Alex

Thanks for all the info and suggestions. As I mentioned, we'll probably be going to Sable and definitely to Michael for dinner. Lunch will be wherever we wind up. No Hot Doug's this trip, but possibly Franks 'n' Dawgs. Also possibly Big & Little's.

My three cents (inflation, you know): 1¢. TNIC is simply entertainment; fairness and reasonableness play minor roles. The structure and editing are all about drama. 2¢. Chefs accept a place on the show (and on ICA) for their own reasons. If doing so doesn't impair the food at their restaurants, who are we to criticize? 3¢. I am SO happy I don't have to watch Jeffrey Steingarten hold his silverware like a three-year-old. What's up with that, anyway?

That's it in a nutshell. If you think the food and experience are worth the hassle, you will comply with whatever you need to do to secure a reservation. I know I'd absolutely love the food, but the process simply isn't worth it to me. By the way, I did get their voice mail on my first attempt, but as I said in an earlier post, I wasn't calling to request a reservation, only to inquire when November reservations would be taken. Even a terse reply of "We don't know yet" would have sufficed. Common courtesy, and all that. Evidently Schwa has enough willing supplicants to not worry whether they alienate potential customers. As I said, this process is for some, but not for me. To steer the conversation back to dinner (as often happens), has anyone been to West Town Tavern recently? It's been probably three years for me.

Are you asking about the $35 or so toddy coffee system (big plastic holder, filter, stopper, glass carafe, cover) vs. making your own apparatus? I know there's an old eGullet thread about cold-brewed coffee, so don't be surprised if this thread gets merged into that one. Here's an interesting article about cold-brewed coffee. I use mine for iced coffee and for flavoring in a white milk/chocolate soy milk concoction that I bring to work. It's for convenience more than anything else, but it still tastes just fine to me.

I sort of knew that my comment about Schwa would elicit some responses. I have just three final thoughts: 1) When I'm wanting to spend a couple hundred dollars on a brilliant meal for two, it seems absurd to have to beg to do so. If voice mail and email are seldom answered, why maintain the pretense? 2) I owned an outpatient substance abuse treatment center for many years. I had lots of patience (and patients) when doing treatment. I also did a lot of work with adults with AD/HD. However, one should never use a diagnosis as an excuse for inappropriate behavior. Re presantrin's comment, from my perspective the rudeness is in the behavior; the cause is irrelevant. (Can you tell my theoretical orientation?) I know that we all overlook annoying or odd behaviors in our good friends; that's simply part of friendship. However, I don't have the equivalent kind of relationship with Schwa, and I'm not willing to jump through all the hoops necessary to do so. 3) If Chef Carlson can be philanthropic about his food, how about offering one or two free meals a week for someone to handle voice mail and email? If I lived in Chicago, after I retired I'd be beyond glad to volunteer for the job.

Thanks to those who've replied so far, and for the information about Brasserie Jo. I'm aware that Michael is in Winnetka, but very close to the Indian Hill Metra station. Turns out we arranged to meet another eG'er and his spouse there for one of our dinners. It's only 33 minutes on the train and it's not a big deal to get to Ogilvie from our hotel, not to mention it'll give me a good excuse to buy something at Vanille Patisserie. The other dinner is still undecided, but we're now leaning toward Sable (not mentioned in my post), which is very much our style and is a short walk from our hotel. I think The Publican will be for my next visit without Ms. Alex, as she will eat, but is not a big fan of, charcuterie or pork (except for bacon, of course). She also actively dislikes oysters. Regarding lunch, we'll probably play it by ear, but Purple Pig is on the very short list. We've been to Topolobampo and Frontera, but never for lunch. We also might consider Pelago if we're in the N. Michigan Ave/MCA area at the time. If we're in the vicinity of the Art Institute, which we almost certainly will be, I've never been to The Gage, although Ms. Alex has. <rant> Actually, Schwa was my very first choice when I started planning this all out, but their lack of response to both my email and voice mail message--both of which simply asked when they'd start accepting reservations for November--pissed me off. I know the food is wonderful and a bargain and there's BYO and all that, but I'm not willing to put up with rudeness in order to eat somewhere--anywhere. I also know that they're a bare-bones operation, but if Alinea can reply to an email the same day I sent it, there's no excuse why Schwa can't reply within even a week. </rant>

Ms. Alex has been to 247 Craven several times and really likes it. She's even a fan of theirs on Facebook. Bella Cucina is indeed open; she's eaten dinner there once. She liked the food and said the service was good (some of the same ones as Pia's) but the wine list was sadly lacking in quantity and quality. That may yet change. A couple of months ago I had a simple but delicious stir-fry at Sumo Bowl on S. Glenburnie.

