slbunge

Always great to hear about great onion rings. They are getting harder and harder to find.

I'm will tammylc on this one. This is the way we do corn on the cob. Actually, I used to soak the ears but now I don't even do that and it seems to work fine. In the summer, we often grill fish on our charcoal grill. Because I go to the trouble of building the fire and the fish is on for such a short time, I have experimented with lots of vegetables on the side so that they pick up the smoky flavor. Asparagus is great. Have done green beens which are also quite good. Summer squashes. Young onions. Fingerling potatoes (usually par-baked or par-boiled). Fresh figs (sprinkle gorgonzola on them when they come off the grill). Etc. One note: I've got a 'Griffo' which is a flat, enamel coated, steel pan with holes in it to pop onto the grill. That way the small stuff doesn't fall through the grate.

Thanks Bruce. I've not been all that happy with the Mexican dining in Minneapolis or St Paul (other than El Burrito). Good to have you two finding places out where some of us might not think of poking around.

I just got a bottle of the L'Etoile Muscat but have yet to open it. Still thinking about what to have on the menu when I do drink it. Did you like it?

Nicely written Bruce (and Karen). Will your reviews/articles always be published Thursdays?

Oddly, with all the time I have spent in the Twin Cities and I have never been to Chet's Taverna. Thanks for mentioning it so I can bubble it up near the top of the list. Ristorante Luci is very good. I like it better than Luci Ancora. I know it is the same family that runs both, so I'm not sure if Ristorante Luci's kitchen is actually better or if it is simply that I prefer the atmosphere better and it affects my judgement. Speaking of St Paul restaurants, has anyone been to Barbary Fig recently? I had a good meal there several years ago but haven't been since.

Similary, if you order a gimlet these days, it's essentially straight gin. Not sure why, but bartenders now seem prone to mixing severely dry cocktails.

Thanks for the great course. Sometimes, I have access to reasonably large cuts of fish. I would assume that if I wanted to smoke a good-sized chunk of tuna or salmon (or even a whole laketrout), I could use your methods and get good results. Do you have any experience smoking fish in a Weber kettle?

I'd really like Bjonda to work because it's location is close to home. Also, I think their catering business is quite good. The three times I have eaten there, my meals have not been satisfactory for the prices paid. The first meal, everything was over salted and somewhat unpleasant. The other meals were not as salty but in both cases the service, particularly related to the wine service, was not on par with a Milwaukee restaurant sporting $25 entrees. One other thing that I didn't like was that the menu was the same each time I dined there and there were no specials. I'll try it again, perhaps this winter when I don't want to drive very far from home. Hopefully, the service will have improved and the kitchen will have hit their stride by then. Until that time, for approximately the same prices as what Bionda is charging, I'd prefer to drive down the road and go to Eddie Martini's. The service and food there are very consistent. In fact, I am feeling a bit odd about not thinking to mention it thus far. edit: grammar and the spelling of the restaurant name (bah!)

I'm quite fond of Izumi's for sushi but have never been to Hama. Is it far and away better than Izumi's? I suppose I should just point the car north and see. I agree with your comments about Dancing Ganesha. Seems like the meat and fish entrees are particularly overpriced. The vegetarian entrees are more reasonably priced but if you are in the mood for flesh, you might feel like you've been taken.

The hardware stores in this area (Milwaukee) have very sad canning supply sections. Farm and Fleet (or Fleet Farm) has been reasonably reliable. I usually can (jar, actually) about a 50lbs of tomatoes every summer. A couple of years ago I invested in a single gas (propane) burner with a nice cast iron grate that I can set up outside and avoid overheating the kitchen at the end of August when the tomatoes are at their peak. This year I didn't can because I currently have enough to get me through winter and I'm expecting to move next summer. I received about 15lbs of fresh red currants this year at the height of summer goodness this year and put it up as jelly. I had never made jelly. Looked for a jelly bag and couldn't find one so I had to make due with cheesecloth. All of the pickles from the garden this summer ended up as refrigerator pickles and they didn't last more than a few days. Depending on where I end up next year, I have three things on my short list of things to try to put up out of the garden next summer: dill pickles, sauerkraut (guajolote has a really great thread about his sauerkraut-making experience), and horseradish.

I checked and Il Mito has live jazz on Thursday nights. Also, a friend mentioned that one of the best spots for live jazz is Carolines (S 2nd St).

