Alex

The closest I've been able to locate so far is Bin 36, in River North. I'd also like to hear if there are any others, especially ones that are not doing a buffet.

White truffle ice cream. Oh, yes. One of the best things I've ever eaten. I hope there's some left when Ms. Alex and I roll into town next month. Here's my post about the white truffle dinner that jesteinf, yellow truffle, and I had at S & S two years ago.

Tsuki, definitely, on Fullerton just east of Ashland. They also offer a $30 five-course prix fixe menu on Sundays Basic web site Flash web site Metromix listing

There's a terrific Tuesday night special at Opera -- $28.95 prix fixe for three courses, any items on their menu. It's at Wabash and 13th, which is very close to your hotel. There still should be a good coat selection; you may even catch the tail end of post-Thanksgiving sales. Sometimes there's a bargain to be found at Filene's Basement, on State at Madison, iirc.

I'm afraid I'm bereft of ideas (which doesn't happen very often) about this one, as I don't use frozen vegetables except for peas and corn. Milagai's pulao sounds really good, though. No matter what the recipe, I'm glad to see your thoughts (not literally, although wouldn't that be interesting?) returning to the joys of food and cooking.

Simple is the way to go! Might we persuade you to post it to RecipeGullet?

He writes for the Jewish News, doesn't he? Does he write "real" reviews or are his pieces more reportage than review? Does he focus on the NW suburbs or does he venture downtown, to the Grosse Pointes, etc? I used to write restaurant reviews and other articles for Metro Times, but that was 25 or so years ago. Sigh.

The roasted cauli, guajolote's beet salad., and, of course Ah Leung's (hzrt8w) oeuvre.

Funny, I was thinking about exactly this when reading the following transit information in today's Trib; fortunately, the days you're planning are right before the construction they're talking about, so you should be okay: ← Yeah, Ms. Alex got caught up in a Blue Line closure between Western and Jackson when she headed out for dinner at West Town Tavern (Chicago station) last Saturday night. There was a shuttle bus that followed the same route, but it was kind of a pain.

Some folks put it down, but I happen to like Bin 36 a lot. I think I've dined there as much as, if not more than, any other restaurant in Chicago, and have never had a bad meal. (I haven't been to Bin Wine Cafe, but I know it's much smaller than Bin 36.) The only drawback is that it can get really loud, but you'll be going mid-week, so that should help. It's just a few blocks from the Clark station, so that's a good thing. To keep yourself apprised of the latest Blue Line construction, though, you might want to check the CTA website just before you fly in. Thanks for the invitation. Of course, I've heard and read wonderful things about Vancouver. I might not take you up on it, though, because if I visit I'll probably just wind up staying there, which might cause a problem with my wife and my school, not to mention Immigration.

Ask Dr. Knowledge, from The Boston Globe

As others have mentioned, your loss of the joy of cooking sounds like part and parcel of the grieving process. Also, too much of a good thing, under the wrong circumstances, can temporarily turn bad. (It's not the same as your experience, of course, but one reason I didn't major in music was my fear of losing the joy if I had to practice for hours a day.) From a psychologist's perspective, it also sounds like cooking, through its association with all the events and circumstances of the past few months, has become a conditioned stimulus producing an aversive, emotional conditioned response. (Dread? Sadness? Anger?) The way past this dark place, then, is to recognize those feelings and to jump back in anyway, slowly, starting from where you're at. Scrambled eggs and tuna salad sandwiches are great. Then, maybe scrambled eggs with lox and onions, or a tuna melt with sweet onion and perfect tomato. Then, well...

I agree -- this is an interesting topic, even to one whose professional experience, such as it was, began and ended in his college's cafeteria. However, I see several parallels to my profession (clinical psychology and education). As other posters-- especially Holly Moore -- have mentioned, the contacts one makes in school can be a major factor in determining the job one gets post-school. And -- justified or not -- the bigger the name, the bigger the impression your résumé will make and the wider your geographic options. That being said, though, community colleges can provide an excellent culinary education and excellent value. You'll just need to do some research, as there are good programs and not-so-good programs. Here in Grand Rapids, for example, Grand Rapids Community College has a first-rate Hospitality Education Program. The facilities are spectacular; the chef-instructors are highly regarded (including the two authors of the IACP award-winning Modern Garde Manger); students have opportunities to participate in national and international competitions and travel; the ACF-accredited and NRA-honored program articulates with baccalaureate programs at two state universities; and the program's restaurant, The Heritage, is one of the best in the city.

