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I've used this stuff before (RU-21). They sell it in health food stores. There's also Chaser, which works in the same way. You take them while drinking. They work pretty well. If you're out late, you're still tired, but none of the nausea, throbbing head. etc that comes with a hangover. For me, it's usally either a Gatorade or Vitamin Water to wash down McDonald's breakfast if it's during the week. On the weekends, I like corned beef has w/2 over-easy eggs & toast to to do the trick. I've also chugged a bottle of grape Pedialyte in the morning as well. Make sure it's ice cold though.

I'll throw my vote in for La Derniere Goutte as well. It's a great little wine shop and each time I've gone in there was always an English speaker who was extremely helpful. I believe they are always tasting things on the weekend. When I was there this summer, they were doing an Absinthe (the real stuff) tasting. I'll also throw my vote in for getting the Patricia Wells book, Food Lover's Guide to Paris. It's a great resource. I would definitely try to have Moroccan cuisine if you have the time. I don't recall the name of the place I went to this past summer but I'll look for the name tomight & post if I can find it.

My wife & I went to dinner to celebrate her 30th birthday at a very high-end restaurant. We both had a multi-course dinner and had a very nice evening. She got sick a few hours later. The next monday I emailed the chef to let him know. Like you, bilrus, I didn't want to sound accusatory either & just wanted to let him know that something may have been off or at least rule his food out as the cause. So I was very polite & as non-accusatory as I could be. The next day I received a phone call from the manager who apologized and offered the explanation that it was perhaps the large quantities of very rich & protein-heavy foods that my wife's system could not process that was the culprit. He assured me that that was no way that their could have been anything 'bad' about any of the food being served that night and that the chef de cuisine's sister has a similar experience when she dines at the restaurant. I did appreciate the timely reply from the restaurant as I guess that could have just as easily blown me off.

I had wanted to try Hot Doug's for a really long time & finally went last friday. It was completely worth the wait. I had 2 dogs... The first was a Wagyu dog with the usual Chicago dog toppings, minus the relish (as per Doug's recommendation). To me this just tasted like a really excellent hot dog...a level above Vienna & Hebrew Nat'l. If you're gonna have a Chicago-style, this is the way to go. Price was not bad either at $3. The next dog was a Swiss & Mushroom Pork Sausage. It had a blue cheese dijonaisse sauce & sauteed Shiitake mushrooms. This was absolutely delicious. I also had the duck fat fries. I wasn't blown away but maybe my expectations were too high. But don't get me wrong, they were really good french fries. They looked like they were also cut thinner than the regular fries. Not sure about that, though. I'd like to try the regular fries though for comparison. Also, the buns seemed to be a little better than the usual hot dog bun. I highly recommend this place & I, myself, can't wait to go back again. Hot Doug's website edited for spelling

Try Vosges haut-chocolat. They've got some really great & unique truffles.

Do they sell high-end knives at Mitsuwa? Kasumi, Hattori, etc.

Hey Nero, there's one in Chicago too. Newport Bar and Grill which is connected to a laundromat. It's on Southport & Newport.

I like the rib roast idea for a large crowd. But if you do a Tapas-theme dinner, you could make a big batch of paella. It's great for large parties.

Usually I have a price in mind when ordering & hope to find something I've had before or recognize/read about. But when I don't know any of the wines on the list, I usually pick the varietal I want in the price I want to pay and ask the Sommelier what they think. Usually they will either agree w/my choice or if they recommend something else, they usually pick something in my price range because I've basically shown them what I want to pay. I've tried a lot of good wine this way.

We used to buy this by the case. It was a great everyday wine & a great party wine. Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon, from Chile, by the Lafite Rothschild folks. Their regular Cab is $7 & their Reserve is about $12, I believe. Had the Reserve a couple of weeks ago. Very nice Cab, especially for the price.

Jason, I picked up the 8" Culinar knife this summer while in Germany. I got a good price on it. I had been coveting it for a while too. Previously, I was using a 10" Henkels. It took a little getting used to the smaller size but I like it and haven't picked up my 10" in a while. They do have a 10" available now. However, I'm thinking of getting a Japanese knife now. I'm leaning toward MAC. But nothing's final...half the fun is trying to find the rght one!

I was going to post this in the WI roadtripping thread, but I thought it deserved one of its own. I spent a very nice Thanksgiving weekend in lovely Sheboygan, WI, at the home of my in-laws. After a great Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, we went out for dinner on Fri night. We went to a pizzeria called Il Ritrovo. They were doing great wood-fired pizzas, the real deal...nice thin, crip crust, light tomato and high quality cheese, meat, & veggies. I had the Mediterranea, fresh mozz, shaved slices spicy salumi, kalamata olives, and thinly sliced onions. They also had a Bufala Mozz margherita that I wanted to try. Also on the menu were an assortment of apps, salads, & a soup. Adjacent to Il Retrovo is a wine/espresso bar and small market. They had some really nice imported stuff...oils, vinegar, etc. as well as San Marzano tomatoes, polenta, pasta, and wine. Across the street, the proprietors run a restaurant called Trattoria Stefano. I haven't tried that place, but if the quality of Il Ritrovo is any indication, I think they must do pretty good food there as well. Il Retrovo, 515 S. 8th St, Sheboygan, WI 53081

Maker's Mark is my go-to-bourbon. I usually drink Maker's & Cokes or Manhattans. It's also good on the rocks, but for sipping, I like Basil Hayden. Has anyone had the Maker's Mark Reserve? It's pretty good for sipping as well.

1) Parm-Reg Two cheeses that have made impressions on me recently... 2) Roth Käse Gruyere from Wisconsin 3) Explorator (sp?), a triple cream style cheese edited for spelling

I know it's already been said, but, awesome post jeffj! Thanks for taking the effort in your review. One of the best ever.

Spring. I don't think too many people would argue with that. I personally really liked Arun's but some other people don't seem too keen on it. Ixcapuzalco. I'd suggest Heat for Japanese.

Thanks, R Washurn. I've been interested in seeing what he was going to do ever since reading The Fourth Star.

What about natto? Has anyone acquired a taste for it yet? I can't say that I have.

Oh yeah! Foie Gras! Excellent! On toasted Brioche Nanterre! Scandalous! Absolutely! This combo works really well. Spring Restaurant here in Chicago had a Foie Gras Mousse w/fig compote on the menu. I believe the chef switches out the fig compote for something similar sometimes. But when the foie & fig goes on the bread, it's delicious. It almost reminds me of a peanut butter & jelly kind-of-thing.

I saw that Jean François Bruel is the executive chef at Daniel. Does that mean Alex Lee has left? Perhaps to head his own kitchen?

this was the first thing that came to my mind... good call...there are so many bad onion soups out there

A couple things come to mind... A big giant steak burrito. A bacon cheeseburger & fries. A char-polish w/works w/cheese fries from the Wiener Circle in Chicago (with a side of verbal abuse)

The things I look for in a bistro: 1. great wines by the glass 2. a great salade de maison 3. simple, well-prepared dishes ...a la steak frites, roasted chicken 4. a good mousse au chocolat I guess I expect the basics to be well executed in a cozy & comfortable setting.

Definitely try it with a homemade stock. The difference is noticeable. To elevate it even more, try grating some Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end. And for the ultimate...a little drizzle of truffle oil.

Jason, thanks for moving the post to the appropriate thread!