Aurora

Agreed, this is one of those instances where it should be a hidden cost. I would imagine that CT will work toward that by raising the prices gradually (and slowly decreasing the percentage of the service charge--yeah that's a longshot). If that is what they do, the "Service Charge" will disappear from the menu because the cost will already be embedded in the price of the meal. Going about it any other way would mean a sudden, huge, difficult to explain increase in price. Perhaps it's better to be forthright about it until they work their way toward not having to mention it at all. Either way, the charge will be covered.

You actually have countertops? Wow! Chicago kitchen--counters--amazing! My kithcn is actually the largest room in the housem but it's still inconvenient.I have counter space because I brought it with me. I do have a small walk-in pantry, which is nice and very handy. My dream kitchen: * I would also have the six burner gas stove with a hood. *Crown molding *dishwasher *Subzero refrigerator/freezer *Island w/under-counter freezer *I also want a kitchen that's big enough for a couch and a comfy chair *A desk w/computer. *built in shelves for my cookbooks *a large bay where my kitchen table would go *a fireplace I want to live in my kitchen

The servers do make a straight salary. I belive the service charge and the tips are pooled and that supports the payroll budget for the servers and other front-of-house staff.

In either case, the release was irresponsible reporting, using "rumors are swirling" as an out to say anything that they wanted without verifying it first. Given the relationship that exists between The Beard Foundation and Charlie Trotter's a simple telephone call prior to posting that release would have, and should have, been in order. It's the least that they could have done. Some of the points reported in the article that Lady T referenced to Cabrales are also incredibly irresponsible and untrue. spgr - don't you think asking for the restaurant's wine cellar as a settlement sounds a little ridiculous? Wow, if you believe things like that, I own some land in Florida that I am interested in selling.

OK, I'm going way off topic here: FIJI water? For cryin' out loud, you are text book! It's a Usinger's brat, not a key to the gate of Heaven. Are you trying to tell me that some unknown subtlety of flavor is going to be brought out of a Usinger's by soaking it in bottled bull from FIJI? What? Is Lake Michigan not good enough for you? That's it. You're not coming to Bratwurst Days with me. In fact, you're banned from Bratwurst Days. That's right--BANNED. You'd pull out a bottle of FIJI water and they would run us back to the highway. No, my friend, I can't let that happen. Don't forget where you come from!

Hey awbrig: did you ever post these? I think I only saw three. We should play guessing "what's in the Trotter plate?" Aurora is really good at that!!

I keep mine in a hanging wire basket. I have always been under the impression that keeping garlic in the refrigerator accelerated the loss of flavor and made it mushy. Garlic usually keeps about two months if properly stored. Cloves that I have broken off from the bulb will keep for about one week provided there is enough skin surrounding them.

How are you liking it? I loved it.... I find it one of the few books written by a writer of Indian ethnicity that I have really loved a great deal. I love it. It is truly worthy of the accolades it has received.

This is just a suggestion, but the book that may also do that for you is Beloved by Toni Morrison. Like most of Morrison's work, it is not an easy book to read. I have not met anyone who has read it who didn't say that they had to stop and restart from the beginning several times in order to fully grasp all the levels that the book is operating on simultaneously. I had the same experience, but it was well worth the effort, and it is one of the most powerful and enlightening books I have ever read. I can attest to reading in a similar fashion, but my list is a little shorter. I read a lot, write even more, and also sleep very little. Currently reading: Paris To the Moon, by Adam Gopnik The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov Immortality, by Milan Kundera Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri The Zimmermann Telegram, by Barbara Tuchman The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli

