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The Dish 7.24.09
Kelly: How about that new restaurant review blog we added to our bloggers page? It’s called MenuPlease, and it focuses on where to eat in Redding and Shasta County. Pretty good: Good writer, good taste, good judgment. Honest, too. Wow.
Doni: We’ll never tell the writer’s identity. In fact, two things are crucial to an effective restaurant review: honesty and anonymity. This blog has both. Sometimes I read it and wince, because I know it’s speaking the harsh truth, and other times I’m just so happy for a place when the blog nails it in another way, to describe some local, extraordinary restaurant. Already we’ve tried a place we’d never been before, just based upon a recommendation in MenuPlease.
Kelly: Our secret reviewer’s latest post is about Trader Joe’s Gouda with Walnuts. And the one before that is something else you can find at TJ’s. Before that are several take-no-prisoners restaurant reviews. Just keep clicking. It’s a hoot. … How do you pronounce gouda, anyway? I’ll go look it up. Be right back.
Doni: I’ll write while you research. … We’re down to the last two Cooking at the Cascade movies. It was fun (is fun), and as with the first one in January, we learned a lot, and we can take our enlightenment onto the next time. For one thing — and this was sister Beth’s idea — how about if we host a poster contest, so artists can design the next Cooking at the Cascade poster? It’ll be in February. Think love and romance movies.
Kelly: Artistic and creative people are coming out of the woodwork here; bet we’d get a great poster. Beth is very smart about so many things. (You Chamberlain sisters are a high-octane, high-performance quartet, you know it? Hanging around you makes me want to be a more creative, artistic, energetic person.) Can the winning poster also be on postcards and advertising? We better get started PDQ. It’s almost August. Tonight’s Cascade movie is “Eat Drink Man Woman,” a comedy about three sisters and their dad the chef. I’ve never seen it but the previews look funny. Our guest mixologist is from Maritime Seafood and Grill, and the guest chef is from Thai Bistro. Can’t wait to learn something from them. … OK, gouda is pronounce “goo-dah.” Click here, then click the little megaphone icon, to hear the dictionary pronounce it. You probably knew how already.
Doni: Yes, I knew Gouda rhymes with Buddha, but hey, it’s a food term, so I’m supposed to know. Tell you what I don’t know: gardening. I’m a lousy farmer. My little balcony planters fried last week.
My fault. I didn’t water them for two days — two of the hottest days. So far I’ve spent like $100 on vermiculite and peat moss and those little moisture beads, not counting tomato, basil, sage and chive plants. And the water. I give up. I’m leaving summer produce production to the professionals. I’ll stick to the farmers markets. But I know you’re dying to tell me, so I’ll ask … how is your garden?
Kelly: Parts of it do well if I give it a drink twice a day in this heat. Want to see what I grew from seeds? These photos are from yesterday.
Kelly: My stars! What is that?
Doni: My tomato plant. Sorry it’s blurry, but no-seeums - vicious little #&%+!* biters - swarm at dusk out here in Igo, so I was swatting insects with one hand while trying to hold the camera steady in the dwindling light with the other. But you get the idea: Kelly’s tomatoes - Doni’s tomatoes. One of these things is not like the other … sing along …
Kelly: If it makes you feel any better, apparently I’m growing a herd of leaf-cutters, too. Look how they’ve munched away the edges of the mint. I have a ton of strawberry vines running across my backyard. Stampedes of slugs like them. My watermelon and cantaloupe vines put out a lot of blossoms but no evidence of actual melons. Slugs again? I’m a novice. Maybe someone will tell me what it all means. And what to do.
Doni: Have you tried setting out trays of beer for your slugs? They’ll die a happy death and you’ll have fewer slugs eating your garden. But I can’t believe your photos, Kelly. Oh my gosh. I’m so impressed! I don’t see munch marks. I see green, healthy plants. Good job. Lucky for me there are so many farmers market choices. There’s even a little farmers market in Igo that represents the Igo/Ono area, which is very sweet and small, but has lots of merchandise: plants, produce, fresh eggs, I even saw some live chickens for sale. It’s on Thursdays, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. And there’s one in Cottonwood Friday afternoon and evening, and of course the Redding Certified Farmers Market at the City Hall on Saturday mornings.
