VeryApe77
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Posts posted by VeryApe77
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The improptu-ness came off as scripted. Tony walks into a bar and just so happens to sidle up next to an artisan distiller of Absinthe? What a conicidence! My host forgets I am coming into Paris so I have to take a cab? Not again!
I saw N/R last night and I totally agree - this aspect of the show was very annoying - all of the "hey, lighten up, leave the guide book at home" talk looks a bit silly when everything is clearly so pre-arranged. We all know that he specifically set off to meet that guy at that bar, so why pretend otherwise? I suppose it's meant to be "fun" but it came off as just being self-consciously "zany" (likewise the cowboy boots comment). I was reminded a little bit too much of the second season of 'A Cooks Tour', which is not a good thing. It's a shame, because there was some good stuff in there (the market segment was great).
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing future episodes - 'A Cooks Tour' was a lot more interesting when Bourdain seemed genuinely out of his comfort zone, and I'm sure the same will be true of this show as well.
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I had a really good meal at Topo on Friday. Sadly, I don't have time to write more about it now (stupid job
) but I could post the menu I had tomorrow is anyone is interested. And yes, the soup was probably the best course in my opinion....just fantastic.
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Sounds great Bill. I am looking forward to going to Topolobampo next Wednesday for dinner. Since there are no reservations, does anyone know what time the crowds start getting there? Also, if someone wants the tasting menu, does the whole table need to order it?
Actually, you can make reservations at Topolobampo - you can't at it's slightly less formal neighbour, Frontera Grill.
I've never been before, but my charming ladyfriend is taking me there tomorrow night for my birthday. I'm looking forward to it....
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So I went to Arun's tonight.. Before I go into my review with pictures I just wanted to stop anyone who might think about going there.. The place absolutely sucks.. Its expensive, the staff is horrible, seating the only four tables in a multiroomed restaurant in a square in the most narrow section.. Unfortunately I was able to hear and see all that took place in tiny alloted space so I saw all the meals were identical.. It wasn't even the choice of dishes but the meat and seafood were poorly cooked... This place is shamefull...
Sorry to hear it. Like I said, my meal there (this was about 3 years ago) was pleasant but pretty uninteresting.
As has been discussed upthread, there is so much good (and cheap!) thai food in Chicago, it's really a shame that Arun's gets all of the attention from out of town visitors. Maybe a trip to TAC or Spoon is in order to take that nasty taste away?
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Hey! Happy birthday!
I think that if you've never been, you should go to Arun's.
But, if you're seriously interested in going somewhere else, please check out this site:
which is run by Erik M., a local authority on the Chicago Thai food scene. I think you'll find everything you need there to make a well-informed decision.
=R=
For a very opulent (and probably very pleasant) meal, by all means go to Arun's. I went there a while ago and enjoyed the experience, although none of the food really wow-ed me TOO much.
For the "ultimate thai experience" (in Chicago, anyway) you should certainly print out some of Erik M's thai menus and go to TAC, Spoon, Thai Avenue or Sticky Rice. At all of these places, they are (in my experience) more then happy to accomadate Farangs who wish to order from the Thai menus.
All of these 4 places listed are very cheap - maybe if you are in town for a while, it would be fun to do Arun's and one (or more?) of the places listed above.
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....His current project is the Taste of Thailand which will be downtown this month.......
associated with Arun on Metromix....
Does anyone know anything about this event? I've done some research and found nothing
From Chicago Magazine's Marquee (received today via email):
• A Taste of Thailand, a three day festival begun by star chef Arun Sampanthavivat (Arun’s, Le Lan), featuring food, cultural events, and a market, opens in Daley Plaza (100 N. Dearborn St.) on June 20th. This year, the festival also includes a free performance by Silpakorn, a 50-member Thai dance troupe, at the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park on June 20th at 6:30 p.m. and a gala for tsunami relief at the Merchandise Mart (222 Merchandise Mart Plaza) on June 22nd. The benefit features an auction conducted by Leslie Hindman; a fashion show of Thai-influenced designs by Maria Pinto; and cuisine by a coterie of Arun’s star colleagues, including Charlie Trotter and Roland Liccioni. Tickets begin at $350. For information, call 773-752-7062 or visit http://www.chicagotasteofthailand.org/=R=
Thanks Ronnie.
