Alex

Styrofoam packs are good. Another thought: Buy (if you don't already have) a very sturdy hard-sided suitcase with wheels. (Or two. ) Load it with sheets of bubble wrap and a roll of tape. Check it outbound. (If you're carrying overcoats, that might be a good place to stash them so you don't have to shlep them through the airport and on the plane.) In Italy, use the bubble wrap to protect the wine. Fill any empty spaces in the packed suitcase with clothing so the wine doesn't move around. You might want to find out the weight limit for checked international baggage and calculate how many bottles you can carry per suitcase.

If I could work 8 hours a day at B&J and 8 hours at a library, I surely wouldn't get rich but I'd be fat and happy. Where did I go wrong?

Tonight was BYOLT (build your own leftover tacos). Leftovers = herb-crusted pork tenderloin from Friday night, grilled salmon from Thursday night, supermarket rotisserie chicken from Thursday lunch. Shredded them all. Also had some newly made refried beans. Extras = homemade salsa (our manager's) and homemade coleslaw (mine) from yesterday's softball team party. Tortillas = some pretty good whole wheat ones from California Also ate some leftover cucumber-wakame salad. Beverage = Huber Bock Beer.

It's out of print (and supposedly will be reprinted in a few months), but run, do not walk, to locate a copy of Chef Sato's All-Natural Desserts, by Satoru Sato. (Amazon and eBay don't have any, btw.) I was able to find one in my local library system. Chef Sato is head cook and pastry chef at Bizen, an incredible organic Japanese restaurant in Great Barrington, MA. His cookbook features "42 Delicious Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Cookies, Muffins, Cakes, Pies, Pastries, and Other Irresistible Sweets." I had his Tiramisu at Bizen last month -- it was wonderful! My cousin says that his Chocolate Raspberry Cake is even better. If you can't find the book I'd be glad to send you a copy of these two recipes plus a couple others. Just PM me. L'shana tova, in advance.

I have a made-in-Brazil Tramontina non-stick 24cm (about 9½") sauté pan that I also probably got at TJ Maxx. I like it a lot. If I ever found a 12" for $35 I'd snap it right up.

The hottest restaurants in the U.S. continue to emphasize fresh, locally grown or produced ingredients, simply but creatively prepared. (Take that, Wooly Bulli!) This approach is perfectly exemplified at the recently expanded Forest Hills Café, conveniently located just inside the south entrance of Forest Hills Foods supermarket. Despite its unassuming décor, limited menu, and lack of table service, The Café (as it’s know to its regulars) stands alone at the cutting edge of West Michigan cuisine. An example: During a visit (anonymous, of course) last week, I informed its lone employee that the salad bar was perilously close to running out of lettuce. In a flash she leaped from behind the counter and made for the produce department, nearly running over three shoppers and a cashier. Before I could say salade verte avec champignons, tomates, feta, olives noirs, et fonds d’artichauts ten times fast, there appeared a stunning mound of perfectly chopped romaine. Can’t get much fresher than that! But perhaps the greatest appeal of The Café is that with eleven varieties of panini, eight flavors of Ben and Jerry’s, the aforementioned salad bar, massively caffeinated lattes, wireless Internet access, reasonably comfortable seats, and clean rest rooms, one need never go home. Or even have one. Bon soir, mes amis!

Great! Good work on you, too. And thanks. P.S. I'll keep an eye out on eBay for Chi-GR tix.

Buy it while you can -- the last time I checked the B&J's website it was discontinued... A fav of mine as well! Hmm. What was the URL? I saw it just today here. And from Allura: Perhaps I should be glad B&J wasn't around when I was in college. I didn't need to gain any more weight than I did eating late-night pizza and tuna subs plus cafeteria food. My waistline also is grateful it's not sold by the pint any more (at least according to their web site).

Matthew and I haven't figured out how many in-home lodging places are available; I suspect we'll do that soon. In my house we have an extra double bed, couch, and love seat (and floor space, of course). We haven't reserved a block of rooms yet. When we know how many we'll need we can shop around for the best value. Amtrak leaves Chicago at 5:20 p.m. Central Time, arriving at 10:16 p.m. Eastern Time. No problem picking everyone up. The direct return train leaves at 7:35 a.m. A better option is the Amtrak bus to Kalamazoo at 1:35 p.m. Eastern Time, arriving there at 2:50. A quick stop at the Kalamazoo Brewing Company (a.k.a. Bell's) pub, then the train departs at 4:15, arriving in Chicago at 5:52 Central Time. Don't forget the AAA and AARP discount!

Yellow polo shirt, either collar position. Loafers or boat shoes, no socks.

...except Oct 17-19, when many of the Chicago eG'ers will be at a Heartland gathering in Grand Rapids, MI. You're welcome to join us, of course. Ann and I can give you a tour of our books.... Sorry to hear about your culinary disappointments. I'm glad you want to re-visit under better circumstances. And take it from a NYC native who's lived in the Midwest a long time now -- you learn to deeply appreciate the politeness and slower pace. (I'm still regularly accused of driving like a New Yorker, though.)

I can wear my yellow (well, maize) U of M shirt.

Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz!!! -- coffee ice cream with espresso bean fudge chunks. Yippee! Available only by the scoop -- fortunately (and dangerously) just ½ mile away at my local supermarket's "café."

