tammylc

Thanks Rachel! Lots of good ideas there. Can you tell me more about baking the falafels in mini-muffin tins? I'm intrigued. As for your questions - budget is variable - the cost gets split among people that choose to eat. Aiming for around $100 a meal is probably a good target. That is complicated by the fact that a lot of people would prefer if we used organic or free range products wherever possible. As for the shopping - I do that, or I could choose to delegate it to one of my assistants if they were available. Plus there's a pantry with the basics.

I live in a cohousing community. Cohousing is a form of intentional community that combines private homes with lots of common spaces. Last week we finally finished construction on our common house, a 4300 square foot building with a semi-commerical kitchen, dining room for 60, and other shared spaces. This week we start our common meal program. Teams of community members take turns cooking, and anyone is welcome to sign up to attend a community meal, up to 5 nights a week (we may drop this back if it ends up being too ambitious). Right now it looks like I'll be the head cook a couple nights a month. My first time will be on Sunday, March 7, and I need to figure out what I'm making ASAP so I can get my menu posted. Suggestions? Average attendance will probably be 30-40 people, including children, teens and adults. It's considered polite (although not required) to have a kid-friendly option if the main meal isn't kid friendly, and a vegetarian option if the main meal isn't vegetarian. I'll have a team of two helpers to assist with the cooking. For my Sunday meal, I'll be able to do something that's a bit more time consuming for preparation, where for future weeknight cooking I'll be looking for something that's a bit faster or less labor intensive. Thanks in advance for your ideas!

