ronnie_suburban

Wow! Jason, that is just beautiful. =R=

I took down my pancetta last night. Throughout the 14-day hanging process, the ends of the pancetta became a bit hard but the majority of its length remained soft and somewhat firm. After I took it down I decided that before proceeding, I'd wrap the entire thing in a lightly-damp section of cheesecloth, put it in a ziploc baggie and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. When I retrieved it today, I was pleased because it felt like it had softened up even a bit more overnight. The ends could not be saved, but I actually left them on from the start on because I anticipated that. Once they were cut away, the usable portion of the pancetta was still respectable in size. I don't think I did a great job tying it but I cannot see or smell any mold anywhere in or on the pancetta so I think I'm good to go. Some pics . . . Not a great pic in that the pancetta looks a lot darker and harder than it really turned out. A very gnarly end. Again, I anticipated losing the ends which I why I didn't trim the pancetta before rolling it. I'm sure I'll find a good use for these. The mothership and a few "offspring." A closer look at a cross-section of the cured, dried pancetta. This slice looks like it has uniform thickness . . . it was pretty close but I do find this much tougher to slice than the bacon. A few pieces of the cooked pancetta. Up close and personal . . . and it tastes even better than it looks. I really cannot believe what a delicious pancetta this recipe produced. There were a few bumps in the road but I learned a lot from going through the whole process. I hope to fashion a curing chamber for myself before re-attempting this, because I think it will make for an even better end-product. And reading the posts above about the perils of imperfect rolling makes me think that I may not roll at all next time. In either case, I look forward to the next one. =R=

Here is a link to the events portion of Trio-Atelier's web site: Trio Atelier Events I'm not sure what time these events start, but I'll try to find out and relay the details asap. =R=

Is this a one day event or a series of days? When will this take place? More details please. ← The farewell reception will take place on Sunday 2/26. I have no idea about any other details . . . and I just made my reservations. My wife called me at my office, said that a mailing had shown up today and I made the call. I'll read it when I get home and post some details. =R=

