jsmeeker

I'm not *quite* a definite yet, but I really am gonna try to make this happen. Been hoping this gathering would return to Cleveland. Nothing on my calendar keeps me from going, though. So, once I start looking into travel details, I can become a definite!

I'll give another big thumbs up to Valentino. Sage is great, too. Trust David on this. (I actually dined there with him back in May)

The early august dates should not be a problem for me. As far as picking a Michael Symon spot.. What if it were possible to arrange for a pig roast over the weekend at Lolita? Greenhouse Tavern sounds good too. When I was in Cleveland in 2009, the plan was to go there for some pre-dinner snacks and drinks before dinner at Lola. But they were closed for a private event. I was really bummed!

In Texas, Dr. Pepper is the number two soda. You'll see it pretty much everywhere, whether the other beverages are Coca-Cola products or Pepsi products.

We had one installed at out cafeteria at work several months ago. Actually, it's a total of 106 different drinks it can dispense. But they are all "pre-set". You can't order up custom combinations. I have since seen them at a Pei Wei in the Dallas area. Those actually had Dr. Pepper loaded in them instead of Mr. Pibb.

Hmmmm... I am guessing there are places in China town that can deliver on that, but I am not familiar with those places beyond what has been reported here in the eGullet forums. The closest thing I can think of (and it's not really close 'cause it's not really Taiwanese) is Ping Pang Pong

It's snowing here in Dallas. It's time to make some hot chocolate. I think I am going to go with a ganache style. And throw in a little instant espresso powder. Will use my stick blender to get it all mixed up, too.

Another vote for Muir Glen tomato products. But really, overall, canned tomatoes.

Cleveland in 2011?? Hmm.. I didn't make it up to C-Town in 2010, but I did the three years prior. I need me a Velvet Tango Room fix!!

My technique is like yours. Except I use a longer boning knife. Is there any other method to do this? I have really only ever seen this one.

My first whole fish was a large trout cooked in a salt crust and it was lovely (way back before you were born in the 70's...) Definitely give it a go. Thank you for the words of encouragement. I am thinking of doing a branzino. I'll be cooking for one.

I received a basic Cuisinart model as a gift. It's pretty basic. Retails for $30. No attachments (though the blending shaft does detach). Only came with a blending beaker/measuring cup. So far, I've only used it to blend some soups and tomato (marinara) sauce. Works fine. Want to make mayo with it. The recipe in the booklet that comes with it basically calls for dumping everything into the beaker and giving it a spin. Sure sounds quick and easy. Normally, I make mayo by hand with a whisk and get fantastic results. I'll try it for ganache to make truffles one of these days, too. Are the really spendy Bamix blenders really giving much better results?

Gougeres are one of my most favorite things to make. They really aren't hard to make, and they can REALLY impress people. Every decent cook ought to have pate a choux in their bag of tricks. My favorite tweak to a standard gougere recipe is to use a little pinch of cayenne pepper.

I will cook a whole fish Something I have wanted to do. Something I was kinda "scared" to do. But after participating in a fish cooked in a salt dome process, I think I can tackle it on my own at home.

Wow. I know restaurants in Vegas do come and go, but this one is really great. I will miss it. The other restaurant he is in charge of Strata is still going to be open. I wonder if there will some integration of the Alex dishes in to the menu? Dunno. Stratta is pretty different. Much more casual. And Italian.

I too like the red onion in raw dishes. Previously, my only other onion type was white. Then, I switched to using yellow when not using red onions in raw dishes. At one point, I learned white onions were the standard for Mexican cuisine. So, I now will buy white onions again. Of course, sometimes I still use red in Mexcian. It's what I still prefer in guacamole (largely due to the color contrast they give me) and frequently in fresh salsas.

It's really sad because Chef Stratta was a real Vegas chef. He was cooking in that town before the city blossomed into a major restaurant town. He was making his mark before most any of the famous chefs from out of town came in. While I didn't dine at Alex, it was a pleasure to meet him back in May and cook "with" him at the Uncork'd event.

Sad to report that Alex at Wynn is closing next week. Such a terrible loss.

I think there is not a lot risk of not winning ("losing"). I'll have to dig it up, but there was a good interview with a contestant (Stephen Hopcraft) from Season 7 (D.C) who was chef at Seablue at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He was eliminated mid-way through. But it didn't have any negative impact. The restaurant/hotel still promoted him and it seems to have generated extra attention and business. He has since moved from MGM Grand to the newly opened Cosmopolitan where he is exec. chef at STK. Really, it seems any publicity is good publicity. Locally, Tre Wilcox became a bit of a "star" after his first appearance on Top Chef during season 3. He too got booted about midway through. But it didn't keep people from liking him. I dined at the restaurant just before the season aired. Before I even knew he was going to be on. Dined again AFTER the show had fully aired. On the second trip, he was out in the dining room, talking to guests, taking pictures with guests, etc. etc. EDIT: Below is the link to the Stephen Hopcraft story http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/sep/22/stephen-hopcraft/

Fair enough. I think the normal way big name chefs find people to run outposts is to promote from within. Thomas Keller wants to open Bouchon in Las Vegas? Get one of the top guys in Yountville to go to the desert. I am gonna guess this didn't happen here with LoS.

For New Years day, I'll make some buaffalo wings to nosh on during the bowl games. For dinner, some sort of red coconut curry shrimp dish. (using up a bottle of pre-prepared sauce I got as a Christmas gift). What I really need is an idea for New Years Eve dinner. I'll be working all day, so it has to be something I can whip up pretty quickly and easily when I get home. Need to figure that part out soon. Going to grocery store tonight after work, and won't be visiting any store on Friday or Saturday.

What are you gonna fry up on New Years Day? I say whip of some pate a choux and make donuts.

It's interesting that there is the criticism of the "absent chef". That's the exact sort of criticism people like to lay on the Vegas strip hotel restaurants. When a chef DOES expand and create outposts, what is the normal amount of time spent in the new outpost to get things going? Di Chef Chutima spend the same amount of time in NYC recently as, say, Jose Andres did recently in Las Vegas?

That makes for a fabulous back bar!

Ok.. Interesting example. But Crafsteak was part of Tom Colicchio's empire. And his empire didn't start off in Las Vegas. Lotus is a true Las Vegas original. And as has been pointed out, wasn't even in a mega casino resort.