Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Oh my, let's complain about carbs every day for the rest of our lives, but eat all the fatty meats and cheeses we can, because I don't want to live past the age of 50. Carbohydrates are energy, it's simple. What can you do without energy? If you say ANYTHING in response, you're uneducated. Every single person that I have EVER heard complaining about carbohydrates does not hold a degree in Biology (or Physiology for that matter). I digress; ultimately you do whatever you want, and enjoy your myocardial infarction and, probably, death.

One more thing, about people who are obese, quit blaming it on hypothyroidism. In fact, about 7.0% of the world population actually has it.

Have a great day.

The Daisy May's BBQ cart is out Mondays to Fridays from 11 AM to 3 PM...good BBQ and excellent chili. The cart is usually parked on 50th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Uh, what exactly do you mean by "buy local?" You mean you're not going to eat at Applebee's and Olive Garden while you're in town?

Way, but it wasn't always so. I think the first time or two I didn't really know what I was eating. Then, one day, a bell went off and I realized I liked it. I really, really liked it. It took a few more months to convince my hubbs, who is now securely on the cilantro wagon.

Ooh, mention of breakfast makes me also recommend Ann Sather in Chicago. Brilliant cooked breakfast (in the Swedish style) and amazing cinnamon rolls and pastries to take away as well.

http://www.annsather.com/

midtownlunch.com is your new best friend!

Rockford, Illinois has a great selection of restaurants to choose from, so it really depends on what kind of experience you're looking for.

If you want fast food, you have to check out Beef-A-Roo, which is a locally-owned fast food restaurant with 7 locations in the region. Beef-A-Roo is famous for its burgers and cheese fries, but they also offer wraps, salads, soups, baked potatoes and more!

Anderson Japanese Gardens now has a restaurant on-site, so you can enjoy an Asian-fusion meal in a dining space overlooking one of the top Japanese gardens in the nation, then purchase some Asian-inspired souvenirs in the gift shop.

Since you're making a road trip, you might enjoy Kegels Harley Diner, located inside Kegel Harley Davidson-Buell, the world's oldest family-owned Harley dealership. You'll get an all-American meal there, with chili dogs, burgers and more!

If you want to enjoy some fine-dining, you have to check our Josef of Barbados. Renowned Austrian chef Josef Schwaiger offers fine continental dining inspired by Barbados, featuring a seafood and oyster bar with more than 15 offerings nightly and Euro-style preparations of duck, rack of lamb and aged beef.

If you like Swedish pancakes, you have to try Stockholm, which is famous for its Swedish pancakes with Lingonberries. Prices are extremely affordable, while helpings are very generous!

These are just a few of the great restaurants in Rockford, Illinois. Check out http://gorockford.com for a full list of dining options, or call us as 800.521.0849 for some more recommendations!

Mika Doyle
Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

When "Two Eggs Any Style" are offered - it's assumed they mean one of three things: Scrambled, fried "up" (uncooked film over yolk) or fried "over" (film on yolk is cooked by flipping the eggs so the "up" side briefly touches the pan). If a restaurant wants to stay away from poaching, they usually list something like "except poached" or "no poached." I had to switch to poached eggs after many attempts at soft boiled proved completely futile.

We used to eat in a place called Lenny's in Clearwater. BF was a pre-work regular. There was only one cook in the whole joint who could poach a decent egg. When the waitress came for our order, I'd have to look in the kitchen to see who was cooking. If all I could see was the waist of a pair of cook's pants, I'd order the poached eggs. (The only guy who knew how to poach an egg was amazingly tall. To this day I don't know if he has a face.) If he wasn't cooking, I'd order something else. If it's one thing I hate, it's being served what amounts to "shell off hard-boiled eggs."

The lack of poached eggs can point to a few things. 1) They need more attention than the cook is able/willing to give during a b'fast rush; 2) Lack of burner space - though you can do a shallow pan of simmering water on a griddle and of course 3) Inability. Higher end restaurants (read: brunch) can usually poach eggs.

Another giveaway: Listing Eggs Benedict as featuring "our special cheese sauce." (Egads.) THIS is truly a place that has no clue about Eggs Bene.

In Vegas there is so much to choose from anymore, it's ridiculous. Celeb chefs are the name of the game in Vegas these days, and they have the best of the market to choose from. As far as produce, meat and seafood goes, they pretty much get first pick of the country flown in daily since they have so much casino money to play with, so it is worth it to splurge on a chef who knows how to make the most of the offerings.

Mario Batali is one such chef, and his restaurants in the Venetian are a great choice. B&B is more upscale and the food is superb. The seating is tight and the music is alternative rock cranked too loud, which is odd, but the terrific food and the banter with your neighboring diners makes it more than worth enduring. His enoteca in the Venetian's shopping galleries has a lovely ambiance with pseudo al fresco dining under the faux sky, and a lower price point.

Craftsteak (Tom Collicchio) in the MGM Grand is wonderful if you want great beef (Kobe, Wagyu). The rest of the menu at Craftsteak is wonderful, as well. Also in the MGM is Joel Robuchon - both the Atelier and the flagship restaurant - a little taste of Paris. Another cool thing about the MGM is that they have ongoing live lion shows in the casino throughout the day, free of charge.

I could go on, but I don't want to overwhelm. Enjoy your journey, and your stay in L.A.!

Cheers,

~ Paula

There's no need for sarcasm. A little niceness goes a mile around here.

I've heard that that dessert truck is good...the one with the good creme brulee?

This is all extremely helpful. Thanks, all--and keep 'em coming, please!

Am I the only person thinking of Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces?

I don't see any harm in asking--I've asked lots of times if dishes could be made without meat and cheese and been told no, the dishes were already assembled. And I totally understand--no 'chicken salad' talk from me.

Question: Let's say hypothetically that the OP was wanted poached eggs, toast, and bacon. She notices there are poached eggs specified on the menu for Eggs Benedict and they can obviously do poached eggs in that restaurant. Is she then justified in getting upset, because she wants all of the components of the dish, only without white sauce and with regular rather than Canadian bacon?