Alex

My ex and I made a huge jar (at his persuading) of dried organic plums in a high quality armagnac. They've been soaking in that liquor for the last 2 years and I never even thought to use them, not knowing quite what to do with them. I'm sure they're still good, considering the amount of armagnac that was used. So they're good on ice cream? Tell me more. I'd like to use them. John ← As Pan said, he was referring to Prune-Armagnac Ice Cream, although I'm sure yours would be great just chopped and served on top of (or smooshed into) some good vanilla ice cream, with just a bit of the armagnac. I've used Paula Wolfert's recipe for Prune-Armagnac Ice Cream, from The Cooking of Southwest France, and it's absolutely wonderful. If you like, PM me and I'll send you the recipe.

They're also much cheaper at the Farmers' Market here in Grand Rapids, on the other side of the state. My impression is that the cost of living in general is higher in Ann Arbor than in other cities in Michigan. I should add, though, that the quality of life is higher, too.

Reminiscent of our old friend The Wine Clip (and The Wine Clip, Part Deux), there's now a marketing blitz for yet another magnetic wine "enhancer," the Bev Wizard. What's different about the Bev Wizard is: 1) it uses less esoteric magnets, so it's selling for $30, not $79; 2) the inventor is a certified master of wine; 3) his claim for the device is free of hyperbole and more or less matches the impressions of those eG members who tried out the Clip -- that the device accomplishes the same thing as aeration, only quicker. However, he claims it speeds up the process by "hours"; those eG'ers who thought magnetic treatment made a difference said that it it was more like 15 to 30 minutes. I find it fascinating how new variations of this kind of device pop up every so often even though none seems to sell very well.

I'd bet a bushel of beefsteaks that these are the genuine article, and tasty to boot. (Link goes to a .pdf download, moderately lengthy for dial-up users.)

Actually not fortified. Baby Duck was like fizzy pop with alchohol, the perfect drink for teenagers of my generation that wanted to get drunk without tasting booze. Ruby Rouge was just a revolting version of 'buck-five, come alive'. ← Having wicked flashes to some of my own adolescent misadventures with crap booze. There was this crap sparkling rose that my parents used to get all the time called Cold Duck, made by a vinyard in upstate New York called Andre. I wonder if this stuff is related to its fellow duck up north. Heh. And I'm digging the expression "buck-five, come alive". That's a new one for me. ← ... Anyway, Andres wines is owned by the Peller family, here in the Niagara peninsula. Old man Peller came from the old country and couldn't convince people hereabouts that respectable wines made from European grapes were desirable (same thing was happening in California at the time). So he made crap wine from labrusca grapes - Cold Duck, Baby Duck - anything the locals would drink. He had vineyards in upstate new york as well. He bidded his time, getting wealthy on the crap people would drink, growing better grapes for his own consumption, and when the turnaround came the family opened Peller Estates, which makes considerably more respectable (and respected) wines from wine grapes rather than grape juice and jelly grapes. Gus Peller, a son, gave up his job as a family physician in Grimsby to run the operation in the states. We miss his hilareous antics, he is quite the character, though it perhaps sits better with wine folk than it did with some of the patients. ← Actually, the original Cold Duck wasn't plonk and even had a certain cachet. It also was one of Detroit's lesser-known inventions, in which we took a strange sort of pride. It dates back to the 1930s, to the Ponchartrain Wine Cellars restaurant, one of THE places to dine in Detroit back when. According to wikipedia, it was "...based on a traditional German custom of mixing all the dregs of unfinished wine bottles with champagne. The wine...was given the name Kalte Ende (cold end), until it was humorously altered to Kalte Ente meaning 'cold duck' in German....The exact recipe now varies, but the original combined one part of Californian [sic] red wine with two parts of New York sparkling wine."

