ronnie_suburban

=Mark, that is one beautiful picture =R=

October 27, 2004... From today's Chicago Tribune - Good Eating section: Duck tales...Bill Daley reports on Indiana's growing--and controversial--duck industry. Sip, if you dare...Bill Daley reports on the scary task of choosing wines to match up with the Halloween season. Reflections on Deep Lake...Robin Mather Jenkins files a Cheap Eats review of this Lake Villa eatery. Fromagier or formaggiaio?...Brian McCormick files this special with the Tribune on the growing demand for cheese experts in the food and restaurant industries. A supremely satisfying trifle...Emily Nunn reviews Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany by Ben Schott. Kosher bakery puts butter in its place...Barbara Revsine reports on Ada's Bakery in Northbrook which is both kosher and dairy. A famously entertaining lineup...Renee Enna reports on upcoming appearances at Marshall Fields by Nancy Silverton and Andrea Immer. ===== From today's Chicago Sun Times - Food section: Spiaggia chef pens his first cookbook...Denise I. O'Neal previews 3-time Beard award winning chef Tony Mantuano's new tome, The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina, and also reports on upcoming events at Foodlife and Rhapsody, to name a few. Whip it up fast, whip it up good...Lisa Lenoir reviews Jacques Pepin's latest book, Fast Food My Way. Tastings around town...details about upcoming events at Star Bar, Piazza Bella Trattoria and Cru Cafe & Wine Bar, among others. ===== From today's Daily Herald - Food section: Cooking classes...a comprehensive listing of upcoming cooking classes and food events around town; 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 "return" of Campagnola and poke a little well-deserved fun at WTTW's Check, Please! which is rumored to be going national. =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.

Is this true? Because I have it from a very reliable source that they buy a fair amount of fruit juice concentrates and purees...either way, the mai tai's are not worth the trip, IMO =R=

LMAO! We're not discussing "deep dish" here. Are you just trying to be controversial? I guess I'm in the vast minority of locals...more or less burnt out on "deep dish" and eternally obsessed with thin crust pizza. That's pretty much blasphemy around these parts. I do love that Chicago has its own "style" of pizza and it's great when you're in the mood but for me that's only about once a year. =R=

Hello blogophiles, There is nothing I enjoy more than waking up while it's still dark and driving an hour to meet with a supplier who wants to implement a price increase in spite of market decline. On that basis, today has been wonderful so far As I mentioned before, I don't normally eat breakfast but at our meeting this morning, I was treated to the following omelet at the Hilton O'Hare (aka the O.J. Hilton)... Ham and american cheese omelet with hash browns and cold rye toast Not the best, not the worst...pretty much as "bleh" as it looks. Folks, it can only get better from here. My daily IVA is in progress and hopefully the splitting headache with which I awoke will be chased away by the caffeine and the advil. Back after lunch with (hopefully) some more interesting fare. =R=

Answer: A dedicated person. Nice to see you blogging ronnie_suburban. ← Hehe...thanks. Truth be told, Niv was making pizzas at Barnaby's when we were in high school together and not once did I receive a free pie =R=

I wouldn't order it from just anywhere but there are a few places I trust with it and Barnaby's is on that list. Lunch on Thursday (my day to choose) may be from one of the other places on that list...we'll see. =R=

Ok, I think we have a consensus on the square-cut pizza...NOT a Chicago thing My wife and son had karate class, so dinner tonight was leftovers--again more food that I made on Sunday (remember, that day now just barely visible in the rear-view mirror, when I was last in the mood to cook ). With the weather turning cooler, I'm finding the dutch oven more compelling than the smoker or the grill... Braised beef shank This is a pretty basic dealio but a reliable one. Included in the vegetable "mash" are onions, leeks, carrot, celery, celery root and tomato. I used equal parts of beef stock (the last of my stash) and red wine to make the braising liquid. There's also some garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in there as well. After I nuked this tonight, I put some fresh parsley on it just to humor myself. In case anyone is wondering about the absence of the bone, I cleaned the sweet, sweet marrow out all 4 bones back on Sunday when I cooked this dish up After dinner tonight, I had some candy corn, a few glasses of water, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and 3 caffeine-free diet cokes. Now, I normally don't eat breakfast but Wednesday morning promises to be very special. I have a breakfast meeting at a hotel restaurant near O'Hare. I'm going to sleep with visions of the steam table dancing in my head...how about you? =R=

