Alex

Sweets & Savories hosted a special foie gras dinner on May 22 (I couldn't be there ) for $75 pp. (I haven't seen any reports here or on LTH yet. Anyone...?) Chef Richards is pretty accommodating, so I'm wondering he'd put together a foie tasting menu if you and perhaps three others request it far enough in advance. Worth a try...

OK, we now have two more, so let's consider any interested folks from here on in as tentative. I should have more information about that sixth spot a little later on this summer. ← Well, those two more are no more, so we're back to looking for two or three interested folks. ← We're now at four, possibly five, so there's still room for one or two more congenial companions. Also, instead of Lucia, we'll be going to Terragusto. (Here's the eG thread.) It's very close to the Addison stop on the Brown Line. After dinner it would entail a short walk (less than ¼ mile) to Damen then a brief bus ride down to TVH. Terragusto uses local ingredients whenever possible and their menu changes monthly. It's still reasonably priced -- $37.50 for the chef's tasting menu (required if we're six; optional otherwise) or for the three-course "The Italian Dinner," or possibly less if ordering à la carte. Plus it's BYOB for a $1 pp "recycling fee." Again, please send me a PM if you're interested.

Saved.

OK, we now have two more, so let's consider any interested folks from here on in as tentative. I should have more information about that sixth spot a little later on this summer. ← Well, those two more are no more, so we're back to looking for two or three interested folks.

OK, we now have two more, so let's consider any interested folks from here on in as tentative. I should have more information about that sixth spot a little later on this summer.

I've been thinking recently that rather than starting off the Gathering at Blackbird, I'd like to have a more intimate (and less expensive) dinner at a table of no more than six. As of today I have a commitment from two, possibly three, others, so I'm looking for two or three more like-minded eG'ers/guests. This would be on Thursday, of course, probably around 7:30-8:00 p.m. I'm thinking that Lucia would be a good choice. I like the looks of the menu, the write-ups are mostly good, it's BYOB (we can coordinate that later), and it's easy walking distance from The Violet Hour and the Damen stop on the Blue Line. If you're interested, please send me a PM.

Yes, definitely -- or the deli, depending on what kind of food strikes you at the moment.

For dinner in East Lansing, I recommend Restaurant Villegas. Unfortunately, their web site is being renovated, but there's some info on eG if you do a search. Detroit's a big city. Could you be more specific about what kind of food you're interested in, where in the city you'll be, etc?

Definitely the best aphorism I've run across in years!

I've never taken the MegaBus but I've heard great things about it from those who have. I imagine that Union Station would be fine at that hour because it's right in the heart of the city and I'm guessing that even at that hour, there will plenty of other traffic there. If you wanted, you could probably wait inside Union Station, by the train lines and go outside a few minutes before the scheduled arrival. So, you wouldn't have to stand out on the street if it's raining or whatever. =R= ← I agree with Ronnie. According to megabus.com, their stop is on the east side of Canal between Jackson and Adams. There's a cab stand on Jackson at Canal, just outside an entrance to Union Station, so there should be people around.

I'd also like to remind folks about Priceline.com. Courtesy of a heads-up from CaliPoutine (and, of course, William Shatner), I picked up a $59/night room at the four-star Hyatt Regency Chicago. Please PM if you're not familiar with how Priceline works.

I guess it's time to start buying those five-pound foodservice boxes. More seriously, though, the numbers you mentioned reflect about a 28% increase in the retail price. Do you think this is unreasonable given the ~80% increase in the cost of wheat futures since last summer, with a corresponding increase in the wholesale price of flour, plus the huge increase in the price of gasoline and other petroleum products?

Alex, I believe I could venture down the southern spur into Cadillac. What is your recommendation? Leelanau County wasn't originally part of my itinerary, but now that two of you have mentioned it, what's a 'must do' there? Also, thank you for the link to the MTRA's site. I have been there many times and the information they have is extremely useful. Thanks again, Melissa ← In Cadillac, I'd go to Hermann's European Cafe. Not high-end cooking, but good, reliable food and a decent wine selection. (Buy a bottle at the adjoining wine shop and pay just a $7 corkage fee.) Just a little ways from Empire is La Bécasse. "French Country Dining," as they say. Very nice. In Traverse City, I'm a big fan of Amical. Good food, local ingredients when possible, reasonable prices. Also just outside TC, at the Grand Traverse Resort is Aerie. I haven't eaten there, but eG'er Ted Cizma (although I haven't seen him post for a while now) was the executive chef at startup a year ago (I assume he's still there), so it's probably good. There are lots of wineries in the area; if you're interested I can recommend a few.

I can give you some suggestions for Leelanau County and Traverse City (and from there to Petoskey, but that's off your route), but east of that, I'm blank. I do have one recommendation for Cadillac, at the end of the southern spur of the trail. Let me know... Here's some horse-related info about the trail.

