chicagowench
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Posts posted by chicagowench
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Hee, no. I had to explain to the 3 year old 'sweetbreads' are not pastry. He's still not quite getting it.
And they do still carry the povitica, I am astonished we got out of there without buying one.
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Mmmm, veal pastries!
No no, clearly labelled. Despite living in JoCo, I do know what sweetbreads are.
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Apparently either the holidays mean offal, or McGonigle's has heeded the call. Less than 10 pound packages of various things were to be had in their upright freezer case one aisle over from the meat counter today- including small, manageable packages of sweetbreads.
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It matters very little to me if anybody takes me seriously.
I'd posit that not overgeneralizing, being specific with your words, and writing as if people will take you seriously- because as is evident from this thread, people on here are passionate (to put it mildly) about food and cooking- may well serve you far better in your quest to push
. We all have a common interest here, after all!whether communities can make a difference for their local foodways, and create serious opportunities for small-time food purveyors.To judge from this thread, yes. People agree with you that this is vital and important, and that there are some ways- small though they may seem- and energy and urge to create serious opportunities for small time food purveyors. The question becomes how to put intent into action: how to harness this energy to, say, get programming going with local schools, bolster local farmer's markets, get better access for local goods into local retail outlets. We could accomplish a hell of a lot more than just posting on a thread, non?
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It's sad to know that there are kids (adults?) who don't know a beet from a leek, or a carrot from an onion, no less a good-tasting one from a unfresh/bad-tasting one.
And this is why I am researching the Rethinking School Lunch program out of Berkeley, and ascertaining what's already in place in my neck of the woods and how I could assemble a group to approach the school district.
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I strongly feel that it would be almost impossible to find a home in Johnson County, KS who is having dinner with out a single commercialized, mass produced, convienent food item.
After my first summer living here, I would have agreed with this statement. But I've seen a really astonishing change at the farmer's market in downtown OP, both on the production and the consumer side. The first few summers, I had to go to both OP and Brookside to get what I wanted- OP for fruit, Brookside for organic and heirloom- the producers at OP by and large focused on 'standard' produce that would sell. But now I see dozens of tomato, apple, and squash varietals, producers who know what kinds of strawberries they're selling- and furthermore, consumers who care and ask. And these are Jonhson county residents!
Do many of them not know their way around a kitchen and they're getting into this because they read about it in a magazine or saw something on food TV or had something wonderful at a restaurant? Yes. But I lost count of how many times this past summer I found myself chatting with a confused suburbanite as to just what they could do with X, and the many ways to cook it, and it was incredible how excited people could get over this. At specialty dinners at 40 (notably the tomato dinner), guests freely admitted that a couple of years ago they had no idea what an heirloom tomato or other ingredient was, but now they sought them out, were growing them, and were cooking with them- a group of people far more used to takeout from Dean and Deluca or going out to dinner than workin the soil with their own two hands.
I realize our household, out of the demographic of my child's school in JoCo, is still the exception (a home cooked meal 5-6 nights a week with no convenience foods), but I am seeing the tide change down here and it's WONDERFUL. Families who used to use convenience or takeout every night of the week are now cooking 1-3 nights a week- that's a huge change. Now, if only I could convince his school that 'tuna cream tater tot casserole' is the work of the gustatory devil...
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Take the turnip allegorically. As long as you view it as an either/or (succulent scallop versus dirty tuber), it will always be so.
I think my post made it rather clear I do not view it as an either or. I'm just a whore for scallops, and won't eschew them to patronize a strictly local-sourced only restaurant. The scallops, in a way, were allegorical as well; we're in a place not exactly rockin the seafood, yo, and so there are limits to how local one can go and still produce a quality meal that attracts paying customers (to Colby's point)
High-end restaurants, for the most part, are moving locality toward a bland universalism, and away from what it means to be at one particular place at one particular time.Given my experiences in KC, I'd have to respectfully disagree with this- are there specific places you're thinking of? Because Bluestem, Starker's, 40 Sardines...all of them have been very active in educating their patrons about the joys of local sourcing and seasonal cooking.
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So here's a question for you then, Dave. What can I as a consumer do? I already patronize the restaurants that do local sourcing and tend not to patronize those that don't. We belong to a CSA and hit the organic famer's market in season.
