ronnie_suburban

I thought I remembered seeing those at one point myself. But, I couldn't find them at my nearest "gourmet" store and they do seem to be absent from the roster at their web site as well. =R=

For continuity's sake, I've merged Josh's new thread into this one. But, it would be very nice to get some new and more current thoughts here. I will say that I was very skeptical when I was invited to a recent family dinner at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. But, it really was great. The steaks were outstanding, the sides were as good as I've ever had at a steakhouse and the service was memorably thorough and friendly. =R=

There are so many crazy, useless and redundant flavors of potato chips out there but one potentially great flavor -- bleu cheese -- seems almost impossible to find, other than the occasional minor brand or "niche" chip. Why are there almost no bleu cheese-flavored potato chips? It seems like a natural to me. What prevents this product from being rolled out en masse? Is it the (perceived) lack of market, cost or shelf-instability of bleu cheese powder? Is bleu cheese just too "serious" a flavor for the mainstream chip market? Or are the bleu lovers too "serious" a group to waste their time on a flavored potato chip? We've already wasted a good deal of time discussing this at my office. Help us waste a bit more . . . please share your knowledge (or theories) =R=

Michael, the preview for last night's installment contained an audio clip of something being referred to as "cat food." However, that moment didn't seem to appear in last night's show. Can you elaborate? Thanks. =R=

LMAO!! It took 15 posts but I knew someone would say it! I use mine to store my D&D supplies, as Allura mentioned, polyhedrons and the like. =R=

Thanks for the update. What you say about Arun and Chinese cooking only surprises me mildy...case in point, Opera's menu -- and food -- which is fantastic. =R=

As stated above, no offense was intended. Please keep an eye on those emotes. They'll usually help to reveal a poster's intended tone; especially when that's all we have other than a given poster's words. Ok, I'd like to move the focus of this thread back to Shanghai Club -- and it's my own doing that it has drifted. I'm eagerly awaiting the early reviews. jonlmac, you seem to be a big fan of Arun (or possibly even connected to him in some way), do you have any idea when exactly it will open? =R=

It was meant as a light-hearted compliment to a man with a great reputation who works very hard and has tremendous influence around town (that's why it was followed the "raz" emote). I feel fairly certain that I can speak for George too and say that his post was intended with the same tone. I find it hard to believe you (or anyone else) would be insulted by that. I am a fan of Arun. Do you honestly believe that Arun himself would be insulted by that comment? I don't. Furthermore, the exclusion of Mr. Kornick (who I have also praised on this forum in the past) does not, by default, make my statement insulting toward him and from what I have read and heard about his new venture, A Milano grill in Northfield -- and the repeatedly lousy experiences I had at MK North before it crashed and burned -- I wouldn't begin put him in the same league with Arun. =R= edited to add comment about MK North

June 1, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Creme of the crop...in a special to the Tribune, Virginia Gerst visits Chicago's French Pastry School as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. A toast to love...Bill Daley lays out a bunch of great ideas for celebratory libations. As always, tasting notes are included. Hitachino Nest Beer Red Rice Ale...Jeff Boda with the June installment of his Beer of the Month feature. She takes the cake...Abby Polonsky profiles custom cake designer Sarelle Weiner. Fingering potatoes...Bill Daley with some helpful tips about choosing and preparing these cute little spuds. The Edge...in an informative piece that I'm fairly certain ran a few a few months back in the L.A. Times, Russ Parsons compares and contrasts Japanese-styles knives with their Western counterparts. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Lemons pack a punch in recipes, cleaning...Sandy Thorn Clark reports on the glorious lemon, perhaps the greatest and most versatile fruit ever known to mankind. The hunt for foods low in sodium...at the prodding of his doctor, Jim Frost begins his quest. Horchata: You can't take it with you...Maureen Jenkins files an informative piece about Horchata, its origins and the best ways to acquire some locally. Chefs celebrate Midwest produce at Botanic Gardens...Denise I. O'Neal reports on this year's incarnation of the annual Chicago Botanic Garden's Great Chef Series, which is now in full bloom. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk with her weekly round-up which includes upcoming events at Golden Triangle, Germania Place, Suzette's Crepery, Convito Italiano, Chopping Block and Westin Chicago River North. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Roots of inspiration...food editor Deborah Pankey spends some time at the Green City Market with Nacional 27's chef, Randy Zweiban. Farmers markets 2005...the Daily Herald's list; broken out by day. ===== From the Chicago Reader...What's New section...reviews of Volo Restaurant Wine Bar, Oysy's (their newly-opened, River North location) and Ballo. ===== And last, but certainly not least, in this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report on the opening of Meztiso, a "...Mexican/Spanish bistro and wine bar with an all-Hispanic wine list..." which is owned by Bayless-mentored Jona Silva. ===== =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.

