm not logical about garnishes. I'm not sure what are cutting-edge garnishes, but I love a pretty plate.  For instance, a few pomegranate seeds scattered on the plate look very good to me, and lemon always works. But orchids? Not so much.

Feel free to tell us why they work for you, if they do. Obviously some very good chefs are using them.

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

The concept of guest posters was born to make the blogger's life easier introduce new voices and fresh ideas to the blog. For instance, your restaurant critic is not going to be writing much about hot dogs, and yet look! We have two posts about them in one week.

Notice the clever way I worked "hot dog" into the headline, even though as you read you will start to wonder where the hot dog comes in. That's because, as I explained when Bucky worried that Multimedia Editor Emeritus John had scooped him on Wednesday, hot dogs translate into more page views -- almost as many as Sarah Palin.

I can't bring myself to write about them as much as I should (although I'm not above eating one), so the more hot dog posts by others, the better.

However, this is a weird coincidence. Bucky sent me his thoughts last Saturday, long before he read John's post.

Could he actually be John?

One other thought: How many people know how old their toilets are?

Bucky, by the way, says he wants to be a recurring, but not regular, contributor.

Clever boy. 

Here's Bucky: ...

"First, by way of informative background:

1) I was an English major. I can combine 100 words in 1,000 different ways and, given the addition of a comma or two, create many compound-complex sentences, which I can then creatively arrange in lengthy paragraphs.

It is a skill. It is my skill. It is my only skill.

2) I am the least mechanical person you might ever meet. This is my fatal flaw.

My dad was a civil engineer. During his career he became an expert at designing and constructing double curvature, thin-arch concrete dams and the hydro-electric power plants that go with them.

My son is not only a math whiz who took classes like Trigonomic Calculus of Differential Equations with Multiple Stochastic Variables, but he can also disassemble and reassemble a computer without having a single left-over part.  

I am a living, breathing example of generation-skipping.

I tell you this because tomorrow I’m going to overhaul the toilet in our guest bathroom.

Now, even though I’m not mechanical, I discovered somewhere along the way that Home Depot is the place to start when you have something other than say, Jell-O, that needs fixing. So last Saturday, in preparation for this week’s great home repair adventure, I drove to Home Depot and went to the plumbing department.  I stood in the aisle until I was approached by of one of those manly men who know all about tools and lumber and valves and rotors and solvent and who know literally scores of ways to screw. And bolt. And nail.

The Home Depot guy walked up and asked me what kind of 'problem' I had.

I’ve learned in previous trips to Home Depot that the more comprehensive and precise you can be in the description of the 'problem,' the better your chances of being able to fix it without causing additional 'problems.' If you can be comprehensive and precise in the description of the 'problem,' you also increase the chances that you will purchase the right part and limit the number of return trips you need to make to Home Depot to some number represented by what my son, the math whiz, describes as a 'single digit.'

In previous attempts to fix a household 'problem,' I’ve actually spent more money for gas, going back and forth to Home Depot, than it would have cost to hire somebody to fix the 'problem' for me.

So I described the 'problem' to the Home Depot guy, and he told me I needed to replace the flush valve. He also asked me how old the toilet was; and when I told him it was 23 years old, he said I should just overhaul the entire toilet tank, rather than having to take it apart again to replace the fill valve when it goes out, which he indicated might be as soon as this weekend, during the fourth quarter of the Broncos game.

So, I bought a Fluidmaster Complete Toilet Tank Repair Kit.  Tomorrow morning, the fun begins.

What, you ask, does this have to do with Dining@Large?  An excellent question.

On  the way back to the car, I bought two of those great $1 hot dogs from the hot dog cart out in the parking lot.  I love those Home Depot hot dogs.  Sometimes I go to Home Depot just to get a couple of those hot dog cart dogs, then I go wander around the tool section and think how nice it would be if I knew what any of those gadgets were used for.

So, the question today is, where do you find food in a place that has a totally non-culinary purpose and what kind of food do you find there? 

If you have no answer for that, try the reverse.  What odd non-food item have you ever gotten at a restaurant, bakery or bar? 

If you don’t have an answer for that, tell us your favorite 'A guy walks into a bar…' joke."

[Editor's note: If you're not a regular, Bucky lives in Colorado, which is why he foolishly worries about missing part of the Broncos game. Also, please don't badger him about which Home Depot has the hot dog stand.]

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

Everybody assumes that in a faltering economy Americans are going to save money by buying hamburger instead of steak and not eating out as much.

But what about foodies who feel the pinch of higher prices but can still afford to buy a steak or have dinner at their favorite restaurant? They might prefer some other cost-saving measure. They might want to take the bus to work but still get carry out from that Thai place. ...