I'd be interested to check this out - but I work in Evanston and therefore a daytime event runs from Monday and Wednesday downtown is not really feasible.
I'm sure there is a good reason that this is not happening on a weekend, but even so - pretty annoying.
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It has been about two years since my one and only visit to Arun's. My impression then ws that it was way overpriced and overhyped. While the food wasn't bad, it certainly wsan't anything special. Unfortunately, it seems that my visit may not have been an isolated instance. As for the best Thai food in the US -not even close. Sripraphai in NYC, for one, is miles better and much cheaper to boot.
I agree, although I've also been Sripraphai and I'd say that there are several places in Chicago I like more...it's just that Arun's isn't one of them.
I'd actually say that Chicago is one of the best cities in the country for Thai food at the moment (TAC Quick, Sticky Rice, Spoon, Thai Avenue, etc). It's a shame that Arun's continues to get all the attention.
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I've been enjoying the show (albeit in the same way that I enjoyed seeing Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate or Ben Gazzara in Roadhouse - it's funny, but hardly their finest moments) but does anyone know how successful it has been? I get the impression that it hasn't been that big a hit, but I could be wrong (seeing as I don't really have anything to back that up with).
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Probably more like 10 years.
Also, El Bulli isn't in Madrid....sorry to be pedantic.
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David Thompson's book 'Thai Food' has a recipe for Roast Duck and Lychee Salad that I made quite often...it's excellent.
When is Lychee season? I have rarely seen them fresh here in Chicago (I normally buy frozen ones in a pinch)
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God forbid someone told a women i was with to shut the f' up.. Chef or not i would have jumped over the counter and punched guy in the throat.. I cant believe he treated some random person that way, even if they werent paying, which i assume.. I could see him hazing a contestant, but to belittle a women like that really shows what a piece of shit coward he is.. I will watch the show because it is entertaining at times, but what a loser Ramsey is.. I wonder if his hatred of women and his obsession with the kitchen are all some sort of mommy issue little Gordy needs to deal with professionally..
In "real life" (which this show certainly is not) Ramsay is actually quite well known for being a good mentor to up-and-coming female chefs, Angela Hartnett being a good example. I heard an interview with him recently where he talked about how he would love to see more women in the kitchens of fine dining restaurants.
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....His current project is the Taste of Thailand which will be downtown this month.......
associated with Arun on Metromix....
Does anyone know anything about this event? I've done some research and found nothing
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I'm continually amazed at the lack of enthusiasm for this dish. It was so hyped up that many people, including myself, tried to make this at home. I'll admit when I made it, it was so-so. I was hoping this dish would be much better in the hands of a pro.
Just kind of curious, does anyone think that part of the problem with this dish is that fact that it's not what you expect? When I made it, it was so extremely tender that it caught me off guard. Also the flavor seemed to taste more like broccoli then broccoli does! I also noticed a background flavor of sulfur which I think was more pronounced because the gases were being trapped under vacuum seal.
My problem with this dish (and it was my least favorite of the night by far) was that it the taste of grapefruit totally overwhelmed any flavor of broccoli. I could barely taste the broccoli at all...
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I was recently driving down W. Devon Avenue torwards Super Dogs away from Des Plaines.. Dont know the name of the town.. I had seen two restaurants on my left that looked really interesting.. I was hoping someone has gone or knows something about it.. One place is called Thai Elephant the other which is right down the street is called i think Phillipines Restaurant.. The filipino place was the one the grabbed my attention.. Has anyone bben.
Have never been to Elphant Thai, but here is a recent report from another forum about it. Looks pretty good....
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It just hit me...
Gordon Ramsey is going to become the Simon Cowell (American Idol) of cuisine
As soon as I heard that Ramsay was bringing Hell Kitchen over to the States, this was the first thing that came to mind.
