Alex

Thanks, Rob. Southwest used to run a very cheap non-stop from Grand Rapids to STL, but it was discontinued a couple of years ago.

Chris, could you still rate those three, please, even if they're very close?

What are the closest commercial airports to you?

Lovely stuff! And welcome to eG.

I suspect most of you have read gfron1's forum, "Starting a high profile new restaurant (after closing another)." That new restaurant, Bulrush, is, fingers crossed, only about a month away from opening and has already generated some buzz, primarily for its focus on foraged ingredients. Some of us were thinking, then, that it'd be fun to head to St Louis this summer to have dinner at Bulrush and, it's hoped, spend some time with Rob. And there are a bunch of other great attractions in the city, including art museums, the City Museum, Botanical Garden, and Major League Baseball (St Louis Cardinals). Oh, and St Louis-style pizza and ribs. Later on we can organize any activities (e.g., ballgame) and decide which night to eat at Bulrush (Saturday seems the most likely). In the meantime, here are four possible weekends, chosen because the Cards will be playing at home. So if you could humor my inner geek, please rank-order them from your most-preferred to your least-preferred weekend. You can do this however you like, but the easiest probably would be simply putting 1, 2, 3, and 4 by the dates. Some dates may be tied -- for example, if you have two weekends that are equally good (or equally bad) -- but please think hard and rank-order them anyway. Separate from the rankings, please say if you might attend one of the weekends, but the odds are less than 50-50 at this point. Also, please say which weekend, if any, is absolutely out of the question. I'll potentially use that information as a kind of tiebreaker. May 31-June 2 June 21-23 July 12-14 July 26-28

Dave's two, of course. Also these: Bar Sótano, Rick Bayless's new speakeasy underneath Frontera Grill, Kumiko, "a formal bar," by former Oriole folks (the restaurant, not the baseball team) The Albert, a restaurant, features "science-minded cocktails" (Albert = Albert Einstein)

Are you especially interested in any particular area(s) of the city?

There was an interesting comment yesterday in Tom Sietsema's weekly chat in the Washington Post about Black Dirt in Kansas City:

That's good information, Franci. Here are my thoughts, then. FWIW, we currently have five coolers in our wine cellar (aka our basement), not counting the two dead ones out back. It sounds like you plan to move in the not-too-distant future, so not-too-big and not-too-expensive would be the way to go for now, I think. And it looks like an awkward space, so you probably wouldn't want anything too large or intrusive. And just from an aestheic standpoint, putting a wine fridge against the short end of the island doesn't feel right. Could you put a relatively narrow one in front of the outlet we see in the picture? One choice for you to make is the cooling system: thermoelectric or compressor. Thermoelectric is lighter; puts out a bit less heat; is usually, but not always, quieter; and usually, but not always, costs less to run. They're pretty much all made in China. Compressor units, especially the aforementioned GE and other higher-end brands like Marvel (we have one of each) tend to be sturdier and more reliable. A Google search will provide lots of links about this. In addition to the two compressor units, we also have two 32-bottle Cuisinart thermoelectric coolers, which are no longer being made, plus the first one we ever bought, a two-door Vinotemp, one side of which recently died. (The two dead ones out back are both thermoelectric.) So if I were in your shoes, my feet probably would hurt. I also would opt for a narrow (18 or 21 bottle capacity) and less expensive thermoelectric unit from Bed Bath & Beyond and their ubiquitous 20%-off coupons. If you do decide to go bigger and better, you might want to check out this used GE fridge near Pompano Beach. If it works well and isn't noisy, I'd offer $400 and settle for $450.

Questions: What capacity (current + anticipated future purchases) would you like? Free-standing or under-counter? Any size constraints? Maximum price (if any)?

I never met an olive I didn't like -- except for those green ones stuffed with pimentos, which I despise.

My solution

To help get us prepared for Super Bowl, Wirecutter did a Trader Joe's vs. Whole Foods 365 "snackdown."

Welcome, Konstantin, from the other side of the state. I used to live in Detroit, but it's been over 30 years now. I've made these easy and addictive cookies: Nik Sharma's Spicy Chocolate Chip - Hazelnut Cookies

Two recent stories about the state of print journalism -- including, of course, the pruning of fact checkers and copy editors. The New Yorker The Washington Post

The Japanese in the middle says, iirc (it's been a while), "pull top opener." That's close enough to a pop top, I'd think, to award the point to gfweb. What do you think?

I'm with you, @boilsover. I *still* see chefs quoted about how searing a piece meat seals in its juices or how flaming something burns off all the alcohol. It's like that in many (most?) professions, I guess. Someone learns something early on and doesn't bother questioning it, much less keep up with new knowledge. I was a college prof, and it galled me no end when colleagues would resist, or even refuse, to alter their less-effective (or ineffective) teaching and assessment methods and adopt some solid research-based ones.

While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if yo posted an introduction. Browse to "Forums," select "Welcome Our New Members!," then "Start New Topic" (I assume; I don't get to see that).

TT, what's the name of your place, and where is it? Thanks, and welcome to eGullet.

Three entertaining books by Mark Kurlansky: Salt: A World History Milk: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World By Natalie Duguid, sometimes with Jeffrey Alford: Hot Sour Salty Sweet Mangoes and Curry Leaves Taste of Persia et al. An oldie but goodie by Margaret Visser: Much Depends on Dinner And if you'd like a book AND a doorstop: A History of Food, by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat

Those are very general questions. Are there particular cultures you're interested in? Which aspects of food history appeal to you? What are you looking to learn from food-related magazines?

...and writer Helen Rosner “Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food,” by Nik Sharma “I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook,” by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad “Feast: Food of the Islamic World,” by Anissa Helou “Hippie Food,” by Jonathan Kauffman “How to Eat a Peach,” by Diana Henry “We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time,” by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe “Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking—150 Vegetarian Recipes,” by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau “Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts,” by David McMillan, Frédéric Morin, and Meredith Erickson “You and I Eat the Same,” edited by Chris Ying

This scholar says it's pizza -- specifically, the cheese on top of a pizza fresh out of an 800°F oven, the dangerous yet seductive spawn of napalm and lava.

For just today (11 Dec), over in Bezosville, the Blendtec Total Classic is $169.95 shipped.

Sad news, indeed. Even though we never met in person, I'll always be reminded of her via a copy Shake Stir Pour in my bookcase and a jar of her orgeat syrup in my fridge.