Plan: 2008 Heartland Gathering in Chicago Aug 8-10

[torakris]

Ethnic shopping tour

Niles ethnic grocers (list)

tammylc

Jean Blanchard

Lucky Girl + husband

It sounds as if people are interested in doing this Saturday in lieu of the farmers' market. Some of the stores open as early as 8 a.m., so we ought to be able to visit several and still be on schedule to get to the church.

My recommendations for places we ought to visit include H-Mart, a vast Korean supermarket with terrific produce and fish departments; Schmeisser's, a German-style butcher that smokes its own sausages and meats; and at least one of the Polish or Serbian delis. Others could depend on what people are most interested in.

There are plenty of good options for lunch in Niles, too.

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Please add me to the ethnic market tour!

I am also happy to help out in the kitchen anywhere needed.

Steven,

I am so glad that you are able to make it, it wouldn't be a Heartland gathering if our New Yorker wasn't there.

How much of the weekend will you be there for?

[HOLLY_L]

I could bring some chicken liver paté (prepared in advance, of course).

[LAZ]

If it would be okay, transfer me to doing the cheese course.  I would enjoy doing that and if anyone else has some homemade or bought thing that they like with cheese they can add them.  I will provide cheeses, crackers sliced fruits and some nuts.

Tobi

PS we're in Europe right now,  I'll try to bring some cheese home from France with me to add to what I get in Chicago.

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←

If you're willing to collaborate, I can do some of the cheese shopping. I have a wonderful source for artisanal American cheeses here in Chicago. (Unfortunately, too far from Evanston to work in a visit or I'd try to arrange it.)

What kind of budget would we have?

Unknown at this point, I haven't started running any numbers yet. Probably somewhere in the $100-$150 range?

We should be careful in thinking about the cheese course. It's often been our downfall. Served as pre-dinner noshing, everyone is too full for dinner. Served after dinner, we rarely make a dent with the typical quantities purchased. I'd recommend planning on no more than 1 oz per person, or around 5.5 lbs total.

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Sounds good. Nyokie6, let me know how much you're bringing from France and then we can coordinate on what I can get here.

Another alternative would be to lay out some cheese and things as a mid-afternoon snack. Surely, we won't want to go all the way from lunch to dinner without eating?

Ethnic shopping tour

Saturday a.m.

Niles ethnic grocers (list)

tammylc

Jean Blanchard

Lucky Girl + husband

Torakris

[hjshorter]

I have a new job as of July 24th that will prevent a trip to Chicago. I look forward to hearing all about it - with lots of pictures.

[white lotus]

Please include Dance & I to the ethnic tour.

I eat eveything except offal. Dance is vegetarian inclined who eats dairy and seafood. I am assuming that there will be plenty to eat for everyone.

Please feel free to fit either/or both of us into the kitchen help equation. We arrive prepared with aprons and Daiso (Japanese $1.50 store) knives.

I just remembered that we are also limited as of July 1st to only one airline baggage check-in limit, half of what it was last year. So unfortunately, we won't be able to cart as many PNW "omiage" gifties to everyone as we would have liked. Regrets...

If there is anything we could contribute for the feast from the Pacific NW we could gladly bring it with us (i.e. smoked white king salmon, Mt. Ranier fire weed honey). We could contribute some salmon for everyone to nibble if there is interest. Let me know your thoughts.

If there is a good Asian tea house or a tea establishment in the Chicago area with a reasonable palate, Dance and I would like to know. Many thanks to Lucky Girl and Steve for their gift to us of exotic teas from a wonderful Paris tea shop at last years gathering in Cleveland.

Tea is, kind of, my life and I pretty much drink a lot of it all day. Our tea budget may rival that of some wine folks. If there is interest in trying some of our very nice jasmines, oolongs, puerhs and/or Japanese ocha (although I would defer the qualitiy of my stash to what Tora Chris usually drinks), we could bring some of our best stuff with us and brew samplings for whoever may be interested. Let me know so I can bring a lot of tiny Chinese sampling cups.

