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BowTiedGopher's avatar

You’re limited to 6 dishes for everyday meals from now on, what are they (can be yours or classics)?

And, any pasta-type dishes that are unequivocally better with a gnocchi base?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Why you do this to me? 😩

This would change daily

1) Fried Chicken, Champagne & Caviar

2) Banh Mi & Pho

3) Sichuan Beef Hot Pot with Offal & Cold Beers

4) Thai Green Curry with Som Tum (Papaya Salad)

5) Squab Pithivier

6) Black Truffle Tagliatelle

For Gnocchi Base: Brown Butter & Sage; cream sauce with 3 cheeses; and Rabbit Ragu all slap extremely hard

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BowTiedGopher's avatar

🥂🥂🥂

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PyroCoffee's avatar

Spicy (cold) noodles that have umami and strong heat, also craving Panang curry. But also want Thai pickles 😂.

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BowTiedRSBot's avatar

So my cooking recently has been catered around supporting my wife while she’s at the hospital. The general guidelines for the meals are that the meals need to be mostly protein (no idea if/when lunch will be, so need to stay full as long as possible), either requires no reheating or reheats well in the microwave, and it can be easily eaten while reading a chart (so soup is out).

So far, the I’ve been pretty good with doing things like lo mein, pasta salad, rice bowls, and curries. However, I’d love to get her something that takes it to the next level flavor wise. Do you have any suggestions?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

E-Z Bake Chicken is flavor bomb

Any of the curries already in archives.

Also Belgian Beef Stew and Provencal Lamb are hearty and filling with lots of protein.

Chilled Thai Beef salad would also slap;

Could also explore legumes: lentils with a meat; beans with ham hock is satisfying and soulful, pack with a corn muffin if you like to heat up with the ham & beans (https://twitter.com/BowTiedOctopod/status/1655730867258499072?s=20)

Also Coronation Chicken is a tasty af chilled lunch. Lean protein (chicken breast)

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Here's the Split Bean & Ham recipe, forgot to post on twitter:

2# split pinto beans

1/2lb ham hocks

1.5 tsp dry thyme

2.5 small chicken bouillon cubes

1 leek, chopped and cleaned

2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch lick

1 TB greek seasoning

1.5 bay leaf

1/4 cup finely shaved cilantro stems (optional)

2-3x water by volume vs dried beans

Pressure cook until soft, ~20 mins

To finish:

1 TB sea salt (start with 1/2 TB)

3 TB Louisiana hot sauce

1 cup cilantro leaves to garnish

Serve with cornbread or over any leftover rice (jasmine, basmati, etc)

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Northman's avatar

Japan restaurant recommendations? Going to Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka and Kanazawa

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Will post recs for most tomorrow. Tokyo note: make rezzo's for Sezanne if you can. Daniel is one of the most finesse and impressive chef's I've ever met. His food is impeccable.

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Japan is just insane for great restaurants and food. Here's some options:

Tokyo:

French-

Sezanne @ The Four Seasons; Maison Marunouchi is the more casual concept by same chef (Daniel Calvert)

L' Effervescence

Sushi-

Sugita

Higashiazabu Amamoto

Sushi Sawada

Tempura-

Takiya

Kusunoki

Aoyama Nanachome

Yakitori-

Tori-Shiki

Yakitori Kasahara Tokyo

Torisawa

Ramen-

Narikura (Tonkotsu)

Kagari

Into

Ginza Hachigo

Soba-

Tsuta

Tamawarai

Izakaya-

kotaro

Ginza Shimada

Burgers-

Henry's Burger

Kaiseki-

Hoshino

Ryugin


Pizza-

Savoy

Pizza Bar On 38Th

Pizza Studio Tamaki

Seirinkan

Steak-

Aragawa (Kobe)

Spanish-

Aca 1°

Bread/Bakery

Bricolage Bread & Co.

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Osaka:

French-

Hajime

Sushi-

Sushi Harashou

Sushidokoro Tada

Kaiseki-

Masuda

Yakitori

Ishii

Ramen-

Manger (Tonkotsu)

Kyoto:

Kaiseki-

Ogata

Miyamasou

Doujin

Ifuki

Tempura-

Tempura Matsu

Kyoboshi

Steak-

yutaka

Kanazawa:

Sushi-

Sushidokoro Mekumi

Komatsu Yasuke

Otomezushi

Kaiseki-

Kataori

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Northman's avatar

This is an insane list! Thanks for you suggestions! I will definitely be checking some of these out!

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Ryan's avatar

If you are looking to learn general “chef skills” to make our own dishes (vs. just following the great recipes you have) what are the most important things/posts to read through first?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

read through the posts (bottom of index) on seasoning, flavors, umami. Understanding how all of those elements work is critical. Also, Elements of Taste.

As far as technique, being mentally present when you're cooking will help 100x by seeing variations in heat source, temperatures, etc and will build an intuition as you cook to adjust for optimal outcomes.

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ChuckWagon's avatar

What got you into cooking? Or piqued your interest to become a chef? Also, what's the craziest kitchen accident you've had or meal you botched? I think we'd all enjoy some Octo Kitchen Stories!

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

-Grew up in a family where mom was a scratch cook; got assigned kitchen prep starting at ~7y/o to keep me out of trouble 😆 (full story on Common Sense, first episode I did, not the just released one)

-Went into pro cooking after getting a Bachelor Science and making a pivot.

-Kitchen accident; power went out to restaurant but gas was still on so we kept cooking in kitchen for over an hour with flashlights and diners were eating using their cell phones and thought it was great. lol. Would not ever do that again, lucky there wasn't an injury or accident,

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Oshin1's avatar

What's the best way to grill shrimp?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Check this Guide on Shrimp, recommend scrolling to bottom and using the alkaline bath method. https://bowtiedoctopod.substack.com/p/shrimp-guide

Then skewer (if you want to keep shrimp from falling through the grates) and season; grill on oiled grates, over high heat (time depends on size) until just warmed through. Rest 2-3 mins to allow carry over.

