ronnie_suburban

from the editorial linked above by scordelia: Clearly, the writer of the editorial is a bit naive about how food is actually produced. Like Sam posted above in reference to Alderman Moore, odds are that Mr. Hamer eats factory-processed chicken. Either that, or he's advocating that no animal products ever be consumed. =R=

I read here that John Cho's character was written out of the show, post-pilot: =R=

LOL . . . and techincally-speaking, Carlos is in Highland Park. Same goes for Miramar, where I think the food is outstanding. Gabriel's seems to be the shining star of the Highwood scene, although -- I've had great meals at Froggy's too -- but it's been a while since I was last there. =R=

September 21, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Pantry raid!...the Good Eating staff offer their suggestions for converting those cans and boxes in our pantries into decent, time-efficient meals. We're looking for holiday cookies...aren't we all? The Good Eating Holiday Cookie Contest is underway. A bit of prize money and some serious bragging rights are on the line. Bell peppers...Donna Pierce with a useful guide. A sticky debate...nutrition consultant Janet Helm explores the reasonable possibility that high fructose corn syrup is responsible for a world of nutritional woes. All hail Caesar...Renee Enna rates and compares several brands of pre-package Caesar salad kits. Beer and chocolate?...Chris McNamara reports on a recent, eye-opening tasting event at the Hopleaf Bar. Sealing away summer's fresh herbal bounty...Donna Pierce provides some useful tips for prolonging the use of summer herbs. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Lemons, sugar, water keep summer afloat...Lezli Bitterman explores the simple perfection of lemonade. Passion to the core...Sandy Thorn Clark visits with Peter Klein, the passionate founder of Seedling Orchard in South Haven, Michigan, a specialty produce purveyor who supplies many Chicago area markets and high-end restaurants. Make family dinner easy and healthy...food editor Sue Ontiveros with some useful tips on how families can participate in the 10th annual "National Eat Dinner Together Week," coming up next week. MK chef gets some satisfaction catering Stones...Denise I. O'Neal with the inside scoop of how Michael Kornick fed the Rolling Stones while they were in Chicago last week...and no, foie gras was not on the menu. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk with her weekly round-up of the week's upcoming food events, including happenings at Pane Caldo, Froggy's, McCormick & Schmick's, Spiaggia and The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Chefs whip up a plan to raise money for Katrina relief...food editor Deborah Pankey reports on Jimmy Bannos' gargantuan, star-chef-studded fundraiser, planned for Thursday October 6 at McCormick Place. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. A winner in our book...Laura Bianchi visits with Donna Robertelli, a veteran cook-off contestant who's still hoping to win the "big one." ===== In this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report on 2 surprising restaurant closings: JP Chicago and Acqualina. ===== =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. I think that's the essence of why it's in the movie. Mr. Motz is as intrigued by the history and culture behind the places featured in Hamburger America as he is by the fare they serve. =R=

Mr. Kaplan, you are so the pulse of food and dining in the Heartland. LMAO! If you let me drive, Ron, I can get you there in 75 minutes. ← You're on! =R=

Have yourself a good cry. In the spring and early summer brisket here (Dallas, TX) can be found on sale for 89-cents to $1.19/pound. We load up, freeze several and use them throughout the BBQ season. Smoke 'em low and slow, invite your friends (who MUST bring the beer), and enjoy. ← Yep, I'm well-aware of general Texas brisket prices. Fifi has posted in the past, to same effect. Around here, the only cut we can get that cheaply is pork butt. While that's certainly not a bad consolation prize, it ain't brisket either =R=