That's a great question. I used to I think it was more specific to Barnaby's than Chicago. But as I've moved around and lived in different parts of Chicagoland, I've come to realize that yeah, it's pretty common around here. Even Lou Malnati's, arguably the King of Chicago Deep Dish pizza, slices their thin pies into squares. That said, I do know a few places in town that slice their thin pies into wedges, but there aren't that many who do and several of the ones that come to mind--like Marisa's--bill themselves as "eastern" or "ny" style to begin with. Interesting topic. I've started a thread about it in the Heartland forum. Maybe someone there knows the answer. FWIW, I do remember having pizza cut into squares in New Orleans, but in that case, the entire pizza was a rectangle. =R=

On my current blog thread, someone asked me if pizza cut into squares was a "Chicago" thing. It sure is common around here and I don't remember seeing it done in too many other places. Anyone know the story behind the "square cut" pizza? =R=

As promised, some photos from today's lunch... Split Pea Soup a la styrofoam The legendary Barnaby's box My pie, pepperoni and onion Pepperoni, sausage and jalapeno The lowly spinach pie Half-pound Black Angus burger Barnaby's pizza, side view, thin and firm...2 things that will never be said about me Bottom view Bottom view, closer up...notice the bumpy texture provided by the cornmeal and the rich color provided by the large amount of oil in the dough I should also mention that while I'm posting I'm enjoying a tall glass of ice water and some roasted marcona almonds, imported from Spain (via Whole Foods) =R=

Thanks for the tip. As in most households with kids, we're rolling in candy at the moment so if this stuff is even marginal, I'll just stick to my 2004-vintage candy corn. =R=

I will do my very best LOL, he ordered a spinach pizza but this is a tough town for veggies LOL! My co-workers were already giving me sh*t about it and I'm only hours into this. They going to absolutely hate me by the end of the week. =R=

Great question and no, I haven't been back. But I agree that it's interesting to think about what kinds of things they'll be turning out at GZ as the seasons cycle. I hope to get back there sometime between Thanksgiving and New Year's and give it another try. There are some days I still think about the meal I had there. It was just that memorable. =R=

Thanks, Anna I promise that I will spike my blog with lots of pictures. In fact, I took pictures of our lunch but left my connector cable at home so the upload will have to wait until later this afternoon. We did in fact have some small bowls of my split pea soup as well as some other items from Barnaby's in Northbrook, IL. My wife joined us at the office and we all split a few things; including my favorite Barnaby's pizza combo: pepperoni and onion. We also divvied up a 1/2 pound Black Angus Burger, medium rare with cheese. Barnaby's only turns out ultra-thin crust pies, which is damned near heresy in this town. Their dough is made with lots of oil and their pies are formed directly on peels atop healthy dustings of cornmeal. The result is a richly flavorful and wonderfully crunchy pizza crust. Their burgers are better than average and they do cook them as ordered. The medium rare burger we ordered arrived medium rare Earlier today, while looking for something else in our office, we discovered a 1-gallon pail filled with candy. But no one can remember who gave it to us or when we received it. It contains a bunch of chewy stuff (bit o' honey, mary janes, etc.) and a full compliment of Hershey's miniatures. Upon my initial inspection the chewable stuff seemed a bit hard when I squeezed a few of them. Could it be from last Halloween? No one here knows for sure. I'll let y'all know if I decide to take a risk and sample its contents. =R=

:shock: ...we'll be waiting =R=

It's all about the convenience. I'm no lover of Starbuck's (well, that's not entirely true since I think they are an outstandingly well-run company) but as long as that Iced Venti Americano keeps landing on my desk every morning, I don't anticipate changing course. Actually, in all seriousness, I live in the northern 'burbs of Chicago and Starbuck's is a juggernaut here. There aren't a lot of credible alternatives. However, there is a bakery in Highland Park, IL--a nearby suburb--called Sweet Memories Bakery (owned by eG member, mkfradin) where outstanding coffee can be had. As luck would have it, we're moving our office next month and we'll be only 1 block away from there, so the coffee regimen will likely change. Also, I do have a couple of very nice coffee machines at home and when I have the time (weekends, holiday time) I will put them to use. Also, when my buddy lays a jar of home-roasted beans on me, I take full advantage of his generosity and brew up every last one of them. =R=