I had the pleasure of sharing the meal described above with Eliot, Yellow Truffle and our friend Leon. Chef Poli pulled out all the stops for us and provided a tasting menu which included highlights from Butter's current menu and previews of some soon-to-be-added items as well. I don't think that a tasting menu is offered as part of the standard menu, but I got the distinct impression that with just a little bit of advance notice, chef Poli would happily accomodate such requests. My experience at Butter started out a bit strangely because I arrived way earlier than planned. Of course, I was counting on there being traffic but there was none. As such, I arrived at Butter nearly 45 minutes before our reservation. I really enjoyed the space which has a clubby, contemporary vibe. Touches of color, provided by accent lights throughout the space, create a very calming mood. I sat at the bar with my copy of Charcuterie and was well taken care of. I ordered vodka and lime juice. When I declined the Rose's variety, the friendly barkeep offered to squeeze a bunch of lime wedges for me. When I finished the first one he did it again. And, while I waited for my companions and read, he moved several bar candles closer to me so that I could see what I was reading. When we were finally all together and had finished our drinks, Butter's affable owner, Jason Chan, made it clear that the bar tab was "on him." Too bad; I would have ordered something way more expensive had I known Just kidding, of course. It was a very nice gesture for him to do so. The first round of amuses definitely hit their target. Of the lot, I think I enjoyed the Nori-salted potato chips best. But, all 4 were tasty and got the juices flowing. Next up was the candied nicoise olive . . . tasty and provocative. It reminded me -- at least in flavor -- a bit of Chef Achatz's Nicoise olive "candy bar," served at Alinea. Still though, it took a completely different form. Very nice. I really enjoyed the 4-Spoons course but I'm not sure I ate them in the intended order. Still, the intense, 1-bite combinations delivered. All 4 were tasty. I especially enjoyed the Iberian Ham & Melon Sorbet as well as the Deconstructed Fried Rice. At this point, we were just barely into the meal and had already tasted 9 different, delicious and provocative cominbations. In this regard, Chef Poli covered a lot of ground very efficiently. We'd heard the chorus but were neither full nor fatigued. Excellent progression. For the next course, we were served either the Foie Gras or the Deconstructed Tuna (Hamachi) Nicoise salad. Both were tasty but I really loved the foie, which I thought was exceptional. It had an outstandingly-perfect and heavier-than-typical crust seared onto it. The soft but not mushy cippoline onion was a wonderful compliment to the foie. Even in exceptionally well-designed tasting menus, there are always a few dishes which really stand out. These are the ones about which you say to your companions "I wish they'd bring out a dozen of those." Such was the case with the foie gras course. Very delicious. The next course brought 2 dishes which were among my very favorites of the whole meal. The first was a Risotto with Gulf Shrimp, Pumpkin and Brown Butter. The second was a Short Rib-filled Ravioli with a Lobster and Mushroom Gratin. Both were out of this world. The risotto was masterfully rendered and brown butter was drizzled atop it, tableside by our server. This was rich and satisfying, creamy and delicious. As good as it was, the ravioli may have been even better. The pasta was tender, the short rib filling was hearty and savory and the lobster and mushroom gratin was rich and dense with flavor. These dishes were both memorable show stoppers. The Duck Shepherd's Pie really showed off both chef Poli's vision and skill. Not only did the flavors compliment each other naturally, but the execution was nearly flawless. The potato foam was unlike any other foam I've ever experienced. It was rich, frothy and creamy -- nearly emulsified but not quite there . . . soft peaks is perhaps, the best way to describe it. In either case the duck, the cherries and the foam all synergized into a very delicious final product. An intermezzo -- a fizzy passion-fruit punch shooter -- was served next. Delicious and refreshing, it cleared the palate nicely heading into the upcoming round of plates. Next up was the fish course in which we were served a couple of different dishes. The first was the Olive Oil-Poached Barramundi with Artichokes, Peppers, Fennel Puree, Nicoise Olive Dust and Saffron Emulsion. Wow! I'd never had Barramundi before and this was a great first experience. I loved the plate, with all the different elements and the flavors all accented the tender fish very well. Even more enjoyable for me was the Monk Fish 'Tom Kha Kai' with Spinach, Turnips, Mushrooms and Lemongrass-Coconut Froth. Here I really giggled since the dish was such a loving send-up of the traditional Thai rendition. It also happened to be supremely delcious. Since I'm a big fan of Thai cookery, I really appreciated the homage here. Regardless of the sentiment behind it, the dish delivered in a major way and the Monk Fish was simply outstanding in quality. The meat course brought 4 more dishes to the table. The first, Duck Breast with Creamy Leeks, Cassis Jellies and Winter-fruit Cannelloni was a neat riff on a familiar 'duck and fruit' combination. The duck and fruit worked very nicely together and the duck was just perfect; rare, tender and juicy. The next meat dish; Pork Two Ways consisted of Tenderloin and Crispy Pork Belly. These were served with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Cauliflower, Fig Marmalade and Pork Jus. Again the fruit played nicely with the meat in this plate. The pork, like all the meats we were served, reflected chef Poli's consistency in cooking. This tenderloin, again, was tender, juicy and full of flavor. The belly wa perfectly prepared and full of that unique sticky-fat richness which defines belly. Next up was the Venison with Butternut Squash Puree, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, Confit Chestnuts, Juniper Ice Cream and Blackberry Gastrique. This was probably my least favorite of the 4 meat dishes. There was nothing wrong with it but I'm not a huge venison fan. Still, the meat was rare, juicy and very nice. The accompaniments worked well here too. But, with the 3 other meat dishes on the table, this is the one I would be least likely to order again. The last fourth of the meat quartet was chef Poli's fresh, inspired take on Chicken and Waffles. This dish was comprised of Sous Vide Chicken, Polenta, Braised Greens , Maple Reduction, Bacon Ice Cream and a Pizzelle. To me, this dish sung sweetly. I loved every part of it and I was surprised that I did. Even the bacon ice cream worked perfectly here. The tender chicken, crispy pizelle and creamy-cool bacon ice cream worked wonderfully together here without going over the top. As many times as I've seen failure follow those who make savory ice cream on Iron Chef America, this dish was tasty harmony on a plate. Desserts were well-conceived and well-executed. Chef Poli's use of Meyer Lemons really pleased me, as I'm a big fan of lemon desserts. On that basis, both the Mixed Berry Salad with Meyer Lemon Sorbet, encased in Vanilla Foam and the ethereal Lemon Sabayon Tart with Citrus Sabayon Creme were wholly satisfying. The Double-Baked Chocolate Mousse with Exotic Fruit Sauce and Passionfruit Sorbet didn't really speak to me. I'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate or chocolate with fruit, so after trying it, I yielded to my companions. I didn't make note of the specifics but we were also served a selection of wines which were paired specifically with most of our courses. Again, I'm guessing that such a flight could be provided to anyone who asked. These were, for the most part, wonderful. Perhaps Eliot or Anthony will remember the wine details. I hope so, because they really were wonderful and I'd like to be reminded of what we were served with our courses. Clearly, the folks at Butter are not only talented but also effortlessly accomodating. I don't get out often enough to confirm or deny John Mariani's claim that Butter is one of the 20 Best New Restaurants in the US. But the meal we had there was wonderful and provided many memorable highlights. Chef Poli has a command in the kitchen that is going to make his career one to watch. I get the feeling that Butter will continue to improve as time passes. I look forward to returning there and experiencing it for myself. =R=

