nr706

What do u mean? Used to be good? ← I can vouch that the new ownership (new? it's been about a year now) far surpasses the old. Even walking by, you can actually see through the windows - the new owner keeps them clean. They now have hand-cut, double-cooked french fries, the owner seems very particular about his suppliers (e.g. it isn't the standard bun, but instead a hand- formed knot roll, and he invites foodies in to sample dogs and sausages before deciding on a supplier). Most recently, he's gotten some notice for his hand-dipped corn dogs - not frozen, but made to order. No samosa though. Do you really want to go to a hot dog place for samosa? Full disclosure - I'm one of those foodies who has sampled various dogs, sausages and other items, but I have no financial relationship, other than the fact that he comps the food in exchange for a frank opinion on the best of several options. And even then I try to put a tip in the jar every time, when he remembers to leave the tip jar out.

Have you tried any of the new pizza places, like Spacca Napoli (Neopolitan) Grupo di Amici (Roman), PIzzeria D.O.C., or even the venerable Candlelite (basic thin crust, well-executed, but thankfully not the lame, foldable New York style)?

Did anyone else notice the reference to foie gras in Chicago Magazine's review of Chef's Station (one of my favorite places, BTW)? Seems like the foie gras controversy may go the same way as the Big Box ordinance - why should Chicago place needless restrictions on legal commerce when the only effect will be to drive business to the suburbs? Of course, if it drives more biz to Peter Mills' place, I don't have a problem wit that. No connection other than a fan.

The Spice House 1941 Central (just west of Green Bay Rd) Evanston 60201

ChefG Is Alinea the be-all and end-all of your world, or do you see yourself creating a mini-empire, like yout Trio predecessor? If the latter, do you see it Chicago focused, or world-wide?

Doesn't Hecky's count?

Am I mis-reading the press reports, or is Carlyn Berghoff the villain in this story, destroying a beloved landmark and on-goingly profitable and popular esablishment solely for the aggrandizement of her personal catering business?

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, with some remarkable mom-and-pop-type places if you care to venture out of downtown. Here are just a few great ones (there are countless more): Ed's Potsticker House - Northern Chinese (ask for the Chinese menu w. English translations) 3139 S. Halsted St. (312) 326-6898 Al's #1 Italian Beef 1079 W. Taylor St. (little Italy) (312) 226-4017 Taqueria la Oaxaquena - Mexican, specifically from Oaxaca 3382 N. Milwaukee Ave. (773) 545-8585 Laschet's Inn - classic German 2119 W. Irving Park Rd. (773) 478-7915 TAC Quick - highly authentic Thai food (ask for the Thai menu) 3930 N. Sheridan Rd. (773) 327-5253 Honey 1 Barbeque 2241 N. Western St. (773) 227-5130 edited to add: Podhalanka Polksa Restauracja - Chicago is the greatest source of Polish food in the Western Hemisphere 1549 W. Division Ave. (773) 486-6655

Chicago is lucky to have so many top-tier chefs - ChefGEB certainly among the best of them - but I'm wondering if Chef Shawn recognized another renowned chef and treated him specially, or can us plebeians expect similar treatment?

I think you're right, at least to an extent. I haven't looked up the stats, but from what I see around here (Chicago area) I'd say the popularity of home-brewing has dropped somewhat. Certainly the number of homebrew shops has dropped. That's not to say there isn't still a healthy homebrew community here, my impression is that it's just not as massive as it was in the '90s. I wonder if the better availability of world-class beers at retail has something to do with it.

Commercial in a courtroom setting, Miller Lite Vs. Bud Light, Flavor Flav testifies that ML is better, Bud lawyers object saying he's no authority, judge overrules the objection, saying "after all, he's called Flavor Flav." Yes lame.Kind of implies Miller really knows ML has no taste (not that BL does, either).

I'd highly recommend China [trip report] - it's a bit distant, but excellent food.