I haven't been to the Velvet Room in a couple of years. The room is sort of warm and fuzzy with couches to sit on, etc. The drinks seemed to be geared toward the neo-martini crowd. I remember it being a nice place to have a drink and relax. Vinifera is closed. There is a restaurant that has replaced it but I can't remember the name. The new restaurant is focused on seafood. For high-end Italian, the two most popular places are Ristorante Bartolatta (State St in Wauwatosa) and Mimma's (Brady St). Honestly, I don't think that either are worth the money. The food is decent at both, the service is spotty, etc. I am usually left feeling as if I have been cheated. (As an aside, Lake Park Bistro is a Bartolatta restaurant that has a very good Sunday brunch.) There is an Italian place in the Third Ward called Il Mito (Virginia St) that is pretty decent and I'm pretty sure they have live jazz. I'll do some investigating and let you know. My favorite Italian (Sicilian actually) is Carini's La Conca D'Oro (Oakland Ave). Nicely prepared meals and good service. A couple of Italian places that I have not tried but have heard some buzz about: Sala da Pranzo (Oakland Ave - on my short list of places to try), Calderone Club (Old World Third) for pizza, and Osteria del Mondo (Juneau Ave) for stylish food at a price similar to Bartolatta's and Mimma's. <Edited to correct the most glaring typos!>

Sanford is excellent, I doubt you will be disappointed. A few suggestions other than what Sweet Willie posted (which, mind you, are both outstanding): Jalepeno Loco (Howell near the airport) : better than virtually all of the Mexican sit-down places on the near-South side, consistently excellent food (southern Mexico) and fabulous service, if they have the shrimp empanadas with salsa cruda on the specials menu, give it serious consideration Pizza Man (North and Oakland): quite simply the best wine in Milwaukee and perhaps the best wine restaurant in the Midwest outside of Chicago; always a great daily selection of wines by the glass; decent pizza as well Three Brothers (at the north end of St Clair in Bayview) : great Serbian food Polonez (Packard in St Francis) : still serving good Polish food in their new location Trocadero (Water St) : good sandwiches and salads, nice spot for lunch Au Bon Appetit (Brady St) : good middle-eastern food run by a really nice Lebanese couple That's a start. If you are looking for something particular (fish fry, Italian, sushi) let us know.

I sort of got hooked on Jerusalem Artichokes when we belonged to a CSA several years ago. One memorable recipe we tried was Jerusalem Artichoke and Sage Gratin in the November 1994 Gourmet (recipe at epicurious). Perfect for autumn dinner. Most of the time, we roasted the sunchokes with other root vegetables after tossing with EVOO, some kosher salt, and a bit of fresh rosemary. I also have a cookbook put together by the Madison, WI CSA Coalition that compiles recipes from various sources for the vegetables that are found in the boxes. Sort of answers the questions of "what the hell do I do with all of these Jerusalem Artichoke/celariac/parsnip/turnip/rutabaga." In that cookbook the following recipes are included with the original source in parentheses and a couple of comments where I have tried the results: Glazed Sunchokes (Harmony Valley Farm ) Roasted Carrot and Sunchoke Soup (Odessa Piper, L'Etoile Restaruant) -- simple and very good Lacy JA Pancakes (Victory Garden Cookbook) -- sort of like an earthy potato pancake, good with applesauce Baked Sunchokes with Orange Butter (Roots: The Underground Cookbook) Rutachoke Salad (Winter Harvest Cookbook) New Potato and JA Salad (The Goodness of Potatoes and Root Vegetables) Pureed JA in Tomato Shells (Victory Garden Cookbook) Innesfree JA Soup (Winter Harvest Cookbook) Crisp Sauteed Chokes (Victory Garden Cookbook) JA Cheese Soup (Victory Garden Cookbook) Sunchokes Au Gratin (Harmony Valley Farm) JA Salad (Madison Herb Society Cookbook) Spinach Dip with Sunchokes (Roots a Vegetarian Bounty) Lynn Wilson's Marinated JA (Victory Garden Cookbook) If you want any of the detailed recipes, just let me know.

I often have a tuna salad sandwich when working at home. In the summer when the tomatoes are flourishing I add a couple of slices. I mostly spread it on toasted wheat sandwich bread. The five main ingredients are as follows: Tuna - Genova Tonno (chunk yellowfin in olive oil) Mustard - Grey Poupon Dijon (although I have used others) Mayonaise - Hellman's Salt - er, Mortons? Pepper - um, I have no idea where it's from I make mine fairly dry with about as much mustard as mayo. Often times I add a shot of Tapatio or Sunny Caribee hot sauce and a generous teaspoon of prepared horseradish. Occassionally I have added chopped cornichon. One time I added marinated green peppercorns but didn't care for that as much as the horseradish.

Alas, I can't be there, but I am vicariously enjoying the excitement buildiing. Anyway, if find yourselves experimenting with the fryer, I suggest deep-fried twinkies. I wasn't a believer until I tried one at the Wisconsin State Fair. The fried snickers were not as good. (I think both might have been rolled in sugar prior to hitting the fat.) I have witnessed a bunch of beer-buzzed folks frying everything within reach after a main course of fish tacos was complete. The enthusiasm was severely curbed when the cheese-curds glommed into a single mass that was near impossible to extract from the fryer.

