eggbeater

Chicago Impressions

Priceless, these:

When we asked our cab driver what that large body of water was he replied, "Michigan Lake."

The first fellow I inquired about where to get the best ribs in Chicago invited us to his uncle's house.

Day one: breakfast at a family owned joint where the 2 egg breakfast had 3 eggs, all the waitresses were stacked, young & friendly, and the hash-browns had tasty caramelized onions added for an extra .75c

The fabulous gardening all over the city, in little iron-fenced plots.

Michigan Avenue's meridian gardened with overflowing containers of glorious flowers.

Sleeping in a park across from the Museum of Contemporary Art.
    Waking up to the park filled with lunchtime office workers and hundreds of summer camp children!

Eating lunch at MoCA's cafe, Puck's, surrounded by thousands of cartoon eyes on a pink background.
    {The food here might be some of the freshest and liveliest of all the "chains" in Chicago, BTW.}

The bizarre sight of seeing hundreds of little girls dressed up as little girls and carrying dolls which looked just like them.

The beautiful, old slate-roofed, red bricked buildings hiding and dwarfed among all the new shiny structures devoid of character.

The incredible, thought & emotion provoking photography show in the Water Tower.

Learning there was a swimming pool at the condo we'd rented.
The view of Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan from many stories up.
The fantastic lightening storm we watched through these massive plate glass windows on our first night.

Riding the 66 bus and witnessing the remaining Cabrini Green projects out the window.
    And understanding how important it is to see a whole city when visiting. {Besides visiting East New York in Brooklyn, I have never seen housing the likes of this devastation in the United States. First impression: like a prison turned inside-out. Visceral. Painful. Terrifying. Desolate.}

Riding the eLevated subway train packed with happy, drunk White Sox fans.

Eating Carson's ribs, in Chicago. {The first time I ate these was in NYC almost 25 years ago!} 
    Our table was made of 8 fabulous food bloggers from all over the country: Elise, Kat, Jasmine, Alanna, Kalyn, Susan, and Heather.

Seeing crazy neat-o Niki Saint Phalle sculptures at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
    Coming upon their education/installation/showing of possible green roofs was exciting as well, especially in the Midwest!

Hunting down and finding a Polish restaurant.

Seeing the furnace of a steel foundry in operation. Deafeningly loud. Hot. Black smoke. Massive equipment.     Impressive. Clinky-clanky to the point of my whole body vibrating with its sound. Terrifying. Bright. Sparks flying: light like stars twinkling.
[Name of foundry: Finkl & Sons]

Swimming in the swimming pool at night, watching fireworks and flirting.

Staying up all night talking about the conference with old friends and new. Waking up with "happy hangover."

Driving all over the city with a native Chicagoan, getting the history, the facts, the change-ables, the names. Seeing neighborhoods. Eating Italian Ices. Finding restaurants. Taking photos out of the car window. Getting to "the bean" {Actually a sculpture called Cloud Gate.} late at night and seeing the skyline reflected in it.

Hearing cicadas for the first time in almost 30 years.

Seeing old neon signs. Trying to comprehend a city similar to NY, my home, but so very different and absolutely unique.

I am happy to have met you Chicago, albeit briefly. Thank you for your hospitality.

{find First Impressions/ the photos at Flickr.}

Blogher 07, day two, session two {Art of Life: Crafts}

A Report from Day Two.

The Art of Crafts
The CraftBlogging community is diverse and large, covering everything from scrapbooking to knitting to other handi-crafts. They use their online communities to collaborate, to provide critiques, to engage in commerce, and simply to learn. How do you find your piece of the CraftBlogosphere? And yes, we'll also talk crafts...our favorite solo and group projects. Leah Petersen moderates the conversation with Kathy Cano Murillo (aka Crafty Chica), Kristin Roach, Natalie Zee Drieu and Amy Sedaris.

Is the room packed because Amy Sedaris is here or is Amy Sedaris here because the room is packed?