Last night I had the fortune to go to Maestro and enjoy dinner with 57 fabulous food geeks. Joe H, who has waxed poetic about Maestro on this board, organized a private dinner at the restaurant over on Chowhound, and last night was the night. I had the great fortune to happen to be attending a conference in DC the same week of this fabulous dinner, and the even greater fortune of having someone on the DC board know that and send me a link to the information. So while I didn't travel all the way from Michigan just for dinner, it was certainly the highlight of my week so far. Joe sets some pretty high expecations of Maestro, and I have to say that it absolutely lived up to them for me. I think I'd rank this as my second best meal ever - my Tour de Force dinner at the kitchen table at Trio still holds the number one spot, but last night's dinner has a firm hold on number 2. Not a single course was less than good, few were less than great, and several were absolutely stellar. Here's my course by course write up: Canapes (these were all just single bits, to be eaten with fingers or served in a spoon): Mozzarella Cone with Taggiasche Olives Tapenade - Olives are the one food I just can't seem to acquire a taste for. I ate this anyway, but it was well, olivey. Kumamoto with Maine Sea Urchins and Flat Parsley Froth - Kumamoto oysters are my least favorite, but this was a pretty decent one. The hit of parsley from the parsley froth was really excellent. Spoon of Marinated Rainbow Smelt, Confit Red Peppers and Poached Quail Egg - My favorite dish of the night, although there were several close contenders. A marinated smelt, wrapped around a poached quail egg and served in a spoon. All the flavors and textures just worked so well together, I was in awe, and the meal had scarcely begun. Amuse Bouche: Fennel Anise Shot with Taylor Bay Scallops and Salmon Roe. Marinated scallops and salmon roe served in a scallop shell perched atop a glass of warm Fennel Anise soup. Another lovely, lovely dish. I don't like fennel or anise that much, but this was still great. Il Mosaico: Mosaic of Steel Head Wild Salmon, Blue Fin Tuna, Carribbean Princess Conch Meat Jelly, Baja Sone Crab on "Saraceno" Potato Pancake with Sevruga Caviar and Lemon Zest. Beautiful presentation on this. One cube of each of the four main ingredients set atop a long rectangular potato base, and a stripe of caviar along the top. Amazing. The fish was really, really fresh and wonderfully flavored. Il Carpaccio: Rolled Beef Carpaccio in Parmagiano-Reggiano Sauce with Seared Belle Farm Foie Gras, 50 Years Old Condimento Balsamico, Maestro Style. Another big, big winner with me. What the name doesn't tell you is the the carpaccio was stuffed with tofu that had been marinated in honey and something else. That's right - tofu! But it totally, totally worked. Served with a piece of parmesan on top and a quenelle of mushroom duxelle on top of that, with the two sauces and foie off to the side. The foie was lovely, beautifully seared and very, very tasty. I Ravioli d'Astice: Maine Lobster Ravioli with Freshly Grated Ginger Glaze and Bisque Jus. One of the largest dishes of the night, this was not only the ravioli, but a big chunk of lobster alongside. Very rich. Keeping in mind that we were only about halfway through, I only ate half. It was a good dish (although not as great as the preceding 4) but I'm not a big lobster fan and it was very rich. Gli Scampi e le Castagne: Sauteed Live Imported Scottish Langoustine Tail on Grilled Country Bread Soaked in Langoustine Jus, Winter Chestnut Cappuccino with Sherry Whipped Cream. That description is a mouthful, and this dish was too! A chestnut soup, essentially, poured around the bread and langoustine. Very rich, but delicate and refined flavors that worked really well together. As one of my table mates said - "I like that it fills my mouth even when I don't have a mouthful." Il Risotto: Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Forelle Pears Flavored with Grappa and Crushed Peppercorns. Fabio is well known for his risotto and this proved why. Perfectly al dente (a bit of trick when getting 60 plates ready simultaneously, I'd imagine) and wonderfully flavored by the cheese. I cleaned my plate and was tempted to move onto Karen's (who decided that if she didn't like this risotto, she just wasn't going to like any risotto and could stop thinking she was missing something). Lo Storione: Roasted Wild West Coast Sturgeon in Taroroot and Basil Waistcoat with Wilted Butter Lettuce in Sturgeon-Red Wine Jus. The texture of the sturgeon was marvellous, and the taroroot waistcoat utterly unique. But another very rich dish. You'll notice that there are several in a row here starting with the ravioli, and there's still one more to go. Something with vegetables would have been a nice change (there's nary a vegetable to be seen on this menu, you'll notice) and a sorbet intermezzo would have helped reduce some palate fatigue. But that's pretty much the only complaint I have about the meal! Il Bue Rossini, XXI Secolo: Australian Premium Pasture Fed Beef Tenderloin Rossini, XXI Century. From what I've read, this dish usually comes with a really elaborate presentation, but since they didn't have 60 of the necessary props, ours was a bit more laid back. Tenderloin stuffed with foie gras, topped with some kind of ravioli or something, served with a port wine truffle sauce and a potato puree. Yum, but I was glad to be done with the rich dishes and onto dessert - my dinner stomach was full, but I knew my dessert stomach still had some space... Pre-Dessert: Lychee Panna Cotta with Homemade Basil Grappa. A light and delightful panna cotta, with a little basil grappa poured on top. Lovely, and the palate cleanser I'd been looking for. Il Tiramisu: Glass of Cream of Marscapone and Coffee Dipped Sponge, Warm Carmelized Pears, Pear Sorbet. As far from the ubiquitous chain restaurant tiramisu as you can get. The pears and pear sorbet added a surprisingly nice touch, given that it was a combination that I wouldn't have thought would work. Petit Fours. More than just an afterthought, these were really good. I wasn't a big fan of the macaroon (although others at the table adored it), but both the white chocolate truffle filled with raspberry sorbet and the miniature molten chocolate cake were divine. Thanks again to Joe for putting this together. And thanks to all the great food geeks who gathered and provided such hospitality and welcome and conversation (I know some of you read this board too). Obviously this wasn't your regular Maestro experience, but after this meal, I'd go back for the regular menu in a heartbeat.

Fellow eGulleteer Schneier and I had dinner at Citronelle last night. We'd let Mark know in advance we were coming, and he was a hoot, and really great to meet. The meal was good too! Schneier took notes, so I'll wait to see if he gets around to writing up the meal before commenting. But since I was online I just thought I'd say thanks to Mark for his (and the restaurant's) great hospitality. I will say one thing about the food - the Vitello Tonnato (sp?) was incredible, and may be in my Top 5 dishes ever. Okay, two things - Breakfast at Citronelle is hysterical - although those damn apples were awfully disturbing.

At Trio, yep. It was good bread, but the butter was absolutely steller, and given that we were eating 27 courses, the only reason I bothered to eat any bread at all. Now, the bread at Tapawingo is just incredible bread. And since our dinner there was only 5 courses, I had room for it...

I love those angled wooden stirrers too! My housemate always uses my flipping spatulas for stirring and sauteing, and it makes to cringe to watch, when the perfect implement is right there waiting. I think I need to buy a bunch and give them away to everyone whose kitchen I have to cook in.

