Alex

Sepia has been garnering a lot of praise, especially for a place that's been open such a short time. Does anyone have a personal experience to relate, either theirs or second-hand? Menu Pages listing A brief mention in Dish Metromix First Look Sepia's web site (front page only for now)

Thursday August 7, 2008 Dinner Blackbird Restaurant 619 W Randolph, Chicago, IL 60606 312 715-0708 Start time tbd, approximately 6:30 pm CT Cocktail Session The Violet Hour 1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 773 252-1500 approximately 10:30 pm CT (30 minutes after dinner ends) Initial post about Thursday's events ===== Friday August 8, 2008 Workshop Heartland Gathering Bread workshop time and loaction to be announced Workshop Heartland Gathering Chocolate workshop time and location to be announced Dinner Lao Sze Chuan Chinatown Square Mall 2172 S Archer Ave Chicago, IL 60616 312 326-5040 7:30 pm CT Intial post about Friday's dinner ===== Saturday August 9, 2008 Shopping Evanston Farmers Market Intersection of University Place and Oak Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 9 am CT Shopping Niles Ethnic Shopping Tour Niles, IL 9 am CT Intial post about Ethnic tour Group Meal Immanuel Lutheran Church 616 Lake St Evanston, IL 60201 847 864-4464 1 pm CT Initial post about Saturday's events and the weekend in general ===== Sunday August 10, 2008 Walking tour of Maxwell Street Market led by David Hammond 500 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60607 312 922-3100 10 am CT Initial post about Sunday's event ===== Shopping Map - eGS Heartland Gathering 2008 [Moderator's note: This planning topic has been split off from the 2007 Cleveland Heartland Gathering report topic so we don't lose track of the folks who have already started planning for the 2008 event in Chicago. Let's get the boilerplate out of the way: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED THROUGH EG FORUMS BY MEMBERS BUT IS NOT SPONSORED BY THE EGULLET SOCIETY FOR CULINARY ARTS AND LETTERS OR EG FORUMS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY ARRANGED ON OR DISCUSSED IN EG FORUMS IS AT YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE RISK. BY USING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE FORUMS YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND (1) THAT IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF HAZARDS AND RISKS ARISING FROM THOSE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS; (2) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, DISCHARGE CLAIMS, RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SOCIETY, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, AND OTHER PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES, FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY ON ACCOUNT OF, OR IN ANY WAY RESULTING FROM INJURIES AND DAMAGES IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH ANY SUCH EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES. YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TERMS WILL BE BINDING UPON YOU AND YOUR HEIRS, EXECUTORS, AGENTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSIGNS, AS WELL AS ANY GUESTS AND MINORS ACCOMPANYING YOU AT THE EVENTS. On to the planning! -- CA] Everything looks so wonderful! I regret having to pass on this year's gathering, so let me be the first (not counting Ronnie) to put my name on the list for Chicago next year. (And, after reading Ronnie's post about his amazing birthday dinner, the first to cast my vote for Vie as our Friday night destination.)

Hey, you'll be at my old stomping grounds at Wayne State University. If you have the time, by all means don't miss visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, just a block or two from the Inn. The Whitney is very close to you, but as you've already noted, it's closed on Mondays. However, Atlas Global Bistro, a very short ride down Woodward Ave., is open. It's not world-class, but it is very good. ← The exceptional Detroit Institute of Arts is, unfortunately, closed for an extensive remodeling until November of 07. ← Oops. Thanks for catching that, ruthie. I should have remembered, though -- Rodin's The Thinker, normally at the DIA's main entrance, IIRC, is on loan to Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park here in Grand Rapids during the remodeling.

Hey, you'll be at my old stomping grounds at Wayne State University. If you have the time, by all means don't miss visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, just a block or two from the Inn. The Whitney is very close to you, but as you've already noted, it's closed on Mondays. However, Atlas Global Bistro, a very short ride down Woodward Ave., is open. It's not world-class, but it is very good.

I'll be in the City of Detroit in just 2 weeks and would much appreciate some recommendations for world-class food. Thanks!! ← Where exactly will you be staying? Will you have a car? The two "world-class" restaurants, imho -- The Lark (traditional) and Tribute (more cutting edge) are in the far NW burbs. If you haven't already, you might want to check out this thread.

I second Naftal's recommendation of Steve & Rocky's. I've been there only once, but I enjoyed it immensely. The chef/owners have a stellar background in the field. One the way to/from the airport, just off the Ford Rd. exit on I-275, there's an Indian restaurant I like very much, Ashoka. I think they're open for Sunday lunch, but I'd call to make sure.

I also do not marinate. I prefer beef (I use local grass-fed beef almost exclusively) to taste like, well, beef, with any enhancement coming from the sauce, herb butter, etc. I also judge degree of doneness primarily by feel (the ol' fleshy-part-of-the-hand-near-the-thumb test). As WiscoNole said, I always slice thinly across the grain, with the knife at about a 45-degree angle.