Ms. Alex and I will be visiting Chicago over Thanksgiving weekend this year. Dinner on Tg Day is set, but we're considering our options for the Wednesday before and the Friday (and possibly Saturday) after. I haven't yet checked on which places are or aren't open on which days, but absent that information, we've narrowed our choices to eight. In general, and with the occasional exception, we're looking for places we've never been to, entrees at the mid-20s to low-30s level, and relatively casual dress. We have no food allergies or restrictions. It's not like this will be our last trip to Chicago, but if you had to pick two or three places currently at the top of their game, which ones would they be? I also would appreciate any other feedback based on your experience or of those you trust. Everest ...for the three-course pre-theater dinner. We've been to Brasserie Jo, and have read wonderful things about Jean Joho's food, so this might be a good time to dive in. I know that jackets are required. Sweets and Savories We've been there several times, but not for years. If Chef David's cooking is as good as (or better than) ever, it'd be great to finally go back. The $29 prix fixe sounds like a tremendous deal. And Wednesday is $10 burger night. Michael Glowing reviews, including by nsxtasy here on eG. The menu had me at Sauteed Medallion of Hudson Valley Foie Gras over foie gras strudel with candied huckleberries. Blue 13 I like the menu and the attitude (so long as the music isn't too loud). *They* had me at "Coffee and Doughnuts." Pelago We're both absolute suckers for progressive Italian cuisine. The reviews have been very, very good. Cibo Matto Ditto re the cuisine. We then can pop up to Roof to continue our consumption of adult beverages. The Publican This might be a Saturday "afternoon menu" choice. Girl and the Goat Why not?

Ms. Alex intensely dislikes olives of any variety (but not olive oil). That's fine -- more for me (and I never cook with them except for the very occasional Greek salad). Every few years she'll gamely give it a go, but nothing's changed in the 20 years we've been together. It's probably a combo taste/texture thing. She does avoid rice noodles (a.k.a. slimy noodles) and raw oysters, but likes okra. Go figure.

Variation on Baked Alaska or Bombe Alaska. Frozen chocolate mousse, cover with meringue, brown quickly in very hot oven. For da bombe, at tableside, flame some dark rum or other suitable spirit and pour over the meringue.

Cool. I love those cookies. Thanks, and I'll keep you posted...

Thank you for the information, Michael, and welcome to eGullet. And no, you're not too late at all. In fact, your timing is impeccable; Ms. Alex was planning on making reservations later today.

We finally got around to winnowing the collection. So, minus 50, donated to our local community college's culinary/hospitality program.

There's tons of stuff I absolutely loved as a kid that have gone by the wayside over the years due to taste, texture, nutritional choice, or simple change of preference -- La Sueur canned baby peas; Skippy peanut butter; Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli; Mrs. Paul's fish sticks; Campbell's chicken noodle soup; etc., etc., etc. Unlike Chris, I've had no recent revelations. However, I wouldn't mind trying some of those old super-favorite sweets, just to see: Hostess Sno-Balls -- the white ones, not the girly pink ones (Are they still being made?) Drake's Ring Dings (ditto) Mallomars (I suspect I'd still love them.) Chunky (ditto)

I use De Luze VS, $17.99 here in Michigan. A sidecar is as special as I get for brandy-based cocktails. [Re Chris's post, gee, I wish I could have Hennessy VS at work. I think the college would frown on that, though. On the opposite (and non-proscribed) end of the central nervous system-affecting spectrum, I've been dropping hints about their buying an espresso machine for my classroom, but no luck so far.]

I'd keep trying for a reservation. Even though it's Alinea, people do cancel. Have you considered Schwa (also a tough reservation)? A bonus is that it's BYO, which will save some money. You also might consider cocktails (and interesting bar food) at The Violet Hour (relatively uncrowded early, often crowded later). I'm a psychologist, so that sounds like a great conference. I see it's at the Spertus Institute, on Michigan Ave right across from Grant Park and just a few blocks away from the Art Institute of Chicago (but you probably already knew that). You'll be right next to a very good tapas restaurant, Jose Garces's Mercat a la Planxa. You'll also be about six blocks from The Gage and Henri (I've not been to the latter). I hope you have a great time in Chicago (it's hard not to)!