We could also contribute some pretty decent quality fresh brewed iced teas perhaps. Since I don't drink (Dance does) I am kind of nerdy about tea. If there is interest in large quantity of iced (non-alcoholic beverage(s) we may need some form of distribution mechanism i.e. coolers to pitchers.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. We are very much looking forward to being a part of this years gathering. Sincerely, wl

[prasantrin]

white lotus--there's a branch of Ten Ren in Chicago. I wonder if they do tea tastings.

[Alex]

If there is a good Asian tea house or a tea establishment in the Chicago area with a reasonable palate, Dance and I would like to know.  Many thanks to Lucky Girl and Steve for their gift to us of exotic teas from a wonderful Paris tea shop at last years gathering in Cleveland. 

Tea is, kind of, my life and I pretty much drink a lot of it all day.  Our tea budget may rival that of some wine folks.  If there is interest in trying some of our very nice jasmines, oolongs, puerhs and/or Japanese ocha (although I would defer the qualitiy of my stash to what Tora Chris usually drinks), we could bring some of our best stuff with us and brew samplings for whoever may be interested.  Let me know so I can bring a lot of tiny Chinese sampling cups.

For Saturday, there's Dream About Tea in Evanston, close to the Davis train station and our dinner venue.

[Fresser]

Heartland Gathering Cooks Update

Sous Cooks

Fresser

KarenM

Prsantrin

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I'm a sous-chef. Woo-hoo! I have a toque in my closet all ready for the occasion.

Regarding the Niles tour, I used to live about two miles north of there and can shuttle Heartlanders through the neighborhood.

[ronnie_suburban]

I've just made travel plans so I will be attending. Sign me up for wherever I'll be most helpful/least destructive. P.S. Staying at Best Western University Plaza in Evanston.

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I have a new job as of July 24th that will prevent a trip to Chicago.    I look forward to hearing all about it - with lots of pictures.

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Updated lists . . .

Thursday Dinner at Blackbird

=R= +4

Alchemist

newbie21

tammylc* + 1*

jesteinf +1

edsel

prasantrin* +1*

Jean Blanchard +1

santo_grace +1

HOLLY_L

NancyH +1

Nina C.* +3*

nyokie6 +1

nsxtasy +1

yellow truffle +3

joiei*

Sam Iam +1

Elrushbo

stuart_s

daniellewiley +1

Amy Viny +1

white lotus +1

cat lancaster

ricain + 1 (officially in, due to cancelations)

-47- (38 definite, 9 probable)

1 spot remains for Thursday's dinner, although it's likely that some who have signed up will drop out, as we still have 9 "probables".

Thursday Drinks at The Violet Hour

=R= +4

HeatherM

Alex

tammylc* +1*

jesteinf +1

edsel

tino27 +1

Lady T

prasantrin* +1*

Marmish* +1*

newbie21

Nina C.* +3*

Jean Blanchard +1

santo_grace +1

HOLLY_L

NancyH +1

nyokie6 +1

nsxtasy +1

yellow truffle +3

joiei*

moreace01 +1

Sam Iam +1

LuckyGirl +1

Darcie B

kasw* +1*

stuart_s*

daniellewiley +1

Amy Viny +1

Aaron Deacon

white lotus +1

cat lancaster

ricain + 1

-59- (47 definite, 12 probable)

Only 1 spot remains for Thursday's cocktail session

Updated list for the Friday night dinner at Lao Sze Chuan:

=R= +4

prasantrin +1

torakris

tammylc +1*

CaliPoutine

Alex

Sam Iam +3

Fresser

NancyH +1

nsxtasy +1

jesteinf +1

kasw* +1*

tino27 +1

HeatherM

santo_grace +1

Kerry Beal

edsel

Cathy2

yellow truffle +1

nyokie6 +1

stuart_s

HOLLY_L

white lotus +1

LuckyGirl +1

LAZ +1

daniellewiley +1

karen m

hsm +1

Amy Viny +1

Fat Guy

-53- (50 definite, 3 probable)

