ronnie_suburban

Ok. Gotcha. I take it that you will be stand behind and will not criticise chefs who prevent other chefs from cooking with ingredients that they think are derived from animal cruelty. By extension, you also support those anti-foie gras people who take it upon themselves to prevent others from obtaining, distributing and consuming foie gras. Violence, barring, of course. ← I'm not sure how you extracted those positions from what I wrote, but I don't feel like repeating myself . . . again. Continuing our little sub-debate will only derail this thread so, let's just agree to disagree, ok? Bottom line for me is that I'm more concerned with how chefs treat other people -- including their peers -- than what they think about foie gras. And while I don't trust the Chicago Tribune unconditionally, I do trust it in this particular situation. =R=

And that is? That he wont serve foie gras? How utterly fascinating! You would rather Trotter instruct chefs to NOT cook foie gras? Trotter provides the restaurant and the 'manpower' for the fundraiser. Essentially, you are saying that a person can impose his preferences and decisions on others? Do you also value the opinion of rabid animal rights activists who insist that others who like foie gras be denied their pleasure. I am asking because I want to hear it here so I can come back to this thread to pick up quotes the next time someone complains that those against animal cruelty should not stuff their views down the collective esophagi of the eating public. You know what happened the last time someone took it upon themselves to do that, dont you? Let me refer back to the Manrique incident which bourdain will be more than willing to re-narrate. In common parlance, this is called 'setting up the sucker'. Basically, villify every action of the person who disagrees with your own set of views giving them very narrow wigglespace. Probable, you say? How quick we are to throw judgements without digging deep enough! It must be an universal human characteristic. I'd still clarify the circumstances surrounding this unremarkable piece of reporting before making up my mind. ← If you'd like clarification of any of my thoughts on this, feel free to go back and reread them. I've been quite clear. =R=

Once again, we dont know. The fundraiser was on the sixth of march. The Chicago Tribune is dated march 29th. It is one of the most shoddy pieces of reporting I have seen with no details as to when the quotes were obtained etc. ← In the piece Trotter says he stopped serving foie gras in his restaurant about "3 years ago" and that is the point in time I'm referencing. The recent fundraiser where foie gras was served (which benefitted Trotter's own foundation), happened on March 6, 2005. Edited to add: This point is now moot since it's fairly clear (from Trotter via Bourdain) that the guest chefs prepared the foie gras dishes at the fundraiser at Charlie Trotter's on March 6. =R= ← Ahh..yes..yes.. "the confirmation from Trotter via Bourdain". Obviously my words were invisible to most of you here even though I have been banging my head and screaming like a fucking banshee. I'd send bourdain to a corner to face the wall for raising storms in teacups. If Trotter is more than an acquaintance to bourdain, he definitely owes him an apology. Now, moving on, if Mark Caro cares to drop in, I have a question or two for him. ← In the big picture, this detail changes almost nothing for me. On balance, I still disagree with Trotter's stand. Frankly, it still seems hypocritical to me regardless of the fundraiser menu or who specifically cooked the foie gras at the event. He's also outed himself as a (probable?) fattist. I'm still less eager to dine at Trotter's now than I was before this story broke. For me, there's just no putting this cat back in its bag. I have no need nor desire to dine somewhere where the vibe doesn't feel right. Life's way too short for that. And again, as I've stated at least a few times on this thread, the issue of foie gras isn't a particularly hot one for me. =R=

Even though we'd heard mostly good things about Los Dos Molinos, we specifically avoided it because everything we'd read about it suggested that it was very spicy and we're traveling with my young son who doesn't eat spicy food (and I'm not a fan of special ordering). We ended up trying quite a few decent places in the Phoenix area (dedicated threads will be started or bumped as fast as I can get to them). When it came to regional fare in Phoenix, the 3 names that I kept reading and hearing about were Los Dos Molinos, Los Sombreros and Richardson's. Oh well, maybe by the time we return, he'll be ready for something a little spicier. =R=

Yee-ouch. Does this subtext make sense to those of you in the know? ← Ouch, indeed! While it may be the case that Tru has eclipsed Charlie Trotter's atop the Chicago fine dining pyramid, not even that seems like enough gasoline to have fueled those personal attacks on chef Tramonto. But, there's certainly no question about where Mr. Steinberg (the author of the above comments) stands on the issue. Yowza! =R=

It seems unlikely but anything is possible. In the linked piece, chef Trotter goes out of his way to distance himself from such short-sighted lobbyists: That doesn't mean that an organization coudn't or wouldn't try to claim Trotter's stance as a "signing on" to their policy. But, it would be a fairly difficult claim for such an organization to document. =R=

