annarborfoodie

Zingerman's makes brownies that have dulce de leche swirled in the batter. They're called Buenos Aires brownies. They are my absolute favorite pastry from Zingerman's.

I am allergic to fish sauce, so I need a substitute. I have found vegetarian "oyster" sauce at asian groceries that works pretty well (of course, I don't have much to compare it to...)

For good ethnic, you might try El Azteco - there is one location in Lansing and another in East Lansing. You don't go there for the atmosphere but the food is good.

It's so interesting to read a blog from my own hometown! I was interested in that tasting at Zingerman's last night, but I had a class at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute (french pastry part 2 - millefeuille). We're thinking about doing the tour of the Creamery this Sunday.

Unfortunately, we never made it to Chicago and that gift certificate is still sitting around unused... but after reading about Osteria via Stato, I'm more inclined to use it there when we finally do make it to Chicago.

I was in KC a couple of weeks ago and we tried to go to LC's but discovered that they're closed on Sunday. We went to the Blue Parkway location. Certainly not much to look at on the outside... Based on the BBQ threads here, we tried Oklahoma Joe's and really enjoyed the Q, and they had the best fries I've had at KC BBQ places. We didn't like their beans as much. I think the best part is being able to say that you had a great dinner at a gas station ;) Although it's rather pedestrian compared to some of the others, my favorite is still Fiorella's Jack Stack. I love their beans, brisket, and baby back ribs.

I've gotten some really good deals on eBay. I got a set of 30 Wilton tips in a storage box, plus three bags of varying sizes, and three sets of couplers for about $15. And it was brand new!

There are a couple of places in downtown Dearborn that are good if you get stuck with a delayed flight or have to kill time around the airport for some reason. Annam is upscale Vietnamese; La Shish is mediterranean. There's also Andiamo, but that can be quite slow and isn't as noteworthy.

We had a great meal at Loving Spoonful in Farmington Hills last weekend. Chef Loving trained at Schoolcraft and I don't think he gets as much "talk" as he should. They really do a nice job.

Thank you for this thread. I am getting married in August and was contemplating doing my own cake. This has convinced me that it's not the way to go. I'll stick to doing iced sugar cookies as the favors (can be done way ahead of time and I'm thinking of having a cookie party instead of a shower in order to enlist help) and leave the cake to the pros.

You might want to try Big Ten Market. They usually have pretty good prices on the tomatoes and will probably give you a discount if you buy a case. They have the best cheese counter in town and definitely the most helpful salespeople. I'm not sure if they'll have the walnut oil, but they might, and they do have a good selection of pasta. You might want to try the locally made "Al Dente" brand pasta, which is carried there among other places in town. I don't know of an Italian market in Ann Arbor - there is one in Dearborn though if you'll be around there at all. For restaurants - I second the recommendation for La Shish. In Dearborn, Annam is very good upscale Vietnamese. In Detroit - others you might want to try include Atlas Global Bistro, Small Plates, and Sweet Lorraine's. Editing to add one more idea (especially for the person who will be here for a couple of weeks) - the American Harvest restuarant at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute. Service tends to be a bit slow, but you can't beat the value. I take classes there and drool every time I walk past the restaurant (and especially the pastry case) on my way to class. http://www.schoolcraft.edu/harvest/default.htm

Thanks for the tips. After looking at the web site, I'm leaning towards Brasserie Jo, plus I was able to get a reservation there at a decent time. This is a regular, purchased, gift cert so there are no apparent restrictions.

We'll be visiting Chicago in a couple of weeks and I have a $50 Lettuce Entertain You gift certificate that I want to use on this trip (it was a Chanukah present last year). I've been to a couple of their restaurants, but I'm interested in hearing suggestions for where we should spend this, either for a Saturday night dinner or Sunday brunch. We're staying at the Hyatt on Wacker and we'd prefer somewhere either within walking distance or within a short cab ride (10-15 minutes) TIA for any recommendations!

I took a class with Michelle Bommarito on decorated sugar cookies. Here are her recipes for the cookies and the icing. I've made them many times and never been disappointed. 2 sticks unsalted butter 1 c. granulated sugar 1 egg 1 t. baking powder 1 t. vanilla extract 3 c. all-purpose flour (sifted/fluffed before measuring) 1/2 t. kosher salt Preheat oven to 375 degrees In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and the vanilla extract and continue to beat well. Combine the baking powder and the flour and slowly add in one cup at a time. Mix together until just combined. Form the dough into a flat rectangle and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4" thick (slightly thicker if you're going to put the cookies on a stick). Dip the cutters into flour, the cut out the desired shape. Carefully place the cut cookie shape on a sheet pan using a spatula. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake the cookies for approximately 8 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown in color. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Royal Icing 1 pound confectioners sugar 5 T meringue powder Ice cold water according to desired consistency. The outline icing should be the consistency of peanut butter The flooding icing should be the consistency of corn syrup. If in doubt, go thicker. Use a damp cloth to cover the icing until you're ready.

Thanks for the suggestions - we did end up going to Davio's - but it was the one at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. We sat out on the patio and had a lovely dinner. The service was a bit off, but I think it was our server and not the whole place.

My parents and I are headed to Boston for a weekend for my sister's birthday. She has chosen the Capital Grille for dinner. Her main reason for choosing it is that she knows where it is and that she thinks it will be easy for my dad to get in and out of (he walks with a cane and doesn't go far). I'm not too excited about going to Boston to eat a chain restaurant that we have here in Detroit. Does anyone have a recommendation for a restaurant with very good food, and good accessibility? I'd have better luck convincing them to go to a more traditional place than trendy/what they'd consider "weird". TIA!

We just returned from ten days on the Cape (we stayed in Chatham). We didn't eat out very much this year, but the meals we did have at restaurants were wonderful. We tried the Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet for the first time and ended up going back later in the week and bringing friends with us. The steamed littlenecks, raw oysters, and crab cakes were all big winners for us. You get a dozen littlenecks in a wonderful broth for $10. We also tried the Keeper's restaurant in Osterville. It's tucked away in a boat yard, but worth looking for. The presentation and service were excellent, as was the food. We followed it with ice cream at Four Seasons in Centerville (about five minutes away) and had a perfect evening. On our one cloudy day, we did a rail trail bike trip up to Kady's in Brewster for some good fried stuff. It's a great biking destination (that way you can justify the grease On our way out of town, we stopped at the Chatham Squire for dinner and it was good as always. I love their chowder.

For a casual spot, Aye Carumba in downtown Harwich is really good - especially when you can get a table outside. It's very reasonably priced for the Cape. We've enjoyed several dinners at the Chatham Cafe - I dream of their lobster ravioli.