Alex

May I introduce another option for Saturday night (or for your next trip to Chicago): the eight-course tasting menu at Vie, in Western Springs. It's not as "ultra-modern" as Avenues or L2O (as I mentioned earlier, I haven't been to either), but in its own way is certainly "high end." (Here's an eGullet thread about the place.) If you don't have a car (or even if you do ), it's right by the Western Springs Metra station (timetable), about a half hour from Union Station.

I certainly don't want to ignite another pizza debate, but as a native NY'er, I have to agree with Josh's assessment. Deep-dish pizza was an interesting diversion when I was much, much younger and in my "mo' cheese, mo' better" mode, but frankly, I think there are better alternatives if you're looking for Chicago-ish food. For example, there are authentic and delicious Mexican restaurants in the Pilsen neighborhood, as I mentioned in another forum. (Here's an article about Rick Bayless's Pilsen tour.)

Here's my feedback as a semi-frequent visitor to Chicago, not a resident. Unless there's a specific need for a car, I'd recommend against it. If you're considering walking to Xoco from your hotel, then you're centrally located and pretty much everything will be within easy reach of public transportation or your feet, or even a cab ride if need be. I suspect you won't have too much trouble getting a seat at Avec, but I've always gone there early, so I'm not the best advisor about that. For Friday breakfast, do you mean Lula Cafe? If so, good choice, and very near the Logan Square stop on the Blue Line. For lunch, North Pond would be fine, and is indeed accessible via public transportation (Brown Line to Diversey, then the eastbound #76 bus.) However, there also are many excellent choices much closer to where you're staying, including The Purple Pig, Naha, and Topolobampo. For Saturday breakfast, M. Henry is a bit of a schlep, but it's right on the #22 Dearborn/Clark bus line. For lunch, as a closer-in alternative to Hot Doug's, you might consider Franks 'n' Dawgs. (Here's their LTH forum thread.) It's a short walk from the North/Clybourn stop on the Red Line. I have no opinion about L2O vs. Avenues, never having been to either.

I can't tell you anything about the food, but you're in for a great concert.

I'm in the market for a large skillet. In my research I ran across this line of cookware with a durable, non-stick ceramic coating and, apparently, a bunch of chef endorsements (which I know is neither here nor there). It's sold in the U.S. through this (very small?) company, GoCookware. The 12½" skillet is US$122, with free shipping through July. Does anyone own, or have experience with, this line of cookware (not their earlier, Teflon-based product)?

Still water. Sparkling water at room temp is disturbing, though.

I agree. I love having choices, and with the berries on top I can have it both ways. It's like having two...two!...two pancakes in one!! I like the nutmeg idea, too; I often put a few grindings in my blueberry cobbler, but never thought of that for pancakes. I just shopped the GR Farmers Market today, so tomorrow morning...

If it's not a bread, pastry, or dessert item, everything is negotiable--within limits, of course.

Not to worry. Pictures have never been in short supply at Heartland Gatherings. For example, here's the forum about the 2006 Gathering and here's the one from 2005, both in Ann Arbor.

I agree with Katie Meadow. Weird question. Sort of a "Would you rather..."-type question, like "Would you rather eat live monkey brains or jump into a vat of horse manure?" I'd love to know how Chris came up with that vegetable-related showdown. That said, the world would be a better place with more carrots and less celery in it.

Heresy, perhaps, but I'm not a fan of blueberries in pancakes. Not necessarily because the pancakes need to be thick--not a bad thing in and of itself, which I accomplish by mixing a glob of sour cream into the batter--but mainly because the berries turn into little lava balls. I prefer them scattered over the top, along with some sliced strawberries.

"I always take a small container of olive oil when I go hiking..." Now, if that doesn't exemplify "eGulleteer," nothing does. I love it. Echoing Blether, I also would look at supermarket jars, e.g., artichoke hearts. You also can buy specialty travel containers like this one. For a belt-and-suspenders approach, you could put your container in two layers of resealable plastic bags (but I suspect you already do that).

That looks amazing. What is the date stuffed with? It looks like almond paste plus something else. Eh, the gods wouldn't appreciate them, but I certainly wouldn't turn one down if it happened to mysteriously appear in Ann Arbor. Nah, just kidding, really. Besides, our friendly Customs/TSA probably would confiscate them.

Here's a nice little article from today's The Grand Rapids Press about the Kerrytown neighborhood, where I suspect we'll be doing most of our Feast-related shopping. It's home to Kerrytown Market & Shops, Zingerman's Deli, and the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Chia Shiang bread workshop Grange feast brunch, maybe

If you have a car, try Bellezza Gelato Caffe. Or, closer to downtown, and easily reachable by bus (but not train) is Black Dog Gelato. (Their URL, blackdoggelato.com, goes to a pharmaceutical web site.) There's also Bobtail Ice Cream, by the fountain in Grant Park.

Alas, I've never been to the Twin Cities, but Ms. Alex, on her last visit, very much liked Babani's Kurdish Restaurant in St. Paul.

Here's a Meyer lemon cocktail thread. I've also made Meyer lemon sorbet, which was liked by all.

Although Kenmore used to be mostly Whirlpool stuff, that's changed over the years, so you might want to investigate this further. Here's a guide to determining who made your Kenmore. For what it's worth, we've been happy with our KitchenAid (seven years, light use, one repair for a leaking hose), as have our friends with their high-end Whirlpool Gold (six years, light use, no repairs).

I'm up for #1 in the a.m., then some other stuff in the afternoon, including maybe a visit to Zingerman's Bakery and Creamery (and to Motawi Tileworks to peruse the seconds bin). Re Grange, I'll go as high as need be, but $75-80, including tax and tip, seems appropriate for a six-course tasting menu, as does $40-45 for 2½-3-oz. mid-level wine pairings. I won't be there Thursday, but if I were, I'd prefer something local (and specially prepared) like the Szechuan meal over the schlep to Detroit, as good as Roast may be.

I see that you're in DC, so I'm surprised that you said you "can't seem to find a reliable retailer." There are several very good ones in the area, for example, MacArthur Beverages. (I don't live in DC, but my wine-savvy cousins do, so when I visit we sometimes go on a wine hunt.) BTW, I recently picked up a case of the 2007 Fabre Montmayou Malbec Gran Reserva (92 points from Wine Advocate), a bargain at $180 on a direct import sale.

Health food stores usually carry cold-pressed oils, but I don't know about roasted vs. unroasted.

Slumming it for lunch, eh? How about an authentic Mexican restaurant in Pilsen, like Birriería Reyes de Ocotlan, then mosey over to Kristoffer's Cafe for outstanding tres leches cake, chocoflan, and coffee.

Enjoyable article, Margaret. And a very clever reference to "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

The USDA says, "If a food has been left in the 'Danger Zone' – between 40 and 140°F – for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good." They tend to be ultra-cautious with this type of recommendation, so if your chicken was roasted to the proper temperature, I suspect you'd have a little more leeway. Re refrigeration, I concur with BadRabbit: four days should be fine, assuming your fridge is between 32° and 40°F. If you're not going to eat it before then, remove the meat and freeze it, preferably vacuum-packed, then use the carcass to make stock.