ulterior epicure

Not the whole meal, but here are my Best of 2006 Dishes (in no particular order). You can read and see all of them on my blog. 1. Quail Egg Ravioli (schwa, Chicago, Illinois) 2. Abalone with Pig Trotters (Manresa, Los Gatos, California) 3. Seed and Nut-Encrusted Black Sea Bass (Jean Georges, New York, NY) 4. Cattail Creek Farm Spring Lamb (Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California) 5. Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp (Jean Georges, New York, New York) 6. Tasmanian Sea Trout (Scylla, Chicago, Illinois) 8. Sweet Butter-Poached Scottish Langoustines (Per Se, New York, NY) 9. “Arpege Egg” (Manresa, Los Gatos, California) 10. “Hot Potato” (alinea, Chicago, Illinois) 11. Burrata Bruschetta (ame, San Francisco, California) 12. “Imperial Shrimp” (Bo Ling’s on the Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri) 14. “Ribeye” (Aqueous Restaurant, Farmington, Pennsylvania) 15. Grilled Hawaiian Walu (Krause’s Dining, Lawrence, Kansas) 16. “Almond” (Aqueous Restaurant, Farmington, Pennsylvania) 17. Spicy Green Beans (Nan Lai Shuen Fan Zhuang, Beijing, PR China) 18. Uni (Maine) Nigiri (Sushi Yasuda, New York, New York) 19. Peking Duck Skin with Sugar (Tong Fu Lin Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing, PR China) 20. “Cocao Butter” (Aqueous Restaurant, Farmington, Pennsylvania) 21. “Spaghetti Crabonara” (ame, San Francisco, California) 22. Grilled Leeks (Hong Che Mai Japanese Restaurant, Suzhou, PR China) 23. Spiced Sea Scallops (eve Restaurant, Ann Arbor, Michigan) 24. Sea Bass with Confit of Summer Squash (Jean Georges, Shanghai, PR China) 25. Wagyu Flatiron (bluestem, Kansas City, Missouri)

nine eighths ← ... I wasn't going to say it... but thanks rich, now I don't have to.

The banner strung across the former Yia Yia's Northland (nee Paradise Grill) reads "Thai Place Opening Soon!" And, as most people know, Briarcliff Village boasts the new Piropos and Trezo Mare as well as a soon-to-open venture by our own Tim Doolittle. And, if anyone's remotely curious, there's a new Latte Land there too... Of even lesser significance, joining Bonefish Grill at the Tuileries development (Louis takes another roll-over in le grave) along 64th Street, are Taco Bell, Caribou Coffee and Haagen Dazs. Commercial civilization strikes the Northland!

Funny, I thought I was wagging the moose and squirrel. Seriously, wench, great news - brains anywhere to be seen? I saw a recipe yesterday for scrambled brains with eggs. u.e.

Oh! You're my little elf! Thanks for that news!! You know, moosnsqrl, I've been accused of confussing the two.

I still chuckle thinking about the reaction of a lady at a table next to mine at a restaurant in NYC when the waiter explained what sweet breads are. Edited to add: Now, that was NYC. Recently here in Kansas City, I overheard a woman debating with her companion as to what venison might be...

Since this thread is about menus, I'd love to hear from eGulleters on the service side of the restaurant industry - what produce/meats get quizzical looks and inquiries from diners in your restaurants?

No disagreements here. The sad reality is, unfortunately, that most Midwesterners, despite their geographic location and environs don't work or live on a farm and therefore have never taste-compared an organically raised chicken or heirloom tomatoes to their commercial or out-of-season counterparts. Edited to add: This is, I think, one of, if not the biggest challenge to progress in the Midwest. Programs like the one that Big Country participated in (and I believe that ChefCAG, David Crum and other area chefs have as well) are great because they introduce fresh produce to Midwesterners at a young age. I can't remember the show that Jamie Oliver did - but I think Oliver and BBC (?) did a series where he went into industrial and economically depressed areas of the UK and worked with the schools to educate children about food. It's sad to know that there are kids (adults?) who don't know a beet from a leek, or a carrot from an onion, no less a good-tasting one from a unfresh/bad-tasting one.