I was trying to decide how my unease about money is actually affecting my food habits.

Am I, for instance, ordering cheaper dishes and less expensive wine when I go out and the Sun isn't paying?

I don't think so. I always penny pinch when it's my own money because I get elaborate meals regularly when I review.

Am I going out less?

Yes, but that's more because Gailor has gone and cooking for two is easier.

Am I using more coupons?

No, I do what I always do: carefully cut out the coupons for things I would buy anyway, put them in an envelope, and let them expire.

Weirdly, what I've started doing is eating up more. By that I mean using up leftovers even if they don't fit into the perfect little meal I'm trying to create. I don't pour out the last of the milk just in case it's sour even though it doesn't smell sour. (Taste it? Are you kidding? That's a man's job.)

It used to be that if I came across something in the freezer that looked like it had a little freezer burn or was dated more than a month ago, I'd toss it. Now I've started giving things a chance. I'll at least try them to see if they're edible when they've been defrosted. Because I have the world's most beautiful and useless fridge, with a freezer that creates crystals on food no matter what I do, this is quite a departure for me. I feel I can no longer afford to be so picky.

None of this makes much sense. I could save a lot more money just by starting to buy store brands or avoiding out-of-season produce.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

The Chameleon Cafe is the sixth restaurant to take Slow Food Baltimore’s Eat in Season Challenge. From Oct. 11 to 18, chef/owner Jeffrey Smith is offering al four-course meal based on local, seasonal fall foods.

The $35 prix fixe menu features:

Corn chowder: George’s Silver Queen corn and peppers; Martins Farm garlic; Briedenbaugh Farm potatoes and onions; Krakos smoked polish sausage

Fried green tomatoes: George’s green tomatoes and Truck Patch Farms smoked bacon

Grilled pork loin with succotash: Truck Patch Farms pork loin; farmers’
market lima beans, crowder peas and butter beans; George’s corn and Briedenbaugh potatoes

Seasonal fruit tart: Reid’s Orchard fruit

(Photo courtesy of Chameleon Cafe)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Lissa suggested a Top 10 on things you feel guilty for liking. I like the idea, although I think we did guilty pleasures earlier.

On the other hand, I haven't quite decided if things you feel guilty for liking are the same as guilty pleasures. For instance, a guilty pleasure might be expensive chocolate truffles, while something I feel guilty for liking is the crispy edges of fat on a steak that's been cooked over charcoal.

Or am I making too fine a distinction here?

(AP Photo/Cattlemen's Beef Board)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (56)
        

OK, boys and girls, it looks like we're back in business. Owl Meat has come up with a fantastic Funtastic Thursday, which totally makes up for his deserting us last week.

Here's what he has for us: 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

I got an e-mail yesterday evening from Jeanne asking if Kevin Miller was still the head chef at Ixia in Mount Vernon. Her mother had said she had read in my column that he had left.

I hadn't reported that, I told Jeanne, but I would call the restaurant today to find out. I spoke to Anissa Cadar, Ixia's special events planner, who says Kevin is there now and will be staying. They are old colleagues: he and she met when they were being interviewed for the jobs on the same day in 2001.

While I'm talking about e-mails, I've gotten several from restaurants about changes in their menus. A lot of that seems to be going around -- because of the change of seasons, but also because of the economy. Here's what I know: ...

Tsunami, located with its sister restaurant, Lemongrass, just east of Little Italy, has revamped its menu in major ways. Prices are lower, and I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried it recently.

RA Sushi in Harbor East has added a lot of new dishes and cocktails to its menu, but this is what caught my eye:

Last month RA extended its Happy Hour through Saturday, offering food and drink specials from 3 to 7 p.m. Sushi and appetizers on the Happy Hour menu are now reduced to half-off the regular menu prices. Drink specials range from $1 to $5, and include beer, sake and a wide variety of specialty cocktails.

Clementine in Hamilton sent me their fall menu, which included:

* Roasted Rosemary Brined Bone-in Chicken Breast w/ Sauternes, Wild Mushroom & Honey Sauce over Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Chilled Roasted Asparagus $18
* Grilled Vande Rose Baltimore Strip w/ w/ Sautéed Chesapeake Oysters & Leeks Finished w/ Brandy & Cream & Mashed Spuds w/ Sautéed Veggies $23
* Lemon Baked Wahoo w/ Crawfish Sweet Corn Slaw, Rice & Stewed Chili Tomatoes & Okra $18

Shall I tell you about the announcement I got about the new Jonathan Ogden cabernet? Nah. I'm getting hungry; I think I'll go home and fix dinner.

