ronnie_suburban

I originally missed it but there was a fun piece about the "Chef's Bar" at Avenues in last Friday's Chicago Sun-Times: Gotta try it: Cooking up entertainment =R=

November 9, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Artisinal to the core...Robin Mather Jenkins tracks the current market for "hard" cider; an especially popular beverage this time of year. Humble casserole vaults cook to national status...Chris McNamara reports from the recently-completed Best Home Cook in America contest, at which some heavy-hitting local chefs served as judges. Go east young wine...Bill Daley explores one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. wine industry -- production east of the Rocky Mountains. Tasting notes are included. There's more than one way to throw a party...Bill Daley checks in again, this time with an overview of several books, currently on the shelves, which focus on home entertaining. Stuffing pork chops in no time...James P. DeWan continues his regular Prep School series. Kabocha...Joe Gray with a useful guide. Conference spreads the word on untapped cuisines...Robin Mather Jenkins checks in from the Culinary Institute of America's recently-completed Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival in St. Helena California. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Gotta try it: Cooking up entertainment...Lucio Guerrero reports from Avenues where chef Graham Elliot Bowles is wowing diners with his 22-course tasting menu and special "Chef's Bar" service (this piece ran on November, 4). A trio of Thanksgivings...Sandy Thorn Clark spends some time with one sixtyblue chef Martial Noguier and learns about his take on Thanksgiving. Recipes are included. Cooking tips that go a-ha!...Maureen Jenkins reviews How to Break an Egg: 1,453 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, Emergency Substitutions and Handy Techniques, from the editors, contributors and readers of Fine Cooking magazine. New melody at Aria...Denise I. O'Neal reports that 32-year-old chef Leon Gunn (formerly at Spring) has been hired as chef de cuisine at Aria. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk presents her weekly preview of the area's upcoming events, including happenings at Oak Park Abbey, Bin Wine Cafe, Extra Virgin, Carnivale, The Noodle Cafe, Old St. Pat's Church Hall, Phil Stefani's, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Jameson's Charhouse. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Don't keep vegetarians from the holiday table...food editor Deborah Pankey with some tips on how to share the holiday love with our vegetarian friends and relatives. 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 Agami, Cuatro and Fontana. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report on the soon-to-open May Street Market by chef/owner (and Hinsdale native) Alexander Cheswick, a veteran of Tru and Le Francais. Also revealed is an upcoming appearance by the Dish duo themselves. On November 12 at 2 pm, they'll be signing copies of their new book, Everybody Loves Pizza, at Bloomingdale’s at the Medinah Temple (600 N Wabash). ===== =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.

Hi All, Beginning this week, we are adding this new, Kansas City digest to the Heartland forum. It will be compiled by fellow Heartlander and newly-appointed Specialist, Judy Jones (aka moosnsqrl), who knew what the job entailed when she took it As with the other digests which appear on our site, we're setting up this thread as a consolidation point for various, food-related stories of interest which appear in the local Kansas City area media. We plan to update this thread weekly, although some of the resources which will be digested here, won't renew that frequently. As the thread continues, please let either me or Judy know if there are any worthy local media sources which we have neglected to include. Thanks, =R=

Note to self: don't lend Bourdain our ATV. =R=

Jennifer, surely you understand that for some folks, how humans treat animals is far more important than how they treat other humans. =R=

Limes (tahitian/persian) are generally best between May and July. However, in any season their rinds tend to discolor rapidly. Since we use a lot of them around here, they are on our weekly shopping list. At the very least, I know I'll need them around for cocktails. =R=

Just in time for the holidays, I've added Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook to my collection. If it's even half as useful as her Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook, it'll be a fantastic resource. =R=

