ronnie_suburban

Not yet for me. ← Still waiting on mine, as well. =R=

It is right here: Phil's Tara Hideaway ← Placing the location of the restaurant in the subject line of the thread not only makes it more searchable, it also allows readers to learn the restaurant's location without having to click on the thread or an outside link. =R=

Where is this restaurant? =R=

Cannot wait for my upcoming trip to Scottsdale. I plan on eating at Noca on 3 consecutive nights . . . provided I can get a table =R=

Thanks, for the correction, Karen. I should have assumed that more than one person was responsible for providing all those wonderful, fresh herbs. =R=

These delectable potatoes were made by elfin. =R=

Village Creamery is at 8000 West Oakton (intersection of Oakton & Waukegan). Here's a review: http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakton/1098505...1408-s1.article. ← Actually, there are 2 locations: Village Creamery 4558 Oakton St Skokie, IL 60076 (847) 982-1720 Village Creamery 8000 N Waukegan Rd Niles, IL 60714 (847) 965-9805 Enjoy! =R=

The herbs were grown and brought by the honorable elfin. Great pics, Stacey! Thanks for posting them, Kerry. =R=

Thanks, Ronnie - I knew I would forget things from the pre-dinner noshing, so I figured I should focus on the dinner menu and leave somebody else to create this list! Did HOLLY_L's chicken liver pate ever make it out? ← D'OH! Yes it did and it was delicious! =R=

A few other 'before-the-meal' items that didn't make Tammy's official recap: Deep-fried bacon and corn bread-wrapped chili 'bombs' brought by gp60004 (Wiener & Still Champion) Mini hotdogs in pastry from Romanian Kosher Sausage Co., hand rolled by G Wiv Spring Rolls and Vegetable Pancakes brought (made?) by prasantrin Assortment of high-end iced teas brought prepared by white lotus Great assortment of cheeses brought by nyokie6 I was outside tending the smoker for most of the afternoon, so there could be a few others, I'm not sure. These were some of the items that a few folks were nice enough to bring outside for me during the course of the afternoon. =R= edited to add a few others

I certainly didn't mean to slight those guys, was just trying to re-direct all the 'thanks' I'd received to the proper parties =R=

Thanks, to everyone for a truly wonderful (and exhausting) weekend. It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I hope that those who were visting felt like they got a good 'taste' of what this town has to offer. As much as we did, there was so much more we could have done, but of course, time limits kept that from happening. I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to join in on Sunday morning at Maxwell Street but it was just not to be. From the pictures that have been posted, it looks like it was a fabulous time and the weather was obviously, cooperative. I wish I could have been there. Thanks again, to David Hammond for sharing his time, passion and expertise with us. On that note, while it seems almost inappropriate to thank specific people -- especially given how much everyone contributed to the weekend -- I'd like to at least give a shout out to those people who did things for which people were erroneously giving me credit over the weekend: Alchemist - thanks for setting up the meal at Blackbird and for hosting us so magnificently at The Violet Hour. Thursday night was really special and we have you to thank for it. Marmish, karen m and santo_grace - thanks for opening your homes to us and hosting the chocolate and bread workshops. That was going above and beyond the call of duty and it was very much appreciated. tino27 and Kerry Beal - thank you both so much the excellent workshops you ran. Not only did the attendees really enjoy them but the 'fruits' of those labors were among the highlights of our Saturday meal. I also appreciate you both hanging in there over the long search for venues -- a process that took a bit more work than I initially thought it would. G Wiv - I sincerely appreciate you helping set up Friday night's feast at Lao Sze Chuan. It was most enjoyable and your knowledge of their menu came through loud and clear at our tables. tammylc and Fat Guy - thanks for organizing Saturday's fantastic and memorable group meal. Again, you guys kept things on track and on schedule. I thought the meal and the way it was organized were both exemplary. I want to also give a special shout out to our friends Sarah and Chris at Immanuel Lutheran Church. They were very kind to let us use their spacious kitchen and dining room on Saturday, and Chris did yeoman's work helping us with the end of the clean-up; returning the space to the condition in which we received it. So many items, so many cabinets and happily Chris was there to help us put it all back together. It's great seeing your own home town through the eyes of visitors. I had a blast and hope everyone else did too. I know that not everyone was 100% happy about everything but I hope that speaks more to the nature of getting so many people together and trying to accomodate everyone's desires, than anything else. From what I understand, the torch has already been passed for next year's Gathering, so stay tuned for details on that . . . Thanks again, everyone. It was a weekend for the ages! =R=

