docsconz

I think that it is pretty amazing that they made any wine at all in the 1980's. Musar is an idiosyncratic wine that people tend to either love or hate. I am most definitely in the former category. I haven't tried the 1999, but had the 1995 a few years ago at a tasting with Serge also. He is an interesting fellow. he never did follow up on his pledge to connect me with some older vintages though.

The original Taylor's received a distinction from the James Beard foundation as an "American Classic".

I'm checking the flight schedules now...

Doc, When I go out to dinner a steakhouse would not be my first choice. I was dining with my Father and this type of restaurant was an easy sell. If I wanted to eat at a steakhouse and I was in Chicago then I would pick Primehouse. I have eaten at all the other Chicago landmark steakhouses dozens of times so this is something different. I listed the prices on the steaks because I felt them to be reasonable in comparison. If you are asking me if this would break into the top three meals in the city that YOU would enjoy the most, then the answer is no. But that is based on the fact that this genre is not your favorite, not on the quality of the fare. Molto E ← Eliot, you are right. The genre is not my favorite, but that is because it is so hard for steakhouses to really differnetiate themselves from one another once they reach a certain level. I enjoy a great steak as much as anybody, and if it is truly exceptional for its genre and not something that I can get a reasonable facsimile of someplace else then I would probably try to fit it in at some point when in Chicago. If it is just a very good steakhouse that is maybe a little different than others, but not particularly superior where it counts than I would probably pass unless I had the good fortune to be in Chicago for a longer period than I generally get to be there for.

Nice report as usual, Eliot. The prices actually look fairly inexpensive for a top steakhouse. It actually looks to be almost affordable! I must say, you are one for the doughnuts! That is not a dessert that I am particularly fond of myself as you know The question for me would be with the limited time I get to spend in Chicago and the other incredible dining options available there, is this restaurant worth it? I love a great steak, but is it sufficiently different or better than other steakhouses in Chicago or elsewhere?

When did Chef Humm actually start at EMP?

I am sorry, but they were most definitely not soup dumplings. They may not have been the dumplings I thought they were, but they were shrimp and had no soup in them.

I am expecting full reports. My one experience with this restaurant several years ago, well before Humm, was less than stellar.

while the reports I have been listening to have not panned the restaurant, I haven't really seen anything that made me yearn to be there. i have no doubt that the food is excellent. As for the Beard Foundation, my understanding is that after their recent troubles they have been trying very hard to clean up their image. I will be in a better position to ascertain the validity of this award after I dine at the Modern as Jason will for himself after he dines at Alinea.

I wouldn't. This choice certainly smacks of a NYC bias, which in an organization that purports to be national in scope is wrong. Now maybe The Modern deserved the award. I really can't say since I haven't been myself. The reason I haven't been though is that I have been underwhelmed by the mass of the reports I've heard - not so much that it is not good, just not particularly compelling. As for Robuchon, it was his Las Vegas flagship restaurant that was nominated, not a NYC based Atelier. The Mansion has received glowing reports so far and based on those was what I thought would be Alinea's biggest competition. The bottom line though is that I now need to go to The Modern and judge for myself.

I can't say that either. Laura Fanella is a nice addition to the exciting (but small) new generation of excellent Italian pastry chefs, which I only see as a good thing given that sometimes the desserts one often finds in Italian restaurants can range from depressing to merely inoffensive. It remains to be seen if she'll continue to work in restaurant kitchens or decide to open a pastry shop, like some of her talented colleagues. One thing is sure, she captured the attention of those who met her: Paolo Marchi (the guy who organised IG) was so enthusiastic about her talk that in his Italian newsletter he dedicated a small article to her under the header "A star is born". ← Hers is a name I will keep an eye on. I would love to sample her work someday.

I have yet to dine at The Modern and while its reputation is very good, I don't really hear anyone discussing at as a truly special restaurant. Alinea is and was the restaurant I expected to get the award with it possibly being beaten by Robuchon (I haven't eaten therre either, but others I know have raved about it). It strikes me as being a very conservative choice and maybe controversial because of it.

There were some mentions of the Slanted Door in other threads - like this one - where I put in my two cents. I thought the place was nice for an early walk-in lunch while shopping at the Ferry Building (credible food/good service/relaxing atmosphere) - but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there - particularly at dinner time (I really hate places that are super crowded - especially if they can't seem to honor reservations). Robyn P.S. I liked the clean design lines in the restaurant (but reading some of the other messages in this thread - I guess the design isn't to everyone's taste). ← I didn't mind the design, although I wasn't overly impressed by it either. I think the design and location probably works better in daylight when the view is a real asset. At night in the dark it is less extraordinary although some views elsewherre are more impressive at night.

All I can say is I am surprised.

