ronnie_suburban

Oh boy . . . there must be a story here. Is it one you can share? =R=

Wow! Thank you everyone, for the very kind comments. It's been a pleasure to have 'broken bread' with all of you -- some on-line and some actually in person. I will say that this thread is a little bit like attending my own funeral, so if I owe any of you money, my sincere apologies. But seriously, I'll still be around, reading the forums on a regular basis and, hopefully, contributing something interesting every once in a while. It's our shared obsession which brought us all together and for me, that's still as strong as ever. I'm most certainly a 'food determinist' type of guy and I don't foresee that ever changing. Now, what's for lunch? =R=

Dayum! What a fantastic-looking meal! And it looks like you had a substantial group in attendance, too. It's great to have so many food lovers on hand so that you can try that many more dishes. All in the name of research, I say How did the sai grog esan compare to those found here in Chicago? Did they remind you of any particular versions available Chicago. The thought of getting a homemade version, made by a Laotian woman in her home, sounds utterly compelling. And that Danny, whoever he may be, appears to have been the luckiest person in KC that day. He would have been well served to leave that dinner after it ended and immediately buy a lottery ticket. =R=

My guess is that tenderloin is virtually devoid of fat and that by using it (in combination with fatback) one can more accurately control the amount of fat in the recipe. Using shoulder does tend to be more of a guessing game, although it's fairly hard to guess wrong. Of course, I cannot say for sure that using tenderloin isn't the most 'authentic' way to make Toulouse. But given the nature of sausages and how most of them came to be, that does seem somewhat unlikely. =R=

There is a somewhat well-known fried chicken restaurant in St. Louis called Hodak's. Their chicken is hot, fresh, crispy and as bland as the day is long. I wish I could recommend it more highly but what I remember most about the place is being let down by their food after waiting in line to eat it. FWIW, we also tried their fried ravioli and found them to be nothing more than gummy, mass-produced nuggets which gave every appearance of having been made in a factory somewhere, possibly St. Louis. There is an area called 'The Hill,' which is known for its Italian food and is spoken of very highly by many. We never made it there but, looking back, wish that we had. I'm sure there's good food in St. Louis but while visiting there last summer, we never found it. =R= Hodak's Restaurant & Bar 2100 Gravois Ave St Louis, MO 63104 (314) 776-7292

Actually-I'm pretty confident that it's Michael Nahabedian that runs the front of the house and he and Carrie are cousins. ← D'OH! You are 100% correct. I've gone back and corrected my original post! =R=

Another Chicago-area restauranting couple which comes to mind is chef Carrie Nahabedian and her husband Michael -- who directs the operations -- at one of my favorite spots, NaHa. =R= edited to correct a 'senior' moment

Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, IL is owned, in part, by chef Sarah Stegner and her husband, Rohit Nambiar, who runs the front of the house. Chef George Bumbaris, with whom Stegner worked at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago for about 20 years, is also an owner of PGC. Rick Tramanto and Gale Gand were once married and owned Brasserie T in Northfield. I believe they also had ownership stakes in Tru, where they both worked until recently. Now, they are both part-owners of a cadre of restaurants at the Westin North Shore in Wheeling, IL: Gale's Pastry Bar, Osteria di Tramonto and Tramonto's Steak and Seafood. I'm sure there are more but none come to mind at the moment. =R=

Brooks, It's been an honor to serve alongside of you here. The way you've comported yourself has set an example for all us other staffers. And you've added some of the most unique and important content these forums hold and for that, so many of us are truly grateful. This news is a blow. Yes, life goes on and change is inevitable but the eGS will miss your assistance greatly. Like others here, I really do hope this leads to us seeing more great writing from you. That would certainly be a silver lining. Best wishes, =R=

I'm really sorry about this error. I've sent the correction to the publisher. Here is the correct list of meats to be used in the sausage: 4 ounces very lean salt pork without rind, washed to remove surface salt, dried carefully and cubed by hand. 12 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed of all fat 4 ounces pancetta, at room temperature ← I hate to contradict the extraordinarily knowledgeable Paula Wolfert but when making sausage, all your ingredients should be as cold as they can be, without actually being frozen. I don't understand why one would recommend 'room temperature' for any ingredient in sausage. I don't see how that could possibly help the finished product. =R=

