Alex

Some folks put it down, but I happen to like Bin 36 a lot. I think I've dined there as much as, if not more than, any other restaurant in Chicago, and have never had a bad meal. (I haven't been to Bin Wine Cafe, but I know it's much smaller than Bin 36.) The only drawback is that it can get really loud, but you'll be going mid-week, so that should help. It's just a few blocks from the Clark station, so that's a good thing. To keep yourself apprised of the latest Blue Line construction, though, you might want to check the CTA website just before you fly in. Thanks for the invitation. Of course, I've heard and read wonderful things about Vancouver. I might not take you up on it, though, because if I visit I'll probably just wind up staying there, which might cause a problem with my wife and my school, not to mention Immigration.

Ask Dr. Knowledge, from The Boston Globe

As others have mentioned, your loss of the joy of cooking sounds like part and parcel of the grieving process. Also, too much of a good thing, under the wrong circumstances, can temporarily turn bad. (It's not the same as your experience, of course, but one reason I didn't major in music was my fear of losing the joy if I had to practice for hours a day.) From a psychologist's perspective, it also sounds like cooking, through its association with all the events and circumstances of the past few months, has become a conditioned stimulus producing an aversive, emotional conditioned response. (Dread? Sadness? Anger?) The way past this dark place, then, is to recognize those feelings and to jump back in anyway, slowly, starting from where you're at. Scrambled eggs and tuna salad sandwiches are great. Then, maybe scrambled eggs with lox and onions, or a tuna melt with sweet onion and perfect tomato. Then, well...

I agree -- this is an interesting topic, even to one whose professional experience, such as it was, began and ended in his college's cafeteria. However, I see several parallels to my profession (clinical psychology and education). As other posters-- especially Holly Moore -- have mentioned, the contacts one makes in school can be a major factor in determining the job one gets post-school. And -- justified or not -- the bigger the name, the bigger the impression your résumé will make and the wider your geographic options. That being said, though, community colleges can provide an excellent culinary education and excellent value. You'll just need to do some research, as there are good programs and not-so-good programs. Here in Grand Rapids, for example, Grand Rapids Community College has a first-rate Hospitality Education Program. The facilities are spectacular; the chef-instructors are highly regarded (including the two authors of the IACP award-winning Modern Garde Manger); students have opportunities to participate in national and international competitions and travel; the ACF-accredited and NRA-honored program articulates with baccalaureate programs at two state universities; and the program's restaurant, The Heritage, is one of the best in the city.

Here's something else for you to consider. Under the best of circumstances it takes ~45 minutes from O'Hare to downtown. When you figure in the time to walk from the hotel to the CTA, then add some extra time because of ongoing construction projects on the Blue Line, and then possibly a short walk from your destination station to your restaurant, you're looking at a good 1¼-1½ hours door-to-door each way. For about the same price (your hotel doesn't offer a courtesy van) you can take a couple of cabs or one van to a good restaurant in the vicinity of the airport, say, Rosemont. Here's a thread from earlier this year that briefly address this topic. (And here's the web site for Carlucci, mentioned in that thread but without a link.) As SundaySous mentioned, Harry Carry's is pretty good; there's one in Rosemont in addition to the one in River North.

Six more since my last report: The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz Bittman Takes On America's Chefs Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals Welcome to My Kitchen, Tom Valenti Build a Better Burger (about the Sutter Home contest, by James McNair) How to Grill, Steven Raichlen

Great pics, Nancy! As another displaced New Yorker, I think I've found my new computer wallpaper -- the first pizza slice.

I was the "dining companion" Josh referred to, and I completely agree with his assessment. (More rabbit, please!) I did appreciate that our server appeared open to our suggestions about the flank steak dish. Also, one of the owners, Kurt, was working the front of the house, which was good to see. We were able to order separate desserts for the tasting menu. I had a trio of house-made ice creams. As best as I can remember, they were guava-vanilla, blueberry-something, and Guinness. I would have preferred a little more intensity to the flavors, but they were tasty nonetheless. The decaf coffee was sufficiently strong, one of the best I've had in a restaurant. I didn't order an espresso, but the beans are from Seattle's Caffé D'Arte, one of my favorite roasters. The wine glasses provided for BYO were adequate but not ideal -- the one for the white was too small; for the red, too wide. I'd be tempted to bring my own next time. The tabletop wine cooler, though, was very, well, cool. FYI, the $24 three-course menu has up-charges for premium selections such as the rabbit, kampachi, lamb, and ice cream. The five-course ($50) and seven-course ($65) options have no up-charges. Here's their web site.

