Wednesday Tidbits

Bravo Moves South: Bravo! Italian Kitchen is opening a Greenwood location (from Cory at Property Lines.) Word on the local scene is that few restaurants -- chains or otherwise -- are seeing the numbers they hoped from the south side. There may be some overall economic issues (many restaurants had a tough December), but Greenwood may be an exception to the "if you build it, they will come" rule, one on which many restaurant investors were relying. Recently, one local restaurateur considering an expansion spent a week sitting in seemingly popular Greenwood establishments tracking and counting customers throughout the day. He wasn't surprised by what he found: a boatload of popular chain restaurants half empty. "When you consistently walk into Chili's right in front of a mall and it's not full, there's a problem."

Additionally, look for 2008 to bring some shake-ups in the chain market in Indianapolis, especially on the northside. With a slow December, restaurant supply companies (the closest early indicators to failure) say big changes are coming. A record number of restaurants have fallen behind -- and without a December bump to pay bills, some won't make it into summer. At least one company says look for the big chains to start closing locations that aren't working -- and addressing the market saturation among diners in the Castleton area and 86th St. corridor. We'll always have new ones coming in, but look for less patience from parent companies for restaurants to prove themselves.

Cheffy Shuffle: Oh, the drama of small town restaurants. Kathy Jones, chef at Cobblestone Grill quit and has re-emerged as chef at Cafe de Paris, the new bistro on Carmel's Main Street. (The Dish reports she'll be doing African influenced food? Seems odd in a French Bistro, but whatever.) Oh, you Zionsville folks are snickering behind your glasses of merlot over all this, I know.

Fletchers of Atlanta: Life might not be over for this Indiana institution. Look for new ownership from inside the kitchen in the next few weeks. They're hoping to help Fletcher's return to the best of the past -- and they *might* even be able to pull off the relaunch by Valentine's Day. (Looks like the website URL has already been hijacked by poachers since they've been closed.)

Name This Cheese: Going Local's Victoria Wessler announces that Fons Smits at Trader's Point is just about ready to unveil his newest cheese, a *pasteurized* cow's milk cheese that he calls a cross between Gouda and Cheddar. (Fons is a man that knows his Cheddars if you've ever had Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk.) Fons has been calling this new cheese "Chouda" which he pronounces in his wonderful Dutch accent as "Chowda". He also says "Gow-da" where we'd say "Goo-da" so, my vote? Call it "Chowda" but spell it so everyone knows how to pronounce it! Wessler says they're looking for ideas for the new name through the end of the week. Post here and I'll send the email over to Fons. (Would rather not post his email here to avoid filling up his spam box.)

Women, Tell Men How You Feel -- about Dining: Scott Hutcheson, the Hungry Hoosier asks the question of women: How to you rate men based on how they choose restaurants? Take the survey via his blog.

Quiz Answer: Huitlacoche is corn smut. (Heh, "corn smut" -- must be Michael Pollan's version of food porn.) It's actually a fungus that attacks corn in damp conditions and enlarging the kernels and turning them grey. Popular in some southwestern cuisine. In the late 89s, the James Beard Foundation even led a charge to change the name to "Mexican truffles."

Wear a Blue Dress Day!

Wear Your Blue Dress Day: It was 10 years ago today that the first reports started trickling in that Newsweek had spiked a story about President Bill Clinton fooling around with a White House intern. Her name wasn't secret for long. So, ladies, wear a blue dress today. (Come on, we know you have one in the back of your closet.) Gentlemen, enjoy a cigar.

Brugge Expanding: In the it's-only-taken-four-years department, Mike over at Hoosier Beer Geeks reports that Brugge is finally expanding into the Netheads space above them. Ted's been wanting to do this since they opened but who knew an Internet Cafe would last so long? (Netheads is moving, by the way, not closing.) It's much needed space for Brugge and the deck should be nice in the spring and summer. (Now, if they can just keep up with the beer demand.)

Devour Downtown Menus Appearing: Don't forget to start making your plans for Devour Downtown -- winter restaurant week which starts Jan 21 and runs through Feb 8. Full list of participating restaurants here on the site. Restaurants will have a prix fixe $30 menu with three courses and are starting to announce some of their offerings. It's a great way to try some expensive downtown offerings.

Wine Judging: Old news, but Jill Ditmire mentions in her store newsletter that she's back from judging the SF Chron wine competition. Wine judging is just as educational for the judges and the competitors and if you get a chance to do it -- even spitting -- it's a treat.