Question--how important is it to bring the receipt from payment (on the page it said to print out the receipt and bring it to the event)? Our internet was down before we left Winnipeg, and I didn't get a change to print any of them out. Oops... ← Don't worry about it. We have everyone's names, so it shouldn't be an issue. If 2 people claim to be the same person, we'll let them fight it out for the right to the seat in question. =R=

Important schedule note about Thursday night's dinner at Blackbird Hi all, Tomorrow's Blackbird event will begin with a reception at 6 pm. There will be passed hors d'ouevres and a cash bar. The meal will begin promptly at 6:45. See you all there! =R= Blackbird Restaurant 619 W Randolph St Chicago, IL 60661 312 715-0708

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE UPDATE ABOUT SATURDAY AT THE CHURCH Hi all, For a variety of logistical reasons, the start time Saturday at the church has been moved back to 2 pm CT (not 1 pm). For anyone who is not going to the Farmers' Market or LAZ's Niles tour and still plans to help with the cooking or set-up, 2 pm would be a great time for you to arrive at the church. There's absolutely no reason to arrive there earlier. For those who are shopping/touring on Saturday morning, this change should allow you to enjoy less hectic lunches and arrive at the church well-fed and ready to go. Also, fwiw, the church does not seem to have pie plates, so those needing them should probably arrange to bring their own or borrow them from someone. Thanks, =R=

Ok folks, we're into the final 24 hours to purchase tickets to the big weekend. In case I haven't been completely clear, there are still plenty of spots open for each of the events, so even if you did not previously sign-up on this thread, you are still welcome to attend any or all of them. If that's the case, please just post here or shoot me a pm and I will send you a pm with the links you will need to officially sign up. Because of the flurry of activity that is sure to take place at each of the events -- and because we want to provide each of the establishments we are visiting with adequate lead time -- we simply cannot accept payments at the door for any of these events. So please, if you would like to join us, let me know and I will make sure you have all the information you need to sign up. Once 11:55 pm ET hits on Tuesday evening, we are essentially locked in with our numbers. Thanks, =R=

More info from the church: There are sheet pans, pyrex baking dishes and half-sheet 3" deep metal baking pans. Lots of pots, too. =R=

AW, MAN! That looks friggin' awesome! Ronnie, I'm guessing you told them to make everything authentically spicy? ← In all honesty, I told them nothing. This is one of those places that does what they do so well, I happily put myself -- and us -- in their hands. I've loved just about everything I've eaten at LSC over the years, pretty much as they have served it, so nothing needed to be said. Beyond that, though, my friend G Wiv, who eats there much more often than I do, helped put the menu together with Tony, the owner. So in all seriousness, I really did tell them nothing Say no more, BBQ'd pork it is, although I'm suddenly feeling some pressure Is that the upgrade from the 39¢ pork? ← You order the quantity of pork you want in the dish via its cost, although I think $1 is the minimum buy-in AW, MAN! That looks friggin' awesome! Ronnie, I'm guessing you told them to make everything authentically spicy? ← Whoa there, some of us(maybe just me) are Supertasters. I can't handle a lot of spice. ← The dishes will be varied. Some, which are intended to be very spicy, will be served that way. Others are quite mild. Some are in between. I think this menu will have great balance in that regard. =R=

Tammy (et al), I have been planning to BBQ some form of pork but if we're already too meatcentric, I would be happy change my plan and bring an appetizer, salad or side dish instead. What do you think? =R=

Hi all, Posted below is the prospective menu for Friday night's dinner at Lao Sze Chuan. This is, of course, subject to change but it should be a glorious and enjoyable feast, even if the menu gets tweaked a bit from here . . . - Spicy Szechuan cabbage - Sliced Beef & Maw - Szechuan style - Pork in Peking Sauce (aka Pork Candy) - Chengdu dumplings - Tony's 3-chili chicken (aka Chicken Crack) - Ma Po Tofu w $2 pork - Lamb with cumin - Dry Chili Prawns (w/ shell) - Crispy shrimp with mayonnaise sauce - Boiled beef in Spicy Szechaun sauce. - Eggplant in garlic sauce - Szechwan green beans - Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken - Stir fried potherb with garlic - Pot herb (yu choy) with ground pork - Stir-fried sliced potato with fresh chili - Szechuan Spicy Rabbit w/bone - Szechuan pickle =R=

