ronnie_suburban

That is downtown, about 1/2 block east of State Street. Oak Street, IIRC, is around 1000 North (or 10 blocks north of Randolph and 2 blocks north of Chicago Avenue). Please anyone, correct me if I'm wrong. Oak Street - Chicago =R=

On my way to apple picking this weekend, I realized that I could work another trip to Mazos into the schedule. The burgers were as good or better than they were the first time out. This time, without the obstacle of a full stomach, I also opted for the double-cheese with cooked onion, medium rare. Man! It was so good! The meat at Mazos, which is freshly-ground on premises, is tender and flavorful. And the burger was cooked to perfection...again. The bun was immaculately fresh and the bacon on my son' cheeseburger was all-star in its own right. My wife also thought the burgers were great and compared them to Beinlich's. And purely on the basis of style, I'll admit that the burgers are similar. But that's where the comparison ends. I was nodding but I could no longer contain myself and practically scolding her, I blurted out, "Mazos is what Charlie Beinlich's wishes it were!" And in that moment all I could think about was a bunch of angry Heartlanders chasing after me, screaming "Blasphemy! Sacrilege!!" Had I really said that out loud? In any case, I'm happy to report some happier results from this trip to Mazos . . . =R=

Moderator Note: For sake of consolidation, and since there are already replies here, I've closed the thread on the Heartland forum. Carry on =R=

Well, I never made it here in August but yesterday we wanted to go apple picking and we immediately thought about the Elegant Farmer. Going there was a great choice. All in all they grow 10 varieties of Apples at the Elegant Farmer and most of them were available for picking yesterday. Cortland Jonathan Golden Delicious Red Delicious (only variety we didn't see) Spartans Wisconsin Granny Empire McIntosh Macoun Ida Red McIntosh The process starts with a short and inexpensive ($2 for adults, $1 for kids) hayride up a big hill to the Orchard at its top. Purchasing passage on the hayride is not required but the walk up to the orchard can be tiring. Of course, apple picking is not without its rules and regulations . . . . . . Hayride strongly encouraged When the hayride stops at the orchard, just over the top of the hill, a greeter provides further information; such as how to use the color-coded ribbon system to identify the specific varieties of apples and best to remove the apples from the trees (twist, don't pull!). Once off the hayride, you can roam the orchard freely . . . Wisconsin Grannies Macouns (iirc) One nice thing about picking your own is that you can sample the varieties right out there in the orchard . . . Sweet, acidic and crisp - Empire McIntosh When the hayride resumes, it travels a bit further uphill to the pumpkin patch. We thought it was a bit early to buy pumpkins, so we stayed on the hayride. When the hayride ended at the bottom of the hill, we disembarked and paid for our apples at a checkout booth. As the sign states, you are charged based on basket size. With a fully-filled basket, the cost ended up being about $1/pound. After we settled-up at the booth, we crossed the street and went into the main store . . . Decent selection, although not much in this particular case is actually grown on premises. In case you don't care to pick your own . . . Seasonal offerings Delicious ciders and blends Some more off-beat items The Elegant Farmer also "specializes" in baked goods . . . Attractive muffin case As Anthony mentioned upthread, the "signature" item at Elegant Farmer is their Apple Pie Baked in a Bag . . . . . . and they turn out quite a few of them. We had a really fun day. Although the weather was great, it would have been even better if it had been 10 degrees cooler -- 82 F was just a bit too summery. Not only was it a thoroughly enjoyable experience but coming home with this . . . . . . was very satisfying. =R=

Great-looking stuff. Thanks for the well-done report, molto e. And, if you ate all that in one sitting, my hat's off to you =R=

Thanks, Bruce, for the link. Rick Nelson is a great journalist. It's easy to see why he's won Beard Awards . . . =R=

Braising is definitely the way to go -- and I like Abra's suggestion -- but her omission of sweet Hungarian paprika is a serious flaw =R=

I never mentioned real cheese; I was envisioning a better-looking grade of the fake stuff. =R=

For the sake of reference, going forward, it's probably worth noting here that chef Trotter's NYC plans have been scrapped. From the New York Times, September 28, 2005: Charlie Trotters in TWC, Canceled (ongoing eGS forum discussion) =R=

