Classic LTH Threads

I feel a little dirty starting a meta-thread, rather than... you know... actually writing about food. But I was extolling the virtues of LTH to a friend this week, trying to describe how the potential is always there for a thread to catch fire and instantly become entertaining, educational and exciting. And on the drive home I found myself thinking back on some of the more memorable threads over the years, and I started thinking about the fact that I don't read them all. What have I been missing? What gems are buried -- or perhaps buried in plain sight, if they were busy threads that I just never clicked on -- that I've never even seen? And though I wasn't around in the early days, I've been here more than I haven't... so what's it like for newer folks who might've never seen some classic threads? So here's my question...

...in the history of LTH, which threads stick out to you as classics? For whatever reason... because there was unprecedented excitement about a new discovery, because it was exceptionally funny, because those in the know jumped in and made it incredibly educational, because there was illuminating debate... for whatever reason, what threads stick out in your mind as special? What conversations took place here that you couldn't see taking place on any other site?

I'll kick it off with just a few off the top of my head:

Carne en su Jugo
PIGMON posts his shockingly comprehensive survey of Carne en su Jugo, and a great discussion of the particulars thereof ensues

real fish tacos down south [Tacos del Pacifico]
Three words that still strike melancholy into the hearts of many LTHers. Discovery, elation, congregation, anxiety, heartbreak, yearning... three pages. One of the fastest and most intense burns of restaurant love I can remember at LTH.

L.20 Restaurant
The thread starts with stunning photography of a new kid on Chicago's fine dining scene, then takes a dogleg right six pages in, and ends up locked after an extended and heated argument. Those who enjoy carnage merrily munch popcorn as they read. But at the core of the mudslinging (guilty), fundamental differences of opinion about the nature of the restaurant experience and our place as diners/posters are laid bare.

I could keep going, but I just want to get things rolling. What threads are LTH classics?

I vote for Cooking with Sparky. There are few threads I truly get excited to see bumped, but this is one of them. Part ongoing tutorial, part family album, it has elicited nostalgia, admiration and joy. It speaks to the impressive culinary projects undertaken by members of this community and also the myriad ways we've shared our families and stories with each other. I also see the thread as a preview of the next generation of LTHers, which makes me happy.

All great threads (hot damn, I miss TdP!). I'll go a little earlier than that, back to 2005, and offer up one of my all time favorite discussion/arguments:

The Alleged Chicago Origins of Chicken Vesuvio

There is just so much to enjoy in that thread.

Best,
Michael

Nice idea, Dom (and thanks, h_s )

I miss Erik M. quite a lot - never got to meet him, but he changed my eating habits probably more than anyone else on this board, at least when it comes to Thai and Vietnamese. Here's just one of the many threads he started on thai food: Naem Khao Thawt at Spoon Thai [Pic]

Another is the secret menu thread, not much discussion but a real community effort and lots of valuable information: Translated Menus

How could one ignore the PizzaBoy thread: an Internet classic and a window into the mind of the American male:

Sausage Pizza - and only sausage pizza - for a month

Damn, how did this not get made into a banner quote:

"The Emeril-live phenomenon of people wallowing in tubs of puréed garlic is to the old way of thinking about garlic as Plato's Retreat was to Victorian views of other fleshy matters."

And I have no one to blame but myself, I'm sure, since I was picking them circa 2005.

My favorite thread, unfortunately, no longer exists. It was a unique take on sourcing your own poultry.

+1 for the Pizza Boy thread!

It was the closest I've ever come to watching a reality show and I LOVED it.

A subcategory would be "Classic LTH Thread Titles," for which "I am Katsu's Bitch" would certainly merit a mention.

Even a current thread - Quinoa, kosher for Passover? - has me tickled. I've always lamented that there were simply not enough Inca Jews. This could be the starting point for many other great threads, including:

Capybara, fish for Lent?
Pork shank, good for Vegans?
Twitter, worth going to Hell for for Grahamwich?

This one is hiding in Events, but I thought the Soylent Fuschia thread a quirky blend of hubris, ignorance, snark, compassion, wit, toughness, family loyalty. Icarus meets Gordon Ramsey maybe? Bonus Ronnie pictures.

Local Organic Dinner

This was the first thread that came to mind:

Alinea Review

Hungryrabbi (R.I.P.) says Adios to Chicago

I haven't checked to see if the documentary evidence supports my memory, as so often it does not, but I enjoyed the long thread about Silver Seafood in which much heat was generated over whether the word "bland" should have been used and if using it might have caused inadvertant harm to the restaurant. Much information was exchanged along with strongly worded opinion, and then the principals all met for dinner at the restaurant for a grand empirical finale.
It was serious, informed, overheated, passionate, comic...in essence kind of Talmudic, and archetypally LTH.

mrbarolo wrote:I haven't checked to see if the documentary evidence supports my memory, as so often it does not, but I enjoyed the long thread about Silver Seafood in which much heat was generated over whether the word "bland" should have been used and if using it might have caused inadvertant harm to the restaurant. Much information was exchanged along with strongly worded opinion, and then the principals all met for dinner at the restaurant for a grand empirical finale.
It was serious, informed, overheated, passionate, comic...in essence kind of Talmudic, and archetypally LTH.