It's a lively crowd, some great hair and outfits and crafters and DIY'ers and laughers. I have already "answered a question." The question is, 'How do you put a price on your craft on your project for resale?'

[Yesterday (at another craftblogging session) there were a lot of discussions/questions/philosophical musings about money and applying a price and even a "PR / Marketing scheme to."

Is money dirty?

When it comes to art?

Why?

Does class play a part in how you value your work? Gender? Who gets the privilege to not have to market their work? Are these people independently wealthy? Or do they pay their rent on the faith that good things come to those who make good things?]

Now the question is, "How do you explain that that which you are making with your own hands is of higher quality of those things that they can get for a fraction of the cost? How do you explain that it's worth it?"

Another question, "What do you do about those who copy you? Intentionally or not?"

Sometimes you can copyright something.

'But then you have to chase them.'

"But at least you know you are the owner of it."

CREATIVE COMMONS is now being explained. All of us who do anything and place it on the Internet should know about it. There are all different versions of how to copyright what you create. *We are not talking recipes here.*

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I'm not able to post fast enough about the energy in the room. I don't want to flatten it with words which keep me from being inside the experience.

I have been quite moved here. By what happens when people who would not normally be heard, can be so easily heard by something described by such a silly word as blog. It's powerful beyond measure to be here.

Thank you.

For reminding me my voice is one which needs to be heard. For reading and visiting and commenting and questioning and asking and critiquing and baking and sharing and giving and coming to my classes and bringing me to your city and feeding me and flirting and everything.

Blogher 07, session three {Technical} Building Traffic

Technical Tools To Build Traffic
Grabbing an audience and keeping them engaged is enhanced by technical know-how. We're going to help you get some, including how to use syndication to your best advantage, and a little DIY search engine optimization. This is a reprise of what was one of our most popular sessions at BlogHer Business in March, featuring, once again, Elise Bauer and Vanessa Fox.

this session is so full it's two room, completely full, with many people sitting on the ground!

EB:

*"Want to know where everything I'm about to say is? Go here.

What you need to have to get traffic: Content, Community & Technology. And, be useful, timely &/or entertaining. I don't have time to cover all three, so I'm only going to cover Technology.

Have you heard of Google Alerts? How about custom searches, like this one, Food Blog Search?

Keep your images under 15.5k  Make your typefaces big enough for everyone to read.  Reduce clutter. "What are you going to carve out so people can find the important stuff. Don't make people do a lot of work to find thing on your sites. Broken links hurt you on SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) How do you find broken links? Go to alexa.com Type in your URL to see what's going on in the back end of your site. Use something to measure your stats. Don't fly without a map, so to speak. Some choices: StatCounter or Google Analytics. Each measure traffic in a completely different way.

Also, do you want to know who is looking at you through a feed. Check out a feed burner."

{just so yous know-- we are over my head at this point, but at least I'm taking notes and I can continue to learn. even if you don't care at all-- I'm here to make eggbeater better.}

A question from the audience: "What do I do with all this  information that you're telling me"

EB: "The traffic, seeing and understanding my traffic, helps me to understand my readers.

Looking for blogging technical tips? Go here, Problogger."

--------------------------

VF:

"I'm speaking about SEO.

Write useful, relevant information.

Make sure your site is getting indexed by Google/search engines. If your site is only music/video/flash, basically no text, the search engine is going to see a blank box or have to deal only with uploading, uploading, uploading. Search engines deal with words, so sites needs to have words in them.

Also, think about the words you're using. 'Keyword Research.' As in, using the words people use to describe what they're looking for. Imbed images with code = keywords so that when someone searches for that they will find your image.

[*" " I'm using quotes but these are not exact quotes. I am live-blogging, but I do not know how to type.]

 

Blogher 07, session one {Technical}

Because this year is my second year at Blogher I'd like to focus on Technology. I'd like to learn more about the computer and what I can do to make eggbeater better, from the back end, as they say. The categories of the conference are Art of Life, Business of You, Community, Identity and Technical.

