What's one thing you've never eaten that you wish you could try RIGHT NOW?

[tatamagouche]

I'd never heard of picarones until about a minute ago. Now I'm frothing at the mouth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picarones

You?

[buttertart]

Today's answer: chewy Turkish ice cream. I undeerstand it's not available in the States.

[luckyfatima]

I have seen this black eyed pea batter deep fried seafood street-food sandwich thingy on TV. It is from Brazil, it is called acaraje. It looks SOOOO good. If I had loads of money I would fly to Brazil just to try one.

[Passadumkeg]

A truly good tasting, rich and creamy lite beer. Right up there with the passenger pigeon, dodo and mammoth.

[1stand3rd]

I've always wanted to try a durian. It can't be that bad, can it?

[sukishanti]

Iberico ham
ramps
roasted marrow bones
Dom Perignon

[NicoleFriedman]

Chocolate pudding fruit (black sapote). I saw Andrew Zimmern try it in Australia- why oh why can't we import these fruits to NY?

[kattyeyes]

I lalready earned on these boards that avocado in one language is known as "butter fruit"--don't even tell me something called chocolate pudding fruit exists. I feel safer knowing they are far from me in Australia. ;)

[NicoleFriedman]

It's actually supposed to be low in fat and calories. :}

[mcsheridan]

Pressed pork belly as seen on "The F Word". omg.

[kattyeyes]

I ordered a deep-fried hot dog this weekend, thinking it would be a batter-coated dog. Alas, it was just cooked in the deep fryer, didn't taste any different from any other "traditionally prepared" dog, was topped with chili I didn't like in a plain ol' bun (not grilled and buttered as a proper dog should be). What a disappointment!

Now I wish I could try a REAL beer-battered/fried dog. Bet it would be terrific...and something I would only eat infrequently, of course! Has this been done? I want to hear from one of those corners of the world where they deep fry everything--this has to have hit someone's radar by now.

[alkapal]

kattyeyes, you cravin' a carnival corn dog, girl?

[kattyeyes]

I suppose that would do it, huh? I was just so underimpressed with the deep-fried dog. It's not just the act of being stuck in a Fryalator--it's gotta have batter. Like butter, batter makes it better!

[alkapal]

katteyes, i guess you'll just have to "diy."

how about this "atomic dog" <corndog stuffed with a slaw made with sriracha>? i'd like to eat this RIGHT NOW! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/556231
i wonder if one could re-dip in batter and fry up the whole slaw-stuffed dog -- if the slaw were sort of "dry"? hmmmmm.

EDIT: solution for stray slaw problem. wrap egg roll wrapper around slaw-stuffed dog. THEN deep fry. now i guess the corn dog batter is moot, huh? UNLESS one wraps in the egg roll wrapper, then dips in batter, then deep fries.

