ulterior epicure

We still love you! Are you talking about the small one wedged in an unassuming strip mall catty-corner (on the South-West side) across I-35 from the Sam's Club (or is it a Costco)? Yes, I've been there many times. It's not as big as Chinatown Food Market in the River Market or the 888, but it's got your basics and the owners are uber-friendly and helpful. u.e.

Out of sheer convenience, I head to the River Market: 1. Al Habashi for everything Middle Eastern. 2. Chinatown Food Market for most things Asian. u.e.

LOL! 'nough said! Seriously, I do rely on D&D for some novelty ingredients/items that are hard (or impossible) to resource in the KC area... u.e.

clarify please - what, exactly does this involve? Mmmm, excessive prices and consumer behavior which often drives me to brow-ticking raaaaaaage. oh, that... i actually don't find them that unreasonably priced compared to another boutique specialty food store in the metro-area... ... not to mention unfailingly unpretentious - especially compared with other d&d staffs at the other locations... u.e.

... so far, I have reservations at eleven madison park and per se... any other suggestions? input? cautions? green lights? u.e.

congrats! can't wait to hear your report! and so it is! enjoy! u.e.

clarify please - what, exactly does this involve? large objects indeed! they were even able to bury the entire soldier field beneath a inter-galactic ufo cum toilet bowl!! u.e.

1. While there were quite a few dishes that I wouldn't say were "best of's" for me, in all fairness to Alinea, chefg and his staff, I don't think that they, nor any diner, could possibly expect for all twenty-something dishes to please everyone. Sure, the price is high, but I don't think they've held out any promise that they can deliver 20-some "best of's" on every menu - I don't know of any restaurant that makes such a claim, and I would be certainly weary of any that would. 2. When you've created dozens of dishes and courses, like chefg and his staff - there is bound to be a list of the top x number of dishes... if every dish were a "best of,' "best of's" dinner would involved every dish created. This is just not feasible... 3. All that being said, I have been to quite a few restaurants where I could swear that everything I had could be a "best of." But, none of them have maintained that record at 20-plus courses in one meal... I wish, but doubt that any restaurant could do that for me - unless I was able to pick my own faves from a menu I was familiar with... and even then, there maybe the "sophomore jinx" at play - that is, I may not experience a familiar dish the same way as before, or that the dish might not be prepared exactly the way as the first, second, x time I ate it... ...all this IMHO. u.e.

This just in - I'm about to turn in... (yeah, yeah, I'm old)... but I saw a commercial blurb about a new resto in Detroit called "Motown Meals?" Or perhaps that was just the teaser for the news broadcast. Any info anyone? u.e.

Wow, you Chicago wenches are a rough lot. I'm going to watch out for you yeah, if only chicagowench was in chicago during the moon crater-causing face-lift on millineum park a few years ago... oy, it was like grand canyon meets lake michigan! willing to backseat chez ulterior epicure to fervere if you divulge location... any explanation for its limited days of op? will concede that wally's is pretty good (on north oak trafficway). u.e.

We're in the land of BBQ and giant construction pits along 135th andf 1515st, and we can't think of a good way to stash a body? Um topic. What's people's fave bakery? ← not to be snide - chez ulterior epicure.

lucky daddy-in-law! yum. u.e.

I'll be in NYC in a few weeks for a long weekend. While I've had no problem making reservations for dinner/lunches on the weekdays, I must admit, this non-NYC native is having a hard time coming up with some great places to try on the weekend mid-day meals... I'm trying to maximize my eating opportunities (ie higher-end establishments). Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. u.e.

Thanks for the update markk (by the way, did I ever p.m. you about the post-Strasbourg report?). Can you please elaborate on this statement? The W.F. near me has no truffle-infused products - discontinuing them!! I hope you're right. u.e.

...well, I've just had my first experience using a truffle-infused product - truffle butter that I picked up at Dean & Deluca. Here are my thoughts: while the butter was flecked throughout with black truffle bits, I found that I needed to use a lot more than I thought in order to get the same "effect" as truffle infused oils - which I found rather heady and strong (if not flavorless) when I sampled some straight. I held off on buying the oil because I'll be travelling in the near future and won't be able to use the oil very often; I fear it will go rancid. The butter, I know I can freeze at my place to be thawed and re-used at will sometime later. I toyed with truffle salt because it probably has a longer, more stable shelf life (am I right?), but hesitated because I wasn't able to sample any. Would love to know how truffle salt would compare to the other two forms. u.e.

Based on this statement - then I would definitely push you toward Moto... I personally found the experience there much more interactive and entertaining. I found my (one) visit to Moto to be much more well-rounded in this respect than (both) my visits to Alinea. IMHO, I would agree, and having eaten at both, I could say that overall, that's true to some extent. I disagree, but so goes personal preferences... I would have to agree with noambenami and BryanZ here. ... or the Avenues! ulterior epicure.

miladyinsanity: after some thought, i agree that the sugar isn't "carmelized" per se. i actually think that it's sort of like dulce de leche (your second method) - sugar+milk (or cream?) until it goes dark. and yes, the port goes last - during the freezing process? or before the sugary cream/custard cools? that's what i can't figure out. u.e.

darn! missed one of my favoirte courses i've had. just curious - what new "fillings" were featured? personal vote for the beef cap "a-1!" u.e.

another request: for all you ice cream-makin' mavens out there, i've got a puzzle for you all! i was recently handed a vague recipe for a wonderful caramel ice cream. here were the ingredients: 1. 8 egg yolks 2. 1 cup cream 3. 1 cup whole milk 4. 1/2 cup brown sugar 5. 1/4 cup port wine Unfortunately, no method was provided.... anyone have any guesses as how the "caramel" component is formed? Or, how this ice cream might be made? I'm guessing the port come in at the very end. u.e.

um, recipe, please? (if you have access to it!) u.e.

If you have a car - then I would highly suggest bumping into both Mosconi (Lux) and Oud Sluis (Ne)... and Hof van Cleve (Be) is worth a detour... u.e.

ahhh, yes, i failed to mention that both of my tours involved pairings and, of course picture taking, which does take up more time - although, we kept our "physical tours" to a minimum - surprisingly only one bathroom break for me on each visit. u.e. chefg, as an aside, curious to know what was in your "malted cream" ribbon on the crab dish.

chicagowench! i have no idea how long you've been in k.c., but welcome to the egullet k.c. "club!" u.e.

to answer elrushbo's question from the closed discussion on alinea: both of my "tour" dinners took around 6 hours. u.e.

elrushbo. really depends on what kind of experience your looking for. personally, i favor moto (been once) over alinea (been twice). strictly personal preference. u.e.