S & S is about three miles from Union Park -- straight up Ashland to Fullerton, then right one block. There's free parking next door after 6, I think. $100+ per person will get you a very, very nice meal there.

Finally someone else smells it too. Beet sugar smells earthy to me like dirt. Not everyone can smell it. I have asked friends to smell the beet sugar and they smell nothing. I thought it was my imagination. ← I definitely can smell it, and don't like it at all. I didn't know what it, though, until I read this thread today. I had thought it was the packaging or maybe some sort of interaction with the plastic resealable bag that I store the bag in. I wonder if the ability to detect whatever is causing that odor is genetic, like that for "asparagus pee."

Here's an excellent article from the archives of the San Francisco Chronicle.

I wanted to bump this thread up to the top for a little while. I'll soon be in Louisville for a week, staying downtown (w/o a car) and working at the Convention Center. The organization for which I'm doing the work will provide dinner at the Center, but I doubt I'll be interested. After checking out the Louisville-related threads for places within walking distance, and then looking at the related restaurant web sites, I can see no reason to go anywhere other than Proof On Main (except maybe the ballpark, for $1 hot dog and $1 soda night ). I'm thinking of ordering mainly off the bar menu, with perhaps one or two excursions to the dining room. Has anyone been there recently? Can someone comment on the bar menu? Are there any other downtown places you can wholeheartedly (or even mostly heartedly) recommend?

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. This past week Ms. Alex ate at Les Fleurs de Lis and Pacific Rim. She said the food was excellent and fairly priced. She also ate at Sun Dial, the rotating restaurant on the 73rd floor of the Westin, where she was staying. She said the food was surprisingly good but at typically high hotel restaurant prices. FAB is on her radar for next week's trip.

Thanks for the recommendation. Nam looks like a winner, but unfortunately it's not close enough to the MARTA station, at least not this time.

I wanted to bump this thread up to the top for a little while. Ms. Alex will be at a couple of conferences in Atlanta this month (including one that starts this Thursday) and will be staying downdown (Peachtree Center area). Are there any updates on places to eat within a short walking distance? (She sprained her ankle a couple of weeks ago.) Entrees at ~$25 or less would be preferred. Les Fleurs de Lis Cafe sounds perfect. (Their web site just brings up a list of sponsored links, though. What's up with that?) Any other recommendations? She also is willing to eat within a quarter-mile or so of a MARTA station, which obviously expands her options greatly. Bistro/Trattoria/Progressive American usually are her preferred styles, though she's open to other suggestions. The Globe looks like a good choice in that regard. Anything else to recommend?

How near is "near?" I know the Hyatt has a shuttle service but I don't know where it goes. Otherwise, you'll pretty much have to take a cab (well, two cabs) to anywhere, or you can take a very short ride on the Metra Electric Line to the Loop or the South Loop. I know that Gioco, which is walking distance from the Metra Roosevelt stop, has a private banquet room for 20+ persons, but if it's not being used for a banquet I don't know if they'll do regular dinner service in there.

I've been very happy with the quality of coffee I get from my Melitta. I haven't used this particular unit, but for you I'd probably recommend the MEMB1B Mill & Brew over the Cuisinart. It's ~$57-67 from Amazon, including shipping, and the all-in-one unit would be convenient for you.

In the U.S., for all practical purposes, 1 table salt = 1.5 Morton's = 2 Diamond Crystal. I would assume the products are the same in the U.K., but I don't know for sure. As RobertCollins mentions, though, if you measure once by weight, you'll then have your conversion rule for that product.

It's possible (I know from experience!) to break the glass with a metal spoon. ← Yes, definitely. I use a chopstick.

Here's a comprehensive blog entry about French press coffee by a coffee connoisseur. (Scroll down to the entry for November 26.) I've gotten excellent results using her recommended coffee:water proportion and brewing technique.

I can't speak specifically to the quality of KitchenAid electric stovetops, but this eBay seller, who also has a brick-and-mortar store, is offering some super deals on KA's discontinued Pro Line appliances. I recently bought an island canopy hood from him; he certainly appears to be a reliable seller. He currently has two 36" Pro Line electric cooktops listed (one of them ends in about 6 hours, but he has four of them so I'm sure he'll relist it) plus one regular KA cooktop.

Complete article here.However, a study from a few years ago found that Complete article here.Mmm, bacon and eggs and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Full story here

I'm with you, Rebecca. Side towels are good for many things, but, for me, they'll never take the place of these Kool-Tek oven mitts.

Do you ever do cooking/baking classes? If you do, how about one entitled, "What Are We Ever Going to Do with All That Extra Matzo?" Include a box or two (or three) with each paid admission.

900 POUNDS?!! There's gotta be a Guinness world record in there somewhere. I can't imagine how you can use even a small fraction of it and remain sane. How about making and freezing a bunch of David Lebovitz's Caramelized Matzoh Crunch with Chocolate, then donating the rest of the matzo to a food bank?