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Matsumoto - Chicago's only All-Kaiseki Japanese restaurant

Matsumoto - Chicago's only All-Kaiseki Japanese restaurant
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  • Matsumoto - Chicago's only All-Kaiseki Japanese restaurant

    Post #1 - August 23rd, 2005, 12:52 am
    Post #1 - August 23rd, 2005, 12:52 am Post #1 - August 23rd, 2005, 12:52 am
    This evening I had dinner with friends at Chicago Kalbi. After our meal, we had an extended conversation on Korean food and culture. Inevitably the conversation also evolved into Japanese food and culture when we learned the Chef-owner-husband is Japanese and the Hostess-owner-wife is Korean raised in Japan. Since it had been my original intent for the evening to go to Mitsuwa for Ramen, the conversation turned to the owner’s dining preferences. When we inquired of the hostess-owner where she went for Japanese food. We learned she and her husband had opened a Japanese restaurant only two weeks ago steps away from their current restaurant. On impulse we decided to see the new restaurant, which evolved into quite a thrilling experience.

    It was after 10 PM, there were no customers but several staff milling about as we walked into Matsumoto Restaurant. Never intending to stay longer than a few moments, I asked the hostess for the take-out menu. She very courteously explained there is no take-out menu, because a new menu is derived every evening. There is a two tier menu of a small tasting menu at $45 per person, which she followed with a recital of the evening’s offerings. There is also a larger tasting menu of at least 10 courses, whose cost may vary from $85 to $150 per person. They presently offer no liquor until they have a license, which they have applied for.

    My mind was whirling at the costs and the sophistication of the service on a modest stretch of Lawrence Avenue, which reminded me of Moto’s location in the wholesale district. There were ambitions of Charlie Trotters and Alinea at this storefront restaurant catering to Japanese dining sensibilities. When hostess-owner of Chicago Kalbi and Matsumoto came strolling in with one friend who had lingered. She had the hostess at Matsumoto bring out the menus used since the first days.

    A sample of the menus used at Matsumoto
    Image

    Each menu was handwritten on delicate paper for the hostess to learn and convey to customers. If the clients were non-Japanese, then it was her responsibility to translate and convey the information to their clients.

    Chiyomo, hostess-owner of Chicago Kalbi and Matsumoto, explained her restaurant offered all-kaiseki, which is a Japanese style of degustation menu. It is the only known one in the Chicago area.

    From Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto wrote:Kaiseki is as much an art form as a style of cooking and food preparation. If you appreciate culinary delicacies, you'Il love kaiseki. Kaiseki menus offer a cornucopia of gastronomical treats including tempura, cooked seasonal fish and even sirloin steak in some cases. A kaiseki meal is imbued with the spiritual hush of the tea ceremony, its serene balance of food and utensil, and the visual celebration of nature's delicious bounty. Through five centuries, kaiseki's master chefs have preserved and passed on the secrets of their tranquil art, and knowledge of the harvest and spawning cycles of all manners of flora and fauna. They have set the standards of "Japanese" gourmet cooking. A kaiseki meal is the tongue-tingling zenith of the Japanese dining experience.


    We learned when you make your reservations, whether you are American, Japanese or Korean for example, they will tailor the menu to your cultural expectations. To avoid an Americanized variant of Kaiseki, it was suggested you specify when you reserve you want the authentic Japanese Kaiseki.

    The major interior color is plum which is surprisingly serene and pleasant in this carefully considered interior. Minimalist table settings included an origami folded paper element holding your chopsticks laid on your napkin.

    Image

    We were introduced to Chef Matsumoto for whom the restaurant is named. We met him in his kitchen. When he spied my camera, he grabbed his camera to take pictures of the lady taking his picture.

    Image

    I have reservations to go to Charlie Trotter’s on Thursday. If I am not able to persuade a change of venue, then I will at least make a point to visit this restaurant in the very near future. Certainly for the Japanese community, this is a very special occasion destination restaurant. If the ambitions the Chef and owners are realized, this will be destination dining for those who are curious to learn more of Japanese food and culture.

