"table" news and stories

Could a restaurant be so appealing, so irresistable, that you'd wait a year to get a reservation?

This one apparently is: Talula's Table in rural Pennsylvania, has been called the most difficult reservation to get in the country. Talula's is about an hour outside of Philly, has only one large farm table that seats 12, and is run by a husband and wife team. There's a store that sells cakes, pies, soups, and over 150 different kinds of cheeses (the co-owner spent her life studying cheeses).

But the real treat appears to be the restaurant. The eight-course tasting menu, which features fresh and primarily local ingredients, is the same every day for about 5-6 weeks, and then changes depending on what's in season.

The day that one NPR reporter visited, the menu was as follows: egg custard; mushroom risotto; hand-rolled rigatoni with snails; pampano roasted with a mango-saffron broth; pork osso bucco; lamb; blue-raisin chutney semolina; and for dessert - deep breath - a coffee-infused bavarian creme with bittersweet and white chocolate over a piece of buttery shortbread, covered in a blood orange jelly.

And for the record? If you want a reservation, call them tomorrow starting at 7 a.m. The first person to call that day gets the next reservation a year from now, and the process repeats itself the next day, and the next, and the next...

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If you're not going to be ordering in your Thanksgiving meal, it might be a good idea to have a reliable resource on hand to give you ideas and guide you through some classic recipes. The Thanksgiving Table is entirely dedicated to the one holiday meal, though if you like the recipes, there is no reason not to enjoy them during the rest of the year, as well. Besides, the book provides ample direction for preparing some of the menu items in advance, as well as including a number of "shortcuts," so there is really no excuse not to cook.

The chapters are divided up into soups, turkey, vegetarian entrees, stuffing and biscuits, side dishes and desserts. The recipes range from traditional dishes, like Classic Roast Turkey, to the less conventional, like Barbecued Turkey and Hickory-baked Stuffed Tofu. Non-turkey recipes include Italian Sausage, Mushroom and Sage Stuffing and Sautéed Green Beans with Shallot Crisps. Timetables and menu guides are provided to help keep you organized as you work. There is also a chapter dedicated to using leftovers in ways that are more creative than just turkey sandwiches, such as Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey Enchiladas.

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It's a common scene in the movies. The family leaves the kitchen or dining room unguarded, distracted by some meaningful event, such as a proposal, death, natural disaster or mental breakdown - whatever constitutes "meaningful" in the movies these days - and returns to find most of dinner missing and Fido licking his chops on the floor.

Unless you have a big dog with quick reflexes, it's more likely that your pup or your cat will snag a bite or two of food than a whole meal. And just about everyone who has owned an animal has caught them red-pawed at one time or another. Now, that's not my kitten in the picture and I probably would have shooed him away before thinking to snap a photo, but that is an extremely cute shot that brings up the question of what "people foods" do your pets tend to go for when they have the chance?

Personally, I've had a cat that would go for macaroni and cheese if I wasn't looking and neighbor whose dog would watch for unguarded egg dishes (making brunch a tricky meal to enjoy).

I'll be keeping a closer eye out the next time I make waffles, just in case.

[image via cute overload]

An alternative lifestyle deserves alternative dinnerware and the Piercing Collection of dinnerware certainly qualifies. Not only do the pieces feature black-and-white tattoo-inspired designs, but the cups and bowls are actually pierced with small metal rings. The overall look is edgy and getting dishes with tattoos or piercings is certainly easier (and probably cheaper) than doing either to your own body. The dishes were designed by Barbara Schmidt, are made in Germany and are dishwasher safe.

Only the mugs and bowls seem to be available right now and both are sold separately. You can buy several and make a matching set, or just use one mug at the office to surprise your coworkers. Just make sure there's a good coffee machine wherever you intended to use the mug because, due to the piercing, it cannot be put into the microwave.

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Have you ever grabbed a musty garlic clove, or had a green bell pepper ooze through your fingers when you pull it of the bag? Everyone has had an avocado or potato go past its prime. I find it ideal to shop according to the seasons. Once you get your bounty home, what are good rules of thumb to keep fresh and ready as long as possible? I came across the following cute Periodic Table of Produce in Simple Life magazine. It's a novel, practical approach. I even tore my copies out for future reference, but thought that you might like to take a look at them here first. I scanned them in and the full table is after the jump. The images are big, so you may have to be patient for the few seconds it takes for the images to load.