(Photo of Kevin Miller by Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I recently got an e-mail from the managing editor of Go, which is AirTran Airway's inflight mag. She wanted me to help make up a list of five restaurants in Baltimore that offer "fancy crab cakes that put an interesting twist on this local dish."

I didn't explain to her that most restaurants here feel that you don't mess with a classic, but it did occur to me that I should steal the idea for next week's Top 10 Tuesday. Then if she wants to steal from our list, she can -- as long as she credits Dining@Large and publishes the URL, thus bringing in more readers. ...

However, it's not as easy as it seems. Off the top of my head I came up with three examples. I need seven more, which I can probably get by going through the archives and also asking you folks. (Have you noticed how I've bowed to pressure and no longer address you as "guys," the way I would if I were talking to you?)

Remember, DO NOT TELL ME WHERE YOU CAN GET THE BEST CRAB CAKE. These have to be fancy crab cakes, whatever that means, with some interesting twist. Let's get started.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

The food section had a good story today on bake sales. It reminded me of the last time I took part in a bake sale -- for Gailor's toddler co-op at, I think, the Johns Hopkins spring fair.

I know how much Gailor enjoys my sharing the intimate details of her life with you on this blog, so I should take a moment to mention that although she eventually grew up to be an elite athlete, she was the only child in her toddler co-op who still crawled until she was 18 months old. It was quite mortifying for her mother.

Anyway, back to the bake sale. I was into baking in a big way at the time, so I was looking forward to wowing people with my chocolate mint sticks, pecan butterscotch brownies and such. Plus I felt people expected something wonderful from me because I was a food writer at the Sun. ...

But the organizer of the bake sale insisted that the best sellers were always chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies, and we were only allowed to make those two for the sale. I was crushed, but sure enough, every brownie and chocolate chip cookie sold, and sold fast. And no one's feelings were hurt because her contribution didn't sell.

What I noticed about today's bake sale story was that the chairwoman of a local bake sale was quoted as saying the best seller these days was cupcakes with sprinkles. The current popularity of cupcakes continues to astound me. Nothing against cupcakes, but they've been around forever. What made them new, trendy and desirable again?

(Photo courtesy of Hershey's)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Multimedia Editor Emeritus John Lindner (I've got to get a sexier name for him) has come up with what he calls a Sloppy Thought Wednesday for us today. He also included this URL for Bucky and those who can't see the video directly because of foolish work safeguards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiv1t3Reg8 ...

"I guess we don't praise chili dogs enough.

But I guess we get so many poor examples that, shoot, what's to praise?

So much has to go right to create a satisfying chili dog experience.

First of all, who among us hasn't been emotionally disfigured by an insufficient chili dog bun? I mean, it's the gosh darn foundation of the quintessential American taste treat. Yet so often it's merely reshaped Wonder Bread. Not that there's anything wrong with Wonder Bread qua Wonder Bread. But seriously, as a cradle for civilization's zestiest dog? Please, don't make me guffaw. Gimme a whole wheat baguette or better yet a tangy sourdough fuselage, or just drop the dog in my palm and hit it, eh? I mean, I need something I can frickin' chew!

And hit it with what? Some ancient Az-Texan family red bean gourmet specialty cactus-that-only-grows-two-miles-south-of-Tempe recipe nobody's ever heard of or ever wanted to chili? Heck no! Hormel, Home. Hormel. Something greezy sweet that can stand up to a good dog's understated pallor, that's what. Pick a dang ol' chili that's got itself plumb out of the shadow of persnickety or put the stuff in a bowl and leave the dog in its kennel, yo Bucky?

Now cheese. I'm the third to admit I'm as biased as a DC journalist when it comes to chili dog cheese. Make mine cheddar and call me any names you want. But! I'm not entirely unenlightened, or unlit, as they say. You want to invite me to sidle up to your home grill and just for the heck of it try a C-dog with a grilled mozzarella topper or some cage-aged brie, well pard, I'm all in. Variety … much like stupidity … tends to be the closest we come to a spice for life, so you cheese up and I say live and let live. If we must be bound by cheese, let us be also bound by our love of it. Semper fry.

Decorations? I like 'em. Carelessly diced onion, a trio of jalepeno buttons placed just so, a dash or eight of colon-energizing hot sauce (pick your poison, I'm not picky), some black olives (or green, heck, this is America after all), and maybe some 'shrooms marinated in some a that blue agave sauce … mmmmm, blue agave sauce.

Now that's a chili dog I can eat in public.

Please pass the gas."

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Props to Retired in Elkridge for trying out this item in the weird food category.

