moosnsqrl

Yes, I was SO excited when they built the classroom (and it is impressive - very CIA-like with cameras and screens so everyone can see their every move) but sadly the classes are very much focused on the cooking-challenged and not terribly in-depth. I think I mentioned this earlier but I went to the first class they had and someone actually pointed to an eggplant and asked what it was. And it was a very typical, large, bulbous purple one, not anything exotic. I wonder, though, if we approached them about doing something a bit more advanced, perhaps around a certain dish, menu or theme, and more hands-on . . . They're generally receptive and accomodating.

Interesting. If I had stumbled upon their website outside the context of this thread, I would never have considered it a grocery store of any sort. Their "Kitchen Help" link leads to a recipe and mention of frozen food and party trays but with no tab or link actually labeled "grocery," either across the top or down the left, it looks more like a discount department store which, I guess is the point. How much of their typical footprint is devoted to groceries vs. non-food items? And I'm a little curious what you do with cheese, potting soil and a DVD but it seems too personal to ask here

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding - we have a winner! That is pure genius.

I couldn't begin to enumerate the things we've used hemostats and our pickle plucker for in and around the house. Retrieving tiny objects that have fallen into crevices, mostly, but occasionally for culinary uses as well. I think it's telling that I always return the hemos to the same small tool drawer and can find them in an instant. I vaguely recall spending hours or days searching high and low for them when we were younger, and finding them in the strangest places.

jgm updated another thread earlier today which reminded me that Kroger owns Dillon's (common grocery chain originating in KS) and Dillon's definitely carries the Manning-Clampett bricks, so you might be successful in persuading your meat mgr to order some. I've noticed, despite my earlier claim that they are frozen, that they are, in fact, in the meat case - not frozen - at our area Dillons. So, if you like what joiei sends your way, save the label (maybe wipe off the orange greasy tint ) and go cozy-up to your meat guy (which, being a good eG person, you've probably already done).

The slinger - boy that brings back a memory. I couldn't remember the name of the place our friend sent us for "hangover helper" the morning after an especially boozy wedding reception, but your description fits it to a tee. Is that common there? All this time I was thinking it was just one restaurant I was trying to track down (a very interesting diner, architecturally, somewhere south of Soulard, I think) but Jaymes' post makes it sound ubiquitous.

I'm usually loathe to make recs outside of my home (or at least oft-visited) turf but I stumbled onto Star of Siam last week and had a delightful lunch there. They have an extensive menu, wine and cocktails and I really liked the dining room, service and 'vibe'. I was alone so I didn't try a vast array of foods but what I had was spot-on. I'd love to hear what some of the locals think of it (having only Arun's as a Chicago comparison - and it's apples and oranges). Oh, and it's in River North so probably walkable depending on where exactly they're staying.

Bummer about your view - I bet you can still smell the soup from there though Something tells me it's one of the Lawrence Dillons. The ones in the KC 'burbs are fairly new and fairly large and, as I mentioned, already offer patio furniture, although I don't believe I've ever seen a TV there. Yet. No leeks? No red onions? That's inhumane! I'm going to have to start an alliums for Wichitans camapaign. BTW, not entirely related but probably not worth an entire new thread, the Green Acres here is set to open next month, I believe. I noticed they're staffing-up. I'll be most interested to see how that turns out, how their pricing is vs. Whole Foods, if they work with locals more, etc.

KC Media Digest for week of September 27 - October 4, 2006 The Kansas City Star Food Section If you're looking for a tasty, nutritious substitute to see you through the spinach crisis, Jill Silva suggests Swiss chard in Eating For Life, and offers a recipe for risotto. In the second of a four-part series, Silva takes the "100-Mile Diet" concept (first introduced locally in Present Magazine) mainstream. (The first installment of the series appeared in Sunday's Star.) Janet Majure learns the secret to red velvet cake from Eunice Nevens in Come Into My Kitchen. This week's food calendar can be viewed here and the Farmer's Market calendar is here. Note: although it is not listed, I believe tonight is the last 39th Street market of the year. Preview Section Lauren Chapin returns to The Malay Cafe north of the river to find some new twists on familiar dishes and a new owner. In Good & Cheap, former Honeymom's chef Susan Sanchez is cooking at the downtown KCK YWCA Corner Cafe. Other miscellaneous items: Il Trullo is again open for lunch Wednesday-Friday (11-2); and by presenting ticket stubs or a playbill, theatre-goers receive a 10% discount on food and drink in the wine lounge at bluestem. The Pitch Charles Ferruzza and friends (not including this media digester ) visit Kaiyo where Chef David Loo (formerly of Sushi House) wows them with (among other things) his Hot Temptation Roll. Lawrence Journal-World If you still have green tomatos on your plants, here is some advice on how to use and/or store them. Present Magazine Congratulations to Pete Dulin and his hardworking and creative crew on the one-year anniversary of Present Magazine, the classiest (IMHO) e-zine about life in Kansas City. Tastebud Magazine Thewebsite of this fledgling local tabloid-format publication now boasts some content and archives of the first issues. KCUR 89.3 FM The food critics are back (barring presidential intervention) tomorrow on the Walt Bodine Show. You can listen live at KCUR's website; just click on Listen Live. Lastly, I have not seen any indication that KC's local PBS station (KCPT) plans to broadcast the soon-to-premier Diary of a Foodie. I plan to contact them to request they consider picking it up in the future. Their funding for these programs is limited so the more requests they have, the more likely they will be to move it to the top of the wish list. If you are interested, let them know. <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some area media outlets, which do not 'go to press' before we do, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>

I'm glad to know I am not the only one who eats it for breakfast. I thought it a bit freakish even by my meager standards. I wish I had some right now.