Gotta be the Egyptian Wa-Wa Hut, in St. Mark's Place in NY circa 1988. I don't know if it is still there, but I have never tried to find out. If I recall correctly, it was a few blocks east of Cooper Union. Never before or since have I been in a place that so clearly let me know I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Cosi has also exploded in Chicago in the last year or so. A number of them have taken over spaces that were once occupied by failed Boston Markets. I can think of one Cosi that has already come and gone. My first experience with Cosi was in Paris in 1996 (54 rue de Seine, 6th Arrondissment). At the time it was listed as a great place for cheap, quick eats in a number of travel guides, so I went to check it out. Then it was a one and only, and Drew Harre, the owner, was very hands-on as was his daughter. Much like the franchises, the Paris original has a similar color scheme and decor, but it is more quaint--smaller, cozier, not at all commercial. The art hung on the walls is for sale. The stone hearth used for baking the bread is at the back. There is an espresso machine, soft drinks, bottled water, and a wonderful selection of wines and aperitifs. On my 1996 visit to Paris, I stopped in one evening when Drew Harre (a New Zealander by birth) was there. I wanted guacamole on my sandwich, and I was having difficulty pronouncing it. He kindly stepped in and bridged the gap of my poor French and the clerk's poor English (all of it very convivial). While I was waiting for my sandwich, he invited me to share a glass of white burgundy. It was really wonderful wine, but that is all that I can remember about it. My sandwich was delicious and reasonably priced. I came in several more times during my stay. I have gone back on every visit since then (it has been a while since my last visit). I have always been quick to recommend it to friends when they go to Paris. Though I don't wish to sound negative, my memories of the original Cosi color my impressions of the current Starbucks-like level that Cosi has been taken to in the US. I realize that some of what I react to is the result of an American, commercialized touch, but it still makes me a little sad. I'm not sure how I feel about the s'mores and the squagels. The people behind the counter know very little about the ingredients that they are working with or how certain things are prepared (some of it comes pre-made). They are just taking orders. I have yet to be in one that was not junky and poorly kept. My last visit resulted in a slapped together sandwich with a hefty price, and the signage bugs me to no end (then again, signage like that bugs me whenever I see it). Perhaps I am being unrealistic and harsh. At the risk of sounding snobby, I must stick with the one in Paris. On paper, the idea of turning Cosi into a chain is a great idea. In practice it seems to have run amuck. I admit to the difficulty involved in applying mass-production to an original idea and maintaining the same levels of quality. It really can't be done--that's what uniqueness is all about. I'm sure the idea was not to create carbon copies of the original, but rather something along those lines. In that way, Cosi works. It certainly does a great business with the lunch and late hours crowds. I see the chain as a completely different entity from the original. The difference is definitely clear in the quality of the product, the service, the price and the atmosphere. Drew Harre started another restaurant, Fish, that is directly across the street from the original Cosi in Paris. Has anyone been there?

I would say your sources might be a tad limited. There are a number of publicized photos where Chef Trotter bears a very plesant expression. Don't give up. Keep looking.

Back to the main topic, what was your favorite course? Give it up. Let's see it.

Yes, Chef Trotter was photographed, by Paul Meredith, in the lobby (with the knife, yuk, yuk). That is not where the print currently resides. I get it. We all get it. I also told you that I borrowed it. Again, I didn't say from where. PLAY ALONG! Let me guess, you gotta take Agatha Christie's stuff to the very end, don't ya?

Baphie - I'm sorry to hear that your experience was a little less than you expected. I'm curious. Surveys are given to each guest at the end of their meal. Did you get one, and if so, did you complete it? Close attention is paid to those surveys, and guests that receive a less than positive experience will definately get a response. The things that you are discussing are definately things that they would like to know about.

I said I rehung it. I didn't say where. Lack of sleep is dulling your acuity, Sir Smarty-pants.

Wouldn't you like to know? I broke in last night after service, borrowed it, brought it home, scanned it, took it back and rehung it. You're not buying that, are you? I'd tell ya, but I'd have ta kill ya!

