Saturday, December 18, 2010

"Grocery Coupons and Deals for North Carolina - savvydollar.org"

"Rolaids Recall Linked to Best Sweet, a North Carolina Plant" - NYTimes.com

Harris-Teeter

I had to do some quick shopping yesterday at Harris-Teeter and was disappointed by the experience.One of the items that I wanted to purchase were turnovers. In the bakery display case, they had a tray with both cherry and apple turnovers. The tray did not have a divider. Seeing only the word cherry, I selected three of them, and then realized that I did not know which I had picked.

After some delay, I managed to get the attention of someone behind the counter. He asked three people, and they could not answer the question. After consuming some minutes, I retrieved the turnovers that the employee had taken, and told him that I did not have time for him to consult a fourth person.

What I got to the checkout, I explained that I only wanted to buy the three turnovers if they were cherry. I mentioned the problem with the undivided tray, and the delay in getting no answer. I got no response.

Having made the suggestion of dividing the tray, I would have expected a customer-oriented supermarket to give me some impression that they might act upon that suggestion. Receiving none, I declined to buy the turnovers.

I assume that they threw them away.

What a waste of customer interest and food!

"Makers of Fancy Cakes Are Drawn to Brooklyn" - NYTimes.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Target Expands into Fresh Groceries" - NYTimes.com

"Let It Dough!" - NYTimes.com

"The Cult of Garlic Cloves" - NYTimes.com

Strawberries

Weaver Street Market is promoting strawberries NOW from this farm. I would sure like to know more. 5.99/quart is a lot!

Who else grows strawberries in the winter in NC?

Rolls and Muffins - Weaver Street Holiday Orders

Weaver Street Market sells a roll - called Very Berry Roll - that is wonderful. I wanted to ask them the source of all of its ingredients. Specifically, which ones come from NC?

Cookstr

How much does this get used by people in NC?

"McDonald's Sued Over Toys In Happy Meal" - NPR

"App-etizing: Cookbooks And Recipes Go Mobile" - NPR

"Potato and Onion Frittata" - Recipes for Health - NYTimes.com

One ought to be able to make this with nearly 100% North Carolina produced food, no?

"Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?" - NYTimes.com

I sure agree with this! First thing we do, let's send all of the wine snobs on to different careers.

Monday, December 13, 2010

"Real Evidence for Diets That Are Just Imaginary" - NYTimes.com

"Herb Crêpes With Goat Cheese Filling" - Recipes for Health - NYTimes.com

How complicated would it be, really, to be sure that everything that went into this recipe came from NC? It ought to be super simple. It's not.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Saffron at Chapel Hill

My wife and I joined a larger group for a wonderful meal at Saffron last Saturday.

We started off with:

"Daal Subz Sorba (Dahl Subs Shore-bah)….
Fresh yellow lentils and vegetable soup with cilantro"

Our second course was a selection of:

"Aloo Tikki Chana Chaat (Alu Tee-key Cha-nah Chaught)….
Spicy potato patties made in house served with chickpeas, Indian yogurt complimented with tamarind and coriander chutneys."

"Potli Samosa (Poat-lee Sah-mow-sah)….
Deep fried house made turnovers filled with seasoned potatoes and peas"

and

"Subz Galouti Kebab (Subs Guh-low-tee Kah-bahb)….
Patties made from pureed, fresh vegetables and mushrooms topped with greens"

My favorites for the main course were:

"Murgh Tikka Masala ….
Tandoori chicken with a ginger and garlic marinade served in our signature Masala sauce"

"Began Pasanda (Bang-guhn Pah-sahn-duh)….
Sliced eggplant marinated in a garlic-ginger paste and smoked in the clay oven then served atop pureed eggplant, onion and tomato"

"Murgh Chettinad ….
Boneless chicken in a spicy South Indian red chili and onion sauce"

"Lamb Rogan E Nishat (Nee-shaht) ….
Lamb cuts in a spicy onion and yogurt sauce"

and

"Malabar Machali Masala (Mah-la-bahr Mahtch-lee)….
A filet of our daily fish selection grilled and served over an onion sauce with mustard seeds and curry leaf"

Finally, we wound up with two great desserts:

Teen Rassa Kulfi
and
Gulab Jamoon

A superb meal all around!

"Smithfield Foods Posts Profit After Earlier Loss" - NYTimes.com

"‘As Always, Julia,’ Julia Child Letters" - Review - NYTimes.com

"Is Italian finito in America?" - PRI's The World

"Local Producer Loan Program Details" - WholeFoodsMarket.com

"Beef or Chicken? A Look at U.S. Meat Trends in the Last Century" - NYTimes.com

"The Eggnog Resisters’ Solution Guide" - NYTimes.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A meal at Fearrington House Restaurant

My wife and I enjoyed a delicious evening at the Fearrington House Restaurant on Tuesday. It was our first meal there.

We started off with these magnificent items (following two delightful amuses-bouches):

"Seared Scallops with Celery Root Purée & Black Oregon Truffle
Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Black Garlic, Crosnes"

and

"Seared Foie Gras with Spiced Cake & Maple Gelée
Sage, Orange, Spaghetti Squash, Pumpkin Seed, Pecan"

They were followed by our main courses:

"Roasted Lamb Loin with Root Spinach and Mint Sauce
Carrot, Goat Cheese, Apricot, Chick Pea"

and

"Seared Venison Striploin with Chestnut & Apple Risotto
Juniper, Port, Red Cabbage, Beet"

For dessert, we adored these two offerings:

"Warm White Chocolate & Banana Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream
Maldon Sea Salt, Peanut Butter, Shortbread, Honeycomb"

and

"Hot Chocolate Soufflé
Hot Chocolate Sauce, Whipped Cream"

It is tough to say which was the best of the lot, but as the one eating the venison, I think I would nominate it.

We had a chance to chat with chef Colin BEDFORD and opted for the superbly-selected wine pairings from sommelier Max KAST. We enjoyed two Austrian wines with the first course, a French (from the Loire Valley) and California (merlot) red with the second, and ended with two magnificent portos from Portugal - one from the mainland and one from Madeira.

Phillip took care of our table in a very friendly and highly helpful manner.

It could not have been a more pleasant evening, sitting in front of the fireplace and enjoying a great meal.

My only suggestion is that I would like to leave with more of a remembrance of the selections we made, especially the wines, and it would have been nice to have been offered a record of those choices. That said, we are not likely to forget such a grand evening for a long time!

"Junk Food Purveyors Pop Up Around Capitol Hill" - NYTimes.com

"Do Energy Drinks Improve Athletic Performance?" - NYTimes.com