27 spots remain for Friday night's dinner at Lao Sze Chuan

Updated list for the Saturday dinner at Immanuel Lutheran Church:

=R= +4

NancyH +1

torakris

edsel

LuckyGirl +3

Alchemist

CaliPoutine

Alex

tammylc

jesteinf +1

nsxtasy +1

Kerry Beal

Marmish +1

moosnsqrl +1

Osnav +1

prasantrin* +1*

tino27 +1

Sam Iam +3

nr706 +1

hsm +1

joiei

Jean Blanchard +1

newbie21

moreace01 +1

HOLLY_L

santo_grace +1

daniellewiley +1

kasw +1

dls*

nyokie6 +1

Nina C. +1

LAZ +1

maggiethecat +1

Elrushbo

Darcie B

white lotus +1

Fresser

cat lancaster

HeatherM

Lady T

yellow truffle +3

Amy Viny +1

Aaron Deacon

sweintraub* +1*

karen m +1

ricain + 1

elfin +1

Fat Guy

-86- (81 definite, 5 probable)

Only 4 spots remain for Saturday's group meal

Again, please take a look at the above lists and let me know if I have failed to record your status accurately.

Thanks!

=R=

p.s. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

[nsxtasy]

As promised, below is a link to an interactive Google map of food/beverage-shopping venues that are near the church.  Of course, this map is not all-inclusive but I tried to include as many viable places as I could think of, that were at least somewhat nearby:

Shopping Map - eGS Heartland Gathering 2008

=R=

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Ron,

That map has an error in locating Piron Belgian Chocolatier (which is a terrific one, BTW, great recommendation). The address shown (509 Main Street) is correct, but for some reason the pointer on the map shows it at Asbury Avenue. In fact, the shop is located on Main Street just east of Chicago Avenue, about half a mile east of where the pointer on the map shows it.

[torakris]

Is there anyone taking the megabus (to anywhere) or will be in the Union station area around 10pm -12am Sunday night?

The bus I want leaves at 11:59pm and my mom is freaking out about me being alone in the area at that time of night. She says she would feel better if she knew I wasn't alone. It is hard to believe I am 38 years old...

Also I just checked the megabus website and they have moved the location of the Chicago bus stop it now says:

Departures - On East side of Canal, South of Jackson

Is this still close to Union station?

[Alex]

Is there anyone taking the megabus (to anywhere) or will be in the Union station area around 10pm -12am Sunday night?

The bus I want leaves at 11:59pm and my mom is freaking out about me being alone in the area at that time of night. She says she would feel better if she knew I wasn't alone.  It is hard to believe I am 38 years old...

Also I just checked the megabus website and they have moved the location of the Chicago bus stop it now says:

Departures - On East side of Canal, South of Jackson

Is this still close to Union station?

←

It's still close to the station -- not directly across, but only about one block south of the former stop.

I'm getting together with a friend for dinner at 7:00 that night, but I'm sure I could meet you after that, either at the stop or perhaps your hotel, depending on where you're staying.

Edited July 5, 2008 by Alex (log)

[Fat Guy]

Steven,

I am so glad that you are able to make it, it wouldn't be a Heartland gathering if our New Yorker wasn't there.

How much of the weekend will you be there for?

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I'll be coming in Friday mid-morning (Thursday is our wedding anniversary so I want to be home for that) and will be around for all subsequent events.

[prasantrin]

Is there anyone taking the megabus (to anywhere) or will be in the Union station area around 10pm -12am Sunday night?

The bus I want leaves at 11:59pm and my mom is freaking out about me being alone in the area at that time of night. She says she would feel better if she knew I wasn't alone.  It is hard to believe I am 38 years old...

Also I just checked the megabus website and they have moved the location of the Chicago bus stop it now says:

Departures - On East side of Canal, South of Jackson

Is this still close to Union station?

←

It's still close to Union Station. We've decided to forego having a car in Chicago, and are taking the Megabus from MSP. We're also leaving Sunday night, so we can hang! (Hope no one mistakes us for streetwalkers or something!)