oh, the agony. my arteries are screamin!
~~~~~
here's some corn dog info: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/557919
(someone on the thread suggested frying shrimp up the "corndog" way. hmmm...it's hard to go wrong with any fried shrimp concepts, in my book).

[kattyeyes]

Bow-wow-wow-yippee-yo-yippee-yaay--I, too, could go for an atomic dog a little later on today! The whole deep-fry deal is best left outside my home, though, so I can stick to enjoyiing it sparingly. Those shrimp sound excellent, BTW, yum!

Know what I did enjoy yesterday that I'd never had before? A crunchy duck roll--duck tempura (YOWZA!) with julienned cucumber and romaine stuffed in the wrapper with the rice, drizzled with eel sauce. THAT was something!

[ginael]

Pho

[ptrichmondmike]

Babas au rhum...I read about it and it looks utterly delicious. Anyone ever tried it?

[Niki in Dayton]

Yes, many times. The best version ever was from an Italian bakery in Philadelphia, close to the Italian Market area.

[Gio]

Baba au Rhum was my mother's very favorite pastry and mine too. Really no written description does it justice but it kinda sorta tastes like a cloud of sponge cake deeply soaked in rum. Some I have tasted have had a bit of pastry cream inserted into the middle. But it's truly a confection of the gods. Lovely with a cup of espresso... which enhances all pastry in my mind.

[stricken]

I agree with Pata Negra... I was thinking fugu! I also keep hearing how veggies and fruit are amazing straight from the ground or tree. I like to have something within 5 seconds of picking. alos Kobe.

[Pata_Negra]

i've had many things mentioned here.... but _right now_ as in the thread's full title it would be fugu sashimi. in Vietnam i almost had a snake course [including its beating heart, blood ect] but the 'shop''s hygiene was questionable for such a meal i decided perhaps next time for sure lol.

[aforkcalledspoon]

I know without even trying one that the lobster roll will be my holy grail of soft, white, briny sweetness. I torture myself by googling pictures all the time.

[kattyeyes]

Bummer for you in San Diego. How 'bout we trade locations? I live 30 minutes from the land of the hot, buttered lobster roll but wish I could be a California girl. ;) If you ever get to CT, my mom is queen of the lobster roll lovers and recommends these places HIGHLY! Add these locations to your fantasy dining--Lobster Landing is her top pick.

-----
Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale
86 Boston Post Rd, Westbrook, CT 06498

Lobster Landing
152 Commerce St, Clinton, CT 06413

Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale
1301 Boston Post Rd, Madison, CT 06443

[aforkcalledspoon]

thank you thank you. My two children have already been named and I will not tolerate another assault on mind and body aka pregnancy, but I will name a four legged friend for you once I cross the threshold of lobster roll joy!

[Cinnamon]

Yes, yes it will be. I would start with the real thing, in the real place, and take careful notes.

[tracylee]

Uni - I've mentioned it before when someone posted that their tastes in seafood were similar to mine. Still haven't gotten to it, and it isn't on the dollar sushi menu on Sunday evenings.

My SO and I spent the day making virtual sushi for my world "SushiBar" in ActiveWorlds, and I found a fantastic uni picture to make the sushi object for. As soon as we had it on the sushi bar, my first thought was - I really need to try this stuff!

Disclaimer - yeah, I'm a geek, and I'm weird!

[alkapal]

tracylee, can we see your virtual sushi?

[Cinnamon]

That sounds good - I'm virtually starving right now, and it's barely 9:30 in the morning.

[alkapal]

funny one, there, cinnamon!

[tracylee]

alkalpal, I took a snapshot of it. Just got it up on shelves today instead of spread all over the bar:

http://www.sushikats.com/web_images/i...

[kattyeyes]

Weird or geeky, I just don't care. That is some very cool virtual sushi! :)

[tracylee]

LOL, we pretty much qualify as both wierd and geeky! And thanks, it's been a fun project! The circles on the lower left are hand-rolls, and I realized after I took the picture that I should have shifted one a bit to see the seaweed cone.

[alkapal]

thanks tracylee, that is fun! (and i'll bet it tastes better than my trader joe's "sushi"
