ronnie_suburban

marlowe...I do love Deerfield's and I can only hope they played some part in this Andrew...in all honesty, we don't have a ton of independents. That said, most of the ones we do have appear pretty steady. Of course, they're mostly niche places like hotdog joints, pizzerias and coffeeshops. We do have 1 or 2 higher-cuisine places which also appear to be doing just fine. This is a somewhat affluent area so places generally don't disappear by default. I really think that if a place turns out decent food (and sometimes even if it doesn't) it'll stick around. This round of closings really appears to be a case of a few companies speculating--and guessing wrong--about what this market would bear. I think the locals don't need or want the chains, and the passers-by don't need to stop here to visit the chains which also have outlets that are 5 minutes from their own homes. tommy...I have no idea and that part of the situation definitely sucks. Where do any displaced workers go for jobs? In a variety of directions to be sure. FWIW, there are plenty of other chains around here that have survived, so perhaps those places absorb a few of the displaced workers. If one is trained in foodservice, there probably are a fair amount of options, since turnover is high in that segment and there are still many, many restaurants in the area. As much as I want to think this round of closings represents a major trend (in dining patterns), I don't think it truly does. The article I read said that ~30 Brinker restaurants were being closed nationwide. That's a very small percentage of their overall holdings. But yeah, the loss of jobs is the one salient negative in all of this, IMO. =R=

We ended up doing 2 separate nights of go-go-ing--with some qualifications--which I will note as I go. Everything was purchased from Costco unless otherwise noted and in some cases, the items were previously purchased at Costco. Night 1 (joined by eGulleters, guajolote and niv): Rib Eye steaks Grilled Asparagus (tossed in olive oil not purchased at Costco) Wilted Spinach with Smoked Bacon & Red Onion (Hungarian-style smoked bacon was not purchased at Costco, red onion was previously purchased at Costco) Strawberries with Ice Cream (not pictured, ice cream previously purchased at Costco) Total Cost for 4 steaks, spinach, asparagus and strawberries was approximately $40.50 Night 2 (joined by eGulleter, Derek Wildstar & family): Flank Steak (Marinated in Newman's Own Italian dressing, previously purchased from Costco) Basmati Rice with Spinach, Red Onion and Smoked Bacon (basmati rice was previously purchased at Sam's Club. Again, dish includes the Hungarian-style smoked bacon which was not purchased at Costco and the previously purchased red onion. Spinach came from the bottomless 2.5# bag used on Night 1) Greens Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing (Earthbound Gardens greens and dressing made with mini bell peppers, were both previously purchased from Costco) Strawberries with Ice Cream (by 2nd night, the ice cream was no longer from Costco and the Ready-Whip never was ) Total Cost for Flank Steaks (there were 2, we ate only 1) was approximately $17.00. Strawberries and Spinach were accounted for above. Total cost for previously purchased items (greens, mini peppers) was probably about $8.00. Some other notes....salad dressing on Night 2 was made mostly with items not from Costco. I'd purchased the mini bell peppers on a previous trip and realized that I needed to use them, so I threw them on the grill after the steaks were cooked on Night 1 and used them in the dressing on Night 2. Ditto for my seasonings, including salt and pepper, which were mostly purchased at The Spice House or Penzeys. Into both the rice dish and the spinach dish I incorporated some home-made stock concentrate from my freezer tray stash. Finally, the charcoal for the grill was not purchased at Costco. On neither night did we have beverages from Costco. Over the 2 nights we had wine, soda, water and cocktails, all from other sources. On that note, overall I think I could have done a far better job--and gotten everything at Costco--if I'd been more organized about the whole thing. I was glad to have company at both meals because otherwise, we'd have had far too much food. Of course, I wouldn't have bought the flank steaks if I didn't know about Night 2, going in. Still, if I'd opted to make brisket or ribs, I probably could have purchased only meat to cover both nights. There aren't really any true 'recipes' for what I made...I just mostly grilled up a bunch of items and threw some stuff together, but I will write up recipes for the appicable dishes and upload to RecipeGullet asap. Oh...and here's one last pic from Night 2. This was done, not by one of our children, but by eGullet member Derek Wildstar... =R=

Thanks Ingrid, your take was a helluva lot better than the show itself =R=

As posted above, the Diane Kochilas books are solid. I personally have cooked from Meze and The Foods and Wines of Greece, and have had excellent results with both. =R=

thanks bleachboy. I feel liberated. Next time I brine, the only thing I'll leave in the cabinet will be the measuring cup =R=

That's a very nice offer, Fresser. I really just had to vent. If this message finds its way back to PI's ownership, in any form, it would be a nice bonus. But really I just want them--and their customers--to be aware that it's happening. I'm sure it's not intentional on PI's part and maybe the owners simply don't know that it's happening (assuming that we're not the only ones). If I owned PI, I'd definitely want to know if things like this were happening on a regular basis. I came here to post about it because I was coming here anyway. But, I should also let them know directly...and I will. Even after it happened, we all appreciated that the lunch was still very tasty. I ate my falafels sans pita and they were great. The jerusalem salad was terrific and their hummus is just about my favorite hummus on earth. Of course, it's better on pita than on a spoon =R=

