Alex

Hi Alex, We're looking forward to meeting you too. We've eaten in Stratford a few times, but nothing that remarkable. I've never eaten in St. Mary's but we did visit a cheese shop there( the name escapes me now) that was small but impressive. I'll be going to Stratford on Thursday for a dr.appt. Do you have an suggestions? ← For dinner I'm very fond of Sapori Pasta House. We'll be eating there both nights when we're in Stratford later this month. We also like Tango Coffee Bistro for pretty decent lunch and brunch food in a fun atmosphere. Here's an eG Stratford thread. ← Thanks Alex, Tango looks good. I think I'll try that for lunch on Thursday. ← Not to throw out too many choices, but how could I have forgotten about York Street Kitchen?

Hi Alex, We're looking forward to meeting you too. We've eaten in Stratford a few times, but nothing that remarkable. I've never eaten in St. Mary's but we did visit a cheese shop there( the name escapes me now) that was small but impressive. I'll be going to Stratford on Thursday for a dr.appt. Do you have an suggestions? ← For dinner I'm very fond of Sapori Pasta House. We'll be eating there both nights when we're in Stratford later this month. We also like Tango Coffee Bistro for pretty decent lunch and brunch food in a fun atmosphere. Here's an eG Stratford thread.

Looking forward to your blog and to meeting you both in a couple of months in Ann Arbor. As a once-a-year visitor to your part of the world, I'm wondering if you ever go to Stratford or St. Mary's to eat.

C'mon and join the crowd! -- tammylc & crew Alex HeatherM Fresser & his slick PT Cruiser BeJam Maria & husband CaliPoutine & Robin TJHarris Devilkitty (a definite maybe) maggiethecat (tentative) Lady T (tentative) [your name here]

MY MIL lives in New Bern. I've been there only a few times, and not in the past six years or so, but Ms. Alex goes there regularly. She said that "New Bern is no Chicago" but that a decent meal can be had. She's eaten at The Chelsea and Clementine's and enjoyed both. She's heard very good things about A Catered Affair Cafe but hasn't been there yet. Also, Wilmington isn't all that far away. Here's an eG Wilmington thread.

I agree re the Magi-Cake strips. But then, how can one disagree about brownies with an eGulleteer named browniebaker? I also have experienced more of a differential when using a glass baking dish, but that might be just me.

I don't know how coarse is "coarse" for you, but I'm extremely happy with the range of grinds and ease of use of my Unicorn Magnum Plus.

C'mon, folks -- where's that Heartlander enthusiasm we saw two years ago? So far: tammylc & crew Alex HeatherM Fresser & his slick PT Cruiser BeJam

This sounds like a great place, and I admire Chef Tuohy's philosophy. We'll be in Atlanta in June, visiting cousins, and if I can nudge them away from their safe and comfortable and boring eating habits I'd love to take them to Woodfire Grill. I checked out their web site but didn't see any prices or even estimates thereof. Can someone clue me on the approximate range for apps and entrees, and whether the wine list is fairly priced?

I'm a fan of Lolonis Orpheus, their Petite Sirah, which currently sells in the high $20s to low $30s around here. Bonuses: the grapes are organically grown, it's a family-owned and -run winery, and Philip Lolonis is a nice guy. (I just met him at a wine tasting.)

I love the veal idea but unfortunately, for medical reasons, one of the guests is unable to eat red meat. I wonder if the same approach would work for roast chicken (or even turkey -- I still have one in the freezer), with maybe some veal or chicken glace thrown in.

Thanks! That's the drawback (at least for me) of having 250 or so cookbooks -- I forget what's where.

Given last weekend's snowstorm, you wouldn't guess it, but morel and asparagus season is almost upon us here in Michigan. I'd love to put together a wonderful dish with those two ingredients when a couple of chef friends come over for dinner a few weeks from now. I've previously made Tapawingo's Cassoulet of Morels, Fiddleheads and Asparagus, as well as the usual starch (risotto, pasta, etc.) combo, but I'd like to try something different. Morel-asparagus ice cream is definitely out, but I'm open to any other ideas.

OMG, I forgot about them! Yes, fun. Here's a little guide to Lansing-area places. Note the lukewarm review of Dusty's. It also tells you that El Azteco is local, not a chain. It also mentions Evergreen Grill, normally a recommendation of mine, but which has since closed.

Me, I'd go to Villegas twice, but some reports have said good things about Dusty's Wine Bar. We ate there once, several years ago. The food was good but doesn't stand out in my mind. The wine selection was excellent. They have special dinners, wine tastings, etc.

Glad you're coming, but actually we're trolls, not Yoopers. Some genuine Yoopers may indeed show up, though. [Yoopers = natives or long-term residents of Michigan's U.P. (Upper Peninsula); trolls = folks who live under the (Mackinac) Bridge, i.e., in the Lower Peninsula.]

You know I'm in. (I'd better be. ) Ms. Alex just got a meeting scheduled for that weekend, so unfortunately it'll be just me.

Yeah, I like it, too. Their Eden Burger is the best veggie burger I've ever had.

How about this recipe for Torta del Re? It's one of several recipes mentioned in this interesting article about Italian Judaism.

From April's Gourmet, this recipe for Fried Stuffed Chinese Eggplant looks appetizing.

We went to Traffic Jam and Snug before the Pixies concert a few months ago and had a great dinner. Wonderful soups and salads, and they make their own cheese. My only complaint was that the cheese was served cold, but after leaving them out a while, they were quite good. ← It's also been a while since I've been to Traffic Jam, now that I live on the west side of the state. My history with TJ dates to the early 70s, when I was in grad school at Wayne State, just down the road from TJ. At the time, it was the place to go (along with Verne's) for a beer and sandwich. They later stepped up the cuisine and the beer/wine selection. Some time back in the 80s I had the most wonderful trifle of my life there -- intense chocolate cake soaked with Frangelico, cocoa whipped cream, and sliced pears.

Five Lakes Grill in Milford. Emily's in Plymouth. Me, I'd go to Tribute twice.

Yes, and definitely yes.

Would a little Meyer lemon olive oil be a good idea here or would 400° be to much for it? Pat w. ← Too much, I think. It'll probably work better as a finishing oil (vis. my post above re truffle oil). Good idea, though.

Thought I would bump this back up since I'm finding some good asparagus prices in the grocery stores. This is another veggie that changes quite a bit when roasted. It's even easier than roasting cauliflower. I put the cleaned (and "snapped"...as in snapping off the woody bottom part) stalks on the foil-lined pan (I use a dark pan), season them and then simply drizzle olive oil on them. I roll the stalks around a bit on the pan so they get a light coating of oil and spices and that's it (make sure you don't use too much oil). Then roast away. The first time I made this I roasted it for 20 minutes at 400° and while it was tasty, it was rather limp. So I think a shorter roasting time, perhaps 15 minutes, will work better. It tastes quite a bit different (in a very good way) than steamed asparagus. Anyone else try it? ← All the time. I prefer thin stalks for roasting. I do it basically the way you described, with just olive oil and kosher salt in a Pyrex or Le Creuset baking dish. About 20-25 min gets the tips nice and crunchy. I often add a bit of truffle oil before serving. BTW, last month I made a wonderful cream of roasted cauliflower soup. It took more than a modicum of self-control, though, to not eat up half the cauliflower before tossing it in the soup pot.