Normally I wouldn't put any produce in the weird food category because at least it's real food. But the color of this corn freaks me out. Here's what he had to say:

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I'm in a better mood this morning after my own breakfast of toast made from bread from the farmers market (which I had frozen) and a pot of Irish breakfast tea with a lot of milk and a little bit of sugar.

The best breakfast I had in Illinois was at Manny's in the airport yesterday. How weird is that? Well, not as weird as the fact that because I had a little time I also got a flu shot while I was waiting for my plane.

I think the woman was insulted when I asked her if she was a nurse, but you never know. What a great scam that could be.

Midway really is your full-service airport. ...

Actually, when I got in to BWI I passed Vino Volo again and was tempted to stop for a flight of wine and some small plates. A little farther along someone was giving a chair massage of head and shoulders. Ten minutes for $15. I could have gone for that, too.

Remember that Tom Hanks movie The Terminal, Worst Movie Ever Made? It's beginning to seem more and more possible, even desirable, just to move into an airport.

(AP Photo/Merrick Morton)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

This week's Top 10 takes a little more in the way of explanation than usual. These are Old Baltimore restaurants that haven't reached the status of Institution, Icon or Landmark yet, and maybe never will. But they are part of the area's eating-out history.

You've maybe forgotten about them if you've lived around here a long time. Then someone mentions one and you think, "Oh, yeah, we used to eat there with Uncle Larry."

It doesn't count if the cuisine is something new-fangled like Asian, so we can't include the Orient in Towson, in spite of Anonymous' compelling argument.

These are places where the spiced apple ring garnish is not out of place.

There were other good suggestions that had the right feel to them but are too much on our radar to be considered "forgotten" restaurants, such as Suburban House, G & M, and even Ikaros. I've left off crab houses, too, because that's a whole different category.

I thought dcdiva's description really captured what we're looking for here:

I think of the Candle Light Inn in Catonsville as the ultimate old restaurant. It's been around since 1925 and is one of those places your prom date will take you for beef wellington and 80 year olds go for their anniversary parties.

Many of these I haven't been to in years, so if some of you argued that they have gone downhill, or been sold and changed (I know Angelina's is going for more fine dining than in the past), I didn't include them.

Other suggestions welcome. Here's my list: ...

* Burke's Restaurant and Cafe downtown. Giant sandwiches and famous fried onion rings.

* Candlelight Inn in Catonsville. See above.

* Eastern House in Highlandtown. Home cooking with a Greek accent. Open Christmas day!

* Eichenkranz Restaurant in Highlandtown. German, American and Italian fare.

* Frazier's in Hampden. A quintessential Hampden restaurant before Hampden restaurants became chic and upscale (Dogwood, Suzie's Soba, Woodberry Kitchen).

* Kibby's in West Baltimore. Best known for its shrimp salad and its soft crab sandwich.

* Michael's Steak & Lobster House in Bayview. Home of the 40-ounce steak dinner for under $20.

* Peppermill in Lutherville. You will probably be the youngest person eating there, but the American cuisine is fine.

* Perring Place in Parkville. Reliably good food at decent prices.

* Sunset Restaurant in Glen Burnie. My nomination as the successor to Haussner's. (OK, without the art collection.)

(Photo of Kibby's shrimp salad by Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (85)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Back to work tomorrow, and instead of planning future stories and such I'm thinking, "What am I going to do about lunch?"

I used to go out every day for lunch, but what with being busier these days, wanting to save money and just the fact that there's not a lot within quick walking distance of the Sun, I was bringing my lunch this summer. 

Actually, I do the hybrid thing. ... 

Do other people do this, or are you an either/or?

I never have the time or the energy to pack the perfect little lunch of my dreams, so this summer I've been taking a mix of chopped-up tomatoes and sliced salad peppers from the farmers market and organic carrots.

Then I go downstairs to the cafeteria and pick my way through the salad bar offerings, which are sometimes OK (those are roasted red peppers in the first photo) and sometimes not. The part I hate most is when the lettuce has gotten wet and the edges get sort of black and slimy. 

So I have a base of what the salad bar offers (before picture) and then I dump on top what I've brought from home (after picture). It isn't pretty, and you know how much I enjoy eating out of plastic, especially with the lid attached, especially at my desk. But I am getting my vitamins.

Now, however, summer is over and anyway, there won't be anything in the fridge when I get home this afternoon. What, hasn't my husband been to the store while I've been gone? Hahahaha.

I need a new lunch plan, and I haven't come up with it yet. Actually lunch is the hardest meal of the day for me. I love breakfast and dinner so much more.

Soup would be good. We have a microwave at work. If I had any soup. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Yesterday I reviewed Tapabar, the new tapas restaurant in Little Italy.

If you have something you want to say about the review, this is the place to do it. Or if you've been and want to tell us about your meal there, feel free.