babern38. Yes, sorry, the weekend sucked the life out of me, and well, the week before Christmas did the rest. I'll try to report in detail more (or at least update my flickr in detail) later, but just to give you the skinny: 1. Being graduation weekend, the restaurant was PACKED... and service, unfortunately, was slow, slow, slooooowwww... there was a good 1/2 wait between our starters and our main courses. The worst part was, the food was just that side of cold to be displeasing. 2. The veal sweetbreads were cold, and therefore, had gone a bit tough. They had been sauteed and then sauced with an unusually sweet sherry sauce - think a very light teriyaki sauce. It came with some nice meaty slivers of shiitake mushrooms. The crispy potato strings atop were cold and soggy by the time they came out. Boo! 3. Lobster pot pie was a whole lotta potatoe and puff pastry. It was also coldish. 4. The best main course was mine - the sea scallops with a shiitake "lo mein," which tended to be a bit greasy. But, the scallops were large and perfectly cooked. The smoked duck breasts (two) were also a clear winner - the bourbon pecan sweet potatoes were addictive - sticky, gooey and wonderful. 6. The cassoulet was a conundrum. The beans were perfect, and full of flavor - but had some unusual spices - cinnamon? nutmet? Not quite sure, but it had somewhat Morroccan flare. The duck confit was wonderful, but the grilled bits of lamb were very dry. Desserts were large and in charge. I loved the one bite of the carrot cake that I got - it was very dense and moist - full of nuts and bits of dried fruits. The pumpkin cheesecake pleased most everyone, except me - I don't care for cheesecakes, and Sycamore's was the textbook cheesecake - more cheesy than pumpkin. u.e.

Nope, Aaron, that point was made - somewhere, amidst my dissertation.

Sorry, I guess that's what happens when you slumber a little too long, you're libel to wake and verbally vomit.

Wow, what a dialogue! I've been so side-swiped from this weekend that I just now caught up with some of what's been said here. I think everyone has raised good (and funny) points. My question is: what is the big deal about eating/cooking seasonally and sourcing (excuse the term) from local farmers? What is so important about this mode of living/eating/thinking/operating? Is it because the food media industry has put it out there as an important “trend” to follow? Is it culinary chic, gastronomically à la mode? Is it because some lady named Alice Waters wrote a manifesto thirty-some years ago and we believe it to be the gospel truth? Is it because it’s the “natural” way to live? Is it because it’s a necessary way of operating in order to save our planet? All of the above? I think yes. For me, the importance of seasonality is to sustain a craft and way of living that is not only in tune with the natural progression of this world, but also an expression of our ability to harness its natural resources. But, I don’t think that it should strictly limit how and what we enjoy. For thousands of years, humans have been trying find ways to extend the enjoyment of foods for longer periods of time: salt curing, brining and yes, even force-feeding geese and ducks are all products of this desire. I don’t think our current state is any different – we’ve just got more capabilities… not all of which I’m convinced are harmful. Although I was born and raised in the Midwest, my origins are not here. Tracing back, my people came from distant lands, as I would assume is the case for most of us. Am I destined to eat “Sous Vide Crappie, Missouri Pecans, Braised Turnips, Local Potato Puree?” Perhaps, if I lived a hundred or so years ago. But, I don’t. It’s not that I don’t support sustainable and traceable food. Quite frankly, as a consumer, it’s damned-near impossible to insist on it. Look it: I’m with chicagowench, Big Country, moosnsqrl, and the rest who advocate of sustainable and seasonal cooking/eating. But, I’ll be the first to admit – I like BIG salads all year around. I need my greens – I don’t care what time of year it is. Are greens seasonal all year around? Yes. Just not in Kansas City, Missouri. Do I necessarily need them to survive – not really. But, they are being produced naturally all year-round by farmers in certain areas. If we were constrained to eating what grew within a few miles, I think most of us would move to California. But we don’t, so we don’t… Sometimes you have just got to work with what you have, while continually striving for something better. But, what is better? Twenty years ago, better might have meant being able to eat sea scallops in Chicago, or wild ramps in Phoenix. Today, with overnight deliveries and flash-freezing technology, all of that is very possible – but, as IML noted, at great expense, both monetarily and environmentally. Look at Las Vegas – show me a desert that naturally sustains caviar, oysters and foie gras. Has “better” now become a rejection of all of these possibilities? Does better now mean natural to the terroir, “better” for our environment, better for our farmers, or better for taste (have you tasted a tomato or strawberry in December?)? Or, does “better” mean having the best of all worlds within reasonable boundaries. I do frequent the farmers’ markets during the summer – religiously. I do that here in Kansas City during the summers, and I did that all year around when I lived in California. But, I also do go to the grocery store to buy that cut of lamb, or that filet of salmon – all of which were produced by farmers somewhere. Where possible, I boycott produce and meats that I know are not sustainably produced. But, this takes a lot of education and reading. Thanks to chefs like ChefCAG, who make pocket-sized sustainable seafood (Seafood Watch) information booklets available to guests, people are becoming smarter and more aware of where our food comes from. I disagree that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – otherwise, how does this world evolve? Recently, I had dinner at two very nice restaurants in Missouri – at one meal, I had scallops, veal sweetbreads and cassoulet with duck confit. At the other, I had everything from caviar and oysters to foie gras and Wagyu beef tartare. Would Missourians have ventured eating any of these things ten years ago? Would any chef have dared to offer them? Ten years later, Midwesterners have learned about and expanded their appreciation of food enough to book every table at these restaurants. I think ChefCAG summed it up nicely above by acknowledging that: While I hope I’m never “that” difficult diner that insists on anything, I do like to take advantage of what our world has to offer. Is that scallop I had this weekend naturally from Missouri? Nope. Did I enjoy it along with the locally produced mushrooms and root vegetables. Yes. Can Missouri catfish ever be the same as a scallop? Nope. Can a local Missouri chanterelle compare with an Alba white truffle? Can that bottle of Bordeaux from France compare with a local vintner’s offering? Can South Carolinian BBQ compare with Kansas City BBQ? They’re all different and wonderful in their own ways. But given the choice between a locally produced turnip and an imported one, I’ll go for the locally produced one.

