LAZ

Thanks so much! This will give everybody more crusty bits and make serving much easier than one or two big baking dishes.

Can anyone lend any Pyrex or ceramic pie plates or similarly sized shallow casseroles? In order to do my dish conveniently family style, I need one for each table.

You should expect to find all kinds of meat, seafood and produce. I would guess that beets and any other Midwest-grown fruit and vegetables will be best from the farmer's market, though. We'll be visiting three European deli/butcher shops, two Asian markets and a Middle Eastern store. I've scheduled so we'll have the most time at the largest stores, but you can see we aren't going to be able to spend much time at any one place -- with so many of us, just getting in and out and from place to place is going to take longer than I'd originally counted on. Now that the starting time at the church has been pushed back to 2 p.m., we may be able take in some special requests after lunch, so if there's anything anyone needs that we didn't get in the morning, I can direct you to other stores, or folks can go back to spend more time somewhere. There's a good greengrocer in the area and some wonderful multi-ethnic supermarkets I couldn't fit in. Also, there is a Costco. Update: Ethnic shopping tour 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 (including lunch) Niles ethnic grocers (list) This tour will start off at 9 a.m. from Niles. Everyone on the list below should have received a PM from me with the meeting place and a link to further info, directions and a map. Plan to arrive early if you'd like coffee or a morning nosh before we leave. If you think you will have trouble getting to Niles, please send me a PM as soon as possible and let me know where you will coming from. Ethnic lunch will cost about $13 each, including a beverage, tax and tip. It will be easiest if everyone brings cash. We will also have a mid-morning snack that will cost about $2 each. Drivers, if I have wrongly estimated the number of available seats in your car, please let me know. The number in brackets is car seats including the driver. LAZ+1 [6] tammylc* [4] Jean Blanchard+1* (**[2]) LuckyGirl+2*(**[3]) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* [4] Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH edsel* [4] prasantrin's mom nyokie6+1 ronnie_suburban* (+2**[3]) Total: 15 + 7 probable *Additional drivers [total car seats: 26] (**)probable

De gustibus. Do I recall correctly that you aren't a big fan of fennel in Italian sausage? That would account for your preference of Johnnie's sausage over Al's, which has a big fennel flavor. I definitely agree on the fries.

Update: Ethnic shopping tour 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 (including lunch) Niles ethnic grocers (list) This tour will start off at 9 a.m. from Niles. Everyone on the list below should have received a PM from me with the meeting place and a link to further info, directions and a map. Plan to arrive early if you'd like coffee or a morning nosh before we leave. If you think you will have trouble getting to Niles, please send me a PM as soon as possible and let me know where you will coming from. Ethnic lunch will cost about $13 each, including a beverage, tax and tip. It will be easiest if everyone brings cash. If I can shoehorn it in, we may also have a mid-morning snack that will cost about $2 each. Drivers, if I have wrongly estimated the number of available seats in your car, please let me know. The number in brackets is car seats including the driver. LAZ+1 [6] tammylc* [4] Jean Blanchard+1* (**[2]) LuckyGirl+2*(**[3]) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* [4] Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH edsel* [4] prasantrin's guest nyokie6+1 Total: 14 + 5 probable *Additional drivers [total car seats: 23] (**)probable

Chicago is a big city with big-city issues, so you need to be alert to safety, but that applies not only on public transit but on the streets and in and around restaurants. Taking taxis isn't necessarily safer than transit, because you need to stand around and try to flag them. If you need a cab late at night, stay inside and ask the establishment to phone for one for you. Inside restaurants and bars, keep your purse where you can see it -- don't hang it on the back of your chair. Don't leave valuables in a jacket pocket and hang it on the back of your chair or in a coat rack. Don't flash a lot of bills. The main difference I found between the subway in Tokyo and the L in Chicago is that Tokyo's transit system is more complex, more crowded, and its riders ruder about pushing and shoving. Everyone's level of comfort is different, but as a middle-aged woman, I've never been bothered on the L. I am not these days a frequent rider, but I also don't know anyone personally who's had trouble. I would hesitate only to take the L alone late at night. There are some L stations in troubled neighborhoods, but most of them aren't tourist destinations. Just make sure you know where you're going and stay aware of your surroundings.

