Alex

Not that social behavior in this country (or any other) is expected to make logical sense, but I love how incessant political trash talking often gets by with just a wink and a nod while the NYT review--which, for all its snark (or creativity, depending on your point of view) was basically a statement of fact--lights up the blogo/Twittosphere and, for just one example of misplaced reaction, gets called a "sucker punch" by an AP writer. What, Wells was supposed to warn Fieri that a skewering was imminent? Granted this place was ultra-low-hanging fruit, so the review might have been just a bit of overkill, but with Fieri being a food celebrity, so to speak, I can understand why the takedown.

Wow, lots of choices. A manageable walk east from the Circle is Birch & Barley. Also a manageable walk south is Rasika West End. Toward the east side of the Circle is Little Serow (not the same atmosphere as Graffiato, but not to be missed. Get in line early.) Two stops north on the Red Line (Cleveland Park) are Palena Cafe and Ardeo/Bardeo.

I agree with ChefRobb and radtek, and for this reason as well: I'm not in the field (except for some time on the writing end of things), but I suspect it's much like many others--your being able to do what you want, where you want, is part what you know, part (likely a bigger part) who you know. School will help you with both of those. The rest is luck, serendipity, cosmic confluence, or whatever else you want to call it.

And now for something completely different. If I were doing this, and were part of the celebration as you will be, I'd want to do as much ahead of time as possible. I think you're on the right track with dessert, although I'd probably opt for profiteroles. For the main course, rather than a roast, I'd like to suggest what we did for our small wedding reception a while back: poached whole salmon fillets, served cold, with two sauces (self-serve): ginger remoulade and yogurt something (dill, maybe; I can't quite remember). To keep it company on the plate, how about a cold vegetable terrine?

If you find yourself in or near The Loop (Art Institute, Chicago Cultural Center, Theater District, Millenium Park, etc.), Toni Patisserie and Café is a wonderful place for lunch. There are endless debates about Chicago steak houses. Based on my very limited experience with them, I can recommend Keefer's. Jose Garces's Mercat a la Planxa is a fun tapas place.

Are you sure by "the 18th" he didn't mean the day? And yes, you do still have to worry about "hip" -- the one you might break if you're not careful. Mintwood is good (and is one of the current "in" spots), but I don't know if I'd call it hip. As Busboy mentioned, Masa 14 and Cork are good choices, as is Birch & Barley/Churchkey, especially if your friend is into beer.

Ms. Alex loves Wink.

Great timing! Ms. Alex is, at this very moment, making a lentils + spinach recipe out of The Indian Slow Cooker.

Pilaf-style: saute chopped onions, then add the couscous to brown a bit, then add the stock and a pinch of salt. Add some finely diced carrots about five minutes before it's done. Garnish with parsley. Serve with lamb burgers or kabobs dressed with a yogurt-tahini-parsley sauce.

The first four I can understand and certainly would want to avoid, but hallucinations? Think maybe some ergot found its way into the wine? (Not sure how it'd do that, since it infects only grasses and some grains, iirc, but given the first four symptoms, who knows?)

On my one and only visit to France, in 1971, we were going to have a "French lunch" of bread, cheese, and wine (and maybe some charcuterie; my memory's fuzzy on that). I suspect we ate it al fresco despite the cool, grey January weather. Having recently graduated from college and with limited income, I had picked up what I thought was a great bargain -- a genuine French rosé for the equivalent of about $1 U.S. It was vile.

I don't think they're in salt. The description says "These fillets are marinated in sunflower seed oil, wine vinegar and spices." That said, if I make sure they're covered in oil, they'd stay in the fridge for a long time I'd guess. I've done that, and yes, they do. That's a good price, even with the $19.95 shipping charge.

Where are you staying? I assume you'll be using public transportation (train, bus, taxi) vs. car. Preliminary recommendations: 1) Before the White Sox game, eat breakfast/brunch at Nana, then walk or take the #35 bus over to the ballpark. 2) If you're in The Loop area for lunch, two really good sandwich places are Toni Patisserie and Cafe and Hannah's Bretzel. 3) Yes to Avec.