A bit more than a year ago chef Graham Elliot Bowles and I met here. On this very thread, he’d announced his impending arrival in Chicago -- he’d been hired as chef at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel. A few weeks later he officially took the helm, and in the months which have followed, he and his crew have taken Avenues from relative obscurity to a place of national prominence on the culinary map. Chef Bowles is often categorized with a couple other highly successful Chicago chefs but I’m not sure that the comparisons necessarily apply. Sure he’s young, immensely talented and innovative but there’s no mistaking chef Bowles’ food for anyone else’s. Rather than fit into any illusory Chicago Avant-Garde style, it is chef Bowles’ mere presence in Chicago which, I think, draws the comparisons. He’s great, he’s young and he’s here. Beyond that, I don’t think the comparisons are even worth trying to make. We dined at Avenues last month and my wife and I delighted in the chef’s “his and hers” Chef’s Palate menus. We were each served 12 different courses and sommelier Aaron Elliot (formerly of Tru) deftly paired each of those courses with its own companion from the still-evolving wine list, for which he is only partially responsible. He’s still working through a relatively large stock which he “inherited” when he took the job. It mattered not. The pairings were thoughtful and provocative. With the 12-course menu there simply were no “duds” but I did have my favorites. My first course was an absolutely delectable combination of yellowtail toro, Matsutake mushrooms and Matsutake mushroom panacotta. From there, we traveled the world, enjoying everything from Chef Bowles signature foie gras with “pop rocks” to melt in the mouth Kangaroo with eucalyptus and savory oatmeal, which was hearty and satisfying. Pheasant with pecan, cornbread, black-eye peas and collards -- for which Chef Bowles gave the credit to his crew -- also blew me away. The unconventional risotto with grenouilles, cipollini and truffle was rich and satisfying. Another course which was absolutely decadent and truly memorable was the Sturgeon with caraway, sauerkraut and caviar. The crown jewel of my menu, however, was the Bison with sassafras, grits and cranberry. I cannot remember ever eating a more satisfying piece of meat in my life. The bison was cooked en sous vide, then (IIRC) coated and grilled. OMFG! I tried several of the dishes my wife was served and they were all wonderful as well. I especially enjoyed the deconstructed versions of caesar salad and bouillabaisse. Her venison dish was wonderfully tender and tasty. The beef dish, a very close rival to the bison. The only criticism I have of Avenues is that the elegantly old-fashioned room doesn’t even come close to matching chef Bowles’ boldness of style. He is, for all intents and purposes, a bull in a china shop at Avenues. And it almost feels like the hotel is holding back on making changes until they’re certain that he’s their guy. Well, if it were up to me, I’d give the man whatever he wants because he’s clearly worthy of it. Same goes for the wine list. A little more lattitude provided to both chef and sommelier will crystalize Avenues’ place among the top restaurants in town. And there is absolutely no one who could draw diners into Avenues more successfully than chef Bowles. Message to the Peninsula: Get it done before it’s no longer an option. Service was outstanding. From the hostess who greeted us all the way down the line, we were treated wonderfully. I’ve already mentioned sommelier Aaron Elliot whose enthusiasm just bursts out of him. But also our captain,William Talbott, went WAY out of his way to make us feel extra special. And our server, Jose, took care of our every need -- many times without us even noticing. It was a level of service which was just perfect for us. As with many of my favorite restaurants, the performance of the staff was impeccable but the attitude was friendly, good-humored and laid back. One dish -- I cannot remember which -- was served with a variety of utensils. I was told to simply use whichever ones were most comfortable for me. I loved that moment. It was a truly reflective snapshot of our experience at Avenues. Running a top-tier restaurant is an elusive enough task with a set of perfect tools but doing so out of a hotel is an even more challenging gig. At Avenues, not only is traffic somewhat limited because of the room’s location 5 floors up from the street but also because of union rules, they don’t enjoy the same flexibility as other places in town which can take on stagieres, unpaid apprentices, etc. Of course, Chef Bowles would never mention any of this. He just does his thing, deftly. But it’s clear that he’s doing more at Avenues with fewer resources than many other chefs in town who enjoy kitchens full of upwardly mobile chefs. Don't miss Avenues. It's a genuine jewel. =R=

