ianeccleston

That must have been my problem. I'll try again - as soon as I have a hood installed in my kitchen. :)

Mine is east of the Main Newspaper Stand, to Cafe Express (I'm not crazy about Lupita's). The lakefront from South Blvd. to Northwestern. The Farmer's Market & Movie Theatre area. Whole Foods & Peet's. North Clark St. in Chicago. Barnes & Noble probably would be too, but the traffic over there drives me nuts, even though I usually bike (glad to hear there's another bicyclist at egullet, Iguana). I have to say, I liked my collections of microneighborhoods in Chicago, but Evanston is a decent substitute. Ian

fiftydollars, you are a kindred spirit. I made also made a glace viande about two months ago. I didn't reduce to the point of hockey-puckness, but enough so that it solidified - double thick jello, perhaps. What to do with this stuff afterwards? I've tried it in a couple of sauces, but it really didn't give that big a difference in taste or texture to the final product. I was pretty disappointed that my apartment was beefy for 24 hours with that little to show for it. Has it been worth it for anyone else? Ian

Lady T, I just moved to Evanston this last fall too: I'm sure my quality of life will go up quite a bit now that a hour-long chunk of my Saturday mornings will not be spent driving up from Chicago every weekend. Ian

Onion sandwiches with mayonaise. From what I hear, one of James Beard's specialties. Ian

I went to the market on Saturday too - there was more there than I expected, given the tiny amount of sun we've been exposed to this Spring. I got some great, sweet asparagus, mild spring onions, green garlic, 2 dozen eggs, and some fresh herbs. I ended up making prosciutto wrapped asparagus, a fresh herb frittata, and James Beard's sweet-onion sandwiches. No plans for the green garlic - anyone have experience with it? Ian

Thanks for your advice - here's how it turned out:

Salve! My wife and I honeymooned in Sicily a year and a half ago. So good to be reminded of it. If you are in Erice, I'm sure you'll hit Maria Grammatica's sweet shop - not to be missed. I don't have a sweet tooth, but I honestly couldn't get enough of the stuff. We weren't crazy about the food at the Hotel Moderno, despite it's reputation. We had some great cous cous at Monte San Giuliano; the terrace is a lovely place to dine. In Siracusa, you MUST go to La Foglia. We liked it much more than Don Camillo. Don Camillo is excellent and had a very impressive wine list, but it was a bit more formal and less original. La Foglia certainly had more character. The dishes are meticulously researched to express 'true' Sicilian cuisine, although there are elaborations on the menu as well. The interior is eccentric but in good taste: hand-made menus, elegantly junky furniture and decorations on the walls. Just down the street from Don Camillo. It's not vegetarian, although some web sites seem to think so. See the menu in the link above. Also in Ortygia, I don't know the name, but there's a nice, casual wine bar near the main palazzo - behind church, on the outside ring of the palazzo. Ian Edited for: P.S. make sure you get arancini when you go to the Antica Focacceria San Francisco in Palermo.

I used to eat apple slices dipped in a mixture of French's Mustard and Ketchup... Ian

The Jibblies! That's probably a better word for it. I get it from the sound of cardboard ripping, fork scraping on teeth, etc.

Once, as I was leaving a fast-food place, I saw a person wipe their front teeth with a paper napkin. Yuck. I get chills just thinking about it. Does this gross anyone else out? Ian

We'll see what the cheese market has to offer. Last time we went to this cheese shop we got a terrific goat brie, and a national-award-winning cheese called something like Red Cow. We'll probably just have a mix - one stinky, one hard, one less stinky or a goat cheese.

How could I forget! I'm ordering out - a Princess Cake from the Swedish Bakery in Chicago. And yes, wine of course. The extended family that's coming in is known as the 'Chablis Sisters' - so plenty of white wine will be on hand. Belinis might be a nice touch too. Thanks to both of you; glad you like the look of it. It's always fun to put together a menu.