That was my rec. They've always had it, as far as I know. You can also get good versions at Mapo in Naperville and at Ed's Potsticker House. Mapo Restaurant 1563 Naperville Wheaton Road, Naperville 630/420-1388 www.maporestaurant.com Ed's Potsticker House 3139 S. Halsted St., Chicago 312/326-6898

Well, I did limit it to "the best place downtown." For the best beef anywhere, I'd probably give the edge to Johnnie's, although the one-two punch of Al's and Mario's is hard to beat. Taking the components separately, Johnnie's has the best beef and giardiniera and Al's wins on sausage and fries. But as I always say, Italian beef is more than the sum of its parts! PS-I'm also a regular user of the drive-thru at Al's on Ontario. But there I usually get just sausage with sweet peppers, neater to eat in the car.

The best place downtown to get a beef or a combo would be Al's No. 1 on Taylor Street, a classic Chicago spot in the heart of Little Italy. An Italian beef sandwich (or just "a beef" in Chicagoese) starts with thinly sliced, seasoned roast beef, dripping with juices, layered on a long roll. For a combo, they'll add on a fennel-laced Italian sausage, grilled over charcoal. For the best version, ask for it "dipped." The counterman will also ask "sweet or hot?" which means do you want sauteed sweet peppers or a spicy hot-pepper giardiniera mixture on it. I recommend the latter, if you can take the heat. All of this combines to create a drippy, messy sandwich that is far more than the sum of its parts. Lean forward to eat it. At Al's on Taylor, eating beef is facilitated by the fact that there are no seats, just a chest-high stand-up counter. After you eat your sandwich (get the fries, too -- skin-on, from fresh potatoes), stroll across the street to Mario's, the best Italian lemonade in Chicago. This is a refreshing, frozen, slushy drink that starts with just fresh lemons, cane sugar and water. There will also be strips of lemon peel and likely a few pips in your cup, so you know it's real. You can stop there, if you like, or get a flavored version. Bear in mind that all the flavors -- even chocolate -- begin with the same lemon mix, so get a flavor you think is compatible with lemon. Most of them mean added flavoring syrup, but a few come from fresh fruit, including watermelon, cantaloupe, tutti-frutti, coconut, pineapple and pina colada. For a short period in late summer, there is peach, and aficionados await it eagerly all summer. Half a mile from the Marriott is Tempo, an all-night coffeeshop with great omelets. Al's No. 1 Italian Beef 1079 W. Taylor St., Chicago 312/733-8896 Mario's Italian Lemonade 1068 W. Taylor St. No phone Tempo Cafe 6 E. Chestnut St. 312/943-4373

OK, I won't count on your extra seats, but I do hope you'll will be able to attend. Tammy says she can drive, if necessary, so we can manage if you can't make it. Let us know when you know. If anyone else can drive, if needed, let me know. I will provide maps. The initial meeting place has a large parking lot, so if we need to we can reshuffle on Saturday morning. For efficiency's sake, I'd just as soon have the minimum number of cars we can manage with on the tour itself. Update: Ethnic shopping tour 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 (including lunch) Niles ethnic grocers (list) This tour will start off at 9 a.m. from Niles. Plan to arrive early if you'd like coffee or a morning nosh before we leave. If you think you will have trouble getting to Niles, please send me a PM as soon as possible and let me know where you will coming from. Ethnic lunch will cost about $13 each, including a beverage, tax and tip. It will be easiest if everyone brings cash. If I can shoehorn it in, we may also have a mid-morning snack that will cost about $2 each. Drivers, if I have wrongly estimated the number of available seats in your car, please let me know. The number in brackets is car seats including the driver. LAZ+1 [6] tammylc* [4] Jean Blanchard+1* (**[2]) LuckyGirl+2*(**[3]) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* [4] Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH or ?* [4] prasantrin's guest nyokie6+1 Total: 13 + 5 probable *Additional drivers [total car seats: 23] (**)probable

Totally off topic, but as a journalist, let me congratulate you on your decision not to try to get a job in that industry. Frankly, if it's not too late, I'd advise you to change your major now. Is your step-dad a member of a club that has a reciprocal arrangement with the Metropolitan or does he know a member who'll sponsor him? Otherwise, I don't believe you can just walk in and have dinner. These dishes are more or less unique to Chicago: * Deep-dish and stuffed pizza * Italian beef sandwiches (and beef/sausage combos) * Chicago-style hot dogs * Maxwell Street Polish * Shrimp de Jonghe * Chicken Vesuvio (a classic version can be had at Rosebud, 720 N Rush St., 312-266-6444) * Jibaritos * And, while they're not precisely unique to this city, we offer better steakhouses than many other parts of the country

Tea-smoked duck and lamb with cumin. I'm actually not a huge fan of the 3-chili chicken, which is made from chicken breast and is often dry.