;-).

[kattyeyes]

"Tastes great, less filling!" :)

[buttertart]

Uni is the most marvelous seafood taste imaginable. It tastes like nothing else on earth. And the texture is divine.

[AngelSanctuary]

Oooh this might take a while.

Venison
Buffalo (or was I thinking of moose...)
Balut
Those ridiculously expensive caviar
Okay, pretty much any meat I have never eaten
A wild mushroom
White truffles (or black truffles for that matter, like in shaved pieces I've only have black truffles in soups and sauces)
Good macarons!!!
Okonomiyaki

[aea6574]

I was in Japan many years ago and had Kobe one night which was incredible. The next night we were at a Chinese place having dinner and someone said they should have ordered the "black dog" the day before as it is even better then Kobe.

Ever since then I have thought that I need to try that someday, but I really do not know if it is even true, I have not really read anything about it.

Anyone Know?

[alanbarnes]

After following this thread for four days, I finally had a "DOH" moment.

Poutine's right up there near the top of the list, but others got there first. On the other hand, for years I've been keeping an eye out for, but not actively searching out, huitlacoche. Prepared traditionally by someone who knows what s/he's doing.

Yep, that's it. Huitlacoche. When Soop gets over here, we'll hunt it down.

[Wahooty]

Oooh...had my first huitlacoche about a month ago in Chicago. Yum.

[moh]

Two things come to mind, one sweet, one savoury:

1. Pierre Hermes Macarons - I have been trying to finagle a trip to Paris ever since Miss Needle rhapsozied about these beauties in another thread. They look so beautiful, and the flavours he offers are so interesting. I love macarons, and I would love to try the cream of the crop.

2. Really good quality ramen from a specialized shop in Japan: I grew up on instant ramen, and I grew to hate the stuff after one too many lunches. But I adore noodles, and the thought of eating hand made noodles in a shop specializing in ramen, with really delicious broth and fun toppings - well this sounds like a fantasy. I've now had good ramen from not-so authentic shops in Montreal, but I would really love to try the real McCoy. I want to taste the difference.

[pinkprimp]

That is EXACTLY my list!!!!!!!

[kirinraj]

Venado Pibil
rabbit
also offal. my family won't eat it, and i cant cook them just for 1

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

braised pork belly.

[kattyeyes]

Aha, so you are feeling better today. :) I was just going to inquire on the other thread where we are still discussing what soup you should eat to fight a cold. HA HA!

[Ruth Lafler]

BTW, I've had picarones -- pretty good! If you can get as far as San Francisco, tatamagouche, I know where you can get them.

[tatamagouche]

Woohoo! I haven't been there in 8 years. Long overdue for a return.

[MysticYoYo]

Poutine. I heard that even the McDonald's in parts of Canada serve it, but I would love to try traditional poutine.

Korean barbecue. Have heard raves about it but have never tried it.

[maplesugar]

If you ever go to Montreal you can try non-traditional poutine like the ultra rich version at Au Pied du Cochon or go to any Mom & Pop restaurant and get thick cut fries, an abundance of white cheese curds and gravy(If you've got cholesterol concerns share with a friend or two).

McDonald's in Montreal and in parts of Ontario (not across country as far as I can tell) does still serve poutine but it's made with processed cheese curds, and the fries are to skinny and the gravy is watery, and without a trace of real beef as far as I can tell - not the same as the real thing.

Photo of a traditional poutine:

[Sam Fujisaka]

Squeezle stew (What Bourdain had in highland north Vietnam. It turned out to be porcupine).

[Vetter]

Authentic Southern BBQ. A plate of each well-loved regional style.

Oooh-- and then those famous rose-lychee macarons from Paris.

[Veggo]

A pan of baked, stuffed passenger pigeons with a Jaffa orange glaze and cranberry chutney.

[cuccubear]

That's a very specific order Veggo, how long have you had this craving? :-)

[Veggo]

From the moment I learned they are extinct, around the fourth grade. We all want what we can't have...
The goopy stuff I learned here on Chowhound.