Nice piece, Sandy. A couple of thoughts: You are so right when you say that the ". . . battles already have been lost." And that's one of the reasons why I was so surprised -- and pleased -- by the developments which inspired this thread. The battles are, in fact, lost and sometimes it feels like the independents will continue to fall as predictably as a row of dominoes. Seeing that the chains can fail too gives me hope that, on some level, folks are still discerning about what they eat. But I'm hesitant to take anything more than a glimmer of hope from these closings. While they fly in the face of what seems to be a strong, general trend, I don't they signify imminent failure. More than likely, these closings were part of some statistical eventuality or an instance where the pre-opening market research was weak or inaccurate. It's likely that the ventures were considered by HQ to be marginal to begin with. As the article I originally cited mentioned, Chicago is a tough nut to crack for the Italian chains. That's something that the parent companies had to know, going in. As for the visitor factor, I believe in it . . . to a point. I certainly believe that there are a good number of visitors (in every destination) who seek out their favorite chains -- or something familiar. I'd love to know what the local-to-visitor ratio at Hooter's, Hard Rock Cafe and Rainforest Cafe are, at their respective downtown Chicago locations. As much as I believe those places appeal to out-of-towners, I'll bet there are plenty of locals there as well. Still, if they are popular, and generate visitors to our fair city, who am I to complain? As long as I don't have to eat there, right? I just find that ironic because I consider being able to try local, indigenous cuisine one of the best parts of traveling. I view business trips and vacations as culinary opportunities and I spend more time planning the eating on a given trip than any other element of it. I have traveled, on several occasions, to places specifically to experience the local eating opportunities. I've road-tripped for White Castles, spent weekends at out-of-town Farmer's Markets, extended business trips just to have another meal in a city and even jumped on a plane just to pick some pig. I cannot imagine willingly eating at a chain while away from home (not counting all those places where it's all but impossible to avoid). Eating at a chain is something I'm more likely to do at home -- when I need a change of pace or don't have an alternative. I live a good 20+ miles north of downtown Chicago in a fairly attractionless suburb. There are times when I feel that the folks who live around here are very discerning and there are times when it's clear to me that they are not. But, I don't see our little part of Chicagoland as much of a visitor magnet. That's why I'm at a loss to explain the closings of these outlets -- and even their openings, to a certain degree. It seemed so obvious that they wouldn't do well here. And, in the end, they didn't. I'm glad that it appears we're holding out, waiting for something better. But that's a relatively slow process. Last time I checked, 3 of the 4 shuttered chains restaurants remain vacant -- and one of our independently-owned joints also closed (deservedly, but that's another story). We've got one new indie scheduled to open here around the end of the month. With the success of a couple other locally-owned spots in the area over the past few years, I think a lot of folks are looking forward to it and hoping it will be worth supporting. Meanwhile, our Chili's is closed, even though the lot always appeared full and many folks seemed to enjoy it. The space remains vacant. It'll be interesting to see what kind of business moves into that space next. =R=

George, That's great news about the service and the wine list. My one qualm last time I was there was that the service was a bit spotty. Although, we were a fairly big group of around 12, IIRC. I must get back to Sweets and Savories. =R=

Yes, the soup would have been a perfect "to go" item. Hindsight is 20/20. Since it came before the burger, I didn't know the cost of eating it until it was too late. But, I only ate a couple of fries, so I don't think they were a factor at all. Look, my former high school team could probably beat the Bears. So please, let's not discuss that . But Kroll's does sound like a "must stop" next time I'm in the GB area. And no, I only had custard at Kopp's. The consensus among my hosts was that while their burgers are very good, they weren't worth trying on this particular jaunt. That said, I've had them before and enjoyed them immensely. And yes, they are big, although I don't know the exact stats; guessing that they are at least 4 oz per patty. =R=

Griddle-cooked, at both places. And yes, the fries were nothing special although they were piping hot, fairly crispy and well-salted. But there's only "so good" foodservice krinkle-cuts are going to be. =R=

Yup . . . As great as that Mazos' burger was, I figured it wouldn't be even close to that good later on. Reheating it would have been a complete bastardization and toting around a medium-rare burger, without being able to keep it cold, seemed like a dead end anyway, so I wrote it off. In the end, that burger was a fleeting pleasure; a transitory moment of brilliance to be enjoyed right there and then. Hell, I'm already worried that when I do go back there, it won't be as good. Also, I think ordering a double at that stage of the game was somewhat ambitious on my part. And, eating most of a cup of soup was just plain stupid, even though it was really good soup. And in spite of the fact that it says plainly on Mazos' menu that patties are 6 oz. each, that bit of text didn't really register with me until it was too late. So, I was prepared for a smaller sandwich and thinking -- for the sake of making a better comparison -- "double at Solly's, double at Mazos'.". Obviously, 2 x 6 oz -- even after cooking -- is a LOT of meat. And, well . . . you already know about our first two stops. Needless to say, I was uncomfortably full when I took that pic. =R=