Here's something else for you to consider. Under the best of circumstances it takes ~45 minutes from O'Hare to downtown. When you figure in the time to walk from the hotel to the CTA, then add some extra time because of ongoing construction projects on the Blue Line, and then possibly a short walk from your destination station to your restaurant, you're looking at a good 1¼-1½ hours door-to-door each way. For about the same price (your hotel doesn't offer a courtesy van) you can take a couple of cabs or one van to a good restaurant in the vicinity of the airport, say, Rosemont. Here's a thread from earlier this year that briefly address this topic. (And here's the web site for Carlucci, mentioned in that thread but without a link.) As SundaySous mentioned, Harry Carry's is pretty good; there's one in Rosemont in addition to the one in River North.

Six more since my last report: The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz Bittman Takes On America's Chefs Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals Welcome to My Kitchen, Tom Valenti Build a Better Burger (about the Sutter Home contest, by James McNair) How to Grill, Steven Raichlen

Great pics, Nancy! As another displaced New Yorker, I think I've found my new computer wallpaper -- the first pizza slice.

I was the "dining companion" Josh referred to, and I completely agree with his assessment. (More rabbit, please!) I did appreciate that our server appeared open to our suggestions about the flank steak dish. Also, one of the owners, Kurt, was working the front of the house, which was good to see. We were able to order separate desserts for the tasting menu. I had a trio of house-made ice creams. As best as I can remember, they were guava-vanilla, blueberry-something, and Guinness. I would have preferred a little more intensity to the flavors, but they were tasty nonetheless. The decaf coffee was sufficiently strong, one of the best I've had in a restaurant. I didn't order an espresso, but the beans are from Seattle's Caffé D'Arte, one of my favorite roasters. The wine glasses provided for BYO were adequate but not ideal -- the one for the white was too small; for the red, too wide. I'd be tempted to bring my own next time. The tabletop wine cooler, though, was very, well, cool. FYI, the $24 three-course menu has up-charges for premium selections such as the rabbit, kampachi, lamb, and ice cream. The five-course ($50) and seven-course ($65) options have no up-charges. Here's their web site.

Here you go -- just the thing to make most of the male participants (and maybe some of the female ones) feel just a bit uncomfortable. How about a couple of nice Alfredo sauces with food dyes? Maybe you can offer a dish in honor of Heironymous Bosch's lesser-known sibling, Anonymous Bosch. (Sorry, I've been waiting for years to use this one.) BTW, you'll probably get a larger response if you also add this thread to the Cooking forum.

Fox and Obel is very hit or miss. Some things are great (like meat), while others (like produce) are pretty terrible. If you are in Chicago now and interested in produce, you can't do better than one of the local farmer's markets (many of which also sell meat, cheese, bread, prepared foods, and have chef demonstrations, among other things). Here is a list of markets in Chicago.; my personal favorite is the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. ← I think he was referring to the cafe at Fox & Obel, not the market. I do agree with you about the market's meats and produce, though. I also like their smoked fish.

Wow, you're in a great location, right by the Grand stop on the Red Line. For Mexican food, take the Pink Line to 18th for Nuevo Leon. It's not close (but not all that far, either), but for Thai food you can take the Red Line north to Sheridan for TAC Quick. WHT is correct about Chinatown. Laoszechuan is highly recommended. (BTW, the Hilton Garden Inn is at 10 East Grand.)

For example, Clicky There also a good article about the folks from whom I get my beef, eggs, and some cheeses.

FWIW, here's their Metromix listing.

Those are supremely touching posts, Jamie Lee. They brought to mind the singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, who was diagnosed with inoperable pleural mesothelioma. When asked by David Letterman if there was anything he now understood in the face of his own mortality, he thought for a moment and replied, "Just how much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich."

That's exactly what I have (a 100°F oven setting), and it works perfectly. I'll make 2-3 quarts in a wide-mouth gallon glass jar, then strain it (in batches) through a fine-mesh basket filter, which makes for a wonderfully thick Greek-style yogurt. You can use the whey in pancakes or whatever. Provided you're careful with the temperatures, it's astoundingly easy.

It'll also take him that long to prepare all the charcuterie and smoked salmon we'll undoubtedly want to eat!