35588 Mon Apr 11 00:08:32 -0700 2005 6 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 162877 Picked up a bunch of these yesterday; I'd never eaten them before, which is usually good enough for me, plus they're kind of cute. Do any local restaurants serve them? (and in the hands of a chef who understands regional produce, do they taste better than the bitter, muddy aliens that emerged from my fry pan?) In an era in which wild nettles are appearing on pizzas all over town, and even Brussels sprouts have been rehabilitated (usually courtesy of ample butter and bacon), these could be the next trendy accoutrement. Or maybe they're just horrible. They do hang off the rim of a cocktail glass nicely; they remind me of those little plastic monkeys in a barrel. Link: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00214.asp Mon Apr 11 00:08:32 -0700 2005 0 Windy 1 162878 I don't think they are a candidate for trendy, as they are in season for such a brief period of time. On the other hand, my amateur botanist/forager sister back east pickles them, and I think they are a little less offensive that way; so I suppose if pickled can be trendy, they will be. Link: http://eatingchinese.org Mon Apr 11 00:22:46 -0700 2005 162877 0 Gary Soup 2 162885 I used to have a recipe book from the Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC (from some old Book of the Month Club bonus). They had Fiddlehead ferns in there as a great delicacy. Maybe they were drunk when they wrote that section. Don't have the book anymore. Sold it years ago to Mo. Mon Apr 11 01:54:20 -0700 2005 162878 0 oakjoan 1 162891 I was just at Lulu the other night, they have them on a salad. Mon Apr 11 03:40:08 -0700 2005 162877 0 waiter X 1 162900 Zuni serves them. If they were bitter and muddy tasting, they were probably not quite fresh. Mon Apr 11 11:41:53 -0700 2005 162877 0 Robert Lauriston 1 162912 I love fiddlehead fern season at Berkeley Bowl. I boil them and then saute them in butter, leaving them to char a bit at the end so they get a bit crispy. Mon Apr 11 12:58:07 -0700 2005 162877 0 PegS 1 163031 Love fiddleheads. Gotta be fresh. Saute in olive or grapeseed oil with garlic on med-high. Saute till they lightly carmelize. S & P and finish with butter. It screams spring and things to come. BTW, my wife and I are from the East, she from Maine where we would enjoy every spring. Mon Apr 11 21:07:16 -0700 2005 162877 0 Fancy Food Guy