LMAO! Lesley, I know exactly what you're saying. My wife and I joked that our starter needed more care and attention than a child. How many 5# bags of King Arthur flour did we go through while feeding that 'kid'? LOTS OF THEM! I was LOL'ing and gasping for air when I read that you brought your starter to a party. Still, I learned so much from my Silverton experience and it came at a time in my life when it was a great fit for me. I know this sounds very cheezy but I learned a lot--not only about bread-baking--but also about myself as I worked my way through her book. I wouldn't trade those times for anything, but I also don't think I could go back there again either. I just don't have that kind of time to spare these days (even if I were to stop posting here ) but in many ways, I wish I did. =R=

For months I've been meaning to post how exciting it was that the Applebee's nearest to my house had been closed back in January 2004 due to underperformance. I'd read in NRN (or a similar pub.) that, measured by sales, Applebee's was the #1 'family' restaurant in the U.S. And my little town took one out The only person I know personally who was upset about this was my MIL who, though she lives in Indiana, loved to meet up with her sister at Applebee's when she came to town. Of course, she also assured my wife and I that Champp's turns out the best bruschetta she's ever had. I live in Deerfield, IL, a pretty typical suburb...population ~18,000, about 20 miles north of Chicago. We're not a bedroom community. A couple of major state thoroughfares cut through Deerfield and several corporations (Walgreen's, Baxter and Takeda to name a few) have their HQ's here as well--on the outer edges of town. Not only do thousands of non-residents come to Deerfield everyday, but even more pass through it as they make their way to and from work. Lake-Cook Road, which creates Deerfield's southern border and runs east to west, connecting 2 major Interstates, is home to all the familiar corporate entities. But I was delighted to read in yesterday's Deerfield review that in addition to Applebee's, 3 other chain restaurants on Lake-Cook Road had also closed recently...Chili's, Macaroni Grill and On The Border have all closed up shop. Of course I'm not happy about the folks who lost their jobs or the other serious issues and hardships that occur when a business closes down. But I'm proud of my town nonetheless. Sometimes I think we're an undiscerning lot of suburbanites--and we may very well be--but at least we've rejected some of the worst places that restaurantdom has to offer. A feather in our caps? Perhaps. The story in the Deerfield Review, by Ruth Solomon, indicated that the market is saturated and that Brinker (who owns 3 of the 4 places which closed) had simply over-built. This is probably true but I don't think it's the only reason these places have closed. Just as accurate (to my mind anyway) were the comments of consultant, John Melaniphy, who was quoted in the article: "Chicago has marvelous Italian restaurants. There is almost no need to go to a Macaroni's." This is what I like to hear. I hope it's the start of a wonderful trend. I'm not naive, though. Eventually corporations will devise business formulas which are the 'right fit' for these vacated spaces. The landlords will be ready to make attractive deals to offload their specifically-zoned vacancies and (chain restaurant) life will resume. But for now, I must indulge in a bit of NIMBY chest-thumping. =R=

As I have posted above, I love the food at Pita Inn. We have it (carry-out) for lunch once or twice per week at my office. But lately, they seem to be way busier than they are able to handle. Due to space limitations at the counter, heavy lunch-time crowds and the way carry out orders are packed, it's almost impossible to check a carry-out order before leaving Pita Inn in Skokie. Over the last couple of months we have encountered repeated problems with items missing from our carry-out orders. We have been shorted everything from tahina to hot sauce to sandwiches. Today, in a highly ironic incident, our order was 'shipped' without any pitas. I suppose that this is, in some part, our own fault. Maybe we should be digging through the bags after we return to our cars and before we leave their parking lot to see if everything we ordered is there. But it would still be difficult. Items are wrapped in unlableled foil parcels and piled into exceedingly weak brown paper bags, which often break. Regardless, since our office is somewhat far from PI-Skokie (15 minutes each way), going back to pickup the missing items is not really an option. When we call to inform them about the missing items, they're always apologetic but no one offers to 'make it right' by bringing the missing items to us. So, I still recommend the food at Pita Inn but IMO, you must be very careful to check your carry-out order before you leave there--or eat in. I'm getting really frustrated with the repeatedly missing items. The rest of the guys in my office, while irritated by this, still love the joint. As for me, I plan to take some time off from Pita Inn. The frequency of errors there over the past several months is far greater than any other place we order from and I'm just done with it for the time being. =R=

So, what's next for Trio? As much as some have suggested that Trio may "fall off" with Chef Grant's departure, history strongly suggests otherwise. Owner Henry Adaniya has a proven track record of cultivating and/or incubating great culinary talent. Rick Tramanto and Gale Gand who run the renowned Tru, helmed Trio--as did Shawn McClain, whose Spring is one of the hottest places in the city. Grant Achatz, who has ascended rapidly in the ranks of the Great Chefs, was yet another ace hiring for Adaniya. Here's the take from the Trio team... I have to agree. No question that what comes next will be different but it also promises to be distinctive, successful and significant. =R=