Here you go -- just the thing to make most of the male participants (and maybe some of the female ones) feel just a bit uncomfortable. How about a couple of nice Alfredo sauces with food dyes? Maybe you can offer a dish in honor of Heironymous Bosch's lesser-known sibling, Anonymous Bosch. (Sorry, I've been waiting for years to use this one.) BTW, you'll probably get a larger response if you also add this thread to the Cooking forum.

Fox and Obel is very hit or miss. Some things are great (like meat), while others (like produce) are pretty terrible. If you are in Chicago now and interested in produce, you can't do better than one of the local farmer's markets (many of which also sell meat, cheese, bread, prepared foods, and have chef demonstrations, among other things). Here is a list of markets in Chicago.; my personal favorite is the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. ← I think he was referring to the cafe at Fox & Obel, not the market. I do agree with you about the market's meats and produce, though. I also like their smoked fish.

Wow, you're in a great location, right by the Grand stop on the Red Line. For Mexican food, take the Pink Line to 18th for Nuevo Leon. It's not close (but not all that far, either), but for Thai food you can take the Red Line north to Sheridan for TAC Quick. WHT is correct about Chinatown. Laoszechuan is highly recommended. (BTW, the Hilton Garden Inn is at 10 East Grand.)

For example, Clicky There also a good article about the folks from whom I get my beef, eggs, and some cheeses.

FWIW, here's their Metromix listing.

Those are supremely touching posts, Jamie Lee. They brought to mind the singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, who was diagnosed with inoperable pleural mesothelioma. When asked by David Letterman if there was anything he now understood in the face of his own mortality, he thought for a moment and replied, "Just how much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich."

That's exactly what I have (a 100°F oven setting), and it works perfectly. I'll make 2-3 quarts in a wide-mouth gallon glass jar, then strain it (in batches) through a fine-mesh basket filter, which makes for a wonderfully thick Greek-style yogurt. You can use the whey in pancakes or whatever. Provided you're careful with the temperatures, it's astoundingly easy.

It'll also take him that long to prepare all the charcuterie and smoked salmon we'll undoubtedly want to eat!

Sepia has been garnering a lot of praise, especially for a place that's been open such a short time. Does anyone have a personal experience to relate, either theirs or second-hand? Menu Pages listing A brief mention in Dish Metromix First Look Sepia's web site (front page only for now)

