smorris291

The only MI Cab Franc's I have tried/heard of are from the Traverse City area. I know that Ciccone Vineyards (in Leelanau County) makes a Cab Franc...I had a one a couple of years ago that was excellent.

I have to second your thoughts about Quartino on a couple of points: First, I thought that the menu presented so many items that it was difficult to decide what you wanted. We also had the duck prosciutto and polenta fries, and thought both were excellent. I'd also recommend trying the pizzas, which happened to be thin and crispy, but also had a decent amount of cheese and a nice chew to the crust. One of the better italian style pizzas I've had in the city. Second, I thought Quartino provided a very good value (and you didn't even mention the $5 valet parking--a steal in the city). My wife and I walked out of there with an extremely filling late lunch (including 500 ml of wine) for $45. Can't beat those prices. We've also eaten in the front area of Osteria Via Stato, which provides similar items, and I have to say that the in both the terms of value and flavor, we prefer Quartino.

When I was last there (Oct. 2004), we spent 3 days in the area, in Reims and Epernay (which isn't far away). I'm assuming that you're planning on visiting some Champagne houses...here are the comments I have on the big ones we visited: -Taittinger: Very cool caverns under the site of a 13 c. church. Guided tour was pretty good. Offered their standard NV for tastes. -Piper Heidsieck: Tour was Disney-esque, featuring a tour in a "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"-like car. Amusing, but only if you have extra time. -Veuve Clicquot: Also cool caverns and a slick tour. -Perrier Jouet: The best tour we had, mainly because there were just 4 of us on a guided tour. This place seemed the most active workplace, and we got to see large format bottles on the line being disgorged and corked. Best overview of the process. Got bumped up to a taste of Fleur de Champagne for no extra charge due to the small tour size. We also drove around and went to some small producers in the small towns surrounding the Montagne de Reims. The name of them escape me, but two of them were very tiny, and although the proprietors spoke no english, we had some tastes and a good time. We also had a good experience at the tasting room at Mailly, where we got to try pretty much every thing for free since we ended up buying some bottles. As far as the town of Reims goes...well, it's just OK. Most of the town has been rebuilt since WWI and WWII. The food/drink in town were average, and not as good as I expected. Didn't get the chance to make it to Les Crayeres (which probably would have redeemed the food in Reims) though we did have a wonderful meal at Royal Champagne (a Relais & Chateaux property) just outside of Epernay. Epernay was a little more "charming", as my wife would put it. We also had a nice lunch at Le Teatre in Epernay as well. My advice would be to pick one or two bigger houses to tour/taste at, but try to get off the beaten track and wander into some smaller houses...

Here's what my wife and I drank: -Krug Grande Cuvee NV (to begin the evening) -1999 Tollot-Beaut Corton Grand Cru (with the roast duck) PS Lest anyone think that we drink wines like this all the time, let me correct you. These were for a special occasion, selected from the "Morris Family Cellars"...also known as the case of wine that sits at the back of my wife's walk-in closet. Obviously, we need MUCH more storage space.

Yes, the Krug was one of the primary reasons that I went to the tasting in the first place. They were pouring the VC demi-sec, which I had not tried before. The selections that each importer had were quite inconsistent...you could try virtually the entire spectrum of VC and Moet selections, but for other labels like Taittinger and Pol Roger, all they had was the main NV. Unfortunately, to try the VC you had to put up with the clueless pourer who couldn't even answer one guy's question about the difference between the yellow label and the demi-sec. It was painful to watch.

Last night I attended a public Champagne tasting at a wine retailer in Chicago. In As seems customary according to the other feedback I've seen in this thread, the event had its highs and lows: Low points: -Waiting to try several wines while people blabbered incessantly (about things they obviously had little to no knowledge of). -The clueless Veuve pourer who seemed surprise that everyone wanted to try La Grande Dame. -The husband/wife couple who were clearly overserved and ended up loudly arguing about which Mumm--Cordon Rouge or Carte Classique--was better. -My wife never made it, instead sitting in traffic for an hour due to yesterday's snowstorm. Luckily, those lows were overwhelmed by the high points: -The Perrier Jouet distributor that insisted on opening a fresh bottle of '96 Fleur de Champagne so I wasn't stuck with the end of the previous bottle. -The snowstorm limited the crowd, so that overall it was easy to taste whatever you wanted. -My first-ever taste of Krug. Wow! -The guy pouring the '98 Dom, who was giving out VERY generous 1/2 glass pours... Overall, despite the mis-steps and uneven pours/knowledge from the distributors, it was a very well-spent $35.