Yeah, I've been using the flash and I think it, somehow, amplifies the lines, visually. No worries . . . these were the best tasting batch of the 3 I've tried, so I'm becoming less concerned about it. =R=

Today I had a 2nd run at sausage stuffing and it went much better than it did the first time. I corrected and tweaked a lot of things this time around. First of all, I managed to successfully clamp the stuffer to my counter so that I could crank it by myself, while stuffing the casings. I also applied a dab of grease to the main shaft and the edge of the plunger before the run. Also before the run, I cranked the plunger all the way up and down so that the grease would coat the gears entirely. That made the cranking exponentially easier than last time. I also managed to get the casings onto the horn with relative ease. Keeping in mind a bunch of advice I'd gotten here and from my butcher, I managed to fill the casings eventy -- but not overfill them. I had no bursts this time and I didn't worry when I noticed a few air pockets in the initial coil I laid out. As a few folks have mentioned, such air pockets can easily be remedied with a pin-prick and casings which aren't overly stuffed are much easier to successfully convert into links. Temperature-wise, I kept things in control . Since I was working with 3.5# of chicken and 1.5# of pork fat, I was able to keep the fat frozen until the very last minute. I then ran it through the grinder with the boneless, skinless thigh meat which I seasoned last night. The spider lines, which Melkor pointed out upthread, are still there but I'm beginning to think that they're simply an innate characteristic of the casings, or the way they were processed or the way I prepped them, because today's run was so different than the last one and yet, they are still present. I realize now that last week's run was very over-filled. If anything, today's run was underfilled, yet the lines persist. Here's a look . . . These chicken sausages are actually an amalgamation of a few recipes from Charcuterie. They contain roasted garlic and roasted, diced poblano peppers. 'Spider' lines are present throughout, but if anything, the casings were underfilled. The lines were also present when I overfilled. Today, I could see them on the empty casings as I was threading them onto the horn but I'll admit, I don't normally notice them in other sausages. Here, they are visible in where the filling comes in direct contact with the casing and also in spots where there is a bit of air between the filling and the casing. I'm probably doing something wrong, but I'm not exactly sure what. Based on how they tasted, I'm not sure it really matters =R=

RE: The smoking issue, as ducphat30 posted above, a city-wide smoking ban was passed and put into effect on January 16 but there are some exceptions and grace periods involved. To my knowledge, most of the spots mentioned in this thread are smoke-free but when it comes to specifics, my advice is to call around and ask each place about their policy. I agree with Josh about brunch at the Ritz being the best one in the city. As for other dinner suggestions, I like a lot of the ones made upthread -- especially Alinea -- but I'll throw a few more out there: Green Zebra, Custom House and Tru. I don't think you can go wrong at Blackbird or Avec. I do like Opera and Gioco but consider them to be just a tiny notch below some of the others listed here. If you really want Italian, I'd recommend Spiaggia or A Tavola. And for Mexican, both of Rick Bayless' places -- Topolobampo and Frontera Grill -- are as strong as ever, IMO. A friend whose opinion I trust, really enjoys Abodo Grill (North and Wells) but I've yet to make it there myself. Contact info for these places should be very easy to find but if you need any assistance whatsoever, please just say the word. And . . . welcome, towncompany, to the eGS! =R=

Similar to the one mentioned in the thread's title, we often refer to my mother -- who tends to be a bit eccentric -- as a pie with no crust. But please, she doesn't know this . . . =R=

I waaaaaaaaaaant some!!!! Buffalo as in buffalo meat? For some reason, I thought the "buffalo" was a brand, like "Maytag Bleu". ← That would be Buffalo as in buffalo chicken wings. The flavor would be based on the spicy sauce. ← What he said =R=

I've never really taken much notice of the snack bar at my local Costco. I've grabbed diet coke or a hot dog there on occasion, but never anything else. Obviously, that's about to change. BTW, Jason, I love the lounge idea! =R=

That depends . . . how are your sourcing skills? =R=

Our shipment arrived today and they really are very delicious and notably unique-tasting. Buffalo is unquestionably the lead flavor in the Buffalo Blue Cheese variety, but there is also a distinctive blue cheese note in the finish and aftertaste. These are going to be a great accompaniment at our weekly office happy hour, which will begin as soon as I finish this post. As for the other 4 flavors, I especially liked the Spicy Mary variety. They're tomatoey with a nice hint of dill pickle -- very unlike any other flavored chips I've ever had. The Tuscan 3-Cheese are very pungent and nicely flavorful. The Creamy Caesar are nice aroma-wise but not salty enough, IMO. The only ones I didn't like were the Dirty Martini-flavored chips. They tasted somewhat fruity and not in a pleasant way. Cheers! =R=