Today we had a "speed-dating" exercise so we could get over our shyness about meeting new people. We said who we were, what our blog & its focus is, where we live and then we listened to the other person, for about 2 minutes. There are about 800 attendees, so it was quite loud in the grand Ballroom on the Navy Pier.

I'm wearing my white cotton Navy shirt as a nod to where we are. Orange 'cargo' shorts and white Rod Lavers.

Now I'm at "Getting Custom: What Web Designers Know."
*How to build a plan for your design and the elements of good design and usability, featuring Nelly Yusupova

{she's tough. has a power-point presentation, but it's not boring. she's very interactive with us: asking a lot of questions. she knows she has a time line and so she's going quickly but not so much so that she has no time to answer questions. in a way I know a lot of this information, but I love hearing it in one fell swoop. usability. communication. attracting return readers. design. branding elements. her favorite line,
"Loyal Readers Are Valuable Readers."}

*The elements of screaming-fast web site performance (aka does your blog struggle to fully load because of all your blog bling?), led by Tenni Theurer

{she only has about 20 minutes. it's very technical. glad I've at least heard some of these terms elsewhere. it helps to date and be-friend System Administrators, Software Engineers, SEO Specialists, Movable Type experts, etc. even if you think you have no idea what they're talking about. (and in my case, I don't. until I do.) as Khaleeq (my supervisor at Apple) once said, "opposites attract." she asked how many of us are engineers. maybe one. well, two including her. I have never felt very good at science. but now I want to be. it looks so appealing to get nerdier. we are now talking about words/ideas no one understands. HERE, lookie at this to see what it is. and yes, the explanations are there too.}

Blogher Chicago 2007, the adventure has begun

These two links will give you a better idea of why I'm here:

Day One.
Day Two.

We slept in a park near The Water Tower. We ate at Puck's: the restaurant at The Museum of Contemporary Art. We have ridden public transportation. We have already been to Greektown to eat dinner. We walked a very long distance after getting off a bus and learning that there are no transfers on the bus. oops. It's hot and humid, much like NYC, and last night we watched a ferocious lightening storm through 10 foot plate glass windows which did not open. We are overlooking Lake Michigan. We are not in a hotel but it does have a swimming pool.

I am on a mission to find these ribs I ate from Chicago almost 25 years ago. I'm getting very close. I have a persistent spirit and a good nose, if nothing else.

I'm off to the speaker training. I am wearing a T shirt today that says CHALLAH-UJAH! 
{from Veselka.}

It took us a really long to get an Internet connection, but I hope to write more soon.

Chicago, next.

If all goes as planned I will be strapped into an airplane right now.

I haven't taken an airplane to an absolutely new place in a long long time.
zzzzzoooooooooooooooooommmmmm.
It feels like playing.

My last big trip of the summer.
Exploring with my friend Kat.
Putting together the right outfit to speak on a food blogging panel at Blogher.

I can't say it better than ms. kung foodie, "Stay tuned for photos and serious Chicago food action."

Le Clos De Sens, Annecy-le-Vieux, France

    You may or may not remember my friend David Byron, aka DB. He was recently in England for a sailboat race and had the opportunity to do some power-eating and delicacy-adventuring in France. When he sent me this email on July 18 I begged him to let me post it for y'all on eggbeater. I hope you enjoy his descriptions and humor as much as I do.

------------------------------------------

Just getting back from a wonderful lunch at Le Clos De Sens. Sensory bliss. Let me see if I can remember all the courses. We started with a ball of pea soup on a spoon and then had a fancy de-constructed version of the local Savoie dish Tartiflette: two wafer thin pieces of potato with a piece of parsley in between, Onion ice cream that was even better than one might think, and Reblochon mousse in a fried cone. Then I continued with this menu.