    Chicago Kalbi Restaurant
    3752 West Lawrence Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60625
    Tel: 773/604-8183

    Matsumoto Restaurant
    3800 West Lawrence Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60625
    Tel: 773/267-1555

    All the best,
    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,
  • Post #2 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:01 am
    Post #2 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:01 am Post #2 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:01 am
    Great stuff! I've been wondering about this place since I first noticed the very nice sign a few weeks ago. It looked to be a serious restaurant, and I guess it is. Thanks.
  • Post #3 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:47 am
    Post #3 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:47 am Post #3 - August 23rd, 2005, 9:47 am
    A kaiseki meal is a truly sensous experience in Japan. It is approximately 13 courses and the idea is that each course has a different look, texture, flavor. (slimy, vinegary, dry, wet, raw, cooked, fish, meat, etc.) It is a very calm, slow experience. The plates/bowls for each course are also all different. Having done Kaiseki in Osaka and Kyoto, I look forward to trying this restaurant with much anticipation. Thanks, Cathy
  • Post #4 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:00 am
    Post #4 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:00 am Post #4 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:00 am
    This is a great find, I was always tempted by the idea of the one they do (or at least did) at Heat but blanched at the cost prospect. Will definitely have to try this out soon...
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  • Post #5 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:03 am
    Post #5 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:03 am Post #5 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:03 am
    This is definitely an exciting discovery. Can't wait to give it a try & can't wait til the reports start coming in.
  • Post #6 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am
    Post #6 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am Post #6 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am
    HI,

    In many ways, this restaurant has laid everything on the line by simply going all Kaiseki. Where Heat could withdraw this aspect from the menu and still have plenty to offer. How much did it cost at Heat?

    I'm looking forward to dining here as well.

    Regards,
    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,
  • Post #7 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:49 am
    Post #7 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:49 am Post #7 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:49 am
    Evil Ronnie and I ate at Heat and the bill for the dinner was $200
  • Post #8 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:57 am
    Post #8 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:57 am Post #8 - August 23rd, 2005, 10:57 am
    The Lovely Donna wrote:Evil Ronnie and I ate at Heat and the bill for the dinner was $200


    I've spent that solo.

    It is all relative, and it is the sort of thing that can be negotiated with the Chef well in advance.

    I would suggest a phone call.

    E.M.
  • Post #9 - August 24th, 2005, 12:42 am
    Post #9 - August 24th, 2005, 12:42 am Post #9 - August 24th, 2005, 12:42 am
    OK, it just so happened that I had to take some people to dinner this evening and, at the last minute, decided to go to Matsumoto. There were four of us.

    First off, Cathy's contact information is correct as regards the phone number, so don't be discouraged when you call and get what appears to be a home telephone answering machine. You will be asked whether you have any dietary or price restrictions, and informed that, because Matsumoto serves a very traditional Kaiseki menu, a good sake is recommended.

    Given my time restraints and lack of sake, my party arrived with good bone-dry rose champagne, some beer and a bottle of scotch whisky. It worked.

    The room is a very serene, pleasant place -- open and spacious by the standards of such restaurants, in my limited experience. The decor and furnishings are fine, particularly the bathrooms, and especially in comparison to other west Lawrence Avenue salons. A low sushi bar with six or eight seats is at the rear end of the room, with several western style tables spread around at comfortable intervals. Plums and purples dominate.

    A few clumsy signs (laminated health code postings, a bathroom sign that could be from Red Lobster) and the servers' day-glow yellow and orange aprons with Japanese script and the word "Welcome" jump out from an otherwise sophisticated room design in a way that is comfortingly Japanese.

    The Hostess and the Chef dominate the meal, and that is a good thing. The Hostess is engaging and effervescent; she has lots of questions and explanations, but she also has some sort of imbedded timer that forces her to graciously excuse herself before too long. The Chef watches, grumbles, and wields the knife behind the bar when fish is in play.

    The dining room was empty, but a semi-private room in back was filled with happy, smoking Japanese businessmen, hosted by a ruddy 30's executive with a blue blazer and a rep tie. Several Chicago detectives walked out with food and thanked the Hostess like they meant it.


    On to the meal. I have pictures, but they were taken with a phone. Poor quality, but I'd be happy to e-mail specific images to those who might be interested.

    (1) A large martini glass filled with gazpacho-like, chilled and foamy tomato broth. Floating in the tomato was a very slowly-poached chicken egg, whose white also was aerated into a froth. I liked it.