Should be super tasty.

During Summer, the Shrimp remoulade recipe is my fave because it's chilled; easy poach-chill-peel method that is a crowd pleaser, FWIW

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LowLevelLawyer's avatar

Trying to get more use out of my sous vide besides steak and eggs.

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

You could look at chicken breast, but I prefer slow steaming vs SV.

Also 48-72 hour short ribs are a fun gimmick for a dinner party.

Circulators are also great for making dashi since they hold specific temps during the extraction

Disclaimer: I don't use sous vide at home; only commercially for high volume consistency and very specific ingredient components. Don't find it useful/worthwhile at home.

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Bian's avatar

Recommended dining in, Greenville, SC?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Not too familiar, checked with a fren. Would check Asada, Fork & Plough Urban Wren, Califa’s and Bake Room

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BowTiedFalcon's avatar

Any alfa for Shanghai

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Ultra-Violet: Paul Pairet is a straight up wizard; once in a lifetime type meal

Xin Rong Ji

102 House

Yu Zhi Lan

Da Vittorio

Imperial Treasure

Yangs Fry Dumpling

Jia Jia Tang Bao (soup dumplings)

Otto e Mezzo Bombana

Ying Jee Club

Canton 8

Madam Goose

Wei Xiang Zhai (Shanghai sesame noodles)

Shanghailander- bakery

Bastard (really fun menu)

Forage

Netta

Sheng Yong Xing (Peking duck)

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BowTiedFalcon's avatar

These all look great 🤤

How do you choose restaurants when you’re visiting a new place?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

A lot of it depends on how long I'm in the area, if I know the chef and then balance bucket list venues with home-style. I enjoy both styles a lot.

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Shaiyan Khan's avatar

Your red pasta sauce recipe is a go-to for me but I feel like mine always comes out too watery, any tips?

also any Toronto restaurant recos??

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

You can reduce longer before adding the butter. Or, use only half the liquid from the plum tomato can.

Restaurants:

Sushi Masaki Saito (top tier Sushi)

Hashimoto (Kaiseki)

Alo (French)

Scaramouche

Canoe

Buca (Italian)

Dailo (Asian)

Bar Raval (Tapas)

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TheHomie1515's avatar

Wouldn’t mind seeing some more dips/party apps in the future!

Would be ecstatic about a tomato soup recipe as well

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Noted 📝

Tomato Soup is coming, probably with grilled cheese

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BowTiedFish's avatar

San Diego restaurant recommendations?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Callie (Greek)

Dija Mara (Indonesian/SEA)

Point Loma Seafood

Jeune et Jolie

Juniper & Ivy

Yakitori Hino

Karen Krasne’s Extraordinary (dessert)

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PyroCoffee's avatar

Would you post enough Thai food recipes to to have a Thai food party? (Especially sauces)

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

😂 noted. So far we have Laab, Sticky Rice, Moo Ping skewers with spicy dipping sauce and you have the coconut-mango sticky rice dessert. Anything in particular you looking for?

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Bill's avatar

For steak on the grill, pepper before or after grilling?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

After. High heat has a tendency to burn the oils of the peppercorn.

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Epicurus's avatar

Any restaurant recommendatuons for NorCal?

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

what city/town specifically?

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Epicurus's avatar

Thinking Bay Area (Los Altos up to San Fran)

BTW, next time you're in Hong Kong, happy to take you to the sketchiest wet markets and the most local HK breakfasts and daipaidong!

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Love HK so much, that would be a blast 😂 . Oi Man Sang might be my fave DPD; those razor clams in black bean sauce and the typhoon crab 🤤

SF alone has lots of good spots. Yank Sing for DimSum (I hit every time as soon I get off the plane, but probably unecessary since you seem to be HK-based 😂 ).

Corey Lee's Monsieur Benjamin & Benu are both top notch. Josh Skene's Saison and Angler both faves as well. Quince, Commis, Cotogna, Mourad, State Bird Provisions, House of Prime Rib, SPQR...

Animo (Sonoma) & Charter Oak (Napa) should be a good start

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Epicurus's avatar

Thank you. Added to my lists!

Yeah, live in HK, but spend a few months in Bay Area for work each year. Give me a ping on twitter if you're coming to town. (@CaiShenDAO_Eth)

The razor clams are the best here - as well as various snails and other shellfish (geoduck, spicy wine cooked snails, mantis (pissing) shrimp). The old school DPD are dying out, but a lot of them have migrated indoors, a lot of the historical tea houses and cha chaan teng died out during the pandemic as well, but you'll always find a decent milk tea and pineapple bun whenever you come to the city.

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BowTiedOctopod's avatar

Which DPD are your faves? Seafood is just so good over there 🤤

Pineapple Bun and HK French Toast are elite; ironically best HK french toast I had was in Shenzhen at Sun Fat Roast Meats.

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Epicurus's avatar

The best HK French Toast I had was actually at Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market - buy the seafood there, take it to the restaurant to cook up, and at the end, they bring up a big plate of deep fried cubes of peanut butter HK french toast with condensed milk and butter heaped all over it. Was just there last weekend.

Sing Heung Yuen is famous for instant noodles in tomato soup, but I'm not a huge fan - the "crispy buns" with condensed milk and butter are amazing though.

Lan Fong Yuen has the best milk tea, even though they're not technically a DPD anymore. They have the original branch in Central, and one in TST.

Ball Kee for "small fry". Basically get them to fry up something for you - whatever they say is fresh.

Four Seasons Pot Rice or Hing Kee for claypot rice.

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