liv4fud
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I know I am on a roll with restaurant reviews.
But its been a while that I have had the chance to contribute. So with a full stomach, here's another one.
This restaurant happens to be on Brookdale drive, near I-88 and Rte 59. Its under new management (which happens to be friends with my friend from Stillwater.). Though, we didn't get a chance to go in the numbers that we usually do, it was a pleasant experience.
We started out with appetizers kabab sampler, chicken 65 and paneer tikka.
The paneer and the chi65 dishes were mild and personally, I could have used more heat. But they were well seasoned for the general population that visits there. The samplers were perfectly cooked and had 3 different types of chicken: tandoori, malai and hariali. They were juicy, tender and well seasoned:
Having had our fill of the samplers, we went over to entrees directly. Southern style shrimp curry, Handi vegetable, chicken biryani and naan sampler (onion, garlic and plain) came in next.
Having found the appetizers to be mild, we had asked to make them with a little more heat. And we couldn't have been more right. All three of them were having good amount of bite and the vegetarians amongst us enjoyed the Handi dish. The shrimps were cooked well and the runny gravy was a good compliment along with raita for the biryani. But the biryani by itself was the star of the night. Well seasoned, great flavor and a crowd pleaser.
We followed that up with 2 desserts, the corn phirni and malai fudge.
The fudge was the darling and for the folks who have enjoyed malai, this is a can't miss. The owner did mention that they had to make it less rich but even then, it was awesome.
It was a good night in terms of our culinery experience. Let me know what you think.
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Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to give you a review of my recent dining visit to Stillwater restaurant in Downers Grove, IL. I know the owner from one of the cricket club I am associated with. He just took over the restaurant from the previous chef / owner and had invited me over.
Our evening was pleasant, started out with a Hawaian Kozmo and a virgin Mango Margarita
. The margarita was very pleasant in flavor but I didn't get a chance to enjoy the real fun with it due to the non-alcohol factor. The Kozmo was good in flavor and had a nice sneaky effect in terms of the alcohol kick. It was that or may be I was extremely hungry. That led to us ordering a whole lot of appetizers... scallops, bruschetta, fried mushrooms and baked brie.
. Scallops which were very well cooked and slightly seasoned. The bruschetta was very fresh and I loved the topping which gave out the aroma of fresh basil that was used in the garnish. The fried mushrooms were favorite of the kids along with the pizza but I enjoyed the home made sauce as well. My extreme favorite was the baked brie. It took a while to come in but was fantastic in its simplicity and flavor. At this point, I was quite full but was craving to taste more food.
So, two of us went ahead and ordered soup. I am always a sucker for the French Onion which didn't disappoint at all. But the shrimp bisque that my friend ordered was even more flavor full. The delicate balance of flavor was very satisfying.
By this point, along with the bread that was served and a whole pleathora of appetizers, we were all very full. Kids were happy with their pizza and their mushrooms. But we still decided to go ahead and order a couple of entrees. On special request, the chef prepared a tomato rice and garlic mashed potatoes for our friends who were vegetarian. The others decided to share the stuffed prawn with mushroom risoto and a ribeye.
. Even though this was my first time at the restaurant, I have had the stuffed prawn with mushroom risoto before and is my favorite dish at the restaurant. On request, the chef prepares the filling with a hint of heat and today was the same. Spicy filling with succulent prawns and creamy risotto, mmmmmm. While I was busy with that, I missed out on the opportunity to eat the ribeye. Though the speed at which it vanished, tells me that it must have been good.
Bursting at the seams, we still had the nerve to order a choclate cake for dessert.
But I am glad we did. With a good balance of dark and sweet, it really helped me seal the deal.
All in all, it was a very pleasurable experience and I am planning to make another trip there. And from my talks, I did find out that they do cater to a gluten free menu also (though we did not order anything from there).
Check it out and do let me know what you think.
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Thanks everyone for your ideas. If I do end up going to some place I love, I will be sure to take pics and put them up here.
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Not sure if we have threads like this, but are there good restaurants along (or not too far off) the way on a road trip from Chicago to Boston?
I am not fond of eating at the chain restaurants and tasteless fried food and have been burned a couple of times when I went to diners where fish and chips was frozen & refried box fish and ruffles potato chips (happened on a road trip to Detroit).
Seems like I will be going across Toledo, Cleveland, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Springfield, etc. Please note, I would have 2 toddlers with me as well so classy, sit down fare might be a stretch - especially if I need to keep the journey short.
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<editted to add: if the answers are covered here eGCI Intro course to "Indian" cooking, "nevermind!"!>
* How would you list the various cuisines of India?
(ex in the US we have TexMex, Southern Style, New England etc )
* And does geography matter as much as religion/culture?
* And lastly, since I'd like to start with a favorite dish and work in its milieu so to speak, where does palak paneer fit in?
Again, thanks.
Your first two questions are so broad - it can literally be a PhD subject
Cuisines are mainly related to geography
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Check out the egci section on this very same site.
There are a couple of courses on north indian and south indian breads.
Let me know if it helps.
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rockinRonD, are you talking about sara / lidia?
sara's one of the best teachers on food tv.
and its a shame that like mtv moved away from music, food tv moved away from cooking by letting people like sara go away.
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I had heard that after Sara Moulton's departure from food network, she was going to have a syndicated show on some public television. This was some time back. I am an avid fan of cooking shows on public television but haven't heard anything about any show with Sara.
