joiei

Come on u.e, haven't you ever been to the fair? If not, come on down to Tulsa in two weeks and I can introduce you to the world of food on a stick.

with encouragement, I would not be surprised if that talented crew in the kitchen could come up with something that would make you want to howl at the moon and stars. What kind of really cool mustard do you think they can devise to serve with the dog on a stick?

Kettle corn ice cream? Pray thee do TELL! u.e. ← no tell, you just have to go on down and get some.

I didn't do the big deal because I had just spent a couple of hours hanging out with the BBQ crew in the parking lot in Shawnee. But I did stop off for some dessert. But before the dessert the pomme frites looked just too inviting and they were excellent. I especially liked the aioli dipping sauce. And the apple cake with kettle corn ice cream, yummmmm. The bonus, the bartender gave me great directions to get back to my hotel. I will be back, that is for sure.

I had a great time meeting Zeemanb and Chiliheadmike and dining on some damn fine bbq in the parking lot in Shawnee. This makes me eager to get to the Bricktown BBQ cookoff in OKC next weekend. I'm judging in that one. ONe of the best things about judging a KCBS event is you just sit there, they bring the stuff to you, you taste it and then give them your honest opinion of how good or bad the stuff is. And most all the stuff is way better than what you will find in any restaurant.

Yeah, those highly allocated wines are always tough to come by. And then when the wholesaler gets their allocation, you have retailers and restaurants clamoring for whatever they can get. Then the restaurant puts it on the reserve list that customers have to ask for, and the retailer never puts it on the shelf but privately calls the "good customers." So then we're once again stuck with number 5. And so it goes. ← how true. I think I will crack open a bottle of Il Bastardo sangeovaise that I have to celebrate your good advice. I don't know the wine, but I love the artist who did the label, Fernando Botero. Isn't is weird how labels sell wine today instead of what is in the bottle.

I have tried to work this angle here in Oklahoma and the biggest problem I come across is the allotment process precludes this state from receiving many winerys. Texas gets some and Missouri gets some but we get passed over because there is none left when they get to us. For example, Turley. Most of the wine buying I do is for my employers and I am trying to satisfy their wants. Otherwise I would have no problem with this suggestion. And it is an excellent one.

Pinkyhaven, which restaurant did you end up externing in?

Sherry Lehmans has shipped to me and I live in liquor law hell. Also I have made friends with well equiped wine shops in several surrounding states and occasionally go out of town and drive it back across the state line. Is that bootlegging?

Tim Love's Beard House dinner from 2003 press release about his trail drive to California Chef Tim is the real deal. I took a class with him in Ft Worth when he was getting ready for the Beard House dinner. The food was exciting with out being hokey. I have eaten at his new place in Ft Worth, Duce. We got started on small plates and ended up sharing something like 12 plates. The rabbit ravioli with chorizo cream sauce was the best thing of the night.

where in Kansas City is this event being held? Major crossroads.

THe most effective way to express your displeasure with WF is to just not spend your own dollars there. You just described most grocery stores, they only have the few things on their weekly fliers on sale. And you have to be careful of those 10 for $$ promotions, they can be more expensive. My local upscale market is thriving for a reason, personal customer service. I don't shop there to impress myself, I shop there because they have things Albertsons doesn't and will not have. Where a person choses to spend their food dollars is not an indicator of them having half a brain, it is them exercising their choice in a competitive free market society.

I was reading a local blog for Tulsa today and they were all excited to the possibility of getting an upscale chain like Cheesecake factory into a new developement that is going in here. I don't think we are a large enough market for that company, hopefully. Then they also wanted a large outlet mall developement to happen. Do those two things go together?

You mean you have some left? I have never had any leftover so I would have no idea of time frames.

I can get a BLT at Sonic and it isn't on the menu. Diverging from the set menu creates chaos, it is not part of the program and corporate hasn't given the okay to stray from the menu. I just finished reading this months issue of Restaurants and Institutions, a magazine focused on chain dining. They talk a lot about the culture of chains.

I liked this descriptor . I don't know that it would make me want to order the dish but I sure did get the image. I did enjoy my lunch there and still want to go back and have dinner on a visit to Dallas.