[cuccubear]

Understood...for a minute I thought I was missing out.
I’m beginning to crave roasted Dodo with banana leaf pesto, but I best just put it out of my mind...

[tatamagouche]

Yes! I want BBQ mammoth ribs!

Wonder which style of sauce would go best with them. I'm thinking Carolina.

[cayjohan]

Mammoth ribs! I feel like I'm reading Auels's "Earth Children" series! But wow the descriptions of mammoth in those books? Sounds delicious. Or maybe hunger and need makes it so. Cay

[KaimukiMan]

someone has been watching the Flintstones.... would you like a bronto burger with that? How about some fried archaeopteryx? Marinated overnight in mastadon milk before it is fried in tyrannosaurus fat.

[Passadumkeg]

Thew Ruskkies got 'em. When the wooly mammoth exhibit traveled outside the USSR to Helsinki in the 80's, I learned that the mammoths had been frozen in the permafrost for 12000 +- years and some of the discoveres cooked and are some of the meat. Can this be true? It was told to me by a wise old Russian.

[cuccubear]

Right now? I’d have to say Kheer. I just finished a spicy lunch and I have this idea Kheer would be so soothing to my palate.

[Karl S]

Ortolan

http://www.ecis.com/~alizard/ortolan_...

[jmckee]

Ceviche.

[ktb615]

I've been dying for a taste of "still-beating-cobra-heart".

[KaimukiMan]

A Cuban sandwhich
A New England Lobster Roll
Argentine Beef
Deep Fried Twinkie
Fried Green Tomatoes

[tatamagouche]

*You* haven't had a Cubano or a lobster roll? Somehow that surprises me.

Get thee to Neptune Oyster in the North End of Boston for the latter.

Still, though, some of y'all are massively cheating! You have to pick the *one thing* that's got a hold of you *right now.* So typical of Chowhounds to refuse to limit your possibilities. :)

[KaimukiMan]

Well, you know how it is. Sitting there relaxed, just had a decent meal at home. Suddenly someone says, what would you have if you could, suddenly you think of things that have been in the back of your mind - next thing you know you just gotta have it, right now!

I have had something they called a Cuban sandwich, but I don't think putting a ham and cheese on a grill press really qualifies. And the thing I once bought at a fair that claimed to be a lobster roll just couldn't be what I have heard people rhapsodizing about in chowhound. To start with it was served on a regular old (stale) hot dog bun and they asked me if I wanted mustard or ketchup on it. I've had fried pickles, but not fried green tomatoes. The two times I had an oportunity, they wanted $5 for two slices, it was a 20 minute wait in line, and I heard people say "those weren't very good".

[Ruth Lafler]

I had fried green tomatoes once, and they were surprisingly tasty. I didn't expect to like them, since I don't really like ripe tomatoes, but they didn't taste anything like tomatoes.

[Jen76]

Fried green tomatoes are so easy to make yourself. I visited a friend in Denver in October. Her garden tomato plants were killed off by frost before the tomatoes ripened. They were full of gorgeous green tomatoes that she was never going to use. I picked them and fried them up. She now has a new favorite recipe. Said she liked them more than ripe tomatoes! They are so good.

[KaimukiMan]

living in a condo I have limited (non-existent?) access to tomato vines, and the grocery store doesn't sell green tomatoes, nor does the farmer's market, at least the times I've been there. They seem destined to remain an elusive target.

[maplesugar]

Do you have a balcony? I have a couple of containers on my deck that do really well.

[Jen76]

Even a sunny window would do. Tomatoes grow nicely in pots, even indoors.

[akq]

I had a pretty good plate of fried green tomatoes from a stand in the Kailua farmer's market (the fancy one on Thursday nights by Longs) a few years ago, FYI. Nice north shore tomatoes, too. YUM.

[EWSflash]

A bunch of big fat Sea of Cortez shrimp, dunked in garlicky butter with salt, pepper and a lot of lime juice, thrown on the grill and basted with a bunch more limones squeezed over it while cooking.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

xio long bao and a cemitas poblana. The latter, I think I will finally try on Friday, the former requires an hour drive. Maybe after the holidays.

[Boccone Dolce]