Ok, the cheese sauce on those chillified tater tots doesn't look so great (ironic for WI), but still, that is one helluva mouth-watering pic and a delicious-looking snack. =R=

September 28, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Resdiscovering the Kosher kitchen...in advance of the Jewish High Holidays, Robin Mather Jenkins investigates the burgeoning interest -- among some families -- in keeping Kosher. Prosecco bubbles up...Bill Daley explores the virtues of this often-overlooked bubbly. Tasting notes are included. Another trip to the pantry...Robin Mather Jenkins with an addendum to last week's piece. Mincing or creaming controls the bite of garlic...in this week's Prep School installment, James P. DeWan explains the finer points of garlic control. Julia and Julie: A tale of two cooks...Joe Ray reviews Julie Powell's new book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, which documents her now famous web site. Carried away with carryout...Barbara Revsine files a reviews of eatZi's Gourmet Market & Bakery, a national chain which has recently landed in Chicago. Shiitake mushrooms...Bill Daley with a useful guide. Theakston Old Peculier...Jeff Boda files his Beer of the Month installment. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Monster meals: Tailgating at Soldier Field...Jennifer Olvera reports on tailgating -- the one good thing likely to happen at Soldier Field during this Bears season. Hobby blends technology, wine, Judaism...Leah A. Zeldes visits with Moshe Yudkowsky, author and the founder of www.kosherwinereview.com. Power, and weight gain, to the people...food editor Sue Ontiveros cautions us on the nutritional dangers of those super-sized candy packages we asked for. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at Cork Wine Bar & Cafe, Monastero's, Morton's, Rockit Bar & Grill, Motel Bar, Performing Arts Center at the Garlands of Barrington and Bapi Ristorante. Bannos unites chefs for battered New Orleans...Denise I' O'Neal previews October 6's massive fund-raiser at McCormick Place to benefit Katrina victims. The event, organized by Jimmy Bannos, will feature dozens of local and visiting chefs. ===== From the Chicago Reader...What's New section...reviews of Swim Cafe, Francesca's Forno and Parlor. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Taste of home...Beverly Levitt visits with Spanish chef Patricio Felsenstein (Naomi Grill, Madrid) and learns how he celebrates Rosh Hashana -- and connects to his personal history -- via Sephardic culinary traditions. Recipes are included. 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 that Michael Lachowicz, (Le Francais, Les Deux Gros) will go solo with an 82-seat venture (country French-style) in Winnetka, set to open on October 7. ===== =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.

I agree and I enjoyed it more than the pilot. But Rachel has a point about the show about not being [overly] funny. I laughed a couple of times but not throughout. I like the visual style of the show and the way the overall universe is depicted but those are elements which would be easier to appreciate and expand upon if the show were presented in a 60-minute, dramedy format. The 30-minute sit-com, especially on network tv, may not be a good venue for this material. I wish this show had found its way onto HBO or some similar, commercial-free cable outlet. =R=

Very nice! Have you ever tried doing this with uncooked rice? The reason I ask is that this was my first time not using cooked rice and I liked the results very much. It seems to me -- and I may be imagining this -- that the rice absorbed the flavor of the cooking liquid and made the rolls that much better. In either case, it saved a step, which was nice and the rice turned out completely cooked. =R= ← I've never tried that, and the rice in fact is "boil in bag" rice Yikes!! ← Actually, looking at your pics again, that sauce may be too viscous for cooking rice. I love the idea of the chopped hard-cooked egg, which you used. I think I'll steal/borrow that one next time around. =R=

Very nice! Have you ever tried doing this with uncooked rice? The reason I ask is that this was my first time not using cooked rice and I liked the results very much. It seems to me -- and I may be imagining this -- that the rice absorbed the flavor of the cooking liquid and made the rolls that much better. In either case, it saved a step, which was nice and the rice turned out completely cooked. =R=

