gleam wrote:I am truly excited that LTH will soon rank very well in google for the lucrative term "horse milk vodka".

Oh, it already has been.

Mike Sula (m'th'su) gets multiple mentions in Rick Kogan's Chicago Tribune article Freedom Fryers about Harold's Fried Chicken for his "definitive history of the operation"

Steve Z and Cathy2 are prominently mentioned in the Evanston Review, and I believe other Pioneer Press papers, in Stephanie Fosnight's article Chicago-style pizza a balancing act

Heard through the CSA grapevine: the august Vital Information (Rob Gardner) and Condiment Queen (Shelia Essig) will be featured in tomorrow's Sun Times in an article about eating local.

David Hammond wrote:Heard through the CSA grapevine: the august Vital Information (Rob Gardner) and Condiment Queen (Shelia Essig) will be featured in tomorrow's Sun Times in an article about eating local.

Given the past record of the Sun Times on this one, I'll believe it when I see it. Thanks for the plug, regardless.

FWIW, an LTH'er is now the Las Vegas writer for Gayot.com

Vital Information wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Heard through the CSA grapevine: the august Vital Information (Rob Gardner) and Condiment Queen (Shelia Essig) will be featured in tomorrow's Sun Times in an article about eating local.

Given the past record of the Sun Times on this one, I'll believe it when I see it. Thanks for the plug, regardless.

Well, it's in the electronic version of the paper:

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/heal ... 19.article

David Hammond wrote:

Vital Information wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Heard through the CSA grapevine: the august Vital Information (Rob Gardner) and Condiment Queen (Shelia Essig) will be featured in tomorrow's Sun Times in an article about eating local.

Given the past record of the Sun Times on this one, I'll believe it when I see it. Thanks for the plug, regardless.

Well, it's in the electronic version of the paper:

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/heal ... 19.article

Yes. Did I ever doubt

Very nice article. Congratulations.

Vital Information wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

Vital Information wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Heard through the CSA grapevine: the august Vital Information (Rob Gardner) and Condiment Queen (Shelia Essig) will be featured in tomorrow's Sun Times in an article about eating local.

Given the past record of the Sun Times on this one, I'll believe it when I see it. Thanks for the plug, regardless.

Well, it's in the electronic version of the paper:

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/heal ... 19.article

Yes. Did I ever doubt

Well, I was Mr. Proud Papa last week (thank's again Janet), but, as it turns out, compared to Our friend and pal, Will, well, as those neighbors in Aurora would say, "we're not worthy, we're not worthy".

Let me explain:

Or digress, you see most foodies of a certain age, before we had the Internets to inspire and amuse us had books and magazines and stuff like that. We had, namely, Calvin Trillin and the Stern's. Mr. T writes some food stuff still, but without his beloved, he seems a bit less interested in that. The Sterns, even as one took a career change, go on, cranking out new editions of RoadFood every few years. Occasionally, they mix it up, as in their latest version, which focuses on the sandwich.

So, I see new book today at Book Table in Oak Park. My wife and I start thumbing through the book, noticing all the places and sandwiches we've tried over the years: Casamento's oyster loaf, Katz's, Hoover's in Austin, when we get to the third (or so) page of contents. I (first) see Rivieria. Cool. Been there done that. Then, I notice the sammy listed for da'Riv.

Not just an Italian sub, but the Will freakin' special. The Will special. Granted, for those who know Will, take his girl scout cookie orders or otherwise hang with him, they know he's pretty darn special, but now all the nation also know's about the Will Special at Riviera. And (and!) Lthforum gets a plug too!

Check it out in bookstores everywhere! And get thee to Riviera for a Will Special.

That is unbelievable. Congratulations Will!

Wow. That's all I can say. You've made it in this town when you get a sandwich that's named after you in a Sterns book, that's my opinion.

Nice article on you too, VI!

Speechless! The Sterns will be presenting at the Longone symposium in Ann Arbor in a few weeks. I will be sure to ask them about this selection.

Wow, homeboy done good!

Regards,

Most excellent!

Will, your name is writ large in the stars of foodom...I hope your current regimen will allow you to eat your own sandwich.

I'm speechless. Thank you for the heads up. I'm going to buy three copies tomorrow. one for myself and one each for Mike Pugliese and Carmine Pugliese.

Hi,

Dying of curiosity, I chased down a copy of Roadfood Sandwiches by Jane and Michael Stern this evening. On page 229 is the Will Special (Italian Dagwood).

The menu above the counter has no listing the Will Special, but that is the go-to sandwich for those in the know - a dagwood of meats and cheese created by and named for a customer who is a regular contributor to the wonderful Chicago food Web site lthforum.com, who described his moment of creation as the result of "a particular fit of gluttony."

When gathering meats for this sandwich, ask the counterman to slice everything very, very thin. Although hefty, the Will Special should be an elegant sandwich.