757 Hiring: No matter the name of the new restaurant at 757 Mass Ave, they're hiring. Ads announce their looking to fill server, busboy, and other various front of house positions.

Quiz Answer: Garam Masala is a blend of toasted spices appropriate to much Indian cooking including (in various forms) cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and lots of other great stuff. Ras al Hanout is a similar blend considered a staple in Moroccan cooking and containing lots of cumin, coriander, paprika, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric and more. Chinese Five Spice is a blend of five (sometimes six) spices. And allspice? Well, allspice is the fruit of the pimento plant (of Jamaican pepper) that looks, unground, a little like a peppercorn. Answer was allspice -- 80% of you got it right.

Tuesday

Northward Expansion: Jeremiah Hammon (owner at Mo's, a Place for Steaks) and a partner have inked the deal for their next area project -- an Irish pub at Saxony in Fishers. In keeping with the Mo's restaurant family tradition (you'll understand if you're in Milwaukee), it will be called, natch, Mo's Irish Pub. Target open date is May 2.

Hoosier Beer Geeks on Dining and Beer: Over at Hoosier Beer Geeks, Mike has asked if some of my readers have any comments on why fine dining restaurants don't serve or offer more craft beers with food. I suspect I know the answer on a number of levels but that doesn't mean beer lovers can't dream.

Updates from Reader Questions: Julia at The Dish reports on the Japanese grocery one reader asked us about. One World Grocery in Castleton making sushi. Don't know if this was the place a reader asked about that carries fresh whole seafood.

Wait and See: Also from The Dish -- an update on Taste of Tango, the Argentinian place downtown long in the works. From Julia:

Promises, Promises: Local Realtor Fabricio Perez says his plans for an Argentinian restaurant Taste of Tango at 36 E. Washington St. are well underway, and he is aiming for an April or May opening. Sure, he initially promised the vacant space would be rehabbed and ready for business by July 2007, but it sounds like he really means it this time: "The renovation is almost complete," Perez says. "We could be ready to open in a month if we wanted, but I don't want to open in wintertime anyway."

Quiz Answer: Razor Clam! Whether it's the texture of the form (razor clams are a long, thin, sweeter clam), razor clams have long been particularly well-suited for grilling. You could grill any of the others but probably not with as much success. Plus, James Beard liked them. 47% got it right.

Friday Leftovers and More on Barcelona Tapas

More on BARcelona Tapas: Over at the comments section of Property Lines, Frank Schmitz, owner of BARcelona Tapas weighs in on their situation (along with what looks like a few comments by, ahem, people of interest.) He says there are no problems and that the manager who spoke to the IBJ is no longer with the company. Schmitz says his only current problem is that "three original Andy Warhol Pictures" (not sure if he means illustrations or what) were stolen from the entry way on Christmas Eve morning. I still suspect there's quite a bit more to this whole situation, but there you go.

City Market Updates: Last week, the Star gave us an update on City Market and mentioned six new vendors (only three of whom are are food vendors) who will open in the next few weeks. They're also still trying to fill space with a gourmet food/wine shop. (You'll remember that Corks closed their space at 49th and Penn expecting to open on schedule at City Market until City Market ran out of funding.)

There is some positive news. The board and executive director have been able to secure funding to finish the project and have a small amount of financial stability. They are starting to charge full rents and announce they'll be moving original vendors back into their spaces in the next two months. They've also applied for a liquor license. And, as Ruth Holladay notes on her blog, City Market vendors will be able to validate your parking for some parking garages in that area. She has more details.

Oklahoma City Goes on a Diet: Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett has had it! Last year, OKC was 15 on the list of the nation's fattest city from Men's Fitness magazine. Now they've moved into the top 10. So, he's issuing a challenge. Residents can sign up to help lose weight for the city -- and garner some press as one place doing something about it's weight issue. (If you live in OKC, sign up at http://www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com/. Even the URL says "we're fed up!") By the way, even as a native, I did not know that Oklahoma has an official meal: cornbread, sausage and gravy, chicken fried steak and pecan pie. I heartily support chicken-fried steak, although, I agree, not for every meal.

Quiz Answer: As one commenter noted, quinoa is indeed technically a seed of a leafy plant related to chard. And that commenter was absolutly correct. As David Kamp notes quinoa is much beloved by raw food eaters and vegetarians who love it as an ideal protein and fiber sources and by "modern chefs, who put it on plates when they feel like serving an 'interesting' starch instead of rice or couscous." Only 29% got it right.