*hangs head in shame* I'd had a double and fries at Solly's and sundae at Kopp's in the 90 minutes before we hit Mazos'. I know that's no excuse, I'm just sayin' . . . I'm seriously considering driving back up there for dinner tonight. It's about 90 minutes north of me but there's no question that it would be worth the drive. =R=

Earlier this week I had the good fortune to tag along on a "research" trip being made by George Motz, the man behind the mouth-watering documentary Hamburger America. He and his burger-maven associate Rick, invited me to ride up to Wisconsin with them while they did field work for Mr. Motz's latest project, which will also center on hamburgers in America. After stops at Solly's Grille and Kopp's I was feeling pretty full but I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the "professionals," so as we headed toward our final stop at Mazos, I did my best to prepare mentally to down yet another burger. Now in its second location, Mazos Restaurant has been in existence since 1934. A few years back they closed for 3 weeks to renovate the dining room. Still, the old-fashioned charm comes through loud and clear -- from the Arts & Crafts-style tables and chairs to the framed paintings of famous Italian-American crooners and other assorted iconography which hangs on the walls. The folks who work at Mazos are friendly and relaxed. At Mazos', burger meals come with 2 sides. I ordered myself a double with cheese and cooked onions, a cup of split pea soup and some fries. The soup was terrific and would have been perfect save for the fact that it contained a bit too much celery for my liking. Still it was some "Top 5" split pea soup . . . but I wasn't there to taste the soup. The burger was absolutely glorious and was one of the best I've ever (partially) eaten. It was cooked to perfection (medium-rare, as ordered), juicy and dripping with butter (I LOVE Wisconsin!). I was somewhat surprised that my 2 big-league companions seemed to dismiss their Mazos' burgers rather quickly because, for me, Mazos' burger transcended. I can't really compare it to Solly's because a) I love Solly's and b) it was a fairly different style of burger. But still, until our trek, I'd never even heard of Mazos and yet here it was redefining my burger universe in a powerful and distinctive way. Here's a shot of my order: Mazos' Double cheeseburger with cooked onions and here's a shot of what I couldn't finish: 3 days after the fact and I still wish I'd had room to finish this burger I cannot recommend Mazos' highly enough. I consider it to be a "must" stop if you're anywhere in the area and most definitely worth a day trip from Chicago as well. =R= Mazos Restaurant 3146 S. 27th St. Milwaukee, WI 414 671-2118

I also, highly recommend this documentary, although watching it will make you very hungry One of the folks in our Hamburger-touring group this week was the filmmaker, George Motz. He's very passionate about the movie and he's got another, related project in the works, so stay tuned. =R=

There's no reason to post my lousy photos (Anthony's are always superior) but I had another great meal at Solly's this past Thursday. For the record, I had a double with cheese and fried onions. Man, it was sensational! The owner, Glenn Fieber, was there and we chatted for a bit. He told us that after Solly's closed briefly a few years back (for the building to be physically relocated to its current location), he was stunned to see folks lined-up out the door and all the way down the block waiting patiently for their burger fixes. Apparently, during the downtime, folks had been absolutely jonesing for Solly's. As popular as the place had been, the blocks-long, mid-December line in the midst of a heavy snowstorm even took Glenn and his crew by surprise. Solly's customers' loyalty knew no bounds. I also learned from my friend Rick, who's been going to Solly's for many decades, that Solly's serves breakfast -- including tremendous, butter-laden hashbrowns -- every morning. Has anyone ever been there for breakfast? I'd love to try it out sometime. =R=

I seem to remember a few reports which indicate that they do -- but that the pricing can be a bit out of line if you go that direction. I'm sorry. I wish I could remember more details about that. =R=