Recently, I was interviewed by Lori Fredrickson of Popular Photography Magazine. You can read the article in the January issue, which should be hitting the newstands this week, or catch it online at PopPhoto.com. Cheers to all the eGulleter's pictures that were featured in this article - including Dave Racicot and JWest! u.e.

Hey paulbrussels!! It's been a long time!! Yes, that is how I got to Oud Sluis, and YES, do ask the bus driver for the right stop... as I recall, I had to change buses. u.e.

Yes, sorry, haven't had time to report yet. I had one of their almond frangipanes. Not enough almond filling. The dough was too tough for me - the brioche-like bread was too dense and not very good. I will note something interesting: I called The Pastry Goddess (Independence location) to get the telephone number for the one at Briarcliff. I happened to ask for the prices and they said that their pastries are generally $1.50, but that all the (same) pastries at Briarcliff are $2. I appreciate that the rent may be higher at one, but I found that price differential a little off-putting. He did mention that the Independence location would be raising their pastry prices by $.25. u.e.

babern38 I you. Wow. I'll offer it as a suggestion. But, I think she's decided on Les Bourgeois. Everyone says the ambience is too good to pass up. I would rather have sweetbreads and crab... u.e.

Thanks for reminding me, chileheadmike!! I almost forgot about Royal Korean. I've been there too. The food I had at Royal Korean was a little better than at Choga, as I recall, but we only got the Bulgolgi, which was grilled table-side, and freshly grilled meat really can't be that bad... I'll be curious to hear what you think about Royal Korean. What I need to do is a side-by-side comparison of their respective Dolsot Bibimbaps, my default Korean dish. Comfort food in a stone pot. Oh yum.

Reading that review made me long for the Kosmo Deli - my favorite "Korean Restaurant" in A2. ← LOL!! Well, we won't tell Lauren, she won't know the difference. Seriously, though, Chapin's descriptions of the food were textbook... just not much passion either way about it.

I have been to Choga once, and I wasn't thoroughly impressed. Nor was I terribly disappointed. Having had lots of Korean food in Ann Arbor, none of which was particularly ground-breaking in terms of authenticity or creativity, I would have to say that Choga's pretty mainstream. Without knowing much about the cuisine, the food or anything else, perhaps Chapin is just taking the middle of the road approach - giving it half of the full award (2 out of 4 stars) with an extra 1/2 star thrown in for good measure. I will agree, the atmosphere leaves a bit to be desired. Also, I didn't notice any buzzers when I was there last - but it's been a couple of years.

Thanks emilyr: I will be a guest at table, but I will offer Les Bourgeois on ambience. I've read about Sycamore and the food, at least, seems like a compelling reason to visit - sweetbreads. Yum. Any other suggestions?

Hi, a friend wants to know, for the special occasion: Sycamore or Les Bourgeois? She couldn't get reservations at Sophia's or Trattoria Strada Nova (sp?). As I haven't been to Columbia in ages, I had no clue, so I thought I'd offer it to the board for discussion. Thanks, u.e.

I see duck fat fried potatoes on the menu!

Then they must be serving real caviar - as in sturgeon/paddlefish, instead of tobiko and trout roe.

I have had white truffles in Europe and the U.S. on a number of occasions. In my experience, the table-side shaving has only taken place twice. It's certainly more theatrical, but I don't think TRU was shaving imitation (or stale) truffles in the back, if that's what you are concerned about... How did it smell? The HECK? Please tell me there's an unintended extra zero on that!!

In the past months, I have found oxtail at the following places: McGonigle's, some Price Choppers (if you ask in advance), Sam's Club and Walmart. Forgive me for shopping at the latter two, for those of you who think that the Walton empire is *evil.* Here's the oxtail soup that I made for dinner last night; basic broth-based braising liquid soup with tomatoes, onions, cabbage and potatoes: