ronnie_suburban

Yes! The introductory portions of the book are a real pep-talk, so to speak. I just ordered 2 pork bellies from my butcher and plan to start up with some bacon and some pancetta this weekend. I also found the grinder attachment for my Kitchen-Aid -- still in virgin condition in its unopened box. I knew that someday I'd be happy I picked it up for half price at that Chef's Catalog warehouse sale. That day is now rapidly approaching. =R=

January 18, 2006... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: A passion for cheese...Robin Mather Jenkins profiles Leslie Cooperband and her husband, Wes Jarrell, owners of Illinois' first licensed farmstead goat cheese dairy, Prairie Fruits, in Champaign, IL. What do women want?...Bill Daley reports on what the wine industry is doing to draw in the sought-after female demographic. Papaya...Donna Pierce with useful guide. Credit where it's due...food editor Carol Mighton Haddix with a brief review of Fields of Plenty by Michael Ableman. Orange supremes add elegant touch...in his weekly Prep School feature, James P. DeWan provides tips on how process citrus fruit -- especially oranges -- like the pros. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: On day off, tester king can relax...Sandy Thorn Clark spends some time with Cooks Illustrated's founder Christopher Kimball who was in town to promote his new book, The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Recipes hold time in a box...Leslie Baldacci reports on how a search through her own recipe collection actually led to the discovery of once-forgotten food memories. Sectioning citrus to create elegant supremes...apparently Orange Supremes are hot this week. Margaret Maples files the Sun-Times' take on these little beauties. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at Wine Expressions, Va Pensiero, West Town Tavern, Le Francais, and Karma Restaurant. Coast to coast...Among other upcoming events, Denise I. O'Neal previews Tru's annual Chef's Dinner Series which will kick off 2006 with a benefit dinner for Common Threads. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: "Desperate" ladies keep recipes within the budget...food editor Deborah Pankey blurbs the newest cookbook from the "Desperation Dinners" team, previews a Naperville appearance by Rick Bayless scheduled for later this week and congratulates a Mount Prospect woman who's been selected to compete in the 42nd Pillsbury Bake-Off, which will take place in Orlando, Florida next month. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== Congrats to our friends over at LTH Forums, whose Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards received a very nice mention in this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish. Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby also deliver the exciting news that Sam's Wines' much-anticipated Highland Park location is scheduled to open in March. ===== =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. <><><><><>

Nice report, Eliot! Those pics are great. Regionally speaking, the first question that popped into my mind was "how does it compare to Pizzeria Bianco?" =R=

Mark me down for a table for 4, whole roasted Foie sounds good to me Molto E ← Ditto. =R=

Why? Why wouldn't it be a restaurant where we offered tasting menus simular to what we do at Alinea ...but dishes of the past? Why do people want to make this cuisine "more approachable" Isn't that one aspect of what makes it special ..... it's un-approachability? Why turn it into a sushi concept of ordering it "by the peice" or large verions of the same food in an ala carte setting? Would it be the same? ← does ordering a great piece of toro nigiri (or 5!) make it less special because it is more approachable? I don't think so. In a tasting menu it makes sense to have an integrated whole that is composed and balanced -- and certainly a tasting menu could be available. But why not have the tapas/sushi bar of black truffle explosions etc.? Hell, I am at Alinea most days and I don't get to eat them! ← You of all people should know why it is more special to have a format that is controlled by the house. How special is the explosion when you can get a dozen of them at will? Ron—was the first or the second explosion better? . . . ← It's hard to say. After so relatively few, there's very little drop-off between experiences. But after being able to order them at will, I'm not sure I'd be able to say the same. The first time is complete surprise. . . and delight. The second time automatically references the first time and brings with it an emotional component that cannot be experienced the first time around. It delivers its own nostalgia. The surprise is gone, but the experience may be more savorable. =R=

I know I'd be up for it but I can't take credit for the idea. It was yellow truffle who suggested it =R=

Chef, You certainly have your critics (many who've never dined at Alinea). But now, in light of Alinea's early success and a plethora of positive reviews, do you feel vindicated? Do your critics have an impact on what you do? Do they motivate you? What has been the biggest surprise for you at Alinea? What's been your favorite Alinea dish thus far? I too would love to know which other chefs in town you admire and what you typically cook in non-professional venues. Thanks, =R=

Hi Folks, Chef Achatz has graciously agreed to block out some of his time and answer a bunch of our questions. This is going to happen fairly quickly (through late night on 1/13) so, if you're interested in participating, please visit this thread: Q&A Impromptu with Alinea chef/owner Grant Achatz Thanks, =R=