I'd like to offer a thought or two about accommodations. Normally, hotel rooms in Chicago can be expensive during the summer, especially over the weekend. However, I'm starting to see some good deals, so perhaps the slowed economy is cutting into vacation travel. Most of you probably know about the usual travel web sites -- Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. I'm also a fan of travelzoo.com. In fact, about a week ago they reported on a great $109/night special at the 4-star Swissotel Chicago, on E. Wacker in the Streeterville area, about a ¾-mile walk from the El. If you prefer to stay in Evanston, your choices are more limited, of course. I originally had reserved a room with a shared bath ($79) at The Margarita European Inn but later decided to stay in Chicago. I don't know if that room is still available.

Kris, are you staying in Evanston? I'm assuming you're not renting a car. If you are, no worries. Neither Chinatown nor Evanston is terribly close to O'Hare, or each other. It's about 17 miles from O'Hare to Evanston, about 20 to Chinatown. (Of course, with that major trek from Yokohama to Narita, this probably sounds like a Sunday stroll.) I've taken only public transportation out of O'Hare, so perhaps someone else can give you a cost estimate for a taxi; I'm guessing about $40-45 plus tip. Obviously one pays for convenience, but if I'm schlepping a big bag and just said goodbye to a 12(?)-hour flight and a visit with Customs, I think it would be worth it. Otherwise... For $2 you can take the CTA in from O'Hare to the Cermak-Chinatown station, a few blocks from Lao Sze Chuan. With the walk to the airport station and a transfer in the Loop from the Blue Line to the Red Line, I'd count on 1½ hours. From O'Hare to Evanston, you can take a free shuttle to the Kiss-'n'-Fly station, where you can catch a $1.50 bus ride to Evanston. The bus ride itself is about 1¼ hours. Getting from Chinatown to/from Evanston is very easy via the Red (and Purple -- thanks for the reminder, nsxtasy) Line. I strongly suspect, though, that you'll be able to find a ride or someone(s) to share a cab with.

I'm in.

North Pond (Sunday brunch menu) North Pond eG forum

Betsy, could you define what you mean by "fairly close to the theater?" If ¾ mile isn't too far, I recommend Bin 36 for lunch or dinner. For lunch, there's an Intelligentsia Coffee at 53 E Randolph, about six blocks from the theater. It's self-serve, but it has the best coffee (or close to it) in the city and salads and stuff from Trotter's To Go, or at least it used to the last time I was there.

Story in the Chicago Tribune Chicago Gourmet web site

Ms. Alex will be in Austin in a couple of weeks and plans to venture out for dinner, probably by herself, on a Sunday and a Tuesday. From the research we've done so far, Sunday looks very much like a Chez Nous night, but Tuesday is as yet unplanned. She's open to most any cuisine, but prefers a place that's relatively casual (business casual is OK) and not overly loud. Most of the entrées should be under $30. We've scouted out what appear to be some likely candidates -- Restaurant Jezebel, Wink Restaurant, Cafe Josie, Gumbo's -- and would appreciate some feedback, but further suggestions are extremely welcome, of course.

Agreed. I use Boyajian, as mentioned above (also their lemon and lime oils). Depending on the size of the recipe (I haven't seen any of Lakshmi's), even a quarter-teaspoon can be sufficient, or even overwhelm. I like adding a little orange oil to my chocolate chunk cookies.

Ha! Whenever I read Randi's posts in this thread, I'm reminded that if I ever should be so unfortunate as to wind up in an extended care facility, I'd probably be just the opposite -- cranky and complaining about the lack of garlic, good wine, and local organic produce and meats. Maybe I'll start a forum topic about this...

I'm not attacking her, I said quite clearly in both posts that it's just a pet peeve/personal opinion of mine. I agree (and stated) that she is doing a great job in a tough situation. I thought this was a discussion thread, I apologize for not realizing it was a "pat the person on the back or don't post at all" thread. I'll stay out of it from now on. ← If I may insert my 2¢ (C 2.0276¢) here... Having been an active eG participant going on five years, I have several issues with its current incarnation. However, one of the things I always have appreciated is the emphasis on (and, occasionally, enforcement of) civilized dialogue, an all-too-rare quality for online discussion forums. Obviously you were aware (you said as much) that your original post would probably be perceived as offensive. I'm sorry, but a preface of "I've never been the king of tact"; a claim of being an "asshole"; and "Hope it doesn't make you hate me" doesn't in and of itself make the subsequent comments any more civilized, and therefore does nothing to lessen their impact. Nor does the later snarky comment, "I thought this was a discussion thread..." Of course this is a discussion, but an effective discussion process entails expressing oneself in such a way that one's thoughts and opinions are heard as intended. That said, there's really no need for you to "keep my opinions in my own kitchen." However, instead of making excuses for a deficiency of tact, might you take an extra few minutes before you post to consider how you can get your point across without it being perceived as an attack? Pet peeves are normal, certainly, and you raised an intriguing question. Perhaps it would have been more effective, though, to ask Randi something like, "How do you know that something tastes right without tasting it yourself?" Actually, now that I know that Randi sometimes tastes and spits, I'd like to ask her a question: Do you ever say to yourself, "Wow, this is good! I wish I still ate meat?" (edited for phrasing)

Could you try to describe that? I've always relied on the tooth test for doneness.