LTHForum.com

Am I really being asked to justify my lunch choice? I've eaten at all the places mentioned (Saigon Sisters and Pastoral multiple times), but up until yesterday I had never eaten at the Korean place.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Sorry for the snark--I was just a little amazed that a man of your discernment would be able to resist the many other delights there

Thanks...but I haven't.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I was there around 5 PM about a week ago. I'm rather torn about what to say about it, as my wishful thinking might cloud my judgements.

- I'm astonished at some of the prices, and I fear some of the places are in a vicious cycle where they are not selling enough so they try to make it up with higher prices, which causes even higher prices--most of the pastries at the various bakeries run near $5

- Did I mention prices? It aint just the pastries

- The place seems already almost unkempt and dull. There is almost zero pizazz.

- I remain unimpressed with the Belgium fries, which proved that fresh cut and twice fried do not always mean good product. Can we end this fascination with crispness over any extent of potato flavor with area french fries. Folks, see Gene n' Judes or Jimmy's Red Hots for an idea of what can be achieved.

- The City Fresh outlet is a decent replicate of their Devon store but is that the best that can be done?

- Despite this, and perhaps contrary to SteveZ's comment--it's hard to say who's right as it's a question of relativity--I was surprised how many people were dropping in for PM shopping. My guess, is that nearly all the shoppers are commuters. It does seem like there is a market for the market; it's just that the market is not meeting their needs very well.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

You can't even buy a crepe at this so called "French Market". Even a dying city like Detroit has a better market than this (Eastern Market). Don't get me wrong, I'd love the French Market to succeed, but I feel we really need a much larger, more comprehensive permanent market in this city. The problem with the French Market is that there aren't enough vendors to attract a critical mass of customers, and there aren't enough customers to attract enough decent quality vendors. The fact that they charge tourist prices doesn't help, either. It's a catch 22.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

What about Flip Crepes selling crepes?

Although the presence of crepes hardly makes or breaks a market. Personally, I'd like to see more animal carcasses.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

Sure, if they were still in business (and I agree about the animal carcasses, etc.)

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Oh yeah! Banner quote material if ever there was.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Flip was there last week. Are they gone?

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

They were gone last time I was there. I had just gotten back from Toronto where I ate breakfast every day at their fabulous market. I thought I would stop in for a crepe to help with my market withdrawal and Flip was nowhere to be found. I left hungry and disappointed.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Sure. Some of the best food vendors in the city are there - Pastoral with cheeses and sandwiches, Vanille with croissants and their luscious entremets, Delightful Pastries (rainbow cookies!), and Canady le Chocolatier for artisanal chocolates.

AFAIK the prices that these vendors charge in the French Market are the same as in their original stores. They may not be inexpensive but they all offer extremely high quality.

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

The crepe I had from them a couple months back wasn't good enough to warrant returning and purchasing a second at their prices. Way too much vanilla extract used in the batter from what I recall, and the way it was folded up to resemble a burrito was strangely disappointing when hoping for at least a reasonable facsimile of authenticity in a French Market.

I've had better crepes at foodlife, sadly.

I'd be curious what Delightful Pastries is charging for a paczki. At their original location they're just shy of a buck, when I bought one at the Old Town storefront when it opened, two bucks.

-Dan

tried this place a couple of times but i don't think i'll be back, the cashier always seems to be handling money without taking his gloves off

I had bought one at FM several months ago, and I'm pretty sure it was at least $2 as well.

As of today, Flip Crepes has reopened. They were there when I walked through the market this morning.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

$17/lb. I bought three for $2.24.

I wanted to give another plus for Fumare at the French Market. The Montreal-style pastrami is indeed available and is great. They also have bagels from NY Bagel and Bialy and a small selection of bacon and sausages from Ream's. Overall, a great option in the French Market.

Darren,

Thanks for the Montreal-style pastrami comment. This has piqued my interest mightily.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

A Montrealer/Quebecois would blanch at hearing smoked meat referred to as Montreal style pastrami.

Could you explain this?

I was actually going to ask if this was really Montreal Smoked Meat. I've only had it at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, so I'm pleased to hear it's being offered in Chicago.

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"Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher

Pretty sure from what I have gleaned over the years that pastrami and Montreal smoked meat are 2 (very) different things but I cannot explain the difference, as I've never had Montreal smoked meat (that I can remember). Pretty sure they're both cured and smoked but I don't know what separates the 2 of them.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I wouldn't say they're very different, honestly. I think if you compared Katz's and Schwartz's side by side, you'd find them a lot more alike than, say, Cooper's in Llano and Smoque here in Chicago are to each other.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

LOL! That's exactly why I put "very" in parentheses, though I didn't make that clear. Serious devotees of both often seem to claim that they're very different from each other but I've never really understood why. Are the seasonings different? Are they both generally made from brisket?

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Having just tried Montreal smoked beef for the first time recently, I'd say that it is not very different from pastrami at all. To my taste, the major distinction is in the seasoning, with Pastrami having a generally sharper spice profile. Montreal smoked beef struck me as milder overall, and missing that predominant coriander note of pastrami.

--Rich

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I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya

Yeah, the page that I linked to above seemed to indicate that the difference was simply slight differences in seasoning and perhaps slightly different cuts of meat. Clearly not a major difference.

I think "generally sharper spice profile" is accurate and though the meat I tasted at the French Market did contain coriander, it was very dialed down. It sounds, however, from the link above that there's a fair amount of variation in what's called "Montreal Pastrami."

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

One of the points above, which I believe is correct, is that there ain't no such thing as "Montreal Pastrami"; it's called "smoked meat" up there. Sure it's pretty much the same deal, but it might be worth keeping the nomenclature straight. Or not.

By keeping the nomenclature straight, I presume you mean that if you go to Fumare you use the terminology on their menu rather than making an ass of yourself.