Does anyone have any updates?
Her site doesn't list anything either.
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stephen,
what is your background in indian cooking?
are there particular dishes that you like/ or would like to have?
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Peeling portabellos! I thought it was not a good thing for the taste to do unless u were doing a decorative design?
Is peeling portabellos a normal practice?
Please advice. I love portabellos and have survived so far having eaten them skin and gills and all ....
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for a second you really made me fantasize....
it was good while it lasted!
the reason is that tomatoes are really expensive even inthe farmer's market that is held here (nearly a dollar a tomato... if we are lucky).
and these are no heirloom...
so really long for good reasonably priced tomatoes.
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many indian families use pressure cookers for ages and depending the type, brand, etc. have developed a set of *whistle* logic...
The pressure cookers we use have only one pressure level - with a moveable weighted *whistle* on top...
Depending on the texture that you need - you would let it go for an x amount of whistles - the more the whistles - the lesser the original shape, size (and pretty much no bite as it would be associated with uncooked...)
I am not sure of the model you are referring to
but if you adjust the cooking time (read experiment with it ) you should come up with a *caliberation* of your own
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Where is it?
We are near Naperville and Aurora border and crazy behind good tomatoes...
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my oven has changed and I did try with one of a pre-marinated chicken from a corner grocery store - came out so fantastic that I finished it before remembering pictures
I will get it again this weekend and post some pics.
Then I will try my own to see if the results are similar....
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Still no luck = even tried to put in the topic id in the url of another page to force it - 92259 - but still nothing
Does it still come up for you?
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But, just as we get on our 'fish is safe' high horse, I just want to remind people of a couple of previous eGullet topics that haunt me to this day:
Both links point right to the post with a picture, but the whole threads are interesting.
And one of my employees just returned from France. While there he had some mussels that allegedly caused a bacterial infection in his system. The French doctors missed it so it settled behind his eye and now he is permanently blind in that eye.
Could you repost the link to #2 - the link seems broken!
I am a converted non-veggie - and was gungho on fish coz I didn't like initially and now I can't go a week without sushi...
I know I have seen bugs and grubs crawling out of veggies also - and have been bitten by them too - so I am not going to be off - but I would definitely like to take precautions - especially while cooking at home
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I agree with the idea of censorship and them running their business. But then they should have it not as a *review* - only good review.
I had a horrible time at Bebe's - food didn't arrive in time (mine arrived after all others on table had finished) and didn't even get apology from the wait staff.
Owner/Manager wouldn't even bother to come and talk...
Posted it on Metromix and still hasn't seen the light of day.
Lost all respect for that site - other than the fact that I would go there for the stats - addresses etc.
One more reason to love eG!
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One of the restaurants that I use to stage at does use melted veggie shortening (think it was crisco) in building the dough and does deep fry them in almost smoky oil - don't think they used any water...
My memory is a little bleak but I know the dough took a consdierable amount of fat. I was more worried about the fat in the crust than the one it was fried in.
Once fried - it wasn't as flaky but quite crispy. But needless to say it was not light at all...
Do let me know if you try it and how it comes out.
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I think I actually found more info for you in one of our own threads:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79369
Hope it helps.
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I always look at the tasty ways the chefs prepare fishes and always leave with a one liner at the end - don't over cook your fish.
The problem is - being a converted carnivore - and being bombarded by news about all kinds of bacteria and food borne illnesses... I tend to over cook meat.
Though I have invested in a pricey digital thermometer, I don't know when and where to stop the cooking of fish (chicken I am finally getting good control off).
Another issue is that sashimi style fish cooking. I love sushi - can't get enough of it - but dread to make sushi or sashimi at home due to not knowing if I can trust the fish bought at costco, sams, jewel, dominicks, or other stores to keep them rare or raw...
Could someone guide me please...
(btw, just moved to Naperville / Route 59 area - so references to stores in the area would be welcome)
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follow up on kankola - here's a link to the picture:
http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/Images/G_0178A.JPG
its the rightmost in the top row.
apparently scientific name is : momordica dioica
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Waaza, you hit the nail on the head with the descriptions.
I will add to some of yours:
Auro - its actually an eggplant dish - depending on the region - you either get it with onion - tomato - scallion - garlic or just garlic.
Similar to how baba-ghanoush is made (if I get time - I will post the pictorial).
Kankola - its like the tondli - though the seeds are tougher than the guava. I will try to get you a picture later.
Also, undhiyo has a nice history and recipes (atleast 2) - I will try to get them in also.
Hope this helps
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Sorry, couldn't see your post earlier - else I would have been more than glad to help.
But its not really bastardization - but rather more of evaluation and fusion.
There's a popular restaurant by the name of 'Hot Wok' in suburbs of Chicago which tries to explain this kind of food as the one that evolved when Chinese immigrants settled in India and adapted their cuisine to what was at hand.
I wish you success Helen in whatever you are doing!
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Ah Leung, you have been a great help in my quest to learn Chinese food.
I hope and pray your circumstances improve.
Will look forward to your off and on contributions whenever you can!
EGullet community will miss you!
Exploding garlic clove
in Cooking
Posted
Sauce pan with remaining fat from cooking, added red wine and smashed garlic cloves. Violent explosion like super heated water or microwave egg and kitchen looks like slaughter chamber. Escaped with minor forehead burn but could be worse
Never knew or heard that could happen and sincerely looking to not repeat it again. Please suggest ways to prevent it