This statement, in my opinion, reflects the outlook of someone who either a) doesn't know the first thing about how ducks are raised for foie gras, or b) doesn't think humans should be eating other animals. ← Exactly. At the core of the matter, the political proclomations being made seem to completely ignore the facts about how other "acceptable" animal-based foods are processed. That -- in this meat-loving town -- is the ultimate irony. And that's putting it politely. =R=

Since I originally posted this, many people have lamented the closing of that particular Chili's to me (in person, here and in pm's). In fact, every single comment I've heard about Chili's closing expressed disappointment over it and most of those comments have come from serious food lovers and industry professionals like you, Elizabeth. It makes me wonder why it closed in the first place. Their parking lot always seemed full and people clearly seemed to like it. Perhaps it merely under-performed, relative to expectations or projections. I'm fairly certain that the space is still vacant. There is now a bank in the former Applebee's space, IIRC. =R=

Eating foie gras and being charitable are mutually exclusive. =R=

Michael at EatChicago.net really likes it a lot: Indian Home Cooking (Bhabi): And here's an index of all his posts about it: Bhabi posts at eatchicago.net =R=

It's in the squash family. Here's some info. I think there's an eG regular who uses a funny picture of a chayote as an avatar, but I can't remember who. ← That would be SethG =R=

Sounds like State Fair material! ← A slurpee would have been okay, by comparison. This was more of a "foamee." =R=