Thursday August 7, 2008 Dinner Blackbird Restaurant 619 W Randolph, Chicago, IL 60606 312 715-0708 Start time tbd, approximately 6:30 pm CT Cocktail Session The Violet Hour 1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 773 252-1500 approximately 10:30 pm CT (30 minutes after dinner ends) Initial post about Thursday's events ===== Friday August 8, 2008 Workshop Heartland Gathering Bread workshop time and loaction to be announced Workshop Heartland Gathering Chocolate workshop time and location to be announced Dinner Lao Sze Chuan Chinatown Square Mall 2172 S Archer Ave Chicago, IL 60616 312 326-5040 7:30 pm CT Intial post about Friday's dinner ===== Saturday August 9, 2008 Shopping Evanston Farmers Market Intersection of University Place and Oak Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 9 am CT Shopping Niles Ethnic Shopping Tour Niles, IL 9 am CT Intial post about Ethnic tour Group Meal Immanuel Lutheran Church 616 Lake St Evanston, IL 60201 847 864-4464 1 pm CT Initial post about Saturday's events and the weekend in general ===== Sunday August 10, 2008 Walking tour of Maxwell Street Market led by David Hammond 500 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60607 312 922-3100 10 am CT Initial post about Sunday's event ===== Shopping Map - eGS Heartland Gathering 2008 [Moderator's note: This planning topic has been split off from the 2007 Cleveland Heartland Gathering report topic so we don't lose track of the folks who have already started planning for the 2008 event in Chicago. Let's get the boilerplate out of the way: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED THROUGH EG FORUMS BY MEMBERS BUT IS NOT SPONSORED BY THE EGULLET SOCIETY FOR CULINARY ARTS AND LETTERS OR EG FORUMS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY ARRANGED ON OR DISCUSSED IN EG FORUMS IS AT YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE RISK. BY USING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE FORUMS YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND (1) THAT IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF HAZARDS AND RISKS ARISING FROM THOSE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS; (2) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, DISCHARGE CLAIMS, RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SOCIETY, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, AND OTHER PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES, FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY ON ACCOUNT OF, OR IN ANY WAY RESULTING FROM INJURIES AND DAMAGES IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH ANY SUCH EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES. YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TERMS WILL BE BINDING UPON YOU AND YOUR HEIRS, EXECUTORS, AGENTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSIGNS, AS WELL AS ANY GUESTS AND MINORS ACCOMPANYING YOU AT THE EVENTS. On to the planning! -- CA] Everything looks so wonderful! I regret having to pass on this year's gathering, so let me be the first (not counting Ronnie) to put my name on the list for Chicago next year. (And, after reading Ronnie's post about his amazing birthday dinner, the first to cast my vote for Vie as our Friday night destination.)

Hey, you'll be at my old stomping grounds at Wayne State University. If you have the time, by all means don't miss visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, just a block or two from the Inn. The Whitney is very close to you, but as you've already noted, it's closed on Mondays. However, Atlas Global Bistro, a very short ride down Woodward Ave., is open. It's not world-class, but it is very good. ← The exceptional Detroit Institute of Arts is, unfortunately, closed for an extensive remodeling until November of 07. ← Oops. Thanks for catching that, ruthie. I should have remembered, though -- Rodin's The Thinker, normally at the DIA's main entrance, IIRC, is on loan to Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park here in Grand Rapids during the remodeling.

Hey, you'll be at my old stomping grounds at Wayne State University. If you have the time, by all means don't miss visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, just a block or two from the Inn. The Whitney is very close to you, but as you've already noted, it's closed on Mondays. However, Atlas Global Bistro, a very short ride down Woodward Ave., is open. It's not world-class, but it is very good.

I'll be in the City of Detroit in just 2 weeks and would much appreciate some recommendations for world-class food. Thanks!! ← Where exactly will you be staying? Will you have a car? The two "world-class" restaurants, imho -- The Lark (traditional) and Tribute (more cutting edge) are in the far NW burbs. If you haven't already, you might want to check out this thread.

I second Naftal's recommendation of Steve & Rocky's. I've been there only once, but I enjoyed it immensely. The chef/owners have a stellar background in the field. One the way to/from the airport, just off the Ford Rd. exit on I-275, there's an Indian restaurant I like very much, Ashoka. I think they're open for Sunday lunch, but I'd call to make sure.

I also do not marinate. I prefer beef (I use local grass-fed beef almost exclusively) to taste like, well, beef, with any enhancement coming from the sauce, herb butter, etc. I also judge degree of doneness primarily by feel (the ol' fleshy-part-of-the-hand-near-the-thumb test). As WiscoNole said, I always slice thinly across the grain, with the knife at about a 45-degree angle.

S & S is about three miles from Union Park -- straight up Ashland to Fullerton, then right one block. There's free parking next door after 6, I think. $100+ per person will get you a very, very nice meal there.

Finally someone else smells it too. Beet sugar smells earthy to me like dirt. Not everyone can smell it. I have asked friends to smell the beet sugar and they smell nothing. I thought it was my imagination. ← I definitely can smell it, and don't like it at all. I didn't know what it, though, until I read this thread today. I had thought it was the packaging or maybe some sort of interaction with the plastic resealable bag that I store the bag in. I wonder if the ability to detect whatever is causing that odor is genetic, like that for "asparagus pee."