from Reno to Salt Lake and have yet to encounter the type of guest the reporter described so if it is a regional thing, I missed it. I, like you, am very curious where these peope are, and what in the world they are thinking. In...

OK, blow your wad in cult sushi emporiums if that’s your druthers. Hey, it’s your money to spend as you wish & you only go around once in life, right? But for simple & inexpensive, albeit less glamorous or exotic...

and it wouldn’t bother him. You can remain a Chowhound, have a wide palette and indulge in exotic food by not caring that he isn’t going to join you. Very hard to change other people. Find some family, kids, or good...

is the jaimaica, though the pineaple with a sprinkle of chile is a real close second (don’t put chile on the jaimaica). It is real fruit, not syrup. Of the exotic ice cream flavors I like the minty yerba santa the best. For...

— there are a zillion ways to prepare rice— risotto, sticky, pilaf, plain basmati with sea salt and sesame seeds. . . you can get 50 lb bags of rice at your local asian market and have the basis for meal upon meal. ....

- bake duck at a high temperature as many recipes would have you do. Way too much smoke and the smell stays in the kitchen for a long time. - make Mexican and American Chinese food. Too much chopping and the need for exotic...

was the smallest set of bones I’ve ever seen. Either this was baby rabbit, some exotic micro rabbit, or unborn rabbit. One would think that a mouse would have larger bones (uh, oh). As you can see, I obsessed with the look...

, but the hound in me can’t settle for just take-out or pizza. i still try to make a balanced and creative meal, but in a quick manner. i like trader joe’s b/c they have a large selection of frozen or pre-prepared...

other than American and Italian(-American) are met with skepticism. Asian restaurants are especially suspect as they may or may not be serving salmonella along with their sweet-and-sour cat. I am often told what I cook is “exotic...

, right down to the gorgeous exotic woods, the flashy back-bar and the artful pin-spots suspended over the 15-seat bar. The message is pretty obvious: This is not our beloved-but-homey neighborhood sushi joint. For someone who...

here. 2. A distinctive Soon Tofu house such as BCD or Beverly Soon in LA. Pyung Chang on Telegraph at 48th in Oakland just doesn’t make it for me. 3. An exceptional paleteria (exotic natural-flavored popsicles and ice...

-cut fries. Typically HUGE orders, and since you’re in Toronto, you have to try them the way the locals do, with either salt & malt vinegar or they will happily cover them in gravy for a little extra $ (Toronto-style...

and some losers when eating there. Same for Salt Creek BBQ. And well, I share the opinion of Famous Dave’s. It’s the Olive Garden of BBQ (if you like that – then enjoy).

. There is a huge difference between what the banquet houses in Chinatown are doing with refined imperial cuisine and what opera is doing with shaumburg-style classics. I don’t think it ameks sense to equate them. Take it...

of your sushi-snob buddies. My usual lunch lineup includes: seared sake (or masu), seared hotate (with lemon and coarse salt), hirame and engawa (the best engawa anywhere), hamachi belly, kanpachi or shima aji, aji, oysters and...