I got an e-mail from someone recently complaining about the concept of tapas. He said the portions were so small what was the point of spending $10 each for three dishes when he could spend $30 for one entree at a more traditional restaurant.

I pointed out that this way you have some choice about how much you want to eat without having to ask for a doggie bag, and the mix-and-match variety is appealing, but I don't think my arguments convinced him. 

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Someone, I don't know who, said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It was my mother, or maybe the American Egg Board. Anyway, I'm beginning to feel it's true, at least when I'm traveling.

I ask for so little. A decent cup of tea with milk and sugar. Some toast. Real butter. But it's hard to find. If you go to a coffee house that has excellent tea service, the best you can usually do is a muffin or croissant, and not always today's croissant. ...

Or I end up at a place like yesterday's Golden Olympic restaurant here in Evanston, which had an off-brand tea bag so bad it took my breath away, and I don't mind tea bag tea. The mug was so ice cold I took it to the ladies room and rinsed it out with hot water. The toasted bagel came with four little rectangles of real butter, true, but it had already been slathered in "buttery spread." And the nearest I can describe the taste of the bagel was like very, very chewy white bread. As I chewed and chewed (it was late and I was hungry), I thought, One way you know you're a foodie is when you think one bad meal will ruin your whole day.

The best breakfast -- as opposed to before-breakfast tea -- I've had here was at Le Peep (pictured), which featured a Lipton's tea bag and toasted rye bread.

I'm ready to be home. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

Yesterday we headed for Oak Park, Il., the suburb of Chicago that has the largest number of architect Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residences in the world, Wright's own first house and studio, and the birthplace and museum of writer Ernest Hemingway.

This last is such a joke. Gailor asked what we would see for our $8, and was told his manuscripts.  Not the original manuscripts, surely. They're elsewhere. No. Copies of his works. Yes, well, I have copies of his works too. On my bookshelves.

Am I being too cynical here? 

So forget the Hemingway museum if you go. But do purchase your tickets for the Wright house and studio tour in advance if you can. Even in October you could be disappointed, and we had to wait at Penny's Noodle Shop a few blocks away (where we had pho for lunch) for a couple of hours before we could take the tour. ...

Now Gailor and I are sitting here in a Cosi working together after lunch (me on this and her on accounting) and waiting for the rain to stop so we can leave. She just turned to me and said something like, "This is so fun! The return on common stockholders' equity ratio is such a great concept!"

An alien. In her body. 

Last night we wanted to eat in the tapas place commenter and Northwestern alum MD Canon recommended on my last visit. There was a 40-minute wait and no seats at the bar, so we left. The maitre d' came running after us and said the owner also had an Italian restaurant called Gio a couple of blocks down the street. If we wanted to have a drink at the bar there, he would call us when our table was ready.

I just thought that was a great concept. 

We actually ended up eating at Gio. It turned out to be a pretty good Italian restaurant, which maybe was the guy's plan in the first place. Still, I honestly believe he called when our table was ready and was told we were already eating. 

(Detail of the Wright house by me) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

For me one of the small pleasures of being on vacation in another city is going out quite early, say at 6 a.m., and having a cup of tea in a coffee house. Evanston is a particularly good place to do this, because there are more coffee houses per block than anywhere I've ever been, both local (Kaffeine, Argo Tea House, and my favorite, Unicorn Cafe) and chains (Starbucks, Peet's Coffee & Tea). They all offer something different in the way of tea service (various tea bags and loose teas, teapots, mugs, French press etc.)

I might take a book, newspaper or computer; but if I'm in full vacation mode, I just sit and drink my tea and stare into space. The appeal is the unusualness of it. ...

At home there is no such thing as sitting with a cup of tea in the morning, unless it's at the computer.

But here I can just sit, and do the sudoku in the paper if I'm feeling ambitious, or just watch what kind of people come in first thing on a Sunday morning. Doing nothing is pleasurable but also a little anxiety-making at first, as though I should be doing something.

(Photo of the Unicorn Cafe by Gailor Large) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I did my infrequent checking of work e-mail this morning and found this from Dave in Perry Hall.  I think the world is divided into people who think if crab soup is on the menu, why order clam chowder, and people who think if clam chowder is on the menu why order crab soup, and all of the first category live in Maryland.

And I'm no help. I'd just send him to a place like Oceannaire Seafood Room in Harbor East or McCormick & Schmick's in the Inner Harbor, and I think he would prefer a local neighborhood restaurant. 

Elizabeth-EVERYONE around here has cream of crab soup, so enough already.  But for what should be a shell fish mecca, there seems to be a dearth of clam chowder – New England or, God forbid, New York in our area.

