Alex

If I were in your position I'd be overjoyed at being assigned beef tenderloin for my final exam. Granted it's not as beefy-flavorful as, say, a serious dry-aged ribeye, but it's still tasty while providing a more blank canvas for your sauce, so to speak. Plus it's an easy prep and relatively easy to cook properly. If you're using pre-cut portions, you can do a very quick sear, then set them aside until you're ready to put them in a low oven to finish. If you're cooking a whole tenderloin (don't forget to remove the silverskin!), it takes nicely to a mushroom-based stuffing. If your instructor values classic sauces, a perfect béarnaise would be ideal. As you probably know, you can hold it in a warmed Thermos-type bottle. A port-based sauce also works nicely with this cut. (Cook shallots in butter; add port, red wine and rosemary sprig; reduce; strain. Just before serving, reheat, add a bit of demi-glace and salt/pepper to taste, then swirl in more butter.)

As Jaymes and others have said, she was the right person for the right approach at the right time--that time being 1961 to 1963, when the country was fascinated with all things French, due in large part to Jacqueline Kennedy's influence.

By a wonderful coincidence, I caught an episode of Good Eats yesterday in which Alton Brown used that exact method of sugar + draining in a colander. He reduced the exuded liquid but used it to brush the top crust, not as a thickening agent. He used tapioca and apple jelly for that. Here's the recipe.

One small turkey per person. That way everyone gets to take home leftover meat AND a carcass.

Full story here. Much ado about nothing? A piffle-y bit of fluff? Or has Slate got something there?

Today's Grand Rapids Press/milve.com has an amusing article about the McRib.

Wow. Sous-vide beaver tail. Never in my wildest imagination (and it's pretty wild) could I have conceived those words being side-by-side.

Thanks, Linda. Turns out she decided to go to Franco for one of her dinners, so your timing is impeccable. I'll forward your info to her, and post an update after getting her post-dinner report.

The elusive Kit-Kat Dark (now available from Amazon!)

Here's a good reference.

I'm certainly not an expert about such matters, but I suspect it's an AC frequency issue. The U.S. and Canada run on 60 Hz AC; eastern Japan runs on on 50 Hz. Your transformer probably converts voltage but not frequency. Do a Google search on <convert 50 hertz to 60 hertz> for possible solutions.

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)