After thinking about it, I have a couple other thoughts on this. There is a Foodstuffs in Evanston on Central Avenue. It's kind of a mixed bag but they do have some decent pastries and their breads are very good. Foodstuffs 2106 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201 847-328-7704 And, especially if you're taking the Edens in either direction, I'd highly recommend Rolf's Patisserie on Touhy Avenue. They turn out great, old-world-style product. Rolf's Patisserie 4343 W Touhy Ave Lincolnwood, IL 60712 847 982-9400 Right around the corner from Rolf's is Lincolnwood Produce, which is arguaby one of the best and most complete groceries in the area. Their produce is amazing and they carry tons of other great products. Lincolnwood Produce 7175 N Lincoln Avenue Lincolnwood, IL 60712 847 329-0600 =R=

There are other great food spots in Evanston but the one which immediately comes to mind (and relates to your mission) is Belgian Chocolatier Piron. It's a great spot for hand-made chocolates made in the Belgian tradition. Bob Piron learned his trade in Belgium and the confections he turns out are great. Belgian Chocolatier Piron 509 Main Street Evanston, IL 60202 847 864 5504 Another great spot is Casteel Coffee. They make their own blends and do their own roasting there. They also sell raw beans, coffee machines and other supplies for the home enthusiast. An excellent destination. Casteel Coffee 2924 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201 (847) 424-9999 There are a lot of talked about places in Evanston for lunch. But, if it were me, I'd head a bit further south to Rogers Park and hit Hae Woon Dai. It is, IMO, among the best Korean food in the entire Chicagoland area. They (or you, as the case may be) cook over coal, not gas and the food is sensational. Hae Woon Dai 6240 N. California Chicago, IL 60659 773 764-8018 Or, if there's something specific you like to eat, just say the word and maybe one of us can point you in the right direction. =R=

Confirming what at least a few of us suspected in the first place, Alderman Joe Moore reveals his true agenda in a piece which was published yesterday at Bloomberg.com: Foie Gras Debate Splits Chicago as Chef, Mayor Duel Over Ducks =R=

Nice work, Arne. Great-looking stuff! =R=

Thanks chef, for the info. Just in case anyone here doesn't already know, inventolux = Moto =R=

Yup, that's it. And to give it even more cred: ronnie_suburban, cook and host extraordinaire, Honcho of the Heartland and my cherished macho buddy, is likewise a fan of this book. ← Yes, I absolutely love that book. I've made dozens of recipes from it from and when I'm not cooking from it, I read it just for the sheer joy of doing so. I also have had great results cooking from Tapas by Penelope Casas. There are some great recipes in that book. But in the Handbook, Martha lays it out in a way which truly speaks to me =R=

I just learned from a friend that that Avenues has received their first shipment of Alba White Truffles. They're going to have them for the rest of the season, and will be shaving them tableside for a supplemental charge. =R=

Josh is right. Spring would be a great choice. As would North Pond. Mentioned upthread but not recommended was Blackbird. Let me officially recommend it -- or its companion restaurant, Avec. They're both turning out great food and will meet your budgetary requirements. Another spot with a seafood bent, about which I'm hearing a lot of great things (although I've never been there personally) is Scylla. In fact, I've heard only positive things about it and the comments have come from a fairly diverse group of folks. =R=

The Chicago Tribune updated this story in today's edition: For now, aldermen duck vote on banning foie gras =R=