Yats, Locavores, and Tea from Kenya

Yat's Expanding to Greenwood: Cory reports Yat's will be opening a new location -- their fourth -- in Greenwood at US 31 and County Line Road. Greenwood has seen a flurry of restaurant activity this year with openings from major chains (like Cheesecake Factory) and local favorites (like The Melting Pot). Early reports from some restaurant owners are that the numbers haven't been quite what they'd expected yet, but they expect to see more growth in the future. I suspect diners on the south side just aren't used to all the attention!

Locavore -- 2007 Oxford Word of the Year: "Locavore" (or "localvore" say the women in San Francisco who coined it) refers to folks who are working to eat locally grown produce, meat, and other products. Some say "local" can be within 100 miles. (Hey, for Indiana, it includes the whole state!) From Oxford University Press.

The Price of Tea...In Kenya: Yesterday, officials announced the world's largest tea auction selling black tea leaves to the open international market has been cancelled until further notice. Food world officials note that the market can absorb some delay, but not more than a few weeks. Kenya is one of the world's largest exporters of black tea.

Quiz Hint: Thought I'd throw out a hint to the quiz just in case anyone wants to change their answer. Contrary to popular belief, quinoa is *not* a grain. Care to take any guesses?

Quiz Answer

A traditional dip of chopped olives, capers and anchovies is a tapenade. A caponata is a hearty dish, similar to ratatouille where the veggies are all cooked then combined together at the end. It can be mixed with olives, capers and herbs and served as a salad or "dip" but ultimately, it's vegetable based with eggplant, tomato and peppers (similar to a Spanish "pisto".) 85% got it right.

Sunday. Sunday! SUNDAY!

...or random day of miscellany:

How bored have I been? So bored I've been making my own crackers. Sure, I accidentally left out salt and my first batch tasted like communion wafers, but with a little practice, crackers are pretty easy! Using the basic recipe from Bittman (1 cup flour, 2 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp salt), just pulse in a food processor for a few seconds. I divided the dough into sections and added herbs, black pepper, and poppy seeds. Roll them out flat -- and thin, score with a sharp knife for break points, and bake on a pizza stone at 400 for 12-18 minutes. (You can also cut them out, trim them into squares, or make them fun shapes.)

Champagne on Sale: Couldn't help but notice that the flyer for Kahn's this weekend was loaded with deep discounts on good 'poo (champagne, that is.) If you need to stock up, now is the time to do it. Jim has great prices on Veuve Cliquot Brut (around $30 a bottle), Moet White Star (around $26 a bottle), and even 1999 Dom Perignon (around $100 a bottle). They usually have a good selection of French and American sparklers along with proseccos and cavas as well, especially with New Year's Eve right around the corner. Buy by the case for an even better discount.

Speaking of New Year's Eve: Have you made your dinner reservations yet? New Year's Eve is a great chance to enjoy a fine restaurant and have a truly great meal instead of running around to parties. (Maybe I'm just hanging out with more grown-ups.) Either way, we're going to try L'Explorateur again this year while others I know are planning on Jazz Kitchen with Cynthia Layne, Chanticlair, RBistro and even The Oceanaire.

Whey-Fed Pigs: Did I mention that Trader's Point is feeding their left-over whey to happy porkers for whey-fed pigs? Traditionally prized in Italy as the source for the best prosciutto, I'm hoping at least one local chef will do a taste test for us. (Christopher Eley says it will take 14 months so we can schedule it for Spring 2009.) Can you really tell a difference? I think I'd like to find out!

Quiz Answer: What percentage of alcohol is 120 proof? That quiz was my Christmas gift to you! Remember it as half -- 120 proof is 60 percent pure alcohol. 90% of you got it right.

Tidbits

Back to Normal: Normally, things slow down around here over the holidays, but on Christmas Day, nearly 5000 of you from across the United States hit our pages looking for restaurants open on Christmas Day. That's what I call a *market*.

Another One Bites the Dust: Rumor has it another downtown restaurant may be calling it quits this spring. This much awaited eatery on downtown's east side kept lots of new customers coming in this summer but apparently has found that good food and good service are what it takes to keep them coming back. No formal confirmation yet on a closing date.

Cottage Cheese: Do you eat cottage cheese? Have a favorite? Where do you find it? Who makes it? With so many local producers making everything from dry curd to long set (the old fashioned kind without rennet), I'm about to go on a health kick.

Quiz Answer: Caul fat is the fat that surrounds the intestines of a pig. Sounds gross. Tastes good. Rendered chicken fat is schmaltz. And I have no idea if there's even such a thing as fat from a pig's head. I made that answer up. 66% of you got it right.

