Aurora

In Chicago, Manny's is the place to beat. Another favorite of mine is the Five Boroughs Deli on Wells. Their pastrami is good -- not Mannie's good -- but pretty good. They feature Boar's Head meats, and their potato salad is fantastic. Between Chicago and New York, one of my favorite delis is Winkelstien's in Ann Arbor, MI. Winkelstein's is a bit more than a deli (bakery, imported specialty items, etc.), but their sandwiches are some of the best in the Midwest.

Thank you, it does. In the midst of all that bratwurst and fried fish, the relatively small number of high-end establishments tends to be lost in the shuffle. Given the Milwaukee community's tastes for the food you mention (frozen custard, and a good brat are things of beauty, I might add), is it your opinion that the fine-dining genre that does exist, even if small by proportion, is intentionally underplayed in terms of Milwaukee food writing?

It worked. The crab could have also been broiled in sauce by the look of the photo. You forgot the part about apologizing to the crab for disabeling it so that it may not step out of the pan.

That's one way of doing it, but soft shell crab can be prepared in a variety of ways. The course of soft shell crab that Awbrig and Alison enjoyed at Ambria last week is seasoned then sauteed and served over a bed of spinach with a sauce of lemongrass and tomato as a final touch.

Tom - thank you for participating in this Q&A. I am a Milwaukee native now living in Chicago. Milwaukee is a great town, but like most mid-sized cities, it doesn't recieve much attention. Though not considered by most to be a culinary destination, the city has a number of wonderful food offerings, but they suffer the same lack of celebration in terms of national and even regional attention. During your tenure, what types of challenges did this pose to you in terms of being successful in garnering attention for the culinary happenings in Milwaukee as the Food Editor at the Milwaukee Jounal (Journal - Sentinel)?

I think they prepared the soft shell crab by the Chefs telling him that when they put him in the scalding boiling-hot water that he would just goto sleep and not feel much of anything...but Im not sure...

Grab up as many as you can find. They're out there and they're worth it. Don't let Ebay be your only source. Don't just take my word for it, ask Maggiethecat and Bourdain.

LOL. Dahling, diplomatic Maggie to the rescue! Awbrig, this meal looks magnificent, and the added surprise of them thinking that it was Alison's birthday topped it off. Might I add, your photography is getting better and better all the time. What were the sorbets that were served with your souffle courses. Given that you had a lychee sorbet served earlier, I am assuming that these were different (I sure hope so). Also, do you remember how the soft shell crab was prepared? I'm glad you got your foie gras fix.

There is some food, but I would caution you against it. There's no value in it, and it's along the variety of corn and pork chops on sticks. If you do go to the Blues Festival, you will not be far from a number of good places where you can sit down and have a great meal and not have to sit on a curb to enjoy it. Might I suggest: Opera (Heartland thread discussing the restaurant and group visit w/follow-up and photos) Blackbird (links to various discussions provided): Out of town eGulleteer goes to Blackbird (scroll down) Thread specifically dedicated to a visit to Blackbird If you are looking for the obligatory steak dinner: A discussion of some of eGullet - Chicago's favorite steak houses (GO TO KEEFER'S) I hope that is helpful. If you do go to the Blues Festival, bring a blanket for sitting on the grass.

We've been putting our heads together in The Heartland, and there's talk of attending. I 'd love to make my great-grandmother's peach cobbler. We will have a better idea of who us is once we check our calendars and make a few arrangements.

I find Woodpecker to be a little sweeter than I like. My favorites are Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack. They are both effervescent and a bit more on the dry side.

Ed - this is a good beginner guide. Can we start with any of these, or is there a particular one that you would recommend?

Pork rinds? Oh yes. Barbeque flavor, please. I would pair a bag of them with a bottle or two of FG's lager.

Yeah, well, I didn't expect to find compadres when I posted that. What can I say? I stumbled on that taste treat when I was about 10. Table salt really doesn't do the combination justice. Hey, it's late. There's sour cream in my fridge right now. I'll be right back...

Spoonfuls of sour cream dusted with kosher salt and puffy Cheetos.

A number of people who write review's for Zagat's also write reviews for newspapers. That might account for the coincedence. Hang in there, Lreda.

glad you're tight. key point, we never said chicago was cool, although it probably is and i want to visit sometime within next 12 months. we said the chicago group on egullet was cool, b/c from the posts it looked like you're having a blast. the fact that you're tight and pretty passionate about stuff, willing to organize things, etc. is what makes it all work. Not to drive this thread toward the subject of Chicago, but I when I wrote "Chicago is cool," I was referencing Chicago as a group of people on eGullet like, "Chicago Chapter" or something like that. I must get a nod in for the home team whenever I can. See, we were actually on the same line of thought. You must draw your own conclusions about Chicago, the city. But still, Chicago, the city is also pretty cool, if I do say so myself. yup, one of the most well known outdoor sculptures in US, from what i hear. most people refer to the building it's in front of as the clothespin building. didn't know it was rusty though, i figured they woulda thought of that ahead of time when building it. It's not rusty? Many apologies, I thought it was rusty. Unlike the tourists that think Benjamin Franklin stands atop City Hall, I fall into the tourist camp that thinks the clothes pin is rusty. no idea what movie that was until i googled it. geena davis did it, and it came out in '94, and i don't remember it at all. I was talking about Angie, the 70s television sit-com set in Philadelphia starring Donna Pescow, Robert Hayes, and Doris Roberts who is currently Ramond's mother in Everybody Loves Raymond. Donna Pescow played the girl who so badly wanted Tony Monero (John Tavolta) in Saturday Night Fever, and in the process of trying to win him over, sadly got way more than she was asking for. Robert Hayes went on to be the accidental hero in the movie Airplane. Remember the scene where he is finally landing the plane and he sweats? You're on. I will drag you to every greasy spoon and hole-in-the-wall in town, but mind you, only the good ones.