Once again, we dont know. The fundraiser was on the sixth of march. The Chicago Tribune is dated march 29th. It is one of the most shoddy pieces of reporting I have seen with no details as to when the quotes were obtained etc. ← In the piece Trotter says he stopped serving foie gras in his restaurant about "3 years ago" and that is the point in time I'm referencing. The recent fundraiser where foie gras was served (which benefitted Trotter's own foundation), happened on March 6, 2005. Edited to add: This point is now moot since it's fairly clear (from Trotter via Bourdain) that the guest chefs prepared the foie gras dishes at the fundraiser at Charlie Trotter's on March 6. =R=

March 30, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: What makes a wine cool?...Bill Daley goes in search of the elusive "cool" wine. Tasting notes are included. The wizard of why...Robin Mather Jenkins spends some time food psychologist Brian Wansink in the quest to find out why we eat the way we do. Cafe Sheba...Monica Eng files a Cheap Eats review of this Andersonville Ethiopian. 2005 International Home & Housewares Show... Renee Enna wraps up this year's incarnation. What's the buzz?...Chris McNamara wraps up the recently-completed Coffee Fest. Cookie 'therapy' keeps treats in shape...Donna Pierce with some practical cookie tips. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Pizza, the circle of life in Chicago...Mike Thomas with some detailed history about one of Chicago's signature foods. Saffron the constant in paella varieties...Brenda Warner Rotzoll reports on the unifying element of all paella. Easy meals to nurture body, soul...Sandy Thorn Clark reviews Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great Health by Nina Simonds. Grand dinner aims to fight hunger...Denise I. O'Neal previews the 17th Annual Share Our Strength dinner. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk rounds up this week's events at Mas, Chestnut Grill and Wine Bar, Spiaggia, one sixtyblue and Saffron on Hubbard. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: 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 Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby serve up news of Pluton's impending change of venue and Zealous's new chef de cuisine, Sam Burman, a veteran of both Avenues and Tru. Also tucked into this week's installment is a reference to our ongoing discussion of the Trotter vs. Tramonto Foie Gras War of Words. ===== =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.

Serving foie gras at a fundraiser, after you've essentially sworn it off, seems even more exploitative than cooking it discreetly for a VIP or favored customer -- or even for yourself. Apparently, if the end justifies the means, the "suffering" endured isn't quite as big a deal. =R=

It is BYO and happily, there are plenty of Cerveza Fria opportunities on that block, so picking something up is a breeze. Check out this thread for more information: Nuevo Leon =R=

I agree, Bux and I said as much back at the top of the thread. As good as much of the information we pass around here is, I don't think this is an issue where a forum discussion -- albeit a very focused and insightful one -- is going to change very many minds. I'm curious if there's previous bad blood between these chefs and what the heck chef Trotter was thinking when he made the personal comments he did about chef Tramonto. If he made them here, his post would be deleted. I can say that I'm considerably less eager to dine at Charlie Trotter's today than I was yesterday and it isn't because I can't get foie gras there. I enjoy his television show and he's always seemed like a charasmatic guy but this is about as unappetizing as adult behavior gets. I wonder if he'd be snickering about my size while I sat in his dining room. Fortunately, eating at Trotter's is about as critical to my well-being as eating foie gras . . . I can easily go without. =R=