    (2) An essay in what I tasted to be extremely fancy vinegar. A sherry glass contained sea urchin roe, a quail egg, vinegar and some temperate liquid, possibly miso broth. A shot glass contained delicate seaweed topped with salmon roe, all of it floating in a similar, but different sauce centered on the vinegar. A small plate contained poached salmon glazed in a sauce keyed to the vinegar. To be honest, the salmon was a bit over-cooked. The urchin "shooter" was tremendous. The seaweed was pretty good. On the whole, I though this was a great plate.

    (3) Sashimi. A generous portion of squid, fatty tuna, salmon, snapper, scallop, and more tuna. Stacked into a tower, covered with good caviar and topped with a bit of gold flake. Simple enough, and the best sashimi I have had in Chicago. Would have traded my gold for fresh wasabi, but that's a minor point. This was the highlight of an otherwise great meal.

    (4) Soup of enoki mushrooms, white miso and firm white fish (escolar?). I'm guessing on the miso and fish, but I think I'm close. Served in a tiny earthenware tea kettle, this soup was very elegant and flavorful. I opened the pot and ate the fish and mushrooms, whether I was supposed to or not.

    (5) Long braised pork belly. This was served in a bowl with a bit of the drippings and garnished with asparagus spears. The dish made short ribs out of bacon, long-cooking the belly in sweet soy sauce until it was spoon-tender and chocolate-colored. Great comfort food.

    (6) Tempura. Large shrimp, green vegetables, and shiso leaves. Very good.

    (7) "Fish cake mochi" Fish cakes covered with sticky rice, sitting atop an omelette and covered in a sauce of sea urchin roe, tiny mushrooms and egg and/or cornstarch. This was at once the most complicated and most subtle of the dishes served. The Anglo, Cuban, and Indian-Mauritanian Americans at the table gave it mixed reviews. I liked it fine, but in my estimation this dish suffered from being a comparatively bland, stick-to-your-ribs plate at the end of a meal punctuated by brilliant flavors.

    (8) Dessert: a long and narrow dish filled with chilled watermelon gelee containing huge, peeled muscat grapes and sweetened black beans. Visually exciting and the best dessert I've had in a Japanese restaurant.

    (9) Green tea.

    We followed this with a few shots of good Scotch and chatted with Chiyomo for a little while. When the Tokyo suits left, they seemed to be well-pleased with the chef.

    Chiyomo is bemused that the place has already received some attention from non-Japanese diners. She is humble about her restaurant and does not seem to have considered the non-Japanese audience too much previously. What she may or may not realize is that Chicago diners are already prepared for this kind of a meal.

    All of the sudden, Chicago is an especially interesting place to eat out again, after a significant lull among higher-end places (at least in my experience). I'd say Matsumoto is a happy coincidence, but it fits right in.

    After dinner, there's fun in every direction. Shishas to the south, Hourglass to the east, and other pursuits for the Japanese wage earner to the west. (Not to mention the very interesting Polish bottle club across the street...)

    This place is for real. As good as the best Japanese meal I've had in Chicago, and on par with all but the top "tasting menu" places -- after only a couple of weeks -- in terms of food. Service is not trying to do the same thing, though it is quite good.

    PS, the chef used to work at Katsu and spent his longest tenure at a Japanese place in Schaumberg. I didn't catch the name. The owners are good friends with the folks from Heat.

    The bill worked out to about a hundred bucks per person, with tip but but not including BYOB liquor (no corkage fee at this point and beverage service was excellent).

    Peace.
  • Post #10 - August 24th, 2005, 7:57 am
    Post #10 - August 24th, 2005, 7:57 am Post #10 - August 24th, 2005, 7:57 am
    This thread is really quite amazing: from 'discovery' and a great illustrated introductory post by Cathy2 to an equally fine and nicely detailed review a scant 24 hours later by JeffB. Thanks to you both.

    Antonius
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #11 - August 24th, 2005, 8:14 am
    Post #11 - August 24th, 2005, 8:14 am Post #11 - August 24th, 2005, 8:14 am
    Hi Jeff,

    I'm glad you found Matsumoto to your liking. Last night when GAF and I were trying to decide what level to spend for dinner, he asked me how well do they execute their food. Not having eaten anything there, I could only gauge it against their other restaurant Chicago Kalbi; which I thought was a well run restaurant with very high quality of ingrediants and execution. Your post confirmed my estimate, thanks!

