and you are charged for what you ate (not costly mind you, but if you’re on a budget it can add up). Drink beer, not soda. Soda can be costly, beer is relatively cheap. When I lived in Switzerland, years ago, I would order...

add a customized charcoal basket in the near future – but you certainly don’t need to do this). Basically, its a large vertical box, with a smaller fire box on the side. It has more cooking space than basically any...

Great write-up, Tom, and welcome out of lurkdom! Thanks to Jennifer, Tida, Cat, and all the generous wine-providing hounds (details to come from Melanie soon I’m sure), it was a spendid feast. I think the most revelatory...

. Beautiful. None of these items is negotiable. Also you should be very comfortable: preferably in a booth, and it should be a little bit dark and cool in the restaurant. Maybe a couple of (union) waiters smoking out by the back...

I just took a bag of skinless boneless chicken breasts out of the freezer. I was thinking, you know, it might be time to start a thread on Chowhound on this topic. I like to brine my chicken breasts for 20 minutes before cooking,...

Yeah, but have you seen that commercial where the tall, thin pretty blonde steps out of the limo and then crashed to the ground, apparently from high cholesterol’s end product? I don’t think about it. A bad side, to...

Oh – and if you need something closer to Stowe – check out Hen of the Wood in Waterbury. Fine Dining, VT Atmosphere, Local twist to the menu. They even have a local cheese menu. Would make a good choice for a dinner

. For this reason, most people, even Mexicans in Mexico, usually go out and get their tamales from shops. Tamales can be eaten anytime but families in Mexico sometime eat them for their evening meal (which is smaller than lunch,...

that wasn’t 95% sugar. Anyone else out there with the same attitude? I’ve suggested to my sister (mother of visiting niece) that she do a cost analysis of breakfast food vs. regular food. I am sure that cereals are...

, this herring was life-changing.... The various pickled herring fillets were nestled snug in their chilly bed, swimming in wine sauce and onions, draped with mustard sauce, but the ones that truly stood out weren’t fillets...

, the public, have no clue if it will be a subtle change or a complete transformation. So recent that this Gourmet ranking has nothing to do with him. And since we jaded NYers have seen plenty of talented guys fizz out,...

noodle house – I think it’s Menchanko Tei. There are a couple of them but, since I work on East 47th Street, I go to the one on East 45th Street, just east of Lexington Ave. 4. Best dessert place – there are a...

Actually this was very well covered in February by “Advice for Aspiring Food Critic?”.That was really a classic that deserves a place in the Hot Threads Archives when the time comes. It should also be printed out and...

as to make pesto and pastry doughs. I have a Krups ice cream maker that has been dented out of work, sadly, but I would go for a stand mixer before the other two items you mention. I’ve been very happy with my KitchenAid,...

To my knowledge, the El Torito on the Redondo Beach Pier is the original, not the Marina one. (Not that I go to any of them, mind you... go to Loteria in middle of the 3rd and Fairfax Farmers Market and order the carne deshebrada...