ronnie_suburban
-
Posts
5,980 -
Joined
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by ronnie_suburban
-
-
Although I work at the local Penzeys Spices retail store here in Columbus, Ohio, I have found some wonderful things through The Spice House. The grains of paradise I got from there (yes, had to have them after reading "Cooking for Mr.Latte) are phenomenal and the staff is so helpful and friendly for mail order.
The Spice House was originally the mom and dad Penzey's store, they sold it to their oldest daughter and her husband (the Erd's) and then the younger Bill went off to make his own company (drama! J/K).
Shannon
Hehe, I love Penzey's too-especially their web site and catalog through which I place orders frequently.
Thanks for the info about the link between the 2 establishments. I knew someone would know.
=R=
-
They have a nice selection of vanilla beans, and their paprika is awesome. I'm cooking some ribs rubbed with the Spanish smoked paprika right now.
Just be sure to go to THEspiceshop.com. Leave out the "the" and you'll get another kind of web site.
YES on the paprika!
I found some wonderful Hungarian Sweet, exquisite grade paprika there that just blew me away. There are some pics of it on this Paprika thread. They had at least 5 varieties of paprika on the shelf last time I was there (IIRC).And yes, I even heard the employees telling customers in the store to be sure to include the the when typing in their URL
=R=
-
The Spice House has been mentioned on a few Heartland threads as of late and since I love it so much, I decided to start a thread about it.
The only location I've been to is the one in Evanston (they also have retail outlets in Chicago and Milwaukee) and it's just a fantastic place. It's almost like a magician's shop, with its Araby-like aromas, creeky wood floors and hundreds of glass jars filled with spices, on shelves, lining almost every square inch of the shop's wall space.
Service at The Spice House is personal and friendly. Also, unlike Penzey's (whose ownership is related to that of The Spice House), most of the inventory is not pre-packaged. One of the friendly clerks will follow you through the store pulling jars and weighing products to order on old-fashioned scales. Your purchases can be packed into ziploc bags or jars, depending on your preference. The products at The Spice House are meticulously fresh and the selection is phenomenal. They also carry related items such as mills, mortals and pestles and scales to name just a few.
The Spice House also hosts occasional book signings and other culinary events and they are also very focused on linking themselves to their customers and the culinary community as a whole.
Here is a link to their website, through which they offer mail order service (as well as information about their products, services and locations):
If you are anywhere near one of The Spice House locations, I highly recommend stopping in. You won't be disappointed.
=R=
-
Maggie,
You can add another 83 to the count.
A friend of mine, who owns a LOT of cookbooks, is relocating to AZ and I went over to her place last night to cherry-pick through the ones she's planning to leave behind.
An hour and 4 file boxes later, the damage was done.
There were a lot of interesting titles but the most interesting were the 2 dozen or so Jr. League Collections from various regions of the the country. What a trove!
=R=
-
Went back to Marisa's yet again last night and was treated to a delicious "White" pizza which was topped with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan--no sauce. It was delicious...sweet and salty and rich. Yum!
Also had one of Marisa's newest innovations called "garlic knots." These were small balls of pizza dough lightly topped with garlic and herbs and then baked off in the pizza oven until crispy on the exterior and tender on the interior. They were served with a red sauce. Very nice and not greasy or oily like other renditions at other places.
We had 1 piece of our order of 6 leftover and I told Mike that I wanted take it home, slice it open and make a sandwich out of it with some prosciutto and asiago. He laughed at me and said "we don't get that fancy around here." LOL, I certainly appreciated his comment. Fancy...Marisa's isn't, but outstanding it is.
Next up...Sicilian style (rectangular deep dish).
=R=
-
Yes, welcome chicagowench. Nice to have to you with us.
Where are you located now...or did I miss that?
BTW, I love The Spice House!
=R=
-
So...I will never again let my wife handle the Passover clean-up.
=R=
So your wifes plan worked?
Precisely
=R=
-
Thanks for the insights blooangel.
=R=
-
I'm almost certain that I won't have time to make it down to the Evanston market this Saturday, but on the first available Saturday, I'm there.
=R=
-
I will never again try to dispose of tofu gone bad down the disposal. Two bricks of the stuff. Apparently I clogged the kitchen sink. So out comes the plunger. Also, out comes gratuitous grungy grotnotonous slime from the drain behind the washer. Who knew they were connected. So now the kitchen smells like rotten tofu, and I was up half the night tryin to clean it up and fix it. Feh. I still dont know if its fixed. Hopefully the SO will know what to do when he gets home!
My wife did the same thing with leftovers from Passover (kishke, matzoh balls, etc.) and completely blocked our sewer line. When the plumber came (to perform the 3.5 hour rodding job
) he asked her "do you celebrate Passover?" He called it the Passover Syndrome.So...I will never again let my wife handle the Passover clean-up.
=R=
-
Ian,
Here is a link to a thread about the 2003 Evanston Farmers Market where some lists of purchases were posted.
I hope this helps.
=R=
-
I heard the rumor of a rumor at: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=42506 . Perhaps others can provide more detail as to what they've heard and from whom. Ideally, we could get an answer from Achatz himself.
Scott
Yep, that's the thread but let's try to keep discussion of it here.
Chef Achatz does indeed frequent eGullet so perhaps he'll chime in at some point and give us the scoop (if there is one).
=R=
-
May 12, 2004...
From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section:
It's harvest time in Chicago...a wonderfully useful and thorough round-up of Chicago area Farmers Markets.
To Market, to market...a nice profile of a few local farmers who sell their goods at Chicago area Farmers Markets.