The fish in celery, shiso and orange broth was my favorite savory dish. Hard to explain how yummy it was... or maybe it was just my sympathy for all the brunoise'd celery and orange rind that some poor soul put together. We also had a shot of "tomato water" that was unbelievably flavorful. A little carrot and garlic added to the tomato.  Almost transparent, but packing a huge wallop of tomato.

Before I mention dessert, let me explain the setting... We sat outside in the shade of some large trees, overlooking Lake Annecy. A delightful place to spend a few hours. The restaurant has 20 tables and a maximum of 60 seats. Fifteen people do the prep in the kitchen with 9 people [cooks] working during service.

After a cheese course I'm not informed enough to describe properly came the primary dessert: a celebration of the strawberry. I should mention that one of the other guests at the table had fresh cheese instead of cheese from the cart and it was quite a sight. Fresh cheese covered with crème fraiche and raspberry sauce. Add some sugar on top and then don't call it dessert.
Good idea.

The strawberry celebration started with another ball of intense strawberry liquid. I have no idea how to make it or how they got it so powerfully strawberry-y. It was clear that things were getting good. The dish itself was a bruniose of strawberries macerated slightly and molded into a rectangle, covered with a graham-ish cracker/cookie (not as good as Shuna's, but close). On top little balls of strawberry mousse were divided by slices of dehydrated strawberry. On one side was a quenelle of delicious sorbet. On the other side was a macaron filled with strawberry jam.  Holy crap this was good.

I managed to squeeze a taste of some super delicious fairly bitter chocolate ice cream as well as basil ice cream with a sweet basil mousse. Unfortunately the group I was with wasn't ready to splurge and I don't speak enough French to keep the train of desserts coming. We did also get some "marmalade" of strawberry and raspberry along with almonds coated in crispy strawberry. A couple of baby macaron in a to-go bag that lasted for about 10 minutes as I pondered the impending food coma I'm lingering in at the moment.  Noisette cookies with some kind of praline center.

Two stars for this place. Only a couple of slightly-less-than-ideal marks-- some of the the rabbit I had was slightly over-salted. The vegetable tart was slightly under-salted, and they marked a couple of people properly for the courses they were getting but then proceeded to switch their plates, delivering the food to the wrong people. This only happened once but had the effect of making me notice the otherwise efficiently invisible service.

P.S. Pierre Herme is closing for a month on Monday but I'll be there tomorrow afternoon to stock up.

-DB

Restaurant Le Clos des Sens

13, rue Jean Mermoz

74940 Annecy-le-Vieux

France

Clyde Common Restaurant. Portland, Oregon. delicious/inspired eating

Remember the day I was meant to tell you about my new favorite restaurant? But I went to a wedding instead?

{Thank you Heather for leaving an amazing comment!}

It's a good thing Clyde Common is a day's drive away.

Otherwise I would go three times a week until I got tired of it.

Otherwise I would force myself into their kitchen to improve their desserts.

Disclaimer: the link you are about to possibly click on is NOT a restaurant review. It follows no such format. I tell you not the prices, I taste not the wines, I visit the restaurant not anonymously. I merely gush about an appetizer that changed my life. I barely scrape the surface that is Clyde Common's inspired, daily changing menu.

KQED has the full tale.

Flickr has the rest of the photographs.

pastry chef names / plated desserts

Do you order dessert when you go out?
Do you make a point of saving room for the sweet course?
Do you have a restaurant you most like to go to because the desserts are so delicious?
Have you ever gone to a restaurant just for dessert?

Do you know the name of the person behind those plated desserts you love?