I guess it depends what you use your microwave for, and how often. A 1700-1800 W commercial model might cook/heat faster than a higher-powered domestic one (1200-1350 W), but do you actually need that extra speed? It's a microwave, after all, so it's really a matter of quick and quicker. Is it worth spending many times the money? Think of it another way: You'd have to have four or five domestic units die on you before it outweighed the cost of one commercial unit (which didn't die). This is a guess, but I suspect the lack of a turntable is related, at least in part, to restaurant-based sanitation requirements.

For the Heartland Gathering in Chicago, in 2008, I made watermelon-tomato-mint soup. Dead simple. In a blender (or, even better, a Vita-Mix or Blendtec), puree seeded watermelon "meat," peeled and seeded in-season tomatoes, and fresh mint leaves. Proportions can vary according to taste. Serve at room temp or slightly cooled. Finish with just a bit of fleur de sel or similar.

tammylc, who coordinated the Ann Arbor-based gatherings, would be a good resource about this. I'll send you a PM with her contact info. I wasn't at the Cleveland or KC gatherings, but you can get the coordinators' names from the forums.

Getting an early start this past weekend, I made a small batch of DL's Goat Cheese Ice Cream (locally produced cheese from Dancing Goat Creamery), then folded in chopped 70% chocolate and fresh Michigan sweet cherries that were pitted, quartered, and macerated in northern Michigan's Black Star Farms Spirit of Cherry (a.k.a. kirsch).

My psychopathy scale on the MMPI is relatively high, which reflects, in part, my tendency to not feel guilty about much of anything at all. And the behaviors I would indeed feel guilty about are either felonious or highly immoral, so I generally try to avoid them. That said, my (minimally) guilty pleasure is canned tuna (formerly Bumble Bee, now Kirkland) eaten straight with just a generous squeeze of lemon. (And sorry, weinoo, but a teaspoon or so--after all, we're humans and are capable of restraint from time to time--of Nutella straight out of the jar is way too good to be a guilt- or shame-inducer. In fact, it's often saved me from eating a way more caloric after-dinner treat. A spoonful of Nutella is satisfying; a spoonful of Häagen-Dazs doesn't quite make it.)

But the dates of the gathering are 8/9-8/12, no? Sorry, my brain freeze. The rates are indeed for checking in on the 9th and out on the 12th.

This evening, Hotwire has what appears to be the Holiday Inn - Historic District, which looks to be about three blocks from the Sheraton Society Hill, for $95 + tax per night, checking in on 8/2 and out on 8/6. It also has what appears to be either the Sheraton City Center (formerly the Wyndham) or the further-away and less-recommended (but near trolley and subway stops) Sheraton University City for $92/night. Of course, you don't get the hotel's name until after you book (non-refundable), but my online source usually is accurate about such things.

I like that -- a butter² sandwich.

Okay, now I'm gonna puke. Well, as I wrote, it's only Ms. Alex and me at home, and she doesn't eat my pb or the toppings I use, so no big deal for us. I do use a separate implement for the Nutella, as she does eat that on occasion. (I also sometimes drink directly from the San Pelligrino bottle, as does she.) But if you ever visit, I'll use separate knives and brand new pb and topping containers (and a glass for the San P).

1. Depends on my mood and inspiration at the moment. Could be Nutella. Could be cherry preserves (my favorite jam/jelly/etc., although I usually keep at least five or six in stock). Could be half a banana, sliced the long way. Could be tomato or tomato + bacon. PB is always homemade from Planter's unsalted. Except for the occasional pumpernickel bagel, it's almost always bread, toasted, from these folks. 2. Always one spreader, but I do lick most of the pb residue from the knife before proceeding. Ms. Alex, for reasons almost beyond my comprehension, still prefers Jif and hardly ever uses a topping, so there's no "eww" factor in our house. At least not for that.

On the surface, it sounds like they've had some bad experiences with last-minute cancellations by "foreigners." However, I'm wondering whether this also has to do with the attitude--which I've personally experienced--that gaijin are not equipped to truly appreciate Japanese food, especially the nuances of first-class sushi. For a great example of this superiority/condescension--including the memorable quote, "I've always believed that we Japanese have the best tastebuds in the world"--check out the last part of the Iron Chef episode with Ron Siegel as the challenger. I saw the movie last weekend in Chicago. I'm glad I went, but it felt stretched out. It would have worked better, imho, as a 52-minute PBS special.

It's like a Fathead for your fridge! I see on their home page that they use a non-U.S. system for the date (day.month.year). Does anyone know where they're based?