Kelly: And remember the one at Turtle Bay on Sunday mornings, too. And Anderson’s Thursday market. And the one at Redding’s MarketFest on Thursdays. Oh, just click here for the whole list. I like visiting the farmers markets and seeing everybody I know. But I enjoy my own gardening, too. It’s meditative. I sprinkle that juicy, cool water on the fruits and veggies and flowers and tell them to hang in there until I return in the evening. Gardening feels just like writing, only with fewer complications. Just weeding and tending and pruning. Planting seeds. Discarding twigs. Editing. I’m editing my garden.
Enough of that. How is your delightful young Czech house guest?
Doni: Pavel leaves in a couple of days. It’s been fun, and having him here has gotten us reacquainted with the north state’s wonders. We’ve seen it all: Mountains, lakes, trails, In ‘n Out, Giff’s Ugly Burger, La Cabana, Lassen Peak, Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Dam, Ross’ Dress for Less (he LOVES the Quicksilver shirts!), the 99 Cent Store … One thing, his five weeks here convinced us that maybe we do need to build a little guesthouse after all, since we have a one-bedroom house, and the only thing the divides our bedroom from the rest of the house is a set of curtains. That’s fine when it’s just the two of us …
Kelly: But if you want to, um, howl at the moon, and you have a guest sleeping 20 feet away and no door, I can see how it could be furtive and funny awkward.
Doni: Er, moving on… Cultural differences are interesting. For example, although Pavel was terrific help, he told us that in the Czech Republic, most guys sit on the couch and watch football and the women do all the work around the house. Cooking, cleaning, bringing the beer. I’d last five minutes.
Kelly: Me too. I don’t mind doing those things occasionally, but don’t go around expecting it, pal. Big mistake.
Doni: And other little things, like in the Czech Republic, men go through a door before women, a holdover from the days when men were the protectors and assessed a place’s danger level before the women could enter.
Kelly: I can appreciate that strategy. I did notice that Pavel picked up on our opposite get-the-door-for-you custom instantly, though. He is a very polite young man. And may I say, I like it that men feel protective and safety-conscious, whether it’s walking on the outside of the sidewalk or never sitting with their backs to the door or walking us to our car after dark. God knows there’s no shortage of tigers and mastodons weirdos and freaks in the world. I’m a pretty self-sufficient grownup and safety-minded, too, but I don’t mind having back-up. Makes me feel cherished. There. I said it and I’m glad.
Doni: Speaking of weirdos, I’ve been thinking about the horrible story about the three teens who torched a cat just for fun. First they lured the cat to them with tuna. Then they set the poor creature on fire. In some ways I hope the authorities don’t release the kids’ names because so many people are so riled up that those three teens could be in a heap of danger. (I know, some people think that would be a good thing.)
Kelly: Don’t get me started. That kind of animal cruelty is a frequent indicator of psychopathic behavior and it’s a good thing these cretins were caught early before they start setting homeless people on fire. It would merely be a matter of time.
Doni: I have the perfect punishment: Community service at Chic and Bob Miller’s Bella Vista Farms animal sanctuary, helping care for their 600 animals. One, Chic wouldn’t coddle them. Two, they could see firsthand what happens to animals that are abandoned, abused and neglected. A person would have to be pretty far gone to not be touched by those animals. Working there might be the best thing that ever happened to those kids. Besides, Chic and Bob could use the help, as always.
Kelly: Bonus: Maybe the goats would chomp on the kids. That would be taking a bite out of crime.
Doni: Oh, brother, your puns are worse than Bruce’s. My gosh, I have nightmares about what would happen to all those animals when Chic and Bob move on to that great sanctuary in the sky. Lord, please let a kabillionaire take Bella Vista Farms on as a pet project. Sooner than later.
Kelly: Meantime, remember, there’s a way to help from the comfort of your air-conditioned house, too. Click here to see how.
