annarborfoodie

My husband and I are escaping the corn to head up to civilization on Saturday. We both would love to get sushi (and for those of you who have met me and know about my fish allergy - I usually get a spider roll minus crab stick ). I did a search and didn't turn up a thread dedicated to sushi in Chicago. I did find one mention in the "2006 Favorites" thread - Tsuki. That looks like the kind of place we're looking for - not too pricey but a nice evening out and good sushi. Any other recommendations?

Two years later, we finally used the gift certificate at Osteria Via Stato last week and loved it. The one hiccup was that we waited until 8:55 to be seated for our 8:30 reservation, and there were tons of open tables (I realize this probably had to do with servers rather than tables). The service was some of the best I have ever experienced. I was especially impressed that the waiter noticed my husband dabbing at olive oil he had dripped on his sweater, and came over with a salt grinder, napkin, and club soda and gave him directions for getting it out (and it worked!). We did the "dinner party" menu. The highlight was the onions baked with parmesan. It was like french onion soup without the broth. The onions just melted in your mouth. I had the braised short ribs, and my husband had lamb. Both entrees were very good. We tried the homemade gelato for dessert - I liked his gianduja better than my burnt caramel. I would definitely go back, without a gift certificate.

The few galleries that are open though are the DIA's greatest hits, and it makes for a very worthwhile visit. Plus they have an awesome Annie Leibovitz exhibit right now. I agree with the recommendation for New Hellas. If you can be swayed from eating in Greektown, there are lots of other worthwhile spots - Traffic Jam is pretty close to the DIA.

I did dinners for the Ronald McDonald House at the University of Michigan about once a month for a couple of years - both with the Junior League and with a woman who put together a group independently. As far as menus, it's a good idea to talk to the house manager - there may be some "rules". For example, in Ann Arbor there was only one night a week where you could serve tacos, and one night where you could serve spaghetti - otherwise they'd end up with those things every night because they're easy to serve to a crowd. As far as menus, here are a couple that were very popular: - meatloaf with mashed potatoes, veggies, etc. - homemade macaroni & cheese (we almost always had this, because the kids love it) - Roasted chicken with potatoes - Quesadillas with sides like refried beans The parents really like good fresh fruits and vegetables - that's something they don't get a lot of. Salads are very popular. Remember that these are average American (and sometimes international) families - they like to eat the same stuff at the hospital as they do at home. It's a good time for recipes out of your Betty Crocker cookbook. If you're cooking at the House, remember that the ovens and stoves may not be what you're used to. One of the first times we cooked there, we had a near disaster because we didn't realize you had to hit "start" after setting the oven temp. We also got used to having oven temps that were off. Bring your own knives and gadgets (like peelers) if you need them. Good for you for doing this! It's a very rewarding experience. It's sad to see the same families month after month, but also heartwarming when you hear they went home with a kid who is much better.

Along with fellow eGulleteer KatieM, I worked on a tree for our Junior League Festival of Trees. Our theme was children around the world. We decided children around the world love candy, and got a bunch of international candy to hang on the tree. We originally planned on hanging the Pocky from the tree, but we were in need of a tree topper and were inspired to create a Pocky tree topper

RecipeZaar has a copycat recipe for Cheesy Corn that I made once. It's not the real thing, but when you're 500 miles from KC and have a craving, it will suffice. At least it gives you an idea of what goes into the stuff. Oklahoma Joe's has been very good (especially the fries) every other time I've been there. I think the guy was just too heavy handed with the seasoning shaker this time. You can't beat the atmosphere - where else can you say you're willing to eat at a gas station? I also like LC's, which I tried after reading recommendations here - I'm not as big on the atmosphere there and get take-out now.

I live for Jack Stack beans and cheezy corn. The most exciting news I heard on my last trip to KC was that there is a Jack Stack opening on the Plaza (my husband's grandmother lives near Ward Parkway and W 57th, so that's just down the road). We had lunch at Oklahoma Joe's - I was disappointed because my fries were too salty. But the smoked turkey was pretty good and I love their spicy sauce.

I'll tell you what not to do... don't have a salad dinner (my uncle asked "where's the beef?"). Also, a pianist who is performing rather than providing background music is really awkward. Guests were expected to sit quietly and listen to the music, when they were all seeing relatives and friends for the first time in a long time, and just wanted to talk. (I didn't have any say in the planning of this event, despite the fact that it was in celebration of my wedding).

I don't remember seeing them on TV, but I agree that it sounds like you're talking about a batter bowl - it's not quite as big though. I have one from Pampered Chef that is one of my most-used kitchen items. here's a link to the PC web site

It's not looking like I'll have time to get to Lawrence this weekend, but Mid-America Gourmet looks a lot more possible - only 10 miles from grandma's house! Here's the contact info I found online: 11500 W 90th St, Overland Park, KS 66214-1710 (913) 541-2021 Living in a place where I can't even find chicken sausage that doesn't come in a pork casing (Champaign-Urbana, IL), I'm excited about visiting a real "gourmet" shop!

How long does it take to get to Lawrence from K.C.? We're headed out there the weekend after next, and it sounds like Au Marche is a place I need to visit!

This is a great list of moderate-priced restaurants. I second the recommendation for Kiki's Bistro. It feels like a special occasion restaurant without being too much of a shock to the wallet.

Some would say that it's because Grosse Pointers don't like to spend their money... there has always been a dearth of good restaurants in GP. Another theory is that those who truly have money belong to private clubs, and often dine there. Despite the image, there are a lot of people in Grosse Pointe who are regular middle class people, and stretch their money to be able to afford a house and taxes so they can send their kids to GP schools. That doesn't leave a lot of money for fine dining.