Okay, okay, call me a food snob, but cooking in other people's kitchens almost always reminds me of how much I like my own. I worked in a kitchen store for a year right after I got married, so a) learned a lot about cookware and knives and b) had a discount to be able to buy a bunch. I don't think too much of my kitchen until I cook somewhere else, and have to contend with bad knives, warped pans, and the lack of key utensils. Some good friends are really quite good and creative cooks - but don't have a wooden spoon anywhere in their kitchen! What are your pet peeves about working in other people's kitchens? Any thoughts on what the basic requirements for every kitchen should be?

I think you're mostly right on the money. I know that part of why I love my new Global chef's knife as compared to my old Wusthof is because the new knife is just so much sharper. When I first got my Wusthofs I had the same reaction, because I was comparing them to Ginsus! Realizing this has inspired me to look for a sharpener to take all my Wusthofs to. But the other thing about the Global that makes me favor it over the Wusthof is that the blade is thinner (especially at the top), which seems to make a big difference. And I actually like the lighter weight of it as well.

We didn't go anywhere. We had plans for Valentine's Day that fell through at the last minute. Rather than scrounging for a reservation on what's often an indifferent restaurant night, we called some friends and threw together a potluck dinner for 10. It was great. Dinner was: Spinach salad with goat cheese and strawberries Roasted Duck with Wine/Dried Cherry sauce Braised Bison with Sauce with Chinese spices Braised Potatoes and Carrots with Dill Spinach and Cheese Ravioli Alfredo Zingerman's Paesano Bread with Homemade Honey Butter Molten Chocolate Center Rose Shaped Cakelets We also did a "vertical tasting" of Michel Cluizel single origin chocolates from Zingerman's that my husband gave me as a Valentine's Day gift. We tasted through four different chocolates, one each from Central Africa, the Carribean, Venezuela and Madagascar. The Venezuelan was described on the back of the box as "profoundly typical" and you know, it really was. Tasted just like you expect chocolate to taste, whereas the others had smoky or acidic or fruity overtones that differentiated them from the norm. Where'd you go?

As a food geek, I've been very lucky during this, my first pregnancy. No food aversions, no morning sickness, and not really much in the way of cravings! I've even been able to keep eating spicy foods and other things that are common problems. The closest thing to a craving I've been having is a big desire for sweet carby foods. I had that before I got pregnant, but it's definitely been a little more pronounced. The biggest change is that I'm eating a _lot_ of breakfast cereal. Whenever I'm hungry and don't know what I want, or there's nothing around the house that's easy, I'll get a bowl of cereal and eat that. A little bit of sugar, mostly whole grains, some milk, sometimes some fruit. Easy, but pretty healthy, so I don't have to feel guilty about it!

The first time I had them they were a gift, brought for me from a friend who'd been in NYC. I think he got a package - it had 16 Petites and 4 different kinds of tasting squares. We had a decadent New Year's Party to ring in 2003, and I ordered some more Petites from mail order then. There's no store near me, alas. And the last time I was in downtown Chicago I didn't realize that they had a shop in one of the department stores on the Magnificent Mile. I'd love to go in and pick some by the piece, if I get a chance.

I like Richart a lot. http://www.richart-chocolates.com/

Detroit: Coney Dogs.

Depends - what do you see as the defining characteristics of the Chez Panisse example/model? I think it's got some potential.

Hey, what can I say - I tell it like I see it. As you might have noticed, I've got opinions, and I'm not afraid to share them!!!

Tapawingo is great. I wrote a review of it in the summer. I think the model isn't bad - although I've presented my favored model earlier in the thread (3 course prix fixe for those that want cheap and less than 2 hour dinners, larger tasting menu for special occasion types). The big question is can you do Tapawingo level food for that price in Ann Arbor - I think the overhead costs would make it a no-go. Have you been to, or know anything about Jeremy (also mentioned earlier in the thread)? From the descriptions I've read, it seems like it's got the right idea...

Good suggestion, Jim. But it's worth noting that despite the complaints of a few that it's "too hard to park downtown," there's no shortage of customers for the many, many businesses that are down there. Ann Arbor has a really vibrant and booming downtown scene, and there are frequently waits for dinner (especially on Fridays and Saturdays). My most common reason for not going downtown for dinner is because I don't want to wait, not because I don't want to park. So promotion like you suggest isn't really necessary.