Hey, let’s wrap up here and get busy with the rest of our day. Cooking at the Cascade starts at 7 sharp tonight, and we have a few things to do. Which reminds me, we must remember to encourage everyone who comes to put their names in for the drawing to win a Big Green Egg grill-smoker-bbq miracle machine from Backyard Destinations. That’s one heck of a giveaway during our grand finale next week. I know how much you love your Egg.
Doni: I do love my Egg!. Last night we made hamburgers and Bruce used the Jack Daniels wood chips. I think they were the best hamburgers I’ve ever had. I do need to finish watching the Big Egg video, though.
Kelly: OK, see you backstage, chica. But Doni, don’t we have six tickets to give away for tonight’s Cooking at the Cascade? How about this: The first six people who leave a comment with a gardening tip will have a ticket waiting for them at the Cascade tonight.
Doni: That’s a deal. And I’m so glad you remembered. Oh, with those gardening tips please leave your first and last names so we can pass them on to the Cascade’s will-call staff. See you tomorrow night at the Cascade.
1,166 views
Love The Dish - It would hardly be Friday without it now. My best gardening tip is to go to the farmers market. I’m not one who finds gardening to be therapeutic and the plant kingdom must somehow know that. The first time I planted tomatoes years ago, I wanted to maximize my odds by putting some in pots and some in the ground. Out of six plants, I got one tomato - total, not even per plant!. It wasn’t until after that debacle that I learned you have to pick off those grubby looking worms that eat the leaves. That’s just one example, so I’m happy and grateful to support the people who know what they’re doing and have the tomatoes and other great produce to show for it.
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Hello
I’d love to see the “Dishes” do the Cascade tonight.
break a leg.
Ron
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Sorry, forgot my tip: always prepare the ground well. If you are doing raised bed gardening, put down a semi-permeable barrier to hold the moisture in, thus reducing the amount of watering needed in our “droughtful” times.
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Never a dull moment with you two !! Thanks for sharing, caring and continuing to make us smile !
Kate
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Sorry, I will have to miss tonight’s Cooking at the Cascade. I know nothing of gardening. Heck, I just realized the little gnats flying around came from me putting COMPOST instead of POTTING SOIL in my house plants. Trust me, I will never make that mistake again.
Kelly, I wanted to thank you for the link to the dictionary with the voice. I had to change my online dictionary preference. I have never heard the word Gouda sound sexy before!
Wish I could be there tonight, you two have fun. Darcie
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Kelly your tomatoes are gorgeou!
We have some this year too. We have no soil, just pots…all decking and concrete in our yard.
But for those using pots…also fine for house plants…
use a round coffee filter in the bottom of the pot before you add the soil. It keeps the dirt from filtering out the hole in the bottom of the pot but will still let the water in and out . Neat .
See you tonight!
Pam
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Jennifer Jewell Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I love this coffee filter tip - never heard it before and I will definitely try it out and mention it on my program - In a North State Garden - cool.
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pam Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
PS
Pam Baugh is the Pam who gave the tip about flower pot liners.
Bon apetite!
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Doni and Kelly,
My gardening tip. We also have slugs and they love our Hostas. We put a little strip of copper around the plant with the edge up and the snails don’t like to cross over it. We also like the little tuna can of beer idea. It’s amazing how those slugs love beer .
I hope I’m in time to win a free ticket. Thanks, Sandy Tincher
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Palo Cedro has a new Farmer’s Market just next door to Little Filly’s Pizza place. Wednesday afternoon 3:30 to 6:30. It’s not large. Also, Simonis’ has opened an Organic Farm Stand with lots of produce. It is located on Old 44, east of Deschutes Road and Cow Creek in Palo Cedro. You should check out the gigantic gardens they are putting in! Gardening tip: raised beds…make sure you cover bottom with wire before filling with your growing mixture. It will help keep the gophers from eating your onions and garlic. Would love a ticket if you have any left. Loved last weeks food demo.
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Kelly/Doni
The MenuPlease restaurant reviews are obviously written by an articulate, thoughtful writer but if I had only the reviews of Jack’s and The Post Office to guide me, I would have missed out on great food and countless good times.
My favorite at Jack’s is the New York steak… always perfect. The bench seats are lumpy, it’s dark and the bathrooms are dingy… right, we’re not in Denny’s anymore.