Sh**! I was reasonably sure about the pomegranate, and I didn't peek. Oh well, I will make the slimy climb back to the surface. Aurora Lives! Awbrig - I hate to tell you this. You can recrop images in Imagestation, but you cannot size them up or down. You will need to go back to your current images, resize them in the editing program that you created them in, and them upolad them again into Imagestation. Image sizes in the range of 200-250 kb work well, and I have posted images that were larger than 600 kb. I know, I know, posting images on eGullet is a real pain, but a labor of love. Think of how accomplished you will feel when we all get to see your tasty courses? In the meantime, perhaps this will encourage you to carry on: "Awbrig, I want YOU to post those pictures!" Charlie Trotter, photographed by Paul Meredith Ding, ding, ding! The crowd cheers! Confetti rains down!

Yes, Trotter is doing an extensive amount of travelling in addition to completing new seasons of The Kitchen Sessions. Awbrig - you did not give us a description of the first dish that you posted as the test. Let me guess, venison with an infusion of pomegranate (the "incorrect" buzzer rings, the trap door opens, she falls to depths unknown, the crowd gasps, collects themselves and proceeds to the next question)? Oh, and please list the menu!

Well, that's not always true, but I get your point. No, not everyone can have the type of control that J.K. Rowling enjoys, but don't sell your importance to the process--or your input--short.

Steven - congratulations on your book! If I can be of any assistance, please let me know. As as a former bookseller of many years, I agree that a December release is a little late, but I must disagree with the points made about the books not getting unpacked during Christmas. December is not the month of death, it is the month of frenzied activity. If that were not so, publishers would not spend millions on the development of their Christmas catalogs that they ram down the throats of booksellers every year. The Christmas season is prime-time for all of retail. Typically, the amount of money that is made in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are equivalent to what is made in the remaining months of the year. That is also true in books, and my store was no exception. There is a tremendously low profit margin on books, and storage space in any bookstore is always small. The idea is to get as many books out on the floor as possible as quickly as possible. To do otherwise translates into lost revenue. The Christmas rush is the time when the money is made. Booksellers know that, and they are usually quite good at meeting the challenge. To the contrary, the time of year when a box of books would be most likely to sit idle begins the day after Christmas until about mid-February. That's when the spending frenzy falls off dramatically and doesn't get another boost until Valentine's day. Steve, I would argue strongly and loudly for a November release. It has been my experience that January is a highly unusual time for a publisher to release a book. That is the deadest time of the year. That was always the time when I would take my vacations, because there were never any authors turing at that time--no events to plan. If the publisher does has any thoughts about doing that I would fight to have the book held over until February or early spring. Was there any reason given for why a December release was planned? In terms of promotion, that really puts everyone in a time crunch to get the word out. Is the publisher doing a good bit of pre-promotion? It is not uncommon to see advertisments for books in book reviews weeks prior to their release. It's a common practice that is designed to generate interest. Ten Speed Press generally conducts excellent, thorough promotion. They're also very nice people to work with.

Shells. It worked for Grandma, and it works for me. I crack the egg on the sharpest edge I can find (usually the counter), and I use two hands. Nothin' but net.

Chicken stock? Hey, that sounds good, too. I never thought of that. Hmmmm. The next batch is devoted to the Kielbassa and the 1/3 cup of Miracle Whip. After that, a batch with the addition of chicken stock. I love eGullet!

Welcome NoMI! Having some familiarity with Cabrales's system, good minus is highly favorable. Cabrales, thank you yet again for a wonderful report. Aw nuts! I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am that I couldn't make it, and now we have one of NoMI's brigade among us. Still, it was good that I didn't get out of the trip. It was important to have gone, and it turned out to be a big plus! Interesting time, indeed (found myself at a clam bake). No phenominal dining, but my mother and I enjoyed wonderful meals prepared by family friends, among them a vicar and her husbnad who is blessed with inspired culinary skills. AND you went to the Art Institute? Did you get to see the Degas studies (they are not far from the Seurat)? Nighthawks (Hopper) is in another wing, kinda around the corner. So much Matisse, so little time.

Children are actually welcomed when school groups are invited to the studio kitchen (two times per week). Wine is not served.