    I called last night to arrange for Monday's dinner. The lady who answered the phone spoke exclusively in Japanese as if not expecting any English speaking clientelle. She did switch to English though not very comfortably. I suggest you ask for Suziko, whose English is much stronger.

    Chef Matsumoto, Katsu and Chiyomo and her husband are all friends who spend their Tuesday's off together. They seem to be an ambitious group who know how to influence each other to better achievements.

    I felt quite fortunate bumping into this discovery when having dinner Monday night with RST and my friend Helen. People open up to those who are genuinely interested in their business.

    I'm so looking forward to Monday ... thanks Jeff!

    Regards,
    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,
  • Post #12 - August 24th, 2005, 1:17 pm
    Post #12 - August 24th, 2005, 1:17 pm Post #12 - August 24th, 2005, 1:17 pm
    Cathy, I look forward to your report and pictures.

    For a point of reference, I chose the first menu offered by the person who answered the phone. Not quite ten courses, but more than enough food at $80 per diner. It was perfect for us, as we were on something of a schedule. It took about 2 hours with good pacing. I assume it could only get better as you upgrade.

    I can eat with the best of them, and I felt sated, not stuffed after a meal that included nearly no starch or other "filler" to take the place of bread, masa, rice, etc. Indeed, none played any significant role until the tempura course (if that counts) and the mochi. There was a lot of good tasting fat to be sure.

    I assume that the aesthetic tends toward pure, indulgent tastes, which might not jibe with the breadbasket and cheese course/chocolate filler-uppers that one gets at even the fanciest Western places. Not that the cheese course isn't my favorite one.
  • Post #13 - August 24th, 2005, 2:17 pm
    Post #13 - August 24th, 2005, 2:17 pm Post #13 - August 24th, 2005, 2:17 pm
    JeffB wrote:There was a lot of good tasting fat to be sure. [...] I assume that the aesthetic tends toward pure, indulgent tastes, which might not jibe with the breadbasket and cheese course/chocolate filler-uppers that one gets at even the fanciest Western places.


    Interesting. It is my understanding that traditionally, at least, the meal follows a "seasonal schedule" of sorts, and in the month of August abstention, restraint, and penitence are the prevailing themes of the meal. :wink:

    At any rate, the philosophy that animates kaiseki is one in which eating--the whole of life and living for that matter--is believed to be an ascetic practice, and as such, it is about much more than the satisfaction or indulgence of the appetites. If anything is to be indulged and enriched by such an occasion it is the spirit and the mind, not the body.

    I am going this evening, and I very much look forward to my meal.

    E.M.
  • Post #14 - August 24th, 2005, 2:38 pm
    Post #14 - August 24th, 2005, 2:38 pm Post #14 - August 24th, 2005, 2:38 pm
    Interesting. It is my understanding that traditionally, at least, the meal follows a "seasonal schedule" of sorts, and in the month of August abstention, restraint, and penitence are the prevailing themes of the meal.

    At any rate, the philosophy that animates kaiseki is one in which eating--the whole of life and living for that matter--is believed to be an ascetic practice, and as such, it is about much more than the satisfaction or indulgence of the appetites. If anything is to be indulged and enriched by such an occasion it is the spirit and the mind, not the body.


    The seasonality from month to month is what I learned from the link I offered in my original post. It is possible to go monthly to see the meal evolve with the seasons. It is interesting how their cycle begins with November in a quasi birth-to-death-to renewal

    The Kaiseki Seasonal Cycle

    Month Seasonal Spirit
    November Beginning anew
    December Cold, freshness
    January Hope for long life (symbolized by pines) and prosperity
    (symbolízed by plums)
    February Anticipation
    March Women's spirit: orderliness
    April Spring, climax (symbolized by cherry blossoms)
    May Man's spirit: bravery and heartiness (symbolized by the spawning carp)
    June Escape, rest
    July Heat, zestiness
    August Penitence, fasting
    September Awe, mystery, reverence
    October Reflection, nostalgia, philosophical balance, transience


    I guess the ball is rolling fast with the media descending on this restaurant.
    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,
  • Post #15 - August 24th, 2005, 3:01 pm
    Post #15 - August 24th, 2005, 3:01 pm Post #15 - August 24th, 2005, 3:01 pm
    Ahh, had we waited a few days for our meal, we could have had "awe," rather than "penitence." Penitence I get when I cook at home.
    :lol:
  • Post #16 - August 25th, 2005, 8:36 am
    Post #16 - August 25th, 2005, 8:36 am Post #16 - August 25th, 2005, 8:36 am
    JeffB wrote:Simple enough, and the best sashimi I have had in Chicago. Would have traded my gold for fresh wasabi, but that's a minor point.