The best of the few that I’ve found is Carried Away Gourmet in Bel Air, which unfortunately only has it on an infrequent basis.  Nominations please.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

I got an e-mail bringing up the subject of whether you should tip on takeout orders, and if so, how much. It's something I don't do, not on any principle but just because I never have so I don't think about it.

I don't put anything in the tip jar on the counter when I get a coffee drink, either, unless it's the change from some bills and I happen to like the person behind the counter. ...

I do, however, tip if I eat at the counter or the bar -- as much as I would give a server waiting my table. And, of course, I tip a bartender who serves me a drink at the bar.

But there's something about tipping on carryout that doesn't feel right to me, although the person may have worked hard to pack up the order and get everything right. (And it might make sense to tip at a place I frequent if I want to make sure I get the peanut sauce with the chicken satay next time.)

A year or so I would have been adamant that tipping on carryout is ridiculous. But since reading comments by servers on this blog for a year and a half, I'm beginning to think more often about their side of the story.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (92)
Categories: Tipping
        

I have now totally embraced the Zen of the El, putting aside my innate distrust of anything unfamiliar until it gets familiar. I love the el now. The trick is to move from thinking rapid transit means, you know, rapid transit and actually caring how quickly you get somewhere (beginning vacation mode) to living in the present moment and not thinking about the when so much (mid-vacation mode).

Yesterday was warm by Chicago standards, by which I mean it was 52 degrees with a brisk wind, so I decided to take the architectural cruise on the Chicago River. ... 

Why didn't you tell me it was so good? Ask me anything about the Chicago school of architecture, post-modernism, art deco, or how to make a river flow backwards.

My favorite quote was from architect Bertrand Goldberg, who according to our tour guide said that the rectangle creates a psychological slum. However, his non-rectangular buildings, which look like giant corn cobs (food reference), are pretty ugly. 

(photos by me) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Most successful families have rules. In our case, Rule No. 1 goes something like this: "No one is allowed to turn on the garbage disposal except Elizabeth/Mom."

This has actually supplanted the old Rule No. 1, which was, "No accusing." As in, "Why didn't you throw out the last of the milk? You knew it was sour."

Why, you may ask, is the garbage disposal now Rule No. 1? ...

No on else is willing to stick his or her hand down the garbage disposal to check to see if a piece of flatware is lodged in there EACH AND EVERY TIME before grinding. (I don't think it can turn on without someone flipping the switch.)

Over the years we have ground up so many spoons and forks -- probably every one we have -- that I finally eliminated the middleman and started going straight to Henry Hopkins' studio in Lovegrove Alley. I wish I had taken a before photo of the last spoon I left with him to rehabilitate, but here's an after photo.

He did give me what I think will be a great tip. When I complained that I was sick of polishing silver by hand, and in fact rarely did it, he suggested buying a gallon of Goddard's silver dip. I ordered it that same day.

I'll let you know how it works when I try it, although I'm not sure anyone bothers with silverware anymore. I'm sure Gailor won't want choose a pattern when she gets married. Maybe a nice set of plastic forks for takeout. Haha. Just kidding, Gailor.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

In case you missed it, Hmpstd asked this in a comment:

Speaking of which, yesterday came and went without a new Funtastic Thursday post from Owl Meat. What gives? ...

I explained that he needed a week off, but before I heard from him I was wondering why he hadn't posted any comments recently.

From my end it's very odd. I feel like I know you regulars, many of whom have been around since the beginning, and when you disappear I wonder. You could have pneumonia, or be moving, or have your feelings hurt by some other commenter. You could have broken up with the significant other you met on this blog. Or you could -- God forbid -- be hit by a car, and the rest of us would never know.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I wasn't sure I would ever get to Chicago this whole trip, but yesterday was a little warmer with a little more sun and a little less wind. My daughter had classes straight through from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

So I got on the el (shudder) and after an hour arrived at the Monroe stop and Millennium Park.

Let me say it was worth every minute of the el ride. Thanks for the encouragement, those who told me Chicago was actually a great city.

I did what I always do to prepare for a sightseeing trip, which is to say nothing, so I knew nothing about Millennium Park or what I was looking at. I can't wait to read up on it, now that it's too late if I missed something. 

And, yes, there is food in this post. I actually ate in a Chicago restaurant. ... 

I had lunch at the Park Grill on the edge of Millennium Park. One could say that the reason I had to wait 45 minutes for a table was location, location, location; but lunch was actually quite good: end-of-summer vegetable soup with "hand cut" pesto and olive croutons; a roasted squash salad with arugula, whipped Brie, apples, cashew brittle, and a red wine vinaigrette; and a glass of sangria.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

...unfortunately, by me. In an earlier post I linked to an announcement of the public auction of the building in Little Italy that houses India Rasoi, and yesterday I mentioned it in my Table Talk column. I shouldn't have assumed that meant the restaurant itself was closed, and apparently it isn't.