Hi All, Grant Achatz, chef and owner of Alinea has graciously agreed to answer a few of our questions. He'll log-in for several hours tomorrow evening and try to field as many questions as possible. Between now and then, please feel free to post your questions here. Again, he may not be able to get to all of them but if you've got something you'd like to ask chefg, now's your chance. Thanks and let those questions roll. =R=

Ditto. That is one of their products that is often labeled as being made with lower fat or lower calorie mayonnaise. Have you got any idea what they use for that? I really like those products, and I don't even like mayonnaise from a jar, in fact I hate it. I love their diet chicken salads and have totally given up on trying to duplicate them at home. ← No clue whatsoever. I'll bet it's no secret, it's just that I've never bothered to ask. I'm with you on their salads, too. Even though I didn't think I would, I love their chicken salad with the craisin-like, dried sour cherries in it (called Polly's, I think). And the Courtney's Tuna Salad (low-fat too, iirc) is truly awesome and possibly my fave rendition of all time. =R=

I enjoy Foodstuffs too. But I agree with you that it's so small it's almost not right to consider it a chain. I also agree that they turn out some great products and some not-so-great ones, as well. Their cold, boiled shrimp are the best I've eaten in the Chicago area but at $18/pound, they really should be. Some of their basic, ready-to-eat side dishes can cost upward of $8-$10 pound. That's a steep price when you're buying pre-cooked mashed potatoes or wild rice. The place is, for lack of a better description, part grocery, part deli, part gourmet food and wine shop. I love their signature, roasted red pepper dip. I've had dozens of varieties of this item over the years and their's is the absolute best, IMO. I also like the fact that they publish a weekly menu, so you know when a favorite item will be available. I think their breads are amazing but I'm honestly not sure if they're made in-house or not. Their sandwiches are also pretty tasty as are some of their pastries and confections. Overall, they have a lot to offer and it's even, on occasion, a "go-to" spot for certain high-end or off-beat ingredients too. =R=

There was a fairly thorough piece, by Michael Nagrant, about Ryan Poli and Butter in yesterday's Chicago Journal: Blue-collar Butter =R=

Mindbender is correct; the bowl is made from food grade paraffin wax. This is another Crucial Detail design. Martin designed a four part molding system that we use to cast the bowls daily. As part of one of the chef’s mise en place he is required to make 90 wax bowls each day. The use of wax was chosen for a couple key reasons. It allows us to pierce the bowl with the stainless pin used to keep the hot potato separate from the cold potato. The soft feel of the wax itself is very nice in the hand and on the mouth, and the translucent qualities of the thin wax are aesthetically appealing on the dark table. ← For a brief moment, I thought the bowl was also edible. Sorry about that missing bite, chef =R=