The Post Office has near perfect fries… and a terrific open face, rib eye sandwich. I like that I’m served so much salad I can’t keep it on my plate.
I would like help with what’s good to eat at our local restaurants so I can get the most for my money.
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OK, so far tonight’s Cooking at the Cascade will-call winners are:
Marilyn Traugott
Tammy Douse
Pam (we need your last name - which you can either leave here or email to us at anewscafe@gmail.com)
Ron Taylor
Sandy Tincher
We have one remaining ticket. Did we miss someone?
Congrats! See you all tonight!
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Tammy D Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Doni,
Thanks for the ticket. Linda McBride will be using it and she will ask for it under Tammy Douse. Thanks again. Love your food demos and the movies.
Tammy
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Doni Greenberg Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
That’ll work fine.
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Hi guys! Would love a ticket!
My tip:
When your tomatoes need support, ditch the cages and use regular twine and posts. Wood post in the ground, wrap twine in a web like fashion between the posts. Cheap, easy and easy to add more support as the plants grow. Does not damage the vines and is all recyclable when you are done! Also easier to reach through to harvest
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Whomever is hiding behind the nom de plume in the restaurant blog you mentioned needs to get his/her nose out of the air a few degrees so that he/she can see what he/she is writing about. The comments about Jack’s and The Post Office were hatchet jobs, pure and simple. Mike (the bartender at Jack’s) serves drinks. He does not get you down on the floor and force a bottle of evil liquid between your reluctant lips. Eating dinner in the alcoholic haze this person describes is his/her decision. Sometimes steaks at Jack are better than other times. That will happen in any steakhouse.
The Post Office is a bar. It also serves food, but it is primarily a bar. It has entertainment on weekends and it gets loud. If you want a quieter bar, go elsewhere to someplace where the owner is not paying for your entertainment.
And why don’t you let us know who you are? It is easy to take potshots if you can hide out and not worry about return fire.
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Femme de Joie Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Dearest Dugan,
As noted above, anonynymity is essential when writing restaurant reviews. Otherwise as soon as the reviewer is seated in The House O’ Good Eats, the maitre ‘d will be pressing bottles of Vueve Cliquot and tins of beluga and crystal dishes of petits-fours upon her to ensure a good review. I’m sure a man of your distinction & prestige can understand the temptation - perhaps you too have been offered a slice of pate de foie gras in exchange for your countenance to beam upon someone! - yet we must rise above the fray and cling to our high moral standards! Bribery will not work!
And as noted in the first entry, all reviews are the personal opinion of Mlle. de Joie. Rightly or wrongly, she calls it as she sees it. Though Mlle. de Joie feels that Jack’s is the most overrated restaurant in Redding, she does not believe for one millisecond that it will suffer a loss of business due to her review.
Snooty? Why sir, you know not of which you speak. Heaven knows Mlle. de Joie is fond of tuna casserole, a homely dish spurned by the masses. She firmly draws the line at Tuna Helper, though. She has her standards, low though they might be.
Keep those cards and letters!
Love,
Femme de Joie
P.S. Is it true the orginal Dugan Salad was named after you?
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Jon Lewis Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Keep those cards and letters and do what, exactly?
Ah, but it is such fun to be clever and think ever so highly of one’s self, n’est-ce pas?
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Femme de Joie Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Dearest Jon,
Mlle de Joie does not think any higher of herself than anyone else, but she can hardly help it that others do.
Love,
Femme de Joie
Hal Johnson Reply:
July 25th, 2009 at 12:41 am
“The comments about Jack’s and The Post Office were hatchet jobs, pure and simple.” Huh? I can’t comment on The Post Office; I’ve never eaten there. But I thought the comments about Jack’s were spot-on.
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I’m excited about the Restaurant Review Blog, I’ve always said Redding needs a restaurant critic! Look forward to reading it.
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Femme de Joie Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
*blushing*
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Andrea Charroin Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Patricia Wells, Ruth Reichl, AA Gill, and Michael Bauer to name a few are all restaurant critics that do not hide behind the curtian of anonynymity . While I value a educated opinion of our local restaurants, I would respect the opinions of a writer that provided their name, to back up their insights. The days of Ruth Reichl wearing fake noses and wigs to keep the chefs from treating her differentley are long gone. Today for a restaurant to have any measure of success, all customers need to be treated like a New York Times food critic.