To refresh your march down memory lane: "Silver Seafood--two thumbs blandly sideways."

Regards,

One of my old favorites is this one about the sugar in Coke and what it does to your body in which the OP of this thread denounces and then disproves a myth about Coke, all with photgraphic evidence.

One of the most interesting ones I remember is a thread where our Hammond decided to bring up a controversial topic for discussion - kids in restaurants and how they and we behave - only to have it derailed into a more controversial discussion of breast feeding in restaurants.

And of couse, you can just do a search on barbeque and you have a good chance to find a disagreement.

Seeing the Passover thread bump reminded me of one of my all-time favorites: My Family's Table: Rosh Hashanah

I love the ritual holiday cooking threads, that one is probably the highlight for me, especially as it's a holiday I don't have a connection with - but the foods are just now starting to become familiar to me.

things my dumbass dog ate..

The first thread that I couldn't stop reading until I made it through the whole thing. And what made me decide there might be a reason to actually find out more about this LTH thing

Of course, I still don't know how to insert a thread link yet...that thread doesn't interest me as much

This is a great idea!

What sprang to mind first for me was Il Mulino- or would you pay $150 p/p to eat at Buca di Beppo. So funny that tears rolled down my cheeks. I miss hungryrabbi--RIP.

PizzaBoy was an instant classic!

More will probably occur to me...

boudreaulicious wrote:things my dumbass dog ate..

The first thread that I couldn't stop reading until I made it through the whole thing. And what made me decide there might be a reason to actually find out more about this LTH thing

Of course, I still don't know how to insert a thread link yet...that thread doesn't interest me as much

much thanks to whichever mod helped me out by inserting the thread link.
If you come over and show me how to get my pics posted I'll cook you dinner

PIGMON's Xiao Long Bao thread. With reports following from around the world.
And the left hook to that uppercut followed in trixie-pea's: Xiao Long Bao Recipe

An old old thread (2005) that led me to read and then post on this site:
Sundevilpeg's: Char Siu, AKA MUU DAENG. It not only "started a landslide of home Char Siu making the world has seldom seen" but is filled with fascinating talk of tortillas and immigration, pork bellies, duck/jalepeno/bacon, and hot smoking pictures.

Since we're recalling some of our favorite members, I'll add this classic: The Holy Grail of Hops

And, on a more serious note, since the Drinks forum is underrepresented here, I'll nominate the Violet Hour @ Home thread, which had a large hand in getting me into the serious cocktail game, and is a pretty informative thread to boot.

boudreaulicious wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:
The first thread that I couldn't stop reading until I made it through the whole thing. And what made me decide there might be a reason to actually find out more about this LTH thing.

This one is a CLASSIC and perfect for today. We just took our Dalmation to MSU for the second time last night in three weeks... after 3 surgeries for removing nearly a whole braided rope toy
he ate from his small intestine!!

Gotta love em!

One of my favorites is Cathy2's Introduce Yourself Neighbor. It gives you a glimpse into lives of so many posters. I loved learning how everyone's interest in food developed. Posters share some of their own history, including memories of ancestors and childhood. Fascinating reading.

boudreaulicious wrote:things my dumbass dog ate..

The first thread that I couldn't stop reading until I made it through the whole thing. And what made me decide there might be a reason to actually find out more about this LTH thing

Of course, I still don't know how to insert a thread link yet...that thread doesn't interest me as much

I re-read that thread. It's really kind of embarrassing how much I had to contribute to it. Why, just last week Jupiter ate my flax-filled heating pad.

I think we should add anyone of bridgestone's excellent cooking threads. His take on preparation is really something special

Wow, there are some great threads listed here. What fun to go through them again. I really like The Friday Cookie Gazette.

The Urinal Digression in Guess The Restaurant #14

Had me in stitches, nearly needed a urinal myself.

The Ohio House thread is one of my favorites.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=23498&hilit=Ohio+house

Susie's french fries make me happy!

There's so many, some of my personal favorites are...

You cant get better info on these three items from anywhere on the WWW than from these posts.

The Big Baby
The Freddy
Carne En Su jugo

Others I always go back to are the posts about the food stops of our bordering states. Also as good of info as your going to find on these destinations.

Northwest Indiana
Racine
Milwaukee
Kenosha