A quick nutrition analysis of your order total calories calorie from fat total fat grams sodium% barbacoa 245 143 16 28% rice 240 60 7 25% black beans 130 9 1 13% tomato salsa, 2 portions 50 0 0 46% sour cream 120 90 10 2% cheese 110 80 9 8% flour tortilla 330 70 8 30% ------ ---- ---- ----- 1225 452 51g 152% I guess if you have a very rigious workout regimen, which a lot of people do not, then your calorie intake is okay, that 51g of fat is pretty much a full days recommended intake and the sodium is way off the scale, no more salt the rest of the day. If this type of dining is what you enjoy, then enjoy it. Myself, I think I will try to balance my diet in a different way with less calories from fat. This is like the places that serve those salads that they promote as healthy but once the 4 oz of ranch dressing is added, it blows everything out of proportion. Those huge ceasar salads are not all that healthy either. Ultimately though it is the persons perceptions of the value for their dining dollar, do they enjoy dining at that particular place. If you enjoy Chipotle, then have enjoy it. Just be aware of the nutrition of what you are eating. As a quailfier, I personally have never dined at Chipotle and might if I come across one, none in my area. But it is not high on my list of places to try. My impression is they are trying to sell the bigger is better and we are healthy because we use fresh vegies ideas. Not a new idea, remember when McDonald's did that with one of their burgers? I don't remember the name of it but it seemed to have a bit more lettuce and a tomato slice on it so therefore it was healthier. Thank you for making me make myself more aware of the concept of Chipotle and what they are selling. Maybe when I do get there, I will do the two small chicken crispy tacos.

This concept is ideal for the those of us who care, but that would sacrifice the standard of commonality that chains like to focus on. It is the same in Seattle and in Kansas City and in Miami or pick the city of your choice. If something was different, then people who like to eat at chains would be less likely to patronize the chain as a whole. What would Cheesecake Factory do if their cheesecakes came out different in Overland Park than they did at the one in Coconut Grove? As for the idea of fast, isn't that one of the prime driving factors of chains? The faster they take care of the customer, the happier the customer is with their dining experience. The faster they put out the meals, the more meals they can sell in a given dining period, in other words how many times can they reseat that same chair to maximize their return on that chair. I went to the Chipotle web site and read the manifesto, my question is who do they get their raw products from? Do they come from local suppliers or from the McDonald's (the owner) commissarys? Are they returning to the local community the dollar value they take in or are those dollars going back to some home office in another city? Do they get their produce from local suppliers or does that come in on the same commisary truck that brings the tortillas and the meats and the spices and the paper goods? Just curiosity on my part.

Okay, I'm drawing a blank trying to come up with some good John Edwards-related one liners here. Anyone else? ←

That's too bad. I had such a memorable meal here last year. Now I have to find a new pit stop before Baton Rouge.

Sounds like something I need to investigate the next time I am up. And moosnsqrl showed me how to get to KCK from the other side.

u.e., can you follow with a quick list of restaurants that serve dim sum? We only had one here and it changed owners and went downhill, sadly. THanks.

Little food ranges between $6 and $15 mostly around 8 - 12. Green ranges between $5 and $12 Big Food ranges between $14 for A Big Burger with Good Cheese and Bacon, Good Fries to $28 for a Grilled all natural Uruguayan Beef Tenderloin, Chive Potato Pancake, Tarragon Hollandaise and white Truffled Rocket Greens. Some of the interesting big plates besided the burger is Rabbit Duce, Fried Leg, Grilled lion, truffled sweet pea hash and Kick-Ass Tuna, corinader Cumin Crust, White Beans, Fried greens. They do offer A Gorgeous Selection fo Meats and Cheeses from almost Everywhere - little 39 big 70. I wonder how that is? Something else that I forgot, as soon as they seated us, the waiter poured us a small juice glass, probably 4 oz of sangria. Nice touch. Another interesting menu item - A Daily offering of Pure Flavor in Shot Form - priced daily, I will have to check this out next time.

I really didn't pay that much attention to the wine list, from a glance it looked limited but some nice pours by the glass. Theabroma seemed to enjoy the wine selected for her.

Tim is the Chef/Owner of the Lonesome Dove Bistro over by the Stockyards in Ft Worth and is opening a Lonesome Dove in New York City coming up in the middle of September. I will get back with you on the prices, I do not have the menu in front of me.