Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

If you are on a Mac, there is a program called YUM which is really good. I've been using it for years to organize my own recipes. I have yet to find an application that has as many useful features without cumbersome bells and whistles.

As for all those magazine tear sheets & clippings....I recently scanned them all and saved them as PDF's so I could retain the original photos, comments, etc....it was a project I had been putting off, but finally just bit the bullet and just did it.

There are two fonts that are really close...and unlike snell...the R & M are closer to the customized Gourmet Logo....

Bickham is a standard Adobe font that comes with creative suite, or the stand alone illustrator & photoshop products....it is everywhere...

You might also try York which is very similar.

Regardless...you'll have to recreate the G if you want it to match perfectly....and even the other letters will need to be tweaked to get the widths & kerning to line up...but...depending upon what you are doing, it may be close enough.

What software are you using & what's the application?

There are a lot of great restaurants in the Twin Cities….but here are a few places where I have hosted/organized birthdays & special events involving a group. They are all accommodating groups of people out for an occasion:

112 Eatery is a fantastic restaurant with an eclectic menu. It has not only received top ratings nationally, but also is considered locally to be a must visit destination by Twin Cities Foodies.

Fogo De Chao is a great place for a group…it is an all you can eat brazilian steakhouse offering a dozen plus types of meat served table side by roaming "gauchos." Ironically for a churrascaria, it has an incredible salad bar that even draws vegetarians to come in.

It's greek to me in uptown is very accommodating to groups, and I've had many birthday parties there over the years. Really good greek food, a wonderful staff & a fun atmosphere.

Oceanaire seafood room is really the best seafood, oysters & fresh fish restaurant in the city…spendy…but worth it.

Black Sheep Pizza is Minnesota's only coal fired pizza establishment. It gets packed and the place is small….so plan to come early, get your name on the list & have a glass of wine or beer while you wait. The pizza is incredible. Space is limited, so if you have a party of more than 8 it may not be the best choice…i'd call first to see if they can accommodate you….

Market BBQ has really good BBQ and can accommodate groups….a great spot to go if that's the type of food you are looking for.

J.D. Hoyt's is an old school establishment. They are a supper club that you would imagine the likes of the Rat Pack going to. Steaks, Chops, white linens…similar to the monte….but….the menu is a bit more extensive….service is fantastic.

These are the places I go back to again & again because they can accommodate groups, the food & service is fantastic….and the ambiance is conducive to having a celebration….

Like a couple other posts commented, If we knew your price range….preferred location…and tastes, we'd be able to better make suggestions....but consider these...

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/index.asp

Download the "kitchen companion" PDF....the temp charts start on pdf page 11....but...I find the whole document, as well as some of the other resources on that page, to be very helpful....

If you are looking for a really decadent dessert...with a great wow factor....I would suggest this Chocolate Caramel Tort:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Chocolate-Caramel-Tart

The minute we saw the photo, my partner and I decided we HAD to make it.....we have since made it for several events where we needed to bring a course.....and it tastes even better than it looks.

And you don't need a mixer....

This is what I read about the how they will continue to leverage the Gourmet brand:

In an e-mail obtained by Gawker, Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend said Gourmet will live on through television and books. "Gourmet magazine will cease monthly publication, but we will remain committed to the brand, retaining Gourmet's book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes on Epicurious.com," he wrote. "We will concentrate our publishing activities in the epicurean category on Bon Appétit."

Technically, a basted egg is prepared by frying the bottom, and then spooning the butter/grease over the top so that the hot oil cooks the white and seals in the yoke.

But very few diners or brunch places will actually prepare it this way as a matter of efficiency. When you order a basted egg, more than likely they will prepare them in the same manner described in this post.

One of my favorite cookies as a child was "turtles" which were basically chocolate cookies baked in a waffle iron...that resembled a turtle.

Here's a photo on waffledude.com of something similar.

http://www.waffledude.com/cache/113637523_4b82528294.jpg

just google "waffle turtle cookie" and you can find a ton of recipes...but make sure you top them with chocolate frosting...that's how my mom made them!

Cape Cods can be done in a pitcher ahead of time for non stop entertaining!

Vodka (to strength)....cranberry juice.....limes.....

I like to make a pitcher of these...then serve by pouring over ice and topping it off with a bit of soda to give it some effervescence....garnish with a fresh slice of lime....

Very refreshing in the summer.....to me it's the non-gin drinker's equivalent of the gin & tonic in terms of a fun hot weather party drink.

eggs benedict.....

We will be heading to Chicago next Friday for our annual Memorial Day long weekend vacation, so a very timely topic for me. We have some favorite places that we must hit....and then we try to mix in some new places. Here's our tentative list:

Shaw's for Raw Oysters
Gene & Georgetti's for the best steak in the world.
Frontera
Deep Dish Pizza (Gino's)
Red Fish for their gumbo

We'll probably grab gyros, as takeaway...there are a couple little places we go. Maybe hit the billy goat tavern for burgers. A decent hotdog! We'll grab whatever when we are out and about.

We're staying at the Hilton Towers, so I'm sure we'll have a meal of Potato leek soup & soda bread....and a few pints of Guinness...at Kitty O'shea's.

I liked a lot of the suggestions....and may check out the tapas place.

One question: Any suggestions for that southern neighborhood by the Hilton Towers, down to the field museum, etc....?

My partner & I are condiment whores....so we've tried everything imaginable....e.g. sriracha & soy sauce on turkey burgers is pretty good!

But...If you are talking about plain old backyard cookouta or picking up a sack at white castle....I gotta go with mustard over ketchup.