Hi All, It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since I last blogged. My! How time flies! Some very brief background about myself. I am 41 and I live in the northern suburbs of Chicago with my wife and my 7-year-old son. I work in the food industry selling bulk ingredients; primarily 100% natural, processed fruit products. I have a love/hate relationship with cooking. I love to do it and I love to learn how to cook new things but I also reserve the right to "not cook" any time it (or the thought of it) ceases to be fun. My wife is culinarily-challenged and, as such, I am the primary meal provider in our house. There are some nights when after getting home from work, spending time in the kitchen is the last thing I want to do. So I don't. There are other times when after getting home from work, nothing sounds better to me than relaxing by spending time in the kitchen (or out by the grill or smoker) making a meal for my family. I'm not exactly sure what specific factors influence these moods but they will no doubt manifest here, over the course of this blog. It'll be a mixed bag this week for sure...probably about 1/3 cooking, 1/3 going out and 1/3 scrounging for leftovers. I started out this morning (and pretty much every morning) with an Iced Venti Americano (no water, please) from Starbuck's. To this I add 1 packet of sweet and low and a splash of half and half. I really need the caffeine in the a.m. but I'm not a particularly passionate coffee person. When I occasionally come across the good stuff, I'm very happy to have it but I don't go out of my way for it either. A friend of mine roasts his own beans and he will hook me up from time to time. Yes, I can tell the difference and yes I can appreciate it. But honestly, I'd rather sleep an extra few minutes in the morning than spend the time making coffee for myself. When I get to my office, my IVA is waiting for me because one of the guys at the office hits Starbucks every morning. Good deal I spent most of this past Sunday cooking (was really in the mood ) and I brought some split pea soup to the office today to share with my cohorts. I'm sure it'll end up being part of our lunch in some manner but we'll no doubt augment it by ordering carryout from one of our local spots. There are 5 of us in the office and we recently went to a system where each one of is assigned a day to choose the lunch venue. Today, our resident vegetarian will be making the choice so the soup, which turned out quite well, is a solid insurance policy that lunch--or at least some portion of it--will be edible =R=

Nancy, Check out this link to their web site: Bob Chinn's Crab House 393 S. Milwaukee Avenue Wheeling IL 60090 (847) 520-3633 I think the place is sort of odd and hard to peg down. Yes, they have very fresh fish and seafood. Yes, they have some other good stuff (garlic rolls, MaiTais). But the place is a barn, a dining factory. You'll walk past a shop hawking an entire line of Bob Chinn's retail items before you ever get to your table. It's an ultra high-volume joint, not a comfortable venue in the least and they move them in and out rather quickly. Pricing is reasonable and the turnover definitely has a positive effect of the quality of the fish and seafood. I believe I read once that Bob Chinn's is the single highest grossing restaurant in the country. Based on their huge parking lot and long line usually coming out the door, I wouldn't doubt that it's true. But again, they move folks through quickly so the line's probably not as bad as it usually looks. There are some who feel that the place is "all that" but I'm not sure if I agree. It's certainly reliable but not the spot where I'd want to spend a special occasion unless I was spending it with a loud and rowdy group. There are no subtle or artful preparations here either; just the basics. The place screams "tourist" even though it's so far out of the way that I can't believe many tourists go there. I'm never disappointed when I learn that I'm going there but I'm never very excited about it either...and as you can probably tell, when it's my turn to pick, I've never chosen Bob Chinn's either. =R=

..waiting for my invitation =R=

This week's installment of Check, Please! featured the following 3 restaurants: Cafe LaGuardia 2111 W. Armitage Chicago, IL (773) 862-5996 Miller Bakery Cafe 555 S. Lake Street Gary, IN (219) 938-2229 Maza 2748 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL (773) 929-9600 This week's episode also included Chicago Sun-Times food writer, Maureen Jenkins, as one of the panelists. =R=

In the case of a meltdown, I'm sure you'll have everyone's full cooperation in getting you out of there Seriously though, this place seems to be all about service and I think they're expecting (and hoping) to be patronized by families with small children. I think they've pretty much "seen it all before" and would accomodate you accordingly if you needed to make a quick exit. For our dinner, we arrived right around 5 pm and the place was still relatively empty. When we left at 6:30, the place was maybe 2/3 full. This also bodes well for gaining some assistance with a quick exit. Probably a different story on Saturday night at 7:30, though. As for the unanticipated change of gears, believe me I know. I used to be Ronnie "Grateful Dead Show" and it was somewhat of an adjustment becoming Ronnie "Suburban" but hey, the rewards are well worth the sacrifices. =R=

LOL! I thought the kid's menu at PGC was quite functional and reasonably priced... -Combo Plate $4 (sliced apples, carrots, bananas, chunks of cheese and cucumbers) Spaghetti with tomato sauce $5 -Mac and Cheese $4 -Breaded chicken cutlet and mashed potatoes $5 -Mini cheese pizza $4 -Petite 4 oz. filet mignon with twice baked potato $12 (all of the items come with a mini side of vegetables) =R=

Hardly a day goes by where I don't regret missing the original incarnation of this event. I am absolutely in and very grateful to Dean, Marlene and everyone else for pulling the strings here. Have knife, will travel...and will work for food =R=

Last time we were at Miramar, a mojito was $7.50 and the wife's glasses of wine were $9 each. Can't remember for sure but I think the martinis were $8.50 each--with Bombay Sapphire and anchovy-stuffed olives. =R=