I could use it too for the fish portion of my salad. ← I wish I had one to bring but with the exception of my smoker -- which I will be using all day -- my cookers are all too big to transport. Does anyone own a grill they could bring over to the church, without it being too much of a burden? Thanks, =R=

Updated lists . . . Please note, these lists now reflect how many people have paid and are confirmed. They do not reflect those attendees shown here as 'probable' who have subsequently paid. To check your specific status, please view the 'Attendee Lists' at EventBrite.com (by following the sign-up links provided in the pm's I sent on July 9) 48 hours remain to purchase tickets to these events. Ticket sales will end at 11:55 pm ET on Tuesday August 5. Thursday Dinner at Blackbird =R= +3 Alchemist newbie21 tammylc jesteinf +1 edsel prasantrin* +1* santo_grace +1 HOLLY_L NancyH +1 nyokie6 +1 nsxtasy +1 Sam Iam +1 Elrushbo stuart_s Amy Viny +1 white lotus +1 cat lancaster ricain + 1 REB +1 DutchMuse + 1 -36- (34 definite, 2 probable) 12 spots remain for Thursday's dinner 31 paid and confirmed Thursday Drinks at The Violet Hour =R= +3 HeatherM Alex tammylc +1 jesteinf +1 edsel tino27 +1 Lady T prasantrin* +1* Marmish* +1* newbie21 santo_grace +1 HOLLY_L NancyH +1 nyokie6 +1 nsxtasy +1 Sam Iam +1 LuckyGirl +1 stuart_s* Amy Viny +1 Aaron Deacon cat lancaster ricain + 1 karen m -39- (36 definite, 3 probable) 21 spots remain for Thursday's cocktail session 36 paid and confirmed Updated list for the Friday night dinner at Lao Sze Chuan: =R= +4 prasantrin +1 torakris tammylc CaliPoutine +1 Alex Sam Iam +3 Fresser NancyH +1 nsxtasy +1 jesteinf +1 tino27 +1 HeatherM santo_grace +1 Kerry Beal edsel Cathy2 nyokie6 +1 stuart_s HOLLY_L white lotus +1 LuckyGirl +1 LAZ daniellewiley +1 karen m hsm Amy Viny +1 Fat Guy REB +1 DutchMuse +1 nr706 +1 -53- (53 definite, 0 probable) 27 spots remain for Friday night's dinner at Lao Sze Chuan 49 paid and confirmed Updated list for the Saturday dinner at Immanuel Lutheran Church: =R= +4 NancyH +1 torakris edsel LuckyGirl +1 Alchemist CaliPoutine Alex +1 tammylc nsxtasy +1 Kerry Beal Marmish +1 prasantrin* +1* tino27 +1 Sam Iam +3 nr706 +1 hsm Jean Blanchard +1 newbie21 HOLLY_L santo_grace +1 Cathy2 nyokie6 +1 LAZ +1 maggiethecat +1 Elrushbo white lotus +1 Fresser cat lancaster Lady T Amy Viny +1 karen m +1 ricain + 1 elfin +1 Fat Guy REB +1 -62- (60 definite, 2 probable) 28 spots remain for Saturday's group meal 46 paid and confirmed Again, please take a look at the above lists -- and the lists at EventBrite.com -- and let me know if I have failed to record your status accurately. Thanks! =R=

Randi, remember that the plan is to serve everything family style. So you'll need one platter per table - assuming we're around 50 people, that will likely be 5 or 6 platters, depending on how many people we can fit at a table. We'll see what the church has, and improvise from Costco if necessary. ← They routinely serve large-scale breakfasts and other meals at the church, so an adequate supply serving platters should not be an issue. There is seating for about 100, which is much closer to the number of attendees I thought we'd have when we started planning this. Tables are rectangular and will seat 8-10 but as long as we have the room, let's figure around 8 people per table. =R=

Yes. I just sent you a link with the sign-up info, via pm. Really glad you will be joining us. If all goes according to plan, I'll be posting a preliminary menu for this meal tomorrow afternoon. =R=