ronnie_suburban

Guys, I think it's best to leave the focus of this thread squarely on Chef G and his future plans for Alinea. For a discussion of Kitchen Tables, check out this thead, started by Truffle last September. Chef's/Kitchen Tables, Experiences Thanks =R=

We're putting the band back together... =R=

Well as long as "Diet Rite" is the only 100% Splenda blend Cola, we'll definitely never know (actually it has Ace-K too, I think, but it's lacking HFCS, Sorbitol, Aspartame... those traditional bad boys)! I'd love to see all the major colas produce 100% Splenda products. It'd be fun to compare them all. Diet Rite is made with 100% Splenda but its flavor just doesn't wow me. Hansen's makes a 100% splenda product too. I've tried about 6 of their flavors and while they're very distinctive, they don't hold up for me, over time. Interesting comments from a few about the metallic taste in C2 though. I didn't really notice it the one time I tasted it, but I also tasted a lot of other stuff that day--and not just in the FMI section of the hall either. We'd spent over 2 hours grazing through the Fancy Foods and Produce shows before we even made it over to the FMI side of the hall. Really looking forward to doing a side-by-side after both products hit the shelves. =R=

No this one is about a guy who drove his Chevy to the levy and had some whiskey and rye. =R=

I agree with this comment. We too, had a couple of fine meals and the quality of the goods was pretty typical of my general Costco experiences--very good and occasionally approaching excellent or outstanding. I thought that the strawberries, surprisingly, were the best item we bought for the challenge. They were on the large side yet surprisingly fragrant, juicy and flavorful. While I am usually an advocate of Costco's steaks and fresh meats, 3 of the 4 rib-eyes were very good but the one I snagged for myself seemed very tough and chewy compared to the other 3--which were very typical of my Costco meat experiences. The flank steaks were about the same. One of the flank steaks from the 2-pack was fantastic but the other one was atypically fibrous and tough. I was somewhat disappointed by the meat because it's usually all very good. The asparagus were great as was the spinach. I don't buy spices at Costco for a variety of reasons (container size, limited selection & varieties) but the core items are as reliable at Costco as they are at any of the conventional grocery stores in my area. =R=

True. My food costs were atypically high during my blog week...but I was hosting a party for 100+ that week =R=

Oh, you're on the radar now my friend =R=

Making biscuits, tuna sandwiches and ordering fries and a pint at Goose Island is about as economical as it gets. Did I miss something? =R=

Top 10 reasons why adoxograph was touring the French Pastry School... 10) Wanted to meet Dusty Baker 9) Considering a career in sugar sales 8) Doing recon for her al queda cell 7) Hopelessly addicted to eating freshly-made baking mishaps 6) Loves men in white 5) Still stalking nightscotsman 4) Wanted to observe the endangered croquembouce in its natural surroundings 3) Did it on a dare from Mrs. Fields 2) Safest place to hide while on 'break' at the planetarium ...and the number one reason adoxograph was touring the French Pastry School... 1) Considering a career in the field? =R=

In cans, I favor Coke over Pepsi and Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi but at the fountain it's more hit or miss. Generally speaking, I don't like the additionally-flavored stuff, so I was surprised that I actually enjoyed Diet Coke with Lime, although the novelty is wearing off--and I've been squeezing my own wedges of lemon and lime into diet pop (There! I said it ) for over 20 years. As someone else posted up-thread, I'm happy with the standard issue diet stuff, so I don't foresee becoming a regular 'mid' drinker. That said, when I tasted the 'mid' products at the FMI show, they both tasted surprisingly like their original incarnations to me. The outcome of the 100% Splenda (+ HFCS) vs. Sweetener Blend (+HFCS) battle may never be known. I'm of the belief that--especially in this category--the War for market share will not be won or lost over this particular detail. Is one product clearly superior to the other in flavor? Since both products taste like the originals, and both flavors already have their fans, I feel like this segment will split along 'party lines' with a very small +/- factor, for marketing. I look forward to their retail releases and to trying them both out a few more times. =R=

Sorry I missed your cheetos confession earlier, but seeing them in the picture would have 'd me under any circumstances As for the biscuits (and the rest of your delicious-looking dinner)...*applause* =R=

Are those cheetohs?!?! You are so busted! =R=

Yes, it's mildly shocking to me...but in a good way. =R=

Hey Mark, Good to see you...it's been a while. I trust you survived your move. =R=

Ronnie! I am taken aback and left speechless at this confession. I figured if I buried it in someone's blog, no one would notice - DOH! =R=