Matthew and I had a long and enjoyable meeting today. Among other topics, we discussed some preliminary planning for the October gathering. Here's what we have so far: Friday: As mentioned in some Aug. 12 posts, if there are no major dissenting votes, dinner will be at Rafaella's by Pagano's. We were thinking that a prix fixe tasting menu might be a fun way to go, with a wine option. Matthew and I will meet with Joe Pagano and his sous chef Thomas Griffin to discuss the menu, and with local wine guru Dave Russo about wine pairings. Joe's prices are pretty reasonable, but let us know anyway if you have a cost ceiling preference. Also, when you RSVP (or re-RSVP), could you mention if you'll be arriving Friday in time for dinner (as opposed to Friday after dinner or Saturday)? Saturday day: Matthew is still researching the hayride and the heirloom apple farm. We also might organize a wine tasting or a food-related event. Or visit Saugatuck. Or maybe give everyone a list of local attractions and events, with directions. Or some combination of the above (semi-structured day, with options). Any other suggestions/desires? Saturday evening: Party at Michelle's. Matthew can do the prime ribs, I can make my award-winning butternut squash soup and a pear/goat cheese dessert. Other contributions?? Sunday: No ideas. We ran out of lattes and couldn't think any more. We're also working on lodging options. Matthew, please feel free to add or edit. I'm looking forward to meeting you all.

What is this sweet onion salad you speak of? I've got a pile of Sugar Daddy onions I bought at a roadside market I need to do something with...this sounds like the ticket! It's an improvised thing inspired by the vinegared veggies that sit on each table in the better NY delis. (At least they used to -- I haven't lived in NY for a while.) What I do: Halve, peel, and slice the onions into very thin half-rings. Cucumbers: peel, halve lengthwise, remove the seeds with a spoon, slice into thin crescents. Whole bulb fennel: slice off fronds and base, halve pole to pole, cut out core, slice into thin crescents. Other veggies added at your discretion. Tomato wedges can be added at serving time, or not. I toss the whole thing with a little evoo, whatever vinegar(s) strike my fancy at the moment (lately a combination of Alessi white balsamic and a good sherry vinegar), s&p, and maybe an herb or two, usually dill. I use more vinegar than I would for a vinaigrette. Another good thing might be to make an onion confit or marmelade. It's supposed to keep really well, but it never lasts long enough around our house for us to find out. Epicurious has a bunch of recipes if you need them. Happy crying!

Welcome, sieve. How about these odd suggestions?: 1. Give a food-friendly friend/family member/significant other a sufficient amount of money and ask the lucky person to prepare a surprise meal for the two of you. 2. With a guide (so you don't injure yourself or anyone else), wander around your local supermarket blindfolded. Put in your cart the first item you touch in each aisle. Make a meal using just those ingredients plus your choice of a grill-able main item plus the usual staples (oil/butter, herbs, salt/pepper, etc.). Also, I like Lady T's idea. It's tough to beat corn and tomatoes from a farmers' market. In season that's often my whole dinner, maybe accompanied by a cucumber and sweet onion "salad."

Thanks, Schneier, for the detailed report and the mention of the private room. Maybe if I can manage to restrain myself from buying all these attractive but superfluous items at Williams-Sonoma's clearance sales, one of these days my wife and I can actually afford to eat there. (Then there's the minor matter of transportation from the Midwest, lodging, etc.) One of my all-time favorites. A transcript of the routine can be found at several places on the 'net, including here.

Pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, a very light sprinkling of hot pepper flakes. Simpler is better, imho.

I'm not an expert on this subject, but... I picked up a digital Terrailon a few years ago very cheaply and have been happy with it. I've heard about the postal scale recommendation before. If you go that route and have other things to buy at Office Max, I have a $10-off coupon for a $50 minimum purchase that I can give you on Thursday. Re the My Weigh, this site has them discounted ($38-40 for the 3001, $43-45 for the 6001). The My Weigh looks cooler and can be recalibrated.

To answer your original question, I thought of it in the same vein as Larry Mawby's other sparklers -- very pleasant, some character, a little pricy but not too dear. We gave a bottle of this to a very good friend for her recent 50th birthday, with the expected sex-related comments on her bd card. My favorite saying (or close enough) of the many on his winery's tasting room walls: "There are 10 types of people -- those who understand binary and those who don't." My favorite of Larry's wines (and the most expensive, of course) is his "Mille."

How about one of you and Mr. g with the jars in a wine haze? (Sounds like the eG version of Clue®. )

Yeah, good place. It's a quick walk, though -- enter at the corner of Ohio and Rush.

Yikes!

Matthew, if the Farmer's Market is out of heirloom tomatoes, there are some farm stands on 6 Mile and on Fruitridge that might have some. I wish I could help, but mine are ripening very slowly -- there are only 2 right now that are anywhere near ready. (I ate the other two yesterday, on toasted peasant rye with goat cheese and basil. ) I'm very interested in hearing how your yogurt-based creme fraiche turned out. I've always used buttermilk, but I'm not a big buttermilk-drinking fan so the remainder of the quart would go to waste. What a perfect-weather weekend for a visit!

Me too -- to a college prof and daughter of a high school English teacher! Got books? It's a shame that kids' competitions so often get fouled up by the adults' competetiveness and need to control.