Thanks! My gleanings from that thread: What guajolote hoped would be there the first session: And what he bought: I'm suprised there was so much! I can't wait. Thanks again, Ian

We're having 20 people over to our relatively small apartment this weekend for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. It will be buffet-style; since we don't have enough space for everyone to sit, the food has to be easy to eat. Furthermore, the relatives from Peoria are coming in, so the food can't be too 'challenging' (read, make sure there's some beef on the table). I've got my menu figured out, but I'm curious what other people might do. My menu: The Teaser: Cheese from 'The Cheese Stands Alone' (Chicago) A little fruit Roasted vegetable terrine w/ goat cheese Olives marinated with preserved lemon and rosemary The Pleaser: Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus Mixed Herb Frittata Bite-size, grilled, skewered flank steak - served with a choice of sauces: Chimichurri or red pepper aioli. Green salad - mustard vinaigrette and Zuni Cafe-style croutons And possibly a soup - chilled pureed cucumber soup, with avacado and yogurt, maybe garnished with watermelon. Served in our coffee cup w/ saucer set we got for our wedding... What would yours be? Or do you have any suggestions for tweaking my menu? Cheers, Ian

I'm thinking of heading to the market on the 15th - it seems like I'll have some company! What can we expect to find there this early? Ian

That rocks. Thanks again Varmint. I think I'll shoot for 150 - 200 lbs. How long did that one take you, in the rental?

Those rentals look great! Thanks; I'm salivating already. What is the capacity, pig-wise, of the models shown above? I had looked into building something, but since it will be my first time cooking a whole pig, I thought I should eliminate as many variables as I can - renting probably does the trick.

Does anyone have experience renting the equipment to roast a pig? From what I understand, you don't have to dig a pit, get a "chinese box", etc. My dearest wife has already been thrown into a state of panic at the thought of a pig's head lolling out of the tub when she wakes up in the morning. I hope to convince her otherwise, by September (my 30th birthday - I'm throwing myself a big 'ol pig roast). Ian

Thanks again; finished off the tagine to rave reviews. Ian

Thanks! My wife is a bit of a nervous nellie - getting assurance from you will no doubt let her experience preserved lemons in a tagine for the first time. Can I just say that egullet is great? And how nice Paula is? Cheers, Ian

I also made preserved lemons according to Paula's recipe, and they seem fine - they smell 'wonderful and lemony' and taste good. But my wife is pregnant - should I be concerned? The recipe for the tagine I plan to make tonight calls for the preserved lemons to be cooked for 15 minutes. From what I understand this is enough to kill all the little buggies in there. What do you all think? Cheers, Ian

The only places I've seen the shucked oysters have been Whole Foods and a wholesaler that sells to restaurants (as well as the public) in the meatpacking district in Chicago. I don't know that I'd trust the local stores like Jewel & Osco. I will smell, thanks. I'd rather have the fresh ones too - but at .69 each vs. $9 a pint, if I'm going to cook them it seems like a good deal. Pasteurized? Really? I had no idea.

Has anyone seen 'shucked oysters' in their seafood stores? I assume that they are 'day old' or more, and have been shucked (and reduced in price) to sell. I've been seeing them lately and have been curious about using them to cook with -deep frying, oyster stew, etc. Should I stay away? Also, I've always been nervous about buying oysters myself and eating them raw. I've done this plenty of times at restaurants, but I have to wonder. Do I have to go to the best available fishmonger to trust their oysters enough to eat them raw, or can I get them at the grocery store? Thanks, Ian

Thanks all for the advice - we hit Smokin' Woody's this Sat. for lunch, and the hickory smoked ribs were great! My wife had the pulled pork sandwich, which was also very nice - tender, very juicy. His vinegary BBQ sauce is really nice - not too sweet or thick - just on the edge of too much acidity. A great foil for BBQ. A side note - Calvin, the guy who runs the place, is a really, really nice guy. He spent a good deal of his time handing out baloons to the kids in the restaurant - he keeps a helium tank in back! And, when he tried to take a not-quite-finished-beer away from my wife, who said "No, no! I'm not finished!", he surreptitiously brought a complimentary bottle of beer over to our table, saying "I saw how you wouldn't give up that last bit of beer, I know that you can finish another one." Nice guy, great BBQ. He bought my business for twenty years with that bottle of beer.