Alex

Prix fixe lunch: definitely Naha and Blackbird What are those "few favorites" of yours?

Summary via podcast and transcript, in Scientific American Full journal article in Scientific Reports (via Nature.com)

How about the one I suspect that many of us started with: Simple French Food (now in a 40th Anniversary Edition), by Richard Olney?

Three questions: Could you be much more specific about how you were "a big part of making sure that the two stayed on track and that they were moving forward with their plans"? You wrote, "We are planning on opening...", but I don't see anything that justifies a "we," except perhaps some sort of verbal discussion about your being a chef there. Could you elaborate in much greater detail on that "we"? Are we all assuming correctly that there's nothing in writing (i.e., something that could be construed as a legal document) about your participation in this venture?

Another salad with an acidic base, to cut through all the richness of most of the other dishes. Maybe a "coarse cut" non-creamy slaw with red and green cabbage, apple, jicama, and sweet onion.

You're welcome, TftC. I apologize for the delayed reply. One of the folks behind Barney & Clyde is Gene Weingarten, of the Washington Post, who's one of my favorite writers. (One of my signature lines comes from one of his columns.) He doesn't write all that often about food, although a recent column touched on both Rice Krispies and butter, and this Barney & Clyde is sort of peripherally related. Here's a page with links to his Sunday columns for the past year and his Tuesday ones for the past eight months. It also has links to his longer articles, two of which (this one and this one) won Pulitzer prizes.

A friend of mine, who occasionally posts here and on other food-related web sites, and who knows what he's talking about (at least when it comes to food ), liked Victoria & Albert's very much, iirc.

I like "cooking local." So, living in West Michigan, I like to use products grown or raised around here: chestnuts (yes, we grow them here: one two three four), dried cherries, onion, celery, morels (dried, of course), eggs, turkey or chicken stock, and bread (challah this year).

"Lets..go..Kroger-ing" (See, now it's related to food. ) As Calvin said, "Verbing weirds language."

Mashed/smashed, with butter, maple syrup, and flamed bourbon. Additional spices optional.

Do you mean his roast/braise method?

I'll be making a Travel-Size Butterball.

Nope, don't see any of those. She's safe. In fact, if money gets really, really, really tight, she can just crack open those tiles.

Very cool. Thanks for starting this forum; I'm looking forward to seeing more. Maybe I shouldn't have rolled up and cashed in all of the pennies in our penny jar. I like your dog. It looks like he has one white ear and one black ear. BTW, I tried looking at a larger version of the picture but was told it was a private Flickr account. How's the oven decision/search going?

Old: Brussels sprouts, browned New: Challah, sausage, and chestnut dressing

Interesting idea. Peanuts and chicken, as a stew or soup, is a classic combination in West African cooking.

Heart and Brain and coffee (The Awkward Yeti, yet again)

rotuts, I don't see a review in CR about steam ovens. Catherine, we have a higher-end GE, but it's a gas slide-in stove/oven, so unfortunately I can't offer any useful personal information.

Wall Ovens, Part the Third: At the moment, assuming you'd like a single oven in stainless steel, with all the bells and whistles except steam, I'd recommend these two -- the Bosch HBN8451UC and the GE CK7000SHSS. They do a good job with baking and broiling and are at the top of CR's reliability rankings. If forced to pick, I'd probably go with the Bosch. The Electrolux is a good oven, but I'd tend to shy away from it because it has one of the lowest reliability ratings for their electric stoves. (CR has no reliability info for their wall ovens, but I think it'd reasonable to generalize from the stove ratings.)

OK, so before I see your answers to my earlier questions, here are some more. As with many items, increasing cost tends to produce diminishing returns -- unless, of course, there's a feature you'd really, really like -- steam cooking, for example. It all depends on what your priorities are: Convection? (I assume yes, of course.) Built-in temperature probe? Wireless access from your phone? Good reliability? Proofing setting? (Don't understimate the value of that one.) Cachet? Although undoubtedly there's certain value in anecdotal evidence (i.e., an individual's experience with a particular brand), I'm very much a fan of relying on bigger data. For example, I know that Consumer Reports is pooh-poohed by certain members of this community -- and admittedly it has its limitations -- but I think it's an excellent place to start. My library system gives me complete access to CR online -- does yours? ETA: Your profile doesn't indicate where you live, but the availability of a good repair service -- especially one that can do warranty service -- for your chosen brand is essential.

Her current space has a 27" oven. The ones at AJ Madison (and elsewhere, I imagine) are only 24" or 30", so there'd be some custom installation or a trim kit involved, which would increase the cost (although probably not significantly when compared to the cost of the oven itself ).

Is there a price beyond which you will absolutely not venture? Stainless, white, or black (or doesn't it matter)? Single oven only, or would you consider a double oven? Do I assume correctly that it's a 220/240V line?

This reminds me of Allie Brosh's (Hyperbole and a Half) pain scale. Yes, I know it's not blatantly food-related, but it's close enough. Just think of it as also relating to Scoville units.

Yes -- you will fit right in here! Is your blog still available for browsing? Where in MI were you? That general area is pretty much a restaurant wasteland, so I certainly understand the Chicago trips.

The best one I've ever had -- I still remember it from years ago -- was the Eden Burger from The Frog/Commissary Cookbook, originally published in 1985. Here's the recipe, slightly adapted by the site's author (2T olive oil instead of the book's ¼ cup corn oil; portabello mushrooms instead of "regular" ones; optional 1 egg, if vegan isn't necessaary).