Wine, Cheese, and Dosage

Wine Warehouses: Thanks to Nolan Smith for an educational tour of the warehouse at Crossroads Vintners. These guys keep bringing in some of the best and most popular wine brands including a few you'll recognize (like Hey! Mambo, Woop Woop, and Cartlidge and Browne) and a few you wine experts will know are wonderful (like Patz and Hall, Sineann, and even Twisted Oak.) Their spirits inventory includes some fine Bourbons and Junipero gin -- one of my favorites. They even carry the Jeff Gordon Napa wine, but be warned, it requires more of an F1 budget.

With Wine Goes Cheese: Sampled some delicious Indiana artisinal cheeses with a recent wine tasting. A fantastic sweet, pungent swiss (Jegerlehner Swiss), a mellow but sharp cheddar style (Meadow Creek Kase), and my favorite -- especially with the dry white sparkler -- the Pazia, a Parmesan style cheese with a much higher moisture content and the distinctive salty herbal quality of a good parm. All from Swiss Connection.

Quiz Answer: Looks like most of you know your dosage levels. Great work! In champagne, the levels go like this from sweetest to driest:

Doux
Demi-Sec

Sec

Extra Dry

Brut

Nature

Yes, it's true, brut is drier (less sweet) than "Extra dry", and occasionally, you'll see an "extra brut" which is even drier still. Nature or Brut Nature is dryer than everything. 80% of you got it right.

Quiz Answer and Wine

Hey, folks, I'm taking the weekend off, so you'll have lots of time to discuss the quiz answer.

Answer: Matignon. This may have been a bit of a flawed question. There is no question that a finely diced mirepoix could be a brunoise. Brunoise is the name of the tiny dice and applies to any food -- carrots, bread, finger, whatever. (For pics, check your New Professional Chef or Labensky's On Cooking.) A very fine dice of mirepoix, the triumvirate of onion, carrot, and celery, is specifically called matignon. Matignon has a number of meanings based on region and country but one of them is finely diced mirepoix. The confusion, of course, is that any fine dice is a brunoise, but a fine dice specifically of mirepoix is matignon. As a result, only 18% got the right answer. 66% answered brunoise and deserve half a point. However, I am gone for the remainder of the weekend, so feel free to clarify and discuss. I know we have some chefs lurking around here who will be able to clarify to a better degree or give a different opinion. (Or you can all make fun of all the people who answered "coulis" or "roux".) New quiz next week.

Elegant Vintages International Wine Auction: Wine fans will want to mark their calendars for the annual Elegant Vintages International Wine Auction benefiting the Indianapolis Zoo, March 8, 2008, at the Marriott Downtown. If you've never attended this event before, you're in for a real treat as it includes a live wine auction of some pretty spectacular wines, private dinner parties, winery trips, and more. We saw some early wine lots at the preview party and they're already pretty fantastic. (They previewed lots valued anywhere from $500-$10,000.) Wine auctioneer David Reynolds will preside over the black tie dinner and live auction afterwords. Many of you are involved with the event and some have even donated. Need to make some space in your cellar? Pick out the good stuff and give us or the Zoo a call. Donor deadline is Feb 1 to make the catalog.

Quiz Answer

What a holiday gift I gave you all! Such an easy one. Jerusalem artichokes are, of course, also known as sunchokes. Cardoons are in the artichoke family but not artichokes (this might be on a test later). And artichokes are, well, artichokes. And parsnips are something else altogether. 89% of you got it right.

Quiz Answer: Sassafras

Sassafras is such a great word. You just can't say it without being, well, sassy: "Sass-a-frasssss". If the person standing next to you didn't get wet, you're not thinking about how Sylvester the Cat would really do it. Now, who here can tell me was sassafras actually is (besides being the key ingredient in file powder? 75% of you got it right.) Actually, sassafras as we is the leaf of the sassafras tree, dried and ground. It's used as a thickener and a spice especially in Louisiana dishes like gumbo. (Nope, neither cornstarch nor saffron are key ingredients -- if ingredients at all -- in file powder.)

Meridian Opens, Wine Gadgets, Housekeeping, and The Quiz

Meridian On Meridian: Early reports are beginning to trickle in as foodies try out the new Meridian on Meridian. After an extensive renovation of the former Dodd's Townhouse -- right down to the original two-story log cabin, Meridian opened Monday under the care of chef Dan Dunville (nee Ruth's Chris, nee Dunaways, nee Broad Ripple Steakhouse.) Early reports are that it's well-designed, inviting, with an interesting (if safe) menu. Look for my first impressions next week. (No matter the food, many are just thrilled to have a conveniently located restaurant in the neighborhood with parking.) Menus and hours are online at their website. They're open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday as well as Sunday brunch (which is cooked to order, thank goodness, and not an atrocious "leftovers" buffet.)