1st Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. salt pork + 4 oz. fatback = about 33% fat? 2nd Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. pancetta = about 10% fat? That's quite a cutback on the fat. Has anyone tried it? ← If you make sausage with less than about 25% fat (by weight), you can expect it to be crumbly and dry. Some things one just knows (thanks to reading Charcuterie ) =R=

The recipe in the 1st edition calls for 4 ounces of lean salt pork (no rind), 12 ounces of pork tenderloin and 4 ounces of fatback. My take on this is to just use 4 ounces of pancetta and 1 pound of typically-fatty pork shoulder or, for a 5-pound batch, 1 pound of pancetta and 4 pounds of fatty pork shoulder. Adjust the seasonings as necessary. =R=

I agree. Zero is, in my opinion, far superior to Diet Coke. BTW, I had my first Coke Zero fountain experience over the weekend. It was at White Castle, which I learned, has replaced Diet Coke with Zero . . . at least at some of their Chicago outlets. =R=

I've done this several times, in an adaptation of Paula Wolfert's Toulouse sausage recipe from The Cooking of Southwest France (the first edition calls for salt pork but the 2nd edition actually calls for pancetta, which I'd tried, out of necessity, before I picked up the 2nd edition). I use 80% fresh pork shoulder and 20% pancetta. It makes a truly distinctive and delicious sausage, which works especially well in cassoulet. The main seasonings are garlic and black pepper with a little bit of mace or nutmeg. A bit of white wine mixed in at the end, while creating the primary bind, will take them over the top. Just be careful of the salt because when using 20% pancetta, you don't need to add nearly as much as when you are using 100% fresh pork; maybe only about a teaspoon per pound, or so. =R=

Having tried just about all of them, I'd say that the Barcelona is definitely my favorite. =R=

February 28, 2007... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: A pinch of fame, a pound of fortune...Robin Mather Jenkins takes a look at the intense world that is the competitive cooking circuit. A Portuguese adventure...Bill Daley demystifies the ancient wine tradition of Portugal. Tasting notes are included. Lost in the land of plenty...Janet Helm explores the paradox of poor nutrition and "widening wastelines" in the U.S. Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale...Good Eating's Beer of the Month installment, which is normally filed by Jerald O'Kennard. This installment carries no by-line. Braise away the winter blues...in this week's Prep School installment, James P. DeWan instructs us on braising braciola. Mustard greens...Donna Pierce files this useful guide. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Plucky 'Papa'...Leah A. Zeldes profiles Papa Lena's Healthy Foods, which is run by married couple Marie and Danny Lena, who together, are embarking on their second careers. This companion piece, The Lenas' dos and don'ts for starting a business, conveys some additional advice from the Lenas. And some of the Lenas' sweeter offerings are profiled here: 'Mama' Lena's cake creations. Muhammad Ali enters health food ring...Denise I. O'Neal reports on the new line of healthful offerings from the 'greatest of all time.' A passion for pasta...food editor Sue Ontiveros reveals her passion for pasta and Providence, RI, which were inspired by On Top of Spaghetti by Johanne Killeen and George Germon of the famed Al Forno restaurant in Providence. Tastings around town...upcoming events at Carlucci and Courtright's are previewed. Achatz to enjoy role in Steppenwolf series...This Sunday's appearance at Steppenwolf Theater by Alinea chef/owner Grant Achatz and Michael Ruhlman is previewed. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Munch on this: 'Healthy' and 'chip' in the same bite...food editor Deborah Pankey discovers a new, healthy snack food that her youngling also happens to find delicious. He combines different cultures into one cuisine...in this week's installment of Chef du Jour, Melissa Allen profiles chef Bill Kim of Le Lan. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== From the February 23 edition of the Chicago Reader's Restaurants section: The focus is again on what's new with brief reviews of Tepatulco, The Brown Sack and Icosium Kafe. A round-up of several other, newer spots -- some of which have been covered previously -- is also provided. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report that chef Emmanuel Nony, a veteran of several Hyatt-owned restaurants (including NoMi), will open his own contemporary American spot, Sepia, this summer. ===== =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. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><> This is my final week of compiling the Media Digest here. It's been a pleasure!