Our bus leaves at 10:30pm, though, so you'll still be alone for a bit. But you can still tell your mother someone you know will be there, too. Just don't tell her we won't be there for the whole time.

[ronnie_suburban]

As promised, below is a link to an interactive Google map of food/beverage-shopping venues that are near the church.  Of course, this map is not all-inclusive but I tried to include as many viable places as I could think of, that were at least somewhat nearby:

Shopping Map - eGS Heartland Gathering 2008

=R=

←

Ron,

That map has an error in locating Piron Belgian Chocolatier (which is a terrific one, BTW, great recommendation). The address shown (509 Main Street) is correct, but for some reason the pointer on the map shows it at Asbury Avenue. In fact, the shop is located on Main Street just east of Chicago Avenue, about half a mile east of where the pointer on the map shows it.

←

Hmmm...that may be because the address is actually is 509A Main Street. Upon double checking, using the the 'a' or not, Google maps seemed to have a problem with that particular address.

Thanks, Ken, for letting everyone know about this. I'll send a note to Google Maps, just to let them know.

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

For Saturday, there's Dream About Tea in Evanston, close to the Davis train station and our dinner venue.

←

I've added this to the Google Shopping Map.

=R=

[LAZ]

Update:

Ethnic shopping tour

Saturday a.m.

Niles ethnic grocers (list)

tammylc

Jean Blanchard*

Lucky Girl + husband

torakris

white lotus + Dance

Fresser*

*Drivers. Plus I have a minivan and can take four or five, so we're good on wheels so far.

BTW, Niles also has the nearest Costco to Evanston, so if there's something that needs to come from there on the day, we can easily pick it up. There's also a branch of Binny's, which is a large liquor/wine store with a fairly good stock.

white lotus, there isn't a tea shop in Niles, but several of the ethnic stores have good selections of teas and tisanes appealing to their respective customer bases. Nothing too rarefied, but definitely interesting.

[Fat Guy]

I'd like to go on the ethnic food tour, if possible.

Am I to understand that it's not possible to do the ethnic food tour and go shopping with the larger group? If so, maybe I can stay in touch with Tammy via cell phone and pick up any ethnic ingredients that would be useful for the dinner. Or am I misunderstanding the schedule?

[tammylc]

I'd like to go on the ethnic food tour, if possible.

Am I to understand that it's not possible to do the ethnic food tour and go shopping with the larger group? If so, maybe I can stay in touch with Tammy via cell phone and pick up any ethnic ingredients that would be useful for the dinner. Or am I misunderstanding the schedule?

←

I think we're going to have to have some communication with the various cooks to see who wants to shop where, as I'm also interested in the ethnic food tour. Or maybe we can have an early first pass at the Farmer's Market and then split off for the ethnic food tour.

[Fat Guy]

I think Edsel should drive us back and forth all morning in his Prius, so we can be like inspectors showing up at the various sites by surprise.

[ronnie_suburban]

I think Edsel should drive us back and forth all morning in his Prius, so we can be like inspectors showing up at the various sites by surprise.

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He doesn't drive an Edsel?

=R=

[tino27]

Just a general question about money ...

Is money going to be collected ahead of time for the events that have a cost? If so, what type of payment options will there be?

[LAZ]

I'd like to go on the ethnic food tour, if possible.

Am I to understand that it's not possible to do the ethnic food tour and go shopping with the larger group? If so, maybe I can stay in touch with Tammy via cell phone and pick up any ethnic ingredients that would be useful for the dinner. Or am I misunderstanding the schedule?

←

I think we're going to have to have some communication with the various cooks to see who wants to shop where, as I'm also interested in the ethnic food tour. Or maybe we can have an early first pass at the Farmer's Market and then split off for the ethnic food tour.

←

The first respondents on the ethnic tour seemed to think that Saturday morning was the best time, and if we adhere to that, no, I don't think it will possible for someone to do both.