I bring it up often, but still haven't had it: Mofongo.

[tatamagouche]

Ooh, so good. I miss the Dominican places that used to be near me.

[CoryKatherine]

My BF talks sooo much about all the deep-fried deliciousness he used to have down in Texas. I generally avoid fried food and am sort of a health nut so I'll probably never eat any of this but seriously, chicken-fried steak, deep fried turkey, even deep fried sweets (snickers bars?!?!) sound like.... I don't know what they sound like. But I know I would like it.

[Humbucker]

I have so many that I can't choose just one!

-real Chicago-style deep dish or stuffed pizza
-Cabrales cheese
-dog stew
-squirrel
-moose
-those giant soup dumplings that come with a straw
-Cornish Pasties
-Braunschweiger
-Pavlova
-fresh maple syrup
-fresh duck eggs
-ostrich eggs
-chilaquiles
-gâteau des Rois
-frozen custard

[mrbigshotno.1]

Once you've had a fresh duck egg (plain old over easy w/ salt & pepper) you will love them forever, not taking away from a nice fresh orange yolk chicken egg but this is the way I grade it. Chicken egg=supermarket margerine.
Duck egg= fine europeian butter
And they are superior for baking too.

[Humbucker]

There's a farmer's market near me that sells duck eggs for $0.75 each. I chickened out the last time I saw them (pardon the pun), but this time I'll definitely crack open (sorry, couldn't resist!) my wallet for a couple.

[lynnlato]

I just had a duck egg at Casa Mono in nyc this past wknd. - wow! My favorite dish out of all the ones we had there. It was served sunnyside up over potatoes w/ truffles - amazing!

[Humbucker]

I recently had the chance to try duck eggs. I was disappointed. The white was a different texture, but the yolk was very much like a larger chicken egg yolk; it wasn't really more orange or richer tasting like I had expected.

[Gio]

OMG - I can't believe the only things I've had on your list is:
Fresh Maple Syrup and Frozen Custard. Where on earth have I been?

But I must say.... "Dog Stew" ?????

[Passadumkeg]

My wife has asked that my son's in-laws do not serve us dog stew again at the farm in S. Korea next month. We may be eating nukes instead, the way things are going.

[Gio]

A little bit of positive thinking is needed Passa. Safe trip and safe home!

[Wahooty]

Moose AND Squirrel? Are you sure your name isn't Boris?

For me, morels and ramps. I've never learned to forage, and seem to miss them every year when they're in season and pop up in markets. But my whole life I've been hearing stories about my grandfather's legendary morel-spotting skills, and every year when the weather starts to thaw I start craving these things I've never had...

[Boccone Dolce]

moose & squirrel! I missed that!!! ha!!!!

[Wahooty]

...while I NEVER miss an opportunity to make a Bullwinkle reference. ;)

[Passadumkeg]

Stroke, stroke, stroke, bail, bail, bail. Moose burgers are pretty good as is squirrel stew.

[ktmoomau]

Squirrel pot pie is very tasty I enjoy it.

So many things I haven't eaten:
Bahn Mi
Poutine (from above)

I would love to try fruit from other partsof the world that we don't get a lot of here.
Real Chinese food with someone who knows what to get.
And the dumplings that look like goldfish and the really big soup ones because they are just really cute, and we just don't have good dumplings around DC.

[Wahooty]

So...I have satisfied half of my urge. I have been going to town on ramps this year, and I am wholeheartedly in love. I've done ramp risotto (and arancini from the leftovers, which actually seriously cranked up the rampiness somehow...something to do with holding the aroma captive in a crispy, deep-fried shell), ramps stir-fried in several different configurations involving fiddleheads, shiitakes, shrimp, and varying forms of garlic...but tonight I found ramp nirvana. Tonight I grilled them. I may NEVER go back. And I just started dating a guy who knows where there is a ramp patch, but neither of us has a car. <sigh>

[tatamagouche]

But RIGHT NOW, which is it?

[Humbucker]

Maybe you could just mix them all up in a stew and I could eat that, because I want them all right now!

[buttertart]

Moose...haven't had that for ages, my father used to hunt in Northern Ontario and occasionally bag one. Remember it as being like full-flavored and rather sweeter beef.