Shuna's August Bay Area Baking Classes: An Update

**For the static URL of my current class calendar, click here.**

~ Summer 2007 Classes ~

What's Next:

Sunday August 12 Knife Skills Class 1 pm -3:30 pm

North Berkeley, California

$68

*

I'm sorry to report these classes are canceled:

Sunday August 19 Ice Cream Class 1:00 pm - 4 pm

North Berkeley, California

$100**

*

Sunday August 26 Seasonal Fruit Dessert Class 1:00 pm - 4 pm

North Berkeley, California

$100**

*

I will probably be teaching 1 baking class in the Bay Area in early September. And there's talk about me going back to Portland to teach again... Stay tuned for details.

Please join my mailing list to be first in the loop to find out about my Fall classes.

Click here to see what I've taught before...

Links To My Other Classes:

Shuna's classes advertised on Guy Prince's blog Meathenge.
Sean Timberlake writes about a pie dough class of mine.
Anil Dash, the one and only, writes about my first ever Knife Skills Class!
I talk about the finer points of Caramel, as the subject of one of my classes, on KQED.
Pavlova, one of the desserts covered in the Egg Whites Class, at Simply Recipes.
My latest Knife Skills Class reviewed by Catherine at Albion Cooks.
Seasonal Fruit Desserts Class reviewed by the formidable Anita at Married With Dinner.
Rachel Keller reviews Seasonal Fruit Dessert Class at Yelp.
All classes written about on Eggbeater. {Look in the comments sections for student feedback.}
Pie Dough Class photos by Kat of Kung Foodie.
Kat's photos of my recent Ice Cream & Sorbet Class.
The ice cream class, in all it's funny goodness, reviewed by none other than Dolores at the excitable Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity.

*

Come One, Come All. Come Hungry To Learn!

Summer 2007 Edible San Francisco Magazine

 

{Cover photo by the venerable Heidi Swanson.}

It's good to be home.

Just in time to see my latest article in print, "Cherry-Yo."

I like to see the last article before I write the next one. These seasonal articles keep me on track. Do you think stripes or polka dots will be the next color? Will Indigo blue be the new black? Will skirts get lower or higher for fall? Will short hair be out and bed-head come back?

Will hazelnuts be the new It Girl?

Or will persimmons come out from the shadows and wow us with their new sexy make-over?

Will we get a handle on which salmon is safe to eat? And how late will strawberries be here until?

Will corn ever go back to tasting like corn? Who else will plant okra, which farmer will make the next GQ spread, and does June Taylor have a new competitor?

Just in case you're new to eggbeater, Edible San Francisco Magazine is one of many regional, seasonal magazines in North America. We have a blog, Edible Nation, but many of the articles written can only be found in the magazine, printed on the paper page.

If you find the magazine in your region it's free. But a subscription is your best bet, and Edible San Francisco honors European subscriptions!

Have you read the latest issue? Any thoughts?

 

Portland Dinner & Dessert

Anyone who knows me knows I need to eat dead animals to survive. Although I love tofu and quinoa and Amazake and homemade tempeh, I do not get actual usable energy from these protein rich items.

My body would like me to believe that I can survive on caffeine and pastries though, or fruit and ice cream, or raw vegetables and cheese. But I can not. And the DT's are rough.

The caffeine tastes so good here in Portland, though. And there are enough stellar pastries to keep me afloat for hours and hours. Because most of my stamina comes from restaurant work where there's no time to pee, eat or sit, I can go on fumes for longer than the average human. I can go on the excitement of finding the next bakery, the next bread, the next find.

So tonight I am happy to report I will be eating at Le Pigeon, and then desserting at clarklewis. (The ownership and management is completely different at cl since the last time I was in PDX.) I will need a big, fatty meal to keep me fueled for my trip down to California tomorrow. I am actually looking forward to the long drive. All that thinking, all that looking. And all that listening.

My iPod is stocked with Sleater-Kinney, Otis Redding, Slick Rick, Iron & Wine, The Be Good Tanyas, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo, Missy Elliott, Dave Brubeck, Operation Ivy, Chemical Brothers, and DJ Krush, to name a few.

Thanks for coming along on my Pacific Northwest adventure.

Next stop, Chicago. A city I have never been before!