Start year helping others

I'm probably a few hours early -- depending on when you're reading this -- but I'm taking this opportunity to wish each and every one of you all the best in 2009.

Pulling together always makes trying times at least a little bit easier, and Taste of the Town readers are wonderful about helping each other, for which I and your fellow readers thank you. And now, to get right to reader requests:

Joe Hardy is looking for Honey Nut Clusters, which he used to get at Wal-Mart. ...

Mike Lazarski is looking for Lawry's packaged salsa mix. ...

Bob Thompson is looking for a local source for ham base. ...

Anne Coming is looking for Red Rose Tea in large boxes of about 8 ounces. ...

Jennifer Rada would like to find Polly O Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese and Polly O Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, which she used to get at Albertsons. ...

Anne McConnell is looking for restaurants in the northwest part of the valley that cook sukiyaki at the table. ...

Joan Haden is looking for Thomas's Date Nut Bread. ...

Judi Caro is looking for either Brown Sweet and Low or Brown Sugar Twin, and Paula's Lime-Cilantro oil-free salad dressing. ...

George Walton and Barbara Jacques are looking for Piller's Pate, which they used to get at Costco, and boxed Carnegie Deli pastrami. ...

Jo Bitaut is looking for Moon brand refrigerated sour cream pickled herring. ...

Brenda Alapa is looking for frozen field peas with snaps, which she used to get at Albertsons. ...

Bobbie Janice Carson is looking for authentic cast-iron-skillet-fried chicken, similar to what she used to get at the Green Shack. ...

Dea and Roy Boll are looking for restaurants that serve Italian sausage patty sandwiches. ...

Robin Lee Slipock is looking for Mock Peking Duck, which is fried layers of tofu and vegetables pressed flat and served with pancakes, hoisin, cucumbers and scallions. ...

Bob Merten is looking for Big City Red Hot Dogs. ...

Gloria M. Armendariz is looking for Clausen's sweet pickle relish, a refrigerated product that she used to get at Smith's. ...

Pete Cychulski is looking for restaurants that serve fried perch. ...

Dallas Moyer is looking for a local source for Captain Ken's Firehouse Baked Beans. ...

Sally Weltz is looking for a large bag of Archway Gingersnap Cookies with no frosting. ...

Skip Maxwell is looking for turkey and/or beef frozen Golden West tamales. ...

Virginia and Pat Calabrese are looking for Freirich or Daisy pork butt. ...

Maurice Hoffman is looking for a local source for Yucatan Sunshine habanero pepper sauce. ...

Paul Bartok is looking for Mrs. May's Unique Varieties, and BELA-Olh?o Portugal Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil. ...

And Frank Waldron seeks readers' advice for stores that have large selections of low-carb and sugar-free items.

Readers?

Submit information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. You also can send faxes to 383-4676 or e-mail her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Include your first and last names and, if e-mailing, put "Taste of the Town" in the subject line. Because of the volume of mail received, we can't respond to each request.