Alex

Most of the cooks will be making dishes based on what's current at the Farmers' Market and what's best at the butcher and the fishmonger; the preparation may or may not be regional. As part of his charcuterie, Ron will be bringing some homemade bacon, which I will gratefully use in my corn dish. Are you offering to prepare some pork belly?

Not too late at all. You're required to bring pictures of the new one, though. Just fill out the survey and we'll see you in a few weeks. Also let us know if you'd like to cook, sous, etc. Glad you can be there!

Hey, one man's slop... Seriously, though, it would be fairer to Nuevo Leon, and more eGullet-ish, if you could be more specific, rather than just calling its food "slop."

On a related note, I happen to have an unopened bottle of Absinthe (the real northern wormwood variety) sitting around that I was thinking of bringing. Rockandroller gave me the idea at the same time she told me about this gathering to start with. Too bad she can't make it. Anyway, would that be an appropriate thing to bring with me? ← Oh, yes, please do. My never having tried absinthe, August 5 is now officially designated as "I learned something today" day.

Staying in the Gold Coast, you're in the immediate vicinity of Sarah's Pastries and Candies (thread somewhere in the Heartland Forum). Don't miss it!

Great report, Ron. Actually, I think I was more impressed by the service than by the food. The folks who answered the phone for my several calls, as our group dwindled from nine to four, couldn't have been more courteous. The hostess was friendly, pleasant, and accommodating. Chris, as you mentioned, was attentive without being intrusive and, after I narrowed down our wine options, made spot-on recommendations for our first (Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve) and second (Bethel Heights Pinot Noir) courses. I loved the amuse -- I could've been happy with a vat of that for dinner. I wasn't as impressed with the sweetbreads as you were. I thought there was too much breading, which interfered with my appreciation of the taste and texture of the sweetbreads. I was duly impressed, though, with my entrée of braised veal cheek and boudin blanc with morels and ramps. And did I mention that the company was very enjoyable, as always?

"Along with milk, sugar and the other usual ingredients, the ice cream is made with...a blend of Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce and Blair's Megadeath Hot Sauce, along with a secret ingredient. Chile peppers, habaneros and Thai chiles are then stirred in." Click if you dare.

Ooh, can we hear about that? (Or have you already posted and I've missed it?)

I'll do something with our wonderful Michigan corn. And if the blueberries are out, I can organize a blueberry cobbler.

Going to Wrigley tomorrow for afternoon game--first time. Would love some pre and post game recommendations! Prefer good food to rowdy crowd. ← I'm sure that others are way more knowledgeable than I about this topic, but I do recommend the Wrigleyville location of Heaven On Seven. You also can try a Metromix search. On the left side of the page, in the box for "Neighborhood," scroll down and select "Wrigleyville," then plug in your other options.

I agree -- Black Cat is quite good. My favorite espresso place here in GR uses the excellent Caffé D'arte decaf, also mentioned in Richard's article. I buy my whole beans there, but I'm pretty sure that Caffé D'arte will sell by mail.

FYI, S & S is now offering a $26, three-course prix fixe menu from 5-7 p.m. daily. Here's a link.

Le Méridien was sold to the Hilton organization. Cerise is now "The Restaurant at Conrad," although a name change supposedly is in the works.

Metromix's outdoor dining guide.

Glad you can be there. Actually, most of us have never met in person, except perhaps at last year's Gathering. It's an easy group to feel comfortable with, though. We're on Eastern Time, so when you leave it'll be 4ish here. I'm sure I don't have to tell you about Chicago/Gary traffic. Then there are all the lane closures on I-94 in Michigan. But good times await...

The latest: tammylc & Eric Alex daniellewilley (& Michael?) Sam Iam & Joyce torakris ronnie_suburban cbarre02 & guest Elrushbo NancyH & Bob Palladion Shannon_Elise edsel Fat Guy slbunge (tentative) CaliPoutine (& friends?) VickiA2 destroit HeatherM Meez (maybe) jmsaul & L maggiethecat Flocko (maybe) Mr. & Mrs. Devilkitty (tentative) sweintraub annarborfoodie (part-time) aznsailorboi ulterior epicure's spirit

Yesterday was the last delivery day of the season to our local supermarket. We rubbed it with olive oil and baked it at 200F but w/o Vadouvan's cure, which we used last week (twice!) and loved. We finished it with fleur de sel and French walnut oil. The sides were buttered boiled redskins and roasted local asparagus with truffle oil. The wine was a young French red Burgundy. Good, good stuff.

Thanks Kristen, but if I'm going to not be staying at one of the regular 3 hotels, I will need to rent a car. I can't (and don't) expect someone to schlep me out to another hotel every night. Thx though! ← Do check out Enterprise. I don't know where in Clevelandland you're located, but for example, from noon Friday to noon Monday, the Warrensville Heights location charges ~$56 (including tax) for a subcompact, 62 for a compact, and 72 for an intermediate. There's unlimited mileage and no location restrictions, as far as I can tell.

From Tammy's first post: "Sunday morning, my husband Eric will be leading a trip to Zingerman's Coffee Company, where managing partner Andy will give a tour, demonstrate his coffee roasting equipment, and lead a "cupping" of some of Zingerman's coffee offerings." Breakfast/brunch/lunch tba, depending on who's around and their preferences and appetites.

*rubs hands together with glee* Thanks!! ← Where will you be driving from? Many Enterprise locations have a weekend special of $9.99 or $14.99 per day for three days; you just have to confine yourself to whatever they consider the local area. (I've done this for a Michigan-to-Illinois drive.) I've also nabbed excellent prices through Hotwire.com.

The Rite of Spring? Oh, wait -- that's a different restaurant. Thanks for a great report, doc. As I mentioned, I couldn't get a reservation at Schwa for next month, but at least I can enjoy it vicariously.

You're not too late at all; we just wanted to get things rolling early so as to give folks (like you!) a chance to plan ahead. There are other eG'ers coming from Chicagoland; I don't know if schedules and preferences allow, but carpooling may be a possibility.

Catew, thanks for the info, but the Mosquito Trap link is dead. Is there a live one somewhere? Itchy legs want to know....

So, can you make it to the Heartland Gathering and experience more Ann Arbor suckiness?