I not only want to apologize for the incorrect assumption, I want to encourage everyone who likes this nice restaurant but maybe hasn't been recently, to go have dinner there and give them some support. They certainly didn't need this kind of negative publicity; it can't be easy being a non-Italian restaurant in Little Italy.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I'll be flying back to Baltimore Monday, which is when I'd usually be working on my Top 10 Tuesday, so I thought I would use the idea we were talking about in an earlier post on Michael's Steak & Seafood House in Bayview.

These are Old Baltimore restaurants like the Sunset in Glen Burnie, whose shortcake is pictured to the right, which haven't yet been elevated to the status of Baltimore Institution or Baltimore Landmark the way Haussner's was.

They don't get much press. (I had a heck of a time finding art for this idea.) But when you're in the mood for this kind of food, it's nice to know they're still around.

I got some good suggestions from that earlier post, but I hope you'll have more restaurants for my Top 10. If so, please post below. 
 

(Christopher T. Assaf/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I didn't try to remember. I went to my fridge and poked around. Along with all the usual stuff, in the meat compartment I had the sugar peep-show Easter eggs from Gailor's childhood. I save them from year to year for the holiday table decorations. On a shelf on the door is a small bottle of Caron's Bellodgia, which I last wore about, oh, a decade ago. I have no idea what it would smell like if I sprayed it on it now.

Everything else is kind of ordinary; but if I had to come up with three more, I guess they would be Asian sesame oil, a jar of Raffetto's Melba Sauce, so old it's crystallized (why do I keep these things?), and in my freezer some kind of cooked mystery meat that I was too lazy to label and now should probably be thrown out.

Remember, don't guess. Check first before you answer.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
        

A few weeks ago Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appetit magazine's food blogger, posted an entry entitled "Peruvian: The Next Big Cuisine, Finally?"

It's hard to imagine Peruvian food is going to be trendy in Baltimore any time soon, even though, as Knowlton says, Lima is considered one of the gastronomic capitals of the Americas. ...

I did not know Peru had over 2,000 species of fish, the most in the world, according to him. I did know that it has one of the most diverse cuisines in the world.

While we may not be seeing high-end Peruvian restaurants here anytime soon, I've noticed that our smaller, unassuming places frequently get very good press. Chicken Rico in Highlandtown and Salsa Grill in Woodlawn, to name two, always seem to get high marks from customers and reviewers.

If you're interested in a more upscale Peruvian restaurant, you'll have to travel to Washington, and Las Canteras.

I also think it's significant that other restaurants are mentioning their Peruvian connections. It's simply on more Baltimoreans' radar now, I guess. Most recently I saw that Los Amigos in Hamilton is not only advertising itself as a Mexican spot, but also Peruvian.

(Monica Lopposay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

As important foodie news was breaking in Baltimore, I was watching the undefeated Big Dogs win the second game of their season. (Gailor is the one in the headband.)

Anyway, Midnight Sun Sam has picked up the slack for me, and here's his post on the news that Jill Snyder, executive chef of Red Maple, is officially a contestant on the next Top Chef, which was reported here as rumor in August. You know you can always get your rumors, half truths and possible lies on Dining@Large first. ... 

Weird fact about Evanston, Ill. (a bit off-topic): It's illegal to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk in Evanston, and there are signs posted to that effect everywhere. A friend of Gailor's got a $30 ticket for doing it; and when she expressed disbelief, he told her it was because someone had been hit by a bicycle on a sidewalk here and died.

The weird fact is that people keep riding their bikes on the sidewalks in Evanston. 

(Photo courtesy of Robert Li) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

It's funny how movies have "their" food -- popcorn, of course. And SuperBowl watching has its food, manly wings and taco dips, and so on. But TV in general doesn't.

However, do individuals have their favorite foods to eat when they sit down to watch TV? I don't, but that's probably because I only watch TV after dinner, and once I finish dinner I'm finished for the night.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Ex-multimedia Editor John Lindner is always looking out for me, especially with his Shallow Thought Wednesdays:

"I think the typical trajectory runs something like this: Author makes book proposal. Proposal is widely rejected. Brave lone wolf agent picks up proposal and valiantly pursues publisher. Crusty but lovable book editor agrees to take a brief peek at a sample chapter on the condition he/she is bribed with a case of top shelf single malt and a modest humidorful of brackish Macanudos … and a date with the agent. ...

