ronnie_suburban

Nice! Thanks for the pics, Nick. =R=

Nick, I've gone back and corrected every instance of it on this thread. Good luck tonight! =R=

November 17, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: It's probably worth mentioning up front that by following the link above, you can find a bevy of useful Thanksgiving information, guidelines and cooking tips in this week's Good Eating section. There are also a few home-spun articles as well... Berried treasure...Robin Mather Jenkins reports on the health benefits of cranberries, which are grown in abundance in neighboring Wisconsin. I'll bring the wine!...Bill Daley guides us through the pairing of wine with typical and atypical Thanksgiving fare. Tasting notes are included. Mandarin Kitchen...a Cheap Eats review of this south side eatery by Monica Eng. One cookbook, hundreds of recipes...Robin Mather Jenkins files a mixed review of The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: True treasures...in this week's Swap Shop, Lezli Bitterman shares Carrie Nahabedian's (NaHa) recipe for Tabbouleh. It's the day to pack it in and pack it on...Sandy Thorn Clark gives us all license to put our diets on hold, come Thursday. A low-carb Thanksgiving?...in a bit of press-time irony, Sandy Thorn Clark explores the possibilities of a low-carb Thanksgiviing. As home stretch nears, T-Day musts to conquer...Food Editor Sue Ontiveros follows up on her series of Thanksgiving Day scheduling tips. Still grooving...Sue Figliulo talks about the holidays with noted singer and cookbook author, Patti Labelle. Tastings around town...upcoming events at Pops For Champagne, Mon Ami Gabi and Wine Expressions are previewed. A slice of heavenly goodness...Denise I. O'Neal rounds up a bunch of upcoming local food events including happenings at Le Francais and Bin 36. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Cooking classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming area food events, 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 report on the new "tag team" at Les Nomades, Executive Chef Charlie McKenna and Sous Chef David Hayden both formerly of Avenues, where McKenna used to sous for Hayden. =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 who will be happy to do it for you.

Damn!!! I knew I forgot to order something...not that I had any room left anyway. The decor in the 'Yellow Submarine' room was a bit "chilly" IMO but it was certainly comfortable. And as wonderful a server as Scott was (he was great), it was our dining companion, Greg, who made the excellent, pinpoint wine selection. What a treat that was! George, do you remember the wine details? They're a bit foggy in my mind... =R=

Actually, Ron, The Food and Wine event at the MCA is tomorrow night. Chef has prepared a beautiful one-bite -- we will report after the event. ← Thanks, Nick. I look forward to hearing about it. =R=

4 of us (myself, gmi3804 and our respective partners) had a great meal and fantastic service at the "new" Trio last weekend. A brief run-down... The Flight of Salt was tasty and fun. I also loved the Brandade. My favorite dish of the night was the Caraway Veal Cheek with Root Puree, Mushroom and Lardon. I also enjoyed the crispy-creamy "French" Gnocchi (with ricotta, almonds, seasonal vegetables and brown butter) as well, but that amazing Veal Cheek really trumped it. I also had tastes of the "Green Egg & Ham" (described on the menu as a sweet pea deviled and serrano ham chip), the Seared Lamb Rack Chop with garlic sauce verte, the Croque Monsieur (Yum!) and the Pork Tenderloin with Corn Bread and Slow Beans. All of the above were very tasty but I especially loved the Pork Tenderloin--it was delicious. The combination of corn bread and beans was amazing and it created a perfect accompanyment for the pork. For dessert, I had a Chocolate and Caramel Napoleon that was just perfect. I'm normally not a dessert person, but I ate every bite of it. I also tasted the very wonderful Beignets with Hard Cider Ice Cream, Caramelized Apples and Bourbon. We also enjoyed a couple of bottles of Chateauneuf du Pape, 2001 that were right on the money. The menu at Trio Atelier is filled with appetizing and creative dishes and I really can't wait to get back there and try out a few more of them. =R=

Chef, Can you tell us how the fundrairser at the Museum of Contemporary Art went last night? =R=

=R=

Phil Vettel has spoken... Here's a link to the full review, which appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Friday November 12*. =R= *Pretty sure about this; on-line version of the review has no date.