Very cool rigging, Chris! Perhaps next you can consult me on how to convert my bike shed into a smoke house. =R=

Thanks to our thorough KC-area media digester, moosnsqrl, I caught this fun piece about ELP co-author Jeff Ruby who really does have a long history of service to the pie . . . Slice of success =R=

Thanks, Dave. I wasn't sure what those lines were about. Since it was my first time out I didn't know if they were naturally-occuring -- and supposed to be there -- or if they were a function of over-handling or over-filling the casings, or what. Do you think they're a symptom of my mixture being too cold? Chris, I've picked up 3 other books: Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson --Very useful from an historical perspective and a truly interesting read. This is, for lack of a better description, the charcuterie version of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. However, a lot of the recipes call for a pinch of this or a scant pinch of that. When it comes to curing salts, at least as a neophyte, I'm seeking some more exact guidance. Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly --Useful for its great diversity of recipes (often several for the same variety of sausage) and some brief, solid technique talk but not nearly as intense or passionate in tone as Charcuterie. Also, you really have to frown upon a guy referring to himself as "America's Premier Sausage Maker," as the cover of this book proclaims. Ugh. Professional Charcuterie by John Kinsella and David T. Harvey --The most textbook-like of the bunch. Some useful photos and straightforward explanations. The recipes seem pretty good, but I've only had it for a few days and haven't really read it through yet. =R=

Broker. ← Oh...you mean a ronnie_suburban! ← Sorry to disappoint but since we take title to our goods, technically speaking, we're not brokers. Now, I've got to get back to sourcing stuff. =R=

Thanks, Melkor, for the guidance. Perhaps some of the deficiencies you allude to will be addressed in subsequent editions. I too, find the book highly motivating but I've also picked up a few other charcuterie books, just to help myself fill in the blanks. =R=

Beautiful shots, Chris. I look forward to seeing the results. =R=

February 8, 2006... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Chocolate...with Valentine's Day just ahead, Virginia Gerst explores the luxurious sex appeal which only chocolate possesses. Appetizing destinations...with Black History Month upon us, Nancie McDermott provides this guide for where to learn more about African-American contributions to food history in America. Ms. McDermott also files this side bar wherein she identifies some specifically useful books. Sweet wines for your sweetie...Bill Daley with a useful guide to sweet wines. Tasting notes are included. A treasure-trove of Italian cuisine...Joe Gray files this review of Silver Spoon, the first English translation of the Italian cooking classic Il Cucchiaio d'argento. Whipping up dessert...it's Prep School time again and in this week's installment, James P. DeWan instructs us on how to prepare whipped cream. Passion fruit...food editor Carol Mighton Haddix with a useful guide. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Novel beverage anchors Bubble tea house...Cheryl V. Jackson discovers bubble tea and BeBoBa, a shop on N. Western Avenue (at Addison) which serves it. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at Galleria Marchetti, The Bottle Shop and Weber Grill Restaurants. Help's on the menu...Denise I. O'Neal rounds up a few of the week's industry offerings and events. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: The perfect match: What science says about wine/cheese pairs...Deborah Pankey unearths the science behind the culinary tradition and provides some information about sourcing and pairings in this side bar: Cheesy love affair. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== From the Chicago Reader...What's New section...reviews of Quartino, Haro and People Lounge. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby (along with Deborah Wilk) report on the failed fortunes of Geno Bahena whose serious cooking skills weren't enough to prevent him from parlaying 2, once-great restaurants into none. ==== =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. <><><><><>

so many people say that... i've really tried to like the plaza iii, but everytime i go, i'm really disappointed with their meat. it even tastes wet-aged to me (and poorly done at that)... with all of the pleased customers like you, tracy, i must be having really off-experiences (or at least i hope so!!) tracy, perhaps we should move this discussion off-forum... but can you elaborate? i'm curious what you mean by this. shoot me a p.m., i'm curious. u.e. ← Or, start a thread about it! =R=

Damn! Great job, Eliot. Your photos and comments, as usual, have me feeling like I was there with you. =R=

u.e., Perhaps you should check out Kizoku Restaurant, where the food is served in an even more creative way. =R=

There's a Greek place near me which serves wonderfully salty and flavorful roasted potatoes. Years ago I tried to replicate them and brined some peeled russet potatoes for 48 hours (1 gallon water, 1 C Kosher salt). After I cooked the potatoes, I was astounded by how completely bland they were. Whatever the restaurant was doing, it didn't seem to be brining which had, by my perception, almost no effect at all. If anyone's results differ, I'd love to hear about them and the method by which they acheived them. =R=

Very exciting news. Thanks, chef, for the update. =R=