This is a back-story and recipe book, which makes it a great gift for friends who live away from their favorite haunts wherever they may be. For Chicago, there is Harry Caray's Chicken Vesuvio sandwich on page 126, Gyro on page 99 with a recipe for a Gyro loaf and Tzatziki sauce and probably one that will be questioned and discussed is Ricobene's Breaded Steak Sandwich. Though I have never had one, Ricobene's Breaded Steak Sandwich answers Dickson's query in another thread about pictures looking better than they taste. Also in Illinois, they include Springfield's horseshoe sandwich on page 115.

Again, thanks to VI for highlighting this. I know this book is going to be a favorite Christmas gift this year for friends who live far afield.

Congratulations Will!

Regards,

I stopped by Borders today to get a copy of the book for the Pugliese family to enjoy. Unfortunately, while the book was in stock, the pallet that it had been delivered on had not yet been unpacked and stocked on the shelves.

However, I reserved it, and will stop by tomorrow to pick it up at which time I'll drop it off at Da Riv for the Puglieses to enjoy.

Not withstanding the unavailability of the book, I stopped by Da Riv to give them the good news. They were completely unaware and pleased as they could be. They also noted that they got a really nice mention this week in Time Out Chicago and were giving away complimentary copies of the magazine.

It's alway nice to see good things happen to nice people like the good folks at the Riv.

It seems only appropriate to add to this good news the link to the LTH discussion (with photos!) of the Will Special as well as The One and Only Real WillG's nomination of The Riveria for a Great Neighborhood Restaurant Award.

Ann Fisher wrote:The One and Only Real WillG's

Nice plug for both the photo contest and several of the great recent travel reports at the Reader blog, thanks m'thu'su!

(That's Ronnie Suburban's picture from Robuchon in Vegas, by the way. Congrats to all those whose travel reports are linked, there's really been a great bunch of those lately from all directions.)

P.S. another plug at Chicagoist. Thanks!

Dave Hammond's The Wings of the Dove: Puerto Rican and Cuban Specialties in this weeks Reader was not only an interesting read, it made me realize how long it's been since I had mofongo. I see Cafe Central in my very near future.

Nice to see the tradition of Beyond the Burrito continued, keep 'em coming DH.

Cafe Central
1437 W. Chicago
Chicago, IL
312-243-6776

I enjoyed the article, Hammond.

GNR in the Trib

JimInLoganSquare wrote:GNR in the Trib

Ironic, isn't it, that Frontera is awarded the James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant of 2007 on the same day that we drop it as a Great Neighborhood Restaurant...

LTHForum: ahead of the curve

Dickson has commented on this over at the Tribune blog, but I'll say it too. If, two years after we first chose them, choices like Spoon, Podhalanka, Amanecer Tapatio, Laschet's, La Oaxaqueña, etc. are "solid, if predictable restaurants," and "there are no real surprises on the list"...

...if that's really true, then we've done a hell of a good job over the last two years. Here's to making great neighborhood finds like these so well-known they're predictable!

Too bad they couldn't simply post the link without the snide remark. By the way, Amanecer Tapatio still does not exist in Metromix world. Some catchin up is still in order.

Here's something to be really proud of:

http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/blogs ... index.html

[Bottom of the page, re Calumet Fisheries]

[PS, Hammond, really nice work on the Cuban/PR front. I can say with some certainty that such a resource had been unavailable on paper here.]

JeffB wrote:[PS, Hammond, really nice work on the Cuban/PR front. I can say with some certainty that such a resource had been unavailable on paper here.]

JeffB, I consider that high praise indeed (I was half-expecting a PM from you correcting some inadvertent error ).

PS, I'm headed to Tampa tomorrow and intend to check out at least one of the Cuban places you and SteveZ discussed in the Tampa/Ybor City discussion (http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12760&highlight=ybor). I'll probably be going with my crazy aunt, so I'm thinking we may try for Columbia Restaurant, but that could change.

Hammond, I think you would really dig the original La Teresita on Columbus, in addition to some of the other places right there (Arco Iris for low-end Chino-Cubano, Florida Bakery for Miami style Cuban bread, which you should compare and contrast with the Tampa style if possible.) Any of the Cuban cafes are at their best for late b'fast on the weekend and, also in Teresita's case, in the middle of the night, apre-drinking. Ybor is nicer and more historic, for sure, and you should see it. But if you can swing it, Columbus is different (more like Calle Ocho in Miami, less like a Cuban French Quarter, which is what Ybor is more like). In case you haven't guessed, I'm steering you for somewhat selfish reasons, as Steve just documented Ybor, now someone needs to hit West Tampa (centered on gritty Columbus) with a camera... The Columbus spots are very near the airport and stadium, and you almost certainly will pass nearby while going anywhere in Tampa.

Good luck....

JeffB wrote:Here's something to be really proud of:

http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/blogs ... index.html

[Bottom of the page, re Calumet Fisheries]

[PS, Hammond, really nice work on the Cuban/PR front. I can say with some certainty that such a resource had been unavailable on paper here.]

John T certainly got a lot of good food exploring on this visit. The bookend to this will be the NPR 'All Things Considered' piece the Mother-In-Law, which Rene G, Pigmon and Bruce Kraig conducted a tasting tour with John T. According to John T's original information, it should have played 10 days ago. It hasn't yet, though it will be linked here once it is.

Regards,