Congratulations Chef! Thank you very much for stopping by and filling in some of the blanks for us. Please do keep us updated as you can. It's much appreciated. Very much looking to the web site launch as well. Are you a little busy over there? =R=

Brine recipe, please =R=

Welcome aboard micropundit If you haven't found it already, you may want to check out our Southeast forum as well. =R=

Outstanding! Thanks for the news Fresser. =R=

I enthusiastically agree. We've done several parties using Casas' recipes and they were great fun. Many of the traditional recipes take well to preparation well in advance, leaving plenty of time for those that require last minute cooking. I whole-heartedly agree. We did this 2 weekends ago, using mostly recipes from the Casas book. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed a tremendous night of eating. =R=

FWIW, the 'San Sebastian' episode/section of Bourdain's A Cook's Tour provides one excellent perspective of the 'tapas lifestyle.' I'm not sure if FN is still showing them, but that portion of Bourdain's book is also fantastic--although you don't get to see the hunger-inducing foods via reading about them. =R=

Here's a link to Phil Vettel's story about this in today's Chicago Tribune... Chef to leave Trio for own `evolution' =R=

You and Emily (aka littlebluehouse) both I had no reason to doubt you guys--just didn't want us to be the source of unconfirmable rumors. But yeah, you guys scooped Chicago Magazine by a good couple of weeks, at least. BTW, I just made a reservation and I'm thrilled to have a chance to eat there before Chef Grant leaves. I've only been to Trio once and it was before he arrived there. =R=

Thanks for posting this yellow truffle. The rumors had been circulating for some time now. Very happy to see that his plans are to stay in Chicago. End of an era...and the start of another. Wow! =R=

Patty, That reminds me of a line that, I think, is from a song..."if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." Sometimes I think it just comes down to luck. Restaurant reality is very fluid and changes take place quickly. If even 1 or 2 key people leave a given place, if can have a profound impact on that restaurant. If you interpolate that back just a bit, and...well, some nights are better than others--just based on who's in the house and who isn't. It's a strange feeling of minor helplessness when your friends don't enjoy a place that you've come to love--especially after you've convinced them to join you there. The final decision of where to eat dinner almost always follows some debate, so it's annoying 'win' that debate and then have the place disappoint. And it happens more often than it seems like it should, so maybe that indicates that it's a function of perception vs. expectation more than anything else. Is an average night at a place you love enough to move your friends? It should be, right? Ultimately, when the place lets you down it forces you to question whether your were right about it in the first place. Still, I can't decide which is worse, though...when the restaurant messes up and no one in the group enjoys it or when you're loving the place and your friends, who you dragged there against their will, are pushing their food around their plates and making faces to each other. =R=

From the introduction of Penelope Casas' outstanding book, Tapas... and I love this book and have really enjoyed everything I've ever tasted that's been made from the recipes therein. Still, as much an authority as Casas is considered to be, her 'defintion' is hardly, well, definitive. =R=

June 2, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Culinary quilts...a fascinating article (with some recipes) about the responses the Tribune received when they asked readers to submit their 'heirloom' recipes. Putting out a pepper fire...a few notes from the CT's test kitchen about the best ways to counter pepper heat in foods. Keefer's Kaffe...a Cheap Eats review of loop eatery, Keefer's spin-off, by Judy Hevrdejs. Soda fountain scoops up vintage decor, modern menu...a review, by Mary Beth Klatt, of Lakeview's Bobtail Soda Fountain. Next stop, France...Bill Daley reports on Executive chef Fritz Gitschner of Houston Country Club in Texas who will represent the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d'Or World Cuisine Contest in France early next year. Many happy returns...a review of Kathyrn Kleinman's Birthday Cakes: Recipes and Memories from Celebrated Bakers, by Bill Daley. Berry bliss...Emily Green reports on taking advantage of the peak season for fragrant, luscious strawberries. Getting your hands covered in chocolate...a blurb about an upcoming course in chocolate candymaking being taught by Pam Vieau of Chocolate Inspirations. From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: The journey continues...Maureen Jenkins on Peter Mayle, his upcoming appearance in Chicago and the Provence connection. Helping the hungry...Denise I' O'Neal reports on Thursday's National Hunger Awareness Day. Eating Exchange...a round-up of various culinary happenings around town, including a special 5th Anniversary menu being offered at Tru and an international chef exchange at the Chicago area Sofitels. Tastings around town...a listing of upcoming foods events including one at Cafe' Matou and another at Geja's Cafe. =R= Moderator Note: For discussion of stories that are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread.

Fifi, I hear what you're saying about the pork brisket but it still looks absolutely delectable in those pictures. And the cobbler looks heavenly. Fantastic job! =R=

Unreal! Thanks for for sharing that with us. Once again, I am picking my jaw up off the floor after reading one of your amazing reports. You've outdone yourself. =R=

Welcome David How did you prep for the remote paella? Did you bring all your stuff with you--all ready to go, or did you do most of the work in your host's kitchen? I assume you 'pre-reserved' the burner for your use. =R=