[tatamagouche]

Sweeter beef. Ooh, you just made me want it. What I wanted *right now* yesterday is *right now* replaced by moose. This thread could go on into eternity.

[buttertart]

Tenderer than you'd expect, too.

[Ruth Lafler]

Oooh, I want some, too! As long as I don't have to field dress it myself a la Sarah Palin.

[buttertart]

My father's hunting partner was a butcher. Convenient, eh?

[maplesugar]

This is the perfect time of year to strike fresh maple syrup off your list. Most maple syrup producers are in full swing right now. Hot syrup, poured on clean snow and scooped up with the twirl of a stick - nothing like it. http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/er...

[Humbucker]

Unfortunately, there are no sugar shacks near the suburbs of the Silicon Valley.

Who wants to Fedex me a maple sampler? I promise I'll wear my made-in-Canada Roots t-shirt while I indulge!

[maplesugar]

I know a Quebec producer that delivers, if you want her info send me an email (on my profile)

[Ruth Lafler]

If you're in the suburbs of Silicon Valley, you shouldn't have any trouble finding:
-Cabrales cheese
-Braunschweiger
-fresh duck eggs
-chilaquiles

With a little effort you should be able to knock those off your list this weekend.

[Karl S]

Actually, in the Northeast of the USA, the active syrup season is coming to a close if not already closed. It lasts from mid-February to early April. Snow be well gone now from most areas other than mountains and some areas that got heavily slammed this wicked winter.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/nerfc/grap...

[mollyomormon]

An authentic new orleans beignet!

[Glencora]

A conch fritter, please. Abalone would do, too.

[lynnlato]

Conch fritters aren't really much to get worked up over, IMHO. Just a hushpuppy w/ diced sea snail. Now good hushpuppies are definitely worth a little dance!

[tatamagouche]

Ooh, gotta disagree with that. If it's badly made, then yes, it might just be like any other fried clam, oyster, squid, or what have you—a way overbreaded waste of exquisite shellfish. If it's well made, it's a whole different story.

Not that I don't love actual hush puppies right along with you.

[susancinsf]

agreed. and besides, I remember reading somewhere that conch is naturally very high in lithium...and whether true or not, I have felt slightly stoned after eating a lot of conch fritters!

[Cinnamon]

Do they even serve conch fritters in any setting where there isn't a high probability of at least one patron being that way already?

[Passadumkeg]

I was going to say conch burger. Ain't ever had one. Dove for abalone near Santa Maria, Ca in the seventies, though. Had to pound the hell out of it before frying, thugh.

[ms. clicquot]

A chocolate egg cream!

[Boccone Dolce]

Mmmmm report back after you try one. They make me happy- haven't had one in years!

[CoryKatherine]

Cadbury Cream Eggs? I have one every year around this time. Haven't had mine yet this year though. They are unreal but as soon as you're done with it you are DONE. Sugar overload.

[adrienne156]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_cream

[buttertart]

Pasta with too many white truffles for me please.

[invinotheresverde]

Bacon.

I'm a lifelong vegetarian who's never tried it and never will, but jeebs, that stuff smells great!

[JanPrimus]

Better than being a Bacon hater...

Also here is a link for some science....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddri...

[alkapal]

john, you are *serious* about bacon, huh? lol!

[purple goddess]

you're ba-curious... like most vegetarians!

[kattyeyes]

LOLOL!

[huaqiao]

Pig candy.

[cayjohan]

Seared geoduck, hands down. Just have never gotten around to it. (Dang dinner partners!)

Cay

[globalgourmand]

For me, geoduck sashimi. If its available around here (Boston) it seems you usually have to buy the whole clam...?

Actually, I'll try geoduck any way I can get it.

[Niki in Dayton]

Me, too, geoduck (any delicious way at all!) Love every kind of seafood, but one doesn't see geoduck in the midwest....

[cayjohan]

I could get it if I made the effort, as we have a lovely Chinese restaurant a couple of miles away (in MSP, no less) that specializes in seafood and is known-by-those-who-know for their geoduck. I just haven't done it. How sad is that? :-)