*ding ding* =R=

On a near 90 degree day, I should have taken it as a meaningful omen when we walked into Nite N’ Gale in Highwood, IL and could feel hot furnace air blasting out of the vents. “Is your air conditioning broken?” I asked. The perky-cute but inarticulate hostess did her best “deer in headlights” impression, producing a variety of sounds and facial expressions -- but no actual words or answer. “I think we’d better come back on another night,” I said turning for the door. As we were exiting I heard “excuse me, Sir” coming from behind me. “The air conditioning is working in the back room.” A manager-type chased after us. “Oh, ok, that’s fine,” I said. He explained that yes, they were “having some problems” with their HVAC but that technicians were on the way. And, in a notable stroke of bad luck, we were seated. Nite N’ Gale, known mostly for its ribs, has been around for as long as I can remember and, quite frankly, it feels like it. The dining room is dark and worn. It has a mildly musty smell. The carpeting is worn and the green vinyl “tablecloths” are sticky to the touch. The pepper in the shakers on the tables is a faded gray. It looks years old and has absolutely no flavor. The menus are stained with food and the hand-written list of specials has cross-outs and rewrites -- in various colors of ink -- all over it. There are a few framed news clippings on the wall, taken from the local adpaper about 20 years ago. On our table is a basket filled with some perfunctory rolls, pre-packaged foodservice breadsticks and a few packs of ultra-stale Rye Krisps. Some butter pats, which appear to have been melted and reformed into rectangles, are also present. Eating here is clearly a bad idea but we’re already sitting down and it’s just too late to leave. Bummer. The soft drinks are quite small, relatively expensive (no refills here, just “anothers”) and they are most definitely an “off” brand. Actually, I’m astounded by how bad the soft drinks are; flat, syrupy and bland. I order a cocktail; another mistake. My vodka collins has been blended into a frothy and iceless concoction. This place has supper club written all over it but it isn’t even that good. All that’s missing is the relish tray. I am not a food snob. And don’t get me wrong, I loves dives. But the food served therein must be excellent and reasonably-priced. It is neither at Nite N’ Gale. In fact, Nite N’ Gale is a place -- at least in my perception -- where the food and the customers appear to be taken for granted. And its owners would probably be offended at hearing it referred to as a dive. When we arrived at about 5:40 pm, the “back room” was virtually empty. Within 15 minutes, every table was occupied and from the look of things, most of the customers in the house were regulars. Yes, it appeared that these people -- who actually knew what they were getting into -- were willingly choosing it again. I took that, mistakenly, as a positive sign. I realized as I read it, that the menu was largely irrelevant. Hell, it’s essentially been forsaken, for all intents and purposes. It looks like it was printed at around the same time the pepper shakers were last filled. I imagine that some of the items on this menu would actually be difficult for the kitchen to rustle up. At least the scrawled-out specials list appeared current and, I thought to myself, it probably reflects better what the kitchen is actually capable of turning out. Most of the other diners in the room appeared to be ordering from the specials menu. Ok, specials menu it is. But perhaps, since nostalgia drew me to Nite N’ Gale in the first place, I should have let it dictate my order. But ribs, steaks and burgers – the items for which I remember Nite N’ Gale – are easily made at home. Beyond that, I’m certain that my butcher is better than Nite N’ Gale’s. Friends assured me – after I told them about this lousy experience there -- that Nite N’ Gale is still strong on these items. Still, I didn’t see one slab of ribs served while we were there. After a brief consultation with our server -- who was quick and friendly -- I decided on the Halibut With Artichokes special, which she recommended enthusiastically. My wife ordered the Lamb Chops special. My son ordered a sausage pizza from the regular menu. With the dinners comes a choice of soup (minestrone or manhattan clam chowder on this night), salad or cole slaw. The chowder was not great but it was passable. The salad, was -- pardon the pun -- garden variety with non-distinct, industrial dressing poured all over it. “This isn’t good and it’s getting worse.” I thought to myself. I could smell cigarette smoke wafting in heavily from another part of the restaurant. I was in extreme restaurant discomfort and there was to be no early escape. Eventually, our waitress hustled the entrees out to the table. Disappointment . . . even in the context of my continually fading expectations. The halibut was a fresh, ¾” thick filet but it had been broiled without any seasonings, placed on a plate without any sauce and covered with canned artichoke hearts (cut into quarters) and a few wedges of lemon. Yuck! I laughed out loud -- although, I wasn’t a bit surprised -- when I looked over at my wife’s plate and saw the little, tell-tale plastic cup of green mint jelly riding shotgun to her lamp chops. That, of course, was a must. However, even though it was a bit gamier (mildly mutton-like) than I what am used to being served at this price ($18.95), the lamb chops were better than the halibut and they were cooked to medium -- exactly as ordered. By far, however, the most appetizing item on the table was my son’s sausage pizza. It wasn’t great but as I gave up on my fish (yes, mark it down, folks . . . I failed to finish an entrée) the pizza was hot and in front of me, so it met my newly-adopted standards. My son also thought it was fine. I chose the vegetable medley over the potato option with my entree. This medley was comprised of haphazardly-prepared veggies (bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, red onion, carrot, celery) which were just awful. This would have been utterly forgettable except that vegetables prepared this uncaringly are a pet peeve of mine. In fact, I believe that vegetables prepared this shoddily, this unappetizingly are the main reason why people who hate vegetables hate them. These vegetables were cut into all sorts of random sizes so that they couldn’t possibly have been cooked to a uniform level of doneness. Some of the veggies were thoroughly burnt, some were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside and some were virtually raw. They had no oil, no salt, no pepper nor any seasoning of any kind. Yum! Just like mom used to make. More so than at any other time I can remember in the recent past, this meal felt like a task which needed to be completed as quickly as possible. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I realized that I’d made a mistake by staying but I wouldn’t be able to “get past it” until the meal was over and I was in the parking lot. Even asking for the leftover pizza to be packed up added painful minutes to our experience. And that isn’t actually meant as a slam against the restaurant, per se, I’m simply trying to describe my own personal discomfort level with the entire situation. I should have simply trusted my instincts and avoided dining there. The fact that I didn’t makes the experience my fault, not the restaurant’s. I almost never pay with cash. On this night, I paid with cash. I simply could not endure the few extra minutes it would have taken to pay by credit card. I’m not sure why, but I realized that paying with cash also meant there’d be no electronic record of the meal. And for a moment -- for whatever crazy reason -- that thought comforted me. Until now, of course, because the cat’s out of the bag. But never in my life has the burning hot asphalt of a parking lot -- having baked all day in summer sunshine -- been so comforting to me as it was when I finally left Nite N’ Gale. I guess I should have ordered the ribs after all. =R=