Ditto. I like to be on the downhill side of the day after lunch. Nothing worse than 4.5 hours of work left after the highlight of the workday Food For Thought operated the cafeteria in our former office building (not sure if they still do). It was surprisingly good and even drew the occasional outsider because of its quality. I've never made biscuits. It biscuit-making an adoxographic proficiency? =R=

We hit Steak & Shake (1st time in ~20 years) for lunch today and I really enjoyed it. Since we carried-out, something was probably lost in the translation but much of the food held up, regardless. I thought the Bacon 'n Cheese Double w/ tomato was very good. The burger meat was tasty, and even though it was cooked through, the meat wasn't overly dry. The toppings were flavorful (esp. the bacon), well-applied and fresh where applicable. The bun was standard issue. Even having ordered a double however, it was a bit on the smaller side, but that was okay since we trying several other items as well. It is a 'fast food' burger but it's clearly superior to McD's or BK. Not sure about how it stacks up vs. Wendy's. It's just been too long since I've burgered at Wendy's. In my mind, this burger easily beats Beinlich's and Hackney's too. True, those burgers are of a different genre, but still, S&S's burger delivers a more satisfying flavor. The other items--which we ordered to sample--varied... Fries - cold as all get out by the time we lunched, but still, those little match sticks were crispy. I'll bet these are great when eaten on premises. Onion Rings - Salty was the first thought I had when I tasted them. Not bad though, crunchy and oniony but very 'foodservice' like. Chili - very tasty, nice use of chunk-meat instead of ground beef. Less tomatoey and more beefy than other burger-joint chili. Baked Beans - not a big fan in general of baked beans. These had a nice flavor. Not too sweet. As good or better than other carry out baked beans in our neck of the woods. Cole Slaw - really enjoyed it. Tangy and pickly sauce, maybe a touch too sweet. Chocolate Shake - good, but I hardly ever order shakes, so I don't have good basis for comparison. Service was excellent. We downloaded an order form from their website, scoped their menu on-line, filled out the form and faxed it to them. At our request, within minutes they called to confirm receipt of our fax. When we arrived at the restaurant, the pick-up line inside was well-managed and our order was ready when we got to the front of the short line. The clerk who helped us made sure that we had all the bags before we left...even as my companion was trying to rush out of the place. When we got back to the office, every single item we ordered was present and accounted for. Overall, this was a very good (fast food) burger experience. Next time, I hope to eat there and see if it improves the experience. I'm guessing it will. =R=

...just one more week until the Deerfield Farmers market finally opens on 6/19. =R=

June 9, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Boutique cheese...Elyse Friedman discovers that the artisanal approach pays culinary dividends for chefs and home cooks. Some great details about how local restaurants are using these artisanal products. 7 on State...a 'Cheap Eats' review of the downtown eatery by Monica Eng. Ravinia whets appetite for musical feasts...Bill Daley explores the fine art of picnic-ing at Ravinia in the north suburban music festival's 100th year. From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Cooking, live!...a round-up, by Denise I. O'Neal, of several local culinary events, including the Chicago installment of the 25-city Simon Super Chefs Live! tour, headlined by Martin Yan. Tastings around town...the weekly round-up featuring events at Geja's and Pane Caldo to name a few. From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Cooking Classes...a wonderfully comprehensive listing of this week's upcoming cooking classes, tastings and culinary events, broken out by day. =R= Moderator Note: For discussion of stories that are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread.

Wonderful pics! Thanks for sharing them. I especially loved What cat toy? =R=

And Ford dominates Chevy too, right? I'm pretty sure that anyone (here) who's interested will make the very small investment required, try both products and decide for him or herself. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. =R=

I was out sick yesterday, but when I stepped into the office this morning I noticed 2 huge bags of pita sitting on our lunch table. Sure enough, the boys ordered lunch from Pita Inn yesterday and, apparently, the Pita Embargo is now over Even after 6 burley-men had lunch, nearly 2 dozen pita remained. My guys did not mention the previous problem to anyone at the restaurant (they're far more laid back than I) but the crew at Pita Inn certainly got it right yesterday nonetheless. =R=

How nice that the trout was wild and caught by someone you know. True, we don't have indigenous seafood in the midwest, but we do have access to plenty of great fish. Does your friend hook you up fairly often? BTW, those pics of the cinnamon rolls are just plain cruel. =R=

I love the Adler Planetarium. I've been going there since I was a wee lad and I always have a great time there. I plan on taking my son there for his first visit, sometime this summer. How was the rainbow trout? What did you get at Valli? Did you use the stuff you got there for tonight's dinner? I'm pretty sure, from previous threads, that you (and not Mr. Adoxograph) do most of the cooking, right? =R=

Woo Hoo! Looking forward to this one. =R=