Gourmet's "Diary of a Foodie" whipped up this lust for me with one of their first season episodes. Here's a link that might address some of the slicing issues that Glencora and Ruth Lafler bring up below. http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/diaryo...
I think (I could be way wrong) that the show that included this also dealt with eating the clams raw. FWIW.

Cay (right now? yes I want some clams!)

[Glencora]

There's a Japanese seafood market a couple blocks from house. I've seen geoduck there, but somehow I've never had the urge to try it. Sashimi...really? Just slice it up and eat it? I'm kind of scared, but maybe...

[Ruth Lafler]

It's just a clam -- people eat raw clams, don't they? My understanding is that with the larger clams it's important to slice them up the right way depending on the "grain" of various parts of the clam, so there's a bit of skill involved. You don't just open the thing up and hack away.

[mrbigshotno.1]

I would like to try Haggis. I like all kinds of guts, especially the ones in the various Chinatown hot deli's, but my all time favorite is tripas de leche.

[LJS]

What? no easy source of picarones in NS? you shock me!

[tatamagouche]

...NS?

[LJS]

Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia...no? not the reason for your "handle"?

[tatamagouche]

I realized what you meant as soon as I clicked away—no, though I love the eponymous oysters, hence the name, I live in Denver.

Can't get picarones here either.

[LJS]

Oh that is too funny...Tatamagouche is a town 'down the road' from where we live in Nova Scotia in the summer...it is the site of a well-known and very beautiful church retreat. It is definitely NOT a likely source of picarones. In fact, I once visited 5 supermarkets searching for coriander...sigh. Oysters, scallops, lobsters, no problem but don't even think about exotic stuff like dulce de leche, emmenthal, orrechiette...the list is long.

[chineselettuce]

working in the biz i get to try so much stuff but its not the same as getting it at the market or having it served to you. i have cooked for others w/ all types of offal but have only been served it a few times. i love when someone takes something kinda gross and makes it look and taste awesome!

also i grew up in Fl. and Ma. where sea food is a way of life. i always love eating new sea food.

[LJS]

Cassoulet...without the extraordinary trouble of cooking it myself...what if I didn't like it after all that bean/sausage/ duck effort?

[Cachetes]

Banh mi - I've seen pictures, and they always look so good and satisfying. I can be flexible on the fillers. I imagine it will be similar to a Mexican torta, at least in concept. I know they are probably pretty common for a lot of people, especially on the West Coast, but I've never had one yet. And I'm HUNGRY!

[cayjohan]

Get thee a banh mi! Best sandwich ever. Gads, I'm salivating. Who started this insidious thread? <g> Cay

[lynnlato]

Me too, a banh mi. Heard so much about them and haven't yet had one. Also a beautiful bowl of pho. i know I will heart it once i have it but I haven't had it yet. RIGHT NOW would be awesome.

[cayjohan]

You will heart it! I hope my 80-something Dad will heart it as well, as he is coming to visit me this weekend to go to my favorite pho and banh mi place.

If he complains, I will toss today's NYT Dining section toward him, an article therein extolling the virtues of banh mi.

Don't think he'll complain though - he's at an age where everything seems to be right and "right now." I think he's right on.

Now go get yourself a sandwich!

Best,
Cay

[janetms383]

They are nothing like a Torta! And, you have to go to a Vietnamese bakery to get the best because the bread is everything

[Cachetes]

You and cayjohan are inspiring me. I'm going to go on a search for a Vietnamese bakery!

[Cachetes]

Well, I went and did it. I finally tasted my first banh mi sandwich today. It was made with pork, cucumber slices, pickled carrot and daikon and lots of fresh cilantro. And the bread! That and the cilantro made it absolutely delicious. It was precisely why I like Vietnamese food - the mix of textures, the brightness of the flavors of the fresh ingredients mixed with cooked pork.

It was every bit as good as Janet and cayjohan said it would be. Do you think it would be wrong to go back and have another one for dinner?