FYI, the new McClain restaurant is called Custom House. But from what I read in Dish a few weeks back, McClain's no longer in the kitchen at Spring or Green Zebra: Is this information no longer current? =R=

There must have been some form of miscommunication. Flash photography is strictly prohibited, other forms are tolerated. ← I apologize. I'm not sure where the miscommunication could have been, but clearly it was somewhere. As I pulled my camera out of my pocket our waiter took note and politely informed me that cameras where not allowed at Alinea. I asked whether it was the flash or the camera itself that was the problem. Again, he politely informed me that pictures of all types were no longer allowed. Either way, again, I apologize. ← Never doubted you for a minute, Ben. Your accounts have always been right on the money. Obviously, there was some miscommunication in this case. But, considering what you wrote about your meal, it doesn't appear to have marred your experience in the least. =R=

Yes, Scylla has been well-received so far. I'm sorry no link is available, but Scylla and its chef-owner, Stephanie Izard (an alum of Spring and La Tache), just received a very nice mention in the May issue of Food Arts (as part of a larger feature about the Chicago dining scene). As you mentioned, Scylla's site lists several favorable reviews, including one by Chicago Magazine's Jeff Ruby, whose opinion I usually agree with. While it is a long list of 20, that review was part of Chicago Magazine's "Best New Restaurants" list. Another positive review, not listed at Scylla's site, is from the Chicago Reader. Scylla Restaurant 1952 N. Damen Chicago, IL (773) 227-2995 =R=

There must have been some form of miscommunication. Flash photography is strictly prohibited, other forms are tolerated. ← Thanks, chef, for the clarification. =R=

And a quick glance upthread will reveal just how much media attention moto is receiving these days. I think that eventually translates into new customers. It's nice to hear that they're busy. Thanks for the update . . . btw, how was your meal? =R=

I don't know what to think about Alinea's newly-implemented "no pics" policy. I love looking at the pics on this thread and I generally hate having to interrupt my own meal (and those of the folks at the table with me) to take them -- especially over that many courses. I felt so unburdened that I didn't have to bring my camera to Alinea. I knew I'd have the great efforts of yellow truffle and jeffj to reference, going forward. It takes real dedication to deliver pics and descriptions of every course when you're dining for 5-6 hours; especially when doing so may cause one to enjoy his or her own meal a bit less. But, I wonder what the actual reasons for the new policy are. I seriously doubt that the Alinea team would succomb to whining by those who felt or imagined that they were being short-changed. Perhaps, the picture taking by patrons was disturbing other diners or creating bottlenecks in service. Whatever the reason(s), I'm just glad that we've been able to enjoy and reference the images posted here, which made it out of Alinea before this new policy was implemented. =R=

I enjoyed last night's bow but was struck by how unnecessary Ramsay's tirades were. I mean, honestly, the joke's on him if they put that kind of group together and he expected results that differed significantly from what they got. It seemed like more than half the group had ZERO restaurant experience. His behavior, which I know is somewhat true to who is really is (I watched Cooking School Stories, etc.), seemed more made-for-tv than the show itself. If I were working in that kitchen, I think I would have had a hard time keeping myself from laughing in his face when he went off like that. The context was so incredibly artificial. Ramsay seemed very concerned about putting out lousy food and thereby damaging his vaunted reputation but he cursed at customers (yes, it was amusing), opened the restaurant before his crews were even close to ready, made customers wait hours and then closed the kitchen before most of them got their food. How do those things not damage his reputation as much (or more) than serving imperfect food? At the end of the day, you're a chef who's working with FOX to create a reality tv show. Um . . . chef, your reputation is already on fire . . . and it's pretty much your own doing. I'd also really like to know what the customers were expecting at HK. Did they think it was a new restaurant that was absolutely ready to go? Did they not know that it was the "hook" in a reality tv series? I feel like a lot of the drama was forced because the answers to these obvious questions (hell, even the questions themselves) were avoided to the point of them being conspicuous. All that said, I'm hooked; can't wait until next week. Any early favorites to win this thing? =R=