Some stores in Niles open at 8 a.m., but there are more than 50 food stores in Niles, so we won't be able to visit more than a fraction of them before lunchtime no matter how early we start. I am assuming we can skip Lo-Carbs R Here and the Sara Lee Outlet, but I assure you that it would be easy to spend the entire morning just at Super H-Mart.

The Evanston farmers' market opens at 7:30 a.m., although the time currently set for the group shopping is 9. There are roughly 30 vendors.

[CaliPoutine]

I'd like to go on the ethnic food tour, if possible.

Am I to understand that it's not possible to do the ethnic food tour and go shopping with the larger group? If so, maybe I can stay in touch with Tammy via cell phone and pick up any ethnic ingredients that would be useful for the dinner. Or am I misunderstanding the schedule?

←

I think we're going to have to have some communication with the various cooks to see who wants to shop where, as I'm also interested in the ethnic food tour. Or maybe we can have an early first pass at the Farmer's Market and then split off for the ethnic food tour.

←

The first respondents on the ethnic tour seemed to think that Saturday morning was the best time, and if we adhere to that, no, I don't think it will possible for someone to do both.

Some stores in Niles open at 8 a.m., but there are more than 50 food stores in Niles, so we won't be able to visit more than a fraction of them before lunchtime no matter how early we start. I am assuming we can skip Lo-Carbs R Here and the Sara Lee Outlet, but I assure you that it would be easy to spend the entire morning just at Super H-Mart.

The Evanston farmers' market opens at 7:30 a.m., although the time currently set for the group shopping is 9. There are roughly 30 vendors.

←

Is there anyway at alternate day can be arranged? The dinner on Friday is at 7:30pm. Is it possible to visit these shops in Nile in the late afternoon on Friday? I for one would like to do both, but obviously, that won't be possible on Saturday.

[ronnie_suburban]

Just a general question about money ...

Is money going to be collected ahead of time for the events that have a cost? If so, what type of payment options will there be?

←

Yes.

In the next day or so, I will be sending separate pm's -- one for each of the 4 pre-paid events -- to each person who has signed up here. Those pm's will contain links to the EventBrite.com site where your payments will be accepted. So, depending on how many events you've signed up for, you will receive between 1 and 4 pm's, each with a separate link. If you're bringing guests, you will sign them up and buy their tickets, via these links, at the same time.

What this means is that once you sign up and pay at EventBrite.com you will not need to bring any money to any of the events (unless you plan on making extra purchases). However, this is the only payment option available. We will not be accepting any payments at the door for any of the events. Blackbird, The Violet Hour and Lao Sze Chuan events will simply be paid up front. All attendees will have to do is show up and eat/drink.

For the group-shopping, as in previous years, money will be redistributed to those who are shopping/cooking by Tammy, most likely on the morning of the event but because of the Ethnic Shopping Tour etc., those details are not 100% ironed out yet.

It's probably also worth mentioning that sign-ups collected here for the 4 pre-paid events will have expiration dates. In other words, those who have claimed spots here will have first dibs at EventBrite.com but the window to purchase and lock in will not be indefinite. Once we start taking pre-payments at EventBrite.com, those who have already signed up here will have the right of first refusal to secure their reservations, by paying for them. However, after a certain date (which is yet to be determined but will be included in the pm's), unpaid-for reservations will go back into the general pool and become available for any eGS member to purchase. This is probably only relevant as it pertains to the events which are at or near capacity. After the expiration date passes, I will post the links to EventBrite.com here on the thread and from that point forward, all sign-ups will be handled exclusively through EventBrite.com.

For now, though, those folks who have not yet signed up but would like to attend, should post here. I will then add you to the lists we're maintaining on this thread and send you a pm (or pm's) with the appropriate link(s) to EventBrite.com.

When you sign up at EventBrite.com, in addition to providing payment, you will also be asked to provide other basic information (first name, eGS handle, home town). This information will be used to a) keep track of paid attendance, b) let other eGS members who's signed up (attendee lists showing handles and home towns will be viewable at EventBrite.com) and c) create name tags for attendees.

I hope that this all makes sense. Please be on the lookout for those pm's in the first part of this coming week.

Thanks!

=R=