4 of us went there and ordered 3 dishes each, plus dessert. 2 of us are big guys and we were pleasantly full at the end of the meal. I probably could have managed one more dish but that would have been pushing it. Please let us know about your experience there. I'd love to hear about their current menu. BTW, Green Zebra was named to Travel + Leisure Magazine's list of the "Best New American Restaurants 2004." =R=

Chef, It's still weeks before the opening, yet you and Alinea received a "special mention" in Travel + Leisure Magazine's list of "Best New American Restaurants 2004"... ...does such coverage make you feel any additional pressure? I thought it was particularly exciting to see Alinea make the 2004 list when it won't even open until 2005 =R=

Here are some links to a couple previous discussions we've had about AA... Ann Arbor Dining, Why isn't there more quality? Is Ann Arbor in the Heartland? I hope they are of some use =R=

November 10, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: The Good Eating Awards 2004...The Tribune's Good Eating crew present their 5th Annual Awards to "those people in the food and beverage industries who are making a difference in Chicago through their commitment, quality, passion and vision." Beyond nouveau...Just days before 2004's Beaujolais Nouveau debuts, Bill Daley reminds us that there's a lot more to Beaujolais than just the "new" stuff. Himalayan Restaurant...Carol Mighton Haddix files a Cheap Eats review of this Niles eatery. Howdy, Chow...Renee Enna previews the new food magazine, Chow. Trying too hard...Robin Mather Jenkins reviews The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous! by dietitians Carolyn O'Neil and Densie Webb. Real softies...Nancy Byal and Jan Turner Hazard file this special to the Tribune wherein they explore the burgeoning use of silicone in the kitchen. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Savoring sake...Kim Conte explores Sake and its growing popularity. Giving thanks for restaurants...Kim Conte provides a round up of several local restaurants which are open on Thanksgiving. Food show host to prep recipes from new book...Food Editor Sue Ontiveros previews Cat Cora's new book, Cat Cora's Kitchen and her upcoming promotional appearance at Fields. 15 days to T-Day: Buy nonperishables now...Food Editor Sue Ontiveros follows up on her Thankgiving prep tips by walking us through the next steps on the way to a stress-free Thanksgiving. Packing on the pounds...Denise I. O'Neal reports on one local chef's upcoming appearance on Food Network and previews events at Dinotto Ristorante, The Tavern, mk, Tsuki and Viand as well. Tastings around town...previews of events at Four Farthings, Sauld Tequila Lounge, Schaefer's, Les Deux Autres and Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar to name a few. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Cooking classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming cooking classes, tastings and culinary events; 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 report on the coming of Pan, Jerry Suqi's (soon to be formerly of Sugar) new concept for brick oven pizza and panini, which will be located in Lincoln Square. ===== =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 who will be happy to do it for you.

From the Phil Vettel's column in the 11/5 edition of the Chicago Tribune... =R=

This week's installment of Check, Please! featured the following 3 restaurants: Tango Sur 3763 N. Southport Chicago, IL 773-477-5466 RL 115 E. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 312-475-1100 Pita Inn 3910 Dempster Skokie, IL 847-677-0211 Here's a case, with Pita Inn, where I've probably had everything on their menu multiple times, so I was really looking forward to seeing it covered on the show. Unfortunately, the person who choose it was relatively inarticulate (camera fright?) and I don't think she did the place justice. Also, I loved what Ms. Singh had to say when one of the diners mentioned that he'd enjoyed an Alsatian Riesling with his oysters at RL... "Riesling is the greatest grape variety on the face of the earth and I will say that hands down." Wow! I have to say that I know at least a few folks who would agree with that statement. But beyond the specific statement, this is the kind of experienced opinion I would love to see more of from Ms. Singh on the show. As good as the reviewers on Check, Please! can be, they rarely even come close to being as compelling she is =R=