[EWSflash]

No. Go for it.

[Kelli2006]

Ive never had Banh Mi and they sound delicious.

Someone above mentioned tacos and tamales. Ive had great tacos but tamales elude me.

[Ruth Lafler]

Authentic poutine. Hey, it's lunch time!

[LJS]

Oh, you are so right about poutine...it is to die for (sadly also, 'to die from'!!!)

[choco_lab38]

Me too!
I've actually made it myself--used mailorder cheese curds, a brown sauce and homemade fries (I have to say, I make pretty good frites!) but won't know how it compares to the authentic until I get up to Montreal.
What I REALLY want to try is the foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon...Mmmm

[purple goddess]

yeah. Mine is poutine too.. I just can't help but wonder about thoser "squeaky" curds.. I wish I knew how they translate to something here in OZ, 'cos I'd make it in a second!

[moh]

Purple goddess, the squeaky curds are key! Squeakiness is a sign of very fresh cheese curds. The squeakiness is in sharp contrast to the soft brown gravy and the crispy on the outside, tender on the inside fries. It is truly a dish that appeals to multiple senses...

[maplesugar]

Ruth I'll make you some authentic poutine if you can get me some real tamales :D

[Ruth Lafler]

That's a very tempting offer! But can you get poutine through customs? :-)

[maplesugar]

Maybe but I guess the real thing should be experienced right from the kitchen ...heaven knows fries don't keep.

I'm in Calgary these days and a lot of folks would argue you can't get authentic poutine outside of the province of Quebec. I'd argue that 99% of restaurants outside Quebec can't reproduce the real thing ...but they haven't been to my house ;)

[Ruth Lafler]

I didn't think poutine would travel well.

" ... they haven't been to my house"

Now you're just being a tease! :-)

[alkapal]

ruth, if maplesugar flies in, i'm sure security will consider poutine to be a "liquid or a gel" and promptly confiscate it (for lunch). lol!

[JanPrimus]

Bhut Jolokia...

I know I have a death wish

1,041,427 Scoville

[tatamagouche]

Holy crap! In anything, or just the pepper, plain?

[JanPrimus]

I would love a few of the peppers to play around with...I would try one solo and then in a few days after I am out of the Emergency room I would try to incorporate it into something I love... like Jerk, a salsa,curry or a wing sauce.

Wondering how they taste smoked up vs. fresh.

[chileheadmike]

Just in time for planting season.

http://www.chileplants.com/search.asp...

I buy from them every year. That one may be a bit over my tolerance level though.

[Soop]

I wish I could have proper tamales. And a proper taco.

[janetms383]

poor Soop. You need to visit the USA and make a stop in San Diego! The best Mexican food and very different from TexMex

[ginael]

I respectfully disagree that SD has the best Mexican food. As a seven-year resident of SD and native Phoenician, I'm disenchanted with what Southern CA has to offer in terms of Mexican cuisine, or even the whole state, for that matter. Perhaps I'm partial to Sonoran fare.

[alanbarnes]

Transatlantic flights are cheap at the moment! Taxes and surcharges actually exceed the airfare on flights from London to LA or San Francisco. A bowl of menudo as a restorative when you step off the plane, and then on to a tour of Mexican food from taco trucks to haute cuisine. You could spend a week in any major California city without making a serious dent in the options that are available.

Or you could go further afield. New Mexico and Texas have their own versions of norteno food. Or cross the border at any of a number of places - from lobster in Puerto Nuevo to cabrito in Reynosa, there's delicious eats just across the line. Of course if you want to pull out all the stops, Mexico's a big country...

Seriously, you sound like somebody who needs to make a food pilgrimage!

[janetms383]

Pureto Nuevo!!! I love it when the restaurant owners stand out on the street and hawk their lobsters. "Best deal 10 lobsters $25"

And, nothing better than your own little pile of the spiny creatures, pan-fried and served with fresh tortillas, rice and beans.

[SpiceMustFlow]

I've never had real caviar! And I really, really wish I could try some RIGHT NOW.

There, I said it.