October 8 A Foodies Dinner at L2o

Most of you know about the controversy generated by my review of a dinner I had at L2o (see the L2o thread in Dining in Chicagoland for details).

I have not had the good fortune to meet most of you guys. Therefore, I propose a dinner for any interested LTH member at L2o in the next two months, organized at a date of generally mutual agreement. The ground rules:

1) We order the tasting menu.

2) Everyone shares the expenses: We divide the bill by the number of participants.

3) We ask the sommelier if she can do wine pairings; if they do not do this, we will agree upon a maximum budget for wine and ask Chantelle to select the wines.

4) The restaurant will know we are coming.

5) Anyone is free to write about the experience on LTH or elsewhere.

Who's in? Feel free to PM me if you wish.

I look forward to meeting my fellow foodies. (For those not wishing to participate in this venue, I look forward to meeting you soon at a different venue).

Hi,

You may want to consider attending the picnic. You not only meet people behind the screen names. You also get to try a wide range of food. The cost is your willingness to attend and bring a dish. You may want to consider it: priceless!

Regards,

Thanks, Cathy! I might have to be out of town on Sept 13 but I'll know soon and if I can make it, I'd love to.

I gotta say, mad props (as they say) for responding to the less-than-positive reception your review received in the L.2O thread by keeping your cool and organizing an LTH dinner to boot...well played!

I hope you are able to make it to the picnic - I'd love to hear about your fine dining experiences over beer and great food (I'm always looking for places to add to my mental must-eat list).

Oct 8 it is. Anyone else in?

I will be joining DutchMuse for dinner. We're likely to have pleasant, impassioned conversations about many things, including why he and so many other LTHers are wrong about Frontera Grill, NYC vs. Chicago dining, how to get the best possible meal from a restaurant, Steve Plotnicki, dining at the bar, wine, molecular gastronomy, neuropsychology, criminal law, and LTHForum.

Come add to the agenda and join in on the fun.

Kennyz wrote:I will be joining DutchMuse for dinner. We're likely to have pleasant, impassioned conversations about many things, including why he and so many other LTHers are wrong about Frontera Grill, NYC vs. Chicago dining, how to get the best possible meal from a restaurant, Steve Plotnicki, dining at the bar, wine, molecular gastronomy, neuropsychology, criminal law, and LTHForum.

Come add to the agenda and join in on the fun.

Can you tape it?

eatchicago wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I will be joining DutchMuse for dinner. We're likely to have pleasant, impassioned conversations about many things, including why he and so many other LTHers are wrong about Frontera Grill, NYC vs. Chicago dining, how to get the best possible meal from a restaurant, Steve Plotnicki, dining at the bar, wine, molecular gastronomy, neuropsychology, criminal law, and LTHForum.

Come add to the agenda and join in on the fun.

Can you tape it?

I may join you. If Kennyz and DutchMuse promise to start the evening with a dramatic reading of the thread (DutchMuse, since I haven't met you, I vote Kennyz to read the part of Steve Plotnicki), I'm definitely in. (Though I may really join anyway and can bring a recording device.)

Be sure to ask DM about his time spent with Vincent "The Chin" Gigante

mhill95149 wrote:Be sure to ask DM about his time spent with Vincent "The Chin" Gigante

See "criminal law" agenda item above . Then again, we may all be better off steering clear of this subject. There will definitely be NO recording devices. Sharon - great if you can make it.

DutchMuse,

There is still an opening for you at the picnic, if you can make it.

Regards,

The late 'Chin' will pose us no problems.

It will certainly be a fun evening! We'll have a great time. Can't wait to meet Kenny. Anybody else in?

Cathy2 wrote:DutchMuse,

There is still an opening for you at the picnic, if you can make it.

Regards,

Thanks, Kathy. I'm in Vegas this weekend, I'm afraid and then on Monday I fly from Vegas to NYC so I'm afraid I'll miss the picnic. My loss I can assure you (pun intended, especially after the first hour of blackjack tonight).

Kennyz wrote:I will be joining DutchMuse for dinner. We're likely to have pleasant, impassioned conversations about many things, including why he and so many other LTHers are wrong about Frontera Grill, NYC vs. Chicago dining, how to get the best possible meal from a restaurant, Steve Plotnicki, dining at the bar, wine, molecular gastronomy, neuropsychology, criminal law, and LTHForum.

Come add to the agenda and join in on the fun.

And also chefs and professional cooking. You worked in a restaurant in NYC I think, Kenny?

DutchMuse wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I will be joining DutchMuse for dinner. We're likely to have pleasant, impassioned conversations about many things, including why he and so many other LTHers are wrong about Frontera Grill, NYC vs. Chicago dining, how to get the best possible meal from a restaurant, Steve Plotnicki, dining at the bar, wine, molecular gastronomy, neuropsychology, criminal law, and LTHForum.

Come add to the agenda and join in on the fun.

And also chefs and professional cooking. You worked in a restaurant in NYC I think, Kenny?

Sure, that too. Yes, I did a small stint at a little Italian place no one's heard of in Murray Hill. Feel free to mention that when you make the reservation

You know, none of the reviews (anywhere) made me want to go to L2o. This might Have to check with the DH...

When you say "the restaurant will know we are coming" - what do you mean? Other than making a reservation, and your conversation with the sommelier.

leek wrote:You know, none of the reviews (anywhere) made me want to go to L2o. This might Have to check with the DH...

When you say "the restaurant will know we are coming" - what do you mean? Other than making a reservation, and your conversation with the sommelier.

My guess is that they will remember DutchMuse from last time, so he will tell them it is him coming back. I'd also suspect that he plans to mention that this is a dinner planned through LTHForum. Though it wouldn't be my style to mention the LTHForum part, neither of those things sounds like a particularly bad idea to me.

leek wrote:You know, none of the reviews (anywhere) made me want to go to L2o. This might Have to check with the DH...

When you say "the restaurant will know we are coming" - what do you mean? Other than making a reservation, and your conversation with the sommelier.

I wrote the restaurant on their email site about our reactions to the dinner. They invited me to return but they said "Our only request is that you let us know when you return so I (the writer) can be here that night." In deference to their request, I will advise them this is a return visit for me.

dutchmuse: can you provide a link to your L20 post? i dont want to scroll through 18 pages to read it. thanks, justjoan

Here it is: viewtopic.php?p=278399#p278399

Time to press the reset button though from all that. Let's give ourselves and the restaurant a new beginning. They responded very well to my email.

They know we are coming. What about you? Last chance to get in on the Oct 8 fun.

Man, if I weren't so broke, I'd definitely be joining you -- if just for the conversation agenda. (Though I did thoroughly enjoy the one meal I've had at L20, so I would be going for the food, too.)

Get someone to buy 50 copies of my book, and I'll be there. Otherwise, I'll just have to wait and read the post. Sigh.

Cynthia wrote:Man, if I weren't so broke, I'd definitely be joining you -- if just for the conversation agenda. (Though I did thoroughly enjoy the one meal I've had at L20, so I would be going for the food, too.)

Get someone to buy 50 copies of my book, and I'll be there. Otherwise, I'll just have to wait and read the post. Sigh.

And I don't even have a book to sell.

So I'll wait as well--anticipating eagerly. And hoping that maybe we can find some less, um, expensive place for another get-together. (Yes, I understand and appreciate why L2O and would love to join you. But since I'm already running away from home before the Mastercard bill hits....)