santo_grace
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Posts posted by santo_grace
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What a wonderful story. I'm not sure my reply to it will do your story justice. I am a big fan of Gourmet. Coincidentally, I was born in 1970, the year of your phantom copies. In my 20’s I picked up cooking magazines here and there, not with much consistency and never an allegiance to a particular one. A few years ago for Christmas a friend gave me a subscription to Gourmet, and I have to say my reaction after the first few issues, was the opposite of yours. I wondered why my friend was torturing me by giving me a magazine filled with places that I’m not able to go to – at least not at the frequency I would like. Don’t get me wrong, I like to travel, but there are bills to paid, jobs to hold, and only so many vacation days in the year. Within a few months though I was hooked and I look forward to each new issue. Perhaps like many things, the old Gourmet was better, however I don't see myself cancelling my subscription anytime soon.
When I got home this Monday night after a bad day, for both professional and personal reasons, and saw that December’s issue had arrived, I breathed a sigh of happiness and said to my husband “Oh, it’s a Gourmet night. Now the day is better.”
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FYI - I made a reservation today at Schwa for January. I was told starting at the beginning of the year, they are going to only be open Monday - Friday nights. No Saturdays or Sundays.
The reason was to spend more time with family.
I do not think this has been posted yet. "Chicago" Magazine has an interview with the six top chefs (according to them) in Chicago and "Schwa" becomes, indirectly, the topic of conversation.
Q: What’s the best thing about the star-rating system? [ Silence.]Q: OK, the worst thing.
Bayless: So many people don’t read the reviews; they only read the stars. Like somebody from heaven has given you three stars and suddenly you’re in that category. Nobody knows quite how it happens but that’s all they remember.
Nahabedian: Or sometimes you’ll read a whole review and it’ll be positive from start to finish. So, OK, why does this guy only have two stars?
Kahan: There are no set rules. I realize it’s subjective, but there need to be some guidelines that say, in order for a restaurant to get three stars—and I’m not talking about anyone in particular—you need to have a wine list.
Nahabedian: Or you need to have service. If you chose not to have a wine list, that’s great, but at least have people who are knowledgeable serving the wine. Anybody could just serve food. I could cook the plate, walk it out, and walk away, but what are you getting from that?
Achatz: But that in itself is an experience. I assume that we’re all talking about Schwa. [ Note: The Chicago Tribune and Chicago magazine both gave Schwa three stars out of four even though it’s BYO and doesn’t have white-tablecloth service.]
I read this article as well. At first, I thought the chefs were being ridiculous for knocking Schwa on these two points (service and wine), and was very happy to see Chef Achatz jump to Schwa's defense. After thinking about it awhile, I can see the point of view of the other chefs. Why should they get knocked for something that someone else doesn't offer, therefore can't be compared to. Should the number of stars be based on more than just the food? If I were them, I would say yes. I also read this article the same day that the Tribune gave the movie Borat 4-stars, and used words like 'genius'. My reaction to that was how can a movie be comical genius when it is based on the premise of fraud, misleading people and making fun of them. In other words, it is being rated on something that doesn't have the same foundation/elements that other comedies do. I think the chefs feel they should be compared to restaurants that offer the same components that they do.
In the end, I agree with the chefs - star systems aren't very good and are misleading.
Regardless of stars, we are looking forward to another visit to Schwa, which was one of our most memorable and satisfying meals of the past few years.
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FYI - I made a reservation today at Schwa for January. I was told starting at the beginning of the year, they are going to only be open Monday - Friday nights. No Saturdays or Sundays.
The reason was to spend more time with family.
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Made the Osso Buco on Sunday, which we didn't eat until Monday. I didn't want to spend $16/lb for veal shanks, so I used beef. I'm sure the veal would have been just as good, but we didn't have any complaints with the beef. Very, very tasty. Followed the recipe pretty much exactly, and I don't think I would change a thing. Also, made some risotto, but didn't have any saffron on hand, so it was risotto with parm-reg.
Made the creamy brussel sprouts last week - I love brussel sprouts, and I love cream, so this one is a keeper.
Sorry no pictures of either one.
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msfoodie
in an Italian way.. here is the recipe.
for each pear:
take 1 tbs of softened butter,
2 or three crushed amaretto cookies,
and mix together with 1 tsp of bittersweet cocoa powder.
taste..and adjust.
cut the pears in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds creating a round hole for the filling.
Make small balls of filling and press into holes.
Place in a baking pan.
Pour some water or white wine into the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle sugar o top of the pears, and into hte water, about1 tbs.
Bake at 350 until the pears are tender.
Traditionally this recipe is done with Apricots, a fabulous magic occurs with the tang from the baked apricots and the bitterness from the amaretti cookies.
The bitterness of the amaretto cookies comes from the bitter almonds... that are the inside of the apricot ( or peach)pits. they contain a tiny bit if cyniade!
I have some amerotto cookies also that I bought for another recipe, and this recipe sounds like a wonderful way to use them. What type of pears do you think work best?
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I look forward to the broccoli cassserole that we only make for Thanksgiving. It has cheez whiz...enough said.