I mentioned a few of my favorite chains upthread but I did fail to make a distinction between chains which started out as chains and chains which grew into their size. I'm not sure it's a relevant distinction because the King of all Chains, McDonalds started out, innocently enough, as a single-unit entity. Still, it's a decent way to make some basic distinctions between some entities. Of course, being in Chicago, deep dish pizza is an essential part of life here. On that front, my very favorite, as I mentioned upthread, is Lou Malnati's: a chain. Of course, it started as one store and grew into what it is today. Their ingredients are outstanding and certain ones like their sausage and tomatoes are, IMO, the best in town. Pies are fairly consistent but not without variation. The outpost at which I do the most business is their Highland Park store. I think they turn out very consistent pies. They're only open for lunch on Friday and since my office is just 2 blocks away, we often partake. Another smaller chain which I visit fairly often is Potbelly Sandwich Works. They turn out good-tasting sandwiches which are made on excellent, well-toasted bread. I can't say their meats are super high in quality but they are tasty. Same goes for their condiments which are pretty darned good. One thing they do is slice pickles extremely thin and lay them lengthwise along your sandwich. It's a very nice way to apply pickles to a sandwich. Their gardeniera is not the best but it's distinctive and their dusseldorf mustard is really tasty. Their sandwiches are relatively small but they are priced accordingly. A glance at their site reveals that they have locations in 9 states. Last time I checked, they were in 2 states, plus DC, iirc. That wasn't too long ago. I wonder if their quality will dip (or has dipped) or if they will find a way to maintain it. What I know about the chain sandwich segment doesn't make optimistic. The ironic part about my appreciation of Potbelly's is that there is a great-looking, independently-owned Sub shop very near my house -- closer even than Potbelly's. I love sandwiches and Sub shops are hard to find around here. But, the place is so meh, I almost never go there. Other than KFC, fried chicken chains make complete sense to me. It's tough to make it well, requires a lot of work and attention, and can be very messy to make at home. Popeyes and a local chain, Brown's Chicken, turn out great bird and their sides are tasty too (Popeyes side are better than Browns, IMO). I'll be the first to admit that fast food fried chicken is, relatively speaking, absolute crap but when you're in the mood, you're in the mood. Breakfast is an area in which I'm probably in the vast minority. I like it very straight-forward; bacon or sausage, eggs, hash browns or good grits and toast. I want it slung at me -- not served -- and I want it as greasy as possible. Surprisingly, at many chains, this type of comination is easy to find I can't remember if it was in this thread or another where someone mentioned Waffle House. Well, I've loved my few experiences at Waffle House. Figuring that Denny's would be about the same, I tried it last year (while on vacation in AZ with the family) and thought it was absolutely horrible. How is it possible to ruin such simple food? I'm not sure but Denny's managed to do it. Every single item on my plate tasted "off." The hash browns had been "flavored" with something horrible. I've enjoyed breakfast at Old Country Buffet a number of times. There I usually have some poached eggs, an english muffin, a few slices of bacon (not very good bacon, I'll admit) maybe a sausage link or two and a couple of those Arby's-esque potato cakes, which are just perfect with eggs. Breakfast at the local diner in my town is okay but the food there isn't much better than at OCB and there's often a wait. Still, breakfast out is usually something that happens when I am away from home. Otherwise, I usually end up cooking it myself. With probably very few exceptions, we all indulge our entry-level fast food cravings from time to time. I'll eat at Wendy's or McDonalds when its all but unavoidable but Burger King is where I draw the line. I'm just not into the place. I actually love White Castle but there isn't one within 20 miles of my house, so we don't have it very often. Again, I don't visit a lot of QSR's because I don't travel very often for business and I live in a market where there are tons of other options. Still, when I am somewhere new, I always want to try the local and regional chains. When I first "discovered" Popeyes, that's exactly what it was -- and I was living in New Orleans at the time. No Chick-Fil-A's in Chicago (or very few, anyway), so I had to hit the one near my SIL's house in Denver. Same with Sonic -- had to give it whirl. Stuck in 21" of snow in Cheyenne, holed up at the Holiday Inn, it was pure delight to have an open and operating Taco's John's across the street from the hotel. Those potato ole's they sell are just fantastic . . . best I've ever had! I wish I could find them near home =R=

Agreed. It's definitely more Chinese than anything else . . . and quite delicious! =R=

Thanks, Anthony, for taking the time to shoot those great pics and share them here with us (again). The NYE menu was slightly different than it was during our mid-December visit but I do see a lot of similarities. I just cannot say enough about how delectable some of those dishes were . . . the yuzu, the chestnut, the yuba, the duck, the gingerbread, the smoked applewood, the nicoise olive, the bison with juniper aroma and so many of the others were all so distinctive and satisfying. Your pics have brought on a bunch of great memories. And the pairings we enjoyed at our mid-December meal, created by Joe Ziomek (the server/asst. sommelier), were also my favorites of all our meals at Alinea. I went to Alinea 4 times in 2005 and when I think about the evolution which took place between my first visit and my most recent visit, it truly impresses me. To the eye, there are many common elements, but flavorwise, the focus continued to tighten as the months passed. It's a dynamic which I'm having trouble putting into words. It has to be tasted, I think. All over town there are places turning out tremendous and innovative food. Yet, I feel that Grant could pretty much replicate any of it. But the same cannot be said in reverse. Very few folks -- if any -- could even being to approach what he does. Beyond the cooking, even the plating and presentation would challenge many accomplished cooks. What's exciting to me is thinking about how new this place is and how young Grant is. On another thread someone wondered where Alinea would be in 5 years. I'm wondering too and as much I dread getting older, I cannot wait to see for myself. =R=