I'd read some things about this place on another forum and decided to check it out while we were in Phoenix. Like many places in Phoenix, it resides in a strip mall but we didn't let that deter us. In my travels to Phoenix, I'd driven by it a dozen or so times and never suspected that the food served inside was regional or decent but it was both, although tptb at Richardson's describe their fare as New Mexican not Arizonan. It's basically a dark, bar-type place, with painted black walls and bamboo shades filtering most of the daylight from coming inside. There is a fireplace burning near the entrance (gotta love the active fireplace when the air temp is 76 F) and some scattered seating throughout the joint. We were seated in a cushioned, back corner booth which featured a copper-plated table. Our server, Clint, was quirky and friendly and was quick to tell us how happy he was that Easter, his least favorite holiday, was now behind us. We agreed citing our very presence in Phoenix as evidence that we were glad to be traveling over the holiday. We traded family holiday horror stories and bonded. Getting down to business, we ordered a few entrees we'd read about and asked Clint for some guidance on the appetizers. Unfortunately, the 2 he recommended were quite similar to each other, but the bright side was that they were both very very good. One was a half dozen bacon-wrapped shrimp, grilled over pecan wood (Richardsons' menu states that all grilling is done over pecan wood) and served with 5 dipping sauces, pintos and rice. These were really terrific and the sauces were excellent. My favorite was a jalapeno hollandaise sauce which really was a perfect combo with the shrimp. As I stated above, the other appetizer was somewhat redundant: skewers featuring chunks of chicken, beef, New Mexican sausage and shrimp, also served with the same five sauces, along with the pintos and rice. Here, the sausage was the thing and it was fun tasting bites with the different sauces, which were (according to the host) jalapeno hollandaise, roasted red bell pepper, tomatillo, roasted onion and chipotle. Wow! Very, very good. As a tweener course (my son's entree) we ordered a #4 wood-fired pizza which was topped with oil, garlic and 3 cheeses: mozzarella, feta and romano. It was very good, with a pleasant sharpness and just the right amounts of garlic, oil and salt. I was suprised by how much I liked it. Even the crust delivered flavor throughout the chew. Entrees were also outstanding. I had the distinctively smokey carne adovada simmered in red chile sauce. It was topped with a reasonably small amount of cheese and served along with more pintos and rice. The meat itself was fork tender and absolutely delicious. My wife had the blue corn smoked turkey enchiladas. They contained large, juicy pieces of flavorful smoked turkey and meaty portabello mushrooms. Served alongside was . . . you guessed it: more pintos and rice. Still, it was also a great dish. It wasn't a cheap lunch nor a quick one. Prices were reasonable -- especially given the generous portions -- but we ordered quite a bit and that ran the tally up. The skewers and shrimp actually priced out higher than the entrees ($12 and $13 respectively, $11 for the entrees) but it was still a way better value than anything which could be had at our resort. The pacing was slow and lunch took about 90 minutes. It didn't matter to us because we were on vacation and had nowhere to be, but I suppose it could be an issue, so I wanted to mention it. Of course, if we were headed back to work afterwards, we probably wouldn't have ordered multiple courses. On the menu, their web site is listed as: www.richardsonsnm.com but a visit there yielded only an ISP's pitch page . . . not exactly sure what's up with that. Richardson's 1582 E. Bethany Home Road Phoenix, AZ 85016 (602) 265-5886 =R=

Thanks for the link, Josh. When it comes to foie gras, I'm in the "for it" camp but the "anti" arguments stated in the article are not without merit. To me Trotter seems like a hypocrite not because, as Tramonto states, "'animals are raised to be slaughtered and eaten every day. . .'' but because Trotter's 2001 tome ". . .contains 15 recipes that use foie gras . . ." Still, I suppose that a change of heart is a change of heart. But Trotter's stance kind of reminds me of the most militant non-smokers in the world, former smokers. In the end, the local battle between the 2 sides is more compelling to me than the actual issue. Sure, I enjoy foie gras, yet I know I could easily live without it. But, when business owners attack each other publicly over this, they risk alienating themselves from the potential customers who share the other side's view; and seeing them do so -- in print -- surprises me. I guess it reflects the intense passion behind their beliefs. =R=

Wow! I think even bigger congrats are in order! It's going to be quite an amazing summer for you and Ellen. That's going to be one food-savvy kid! =R=

moto receives a very nice mention in the April 4, on-line version of Time Magazine: The Tech Chef =R=