How about this one, which I recently had just outside the Great Wall in China ... the restaurant's (limited) English menu described it as "local wild herb" ...

I guess I'm not clear on the original post - I thought I read it as "how to" name a restaurant, which would suggest the poster was interested in the process of coming up with names (which can be quite an art/science) rather than asking for specific name ideas. I've always thought the process was more interesting than the result (although, I guess just starting this thread is one, not particularly structured, process to achieving the end result).

Yes, good luck. I've made sparkling meads, and they've come out fine, but a bit too much honey flavor for my tastes. But when it comes to the flavor of a nice braggot ...

A dim, underground location ... private booths ... a live flamenco guitarist ... fondue = collaborative dining, with many little secrets to share ... that's why I love Geja's Cafe on Armitage near Clark in Chicago.

Did you see this article in today's Sun-Times?

1. Multiple pots for the boil - the more you break it down, and the more burners you use, the faster it'll get to the boil. That said, the speed of getting to the boil isn't nearly as important as the s peed of the chill - that's helped by smaller pots, too. 2. Some people swear by using a dishwasher for their bottles, others swear at it. Detergent residue and rinse agents are not beer-friendly. First of all, your goal is not to sterilize the bottles (getting rid of every possible little bugger), but to sanitize it (getting rid of enough so that the yeasts in your beer can overwhelm anything left in the bottles). I usually let my bottles soak in a very dilute (e.g. 1 tbsp./gal) solution of water and chlorine bleach for an hour or so, then give 'em a good rinse (there are special J-shaped bottle rinsers which make this especially easy). If I'm not bottling right away, I'll cover the top with foil and store them upside down. For a simple recipe, just crush 7 ± 2 lbs. pale ale malt, maybe a little added crystal, infusion mash around 150°, sparge, boil an hour with bittering hops, maybe throw in some flavor hops at the same time as the Irish Moss, chill and pitch. For dry hopping, add some more hops to the secondary (or use hop oil).

Ron's right that Oak is 1000 North ... if you haven't been to Chicago before, every address is measured from the intersection of State and Madison. Not clear if it's your first time to Chicago or your first time to Sarah's ... if it's the former, from Sarah's, go a block or two east to Michigan, then a few blocks south to the John Hancock building. You'll see a number of signs for the observatory. DON'T GO THERE unless you want the chance to walk outside nearly 100 stories up. Instead, go to the elevators on the south side of the building to get to the lounge on the 96th floor, where you can get great views with only slightly overpriced drinks. A little south of the Hancock, you can't miss the Water Tower, one of the few buildings to survive the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which was described by Oscar Wilde in 1882 as "a castellated monstrosity [note that it appears tiny now, compared to the surrounding skyscrapers] with pepper boxes stuck all over it." I've also read that it was the inspiration for White Castle hamburger stands. There's so much else in the area to see, I'll let other e-g's make suggestions. edited to reflect the actual century of the Great Chicago Fire

Why has no one yet mentioned ground cherries?

Then your language geek side would probably like Alinea, too ... (Chef Carlson worked with Chef Achatz).

Sounds very similar to a meal I had not too long ago at another venerable place - Matty's Wayside Inn on Waukegam Road in Glenview.

Just curious ... what is the price of Bavaria? (If it's under 10 bucks, I'll buy it.)

Sounds like from his description that it did not. He did say it was a light sauce. ← Yes, the sauce was somewhere between light and almost non-existant, and combined with the Allagash White it was etheral. Coincidentally, I mentioned it to one of my beer-iest friends yesterday, and his take on the Allagash White was that it was more a Belgian style than a hefeweizen. And I note from Allagash's web site that they pride themselves on their Belgian-style beers. Still, the beer had enough of a banana-clove thing going on that I'm sticking with the hefeweizen comparison.

San Soo Gab San, 5247 N Western, Chicago has Korean BBQ over real coals 24/7. Can't think of a better place for Korean BBQ at 4:30 am.