Short of wearing a sandwich board at my kid's school touting local ag...
Actually, that hooks in with something else, as I've been trying to figure out if I could even approach tackling a Rethinking School Lunch program here.
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I have to say as a consumer, I look for 'emphasis on' not 'sole dedication to', for many of the reasons Colby just outlined. Frankly, tuna and salmon are not indigenous to the Missouri or the Kaw rivers, and yet I like them, so yes, I look for a restaurant which is not completely dedicated to only local, only in season. At the same time, I believe in seasonality, and I either don't patronize places that have 'heirloom tomatoes' prominently on the menu in December (cough Colby update your website you've still got the September menu up cough) or avoid those dishes like the plague, sure that the tomatoes are slightly wooly and flown in from Chile or somesuch.
That said, given the ordering choice between a local turnip and a flown in scallop....scallop wins, no matter how lovingly tarted up the turnip is.
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What? What! Why are you looking at me like that?!
If there was one big weakness to the dinner, it's that the courses were individual dishes, and not plates. This was fine for courses like the scrambled scallop and dessert, but the 'lo-carb-onara' was done no favors by sitting there as a big, sad, lump. People. Garnish or something. Similarly, the duck course was...a whole honking (quacking?) lot of duck- I am not complaining about that, naturally, but as a course, the Duck Duck And Nothing But Duck probably did not do it full justice. Something...green....would have been nice. But these were dishes from the cookbook, not courses and so it was A Single Recipe per course.
That said. It was a damn fine meal.
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ue, in the name of gustatory research, I do believe it's imperative you make a trip to bluestem to research for yourself. Also, you'll need an assistant. Sigh. I'll just have to come with you.
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Like a jelly roll cake. WAY the hell to sweet. Woe! However, the husband gives the black and white cookies two delighted thumbs up.
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Will be able to report on Irina's Bakery, next to Kaiyo restaurant, at 119th and Roe shortly. We got black and white cookies, dinner rolls, and a slab (and I do mean slab) of mocha roll. My husband walked in, inhaled deeply, and said with reverence, "It actually *smells* like a bakery."
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What kind of credentials do you think one must have to be a critic?
Credentials or attributes? I'm not trying to be snide, but in my mind I've got two different answers in mind- credentials running more towards background and experience and attributes running along the lines of...say. Competence, consistency, an ability to write a cogent article which actually makes sense start to finish....
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Was there at 9 am this morning and they had plenty of stock....except we got the last pain au chocolat. Whoopie!
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Absolutely, they're straight up about it, u.e.
OK, having now poured over Chapin's review of Avenues, I am confused once again as to why, after she criticizes every single set of courses, a place gets 2 stars for food.
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UE, I'm willing to bet the pork tenderloin is sliced, pounded thin, breaded, and sauteed. Hence the panko. At which point, forget the bread for the sandwich, just gimme a plateful of pork schnitzl, which is kinda what it is.
I think it's just a pork Tenderloin breaded like local onion rings, to even come close to making it a schnitzel using those types of bread crumbs you would have to grind them down bit. You should also use a slice of veal from the saddle or strip loin then pound it thin, lightly bread it in a classical way using the fine crumbs then quickly saute it and place a rolled up anchovy with a caper in it and a slice of lemon on top. To used pork in-place of veal is an insult to Germans and Austrians
Which would be why I refrained from calling it Wiener schnitzl, which correctly must be veal. However, schnitzl vom Schwein (schnitzl from pig) or Schweinsschnitzel Wiener Art are both recognized as being dandy ways to prepare the dish using pork. To use pork in place of veal and not specify is the insult and the problem.
UE, if you go and eat the pork sandwich- whatever and however it's made- I'd love to know how it stacks up on the 'thinly pounded, breaded, and cooked' food spectrum. More of a schnitzl or more of a tonkatsu? Or a milanese? Oh the opportunities are endless.