    I was served grated wasabi with the sashimi course. My guess is that this was an ingredient/material "upgrade" with the higher priced kaiseki.

    JeffB wrote:Soup of enoki mushrooms, white miso and firm white fish (escolar?). I'm guessing on the miso and fish, but I think I'm close.


    The soup that I was served contained flounder.


    JeffB wrote:PS, the chef used to work at Katsu and spent his longest tenure at a Japanese place in Schaumberg. I didn't catch the name.


    Daruma.


    The owners could not be nicer people. I wish them the very best.

    Regards,
    E.M.
  • Post #17 - August 25th, 2005, 8:40 am
    Post #17 - August 25th, 2005, 8:40 am Post #17 - August 25th, 2005, 8:40 am
    Yes, Erik, but how did you like the food?
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #18 - August 25th, 2005, 8:56 am
    Post #18 - August 25th, 2005, 8:56 am Post #18 - August 25th, 2005, 8:56 am
    gleam wrote:Yes, Erik, but how did you like the food?


    Shhh. You'll wake the baby.

    E.M.
  • Post #19 - August 29th, 2005, 4:33 am
    Post #19 - August 29th, 2005, 4:33 am Post #19 - August 29th, 2005, 4:33 am
    Food TV is rerunning episodes of "A Chef's Tour" in the wee hours of Sat night/early Sun morning. The episode they showed this weekend, titled "Dining with Geishas", was about Kaiseki dining.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #20 - September 1st, 2005, 9:39 am
    Post #20 - September 1st, 2005, 9:39 am Post #20 - September 1st, 2005, 9:39 am
    Wow... This was fast!

    (copied and pasted from www.chicagomag.com)

    Matsumoto Restaurant (3800 W. Lawrence Ave.; 773-267-1555), a new all-kaiseki (think prix fixe) Japanese restaurant with no menu, is creating a huge buzz with absolutely no publicity. “We are small people,” says Chiyo Tozuka, a partner (and owner of Chicago Kalbi, 3752 W. Lawrence Ave.; 773-604-8183). “We just wanted to have a small place to provide some authentic Japanese food.” (In other words, more than just sushi, teriyaki, or tempura.) Matsumoto has only 41 seats, and the seven-course, $80 menu by Seijiro Matsumoto includes things like raw squid in a saké–squid liver sauce, and homemade peach gelatin with chestnuts, sweet red beans, and watermelon. “So far a lot of customers are happy about the way we serve,” says Tozuka, “because they never tried this kind of Japanese food.”
  • Post #21 - September 1st, 2005, 9:48 am
    Post #21 - September 1st, 2005, 9:48 am Post #21 - September 1st, 2005, 9:48 am
    And where would that buzz be, precisely, Chicago Magazine?
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  • Post #22 - September 1st, 2005, 10:06 am
    Post #22 - September 1st, 2005, 10:06 am Post #22 - September 1st, 2005, 10:06 am
    Wow, a huge buzz. Funny, everyone here who ate there so far dined in near solitude.

    Nice props, professionals. What was that Seinfeld where someone borrows from Ziggy?

    By the way, let me say to those who "took one for the team" Monday this week, congratulations. That was a monumental LTH instalation that at least measures up to the meal it describes. Great words, and great photography. I might go out on a limb and say that the sashimi picture near the top is the single best food photo I have had the pleasure of oggling.