To which post are you referring? =R=

November 2, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Welcome amontillado to the table...Bill Daley goes "Poe" and explores fall's comfortable pairings with this older sister of Fino Sherry. One potato, two potato, 30 potatoes and more...Virginia Gerst visits briefly with Heartland produce guru, Lloyd Nichols of Nichols Farm. The focus is varietal potatoes -- and plenty of recipes are provided. In a sidebar, Potatoes on parade, she also discusses some of the varieties currently available in the Chicago area. Turkey with all the trimmings...Chris McNamara heads down to Byron, IL to check out the Turkey Testical Festival, which has been going strong since 1978. Senior challenge...Nutritionist Janet Helm reports on how our nutritional needs change as we age and what we can do to address those needs. A North Shore restaurant shares its recipes...Bill Daley takes a brief look at Carlos' Contemporary French Cuisine, a new cookbook from Carlos and Debbie Nieto, the proprietors of Carlos in Highland Park. Jicama...Renee Enna with a useful guide. Keep paraffin out of the candy jar...Donna Pierce explains why the practice has become outdated. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Urban chic cuisine...Maureen Jenkins previews chef Ricky Moore's Parrot Cage Restaurant -- a collaboration between the Chicago Park District and the Washburne Culinary Institute -- which is slated to open on November 15 at the South Shore Cultural Center. Sustaining seafood...Denise I. O'Neal delivers a variety of local food-related bits in her weekly round-up. Included is news about Shedd Aquarium's chef Ted Cizma and upcoming local appearances by Mario Batali and Marcus Samuelsson. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk with her weekly preview of local food events including happenings at Geja's Cafe, Public Landing Restaurant, Que Syrah Fine Wine Shop and both locations of The Chopping Block. New kid on the block...Denise I. O'Neal files a brief review of newcomer, Pizzeria Deepo, on the city's south side. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Not too early to begin talking to the Turkey Talk-Line...in an effort to quell holiday panic, food editor Deborah Pankey sets her sights on Thanksgiving, early this year. 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, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report on Kizoku Restaurant, a newcomer which specializes in "body" sushi . . . so many punchlines, so little time. ===== =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.

See full article from the Chicago Tribune ← Sometimes I just love Chicago politics. So old skool =R=

Glad to hear Custom House is up and running. Dish reported about it so long ago, I'd almost forgotten the opening was coming. Does anyone know if the beef they serve at Custom House is Prime and/or aged? =R=

I'm heading to Sanford this weekend for the first time and I'm very much looking forward to it. Bret's negative experience is the only one I've ever encountered. I surely hope our experience doesn't match up with his. In either case, I'll be sure to report back on our experience. =R=

A couple of weeks back I caught a mention of this new book by Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby (Dining Editor and Deputy Dining Editor, respectively) from Chicago Magazine. The duo are probably best-known for their weekly, on-line, Chicagoland restaurant round-up, Dish. Even though I always enjoy reading Dish, I ignored the initial mention of Everybody Loves Pizza. But, after hearing it mentioned a few more times, I decided to check it out for myself. Why not? As the title correctly states, I love pizza. In fact, I’m a pizza addict. I've made my own pies for years, But wait, I’ve already made my pilgrimage to Pizzeria Bianco and I’ve read American Pie. Why the hell do I need to read another book about pizza? Right? Wrong! Everybody Loves Pizza is a slickly-produced, perfect-bound paperback which, at first glance, appears to be a fluff-filled novelty book. But, as they often reminded us in grade school, 'do not judge a book by its cover.' At its core, ELP is a highly informative, concisely-written and extremely entertaining volume -- and an excellent companion to what I can definitively say is my favorite food. Along its course, ELP, forgive the pun, delivers tons of facts and information about pizza’s evolution and history in the U.S.. The compelling details are supported throughout with historical photos and attractive artwork as well as a number of useful sidebars, graphs and lists. The book is essentially divided into 3 sections. The first is a basic, historical overview which recapitulates a few theories about how pizza came to be, details its evolution, chronicles its development in the U.S., and tries to gauge where it is likely headed. This section delineates and details 4 major classifications of pizza style in the U.S.: New York, New Haven, Chicago and California. While the writers occasionally drop hints as to their own preferences, the tone of ELP is decidedly ecumenical. Ruby and Pollack admit early on that their effort will not “. . . enter the debate as to which style is best: We’re here to celebrate them all.” I especially enjoyed how the inherent controversies within the incestuous pizza universe are presented in ELP. One common theme, which seems to pop up repeatedly, is that of disgruntled employees -- many times members of the same family -- venturing off to start their own pizzerias. Such was the case in the early stages of the pizza scenes in New York, New Haven, CT and Chicago. Competing New Haven pizzerias Sally’s Apizza and Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana try to downplay their legendarily fierce rivalry, even as representatives from both entities admit to never having even tried pizza made by the other. On the Chicago scene, there is still a lingering question about whether Ike Sewell really came up with the concept of deep dish pizza on his own. Additionally, the time-line of Chicago pizza plays out like daytime television. First came Ike Sewell’s Pizzeria Uno in 1943. Eventually, their pizza chef, Alice Mae Redmond, left to become part of the group which founded Gino’s East in 1966. In 1971, after Sewell made it clear that he would never let one of his key employees buy into the business, that employee left to start his own pizza empire. His name: Lou Malnati. Malnati even left his father, a loyal Pizzeria Uno employee, behind when he defected. ELP also documents how the man who is widely credited with “inventing” California-style pizza today owns one lone shop while those with whom he collaborated have gone on to become multi-millionaires. Pollack and Ruby go on to describe how the intense proprietary combativeness over pizza extends even to corporate pizza chains and retail manufacturers. In today's market, local pizzerias no longer compete only against each other. “Once you factored in the ever-growing influence of chain pizzerias, it was safe to say that the balance of power in the pizza world had officially shifted from dough-tossing, peel-brandishing pizzaioli to brand managers and marketing directors.” Great stuff! The second section of ELP is a combination “how-to” guide and pizza cookbook. Sound advice is provided on technique and a few tips, reflecting a fair amount of pizza cooking experience, are also shared. Additionally, some resources for various hard-to-find ingredients and supplies are provided. A gaggle of experts (some who also blurbed the book, such as Mario Batali) supply the recipes in this section. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but they appear to be quite appetizing. The final section of ELP is a terrific reference which lists 546 “Great American Pizzerias.” If you’ve ever found yourself in an unfamiliar town, with the yellow pages open to “Pizza,” this list will be of great interest to you. I’ve already scanned it, emailed it to myself and stored it in my PDA. While the writers haven’t personally tested every place on the list, the manner in which it was compiled seems reasonable enough. And not to completely remove themselves from controversy, P&R do finally list their Top 10 pizzerias. I was surprised by a few of their choices but hey, that’s what Top 10 lists are all about. All in all, this is a highly informative and fun read -- and a great reference as well. While there is a tremendous amount here for the casual pizza lover, there’s also plenty for the rabid expert too. I was so inspired after reading Everybody Loves Pizza, I made a special trip to the store so I could make pizzas for the family last night. Has anyone else had a chance to check out this book? =R=

