Last Chance: Sandwiches. Breakfast. Comments.

When it comes to favorite foods, mine is the old-fashioned sandwich. Good bread, good meat, a little mayo or mustard, a slice of avocado maybe, lettuce, fresh tomato. When all the ingredients are fresh, I love them. A suggestion was made that Carshon's has good sandwiches. I have found that the readers of this poor excuse for a blog know good food, so I will be going soon. Unfortunately, I will not be able to get there until the first week of December. If anyone else goes before then, I would like a report.
The "Best of" list that I re-post once every few weeks is my list after 25 years of dining in the town of the cow. It is just my opinion. I appreciate all the suggestions that I get and all reasonable suggestions will be visited. Please send more.

Breakfast, from most favorite to least favorite:
Yogi's: Great bagels. Good pancakes, good food. Way too crowded when I go.
Paris Cafe: Standard fair and good.
Ol South: Haven't been in a while, once was good.
La Madelaine: Nice atmosphere, fair food, fair bread, fair coffee. A shell of its past.
Denny's and IHOP: IHOP is too expensive and Denny's, I don't know, I just can't go there.
Waffle House: Hmmm. No. Actually the new ones in the suburbs aren't bad. But I don't go the the suburbs. It's scary up there.

My favorite outdoor cafes:
Nonna Tata, on Magnolia. (changed: see October 27, 2007 review. Editor)
Zambrano's, downtown.
Mi Cocina, downtown.
Railhead BBQ, on Montgomery.

Brunch: If you really like brunch, there is one and only one that is 4 star. Easter brunch at the Marriott DFW. Eat a light dinner the night before, make a reservation, and Easter Sunday enjoy the smorgasbord buffet, including the standard omelettes made to order; but also prime rib, cheeses, fresh waffles and pancakes, even things like peel and eat shrimp. Fresh pastries, chocolates and fruits are the desserts. Less extravagant and less expensive: the Blue Mesa on University has had a good brunch on Sunday for many years. I honestly don't know if they still do. But I have been and it is good.

Bialystock, Bloom and Thanksgiving?

One of the small pleasures of being a parent of 4 children was watching, with them, the movies and TV shows that I have enjoyed over the years; the old Disney movies, Snow White, Cinderella, Old Yeller, The Song of the South, Love Bug, and TV shows like the Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, and Bonanza. As they got older and more selective, they made requests: Anne of Green Gables was one that lasted a few years, then as teenagers, we pulled out the good stuff like, The Guns of Navarone, The Producers, The Blues Brothers, Family Vacation, et. al.

Here's the point: Once in a while, I'll telephone one of the boys and they will answer with a line from the Mel Brooks 1968 movie, The Producers:

"Bialystock and Bloom," (lilt and tone of the secretary, Ulla, pronouncing Bloom: "Blue'-oom")

I act as if they had just said "hello", carrying on as normal, but it makes me smile.

And that's what I'm thankful for, Mel Brooks, and the line: "Bialystock and Bloom." Without that line I would have forgone a whole lot of smiles.

The Best Way to Carve a Turkey . . .

Before you carve the Thanksgiving day turkey, take 10 minutes and read an instructional article in the New York Times, Dining In section. The owner of Original Turkey restaurants, who has overseen the carving of around 30 turkeys a day, says this:
1. Unless you insist on carving at the table it's best to cut against the grain which means the breast of the turkey must me separated from the bones and cut "sideways."
2. Wait at least 20 minutes before carving. Use your hand to secure the turkey not a fork. A fork pierces the skin increasing juice loss.
3. Remove wings and legs before carving and cut the meat "against the grain."

And much more, to read the whole article, look at pictures or watch a tutorial: Carve the turkey