I'm no expert but I don't think there are safety issues involved. This seems fine to me. Please let us know how it turns out. I had mega-issues with this yesterday, until I realized that rubbing a damp towel on the seam dissolves caked-in cure and fixes everything. I might rubbing on the spoon after putting the meat in the bag as well. ← Thanks for the tip, Mallet. It's much appreciated. =R=

I find that sometimes the combination of my bumbling hands and salt/sugar granules prevents me from getting a true seal with a ziploc bag. With granules in the zipper, sometimes there is leakage. This is why I started using the foodsaver bags for curing. =R=

I'm almost certain that SN uses Caputo 00 flour in their dough. There were several visible references to it in their restaurant, anyway. =R=

Quartino turns out pies in a similar vein, although I've only been there once and I'm not sure what kind of oven they're running. =R=

Beautiful stuff, Elie! Are you working from recipes or strictly improvising at this point? =R=

The foodsaver is how I cure my bacon. Just put the belly in the bag, sprinkle half the cure on each side, seal, then massage and turn it each day until it starts to feel stiff. The liquid starts to com out quite quickly. ← Yes, I do the same. My main recommendation with this method is to not remove all the air from the bag. Leave a little room (for the run-off) and seal it. You'll be golden. =R=

February 21, 2007... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Pizza perfect...Bill Daley reports on the growing popularity of thin-crust pizza in Chicago and explains that making it home is quite doable. Pepino...Joe Gray provides an informative guide in this week's Fresh Finds installment. Netting the right wine for seafood...Bill Daley lays out the details. Recommendations from several Chicago-area sommeliers are included. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Original fusion: Filipino cuisine...Janet Rausa Fuller visits with Jennifer Aranas whose new cookbook, The Filipino-American Kitchen, encompasses much of what she learned cooking alongside her mother. Also provided is guide for finding ingredients locally and a guide to some of the most common ingredients used in Filipino cooking: Getting to know ingredients. Pucker up...Denise I. O'Neal previews Mon Ami Gabi's third annual Lemon Festival, which begins on Thursday. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at the Signature Room, Scoozi, Mas and Zocalo. From the February 19 edition: Rumor has city drooling...Janet Rausa Fuller reports that legendary chef Alain Ducasse appears to be scouting locations for a new restaurant in Chicago. From the February 17 edition: Hot dog joint hit with foie gras fine...Lisa Donovan and Janet Rausa Fuller report on the recent bust at Hot Doug's. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Before you buy fish, make sure it's the right bite...as Lent begins, food editor Deborah Pankey emphasizes the importance of choosing fish in an environmentally responsible way. Milwaukee chef always on the lookout for fresh ideas...in this week's installment of Chef du Jour, Mike Michaelson profiles chef Bob Millhoff of Yanni's in Milwaukee, WI. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== From the February 16 edition of the Chicago Reader's Restaurants section: Kristina Meyer takes a look at Breakfast Around the World via Chicago, as she reviews a few, select ethnic spots where 'the most important meal of the day' can be found. Also provided is a list 26 additional spots in town where breakfast is served. ===== In this week's edition of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report that Giuseppe Scurato, long-time executive chef at both Boka and Landmark, has left both venues. He and his wife Carolyn Gordon are in the process of opening their own sustainable, "green" restaurant, which is likely to bow in about 8-10 months. ===== =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. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>

LOL! Very true I usually just stop in at Boka, one door north of Alinea, if I have time to kill before dining at Alinea. They make a mean club soda! =R=

Thanks, Percy, for the thorough post. It's always great to see those beautiful dishes again, after the meal has ended. We too, went to Alinea a few days ago with a couple of friends who'd never been there before and we had a spectacular experience; very similar to the one depicted above. Somehow, the kitchen continues to tighten up dishes that, in their previous incarnations, already seemed perfect. I am constantly impressed by the way the plates continually evolve at Alinea. Chef G and crew are masterful, not only when it comes to creating delicious and beautiful combinations but also when it comes to refining them. Whether they are combining familiar elements in new ways, fashioning original combinations which evoke familiar emotional responses or taking the diner to entirely new territory via previously uncharted combinations, Alinea continues to produce the most exciting, innovative and important food in the Chicago area, if not the country. If you have access to Alinea and have not yet dined there, I believe you are depriving yourself of one of the most meaningful and memorable dining experiences available. No one can do what Chef G does and he is clearly at the peak of his craft. =R=