discussions where the table was littered with coffee cups, plates of half-eaten snacks, etc. it always looks so sterile and the judges look too fresh & perky :)

Its whatever you associate with Mexican Cuisine... for some people the distinction doesn’t exist...

, dark roast coffee and chicory and other “real” products that add spice to my life. Chacun a son gout.

No problem :-) My other favorite kitchen gadget is the coffee bean grinder, which I use to create “high fiber bran flour,” in other words, All Bran Extra Fiber ground into a flour like powder [1 cup = 1/4 cup flour].

Okay, so here’s the backstory: Five or six years ago, my high school alumni association had a St. Patrick’s Day party at Spago. They served perhaps the yummiest dessert I’ve ever tasted: a decadent banana...

I recently had an interesting experience as hostess of a dinner party at my home. I had invited four couples—three were friends and one couple was a business associate of my SO. Everyone had brought a bottle of wine, some...

Don’t mention it. I think the Guo Ba Cai is still not too clear in your mind, though. In different regions the terms have different meanings. Even though “Guo Ba” generally gets associated with the deep fried...

watching me (I often do this over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine out) think I’m wayyyy too involved, but it is lots of fun. And it helps with books that are awkwardly organized, as this one seems to be.

I’m from Texas and have spent some time in Mexico and Latin America. I really like Panchitas #3, like you said its not really upscale or Mexican but its a very nice mid-range Latin American restaurant. And I really like...

In America (as opposed to England or France) criticism is the absence of enthusiasm. I think it’s easy to be polite but not misleading if one reserves enthusiasm and just says, “Thank you very much. That was...

. It has just enough European/ethnic dishes to get you started. You can get others from the internet, newspapers and chowhound until you find that you really want to explore a particular cuisine in depth – then buy...

. And I absolutely hate the Sugar Bean and Tea Leaf. Coffee with cheap Nestlé Quik in it. It’s diabetes in a cup, and it’s disgusting.

My suggestion that the Chinatown lunch series train its sights on HoN had a little different twist. I was wondering if anyone has tried to order authentic Nanjing food there. Does the kitchen ever cook such specialties? Maybe...

“Chinese” (Cal-American food with Chinese roots) and was amazed by all the new flavors... Then my college roomie Stacy cooked exotic stuff like pasta with pesto and good coffee...another revelation. It has been a long...