All restaurants need to be reviewed in the contex of which they are presented. If I ate at Applebees would I expect the same meal that I would receive at Jean-Georges Vongerichten? No.
Redding has a few restaurants that have their charms, remember to be respectful to your readers, and importantly to the restaurants you review.
Regards, and Bon Appitete!
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Femme de Joie Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Thank you, Andrea, for a thoughtful and non-flaming comment. However, Mlle. de Joie prefers to stay behind her veil and nom de plume. She has lived and dined here long enough to know that a few restauranteurs recognize her as a long-time customer. If she were to reveal her name, much less her picture, she runs the risk of being treated differently - for better or worse - than other customers. This will not an impartial review make.
Not that Mlle. de Joie believes this blog has the power to greatly influence how well or poorly a business fares. She doesn’t. The marketplace, with its foibles and inexplicable twists, will take care of that. She does hope that people will expand their dining horizons and eating habits, support new and local endeavors, and show worthy restaurants how much they are appreciated by patronizing them.
Cordially,
Femme de Joie
My garden tip is: Stay out of the garden after noon. Oh well, I don’t go out in the evening anyway. Your tomatoes look wonderful, Kelly. Something is chewing on my tomato leaves, but I don’t see any bugs at all;must be some bug that comes out after dark. Your idea, Doni, of sending those cat killers to Miller’s farm, is a good one. They really need some training in compassion. How that poor cat must have suffered!
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Love all the happy gardening in today’s Dish, ladies - my children and I made vats of salsa today - with tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions from our garden - the cilantro came from farmer’s market. As for Restaurant Reviewers - did you read Ruth Reichl’s memoir Garlic and Sapphires? fascinating. Keep on dishing - and gardening
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Thanks for that reply Femme. I really get where you are coming from now. It is true, here in a small city like Redding, you would be recognized as a frequent diner and thus treated differently. I see the reasoning behind staying behind the curtain so to speak. I look forward to your insightful reviews and sharing new and exciting places with us.
Regards,
Bakerslove
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I look forward to the dish. I believe this year’s garden, despite my care, is the saddest looking bunch of vegetation I have ever seen. However, the little sprig of coleus my sister gave me last year became a thriving, robust cascade of gorgeosity. Oh and the basil I planted in a pot looks pretty good since I water it every day.
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I for one love Mlle. de Joie’s reviews and think they are clever, insightful and fair, and while I don’t always share her opinion I do always respect it. What she says is cleary well thought-out and not malicious in the least and if the restaurant provides good food and service, that will be reported just as readily as poor service and food will be.
We all get why she’s behind a veil. Stayed hidden and keep reviewing, Mlle. de Joie!
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Femme de Joie Reply:
July 25th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Grazie.
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Matt Reply:
July 25th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Prego.
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New reader to this site here.
Perhaps I’m too late to win tickets, but here’s my tip(s).
Beer works good for the slugs, but my dog keeps drinking it. Better, way better, is coffee grounds. What news junkie doesn’t have any of that? Just sprinkle it around the base of the plants and water it in. Keep adding it as you collect it, and it will help improve the soil as it repels slugs.
You deal with the bugs right from the beginning by planting plenty of colorful flowers in with your produce. Marigolds work well, as they produce natural pyrethrin that repels some insects. More importantly, the colorful flowers attract bees and hornets. You want the bees to pollinate anyway, but the hornets go after the bugs that you do not want. I haven’t seen a tomato worm in many years.
You also want to attract hummingbirds, who eat some bugs, but only if you don’t spoil them with one of those feeders. Colorful flowers again, and skip the feeder that you have to keep filling all the time anyway.
Lose the green waste bin, and make your own compost. Cut the bottom off one of those old metal trash cans, and you have a bottomless container that when placed and filled with the big side down, will lift right off when the batch is “cooked.”
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Jay - Great garden tips (upside-down can, brilliant engineering!), thanks, and welcome to anewscafe.com.