Had a great dinner tonight at PGC. Imagine my excitement when we walked into PGC at 5 pm and were seated near the back of the room, next to none other than Bill Kurtis himself. He and a companion (who also looked familiar) were in the process of conducting a beef tasting. There were more than a few steaks (no sides) on the table...different cuts, different donenesses. Chef Stegner and another Chef (Bumbaris, possibly) were at the table with him, trying the cuts as well. Not too many people were in the place at the time, but still there was some buzz around the "beef" table. Being the rube that I am, I couldn't help but stare as we sat down. Mr. Kurtis, who must be used to that, looked right at me and waved. So, I waved back and said "hi." As they tasted the various steaks on the table, they chatted back and forth and seemed to be enjoying themselves. At the end of their tasting, I was impressed to see Mr. Kurtis taking with him, every partially eaten steak that was left. No way was he leaving those luscious steaks behind. Who could blame him? We tried a couple of terrific appetizers...lamb pizza and baked feta cheese. The pizza was actually more like a very delicious and completely horizontal version of gyros. The pizza-like "crust" was more like a perfectly crispy pita and the sauce was tsatziki or very close to it. The lamb atop the "pie" was tender and savory. Great dish. The baked feta in olive oil with banana peppers was also great. It was a cross between the tapas-style baked Queso de Cabra and the traditional Greek saganaki. Very nice, not-too-pungent cheese baked to a tender state and serverd in a warm pool of olive oil. The only thing that could have improved this dish was having more of it. I also had a very offbeat salad comprised of marinated, local beets (damn near pickled and wonderfully so), pear slices, Hazelnuts and goat cheese. Wow! A memorable combination, a memorable dish. Inspired by Mr. Kurtis, I ordered the juicy, well-charred and smokingly hot bone-in ribeye which came with a deliciously distinctive twice baked potato (spiked with caramelized onions and gruyere), char-grilled red onion and watercress. The prefectly cooked medium rare steak was served with a red-wine reduction. My wife ordered the Spinach Phyllo Strudel over Ragout of Mushrooms and Artichoke Confit with Tomato Vinaigrette. I tasted it and gave it my full stamp of approval We also tried a side of White Beans & Rainbow Swiss Chard that was quite tasty. We were way too full for dessert but the home-made vanilla ice cream which my son ordered was awesome. It was such a huge portion, he couldn't come close to finishing it, which was just fine with me =R=

Ok! I admit it! I did this last night and it was amazingly delicious. Remembered at the last minute that I had a small jar of caviar in the fridge. Cooked the tots, dabbed them with the sour cream, topped with little eggies...Yum! =R= ← Oh! My! Goodness! I think I was kidding. But now I'm dying to try it. ← If you do, please report back. In true eG fashion, it was the caviar I had on-hand but the tater tots...I had to run out and make a special trip for those =R=

Ok! I admit it! I did this last night and it was amazingly delicious. Remembered at the last minute that I had a small jar of caviar in the fridge. Cooked the tots, dabbed them with the sour cream, topped with little eggies...Yum! =R=

Just in case--even though we are going early--I made a 5:00 pm reservation for tonight. Can't wait to try a few more items. Just hoping that the Chinese buffet I had for lunch doesn't impede me too much at dinner =R=

Sounds delicious...I almost always do the wing thing too Don't fight the coma, 'twill only make it worse =R=

Like music to my ears Please, report back... =R=

Really happy to hear about the crowd and your meal. I too, thought the sausage was great. Amazingly, I was going to hit PGC on this very night but got sidetracked with a project at the end of the day which prevented it. 50/50 I'm there tomorrow at 5, depending on how things go at the office. As for meeting up, we should plan something asap. Frankly, considering our respective meals and posts over the past few months, I find it remarkable that we haven't run into each other at some point already. =R=

For all you lushes: $4 Mai Tais on Monday.You rang?!? Is this at the Chicago location only? This I do not know. Might want to call them. For your weekly Mai Tai fix, Thursdays at Trader Vics also does a $4 Mai Tai. Then on Friday go to Mambo Grill for their half priced Mojitos. Fetch me my diet pills and call the police! LMAO! Plan out your week with restaurant specials from Unbeatable Bargins courtesy of Metromix.But do confirm first. The linked article is dated 4/30/03...Mr. Suburban, maybe its time to start an updated eG thread of the Heartland's restaurant dining specials. ← I'm so there... =R=

For all you lushes: $4 Mai Tais on Monday.You rang?!? Is this at the Chicago location only? This I do not know. Might want to call them. For your weekly Mai Tai fix, Thursdays at Trader Vics also does a $4 Mai Tai. Then on Friday go to Mambo Grill for their half priced Mojitos. Fetch me my diet pills and call the police! LMAO! Plan out your week with restaurant specials from Unbeatable Bargins courtesy of Metromix. ← But do confirm first. The linked article is dated 4/30/03... =R=

You may want to check out this recent discussion... Perfectly Cooking Boneless Chicken Breasts, How? =R=