Last year, while we were "spring breaking" in Phoenix, we stumbled upon this glorious place (which was very near our hotel) and had 2 fantastic meals. I never posted about it because after I returned home, I was convinced that I'd merely imagined how good it was. Even though I supped on delicious and properly-executed specialties like smoked prime rib, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, etc. I was still somewhat in disbelief. Tonight, almost a year later, we returned to the scene. Turns out, I wasn't imagining it. The place is fantastic. It could be best described as a Texas Roadhouse replica but it doesn't feel like a replica. It feels like the real deal -- not surprising considering it's operated by transplanted Texans. It's dark and smoky with all sorts of Texas iconography plastered on the walls. There is, of course, a bar, several tables and a section of wooden booths in the "no smoking" section. Nearly the entire ceiling is adorned with ball caps of all varieties. Unlike the fakey stuff that one finds on the walls at various chain restaurants, this stuff just has a different feel; it's grungy and delightfully so. There are several items served at TexAz that I consider to be the best renditions I've ever had. While I'm certainly no Texan, I spent quite a bit of time there back in the day and TexAz's CFS is as good as it gets. The huge portion is perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside. The cream gravy is mellow with a right-on-time peppery kick. The mashed potatoes served with it are also very satisfying. There is a sign on the building boasts that TexAz Grill has sold over 500,000 CFS's. This doesn't surprise me. There is a warning on the menu that the smoked prime rib is only available until they run out of it each night. Last year, the first time we went there -- at around 6:30 pm -- they were already out of it. So, the next time we went at around 5:30 because I had to try it. To put it bluntly, their smoked prime rib is masterful. You could tell, by the uniformly-pink, medium-rare flesh that it was no accident. This was no amateur effort. Tonight, after we were seated at the back booth, one of my all-time favorite C&W songs came thru the speakers; the title track from the LP Honky Tonk Heroes (Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver and Kris Kristofferson). In the next moment, a huge plate containing tonight's special was placed in front of me: BBQ brisket, spare ribs and a home-made sausage. For me, it was a nearly perfect moment. I was half-expecting Christy Brinkley to pop out of the kitchen next. We stuffed ourselves -- and before I forget -- I should mention that even the little things are great at TexAz. Their oniony cole slaw is also among the best I've ever had. Their Texas Red (chili) is phenomenal. Their tender biscuits are the only ones I've ever enjoyed and . . . even their diet Pepsi is great -- and I'm a loyal "coke" guy. The service is terrific and very friendly. As we were walking out tonight I told the hostess "most of my friends think that I make the best ribs they've ever had . . . and I don't plan on bringing them here." She laughed and we strolled out to the car with our leftovers. TexAz Grill 6003 N. 16th Street Phoenix, AZ 85016 602 248-7827 =R=

There is an easy solution for this . . . just ask my 8 year-old son Thanks for the report, Willie. I can't wait to try it out. =R=

Yes! Extremely under-rated (because it's LEYE?). =R=

From the review, by Jeremy Iggers: =R=

March 23, 2005... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Ham it up with chenin blanc...Bill Daley details why chenin blanc is a good pairing for Easter ham. Tasting notes are included. Holiday hues...Bill Daley with a confession -- as well as some history and advice about dying Easter eggs. Afghan Restaurant...food editor Carol Mighton Haddix files a Cheap Eats review of this Devon Avenue eatery. Welcoming bakers back to the kitchen...Renee Enna reviews Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos and The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge. A marriage, and a shop, both inspired by wine...Nancy Maes visits Andersonville's In Fine Spirits, a wine shop inspired by multiple passions. A bacterial bonus...dietician Janet Helm discusses the benefits of natually-occurring probiotics in foods. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Silicone storms the kitchen...food editor Sue Ontiveros reports from the housewares show, where she discovered all sorts of hot kitchen innovations. Swank takes swing against fruit law...food editor Sue Ontiveros puts the smackdown on 2-time Oscar winner and fruit smuggler, Hillary Swank. Shaw's Crab House plans annual Wisconsin trip...Denise I. O'Neal details the latest offerings from Shaws, Fluky's, Cerise, Coco Pazzo, Le Francais, O'Donovan's and South Water Kitchen. Tastings around town...Celeste Busk previews upcoming events at Red Light, Schaefer's, Salud, Saloon Steakhouse, and Sam's Wine & Spirits. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: 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 Chicago Magazine's Dish...Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby interview Jacky Pluton about Narra, the soon-to-open (week of June 6) steakhouse in the Hotel Orrington, for which he is serving as the "concept chef." ===== =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.

The guy who ran N&N (Larry Tucker) is now at LT's Grill, 1800 W. Grand. I tried Smoke Country House, in the old N&N space - it wasn't bad, but not as good as in Larry Tucker's day. FWIW, I'm a big fan of the BBQ from the original Hecky's. ← I love Hecky's meats and that real smoke he uses to cook them. But I'm not a huge fan of his sides. And while I think his sauce is pretty good, I think he applies it with reckless abandon. Hecky's BBQ 1902 Green Bay Rd Evanston, IL 60201 Phone: (847) 492-1182 =R=

I remember Dish reporting the news about Hot Chocolate some time back and I recently read a review at WLS TV's web site which seems encouraging: Has anyone been yet? It sounds like a great concept. =R=

I had one of the greatest meals of my life at Tru last night. You will not be disappointed. As for moto, I am eager to try it but my attempts to go there keep misfiring And yes, pictures are always appreciated =R=

Here is the piece (by Phil Vettel) to which artisanbaker is referring: Simple is good Great ink for an up and coming local spot. Congrats to the entire team at Vie. =R=

Just to clarify, it's chef Homaro Cantu at moto who created the sushi on paper. Ms. Nichols, did you ever dine at Trio when Chef Achatz was there? I'll bet, in spite of your declared preferences -- which I essentially share -- you would have found it enjoyable. Best, =R=