Jennifer - I planted my garden right after your radio show on home gardening in the spring. You inspired me.
Pam - Coffee filters. Perfect solution. Why didn’t I think of that?
Mlle. Femme de Joie - I raise my glass to you and your honest opinions. Keep ‘em coming.
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Loving Menu Please, and will definitely try Ortega’s. Also will enjoy the “experience” of Jack’s like we have forever. The articles are amusing and offer 1? 2? opinions. Guess I should be insulted about the Enterprise comments…really folks get a sense of humor. Using aka makes good sense.
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Speaking as an owner of a new restaurant (soon to be opened), I would rather not know the identity of any restaurant critics. Frankly, disappointing someone, anyone, is going to affect our business. While certainly Femme de Joie has a wide audience, any disatisfied customer will also tell his/her coworkers, friends, loved ones about the experience. Every single customer who walks in our door is a critic! As am I when I go out to enjoy a meal.
I believe Femme de Joie gives enough information though, that one can decide whether that is a basis to avoid a restaurant. When I read a movie review, the things the critic picks apart (a happy ending or big ol’ rampaging dinosaurs, for example), are just the things that will make me want to check it out. And sometimes the things they rave about? Those can be the things that make me shudder and want to avoid completely.
So Femme de Joie, keep on writing, but give lots of detail - love that! And if/when you visit our place, well, you’re just another customer. Which is how we all want it.
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Great read ladies. Your slug problem reminded me of my slug problem, to which I wrote this poem (and got an A) in the from of GUNGA DIN:
Ariolimax Californicus
The trail you leave does fright
Suddenly appear O’ night
‘cross my greens and turf you’d been before
You are busy as a bee
as you clench apon my tree
Suckling precious fluids like a whore
By dawn you disappear
like a tine wet vampir’
your assault apon my leaves I shant ignore
You do war without a home
Unlike your cousin sheathed in bone
At least you won’t become fresh escargot
You must surely, surely die
Cause of you I often breathe a heavy sigh
I seek you out by day
To find your sleepy lay
But, you elude me like a quickly passing fly
Your photo tacked apon my wall
Until your death I will befall
At least for this days end it’s free you seem
You might have had a chance
If your colors were inhanced
Maybe even if your slime was milky cream
But GOD made you with less
Than he did the rest of es’
Still somehow you smugley win the bout
I wish that you had ears
So I could ask about your fears
I would use my new found facts to cast you out
You must surely, surely die
I carve your casket from a twig, oh why, oh why
Do you only buy one boot
For you travel on one ffot
Without hands it must be difficult to tie
It’s odd to be herm-aph-rodite
Love makin’ must be quite a sight
Foreplay for you significant I doubt
Mucus covered entity
I can never let you be
I hear your fancy for the German stout
So I tip some bowls of beer
And I place them ‘ere and there
You can’t refuse free booze, you’re from French Gulch
I plan to find you splayed
besides the bowls for you I’ve lay’d
Dead drunk on your back right atop my mulch
You must surely, surely die
I hope to find you passed from this last try
I seek you out by night
with aid from candle light
I must cast my eyes on you before you die
I moil both high and low
As I creep how do you know?
I will never ever cease to stop your plight
I’d ask you nicely if i’d help
But my voice is badly whelped
Fron the curses and the yells that I gave flight
My heart is all a flutter
From the stress you put me ‘utter
I start to think that I may pass before
How can I let you win?
After all I am hu-man
Far bet-ter than you I must implore
You must surely, surely die
In olive oil and pan you’ll doomed to fry
What’s this my chest I clench
As I slip besides the bench
As I go I finally see you crawling by
You’re much smaller than I thought
I far les’ numbers than I sought
Don’t grieve for me I kilt myself with hate
My form of suicide
As you look at me I died
Your beady eyes blink twice as I pass fate
I think you cracked a smile
As I lay ‘ere for a while
Could I see you show a glimpse of victory
As I expel my breathe for last
An evil curse on you I cast
So I can haunt from beyond my end you’ll see
Seems I will surely, surely die
One more chance to squash you I wish I could buy
You’ve won my garden fair and square
My dying posture spots your lair
I pray there are none of you in the sky
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