moosnsqrl

KC Media Digest for week of February 2-8, 2006 In the Kansas City Star Food Section Jill Wendholt Silva offers a healthful version of one of my personal favorites, onion rings. Doug Frost, local wine guru, lends some insight into the world of blind tasting. Lauren Chapin extolls the virtues of blood oranges and reviews Fields of Plenty, a new book that celebrates natural farming. In The Star's Preview Magazine At Moby's in Harrah's Casino [praise for] the steaks are high. And at Sorella's in Liberty the two sisters are serving up a spicy meatball, among other familiar treats. In The Pitch Charles Ferruzza visits Tonic in downtown OP and exonerates me for my early praise of Jon Dallan's work (and it appears the service has improved as well). ...and re-visits a 39th Street mainstay, Fric & Frac Lawrence (KS) Journal World Recipes from Jayni's Kitchen may assist in deciding what to make for Valentine's Day Dinner. And a Lawrence-area caterer recommends using your slow cooker for a stress-free Super Bowl party. <><><><><> 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. <><><><><>

OK, this is just weird. I think we have the makings of another thread. I always thought it was the danger that held appeal (sharp knives, fire). You just never know what you're going to learn on eG, but one thing is for sure, you will [nearly] always find out that you are NOT alone.

Gary Danko, Quince, Aqua in the City but I would second the La Toque recommendation. And it's been a while so perhaps someone in the neighborhood could weigh-in with a more recent comment, but I've had a couple of nice dinners at Martini House as well.

You are, of course, right. And that's why I bit my tongue last night and figured a lumpy, odd salad wouldn't kill me. It's just a control thing. Have to learn to let it go (but don't have to learn to like it!)

You use store-bought cheese? What a slacker! You may need therapy but, once again, it will be group therapy (probably the same gang from the tableware support group, give or take one or two). I grudgingly let the s.o. make a salad last night (yes, SALAD...raw vegetables) and I'm still shaking my head over it. Not that I'm anal retentive or anything, but who would cut all of these ingredients this way? There aren't even words to describe it! Naturally it tastes funny because it's misshapen.

Zeemanb included it in his elaborate, envy-evoking Heartlander's Report. It's one of my favorite places to dine. Lindsay and staff will make you feel right at home.

Liar, liar, pants on fire. But back to the question....may I suggest the heart of the person most directly responsible for your bad day (assuming he/she has one)? Maybe that's a dish best served cold, though.

Amen to that...I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Note to Osnav the Coot: I don't think cooking in old stoves is against the rules, it's just not as prevalent as it was in the mesozoic era (a/k/a your early adulthood).

And in a month, you can catch your own. Don't know if you're familiar with the area but lots of people flock to Bennett Springs and the surrounding area each spring. Here is a link to a page describing a number of state and private places to fish for trout. If you want to combine a weekend outing with your quest.

jgm, I feel your pain. When I was in your town taking care of the mater the lack of fresh fish frustrated me. Mizducky's right, though (bad pun notwithstanding), that there is some fine frozen fish on the market. I would call either Food for Thought or Green Acres and ask if they have frozen fish, for starters. And weep a bit over the loss of Larcher's if it helps. Doug Pitts had incredible fish when he was still open at 626; probably the Denver connection you mentioned but it might be worth giving him a call at his new place to make sure you're not missing out on anything. I have had good luck with orange roughy that's been flash-frozen (since it has to travel so far, I would be leery of any that isn't frozen and thawed by me). It's delicate but, if you use a porcelained grill topper with a small amount of oil, it can be grilled with good results. As nearly everyone has said, herbs and citrus have a natural affinity with fish. I am another one of those people who thought I hated fish until I discovered what it was supposed to taste like.

Anyone else remember the song "You'll have to speak up, I've got beans in my ears" ?? They just don't write 'em like that anymore!

I was working at Lettuce (major disco/meat market) when the "liquor card" system was finally put to rest and liquor "by the drink" was finally a reality. We had a huge (8' X 4') liquor card which we burned in effigy in the parking lot during the ~30 minutes it took to get everyone out, remove open bottles, replace them with new, unsealed bottles (the stupidity was not going to go down without a fight - it *was* the land of Carrie Nation!) under the watchful eye of ABC agents, then we could let the revelers back in and get on with business. So silly, when I tell people that story they look at me like I am from Mars. Elderly, no doubt. Nice, I hardly think so.

