It’s definitely soup weather, although somehow lobster bisque doesn’t seem like soup but like something more — more luxurious, more satisfying. And available, for requesting reader David Ewart, who’s looking for it frozen or canned.
Entertainment Columns
How important is texture? That depends on the individual, of course. I love tofu if it’s prepared well, but I know a lot of people who don’t like its resilient texture. And I am not a big fan of escargot, which too often is poorly prepared and ends up tantamount to a garlicky Goodyear.
Heidi’s Picks is a weekly selection of restaurant suggestions from Review-Journal critic Heidi Knapp Rinella.
For Joan Basil, who’s looking for wasabi mayonnaise, readers were nearly unanimous in their responses: Trader Joe’s, which has numerous locations in the valley and was recommended by Roberta Shulman, June Shook, Jennie Cicala, Natalie Tantleff, Diane Williams and Jayne Boone.
Are you, like Dale Betts, looking for good beef jerky? If so, fellow readers have some suggestions.
Beyond a too-little-too-late awareness of the geographical vulnerability of the city of New Orleans, it’s difficult to find many positives in the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. But here’s one: the Katrina Diaspora, which is steadily spreading the glories of Creole/Cajun cooking to areas of the country where it has been all but nonexistent.
I always knew my readers were wise — they show me all the time — but I didn’t know so many were fans of Wise Potato Chips, being sought by Patt Almaraz, who said she used to find them at Albertsons.