Ms. Alex is finishing up a four-nights' stay in Madison and has appreciated all the information on this thread. She opted for dinners at Magnus (she was there two years ago), Essen Haus, Harvest, and Cocoliquot. I also heard her ears perk up when I told her about Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, so she might head over there tomorrow. I'll see if she's willing to dictate a report after she gets back home.

Thanks for the appreciative words, Tammy. I'm sad as well. But, to honor of the spirit of the Gathering, I'll make some blueberry cobbler and cardamom ice cream at home tomorrow night.

But I was so looking forward to the snorting... However, I'm still looking forward to the rest of the Gathering. And Susan, have no fear -- there will be lots of photos. (Cameras + laptops + wi-fi = nearly real-time reporting.)

As Muffinzz said, you can use a cut that's labeled for London Broil. A sirloin or round steak might also work, if sliced fairly thin across the grain. BTW, I'll also be bringing my laptop to Ann Arbor, and Tammy has hers, so I suspect there'll be lots of posting and picture uploading.

Hi, Randi (and Christine). I'm looking forward to seeing you in Ann Arbor later this week. (Don't forget to bring back some of those expensive but really good grits from Zingerman's for Christine. ) Was the picture of Robin taken at The Common Grill?

It may be well nigh impossible to catch a reservation for all 19 of us to be seated together, so I'd be fine (and I suspect others would, too) with seating at several separate tables. In any event, I'd encourage making the reservation by today, or tomorrow at the latest. My vote is for Roadhouse first, Zola second. If we opt for the Roadhouse, we may want to consider moving brunch to when they open at 10.

Ninteen is a big crowd, so I suggest we go to a place where a 10:30-ish reservation is available, and that we make a decision fairly soon.

Don't forget the biscotti! Several years ago, I sold lemon-anise biscotti, made from the Cook's Illustrated recipe, to a local coffee house. They keep well, don't take up much storage space, and are a nice alternative for customers who want something sweet but are too full for a regular dessert. You even can market them as part of a special package, e.g., coffee (or Vin Santo) & biscotti.

A picture of a Stuffed Zucchini Blossom from last year's Heartland Gathering The story behind it, with recipe

YES!! Look what I just found: Absinthe Cake ← Yikes! Pls save a thimble-ful unadulterated (at risk of sounding hard-core ) ← Yeah, I'm with moonsqrl. My guess is that people who are interested in absinthe would be happy to have just a taste in the interests of making sure there's enough to go around... ← Me three. Even a little absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

To begin with, although it might come as a surprise to anyone who has not participated in a Zagat survey, the 30-point ratings in the book do not represent actual choices. In fact, the survey form is much cruder, offering only four choices, 0 through 3. Thus, a conscientious participant who believes that a restaurant’s rank should be, say, 25 on a 30-point scale must choose either a 2 or a 3, each of which represents an inaccurate extreme. These ratings are then averaged and multiplied to give the appearance of a more nuanced evaluation. ← monkfish, these are Fat Guy's exact words from his above-referenced article. Nothing wrong with that per se, but you should have enclosed the paragraph in quotation marks and cited the source. You still have plenty of time to edit your post, though.

Yes, to be sure, but this is where I go fuzzy: ← The average is multiplied by 10. If the average is, say, 2.1, it's reported as score of 21.

For those who are driving to Ann Arbor, here are two web sites that list all the major road construction sites in Michigan. AAA Michigan (the SW page includes some Chicago info) Michgan Department of Transportation

6 is fine. I'll just have to be careful about eating too much for lunch at Exotic Cuisine & Bakeries.

Metromix doesn't list lunch hours, either. Just looking at it, I'd eat that ice cream tasting for lunch, brunch, AND dinner. Breakfast, too.

This makes me hopeful that I wil indeed be able to sneak in a visit to Hot Chocolate on my too short trip to Chicago later this year. With hoped for dinners at Schwa and Alinea, I didn't figure a late night dessert trip would be plausible. What are Hot Chocolate's hours? ← Hours

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."