I'm happy to report that a) my batch of stuffed cabbage turned out really well and that b) I had some leftover to take with me for lunch today. I scanned recipes in a few books and then created my own using some of the best parts of the published recipes and a bit of improvisation. I used only beef because that's what I had on hand. Into about 3 pounds of that ground chuck I added about 1.5 C of yellow onion, about 3/4 C of carrot and a few cloves of garlic -- all finely-chopped in the processor together. To the meat mixture I also added 1 C of uncooked, long-grain rice, salt, black pepper and light dusting of paprika. For the cooking medium I reconstitued a can of tomato paste with about 3 C of beef stock. To that I added a can of whole plum tomatoes (with juice), about 1/4 C of brown sugar, salt, pepper and a generous amount of sweet Hungarian paprika. I wrapped the rolls in standard green cabbage (leaves blanched first), spread about 1/2 pound of sauerkraut on top of them and cooked them in a covered roaster for about 90 minutes, at 350 F. Once the rolls were cooked, I poured off the cooking liquid, separated out the fat and homogenized it with a stick blender. From there, I reduced it on the stove top by about 25% and poured it back over the rolls. Here is a pic of the final result: Thanks to everyone here for the inspiration and the suggestions. =R=

Thanks, Nick, for the report. It's great to hear that things are clicking at Schwa. I think a lot of folks have been eagerly awaiting this; ever since Lovitt announced it was closing and changing hands (to Carlson, et al). =R=

Very nice job, Debbie. Great piece! Why am I suddenly jonesing for deviled eggs? =R=

I've taken a few classes at a local DC Lebanese restaurant and their recipe calls for soaked and cooked dried beans and I thought it made all the difference in the world in terms of texture. Whenever I've tried with canned chickpeas the texture has been a little grainy. The dried beans make a smooth, more creamy version that I really like. ← I've always felt this way too -- until tonight when I made a batch from canned beans -- but removed the skins. I thought it made for a noticeable improvement in both flavor and the texture, relative to batches I've made in the past with canned, unskinned beans. In the past, I've also made several batches from dried beans, but the skins don't seem to have the same "off" flavor that the canned version do. But still, I'm sorry to say -- because it's an annoying amount of work -- that removing the skins from canned beans greatly improved the final product. When I looked at the pile of discarded skins I'd removed from only 1 can of beans, I could better understand this concept; it was a relatively large mound of somewhat bitter and essentially insoluble material which, this time around, didn't find its way into my hummus. I guess that next time I make hummus from dried beans I'll do the same and see what impact, if any, it has on the final product. As Tess Mallos says in The Complete Middle East Cookbook, "...Even if using a modern appliance the chick peas must be separated from their skins for a successful hummus." I wanted not to believe this but I think she may be right. *Sigh* =R=

The menu is dated October 5th so I would think it should be in place by the time you go there. I am anxiously awaiting details. ← Grant did mention to me that this was merely the "proposed," upcoming menu -- so, it could also change slightly between now and when it is actually rolled out. =R=

Sounds fabulous, Rochelle. A nice menu from top to bottom. Earlier today I bought supplies for my stuffed cabbage run, which will be tomorrow. We're all really looking forward to it -- stuffed cabbage and football -- a new combination for us but one that does sound promising. =R=

This is very sad news. From the Cincinnati Post article linked above by aengus9: =R=

Chef Grant very kindly sent along the proposed fall Tour menu, which looks absolutely fantastic: The elements are so "fall" and the combinations sound wonderful. Duck Skin?! This menu speaks to me. I can't wait to get back in and take the Tour again. It's hard to believe that Alinea has been open less than 5 months. With the continually evolving menu, I think I'm beginning to understand at least part of what Grant wasn't able to do at Trio. =R=

Thanks for all the comment, JEL. Barley does sounds like an interesting variant on rice or soaked bread crumbs as part of the stuffing. Also, thanks for sharing your nice essay MarcoPolo. ← A while back, while I was low-carbing, I used some cauliflower -- pre-cooked in stock to soften it up -- in combination with the meat to create my cabbage roll filling. The results were pretty satisfying. Of course, you don't get the same absorption with cauliflower, but I think it's safe to use just about anything that you like, provided you prep it properly . . . =R=

So . . . you liked it better than Arun's? =R=

In his book Casseroles, Jim Fobel has a recipe that calls for doing exactly that. Works like a charm. =R=