I'm a native Grosse Pointer and my parents still live there. I recently spent a week with them while in transition (husband had already moved to IL and I had to finish up at work). A brilliant new addition to the dining scene is City Kitchen. It's in "the Village" - which outsiders would call downtown Grosse Pointe. Lucy's is great for bar food - it's cozy and dark though. Jumps is more of a lunch spot IMO - but surprisingly good for a basement restaurant without much ambience.

It was briefly mentioned upthread, but it bears repeating... last night we ate a Slow's BBQ near the old Tiger Stadium. It was the best BBQ I've had outside of Kansas City. I split an entree (brisket) and still managed to eat so much that I felt sick. We had an excellent Detroit day - we went to the 20th Anniversary of the Heidelberg Project, and then headed over to Slow's. I have been wanting to try the place for many months, and finally got there. We started with waffle fries with cheese while we waited for our table. My husband spied one of the bartenders making what looked like a bloody mary with bbq sauce, and had to have it. The bartender who was taking care of us denied such a thing existed, but then the other guy came back and confirmed that was what he did. So he ordered one, and loved it. The ribs were really tender and smoky, the brisket was good but kind of fatty. We all agreed that the mac & cheese was some of the best we had ever tasted. The atmosphere was fun, food was good, overall a good night. The only complaint was that the service fit the name of the restauarant... it took about fifteen minutes after we sat down before we even saw a waiter. We weren't in a hurry, so it didn't bother us too much, but this would not be the place to go before a concert or sporting event.

I have this over the sink cutting board from Crate and Barrel and I really like it. It does give me extra counter space, and as mentioned upthread, it's easy to just push scraps over the edge and into the sink.

I had absolutely the opposite experience at La Fiesta just last weekend. It seems like it has gone downhill since they opened their new restaurant. Everything we ate had been microwaved. The Queso Fundido used to be nicely broiled, but it was microwaved. My enchiladas with mole sauce (can't remember the real name) were definitely microwavd, and I received cheese after ordering chicken. Our days in Ann Arbor are numbered, but we won't be going back to La Fiesta. On the other hand, we had a most excellent meal at eve on Sunday night. We were invited by my parents to join them at a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner. Eve had worked with the organizer for several months to set the menu to go with the wines, and everything was truly wonderful. We had some passed appetizers first - there was some sort of salmon tartare with a mayonnaise that people were raving about (I'm allergic to fish so I skipped it), and endive stuffed with thai chicken that was yummy. I am blanking on the salad, but I know there was something on the plate besides greens... the entree was a (tender) flank steak, with corn pudding that was to-die-for, and haricots verts. Dessert was a lemon custard with the best shortbread cookies I've ever had in my life, and a thimbleful of homemade blueberry jam. The dinner made me want to go back to eve again soon (and I think we will sometime before we leave town).

A mid-day update... I picked up Fat Guy at the airport and we went straight to the farmer's market. A little consultation with Tammy ended up changing the evening's menu slightly, and Steven and I went to Zingerman's to get some stuff that I can't spell or pronounce but it's some sort of fat (guanciale?). Most of the group lunched at either Zingerman's or Monahan's (which is the fish market in Kerrytown). I'm allergic to fish so I grabbed some bi bim bop next door. Now most of the crew is headed to Tammy's cohousing place to start prepping dinner and for the wine tasting.

Coming from the south, last weekend we took 17 across from 57 to 65 in Indiana, and that puts you on 80/94 right at the point where all the mess is over. We've also wondered about 30 (Lincoln Highway), but haven't tried it yet. There was absolutely no traffic on 17. I understand it's way out of the way coming from Chicago, but at least you'd be moving and not sitting there endlessly.

We are going to be moving to Champaign-Urbana (Savoy actually) in September, so I'm wondering if there are any updates to this thread?

I am in the process of moving to Champaign IL, so I have done the drive from the south side of Chicago to Ann Arbor a few times lately. A word of warning from anyone driving from Chicago - avoid 80 at all costs. You just sit and sit and sit and it is a complete exercise in frustration - even at 10PM. The part that is under construction is from the IN border to the 80/294 intersection.

Cafe Zola does take reservations for groups for brunch (at least they did last summer when I hosted an event there). It's a great spot, but it can be very noisy and hard to hear people unless they're sitting right next to you. I would vote for either there, Zing's Roadhouse, or Zing's Deli. About Farmer's Market parking - there is free parking in the structure at Ann and Ashley during the summer. It's a short walk from there to the market, and very easy to get a spot. You have to take a ticket when you enter the lot, but you don't have to pay when you leave.

Antico Forno was the winner. Thanks for the recommendations. She wanted somewhere that has salad, for people who don't eat pizza (what people don't eat pizza???) The big bonus was that they take reservations.

I'm wondering about recommendations for a pizza lunch for a small group in the North End? I'm headed to Boston this weekend for my sister's engagement party. She is taking a group of eight people out for lunch, and for a tour of the North End, Faneuil Hall, and other stuff we can come up with that's a manageable walk. We figured pizza would keep the cost reasonable. I suggested Pizzeria Regina based on threads I read here, but she wants other options. Any other suggestions? Or is Regina our best bet? TIA!

Apparently it's not really predictable when they're going to have the lobster roll lunch... we journeyed up to Wellfleet this morning from Chatham, and the Methodist Church was dark - no sign of any lobster roll action. I asked at one of the shops in town and they said "yeah, they have lobster rolls. You just have to watch for them to put the sign out. I don't really know that there's a schedule". We ended up at Mac's on the harbor, where I had a good, but not great, and relatively expensive lobster roll. The location can't be beat though.