ronnie_suburban

Hi Peter, I know there is a great deal of concern among artisan bread bakers about the disappeance of their craft and the continuing wave of lesser, imitation products (par-baked, etc.) filling the marketplace. What's your take on the status of the battle? Are the artisans winning or losing this one? Is artisan bread baking in the U.S. healthier now than it was 5 years ago? BTW, I just want to add that I loved American Pie and I'd like to thank you for writing such wonderful book. =R=

Andie, This would be very much appreciated. In fact, having a few such recipes would be a far greater return than I could have ever anticipated when I started this thread. Who knew what starting this discussion would lead to? Very nice. =R=

Well...maybe just a ramekin, then. =R=

*speechless* ...well, except to say thanks Dean, for providing those awesome pictures and descriptions. =R=

Awesome, Andie! As usual, you are a font of useful information. Thanks for filling in a few of the blanks. And Maggie, I agree. I can think of no good reason not to sacrifice 1 solitary cup of chili to the 'chocolate chip gods' next time I churn out a batch. Seems like a small price to pay in the name of research. =R=

This makes much more sense to me. Not only are you using unsweetened (which is mole'-like) but adding it during the cooking (or similarly adding cocoa powder as BeJam mentioned) allows for it to become equally distributed throughout the batch. Rhea's concerns are similar to mine. But, on top of all that, I'm still not sure these flavors are ones I want to combine. Guess I'll have to try it and find out for myself. And again, I have no idea what kind of chili was being served in yesterday's case and I'm not sure my friend is adept enough to describe it to me accurately. =R=

The folks who served this were originally from Chicago and had since moved (about 5 years ago) to Florida. Apparently, they were just in town for yesterday's game. Maybe it's nothing more than a 'personal style' issue. My buddy tells me that eveyone in their group was tuned into this serving method and that the bowl of chocolate chips was lined up right between the cheese and the onions. =R=

Yes, the big difference being the predictabilty of the Bears =R=

A friend asked me about this today because he was offered the aforementioned combination while tailgating at the Bears/Eagles game yesterday here in Chicago. To my knowledge, this is not a typically "Chicago" thing. He'd never heard of such a thing and neither have I. I could see possibly including some unsweetened chocolate in batch of chili (still doesn't sound promising to me), but finished semi-sweet chips as a garnish is new to me and frankly, doesn't sound appetizing at all. Has anyone encountered this before? Any idea about the origin of such a combination? =R=

I like to roast them (then skin them), fill them with goat cheese and then bake them in a black bean sauce or puree. I first had this preparation at Meson Sabika, a tapas restaurant near my office. Mine aren't as good as theirs but either way, they're very good like this. =R=

So...does this mean you're not going to introduce us to Jason Priestly? =R=

LOL! I am thoroughly repetitive, if nothing else. =R=

From Brand Republic... SATC creator to produce Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential =R=

It seemed pretty obvious to me from the start that the person who launched this thread was affiliated with the venture. The fact that you're 'confirming' it doesn't really change much. The thread contains enough salient information to remain here as (what will likely be) a useful reference, going forward. I am, however, curious why 'whyknow' chose to hit and run anonymously, instead of starting a genuine conversation. Disingenuousness isn't a quality I usually find attractive in a merchant. YMMV. BTW, I've heard the burgers are great here from 2 different people. Anyone had one? =R=

I haven't been to Monsoon or Vermilion so I can't comment directly, but Chicago is a great town for wonderful, cheap Indian food. Because of that, I can easily see how the 'high end' Indian/fusion places could ultimately suffer. Is there enough demand or enough of a niche market to keep these places going? I don't know the answer to that but I do believe that the existence of our many well-known and inexpensive Indian restaurants will make it tougher for said places to make it. And again, I've not been to either place. Please, do not avoid trying these places based solely on my hunchery. =R=

Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune wrote a piece about this today, in which several Chicago chefs, including a few Beard Award winners, chime in... Foundation retains loyalty despite scandal =R=

September 29, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Foundation retains loyalty despite scandal...Bill Daley reports on the recently revealed troubles at the James Beard Foundation and explores the local impact among chefs and other industry professionals. The fresh fight...George Erdosh reveals the best techniques to defy nature by keeping food fresh and improving its quality. Puff the magic pastry...James P. DeWan profiles local baker and puff pastry arist, Anna Jones. Out of the glass, into the pan...Bill Daley confers with local chefs to clear up some misconceptions about wines and cooking. Fish Keg...Donna Pierce files a Cheap Eats review of this decades-old, Rogers Park institution. A coffee shop inspired by Venice...Christina Biggs explores The Italian Coffee Bar, in Evanston. Chicago wine, food festival ready to roll...Robin Mather Jenkins reports on the upcoming, 2nd Annual Chicago Wine & Food Festival which will be held at Kendall College on October 17. Practice makes perfect...Jeff Boda reports on how best to develop one's beer tasting palate. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Sweet treats...Maureen Jenkins reports on the continued and growing popularity of cupcakes. Late-night heaven...Denise I. O'Neal reports on a special dessert offering at Le Francais as well as an upcoming appearance by Jacques Pepin at Bistro 110 and events at Foodstuffs-Glencoe and Fernando's. Also detailed is an upcoming fundraiser for March of Dimes which will be headlined by many local chefs, including the event's co-chair, Gabe Viti (Gabriel, Miramar). Tastings around town...events at Shaw's Crab House, Le Titi de Paris, and Mas. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Food classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming cooking classes, tastings and culinary events around town, broken out by day. ===== And last but certainly not least, in this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby (a.k.a. the dynamic duo of dish) follow up on yet another story they broke a few weeks back, this time reporting that One Sixtyblue will not be closing afterall ===== =R= <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Chicago media outlets, which do not 'go to press' on Wednesday mornings, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host who will be happy to do it for you.

Nice work, hillvalley. It looks delicious =R=

I agree about dirtiness--it's decidedly relative and its significance may be somewhat over-stated. I shop at some seemingly grungy stores and often find some great stuff therein. Meanwhile, I've seen mice running freely on more than one occasion in the produce department at the north suburban location of one of Chicago's major grocery chains. Half the food I buy grows in dirt, so I never give it much thought. I just make sure to wash stuff before I use it. As for seafood, I just need to work with merchants I can trust. Once I've overcome that barrier, the rest is just a matter of making solid choices based on the information they share with me. =R=

Classic, Holly. Thanks for that. =R=

LMAO! I always give my wife a hard time about putting ketchup on her dogs. We in Chicago just don't ever go there and she's a Hoosier. But I think that even I could accept home-made ketchup on a hot dog (at least on a trial basis). That's a condiment of a completely different color FWIW, right now, I'd have to say that Nathan's are my favorite. =R=

Absolutely. I think that's true of most foods, for me. =R=

Yes, there's a story about it in this week's installment of Dish =R=

Dayum! That does sound good. How do you like Hot Sour Salty Sweet? =R=

Hey! Did you ever explain why your produce was so bad this week? Either way, I'm sure you're excited to remedy that situation tomorrow. =R=