Interesting. I was thinking of an ironing board concept when someone mentioned the idea of a cutting board over the stove. The cutting board could be hinged like a stow-away ironing board. When you use the stove, secure the board in the upright position out of the way. My only concerns would be getting food caught in the hinge and spending time to customize a solution, only to move on to a different kitchen.

After 15 years, we let our subscription to Gourmet lapse shortly after Ruth Reichl took over. I was furious about the changes being made to turn it into a fashion magazine and a vehicle to advertise fancy cooking gadget sellers by displaying their use in prominently in the 'tips and techniques' section. I particularly remember a bit discussing how Williams-Sonoma and other manufacturers produce tablespoon measures that are different from the US government standard. It went on to say that Gourmet uses the Williams-Sonoma tablespoon as the basis for all recipes. Ick! We picked it back up again after picking up a Christmas issue from he newstand and finding some good stuff. Thought things were trending back toward the old-line focus on food, food prep, entertaining, and eating while travelling. Now, with the rock-star cover and the difficulty in finding text amidst all of the ads, we'll likely let the subscription die again.

It may not qualify in your book as 'Haute Cuisine' but I have eaten at Ashiana restaurant (Briar Forest at Dairy Ashford) twice during business trips to Houston and I recommend it highly. Each time there, we asked the server to have the chef do a sort of tasting menu for the table. The first time there, we focused on seafood and the main entre was a beautiful grilled lobster. Several small courses before that with grilled seafood and wonderful sauces. The second time, our main entre was lamb and it was also very good. Nice wine list, well appointed dining room, attentive service.

Another way to make a Venetian 'spritz' is to use Campari and Prosecco. Prosecco is the sparkling wine that is produced in the region. In the US you can find passable bottles of Prosecco at reasonable prices. The 'Spritz Campari' was my wife's favorite afternoon cocktail while in Venice last Christmas.

I'm a frequent visitor to the Twin Cities (for work). I've had very good luck eating out in both Minneapolis and StPaul. I agree that the really great stuff is located in the neighborhoods rather than downtown. I prefer that, actually. In September, while in Minnesota for an extended trip, I managed to eat at True Thai three times after convincing an associate that Sawatdee just isn't very good. The spring rolls were near perfect and all of the entres were very good. If you all are itching to get out and explore on a weeknight and are open for company, shoot me a message. Oddball dives through upscale all work for me. Stephen

Sprecher Black Bavarian is a nice schwarzbier but it isn't really mass produced. It's brewed (they would say 'craft brewed') in Milwaukee and may be available as far away as Indianapolis or possibly Cincinatti. You can find it reasonably easily from the Twin Cities to Chicago. Another midwest lager worth mentioning is Point Bock from the Stevens Point Brewery. Similar in style to Shiner Bock, a bock beer brewed to appeal to a wide audience, perhaps a bit more smooth than what you find the small run breweries produce as 'bock.' Both Point and Shiner Bocks are worth a look.

When I doze off on the early morning NW flight into the Twin Cities I'm usually irritated if I miss the granola bar. It's not good enough to flag down the flight attendant but just good enough to get me cranky that I'm missing breakfast. The Fisher brand party mix that they have started to serve later in the day is simply awful. Don't Gardetto's come in little bags?!?!

The thing that scares me about the Atkins diet is the same thing that scares me about the South Beach diet or the sauerkraut soup diet: maintainability. My feeling is that we all need to focus more on coming up with a maintainable diet that includes compromise and variability. Buying into a prepackaged diet can lead to boredom, the tediousness of counting all sorts of calorie/fat/carb intake, or needing to purchase from the marketing geniuses that came up the with how to package the diet food. To me, I see two main difficulties in trying to come up with out own maintainable diets. The first is the training of the body to understand how to deal with choices. A maintainable diet will not include huge numbers of totally off-limits foods. Rather, it will include balance so that if you ate the butter-pecan frozen custard yesterday, you might want to lighten up today. My mother has struggled with her cholesterol and her weight for as long as I can remember and when I talk to her I know for certain that her body is trained that what she wants she gets to eat and afterward, she justifies everything as a splurge. Another difficult thing for a lot of people is that a reasonably healthy diet involves a willingness to cook and experiement and many folks claim not to have the time. I secretly suspect that often, we have the time but rank cooking below other activities where we are willing to make time. If you have an interest in food and cooking, explore a bit. Investigate some vegetarian cooking information to get some ideas about cooking with strong flavors rather than letting a slab of meat take center stage. One last thing I keep in mind is keeping activity level up to help lower cholesterol. Though it may be difficult to jog or lift weights, there are some simple things to do to increase activity level: avoid escalators and take the stairs; don't use moving sidewalks in airports; use a push mower; rake leaves and sweep grass-clippings with a broom rather than use a leaf blower; ride a bike to the local grocery store; etc.