Canton is a booming area. Mostly booming with strip malls - woo-hoo - you can see my opinion on those above. But it does have Thai Bistro, which is a sort of upscale Thai place with I've sadly only been to once but that has been around for years and seems to be doing pretty well. Plymouth has Cafe Bon Homme, a common entrant on the Freep's Top Tables list, so it is also already something of a destination dining place. And Novi - can't think of what exactly is there (except that my favorite pizza in the Detroit area is right nearby), but it's probably also pretty close to some of the other biggish names. But I thought we were talking about Ann Arbor? If I want fine dining, I can already get it by driving to one of the Detroit burbs, or into Detroit itself (I still want to make it to Cuisine someday). I end up eating that level of food less often than I might otherwise because it doesn't exist in Ann Arbor. Give me someplace that's local and actually doing interesting things with food, and I'd probably spend too much of my hard earned money there. Hmmm... maybe I should be encouraging you to locate in Canton. :-) I think for a place in downtown Ann Arbor to succeed, it would have to be pretty small. You're not going to get 50 covers a night, I don't think. How many tables does EVE have? I also think that you'd want to do a 3-course prix fixe for somewhere around $50, which would make you competitive with the corporate restaurants that line Main. Then you could have a 5 and/or 7 course for more adventurous/monied diners. Throw in some wine pairings, and now we're talking someplace that I could get excited about.

And Michigan is even worse. Detroit being the Motor City and all, people don't just want free parking, they want free parking immediately adjacent to wherever they are going. Thus the proliferation of strip malls and decline of traditional city centers. This is why I like Ann Arbor so much - it's actually got a thriving and active downtown. If people are afraid to come down and be parted from their cars, then hey - that just means there's a shorter wait for dinner for me.

Eh, the parking problem in downtown Ann Arbor is overrated. It's really not that bad. Especially compared to any city of any size. I mean c'mon people - if you can't find free parking and have to park in a structure, it's a whopping 80 cents an hour!!! It doesn't stop the restaurants from being full and Main St from being busy and active. If I'm going to pay $100 for dinner, I'm not going to complain about paying for parking. And for what its worth, downtown has a really broad range of restaurants in terms of price, from the low end to the high end. The most high end Ann Arbor has is downtown, in fact.

Yeah, but Five Lakes really isn't much worth the drive, IMNSHO. There's also several higher end restaurants in Northville - Emily's, Mackinnons, Little Italy Ristorante. I've not been to any of them but they all get pretty good reviews. And I hear that the new Chef de Cuisine at Emily's comes directly from working under Takahashi at Tribute. Can't remember his name, sorry. Oh, and what about Jeremy Restaurant and Bar? Anyone been there? Inauspicious name, but rave, rave reviews. And just named 2004 Restaurant of the Year by the Freep. Link But we're diverging... the question is will people drive to Ann Arbor for dinner. I think they're driving here to go to Zingerman's, so maybe. If it was a really destination kind of place. But maybe not. What's the secret to Tribute's success? Are people driving from all over the metro area to go there, or are they doing a lot of high end business dinners for the automotive companies?

I've wondered the same thing, Andrew. But it's not like high end restaurants are starting up and failing - no one's starting them in the first place... Maybe they're doing market research and know not even to bother?

Of the restaurants I've been to, I'd have to say Daniel's on Liberty, with the caveat that I haven't been there in a couple of years and they've changed formats in the intervening time. Good presentation, excellent service (our waiter remembered us from our previous anniversary visit the year before!), quality ingredients. I haven't been to Pacific Rim, Bella Ciao, EVE, or the Earle Uptown, all of which could be contenders, from what I know or have heard from them. And I'll reiterate that Cafe Zola is good solid Mediterranean bistro, and does it really, really well. But it's just a bistro, and as such doesn't have quite the oomph of Daniel's.

Here's a link to their menu. Entrees run $25-$40, and most of those are a la carte, with sides being another $5 or $6. Plus apps, salads, etc if you want them. And if you want dessert, then it goes on another bill, cause they move you over to La Dolce Vita for that. Their wine list isn't online, but last time we were there we spent $35 on a half bottle, so it's not a discount list. They do give you a free meal on your birthday, like the rest of the Mainstreet Ventures restaurants, which is prettty much the only time we ever go there.

I don't know about Ann Arbor diners either. I mean, these are people that think the Earle is good... But the income is certainly here, and the lack of fine dining is a big gap. It seems like a natural hole to try to fill. Chophouse seems to be doing well, so people are willing to spend the money, I think.