Don't remember the price and my recollection of these was more in the 60s, but yes, I loved those Libbyland dinners! My mother (a then-rare divorced mother) had a Wednesday night social "thing" (big band, "over 28 Club" it was called) so we routinely had a sitter, and our favorite eats were these - preferable to whatever else take-out or frozen fare was then available. Ah, the good ol' days! Soon the take-out situation improved (Pizza Hut, Taco Kid and Taco Tico as I recall, in our neck of the woods) and somewhat later I was older and allowed to cook and our gustatory life improved. I started making simple meals at 7 ('63) and my brother made his first chocolate souffle shortly thereafter. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Perhaps I'm the victim of too many corporate "synergy" things . . . (well, I already KNOW I am) but . . . Is there any effort into finding a more humane way to produce foie gras? Any different methods or materials that might be introduced into gauvage? Any alternative that might produce similar results? Don't flame me -- I'm just trying to think outside the box and see if there isn't something that will sate the appetite, be less stressful for the animals and their supporters, and still not result in a loss of jobs for all of the fine, hard-working people involved in the industry. Can we step past the passion and try to find a solution? Can't we all just get along?

Congrats, guys. Most of that looks, well, good enough to eat! Not so sure about Mike's cuzzin, though. I must be some kind of magnet for strange rangers, eh? Ah, well. As long as I don't find out he's working in tandem with any local chefs (?), I guess it's harmless. If there were any justice, you would've won it all (or at least Mike would've gotten to actually enjoy some of it). Next time, for sure.

I use my egg slicer for uniform mushroom slices.

The Frugal Gourmet once did "bloody marys on a stick" with peeled cherry tomatoes, impaled on a toothpick, with syrupy Stoli (from the freezer) poured over them and a dish of fleur de sel into which they could be dipped. I used to take them to parties but peeling cherry toms is so tedious. Next time invite me, Tino. I ain't afraid of no borscht (nor Stoli)

C'mon wench, surely you've been served prairie oysters somewhere in your dining career?

great, fresh arugula, shaved Parm, the best olive oil your budget allows, your favorite acid/vinegar (I like grapefruit juice in season, but it's not terribly sour, so I typically add another to boost it) c'est tout

Thanks to the boys for some good eats last night. I'm sure you're exhausted, but I'm dying to know how you did. There's nothing posted so far on their site so if one of you (or, more likely, Mike's daughter) has the strength to post results, inquiring minds want to know. Too bad there isn't an open category - the ABTs would win, hands-down.

I suspected as much. I've not popped for the full tome, and the excerpt was a fun read but there has been SO much flack exchanged between Alice and Jeremiah (especially in his tell-all bio a few years back) that I wasn't sure if I wanted more or not. Sounds like a trip to the library, not-so-much a buy. Still . . .

'Twas ever thus. Your post made me laugh aloud. I had the dubious honor of closing and opening a bar/restaurant for quite some time and the bickering over the music began at 6am and didn't stop until 4am -- 22 solid hours of someone whining louder than someone else singing along. If only there had been iPods (or any personal stereos) back then, I would have probably bought every employee one just to keep the peace and sanity. I'm surprised people haven't taken to listening to their own tunes during prep. I think the kitchen needs to be on the same musical page and rhythm during service but, during the zen-like prep, it seems almost anyone would benefit from whatever helps them concentrate and do their best. I still chuckle whenever I hear a Billy Joel song and think of Bourdain's only hard-and-fast kitchen rule

I just finished reading an excerpt from this book in the October Vanity Fair. It looks like something that might be of interest to our tribe.

Pronto Pup is the name brand of the corn dogs sold at [at least] the Kansas State Fair. Since kettle korn is also fair food, the association was immediate for me.

I'm not having kettle corn ice cream unless I've first had a pronto pup - is that on the wine bar menu now?

I agree with most of the advice upthread and would add this: a component tasting. They break wine down to the basics: sugar, acid, alcohol, tannins. Understanding what is causing you to like or not like a wine enables you to better express your tastes when you're asking for help from a sommelier or merchant. Being able to do that is like speaking esperanto (ok, bad analogy); if you know you like XYZ wine but it is not available at a store/restaurant, asking for something similar is a good idea IF the person helping you is also familiar with XYZ. If you can articulate WHY you like XYZ, they can steer you in the right direction whether or not they've tried your "target" wine. But taste, taste, taste and take advantage of low-cost tastings, samplings (if they're legal there?) or even recruiting some friends who are also interested and having each bring a bottle (pick a varietal, set a $ figure everyone is comfortable with) will enable you to try many wines without breaking the bank.

Probably not a bad idea, wench. It is not for the faint at heart (or liver, or head).