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One of my favorite potato salad preparations is with haricots verts and a mustardy vinaigrette. Not at all boring - but I like your vichyssoise idea better. Maybe you could even garnish with chive oil? That way you don't need to worry about the chives looking sad after being pre-chopped...
Like Megan and MizDucky this is one of my favorites also. I'm not sure where they gets theirs, but if you want a recipe there is a good one on epicurious from Gourmet...Potatoes and Haricots Verts with Vinaigrette. I like the addition of the champagne vinegar in this one. Overall, this combination is a pretty easy salad to wing.
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Hello Everyone,
Looks like no one has mentioned North Shore Distillery gin. It's located just north of Chicago and is available in local stores (and via their websites). I finally tasted this a couple of months ago. The first thing that came to mind was black pepper and then cardamon. I really like the gin, which is kind of surprising since I'm not a huge fan of black pepper, but since I do really like cardamon, they balanced each other out. So far we've only had it in martini's (with a twist). We will continue to experiment.
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I made the Braised Pork Chops with Creamy Cabbage. While I was very pleased with cabbage and the taste of the pork chops, they chops were not as tender as I would have liked. They were a bit thicker than the 1" she called for. Do you think I should have let them braise longer?
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And, the final product. I filled them with Chestnut Milk Jam from Fauchon. Michael and I went to Fauchon in 2003 (on a trip we took to Paris for my 30th birthday). I've been holding the jar since then, waiting for the perfect moment. I pulled it out this morning and realized it was expired. I ate it anyway, and it was marvelous. If I don't post later, I'm dead of botulism. It was worth it though.
I've done that before - waiting to use something for just the right meal or occasion, and it gets too old to use. My friend and I were talking about that the other day - she was using a spa gift certificate on the very last day before it expired. Hope you make it to the end of the blog before the botulism sets in.
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Danielle,
Welcome to Chicago! I'm convinced you will find many restaurants to replace your favorite Japanese and Lebanese places.
If you haven't been to Lincoln Square yet head up there for:
Bouffe - Cheese and a source for Capogiro gelato
The Chopping Block - a very popular cooking school with all sorts of kitchen stuff (they also have a location in the Merchandise Mart).
The Cheese Stands Alone - another good cheese shop (it's on Western Ave. south of Wilson)
Fine Wine Brokers - always a good recommdation (personally I boycott Sam's - yes they have a lot/just about anything you would want, but they upset me once and that was enough. I soon found the Wine Discount Center on Elston, and then when we moved to Lincoln Square we found Fine Wine Brokers).
Myers Deli - very crowded and packed full of lots of European deli products.
Merz Apothecary - a great drugstore.
Some very good Thai places - Opart, Spoon, Rosded
Many, many good restaurants - Bistro Campagne and Costello's for subs (very kid friendly) first come to mind.
Unfortunately, we moved out of Lincoln Square to Portage Park a few years ago so we can no longer walk to the area, but the drive is quick and easy.
I'm looking forward to this blog and seeing Chicago through the eyes of a newcomer.
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Thanks for the report. I'm eagerly anticipating my visit (October 19!).
Did you bring wine? Do they still only have tumblers, so we should bring our own glassware?
We did bring wine - a split of champagne, a white and a red. Yes, it is still just tumblers. I did see one couple with flutes for their champagne, but we weren't offered any for ours, so I'm assuming they brought them.
We also bought a bottle of wine for the kitchen - it was suggested to us by a waiter at another restaurant as a nice gesture for the staff.
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Anyone been to Schwa recently? I have a reservation coming up in a little under a month, and I can't wait!
Hi Tammy,
My husband and I went for the first time on Friday for our anniversary. It couldn't have been a better meal. We are definitely looking forward to our next visit (most likely after the holidays).
We had most of the same dishes as Molto e described upthread with a few changes. Our 9 courses (sorry no pictures):
Amuse - candied/caramelized green apple served on a stick like a lollipop. It had some sea salt on the top as well. The presentation was very fun with the lollipop stuck into a half of a green apple (cut side down). This gave us a wonderful idea for our amuse for our New Year's Eve dinner.
Salad - heirloom tomato panzanella salad with little balls of heirloom tomato on the side. I wish I could remember all the schmears/pastes that were on the plate. The only one I remember is a basil one. They were all so good, I wanted to run my finger along the plate. Actually, I think I did.
Proscuitto Consomme - as molte e said - a signature dish. Delicious!
Quail Egg Ravioli - better than I imagined - and I've been imagining for months. It was the right amount of cheese and tanginess to contrast with the creaminess of the egg. I have a friend that doesn't like eggs, but told him that he would have no problem with this dish. This was the only point in the dinner that I wished we had bread, so I could have soaked up the sauce.
Illinois Sturgeon Caviar with Cauliflower - We had a very similar dish at Citronelle years ago, but I enjoyed this so much more.
Lobster with butter foam, potatoes and mushrooms (I think - I don't have very good recall). I do not believe there was lavender in ours and it was more suited to the fall season.
Shortribs, beef tongue - excellent dish, but I can't recall all the sides (we really should have asked for a menu).