Pray tell us, Fair Lady T, how would you know about the view. Dost thou speak from experience?

Though not dominant from a culinary perspective, LEY -- mediocre or not -- is dominant from a financial perspctive. That is what makes them a serious competitor, and I think that is what Craig is getting at. As much as we don't discuss it, restaurants are money-making propositions. It's not about cuisine as much as it is about revenue. That is what makes LEY the powerful force with the ability to snuff out high-quality independents without really even trying.

When in Philadelphia, do as the Philadelphian's do. The real born and bred Philadelphian's - those who grew up in South Philly a block and a half from Pat's. Ordering a cheesesteak without wiz is like ordering a Chicago dog with no neon green relish. You need to try a "wiz with" at least once no matter what preconceived notions might be clouding your judgement. Two museums you must visit. The Mutter Museum and the Mummer's Museum. Later, during the test, you will be asked to compare and contrast the two. And of course you will want to run up the steps of the Art Museum humming "Feeling Good." Alright. I'll make a go of the Cheez Wiz, but you should know something...I don't do the glowing green relish. Shhhh. Don't turn me in Rocky Balboa! How could I forget Rocky Balboa! I am now complete...an "in the know" Phildelphia tourist seeking a little refinement. Isn't the song, "Gotta Fly Now?" Does this mean that I should put Rittenhouse Row out of my mind?

Thanks for the detail. OK. The Rittenhouse Festival is not a great reason to visit, but who really needs a reason? Thanks for all the "Chicago is cool" accolades. You warm our hearts. It's an interesting group, and we're pretty tight. Summer is pretty booked, but would you be open to a weekend visit in the fall? That will give Mags and Lady T some lead time as well. I would love to meet all of you. Hmmm. What am I interested in? I don't know yet. Here's what I know about Philadelphia: * "City of Brotherly Love" * A statue William Penn stands atop City Hall, but people think it's Benjamin Franklin because Benjamin Franklin is everywhere. * Benjamin Franklin is everywhere. * The Liberty Bell is there. It's broken. * Independence Hall is there * Trading Places was set there. Parts of the city were filmed for the movie. * Philadelphia was the home of "Angie." * There's a giant clothes pin, and it's rusty. * Cheesesteaks are a big deal (no Cheez Wiz for me, please). * Oh, and a few restaurants -- Vetri, Pasion!, Le Bec-Fin, Fountain Restaurant, and Morimoto come to mind. I'm going to check out Katie and Tommy's links. Give me a day or so to be specific. Herbacidal, you are on. Plan away! I have a feeling the Rittenhouse Festival may still be a cut above The Taste (commonly, unfortunately regarded as "The Aftertaste").

Please elaborate on this festival for an outsider who desperately wants to know more. We have a food festival in Chicago (The Taste of Chicago), if that's what you want to call it, or as Maggiethecat's husband calls it, "sitting on a curb eating dough on a stick." Please start from the begining and tell me about the Rittenhouse Row Festival like I know nothing about it, because I don't know anything about it. I can't weigh in on the disappointment factor over Le Bec-Fin's presentation from the photograph. other than to ask if Georges Perrier made an appearance? Perhaps he stood behind his staff swearing or asking random passersby if they want to -- well, you-know-what him. Still, would that add to the disappointment, or would it improve things dramatically? Please consider this my request to attend this festival with one or all of you next year. Is it always the second weekend in May? And where are some good reasonable places to stay in the area. I'm thinking Maggiethecat and Lady T just might be with me (hint, hint you two). Thanks for the post. Great pictures.

Gadds! What is this Pizzano man? Can it be? A link, to LOU MALNATI'S? Welcome brother! You've finally crossed over! You see the light! I do prefer thin. But Lou's deep dish is damn good. If Hopleaf and Beanpod can keep hitting one witty volley after another, they will soon become the Steve and Edie of eGullet. Ooooooooh, you say potato, I say patato...

For the record I felt like the piece portrayed me as an egotistical, shallow person, with little respect for Chef Trotter or Chef Keller. I respect both chefs immensely for their contributions to the culinary world and would never intentionally bad-mouth them in any way. Congratulations on your award, Chefg. I don't think the article portrayed you as egotistical or shallow. It impressed me more as painting a faint David and Goliath allegory with regard to you and Chef Trotter. I found that troublesome. It was unexpected. I grabbed a copy of New City for the purpose of reading about you. I can read about Charlie Trotter from an endless amount of sources. The need to thread the article with constant references to Chef Trotter and "Trotter is a meanie" jabs worked against the article as a whole and detracted from the subject -- you. Instead, the article was about you and the reporter's apparent need to indirectly grind an ax with Chef Trotter. In that regard, the piece read like two separate articles.

So Mrs. Varmint can't cook? It just goes to show you, we all have our weaknesses. Much applause to you for doing this, Varmint. The benefits of basketball once a month is getting wiped out by take out Chinese and Mexican once a week. Reverse those. Drink water. It will keep you hydrated (and flushed out). Water good. Don't forget to eat breakfast everymorning, it's great for the metabolism, especially if you are trying to reduce. This advice is loving given from a woman who was frequently mistaken for pregnant for far too long after her twins were born.