Could be amusing....maybe
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A vegan place--I am sorry, but tasty vegan fair is an oxymoron (and the person who chose that place is obviously a moron). I agree with the poster who suggested an elegant lunch at Mr. Beef. That would have been a great Chicago lunch (combo with extra jus and hot giardinara for me please!).
Soul Veg on the south side has some extremely vegan fare (and this is coming from an an avowed meat-eater)...but that could be the exception that proves the rule.
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I'm fascinated by the passion that this cooking seems to be provoking - on both sides of the coin.
While at the same time eG members and posters on other forums have been waxing poetic about the food, I've seen a group of reports from several diners on another site that was absolutely scathing.
Has anyone seen a report anywhere (excepting maybe Bruni in the NYT) that falls somewhere between rapture and disgust?
I found this while googling around earliar this week - a pretty positive review but not too OTT.
http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001428.php
Restaurants of this type often seem to polarize diners, I have noticed - I have read many reviews of the Fat Duck (many by very experienced diners), for instance, that seem to convey a really extreme dislike of the place, sometimes verging on the personal. At the same time, it seems to be doing pretty well and those that like it, often like it A LOT.
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Surely precious makes sense...or am I missing something?
Within the context of the sentence, "precious" makes no sense at all. I'm certain that "precocious" is the correct word in this case.
Sam?
Hope I'm not being argumentative, but I took it to mean no. 3, but I could be wrong -
pre·cious
Pronunciation: 'pre-sh&s
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French precios, from Latin pretiosus, from pretium price -- more at PRICE
1 : of great value or high price
2 : highly esteemed or cherished
3 : excessively refined : AFFECTED
4 : GREAT, THOROUGHGOING <precious scoundrel>
- pre·cious·ness noun
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His dishes are never overly sweet and thier (sic) presentation is elegant and appealing without being in any way precious.
Had to laugh at that li'l typo.
I think you mean precocious, don't you?
Surely precious makes sense...or am I missing something?
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It's crap. It's a clueless celebration of the worst restaurant critic in the history of the Times.
Apart from the discussion of the crappy quality of the article, I did not read the piece as a celebration of Bruni. Rather, to me, it came across as reporting on the NY dinning scene's puzzlement with Bruni, and his ...eccentricities...
I didn't think it sounded all that Pro-Bruni either
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Oh, man. Having read this thread, now I just gotta make it up there. Maybe for my birthday.
Huge thanks to the many posters on this thread.
The last few posts, though, have seemed to take a bitter turn.
If I try to get a reservation for on or around my birthday (I had a TDF at Trio for my birthday a couple years back), am I gonna be screwed?
I'd give it a go. Is you birthday on the weekend? Thats going to be the tough time to get a table there, but I'd still give it a go.
Considering that this place has only been open for exactly a week, I'd imagine that issues such as the phone and website are being worked on as we speak. Even though it was understood that this place was going to be a big deal. it's still very possible that they were'nt expecting THIS much of a response.
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I think Jose gets more coverage in the NY Times, than he does in the Wash Post Food Section! This has got to be at least the 3rd or 4th time Jose has been in the NY Times in the last year
He also gets some very positive coverage in Frank Bruni's story about futuristic food (or whatever you want to call it).
A very Jose Andres-centric edition of the Times for sure...
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What is the email for Alinea?
I have a colleague who has some time in Chicago and would like to book, but the telephone is solid and the web site hopeless...
E-mail should be info@alinearestaurant.com. At least, thats what it was before the place opened.
I have heard the answering machine message refered to in the above e-mail and don't see what your pal is getting so upset about frankly
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They have indeed, theres a revew in the reader this week (or was it last week?)
Anyhow, they have reopen, but have a different name I think...
Just found this info on the reader website (review was not there though)
Ixcapuzalco/La Bonita Restaurante
2165 N. Western Ave., Chicago, (773) 486-7340.
[CHI] Alinea – Grant Achatz – Reviews & Discussion (Part 1)
in The Heartland: Dining
Posted
There are those who will tell you that a well-prepared milkweed pod is easier to find in Chicago then a decent pastrami sandwich...I couldn't really comment on either with any real authority.