I do agree that the wooden chopsticks can make gabbing some slippery foods easier, even if I do like the look of the plastic/porcelain ones better. It was interesting to see the variety of chopsticks they sell at stores in Japan...there were some that had a bumpy, sandpaper-like texture on the ends to make it easier to grab food. Haven't seen anything similar in the US, but I haven't really looked that hard...

There's a review of Matsumoto in today's Trib: Matsumoto Pretty good review considering the paper napkins and break-apart chop sticks. After having kaiseki for the first time last month in Kyoto, I'm pretty intrigued by this...

I have to agree with Jennifer...where does this stop? The part that bugs me the most, however, is that the same City Council that is thinking hard about a ban that would (supposedly) protect ducks & geese will still allow someone to sit at a bar or restaurant and blow cigarette smoke in my face. Amazing.

I dont know if any of these suggestions are "new and exciting", but my wife and I were in Burgundy (Beaune, mainly) last fall for a few days and had two very good meals: -Looks like you're already set for a place to stay, but if not, you should think about the Hostellerie de Levernois, which is just about 5 minutes SW of Beaune. This is a relais & chateaux property that is wonderful. Even if you don't stay there, a trip for dinner would be in order, as we had possibly our best meal (out of 10 days) in France at the Hostellerie. Very fresh, lively cuisine with the best cheese carts (yes, carts--there's a separate one just for the chevre) we saw during our entire trip. Service was impeccable--the sommelier even did a good job of hiding his surprise when he saw that my wife (the white burgundy lover) was going to be selecting the first wine of the evening. -As far as other meals in the area go, we had a great dinner in Beaune at Caveau des Arches. This was a recommedation of the owners of the Hostellerie...I was slightly skeptical of this recommendation at first, as the picture of this place in the book we had looked EXTREMELY dated. But it turned out to be reasonably priced and excellent...this place is basically underneath the walls of the city near Place Madeleine. Far from being dated, the interior was wine cave meets sleek spa, with wood and stainless accents at the bar. This menu was somewhat traditional (escargot, jambon perseille), but with modern touches. http://www.caveau-des-arches.com/

We went to the Taste last night (foolishly thinking Sunday night by be less crowded than other times). Overall, I have to agree with Ronnie--I'm becoming more and more disappointed that restaurants are allowed to serve anything they want, regardless of whether they actually serve it on their menu. This leads to about 5 different places serving roast corn on the cob... And even though I guess it's representative of Chicago restaurants, there is just too much repetition at the Taste. Five or six rib places, a bunch of pizza joints, too many places serving crab cake nuggets. Though it would never happen, I'd love to see the city limit the number of certain types of restaurants, and exert some influence over what was served. I don't want to sound like it was a terrible experience overall. Anyone who's been before knows that the Taste has its plusses and minuses. Personally, I enjoy it for what it is, especailly if I can get some of my usual favorites: beer-battered fried artichoke hearts from Bella Luna, the rib sandwich from the Fireplace Inn and the jerk chicken/red beans and rice from Vee Vees. I just wish that they still served the cajun fried crawfish tails...

Reading the review, I wish there was more rationale for the 3.5 stars...I think you're right on the money, George, but with a restaurant this notable, I'd like to have it spelled out exactly what separates this from a 4 star experience. The review is also interesting for it's eGullet info...yellow truffle is famous!

I'd add Smith & Wollensky's, too. They have a good location (right on the river) and I've had good experiences there. I may like the steaks at Capital Grille slightly more, but I like the location/atmosphere at Smith & Wollensky's a bit better. They have a large downstairs area that looks on to the river and can seat some large parties...

Actually, GR was a football (soccer) player. He was actually in the youth system for (Glasgow) Rangers FC, but was injured and his career path took a turn...

My wife and I ate at Babbo this past Saturday night, a meal that I had been looking forward to for months (we live in Chicago and don't make it to NYC very often). In a nutshell, the restaurant exceeded all of our expectations. We had the pasta tasting menu, and (as others here have done) swapped out the beef cheek ravioli for the pyramids. The food was universally excellent, as was the service. I was particularly impressed that they switched up the wine pairings due to our substitution--not only did we get a different pairing with the ravioli than we would have had with the pyramids, but they changed the wine pairing on the previous course, fearing the wine originally planned would be too similar to the next pour. The wine pairings were a great value and quite generous (maybe too generous for my wife ), with each pour being 3+ oz.--meaning each of us had almost a bottle of wine. Overall, I don't think I've ever had such serious, good food served in such a relaxed, vibrant atmosphere...