Is anyone else having trouble with this sentence? Is it just me? Alice Waters, sure. Trotter and Bayless? Doesn't mean that they're not great or even influential, but transforming American cuisine? ← As I mentioned upthread, while the larger discussions are definitely worth having, this is the wrong thread for them. Let's keep the conversation here focused on Alinea. New thread, perhaps? Thanks, =R=

Wow! I'm thrilled to learn that Hansen's is still around. I lived in New Orelans (attended Tulane U.) from 1981-1983 and we used to hit Hansen's quite a bit. Since those days, I've still never encountered anything else like it anywhere. I'll be in New Orleans in July and now I cannot wait to get back there -- and take my cohorts with me. They are going to flip. Thanks, Jason! You made my night =R=

Yes, this was mentioned in Chicago Magazine's Dish back in December: Are there any Chicago restaurants in which Arun doesn't have his hand? =R=

I think those of us who've migrated to diet sodas over the years feel like we've been deprived in some way. So, even though most of us have gotten used to -- and even come to enjoy -- the general-issue diet sodas, finding one that tastes more like "the real thing" makes us feel good I'll have to give this splenda version of diet coke a try. =R=

From today's Chicago Tribune: A treasury of food history =R=

From today's Chicago Sun-Times: Farmers markets are here, and growing in popularity =R=

May 25, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: South African wines court American tastes...Bill Daley with a great primer on South African wines. Tasting notes are included. Warm weather, sunshine, a gentle breeze...In a special to the Tribune, which is actaully an excerpt from his newly-published book, Good Day for a Picnic: Simple Food That Travels Well, Jeremy Jackson chronicles the history of the picnic and provides a few travel-worthy recipes as well. Spatchcocking makes cooking a bird quicker...in a piece that harkens back to a fun piece of eGullet.com history, James P. DeWan lays out the fine art of spatchcocking. A treasury of food history...food editor Carol Mighton Haddix reports from the Longone Center for American Culinary Research at the University of Michigan. Rhubarb...Joe Gray with some details about this often-shunned Spring arrival. This cook is right on 'cue...Rick Asa reviews Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook by Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Farmers markets are here, and growing in popularity...Maura Webber Sadovi and Bill Cunniff team up to provide a focused look at area markets, their growing popularity and when to find their best offerings. Edgewater's devotion to health a model for all...food editor Sue Ontiveros reports on what one north-side neighborhood is doing to promote healthy eating and healthy living. Down-to-earth dishes that sparkle are Florence's forte...Jennifer Olvera reviews Tyler Florence's newest tome, Eat This Book: Cooking With Global Fresh Flavors. Picnic packages make it easy to park...Denise I. O'Neal reports on what a few local spots are doing to make a picnic in the park even easier. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk with her weekely round-up of upcoming events. This week's list includes happenings at Tru, Marche and Red Star Taverns. Restaurants hoping for a sugar high...Lucio Guerrero reports from the National Restaurant Show, on some possible new trends in the industry. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Move over, Pop, Mom wants a piece of the action on the grill, too...food editor Deborah Pankey previews the upcoming grilling season, from a variety of perspectives. In a hurry? Then this book's for you...Don Mauer reviews Hugh Carpenter's "Fast" cookbook series - Fast Appetizers, Fast Entrees, and Wok Fast. Food and wine classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, tastings and classes; broken out by day. ===== And last, but certainly not least, in this week's installment of award-winning Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby report that Mod is closing up after a successful 5-year run in Wicker Park. ===== =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.

We'll be flying in on Friday so we won't be able to bring too much with us, but we're quite willing to help out with the labor and, if pointed in the right direction, we'll also be happy to pick-up any needed or desired items to contribute. =R=

According to their web site, Majority is located at "townsend and allegan at capitol view, downtown lansing." =R=