I tried the Peach version today. I thought it was far better than the Black Cherry but still nothing I'd seek out on a regular basis. Marketers' never-ending quest to occupy additional shelf space really does deliver some curious results. =R=

October 26, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: 2005 good eating awards...the Good Eating staff announces the winners of their annual awards, which include Chicago chefs/restauranteurs Grant Achatz and Shawn McClain. Matchmaking, Japanese-style...Bill Daley discusses the finer points of pairing wine with Japanese food. Getting to the root of the matter with parsnips...James P. DeWan continues his regular Prep School series. Family favorites in a fancy setting...Nancy Maes with a brief look at Sarah's Pastries & Candies on the Gold Coast. Pumpkin...Robin Mather Jenkins with a useful guide. Goose Island Dunkelweizenbock...the latest installment in the Beer of the Month series. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Chinatown calls...Sandy Thorn Clark rediscovers Chicago's Chinatown. Council panel backs foie gras ban...Fran Spielman with an update on the Chicago City Council's misguided plans to interfere with our food choices. Keep the holiday sizzle in the skillet...Leah A. Zeldes discusses the importance of fire safety as it pertains to food preparation at holiday time. A sweet thank you is always welcome...Margaret Maples reviews Judith Sutton's latest book, Sweet Gratitude. Coming together for March of Dimes benefit...Denise I. O'Neal previews the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, in which a team of 27 local chefs will participate. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk with her weekly preview of upcoming food events, including happenings at Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, Shaw's Crab House, Piece, Zapatista, Cafe La Cave and Gridley's Grille. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Sox sweets a big hit in Cubs' 'hood....Christina Wall (Medill News Service) visits with baker John Roeser lll, a loyal Sox fan whose bakery is turning out Sox-themed treats deep in the heart of Cubs country. 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 Landmark, Zapatista and Mrs. Murphy's and Sons. ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby chat briefly with Ted Cizma who's currently the chef at the Shedd Aquarium. ===== =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.