Alex

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.

For Michigan, without a doubt, cherry pie. Possibly this one.

Yes...with risotto, there's a certain crackling-type sound when the rice is ready for the first addition of liquid (usually white wine).

I assume by "downtown" you mean the Loop. If so, then I'd say those places are downtown-ish, i.e., within a few minutes of the Loop. Lao Sze Chuan is in Chinatown, just a bit south; Green Zebra is in West Town, just a bit north and west.

On the higher end (but not too high), Green Zebra, definitely.

North Pond would be good. Naha might be another option for you. It's only about a mile from your hotel, so it's certainly within a ten-minute cab ride (or a pleasant 15-minute walk). I can't comment on the noise level at dinner, but when I was there for lunch things were pretty calm, so I imagine it would be the same at dinner. BTW, I've often stayed at the Hyatt Regency -- big, but very nice. If they're still offering the relatively reasonable "room with a view" upgrade, I'd opt for that.

Story here More details should be revealed at tomorrow's press conference.

Look at what article was on my nytimes.com home page this evening. I wonder if their tracking cookie detected my visiting the Zingerman's web site earlier today. Anyhow, the deli is open until 10 every night. (And all tracking cookies have been deleted.)

I thoroughly understand. Grand Rapids' metro area is about half a million, with a Jewish population of less than one-half of one percent. Fortunately, though, there are good ties with the religious community in general and reasonable awareness of what Judaism is about, so Passover stuff arrives on time (even k-f-P Coca-Cola!) and our local paper always has a seder-related feature story or two. If you have time before or after dinner, you might consider taking a short detour to Zingerman's Deli. They sell the best polenta I've ever eaten. Rugelach, too, if you're not keeping kosher for Passover. Actually, there are lots of "best ever" items.

Interesting -- the menu also is all over the place, so I wouldn't have given Pi a second thought if you hadn't mentioned it here. Is the roasted pork sandwich the one listed on their lunch menu as "Apple Marinated Sliced Pork Loin?" What makes their pizza so good? I'm going to be in Southfield in a couple of weeks and was planning on eating lunch at Tomatoes Apizza, but if this is better...

I agree with Mark -- there's no reason not to make homemade, especially if you have a food processor. (I know, I know -- let's not start in on hand-chopped vs. mechanical.) Chopped liver is pretty hard to mess up -- just adjust the salt and freshly ground pepper to your liking, don't make it too smooth, and add a dab of oil in the unlikely event it's too dry. I cook my onions very, very slowly, until all the liquid has evaporated and they've started to caramelize -- this also adds some sweetness and an extra layer of flavor.

If Novi's too far (a shame, as Diamond Jim Brady's would be a quick-as-a-wink recommendation from me), how about Five Lakes Grill in downtown Milford? Brian Polcyn's place has gotten consistently great word-of-mouth for years, and his charcuterie is an absolute specialty. Not too far from Brighton, either. Hope that helps. Seriously, though: Diamond Jim Brady's is awesome, and worth the, what, 20 minute drive on I-696? It does, of course, depend on where you are in Brighton, too, but considering that it's *right* off of the Novi Road exit, you can't ask for a much easier-to-access place than that, with Mary Brady doing what she does best in the kitchen. I *really* love DJB's. ← Yes, both Novi and Ann Arbor are almost all expressway driving, 70 mph speed limit for the most part. Unfortunately, Five Lakes Grill is closed on Sundays. Here's the website for Diamond Jim Brady's. Here's the Novi thread. For Ann Arbor, I recommend Zingerman's Roadhouse.

Brighton is about 16 miles from Novi and about 20 from Ann Arbor, but if those are too far, then, as you surmised, Brighton is chain central. Two non-chain restaurants that locals seem to like are The Brighton House (conventional American, e.g., surf and turf, whitefish, prime rib) and Ciao Amici's.

Hey, what's with this merged topic?

Riffing on this, the beef (and pork) industries appear to do much more PR than the lamb folks. I can vaguely recall a lamb ad or two, but have no problem remembering "Beef -- It's What's For Dinner" (with its irritating use of Aaron Copland's music) or the equally obnoxious but catchy "Pork -- The Other White Meat."