My wife and I shared the Poulet de Bresse at the restaurant at the Hostellerie de Levernois (outside of Beaune) a couple weeks ago. It was our last nice meal in France, and after seeing it on the menu at a few different places, we decided to go for it. This poulet was simply prepared, just slathered in butter and roasted. When it arrived, it was so big we thought that there was no way we could finish the whole thing. One of the best parts about ordering this dish was watching the server completely dismantle the bird in front of us using just a small carving knife and a large spoon. We each were given some of the bird with a helping of, without a doubt, the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. After we'd devoured the first portion, the server cleared our plates, then returned with a smaller helping of potatoes and gave us the rest of the chicken. We were stuffed, but of course we finished the entire thing. It was fantastic. Of course, the downside is that I'm not quite as excited to get the roasted chicken from Costco...

My wife and I will be in Paris in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering what would be appropriate to wear to dinner at Le Violon d'Ingres. I was thinking about a sportcoat, but would I be out of place? Would a tie and or a suit be a better idea? Thanks for the help... Scott

Haven't had any of the wood-burning items, but last time I was there, we had a special that was a warm potato salad with garlic aioli and chorizo. Also, the rabbit crostini was excellent. As far as the wines go, the list is mostly of fairly small producers that I had never heard of. I'm not sure what we had, but the bartender/waiter made some great selections after asking us what we liked. The 1/3 bottle servings made it fun, as you could try a variety of different things...

My wife and I will be in France this fall, and have a flight back to Chicago from Paris late on a Sunday morning. We had planned on staying in Beaune Saturday night, but given the fact that we don't want to have to get up ridiculously early and have to drive 3 hours to Charles de Gaulle, I now think we might meander back toward Paris and stay somewhere that will allow us to sleep a bit later/have a short drive. So, not knowing much about the area, I was wondering if anyone could provide a recommendation about which towns might be a good place to stay. I tried to make a reservation at La Cote Saint Jacques in Joigny (and have dinner, too), but they're booked that night. So far, the most likely choices seem like Sens and Troyes...does anyone have any ideas? Thanks! Scott

I'm sure I'd plunk down (at least) a few tickets for Les Nomades' seafood terrine. On a less fancy note, how about some of the roasted mushrooms from Cafe Iberico...

I was at Taste of Randolph this weekend as well. Luckily we were there early enough to pay just $5 to get in. I'll second two of EGQuan's criticisms: -The place was like a giant pick-up joint. I told my wife and a friend that they were wearing too much clothing to fit in with the majority of women there. -The number of food options seems to have decreased over the past couple of years that I have gone. The number of booths where you could get a henna tattoo was close to the number of booths where you could get something to eat. That being said, the food was good. I had a grilled duck leg (the haute version of the turkey drumstick), a good tuna taco w/ mango salsa and the pulled pork sandwich (with excellent slaw).

For "downtown" al fresco, it seems like every one of the restaurants on Wells St. in Old Town (between Division and Lincoln) has outdoor seating. When it's nice out and we can't decide on somewhere to go, my wife and I head there and pick a place. Also, over at Erie and the river (about 500 W.), Erie Cafe has a nice set of outdoor tables right next to the water...

I agree, the Taste has become too crowded, too big and full of mediocre, overpriced food. The only way I'll go is to have a couple of cold ones w/ those great crawfish tails (I need the beer to help me put up with the crowds)... For a better "tasting" experience, the Taste of Randoph Street fesival (late June) is something to consider. Smaller crowds and better restaurants with some food (actually from their menus!) that can be really quite good.

As a resident of the West Coast prior to moving to Chicago, I have to agree with Pugman's assessment that nothing in Chicago really matches up to In n' Out Burger. But my favorite burger here comes close--Portillo's. The burgers have a great char flavor to them that I think compares pretty favorably to a good home-grilled burger. And the toppings (onions, lettuce, etc.) always seem to be very fresh for a semi-fast food place. I've had some good bar type burgers here too, including at Green Door Tavern.

I have to mention of my favorite cookbook, mainly because I didn't see it noted anywhere else in the thread: "Charlie Trotter Cooks At Home". It's intentionally scaled down from his other cookbooks, with ingredients and preparation suited for the home kitchen, but still with great flavors and interesting dishes. And for a culinary reference, you can't beat the CIA's "The Professional Chef".