Lactic Solar Dust

I think Bowles and Homaro Cantu might both have been neglected in consideration for the Rising Star award, because they started working at their respective restaurants too late in the year. Next year is when we will probably see them in consideration if they keep up the hard work. It would be interesting, too, in that both worked together at Trotter's. It also should be noted that Channel 7-ABC News was nominated for a broadcasting award and the designers at Avec were dominated in two different categories for restuarant design.

I think what was behind trotter's immature comments towards Tramonto was a genuine dislike for him. Trotter's used to be the only superstar restaurant in Chicago for a long time. Superstar pertaining to restaurants where people outside of the city actually travel just to eat at this particular restaurant. But then came the first incarnation of Trio, then Tru, then the second and third incarnations of Tru, NoMi, Moto, and Alinea. trotter had the distinction of being the Midwest's Thomas Keller, but the competion on the superstar level in chicago is becoming really fierce.

Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand used to work at Trotter's for a while. Although I have no facts to base my forthcoming idea on, I personally belive that Tru came upon the Chicago dining scene after Trotter opened the doors for refined innovative cuisine in a notorious meat and potatoes town. Perhaps, Trotter has always had a little disdain towards Tramonto for opening a very similiar restaurant such as his, a little copy cat work. Just a thought.

Kashi. They produce a few different varieties, all our delicious, and all exceptional for your heart.

Whoa....take it easy, brother. I am part of the industry, too, and fully appreciate the workmanship of fine cuisine. However, my post was a reply to your statement that food can never be art, but a craft. Food in its truest from is neither an art or craft, but cooking, cooking done at a high level, can take on artistic qualities. I am merely making a distinction between food and cooking.

Actually, food is neither an art or craft, but materials consisting of essential body nutrients to maintain life and growth. However, I believe that cooking, as properly stated, is a craft that can be done in a very artful way.

Grilled cheese sandwich made, of course, with wonder bread and kraft singles accompanied by a kosher pickle and buttered cappelini.

Also remember that Chefg was ASKED to document the evolution of his restaurant by the folks at egullet.com. He kindly obliged for not only the benefit of egullet's members, but for advertisment, hype, and insight to his restaurant.

This is such a cool thread! Two polar opposites attempting to be a cohesive unit for 5 hours each night for one common goal. But as most of us know, sometimes a nuclear explosion happens between the two and everything goes to hell - well, for 20 minutes anyways.

I become inspired to go to the places that are considered "hidden treasures". I know how Spiaggia, Moto, and even Joe's Seafood is going to be without even dining there, because the intense coverage by the food media does a really good job painting a picture on what it is like dining at these places. I think that egullet does a really good job at that, too. And, I do not think this is a bad thing, either, I still want to dine at these wonderful places. But for some reason, these hidden treasures, as it were, have a special place in my heart.

I would recommend not doing that in that you will not get the proper flavor and richness from the aromatics and spirits. It needs to simmer together for a certain amount of time to develop a good flavor and consistency.

I worked at a French restaurant in Chicago that cooked almost everything in cast iron pans. And like blueapron, steaks were browned on both sides, and then butter added to baste. However, you can do the same thing with bonless skinless chicken breasts, with a little variation. Brown your breast on what would be skin side down first, turn it, add your whole butter, star anise, rosemary or thyme sprig, crushed garlic close, and baste. You can even add a cinamon stick or whatever else you like.. Now, it seems like that the more trendier kitchens I have been in brown their meat and then seal it in a vacuum bag with aromatics and the cook it sous vide. It cooks everything to the perfect temperature all the way around; it is almost fool proof.

Ah, but what a night that was! Details, please! ← I work with ojbowl at the aforementioned Giovanni's and actually am roommates with the waitress in question. She was working as hostess that evening and was not at all intoxicated. And trust me, I have lived with her for 3 years, have seen her drunk MANY times, but on that night she was straight. What did happen, however, was that she became quite angry at a waitress for a reason that I cannot remember. The next night the waitress told the owner that my roommate was mean to her, because she was drunk, and poof - no after work drinks.

I hope to God that Moto does not close as it is one out of only a handful of restaurants in Chicago that are pushing the envelope on a consistent level. And not only are they pushing the envelope, but they are doing so with conviction, not for novelty.

Sweetbreads, their yummy!

As with Kevin FoodTv has fallen drastically in terms of integerity of purpose in my opinion. Back in the day, (how is that sounding like an old man), almost all of their shows were chef driven for the sole purpose to show the home cook how to cook like a professional. Also, in those early chef driven days I feel that it sparked a interest in many young people, including myself, to want to cook as a profession. With Molto Mario, the Two Hot Tamales, Chef de Jour, the old Emeril Lagasse, Grillin & Chillin, Ming Tsai, etc.., these were all chef driven shows from people actually working in the buisness. Now it seems as if they are wiping the chef driven atmosphere away and replacing it with home cooks cooking low carb and calorie, using canned broths, frozen vegetbales, (i.e. Rachael Ray, although she is cute as hell, barefoot cantessia, the two low fat low carb guys) To me what the FoodTv is doing is going against what Juila Child tried to do a long time ago. I am sure she wouldn't want us to use canned stocks, frozen veggies, etc...prepared food. In my opinion it would be very cool if FoodTv would go back to the chef driven atmosphere. Have shows where they interview the top players in the game and also go inside the kitchens of the mediocre restaurants. Film what 50% of what restaurant cooking is doing in the U.S. and film the magic of the 3 and 4 star establishments. Lets go in the kitchen of Per Se, of WD-50, , and other top kitchens, interview their chefs. Lets see shows conducted by real chefs showing us the pleasure of preparing your own stocks without the stuffiness. This is what I wish....but it won't happen.

