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Midwesterner

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Everything posted by Midwesterner

  1. I've got a reservation for Sunday evening (Nov. 7).
  2. My husband and I had out first dinner at Trotter's a few months ago. He had the Vegetable Menu and I had the Grand, and we both had the wine pairings. It was great food, inventive and intelligently sequenced, I thought (more on that in a moment). I did think the service was a little stiff. Our primary waiter seemed knowledgable and capable of cracking a joke, but the rest of the extensive team of servers seemed tense and afraid of making an error. A few of them froze up upon being asked any questions and either didn't answer or got the main waiter. A mistake was made near the beginning (my husband was served the first course for the grand menu rather than the vegetable) and looks of horror were exchanged among the servers when we pointed this out. (They dealt with the problem well, by bringing each of us the vegetable first course to follow the one we'd already received, after asking my husband if he would like to try the course he'd already been served--bluefin tuna with avocado-basil sorbet). My grand menu included the tuna and Diver Scallop with Emerald Cove Oyster, Razor Clams, Fennel, Fingerling Potato and Lemon Thyme Arkansas Rabbit with Maitake Mushrooms, Confit Garlic, Red Wine Braised Artichokes and Grilled Treviso Millbrook Farm Venision Loin with Cous Cous, Chorizo, and Kalamata Olive Sauce Rhubard Sorbet with Spring Onion Marmalade Cashew Cheese Cake with Yellow Peaches and Star Thistle Honey I liked the overall balance of the meal and the fact that some slightly unconventional meats were used (as opposed to say, lamb or short ribs, which I've had on the tasting menu at TRU). Both meat dishes had interesting complementary flavors--for example the restrained use of the chorizo in the cous cous alongside the venision, and the fact that the rabbit dish included a tiny bite of rabbit kidney (unannounced on the menu, and admitted with slight reluctance by the waiter when I asked him what I'd just tasted--some people recoil, apparently). We got some complimentary small desserts (a creme brulee, a chocolate cake) as well as the ones on the menu and there were mignardises, which I admit were not quite as showy as the ones at TRU (no lollipops!) but did include excellent truffles. We had more fun at TRU--the room is prettier, the staff is warmer, and we were a lively table of four, but for serious attention to the food, we had an equally good night at CT.
  3. Has Fuse announced that it's closing? I've been there twice and thought the food was great. Both times were pre-theater on a Friday, and there were plenty of empty tables.
  4. We visited the Market yesterday and thought it was an attractive, well designed building. There is a big convenient parking lot right behind the store. My husband (the one who knows wine) said the selections included some offbeat things in the midprice range (offbeat in a good way). The cheeses were all pre-packaged. The restaurant option described in the first post of this thread exists only on Fri and Sat night, as far as I could tell. The bakery selections were extensive, with massive and relatively expensive cakes for sale whole or by the slice (over 40 dollars for some of the large cakes). We bought some prepared foods (meatloaf, crabcakes, coconut chicken, cornbread) and found them so so, inferior to similar Whole Foods products. The one feature that might tempt me back is the gelato selection, which resembled an Italian ice cream shop more than the usual American fare. Portions were generous too. My son scoffed at the "small" cup even though the counterperson warned him the medium was huge. Guess what--he could eat it. But most of us would be wise to stick with the small.
  5. In the extensive discussions about bread that LC eating has generated, people seem to forget that in some respects enriched white bread is nutritionally better than whole grain bread.
  6. My mother made omelets filled with strawberry preserves and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.
  7. I've lost 30 pounds on Atkins in the last 3 months. I have much more to lose to resemble a slim person, but at least my clothes fit again and I have the satisfaction of having stopped what seemed like an inevitable slide to ever higher weight. For those interested in comparing low-carb diets, recipes, and personal experiences, I highly recommend the web site www.lowcarber.org. It is not sponsored by Atkins or any other group, and on the whole it discourages the use of fake foods (or "frankenfoods") such as Atkins bars and shakes, although if some people rely on them and don't have any digestive or craving problems, then their limited use is ok, especially since they are vitamin enriched. As posts above have shown, it is very possible for someone who likes to cook to enjoying a variety of meals on Atkins. Vegetables are encouraged. A couple of posts above talked about "hunger" vs. the urge to eat. The word "cravings" is used a lot by people talking about the benefits of a low carb diet. Many people find that once they stop eating bread, crackers, etc. they stop thinking about snacking all the time. This happened to me. It's a great relief. Other diets have worked for me in the past (WW) but I always felt deprived. And to echo what someone else said about snacks, I think macadamia nuts are great (about 5 or 6 at one time). They have a great flavor, and the high fat content makes them very satisfying. They are expensive in small jars, but can be found reasonably at Trader Joe's, among other places.
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