That is not quite correct. You may be looking at the information for users of Chicago Cards.If you use regular transit passes purchased from CTA station machines, the fares are: * One ride: $1.75 (bus); $2.00 (rail) * First transfer use in two hours: 25 cents * Second transfer use in two hours: Free After the free ride, an additional ride costs $1.75 and a new two-hour period begins. See http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares.html#cc

You're probably looking at somewhere around $25 for a cab from the Hyatt Regency Chicago to Evanston, and if it's not prime commuting time, it will take about 25 minutes. That compares with $1.75-2.00 per person for the el. With the el, you're looking at a walk of between 1/4 and 1/2 mile at both ends, from the Hyatt to the el (the stops at Grand/State and State/Lake are about equidistant from the hotel) and from the el to the Evanston Farmer's Market and from the el to the location of the Heartland Gathering. The el doesn't go to Niles. There are also commuter trains to the northern suburbs, but they leave from the train stations on the opposite side of the Loop from the Hyatt. Another option is to rent a car for the day from a location near your hotel. You can see a complete map of public transportation in the Chicago area, combining the CTA (el/subway and buses in the city and a few suburbs), Metra (commuter trains) and Pace (suburban buses) on the RTA website here. I've found that their "Trip Planner" function (same one as on the individual websites of those three agencies) is often inaccurate, because it fails to recognize geographical locations when they are typed in. ← Given the current state of local road construction, I would allow at least an hour get north by car or taxi on Saturday morning. Niles is very well served by bus lines. To take public transit from downtown to Niles, take the Red Line L to Howard Street and transfer to the Yellow Line to Skokie. From there, you can transfer to a Pace bus that will go directly to our meeting point. (The Ethnic Tour meeting point I have in mind is on the route of the #250 Pace bus, but if I change it, I will be certain to choose somewhere else directly on a bus line.) If you are staying in Evanston, buses also go from there to Niles. I've had good luck with the online RTA Trip Planner, but if you don't, you can call 312-836-7000 and get advice from a live person. (BTW, if you have a PDA or smart phone, the free program MetrO is a wonderful, downloadable route calculator for rail and subway systems, including Chicago's. I managed to get all over Tokyo using it. It also has a web-based version.)

A taxi to the northern suburbs will be quite expensive, so consider the L unless you really have too much to carry. For Niles, take the Red Line L to Howard, transfer to the Yellow Line to Skokie. From there, we may be able to get you a ride or else there's one of two bus lines. I'm working out the final itinerary and will send out PMs with the initial meeting place early in the week before the tour. We should also have coolers in the car trunks in case people buy perishables on the tour. I will bring a large one. Update: Ethnic shopping tour 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 (including lunch) Niles ethnic grocers (list) Drivers, if I have wrongly estimated the number of available seats in your car, please let me know. We are now at capacity unless someone else with a car joins. The number in brackets is car seats including the driver. LAZ+1 [6] tammylc Jean Blanchard+1* [4] LuckyGirl+2*(**) [3] torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* [4] Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH or ?* [4] prasantrin's guest nyokie6+1 Total: 18 *Additional drivers [total car seats: 18] (**)probable

No guarantees it'll stay at that price, but when I just checked, the Residence Inn Deerfield had studios with ovens at $99. So if you have 10 people, that's $10 each, even if nobody sleeps in the room. Deerfield isn't handy to Friday night's events, but it's doable.

Just a suggestion: A few years ago, I stayed in the Residence Inn, and our "mini suite" had a full kitchen with a range. There are also other long-stay type hotels in the area that also offer kitchens with ovens. So you might look into renting a room at a place like that (or two, which would get two kitchens with two ovens). As I recall, we booked our Residence Inn room through the Marriott web site and we wound up there because it was as cheap as anything else. So you could sleep there and have the workshop too.

Perhaps. But it doesn't taste burnt. It tastes delicious.

