Thanks for the kind words, Jerilynn.

Regarding "toque blanche," I knew that a toque was the traditional brimless
chef's hat, but was unsure of the spelling.  Looking at my on-line
dictionary (www.m-w.com), I got the right spelling and found out that the
adjective "blanche" (white) was commonly appended.  So I added it, too.

I'll pass along your appreciation to Kim.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Daugherty [mailto:tom-jerilynn@worldnet.att.net]
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 4:17 PM
To: John Watson
Subject: Re: Last Saturday at Mark's American


JOHN--

IN CASE YOU EVER QUIT YOUR DAY JOB, YOU OUGHTA BE A WRITER  COVERING  FINE
CUISINE !!
I LOVE READING YOUR COMMENTS AFTER  OUR GATHERINGS ! THANKS FOR YET ANOTHER
OF YOUR GIFTS TO OUR GOURMET GROUP.

TOM AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING OUR NEXT GATHERING. BUT, AS ONE OF THE
HOSTS, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT "TOQUE BLANCHE " IS.  I HATE TO ADMIT MY
IGNORANCE, BUT ONE IS NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN !

PLEASE THANK KIM FOR VOLUNTEERING TO CREATE THE MENU!

ALTHOUGH  WE MISSED YOUR PRESENCE AT CHURCH, WE  HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION WITH YOUR FAMILY.

JOIE DE  VIVRE !

JERILYNN


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Watson" <john.watson@pdq.net>
To: "Millie Hast" <mhast@mdanderson.org>; "A. Lester Buck III"
<buck@compact.com>; "Hattie Thurlow McKinley" <hthurlow@aol.com>; "Jeanne
Singer" <jeannediet@aol.com>; "Jennifer Harvey"
<harveyj@financialnetwork.com>; "Jerilynn & Tom Daugherty"
<tom-jerilynn@worldnet.att.net>; "Jerilynn Daugherty"
<jerilynn.daugherty@fortbend.k12.tx.us>; "Jerry & Shirley Mills"
<aygconstr@earthlink.net>; "Jerry Granacki" <safmarine@aol.com>; "Jim
McKinley" <jjmckinley@aol.com>; "Kim Watson" <kwatson@the-spires.com>;
"Phyllis Hamilton" <phyllis.hamilton@cfisd.net>; "Sam Cook"
<samhill39@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 8:25 AM
Subject: Last Saturday at Mark's American


> Folks -
>
> Once again, the Gourmet Group had a wonderful outing, this time to Mark's
> American Cuisine.  For those of you who haven't been, Mark's is located in
a
> converted church at 1658 Westheimer.   Jerilynn and Tom Daugherty arranged
> the reservations and arrived first, joined shortly thereafter by Kim &
John
> Watson, Jim & Hattie McKinley, Jennifer Harvey & Jerry Granacki, and
fellow
> Ordinary Life class member and new group member Millie Hast.  We were
seated
> upstairs in what was once either the balcony or the choir loft.
>
> Our waiter, Lance, revealed that he was a medical student at UTMB in
> Galveston, and was astoundingly and persuasively well-informed about the
> restaurant and its wonderful offerings.  The menu, the "daily" menu and
the
> "off-menu" menu were replete with fabulous dishes, exquisitely prepared.
> Kim is still marvelling over the small dark round objects that had a
> delicate smoky taste, and of which her husband guessed were some sort of
> mushroom, only to discover that they were roasted baby brussell sprouts.
>
> After an appetizer selection that included a very light White Lobster
> Bisque, the second course arrived.  The Dover sole was very popular, as
was
> the "study in lamb."  No one was disappointed in the quality of their
> selections.  Dessert included selections such as Mom's Peanut Butter Cake,
> Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake, and Warm Chocolate Cake, all beautifully
> presented and delicately delicious.
>
> Mark's was a hit.  As Jerilynn put it, "We hate to come here too often
> because it is so special for us."  For more information about the
> restaurant, visit their web site at
> http://www.marks1658.com/
>
> Our next event is scheduled to be held at Tom & Jerilynn Daugherty's home
on
> Saturday, March 23.  The theme selected was French cooking, and Kim agreed
> to handle the recipe assignments.  So get your toque blanches ready and
> we'll wait with anticipation our next Gourmet Group outing!
>
> Kim & John Watson
>
>