Sweetbreads - now I'm not crazy about sweetbreads, but these were delicious because they were fried to just the right crispiness.
Dessert - the same as molte e's. Words can't describe the truffle milkshake - it was much more delicate than I thought it would be, which after this meal, I appreciated the touch of richness without it being too overpowering. It was just right. I also enjoyed the other dessert - even the candied olives (I do not like olives!). My husband and I agreed that finally we had a dessert with olives in it that worked (unlike one that we had at Trotter's a couple of years ago).
Chef Carlson and his staff were wonderful. We can't wait to go back.
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I'm coming out of lurking-mode also. Great blog!
Brussel Sprouts!
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I flipped out the first Thanksgiving that I spent with my stepmother (she wasn't my stepmother then, but was well on her way). I was about 14 and she was going to make instant mashed potatoes. I whined about it and said I would make them if it was too difficult for her. I'm sure my father stayed out of that conversation, but I know he always liked my mother's cooking, so I am sure he was happy to have real potatoes.
I later realized that my step sister thought the potatoes had to be boiled whole so she would start the potatoes about 1.5 hours before dinner. I explained to her that the potatoes could be cut into smaller pieces to speed up the cooking. I blamed it on her mother.
I also remember the sound of the potatoes being made in the kitchen and knowing that dinner would be ready soon.
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thx! I wasn't home much this summer. Now it's time to bring out Molly's book again and get braising, which is my favourite way to cook in the winter. (I'm still not all that sure about this curdled milk thing though)
Do you like custard? That's how Molly describes the end product. Maybe that will help you. It's not sour tasting at all. Trust me.
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I have yet to find too many recipes in this book that I don't like. The Zinfindel pot roast is one of my favourites.
I have not yet done the Pork braised in Milk yet, although from the raves on this thread I should. For some reason, braising in milk just doesn't connect in my mind.
It's funny because I read the title of the recipe and thought that sounds good, but then as I read through the recipe and got to the part about the milking curdling, I almost decided not to make it. I didn't even think about how the milk would curdle until I read it. But I had some whole milk to use up from another recipe so I decided what the heck. The pork was very tender and I liked the addition of the fennel. Go for it!
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I bought this book back in the spring and never got around to making anything from it - even after reading the introduction and seeing this thread. I pulled it out last night when I realized I wanted to do something different with a pork roast. I ended up making the Pork Braised in Milk. It was so quick and easy, and is a keeper.
I did have to hurry up at the end with creating the custard-like sauce though. I thought I had more time to cook the pork so we dished up our soup and then I took the pork's temperature and realized it was done! I didn't cook the sauce as long as instructed since I didn't want the soup to get cold. When my husband went back for seconds though the sauce had curdled even more to the custard consistency. It was just as good today for lunch.
As it starts to get cooler I'm looking forward to finally cooking some more recipes from the book. I just re-read all 17 pages of this thread and am going to start with some of the favorites here.
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Ahh, Dunkirk, one of the cities (the only?) in NY to receive an F for air quality. I know exactly the three Weggies you shopped as I have more than been in the neighborhood. The Buffalo location is the Super version, is it not? And I'm glad you liked Weck rolls somehow I always expect outsiders to be more towards neutral on the subject, how about Johnny's Lunch?
Anyway, compliments on the use of a whole leek with your pots and veg on the last page.
I had my first (and only) beef on Weck last year when I was in Olean, NY to see a client. I enjoyed it. It's always nice to have a local specialty. I grew up in upstate NY (north of Syracuse) and I was surprised that I had never heard of it. But then again I had never had a spiedie before, which is local to Binghamton, NY until I went to college there.
Ann - are there any local specialties that you have found on Vancouver island?
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In Chicago one of the best salad bars I have seen is at Fogo de Chao a Brazilian churrascaria. Even though it is a place that is filled with men walking around in gauchos with meat on a stick, I've had many vegetarian friends go there and have a great meal at the salad bar. Other than that, I can't remember the last salad bar I've seen.
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I've had many jobs in the food industry. I've worked at McD's and yes, it could get very, very hot next to those fryers in the summer. I've waitressed for horrible, horrible owners, but still managed to have a good time because of the other waitstaff. I also waitressed at a Friendly's on Cape Cod - lots of fun waiting on families that are just determined to have fun, especially after their 4-hour round of miniature golf. I worked in the dining hall at college, which is no thrill to be filling the plates of my fellow students, especially the annoying ones.
However, the worst food industry related job was selling meat door to door. Yep, I would pull up in my refrigerated truck, ring the doorbell and try to drag people out to the truck to look at my inventory of hamburgers, chicken tenders and steaks. I'm a horrible sales person so I didn't stay in that job too long. I wouldn't buy the stuff, so how could I convince others. That was a lot point in my life.
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I love this thread! Last night it was two different kinds of pasta (penne and campanelle) mixed together with green onions, mayo and crab meat.
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Thanks everyone! Sounds like the coffee grinder is the way to go and much more economical. I guess that just saves more money for other gifts. Hmmm, what to get?
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My birthday is coming up next month and I am thinking about asking for an electric spice grinder. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Flavor marriage game.
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted