viaChgo

I saw this episode last week & made coq au vin this weekend based on AB's recipe. The results were great. I used a Bourgogne Rouge for the wine. It was a little different than when I normally make it. AB did not saute his mirepoix. He just layered the browned chicken in the pot w/ the raw mirepoix, garlic, thyme. I dod not marinate the chicken & mirepoix overnight as he did. That's one step that I always skip in the Coq Au Vin process. To those who marinate...is it a worthwhile step?

I just had Epoisses for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Wow! I think that's my new favorite.

I would use unsalted butter as well. I think margarine & salted butter are the culprits of your salty sauce. Also, when you bring the sauce to a boil, the margarine (or butter) will split, as Andy stated. The solids & the oil will separate when brought to a certain temp. What I usually do is heat up my hot sauce mixture first & then whisk in cold, unsalted butter off the heat. I think the basic recipe as stated here, is the same for all wing sauces. Hot sauce & butter/margarine. I think the difference in tastes comes from the type of hot sauce you choose. Some are hotter than others, tangier, more garlicky, etc. Just make a bunch of wings & sauces & do a taste test!

Alex is a friend, but he's also probably the single most accomplished chef I've seen associated so far with the show, although he's probably a complete unknown to the TV audience. He may be the closest you'll see to a Keller or a Boulud. ← I'm looking forward to seeing Alex Lee as well. I've gained an admiration for him since reading The Fourth Star, the book about restaurant Daniel. I understand that Alex Lee's battle will be the inaugural battle for Iron Chef Cat Cora.

And if you like Scotch, head over to the Duke of Perth on Clark & Oakdale(ish). It's a great pub with good food, beer, & an awesome selction of Scotches.

The buttered pretzels from Auntie Annie's. mmmm

When I went to the NYC Mesa Grill, I had the Pork Tenderloin w/Bourbon Molasses sauce...it was delicious. Not sure if he has them on the Vegas menu, although I would bet that they make an appearance. Tamales are signature Flay, so those should be good too.

That sounds about right.

Actually there's no sauerkraut on a Chicago-style & the onions are raw. And under no circumstances should there be ketchup! Just: -mustard -relish -chopped raw onions -tomato wedge -pickle spear -sport peppers -celery salt Good luck with your search! If all else fails, you can have them FedEx'd from Portillo's.

Can you clarify what you mean by 'real' drinks? are we talking Gibsons & Rob Roys or Apple Martini-types? As far as 'scenes' go, I've been out of them for a while. My bar nights tend to also be beer/shot places that make stiff Maker's & Cokes. Most fine dining restaurants with bars will know how to make a proper cocktail...especially some of the old guard places. A place that my wife & I use to frequent while we were dating (as well as after we got married) was the Star Bar at Sheffield (2934 N. Sheffield). It specializes in Champagne & Champage cocktails (along with the adjacent Pops for Champagne). But the bartenders always made me a mean Manhattan when I asked. You should also ask in the Heartland Forum. Cheers!

Ramen was a staple in our house growing up. We always had Sapporo Ichiban brand - Original Flavor and, to this day, is still my favorite. I like to add an egg & chopped green onions if available, with kimchi on the side (of course). We also had various Korean brands as well...Shin Ramen, Neoguri, & the JaJiang versions. If there is more than one person eating ramen, I like to combine the Sapporo Original Flavor with one of the spicy Korean ramens...makes a good blend. I have not come across any of the cup or bowl style ramens that I like. Also, when I was a kid, I use to crumble up the Sapporo noodles into a bowl & sprinkle the seasoning packet & eat as a snack. I guess that was a little unhealthy, now that I think about it.

chug a bottle of Pedialyte & eat some greasy food. If you have the foresight, have the Pedialyte chilled.

what about making a sorbet from the lettuce? or arugula sorbet?

fifi, It's funny you mention that site. I'd been lurking there for a while now as I coveted a WSM. Now that I got one, the first thing I did was to register at the forums over there & print out some tips! The McGee book is at the top of my list to get.

an immersion blender and ..the Weber Smokey Mountain!! Baby back ribs are in my weekend plans...

There's a place here in Chicago that opened up not too long ago called Aloha Grill. They just got a favorable write-up in the Chicago Tribune today. You can find the review here (you may have to register). A good friend of mine is from Hawaii & we've talked about plate lunch before so I was excited to give the place a try. Also, being Korean-American, there are a lot of comforting flavors available to me. I like the place a lot & have eaten there several times now.

I make French Toast with it during this time of year. ← That gives me another idea...what about making bread pudding with it? Just pour the eggnog over your bread of choice, let it soak, & bake. edited to add: Another thought...would eggnog work as a base for creme brulee??

This year I bought some premium commercial eggnog & poured it into my ice cream maker and voila! Eggnog Ice Cream. Next time, toward the end of the freezing, I may pour in a little bourbon. I realized that eggnog is already a custardy-ice cream base, so why not make it into ice cream?

Kristin, your chap chae looks great! I like your ratio of noodles to other ingredients. On a hot day, mool naengmyon totally hits the spot! I also like bibim naengmyon as well. I also like champong...although I think it's technically Chinese (like Jajangmyon) but I can only find it in Chinese places that cater to Koreans.

Growing up (in Chicago), my mom would make S&B in our house. It was the kind that came in a big block. It was a big favorite for me...very comfort-food-like. A big bowl of curry-topped rice with kimchi on the side. I still make it for myself from time to time. I don't recall having any Korean brands though. Are they very different from S&B-style? Also, I need to branch out & try some other Japanese brands as well...as mentioned in the curry thread. I think the consensus was that there are better curries than S&B.

I just saw the teasers on FN about the new Iron Chef America series debuting in January. They mentioned Iron Chefs Batali, Flay, & Morimoto. But there was no mention of Cat Cora.

Geno Bahena has a couple of places here in Chicago...Ixcapuzalco & Chilpancingo. He worked for Bayless before he opened his own places.

Good timing on the tamale thread...I just happened to watched the Tamale Episode of Rick Bayless's show that I had DVR'd. He had an interesting one where he mixed chopped chard into the masa dough & then rolled it up in a dish towel like a torchon of foie gras & then steamed it. It was then sliced up & served with tomatillo salsa. Another version was made with shredded pork in an ancho chile sauce. He lined a loaf pan with banana leaves. Then he put half the masa dough in the bottom of the pan. Then he spread the pork with some of the sauce in the middle. Then covered that layer with another layer of dough. Folded the banana leaves over, covered w/foil & baked in the oven. When it was done, it was sliced. I don't recall the exact names of these tamales. Did anyone else see this episode?

I haven't had a 40 of OE in long time...didn't know they wide mouths now. Actually, I don't plan on having anymore 40s.

OE!