But what's your answer to those of us who say we enjoy cooking very much but find it a chore at times? Do you think that's just not a reasonable standpoint? ← I essentially learned how to cook because I moved to a place where the dining-out options were fairly undesirable. I know how to make dozens of easy-to-prepare meals, I understand full-well the powers of marketing and yet there are still times when I simply don't feel like cooking. And I don't feel bamboozled in the least. And in my case, deciding not to cook rarely lands me at a chain (not that there's anything wrong with that ). There is, in my mind, no correlation whatsover between not wanting to cook and being tricked into such a feeling. Saying as much implies that those who do not (want to) cook are somehow incapable of making intelligent decisions for themselves. Even in a venue like this one, we all have our own priorties and I'm not going to judge someone who'd rather spend their time doing something other than cooking. Yes, I'm more likely to cook than go out. That hardly makes me virtuous. It just is. =R=

In your opinion. I love to cook, but yes indeed, in my experience cooking can be a chore. I agree with Behemoth. People have all sorts of reasons to want to go out for a meal. Some people don't understand why anyone gets coffee out when you can always make better coffee at home. Some don't understand why people pay the markups on booze and wine in restaurants. Others don't get why anyone eats out, ever. I understand all those points of view on some level. What I don't understand is why anyone thinks their pet one is the only reasonable one. ← LOL! I agree that cooking is -- from time to time -- a chore. And when I'm feeling that way, is when I'm most likely to go out for a meal. In fact, that feeling is one of the two primary reasons why I do go out to eat. Saying that cooking is never a chore may be true for Kurt, but based on the size of the restaurant industry, I'm guessing that he's in a very small minority with that perspective. =R=

January 11, 2006... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: The search for the PERFECT LOAF...James P. DeWan chronicles his semi-predictably challenging quest for the perfect baguette. Warmth in the bowl, warmth in the glass...Bill Daley finds something positive even in a bowl of "mild-mannered Midwestern chili," as it makes for an easy pairing with several grape varietals. Yuca...Robin Mather Jenkins with a useful guide. Good news, bad news...nutritionist Janet Helm dissects a new, federal food labelling law which will make some -- but not all -- allergens much easier to spot. Resolving to cook better in 2006...in this special to the Tribune, Elyse Friedman lays out some useful tips for getting out of our culinary ruts. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: The key to a great beer...on what would have been beer-lover Ben Franklin's 300th birthday, Jennfier Olvera reports on Poor Richard's Ale, a Brewers Association contest winner which was formulated to resemble a beer that Franklin himself would have enjoyed and brewed in his day. Chef savors diversity of cuisine, culture...Maureen Jenkins visits with chef Marcus Samuelsson and gets his take on all things culinary. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk rounds-up the week's food events which include happenings at Phil Stefani's and BIN 36. Food news...Denise I. O'Neal delivers the week's food news which includes the debut of Check Please! Kids, coming up this Friday evening on WTTW. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Hunger + food = ...well, you do the math...Laura Bianchi visits with Greg Stenzel and chronicles his natural progression from self-sufficient, latch-key kid to seasoned adult cook. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, the other shoe falls at Michael Kornick's A Milano Grill in Northfield. Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report on its closing. ==== =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. <><><><><>

Or maybe you just have a difference of opinion about the matter. Speaking as host of this forum I'm requesting that we not present our opinions as facts or imply that those who don't agree with us are somehow wrong. Thank you and carry on =R=

More on the closing from Janet Fuller in today's Chicago Sun-Times: Landmark restaurant closing =R=

I think this place is called Sun Wah BBQ but I could be mistaken. I've been there a few times; including once on a Saturday afternoon when 3 dudes were bringing a huge, whole pig up to the front of the store from the cooker somewhere in back. If we're talking about the same place, here's their info: Sun Wah Bar-BQ Restaurant 1134 W. Argyle St Chicago 773 769-1254 =R=

More from Phil Vettel at the Chicago Tribune: Evanston restaurant to close =R=

Very nice! So . . . what's the minimum quantity on the anti-plates? Do I have to order a full pallet? =R=

This would be very cool and I hope that it (or something like it) does get off the ground. When I ran into Henry at Recipe for Relief back in October, he was in good spirits and indicated nothing about this sad, impending news (not even a hint). I remember when the place was Cafe Provencal and everyone was predicting that it would never make it as Trio. Meanwhile, for 12 years Henry not only kept it going but managed to build an amazing legacy of his own. To echo the thoughts of eGS member Pugman, I think that more than any other factor, Trio's less-than-desirable location finally caught up with it. The less of a "destination" restaurant itself became, the harder it was to draw traffic. The setting wasn't quite right for a neighborhood spot and it was so out of the way, it didn't have the advantage of drawing true "walk-in" customers from the Evanston business district. I wish Henry and all the staff at Trio a successful transition into whatever is next for each of them. And thank you again for all the great times and great meals over the years. =R=