I've noticed in the last couple of reviews, specific mention of red pepper flakes appearing in a dish but not enumerated on the menu.moosnsqrl, maybe she has mad, mad hate for red pepper flakes? I always make it a rule to ask, but it does seem weird to enumerate so much about a dish on the menu but then not note a very bright, assertive flavor note like pepper flakes unless the dish is of a type which naturally encompasses such an ingredient (I would scarcely expect to encounter a chili, for example, that had none of those zesty spices- even if they weren't listed on the menu)
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UE, I'm willing to bet the pork tenderloin is sliced, pounded thin, breaded, and sauteed. Hence the panko. At which point, forget the bread for the sandwich, just gimme a plateful of pork schnitzl, which is kinda what it is.
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UE, I'll bring the red pen tonight so you can mark up the menu.
FYI all, Katie's right, Plaza III is now open in the Leawood location, with a giant banner touting Sunday brunch from 9 am to 3 pm (an interesting jab at the Nick and Jake's brunch business). Also, David Loo's (formerly of Sushi House) Kaiyo Restaurant, 4308 W. 119th St., Leawood has been open since....early July?
And for those of you who need to have the restaurant experience at home but don't want to pay for Alinea styled pieces, Crate and Barrel is now open at 119th and Roe and is selling teeny whiteware dishes for those chic single-serving courses. 6 for $7.50. Chair and ottoman to swan about on after gorging yourself, $299 and $199 respectively.
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Thanks for takin' one for the team, chicagowench!
Though I'm confused by the distinction between the Rainforest Cafe and the mall version thereof. I thought all of them were in (mostly outlet) malls. Or were you just projecting what Rainforest Cafe would be like if it fell into the clutches of Disney/Times Square/et.al.?
You often see a tiering between destination versions- like, at Downtown Disney or at integrated resorts/theme parks- and mall versions of the 'immersion' chain restaurants like Rainforest Cafe. The destination ones are bigger and have (god help us) more theming- often more outdoor theming, so it's like you're walking into a big fake mountain/jungle/gaping maw. There's more hardscape and theming OUTSIDE the restaurant, to....begin your adventure sooner! Or something.
Well, you had an assignment and you failed us. I guess we'll have to send someone reliable next time*sobs*. I promise I won't fail you on the dinner at Cassis tonight, how's that?
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So, you know. When you wrangle, like, 16 children under the age of 10 at Cheeseburger in Paradise, lunch takes a really, really long time. I mean really long. So long, in fact, there's just no time to get over to T-Rex with your sproggin before you have to get him home for nap. Gee gosh sorry. egullet, I have failed you, yet I am secretly thrilled to have done so.
In 'find something positive to say' news, I commend Cheeseburger in Paradise for giving me my burger medium rare when I ordered it medium rare, and not being all 'everything must be medium-well' (I'm looking at you, Red Robin).
(Edited to add: we ended our adventure at the big central fountain in Legends, T-Rex is right down from there. From the exterior, it looks like a totally half-assed repurposing job of a destination- like Downtown Disney type size/scope- Rainforest Cafe as opposed to a mall version of RC. LOOK, giant faux mountain! LOOK, vegetation! LOOK, giant t-rex who's really not all that giant if you've ever been to a natural history museum!)
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I'm holding out hope since every 2 weeks, like clockwork, he gets in trouble at school for peeling kraft singles off his sandwich at lunch and throwing them against the wall with a look of utter disdain.
Digital camera has fresh batteries and a clean memory card. I shall capture every precious moment of the horror of T-Rex, for YOU, the readers of egullet.
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See, I know that. However, the 3 year old does not recognize velveeta as cheese. Cheese falls into one of 6 camps: cheddar, asiago, parmesean, goat, blue, or (and I quote) ''spensive an' tastee'. I'm looking forward to his expression of horror at the concept of plastic-as-cheez. I've got to have something to look forward to in this nightmarish scenario.
Oh wait. Dinner at Cassis that night. THANK YOU GOD.
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Naw, if I'd threatened to deprive you of BBQ for the rest of your days, that might have merited CiP and T-Rex.
I am so hoping my child starts interrogating a waiter as to whether it's asiago or parmesean.
Cook-off 1: Cassoulet
in France: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Duck legs are partway through the confit process. And I can find pork rind absolutely nowhere. Suggestions? Can I dispense with it entirely, or should I soak some salt pork overnight and then blanch it, and line with that? I'm pretty much sticking with the Les Halles recipe.
I'd post photos, but my camera has festively died on me.