Try making your next bloody mary with clamato juice.

Having put nearly everything in a martini as garnish at some point (olives of all sorts, stuffed with many things, caper berries, tomolives, pickled okra, asparagus, green beans, cucumber slice) I was surprised I had not used an actual pickle. So last night I had a KetelOne with maybe 2-3 drops (not dirty) of the brine/juice, and a tiny pickle as garnish and it was quite nice. We get a case of the world's best (no, really) pickles from a little old lady in the middle of KS every year, so that helped elevate the combination. Thanks for the suggestion! I also like the idea of having seawater behind the bar...like the savory equivalent of simple syrup.

I, too, will eat almost anything but soup with my fingers if I'm not likely to offend anyone by doing so. I've always been envious of cultures where this is the norm. I once worked with an engineer who had worked extensively abroad and fancied himself worldly. He insisted on eating those ramens-in-a-cup during working lunches and always used chopsticks. As you might imagine, it was not a pretty sight. I have special bowls, spoons, etc that I like to use for certain foods and they just don't taste right when presented in something else. The s.o. made fun of this for years but has finally realized that putting something in the "wrong" vessel will result in my returning to the kitchen to re-plate and an extra dirty dish. And our friends said he couldn't be trained.

I recall from a previous life that Minnesota has (or had) particularly stringent liability laws and would guess that it probably was a question of legality. Not having been there but from your description of the proceedings, it does seem like it wasn't handled very smoothly. I think, if I knew I didn't intend to order alcohol, I would have just stated that when asked for ID, and anything subsequent to that would have clearly been unnecessary. But we all have the benefit of hindsight and no emotional skin in the game (not being embarrassed in front of co-workers) so easier for us to react from the safe distance of our offices.

I'm better about it at the grocery than in restaurants. I have to admit, when the s.o scrutinizes a restaurant check, I feel a little weird...like he's impuning the integrity of the server or something.

Totally forgot about those...A.W. Shucks in Carmel...wish I were there right now!

These last two sound intriguing. I'm off to the lab right now to investigate further. TGIF (the expression, not the chain).

What time? Can I bring anything? If you want really annoying...try people who think barbecue is accomplished by opening a bottle of sauce and dumping it onto a piece of meat before placing it in the oven. And yes, there are such people. I may even be remotely related to some of them but it was never proven. [Off-topic note: I see that I was the only one who did the honest thing and took the afternoon off. Clearly at least several others of you should have, judging from your apparent productivity. I walked to the library (checked out McGee, so I can really geek out on food facts) and it was so nice I returned to my office, collected my laptop and came home to read on the deck and let the cats have some fresh air. January 28, 70 degrees...what global warming?]

He's right, Sara. The spouse will stop standing at the office door shaking his head after a while. The part about the bills is certainly true. Now if the cats would just give up and stop walking on the keyboard, I could feed my addiction without interruption. They are far more persevering than humans (having fewer demands on their time, I suppose). I hope you'll drop in whenever your schedule allows, though. It's been an enjoyable week. Thanks for your time and expertise.

Is it just me or does reading Ronnie Suburban's avatar make everyone else crave Hungarian food? I am so jealous! I did, once, ask the manager of our in-house food service for permission to heat a lasagne I brought for a potluck in one of their ovens. He allowed it but it had to be placed there and retrieved by one of his staff (liability issues, he said) and it became a major hassle so I never asked again (which was, I'm sure, his plan).

KC Media Digest for week of January 26 - February 1, 2006 In the Kansas City Star Food Section Apparently nothing worth a click happened this week. Elsewhere in The Star: Joyce Smith provides an update on Stroud's and other morsels. In The Pitch After nearly a week's anticipation, Charles Ferruzza's visit to Columbus Park was, I'm afraid, much re: dux about nothing. And a list of recent closings reminds me that procrastination is a bad habit. If you never tried these, you're too late. <><><><><> 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 second "bloody bull" or "bullshot" as well. I'm a big fan of red beer (generic light-ish beer with a couple of ounces of tomato, v-8, snappy tom or bloody mary mix). Also salty dogs or greyhounds are favorites. And yet-another reason to love late summer - the Tomatini. But you're right...there aren't enough savories. Experimentation is needed. I've not tried it but I would imagine vodka (or gin, or aquavit) would be good with carrot juice or some variation thereof (carrot-beet-celery being a favorite).

So, what did you have and how did you like it? (If time allows.)