ulterior epicure

christopher elbow. thanks bringing fine chocolates to kansas city! i have yet to drop by your store and sample your fare - the spanish saffron, espresso lemon and rosemary caramel have piqued my interest. have you any, or do you plan on making, liquor-filled chocolates? ulterior epicure.

i hate chestnuts, yet surprisingly, i've found that two of my favorite courses during my recent five-month culinary tour of europe were chestnut soups. was bluestem's version more sweet or savoury? re: crosnes - you can read more about them here. thanks for the review foodexile! u.e.

I rarely (and hesitate here) pass such definitive judgment on a restaurant based on only two visits. But, when both visits are as spectacularly solid as my visits to Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, I happily give credit where I think it is due. I had dinner there this past weekend (they only serve dinners on Friday and Saturday; lunch on all weekdays). Service was great and the food was simple, straightforward and very well prepared. To this day, the rack of lamb i had on my first visit is the standard by which I judge all lamb rib chops - that's a mighty serious deal coming from one who's favorite cut of meat is the lamb chop! you can see my latest meal at flickr account. cheers. ulterior epicure.

thanks for all the tips egulleters... i was going to make it today for a party of 50 that we're hosting, but, as it turns out, i couldn't find almond flour anywhere... i suppose i could have pulverized blanched almonds, but i just made a couple of cheesecakes and called it a day... will try to find almond flour this week. u.e.

jwest and others interested in k.c. restaurants: you can see my meals at 40 sardines, bluestem, 1924 main, piropos, and others on my flickr account. i'm still working on others, so please be patient. unfortunately, i don't have pictures from my visits to many visits to the american (always managed to forget my camera), melbee's, zin, bluebird bistro, and others... will try to be more consistent next time i visit those... perhaps i shall review them on my blog. cheers. the ulterior epicure.

you can see my two meals at 1924 on my flickr account. happy viewing! u.e.

echo doc and pugman. my one experience at alinea wasn't "perfect" - but i didn't expect that... an athlete and one with a naturally high metabolism, i left alinea satisfied. as for avenues - i will agree that some of the portions were downright small, but i found the main fish and meat courses to be generous. the dessert was large, but i didn't think disproportionately so (based on one 7-course meal). u.e.[Moderator note: This topic continues in [CHI] Alinea – Grant Achatz – Reviews & Discussion (Part 2)]

this just in. i was to lunch at 1924 main this week with a large party. i was actually disappointed by this visit - which is such a pity because i had enjoyed it so much the first time (this past summer). i had the scallop for entree and the fried escolar for main course (just like jwest's mother). to be sure, the diver scallop was generous, fat and under-cooked, but carmelized on top. wonderful. unfortunately, the creamed cabbage and mirapoix accompaniment i found to be a gooey oily inedible mess. the fried escolar would have been nice, except the thick cornmeal crusted nuggets were so small that i hardly got to enjoy the delicate white meat inside. while the srirachi was a great touch (a tad much, the poor nuggets were drowning in the red sauce, the aioli i found too liquidy... and tasteless. with just the scallop and the scraps of fish, i was left hungry (i even had an 8-course meal the night before!). ice creams were great. especially the egg nog. the espresso was disappointingly bland - and tasted (and looked) like pedestrian chocolate... on the other hand, others in my party enjoyed their dishes much better - the pineapple hamburger with bacon, pepperjack and mango-avocado salsa was wonderful. the bun itself looked good enough for a meal! the bean soup also was a hit. the fried egg open-face panini looked great (and generous). if i had another chance, i definitely would have ordered the smoked beef salad - i envied those who chose wisely in that department... oh well, i won't stop going to 1924 main because of this one experience... i've learned all too well that part of the restaurant experience is ordering the right things. evidently, i didn't. u.e.

thanks for the clarifications... here we go... u.e.

jwest. you have been busy! what restaurant do you work for in denver? as for your "couple of meals" - i would recommend bluestem, 40 sardines and zin - not necessarily in that order (i just visited 40 sardines this week, my third visit, and it was still a pleaser). all very different experiences, but all very solid. can't speak about city tavern myself... i've avoided it because i've heard mixed reviews... any other egulleters wish to comment on that? u.e.

I think the lobster pot pie is at the American. I've had it and found it good, but the mashed potatoes were too "whipped" for me - they kind of dissolved into the sauce.

i'm a (very) unexperienced baker and am going to give a go at these. 1. i don't have access to a convection oven right now - just a standard conventional oven... any adjustments i should take note of. 2. also, what is "10x"? (1/2 mixed in with the almond flour?) 3. really am unsure as to the water - how will i know if the sugar is "wet enough?" and i'm to use powdered sugar? not regular granulated sugar? 4. any tips on syrups? can i just use store bought chocolate syrups? any way to make them myself? thanks! u.e.

sigh...

joiei. wow! a private chef - my dream job - wanna swap? best of luck on impressing your employer's friends! u.e.

docsconz. as always, i have enjoyed "meeting up with you for dinner" on egullet. we have similar tastes, preferences and experiences. thanks for the update! i look forward to trying achatz's new menu the next time i'm in chicago! my last (and only) visit was in july of this year. u.e.

jwest. i'm heading there soon - thanks for the update. perhaps tomorrow? wow - looks good! cheers. u.e.

while we're on the topic of sourcing in kansas city. i've scoured the (four) nearest grocery stores for fromage blanc. can't find it. i was finally told by one that the supplier has yanked their contract and possibly explains the absence... grumble, grumble. i'm sure whole foods or the better cheddar might have it... but honestly, i don't have the time going all over town chasing down what i thought would be a fairly common item... sigh... i guess i'm not in europe anymore! u.e.

thanks sumac for the update. i was just in france. is he cooking or just taking some time off? i understand if privacy demands discretion. just curious if there's a restaurant that i should visit there... u.e.

joiei. you're bad!! is your vaughn quote going to be true this saturday night? u.e.

cbarre02 and everyone else. you're definitely welcomed - it's my pleasure! i'm still working my way through visually uploading my calories! u.e.

1. sorry, "s.o.'s office?" 2. website (i'll probably find it on google before anyone responds). u.e.

NOOOOOO... i worked right across the street from the original a while back... how sad...

ahhh... but i remember that box all too well... and madame mosconi shaving to everyone's olfactory delight! alas, i did not order anything off of the white truffle menu - but got plenty of free smells!! you may read my comments on this and other restaurants that you ask about on my blog soon. u.e.

U.E.

hi heartlanders. i've managed to post some of my visual food diary on my flickr account. some of the restaurants i've blogged about. hope you enjoy! i've got much more to add - but i thought i'd get the fun started! u.e.