What I Want for Christmas: Last night at a dinner party, one chef arrived with a few bottles of *fantastic* wine a decade old. The problem? Heavy sediment coating the inside of the bottles. The solution? One of the niftiest and least messy wine funnels I've seen in a long time The maker? Screwpull, of course. It is a perfect fit for odd decanters with a mesh insert and a special drip catching stand so it doesn't make a mess. Santa, I've been good!

What's for Breakfast? Salmon from The Goose cured in honey and spices. Sweet and delicious, it's perfect with cream cheese and eggs. Also, try the salmon pastrami. Oh, so good. Planning on a natural Christmas turkey or goose? Christopher is taking orders now.

Excuse the Mess: Dear readers, please excuse the mess while we update things around here a little. I'm no graphic designer, but even I think things have gotten a little cluttery around here lately. I'm tinkering with a few new things so every day may be an adventure for a while. Blogger did some updating to their interface (especially to the comments section) but everything should be back to normal now.

Quiz Answer: A bouquet garni is any bundle of fresh herbs tied together (or put in a cheesecloth), added to stock or French dish like pot au feu, then removed before serving. Today, a bouquet garni can include just about anything like fennel, rosemary or sage, but a traditional preparation contains only three classic ingredients -- parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. After that soft ball capon quiz, this one was a bit of a stumper -- only 34 percent of you got it right.

Housekeeping

Hey, kids, we're slowly making our way into the 21st Century with our own domain name! I set it up so there's no redirect. No need to change a thing or re-set your aggregators, readers, or favorites list. But if you're telling people to check us out, you can now simply send them to feedmedrinkme.com.

The regular URL works, too, and many of you know that simply typing "Feed Me Drink Me" into Google gets you here as well. Thanks all for your readership this year -- November has been a banner month with over 18,000 of you reading, commenting and taking the quiz.

Quiz Answer: I thought it would be a softball and it mostly was. A capon is to a rooster as a steer is to a bull. That is, a capon is a castrated male chicken which produces a docile bird with tender meat. They're usually fed well and longer than mass-produced chickens making for bigger, fattier birds. You can buy them at the grocery store and they make for tasty eating. They're great for slow roasting. No word on what they do with the male chicken bits (where out in the West, we take the male calf bits and bread them, fry them, and serve them at a large BBQ called a "calf fry". The bits we eat are, coincidently, called "calf fries" among other things.) I have no idea what a capon or its bits would be like dried and ground as a spice. And 88 percent of you got it right!

Leftovers, Again?

It's a slow and rainy Monday with the last of the leftovers from last week. (Think of it as a Feed Me/Drink Me version of a turkey sandwich.)

Look in the Want Ads: Know how to make curry mayonnaise? Then hey, if you're a chef, Barcelona Tapas might be looking for you. Local papers are featuring their ad looking for an executive chef at the Indianapolis location.

Looking Good! Here's a big shout out to Jared Fogle who still looks pretty darn good after all these years. Famous now as Subway's pitch man, Fogle says he's still having a great time. Now thirty years old, he was a student at IU when he lost all the weight walking and eating Subway sandwiches. We ran into him last week at Mo's downtown after a Pacers game. (He's much better looking in person than on TV.) Go, Jared!

"Blows the Top Right Off the Popper": Who knew farmer's market popcorn could make such a difference? Over the weekend, popped some corn I bought from a farmer's market stand. Huge kernals! Huge corn! Lots of big, fluffy white pieces! It made a huge mess but what a treat -- it will be perfect for making caramel corn later in the winter. Don't know who this corn is from as there was no label on the bag, but thanks, whoever you are!

Quiz Answer: Scoville Scale measures hot pepper heat! While at least one chef said he was off to research if there actually was a system for measuring the quality of fish roe, he still knew the Scoville Scale measures how hot a pepper is. For example, a bell pepper has a rating of 0 (no heat) and mild peppers like pimentos have a rating of around 500. A jalapeno is generally rated around 2500-8000. Thai peppers? Around 50,000-100,000. And Scotch Bonnets/habaneros rate around 100,000-350,000. Here's more on how they get the number including a spiffy chart. And of course, 96% of you got it right.