Wow Alberto! Thank you so much for putting this report together. It must have been an amazing experience to have been there. The dessert portion of the conference was every bit as fascinating if not more so than the savories. The last entry with the metamorphases looks particularly intriguing. If the flavors of that apple and raspberry dish are anywhere near half as good as the plated dessert they would be awesome indeed. Her concept is very interesting. I can't say that I have seen or heard of that before.

Nice Photos! Sorry Doc, I am pretty sure what's shown in this picture are Xiaolongbao (Shanghai specialty) and not Cantonese Har Gaw. Xiaolongbao uses pork filling and has no shrimp in it. Not sure if the waitstaff misquoted or delivered the wrong order to you. I had both Har Gaw and Xiaolongbao during my last trip to Koi Palace. While I love their Har Gaw (shrimp dumpling) - very juicy, fresh and tasty, I couldn't say the same about their Xiaolongbao. I could only come to a conclusion, which I should have known and learned from my years of eating at dim sum restaurants - never order Shanghai specialties in a dim sum (Cantonese masters) restaurants! ← You may very well be right although I don't remember having had pork dumplings there and that is not what was marked on the menu on which I took notes. It has been awhile and my memory can certainly be faulty.

On Saturdays, especially if the weather is good one is better off getting the oysters from their stand outside in the Farmer's Market where one does not have to pay tax on the briny delights.

Great report, Jeff! I am not proud to admit that I have yet to sample a pizza from DiFara's despite the fact that I grew up in Brooklyn. Alas, I don't get back there too much anymore, but I will have to make a special effort to get there.

You know I wasn't sure what they were, but now I realise they must have been white beets, either barely cooked or even raw. I'm surprised I didn't realise at the time, especially since I have even bought Joel Thibault's white beets; I'm sure that's what they were. I guess the name of the dish should have been a big clue ← Thanks Phyllis. I have never seen beets look like those. I was thinking they were either spring onions or white asparagus, but it was probably just the way the beets were cut.

Molto e and I tried to sample as many different quality food sources as we could during our brief visit to the Bay Area. Since we would be having dinner later that night at The French Laundry we wanted to be careful not to overdo it or have too late a lunch. We also wanted to try Taylor's beforre we left San Francisco as it was just a few steps away at The Ferry Plaza Market. We decided to have a very early lunch at about 10:30 AM. We were the first customers of the day. The place was spotless and gleaming. It had a nice somewhat retro feel to it. We ordered a number of items not so much because we were incredibly hungry, but because we were incredibly curious. Making chili cheese fries. Our order coming up for service. Unfortunately it lingered there a little too long and some things that shouldn't have got a little cold perhaps taking away a little bit from the ultimate effect. I could have done without the chili cheese fries. They didn't do anything for me. I wish I tried the fried calamari and a shake though. The Ahi Burger. This was my favorite andquite good. While not cheap fast food at $13.99 it was a pretty exceptional sandwich. The menu description reads: "Fresh ahi tuna seared RARE with ginger wasabi mayo & asian slaw on a toasted egg bun". California Chicken This sandwich was ok, but I wouldn't order it again, It came with guacomole, jack cheese, romaine, tomato, red onion & mayo on a toasted egg bun. Western Bacon Blue Ring described on the menu as "a burger topped with an onion ring, crumbled blue cheese, bacon, pickles, reed onion & BBQ sauce on a toasted egg bun" for $8.99. This was one hefty burger. It was this sandwich that probably suffered the most by waiting for service as some of the crispy elements were just a wee bit soggy by the time we bit into our halves. How do we know this might have suffered a bit? Well because we stopped at the original Taylor's up in St. Helena when we got upto Napa.

... so you're a mind "doc!" u.e. ← That was an option I considered in Medical school and still find fascinating. What I actually meant though was not so much the psychological reasons people have the reactions they do, but their explanations. You are a good case in point as we have agreed on some things and had different reactions to others. I don't believe either is right or wrong, but having an idea as to why a particular dish elicited the response it did helps me gauge the extent to which I can relate to the comments.

That day they had Sweetwaters and Kumamotos from Hog Island, Effingham Inlet from British Columbia, St. Simon from New Brunswick, and Island Creek from Massachusetts. I had had the sweetwaters and Kumamotos on Saturday at the market so wanting to stay on the west coast (when in Rome...) I went with the Effinghams. They as the others were delicious. I like mine best with a squeeze of lemon.

Gotcha. This makes sense to me, although I am always curious as to why some people have the reactions they do.

Ronnie, I feel the same way about everything but what I highlighted above. Maybe because I don't get to eat there as often as I would like , I always enjoy reading about and especially seeing the courses currently being served.

Not sharing Chinese food is simply unAmerican!