Super foods...some detailed nutrtional information on 15 healthful foods.
A review of Jang Mo Nim Korean restaurant, which I think under-rates it just a bit. Is it fair or relevant to criticize a Korean restaurant for poor teriyaki?
Cooking school on the move to Merchandise Mart...details of the upcoming move of the Jill Prescott Culinary School to the Merchandise Mart.
Shop fits owners to a tea...an introduction to Dream About Tea in Evanston.
Burning through the wings...covers the upcoming 3rd Annual Hot-Sauce eating contest at Lincoln Park's Kinkade's.
Morel hunter rewarded with a giant find...a story by newly-appointed Bill Daley about a big find at an annual Morel hunt.
From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section:
When chefs leave...a great story by Maureen Jenkins about the end of Printer's Row, its former chef Michael Foley and the perils of cheffing in general.
The treasures of Tuscany...an informative story/review about Lorenza de' Medici and her book, My Tuscany: Recipes, Cuisine, Landscape.
Food News Round-Up...including stories about a local chef who is passionate about his photography, an upcoming James Beard event and a few openings around Chicago.
Tastings Around Town...a listing of a few upcoming events in Chicago.
Green's day...assorted food news, including Charlie Trotter being recognized for his contribution to the American Cancer Society.
From the Chicago Reader:
Yes, Virginia, Some People Still Care About Ethics...a satisfying follow-up to a story that broke last year over Virginia Gerst's resignation from the Pioneer Press.
=R=
-
Here's an interesting story (from today's Chicago Tribune) about a few of the local farmers whose good comprise the Chicago area Farmers Markets...
Dependent as we are on farmers, how many of us know one personally? With spring in the air, opportunities to get to know some of these agricultural workaholics are as close as your neighborhood farmers market. Beginning in May, farmers from Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin will be making the trek to Chicago to peddle the fruits -- and vegetables -- of their labors.To Market, to market Part 1 of 2
To Market, to market Part 2 of 2
And here's a link to another piece that provides some great, detailed information about many of the Chicago area markets...
=R=
-
Why is it I've never heard anyone complain about a nonrefundable theater ticket?
Good point.
=R=
Perhaps because unlike this restaurant, your seat doesn't get resold unless you decide to donate it. (And unlike the airlines, who'll resell your seat if they can, then charge you a hefty fee to reschedule.
)Another good point.
Still, I see some logic in the 'dinner ticket as theatre ticket' line of thinking--at least on a conceptual level. As for airlines, I've heard nothing but complaints about them and their policies over the years...in fact, don't even get me started
=R=
-
I just read on another thread that there are "credible rumors" that Achatz will be leaving Trio later this year. How credible are the rumors? When is he supposed to be leaving? Where will he go next?
Since I had planned to revisit Trio (from out of state) for the kitchen table in early September, this rumor is distressing, if true. I already have reservations that week for the kitchen table at Trotter's. But, frankly, I was looking forward to the meal at Trio with even greater anticipation.
Hoping it isn't true (and, failing that, hoping Achatz moves to Dallas),
Scott
can you post a link to the thread?
cheers
I'm not very enthusiastic about batting around rumors but if we're going to do it, since the rumors in question revolve around chef g, this thread is the best place to discuss them. Please.
=R=
-
Why is it I've never heard anyone complain about a nonrefundable theater ticket?
Good point.
=R=
-
Ok, so let's pick a date. How about the weekend of June 5/6?
Works for me
=R=
-
Well said Cory
=R=
-
But didn't Mama seem to be in two places at one time?
There was a quick piece of dialog where Rocco confirms with his publicist that he (the publicist) is sending a car for Mama, so I think that was covered.
But manipulation abounded last night. There was another piece of dialog dropped in when Corporate Do-Rag Chef Guy was quizzing Chef Tony. At some point, near the end of that scene, you could hear something to the effect of "Rocco's never here, he leaves it all for me and Mama." We never see who's saying this but we are edited into believing that it was Chef Tony. And it may have been him, but it could have been said at any time and I doubt that it was said directly to CD-RCG. I thought it was a shamefully intentionally act of misleading editing. If he really said, let's see him saying it, ok?
Also, if Rocco did have a conflict (CIA appearance vs. meeting with JC), why didn't he just say so while he was talking to JC? Is it so hard to check one's date book before hanging up the phone? It's possible that he did mention it and that moment was edited out so that we didn't see it. But again, if he didn't even bother to check or mention it, it just shows the depth of his lack of professionalism.
=R=
-
-
Hi NYC
That kind of "plug" from a person who is as dedicated to their craft as you are, is exactly what makes this place truly unique and it's great to hear from someone with your level of passion.
I've heard such great things about Bennison's breads from several sources, but I've never tried them. I'll make a point of doing so in the very near future. And I have to say that I've crossed paths with Jory Downer over at the BBGoA forum and he was kind enough to help me with some bread baking questions I had.
=R=
-
What a wonderful outcome.
=R=
-
Robyn,
When you say you don't have a problem with it, does that also mean that you would patronize a restaurant with this policy? As a business person, I don't have a problem with it either but as a customer I'd never tolerate it unless there were no other options. IMO, this is the kind of policy that could influence a change in plans. Again, I'm not as good a person as dls is.
As for the gratuity issue, I think you make a good point but I'm not sure if it applies here. But, in either case, applying the 18% gratuity by default is bascially the same thing as the restaurant not charging a gratuity and then upping the base price of the meal to subsidize it anyway.
=R=
Costco-A-Go-Go
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Get your pan and notebook ready...
=R=