Dougal mentioned the door seals a couple of times. Let me second (or third) that recommendation. Here's a quick guide to checking the seals. And yes, definitely clean those horizontal coils. We have a special bristle brush just for that purpose, and vacuum out the loose dust using a radiator attachment. We have a 12-year-old, 18 cu. ft., top-freezer Whirlpool that we keep at exactly the temperatures Fat Guy mentioned in his lead post. It's never needed a repair. (Can I get a group eGullet wood-knocking and finger-crossing now, please?)

Yes, DC's undoubtedly a great place to visit. Rasika, definitely. Ms. Alex also loves going to the Champagne Sunday Brunch at Bombay Club. Don't expect great BBQ. Lots of other really good places to eat, though. If you're in the mood for sophisticated Italian food, I recommend Tosca. Their $35 three-course pre-theater menu (5:30-7:00) is an outstanding bargain.

A samovar. Or how about non-manufactured "utensils," e.g., banana leaves?

The reviews on Yelp date to January, 2008, so I'd assume the place opened in 2007. It doesn't look like Forgione is in the kitchen; the web site lists him as "Chief Proprietor." The chef de cuisine is Nick McCormick, who, according to his bio, trained in Chicago and spent some time working at MK The Restaurant.

I also just "discovered" the web sites for three downtown places with decent-to-good reviews elsewhere: the old-school Tony's, Larry Forgione's An American Place, and the lunch buffet Indian restaurant Mr. Currys. Any thoughts on these?

Thanks for the info and suggestions, Rona. I did discover Nadoz's web site, but the closer-in Coronado location closes at 5 Mon-Fri, 4 Sat. Too bad, as Ms. A will be going to the symphony one night, and Nadoz isn't far from there. Sounds like she's going to have to find some dinner companions to split cab fare. Me, I'd take a bus and walk, but that's not her style most of the time.

Ms. Alex will be at a conference in downtown St. Louis next month, at the Hyatt Regency near The Arch. My preliminary research, including earlier posts here, yielded some promising names -- Niche, Sidney St. Cafe, 1111 Mississippi, Modesto, Mango Peru -- but none of them, with the possible exception of Mango, is within walking distance of the hotel. The other four places don't appear to be too terribly long a cab ride, but it would nice to have some options within walking distance. Any recommendations? Also, what is your current opinion of the above-mentioned places, and are there other places within a short cab ride (or train ride of any distance) that are exceptionally worthwhile? Any price range or type of cuisine would be fine, although when dining out while traveling she tends to avoid Japanese, Chinese, B-B-Q, and steak houses. Thanks!

At last...another of our all-too-rare forums about ethics, food philosophy, etc. Seriously. I wish we had more of these. Tino27 makes a good point: Simply knowing that the meal is free might have an effect on a reviewer's report. We know, of course, that our perceptions, emotions and behavior can be influenced by things we're not consciously aware of. One of my favorite examples is a study in which men were asked to view a particular new car, then rate various qualities about it. The men who looked at the car with an attractive female model standing next to it tended to rate it as more appealing than those who looked at it by itself -- yet the "model" men consistently denied that the model's presence had any influence on their judgement. For Chef Des Rosiers' type of compensation I doubt this influence would be terribly large, but it might be there, and I believe a reviewer must avoid even the appearance of impropriety. However, I also believe that his offer was a innovative marketing technique that was made in perfectly good faith. Also, having written regular restaurant reviews for relatively small publications in Detroit and Grand Rapids, I know that compensation for such reviews can be quite limited. In my opinion, doing a write-up after only one visit is a report, not a review. I usually visited a place at least three times (or at least twice, if dining with a party of four or more) before writing my column. I therefore would have less of a problem if a reviewer used Chef Rosiers' offer to see if inovasi was a place worth reviewing (well, duh, although you never know...), then visiting twice more on the publication's dime. Here's another thought. It looks like he's offering to pay for a meal for one. Because the offer is targeted at reviewers, do you perceive it differently than, say, the restaurant's offering a "buy one, get one" coupon to the general public. If so, how? On a related note, it's good knowing about the place; the menu looks great. (And thanks for your reports, Ken.) Given that it's so close to the Lake Bluff Metra station, and that there's a $7 weekend Metra pass (or $11 R/T weekday fare), it may go on the list for my next Chicago trip.

Canned broth/stock for homemade. Blech.