Posted by bratgirl on 2004-08-16 21:16:27
Post Subject:
Francis Parker School (on clark just south of Webster) and Latin school (clark and north) both offer adult education classes at night. I've taken tai chi, spanish, and a couple of food and wine classes from Francis parker and loved them all. I know they also offer knitting and other crafty stuff. Call them and ask for a catalog.
Also most of the local knit shops offer classes...
find a knit shop near you...
http://www.windycityknittingguild.com/knitshops.htm
Posted by knittin_kitten on 2005-02-08 17:31:56
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fyi: the knitting tree is closed sundays AND mondays.
Lakeside Fibers (www.lakesidefibers.com) is another good place to go for knitty stuff, but they're closed on sundays, too.
If you're on State Street, check out the Overture Center (www.overturecenter.com), where there's an art gallery on the top floor, plus exhibits in the wings.
Porta Bella Restaurant (www.portabellarestaurant.biz) is a cute little place off of State Street with WONDERFUL italian food. And wine.
LMNO Pies and Cafe (www.lmnopies.com) on East Johnson Street is a cool little cafe with great baked goods, plus this location has YARN!
The Cat's Meow off of State Street on E. Johnson is a fun little place for funky clothes, shoes, stickers, and other goofy trinkets. (http://visit.downtownmadison.org/dist1_bus_template.php?id=53&bus_name=Cat's+Meow)
Posted by art_skoolgirl on 2004-10-16 09:27:50
Post Subject: Favorite Wines
I recently went to the food and wine festival at epcot. I got to sample various wines. The specialty country this year was Australia so I got to taste some Australian Wines. Found one I can pick up at the grocery store that I really enjoyed. Little Penguin , the make a great Chardonnay and Merlot. The Reisling wines were also good.
Posted by anthrogirl on 2006-09-28 17:03:18
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I love Alton Brown. And yes, some of his skits are classist- but he gets the science of cooking right. Besides, I admit to being more than a bit classist myself, which may be why I cannot stand Rachael Ray (other than her annoying voice and her producing food that looks like something I would only feed a dog I don't like).
But the chefs I really love aren't the big self-promoters on the Food Network. I love Jacques Pepin (who's a very nice guy). Edna Lewis cooked beautifully. Julia Child is still a favorite. Paul Bocuse, even though he's a total sexist. These people were not about dropping in on 30 restaurants while claiming to be 'chefs'. They are and were about the food. I love writers and cooks who are passionate about food, and I think Alton Brown is passionate. I think Anthony Bourdain is too (even though he's not a top chef- he's good though, but I've tasted better food). But most of the chefs on the Food Network are interested in 'turning out' a meal, not explaining what makes a meal good, or why one should want to eat it, or why certain wines might go well with it, or how it fits into the whole story of cuisine. The truth is, there are plenty of home cooks who turn out better food on a daily basis than Bobby Flay could ever manage, because they are thinking of the audience for whom they are cooking it, not about how clever, innovative, or avant-garde it will make them look. There are even plenty of professional chefs here in NYC who turn out better food than Bobby Flay does. Ditto Mario Batali. My favorite Italian restaurant in NYC, for instance is a red-sauce house that's been around since 1928. The food is good, but not as spectacular as the Batali place across the street from it. However, the waiters are friendly and know how to make people feel at home. It's romantic. The owner makes his own limoncello. The wine is good. The food is not ridiculously priced. I started going there with my husband, and I went there with my boyfriend and mother when I got my PhD- it's that kind of place. My boyfriend wants to go there again, and one day, when we've lived there for a while, I hope he chooses that place to propose.
How is the food? Wonderful. Old-fashioned, but wonderful. The place will also be there long after Mario is dead, and it will be just as crowded as it is now- which means it will be packed with hushed, worshipful diners praying to the God of Good Food and Wine. And I say that as one who has been lucky enough to have eaten Jacques Pepin's food. I've also eaten at Mesa (one of Flay's places) several times- and while the food is good, it's not all of that. Jean-Georges Vongrichten turns out better food in his sleep, but he's too busy cooking in real restaurants to have a tv show to hawk knives and cookbooks.