Do you think the reason why they have sparse crowds on the weekends is due to their location? Off the beaten path that is not has asthetically pleasing as Randolph, Lincoln Park, the Loop, etc... Or, do you think it might have to do with them being such a new restaurant performing such new cuisine for this area?

Ha, unfortunately most restaurant owners pay their service staff the minium wage that one gets when they are a tipped employee. That is, its below the $5.15 or $5.50 wage that non-tipped employees recieve. If you tip no money then that server better had said nasty things about your mother to deserve a zero tip. There are some ruthless and disgusting people in the restaurant buisness, but at the same time there a lot of good people. At the 3-star and 4-star quality restaurants the service staff makes twice as much money than the cooks who are busting their butt for 15 hours preparing this wonderful meal for you. Is this fare? No. However, at the lesser quality restaurants, diners, etc.. the kitchen staff makes a little more than the waitstaff. Fare wage compensation and tipping have been a long problem in the industry. I think the only fare way to deal with it is to include the tip in the bill.

At establishments that do not "pool" there tip money at the end of the shift the tip is the only opportunity for the servers to make any money. Now, there is two ways to look at this truth. One, that this is there only opportunity why should not servers give you the best possible service to ensure your happiness and consquently ensure a bigger tip. With the restaurant being nearly empty this should not have been a difficult task to accomplish. Two, being that it is there only chance to make money it is the diner's obligation to tip them a certain, but fare percentage of the bill even if the service was bad. If I go out and get great service I usually tip a little more than what I should, but if the service is bad I just tip the amount that I should and leave with a healthy heart.

Came in the morning to set up the line before everybody else comes in, put out a baby shower party during this, served them chicken picatta with primaver veg in pesto, and parmesean potatoes. The server who did the party snuck some of the guest's chocolate cake, I am a freak for all things chocolate, and I ate that. At 3:30, when I usually take my break, I grabbed a plate of chicken, veg, potatoes, headed up to the bar. Watched the cubs beat the marlins while eating my lunch. Then at 4 went back into the kitchen before the doors open at 5. Not bad.

From what I gather from the article I do not believe that the journalist was necessarily implying that the Trio dining room was "stuffy & boring" through chefg's influence. I think that he was just describing how Henry Adaniya made a consertaive effort to drift away from the intense dining that Trio had been doing for the past ten years and do something a little more casual and festive. I think Adanyia is at the point now where he is like "Been there, done that". He just seems like a guy who likes to keep evolving, take chances, and keep moving.

I think the best way to find out what kind of impact does the marinating of short ribs overnight has is to actually execute this method and then taste it. I have seen chefs marinate whole beef tenderloins in red wine for up to three days with garlic and rosemary. At Tru, a restaurant in Chicago, they marinate their tenderloin in extravirgin olive oil, rosemary, and garlic overnight. I would think that by marinating overnight it will serve to impart some great flavor to the meat. Also, Thomas Keller uses the marinating liquid as the braising liquid, too, after he clairifies it. I would think that the braising liquid has some initial flavor from the shortribs even before the braising process has been started.

Does anyone know where I can find the El Bulli cookbooks online or even a store in Chicago?

This past spring I visited my girlfriend's mother, who is Dominican, in Manhattan. Her mother prepared this wonderful traditional Dominican meal: roasted pork shoulder, beans, fried plantains, stuffed cabbage rolls, flan, rice, and it was all good. But her rice stood out the most, because it was so damn tasty. Especially the rice that was slightly browned on the bottom of the pot. That was the treasure that everyone was fighting for, but me being the guest I was fortunate to be given the first opportunity. They loved that browned rice with the cooking liquid that they cook the beans in. Well after dinner I asked her mother how she made the rice. This is what she told me: If your going to cook 1 cup of rice then set one and a half cup of water to boil in a pot. At salt and a couple drops of oil to the water. When the water comes to a boil add your rinsed rice, stir, while the water still boils and continue to boil until their is just a little bit of water left on top of the rice. Turn the heat down very low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, turn the heat off, and keep the cover on for an addtional 15 minutes. After that your good to go.

Why not have the symbol and colors be a continuously evolving entity that is directly indicative of the identity that your restaurant is attempting to convey? It seems to me that your cuisine and the dining experience itself at Alinea will be forever changing and evolving. I feel that by having your logo and the colors of that logo stay in a continuous flux will serve to truly convey to everyone the dynamic personality that your restaurant will have.