Author gets call in the middle of the night from weepy agent saying the crusty but lovable editor wants the rest of the book by Tuesday or he/she will die, simply die, from complications of anticipation. Author feels flustered and uncertain. There were so many unchecked facts! And what about that scene where the antagonist and protagonist meet unexpectedly under the misty haze of a forlorn …

"OK, OK, I'll ship the manuscript."

Editor loves it. Moves heaven and earth to get it published. Rave reviews. Billions of pre-pub hardbacks sold the first week. Spielberg trilogy of blockbusters ensue. Editor dies happy. Agent starts his/her own agency solely for the pleasure of rejecting unknown authors. Author retires to a tony but unostentatious Baltimore City neighborhood to blog daily about memorable meals, dining trends, comings and goings on the restaurant scene and more, dines out twice daily, and eventually becomes U.S. ambassador to Sweden.

Are you touched? You must be if you're reading this post. So help my friend, mentor, counselor, straw boss, and superior in all things dining, get started on the road to destiny. All EL needs to retire in complete happiness so she can focus entirely on our blogging needs is a jump start to the book that waits within her yearning to be released. How can we help? She needs an inspiring title. She'll fill in the rest.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Tip This!

2. Table of Discontents

3. Take It Back!

4. Dinner Is Served

5. You Call That a Crab Cake?

6. The Biography of Owl Meat Garcon

7. The Baltimore Sun Expense Account Diet"

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

As usual, my trips never turn out -- or even start -- the way I imagine them beforehand. For instance, here I am armed with a Chicago Zagat courtesy of Baltimore editor Marty Katz. There are two restaurants, Alinea and Tallgrass, that have the highest food ratings (29). I'm not sure any restaurants in Baltimore have ratings that high -- maybe Charleston.

But Gailor is swamped with work here, and here is Evanston, not Chicago. My first night after an exhausting day of travel, do I take two trains and 45 minutes to get into the city without Gailor? Or do I eat with her at the Flat Top Grill, a do-it-yourself Mongolian barbecue place a block from her apartment? You take a guess. ...

An exhausting day of travel? you ask. When it's a two-hour flight and I used to not think twice about jumping on a plane to the West Coast?

The plane, no problem. But it took me longer to get from Midway airport to Evanston (three trains, including a half-block walk from the elevated to the subway station down two stairs with a suitcase) than it did to get from Baltimore to Midway. It is the least rapid transit in the history of the universe.

Hint to visitors planning to take the el from either airport. The Chicago Transit Authority doesn't believe in down escalators -- and sometimes not up ones -- so luggage is a problem.

Speaking of hints, I was really taken with the looks of Vino Volo, the wine bar at BWI. It looked so elegant compared to the usual airport sports bar. And the woman bartending told me you can buy a bottle of wine and take it on the plane. Although I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. But as an airport place to eat, it also looked very civilized. I don't quite know how it survives, but it must be doing OK because Vino Volos are opening in other airports, she told me. 

And now I have another quandary. With all my good intentions to sightsee, it's going to be 58 degrees and windy today. Architectural boat trip in Chicago ($25 a person) or a massage at the wellness spa half a block away from my hotel?

Gailor may not get her head out of her books (OK, computer) until dinnertime. None of her classes is easy, she says, and time consuming. Except accounting. She loves accounting. That's how I know they stole away my daughter and put an alien in her body. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Faithful readers will remember that when my husband and I visit my 93-year-old mother-in-law in Washington and take her out to dinner, we're lucky if she eats a lettuce leaf. She usually says, "Oh, I'm not hungry. I don't feel like ordering anything. I'll just nibble off your plate."

(Embarrassing revelation alert!) I HATE anyone nibbling off my plate. Like any self-respecting foodie, I'm very possessive of my meal, and I usually have to resort to the arm casually resting on the table between us, making it hard for her to take a fork to my food. Luckily she is frailer than I am in case I have to do some serious blocking.

But I'm getting off-topic here. My subject is global warming. ...

We took her to Clyde's in Friendship Heights, her favorite restaurant, most recently; and I nearly fell off my seat when she said to the waitress, who had just recited the night's specials, "I'll have the whole lobster." It came with french fries and coleslaw for $18.95.

Not only that, she ordered a glass of red wine to go with it.

Which brings me, finally, to the point of this post. Her lobster (which she ate every morsel of) reminded me of a story I had seen in National Geographic. Researchers studying 50 years of fish trawling data have found that numbers of lobsters as well as other bottom-crawlers are increasing because of global warming.

I'm sure you've heard that old joke about lobsters being protected by their natural enemies by their high price. That may be changing.

(Photo by Gordon M. Grant/Bloomberg News)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)