Using Leftovers: The Day After

Post holiday lethargy stetting in? Feel a need for a good workout today? Don't worry, you are not alone! The good news is our Colts won last night. The bad news is that I'm sure I gained five pounds in the last week. I'll be in the gym. In the meantime, here are a few tidbits for you to enjoy today! (And no, shopping is *not* an effective workout. Taking a nap, however, is.)

Recipes for Leftovers: For some reason, a lot of people I know scaled down this Thanksgiving. With smaller birds, just favorite sides, and one dessert instead of three, joy was in the quality and favorites instead of abundance of an overdone Thanksgiving. If you were one of these downscalers, you might not have an many leftovers as years past. Or maybe not just endless turkey for sandwiches. If you do have leftovers galore and are already sick of reheating for every meal, try a few of these creative uses for extra turkey, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. (I came home with a perfectly filled container of turkey, stuffing, and gravy. My favorite leftovers!)

** Turkey Sandwiches Galore: Looking for turkey sandwich ideas? A good friend said she's most looking forward to turkey Manhattans, open faced complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. Turkey clubs and basic cranberry (and cream cheese) options are always my favorites. Here are a few more from Slashfood.

** Cranberry Meatballs: Here's one I may try myself and I don't even have any leftover cranberry sauce. Perfect for serving with toothpicks for a party or over savoury egg noodles. Recipe also via Slashfood.

** Turkey Chilaquiles: Inspired by a wonderful casserole put together by a foodie friend, it occurred to me that chilaquiles would be a perfect use for leftover turkey. And, in fact, Rick Bayless himself notes it in this recipe from Food and Wine. You may have to improvise a bit, but turkey should work perfectly. Try a green tomatillo sauce instead of the salsa. Then invite me over for dinner, please.

** Potato Cakes: Ever wonder what to do with leftover mashed potatoes? There are a couple of options but my favorite involves a frying pan and hot oil (no surprise there, really.) For first day leftover mashed potatoes, I tend to go the cheese, bacon, sour cream re-hash route. Then, put leftover potatoes into a loaf pan and refrigerate. The next day, heat oil, slice the potatoes into 1 inch thick slabs, and fry. Mmmm. Leftover potato cakey goodness.

** Leftover Stuffing: There is never any leftover stuffing at my house.

Quiz Answer: Sous-vide cooking is the process of vacuum sealing food in plastic, then cooking it in a water bath. How is this different than, say, dropping a pouch of frozen vegetables into boiling water? Well, it's a little more subtle and considerably more difficult but the idea is the same. Chefs who use this technique carefully seal portions into vacuum sealed packages. They carefully regulate the water bath sometimes at a very low temperature which can be very hard to do. Hard core molecular gastronomists rely on special equipment with delicate temperature controls called thermal immersion circulators. But, as we saw with Hung on Top Chef, if you know what you're doing, you can have great success with boiling water and a good thermometer. (Hung often used this technique to yield perfectly cooked chicken and duck.) More from Harold McGee. Hey! 75% of you got it right!

Tidbits

Quiz Answer: Salsify does not mean "to make something into a salsa" although you might be tempted to think so when you see it on a menu. It's actually the root of a green called goatsbeard. I'd liken it most to, mmm, very fresh and mild horseradish (although I'm sure there are better comparisons.) It's a unique addition to heavier dishes and a favorite among local chefs like Greg Hardesty and Neal Brown. 65% of you got it right!

Vats o' Ice Cream: I may be late to the party on this one, but at Trader Joe's over the weekend, I noticed they have Ben and Jerry's ice cream in *quart* containers (not the regular pint sized cartons we're used to.) Look for these large size buckets in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Cherry Garcia flavors.

Memo to Marsh: Dear Marsh, your store at 116th and Keystone is truly abyssmal for those of us who need any sort of speciality items. It's the largest store I've ever seen filled to the brim with processed, packaged, shortcut products for suburban families, but you're always out of something fairly simple. This time? Silk soy coffee creamer which I have in coffee every morning. Every other Marsh and O'Malia's stocks it but your dairy manager questioned its very existence as a product. Sad, when you have an entire dairy case of that nasty, fake, chemically CoffeeMate flavored creamer along with the International coffee flavored nasties. (Ironically, White Wave, maker of Silk soy milk, is owned by the same conglomerate that makes those nasty flavored international coffee creamers.) On the other hand, no matter how annoyed I am at your store, I always leave smiling and happy when I get my favorite bagger who loves to ask questions. Thank you for that.