I had a terrific meal at Primehouse this weekend. Our group of four ordered two Kansas City steaks and two rib steaks (40- and 55-day aged), at temps ranging from rare to medium well. Every one came out perfectly cooked to order. Two of our group had never tasted dry-aged beef before and were suitably impressed; however, the 55-day, medium-rare said she would order rare next time, and it occurred to me that if you aren't used to dry-aged beef your expectations in terms of texture and juiciness at particular levels of doneness may be different. Dry-aged beef is denser and dryer than wet-aged, so the effect may be of more cooking. I had an appetizer of shrimp benedict, essentially a deconstructed eggs benedict with grilled shrimp. It was good, but too heavy with everything else. I'd have preferred a more lemony hollandaise, too. I expect to go back to the caesar salad next time. Service was top-notch. For the summer, Primehouse is doing a Friday afternoon "butcher shop," where you can buy raw steaks to take home and cook yourself. I did not inquire as to prices. Yes, better steakhouses will sear the outside; the resulting Maillard reaction adds flavor. Primehouse is really the best steakhouse in town when it comes to meat. If you're looking for less expense, or a more traditional or "Chicago" experience, or better sides, there are tons of others.

You don't want take a cab from downtown to Evanston! It'll cost an arm and a leg. Take Metra or the L. Metra doesn't run very frequently, especially on Saturday. On Saturdays, the L requires one easy change at Howard Street. Those of you who are doing Chicagoland without a car may find the RTA Trip Planner helpful. The Niles tour will likely start in Niles and wind up at the church in Evanston. We'll work on getting people without cars to the starting point, either by transit or arranging carpools. If you think you'll have trouble getting to Niles, please send me a PM with where you are staying. By transit from downtown on Saturday morning, the fastest route seems to be to take the L to Skokie and catch the #250 Pace bus. That will cost $2.25 and take about 90 minutes, slightly longer than it takes to get to either Niles or Evanston by car under current conditions, and rather cheaper. Update: Ethnic shopping tour Saturday, Aug. 9, a.m. Niles ethnic grocers (list) tammylc Jean Blanchard+1* LuckyGirl+2*(**) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH or ?* prasantrin's guest *Additional drivers (**)probable

You can read a bit about Erik and his translations here, but apparently what he had online was lost in a disk crash, so only what the restaurants have is still available.

I am planning to cap the ethnic tour with a stop for lunch. I have in mind an ethnic spot, as befits the theme, but Chicago-style pizza or hot dogs are also options. I'm torn between a real lunch, which will require reservations for a group, and fitting in another store, in which case a quicker meal at a hot-dog stand will be most practical. I know we have several locals, for whom Chicago dogs and pizza are nothing new, but every visitor ought to try them, and there are good places for both nearby. (You should try Italian beef, too, and maybe a jibarito, but our route doesn't offer first-class options for those.) Although pizza might not be the best choice for those involved in the preparing the Saturday night meal -- the tryptophan load of a thick wedge of Chicago-style pizza for lunch could make you feel more like napping through the afternoon than cooking! Also, how early are folks up to starting? I don't know how late things will go on Friday, and I confess I'm not much of a morning person, myself, but an 8 a.m. start would allow us to fit more in. We'll still see some great places if we catch a bit more sleep and start at 9, though. Ethnic tourists, please send me your thoughts by PM. (No sense cluttering up this thread for the folks who aren't going on this tour.) Thanks! Update: Ethnic shopping tour Saturday, Aug. 9, a.m. Niles ethnic grocers (list) tammylc Jean Blanchard+1* LuckyGirl+2*(**) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* Fat Guy tino27's Chris NancyH or ?* *Additional drivers (**)probable

Update: Ethnic shopping tour Saturday, Aug. 9, a.m. Niles ethnic grocers (list) tammylc Jean Blanchard* LuckyGirl+2*(**) torakris white lotus+1 Fresser* Fat Guy tino27's Chris *Additional drivers (**)probable

Siam's House is my favorite Thai restaurant. Even routine dishes there are wonderful. They do the best pad Thai in Chicagoland and lovely red curries. Every local Thai whom I've quizzed about restaurants has mentioned it. Even the staff of the Thai consulate eats there. I haven't had a chance to go there in a while, so I'm glad to hear it's still keeping up its standards. The menu translation is by Erik M, who did a lot of restaurant menus around town but has now moved to L.A. Siam's House 847/967-2390 Rayyan Plaza 7742 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles

I live here. I can go anytime. I'm leaving room for you foreigners.