    PS, I can't open the photos in Mike's posts, and the problem seems to be limited to the Matsumoto pics.
  • Post #23 - September 1st, 2005, 10:23 am
    Post #23 - September 1st, 2005, 10:23 am Post #23 - September 1st, 2005, 10:23 am
    Yeah, what's funny is that the staff practically named off for us everyone who has EVER dined at their restaurant and it was exactly who we know of from postings here. Okay, they must have had some (non-LTH) Japanese customers, but it sounded like LTHers nearly outnumbered them to date. (Well, and apparently "Chicago detectives," which I must say seems more surreal after having been there.) Anyway, the buzz is all right here so far.
    Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
    New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
    Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.
  • Post #24 - September 1st, 2005, 10:45 am
    Post #24 - September 1st, 2005, 10:45 am Post #24 - September 1st, 2005, 10:45 am
    Mike G wrote: Anyway, the buzz is all right here so far.


    Thus bolstering my LTH as guiding light to the media theory.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #25 - September 1st, 2005, 10:53 am
    Post #25 - September 1st, 2005, 10:53 am Post #25 - September 1st, 2005, 10:53 am
    A nickel says dropkickjeffy wrote that piece :)

    Attribution is nice, but I'm happy just having the LTH buzz filter into the more mainstream media.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #26 - September 1st, 2005, 11:35 am
    Post #26 - September 1st, 2005, 11:35 am Post #26 - September 1st, 2005, 11:35 am
    I'm not picking on the mainstream media, and I don't like to "catch" them reading LTHForum because I want them to read LTHForum, at least as much as they want me to keep subscribing to Chicago magazine. We want them to pick up on the places we find and love, just as we all get many ideas from printed sources of all sort, not least among them Chicago mag.

    I also don't overstate our influence; most of the time they hear of something because they get PR announcements or have direct contacts with chefs and owners, well before folks like us spot it the "driving around the city keeping your eyes peeled" way. So I rarely think "they got that from us" except when it's something pretty obscure-- as Matsumoto is.

    This is just one of those situations where the reference was pretty specific to us and it would have been nice to see a mention of LTHForum.com (as in "is creating a huge buzz on food sites like LTHForum.com") so as to help get our name out and get this site discovered by more food-savvy folks.
    Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
    New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
    Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.
  • Post #27 - September 1st, 2005, 11:38 am
    Post #27 - September 1st, 2005, 11:38 am Post #27 - September 1st, 2005, 11:38 am
    gleam wrote:I'm happy just having the LTH buzz filter into the more mainstream media.


    Agreed. I certainly don't expect attribution in every instance, and I think the lack thereof is a sort of "inside" compliment to LTH users--that all the enthusiasm here actually qualifies as a huge buzz. And I think that's accurate.

    What drives me nuts is when someone uses "online food chat sites" or some such when they really mean a particular one.
  • Post #28 - September 1st, 2005, 11:54 am
    Post #28 - September 1st, 2005, 11:54 am Post #28 - September 1st, 2005, 11:54 am
    Aaron Deacon wrote:
    What drives me nuts is when someone uses "online food chat sites" or some such when they really mean a particular one.


    I could have sworn I saw Matsumoto being discussed on Chowhound, I think the thread topic was "Coming to Chicago tonight, what's the best all-kaiseki choice?". :)

    Actually I kind of chuckled when I saw not only the Matsumoto "buzz" in Dish but that the next 2 topics were "Feed" and "Cite" - and that all 3 of these were at the top of my "Unread msgs since last visit" listing here.

    Kudos to the excellent (and, for me, a little brave) forays/reviews of Matsumoto. The picture of the sashimi alone is worthy of its own posting. I'm usually game for trying most tastes but must admit that I've yet to fully address some of my texture issues.
  • Post #29 - September 1st, 2005, 11:59 am
    Post #29 - September 1st, 2005, 11:59 am Post #29 - September 1st, 2005, 11:59 am
    Kman wrote:I could have sworn I saw Matsumoto being discussed on Chowhound, I think the thread topic was "Coming to Chicago tonight, what's the best all-kaiseki choice?". :)


    :lol:

    Kman wrote:Actually I kind of chuckled when I saw not only the Matsumoto "buzz" in Dish but that the next 2 topics were "Feed" and "Cite" - and that all 3 of these were at the top of my "Unread msgs since last visit" listing here.


    To be fair to Dish, which I enjoy, Feed was featured in the reader a couple weeks ago.
  • Post #30 - September 1st, 2005, 12:48 pm
    Post #30 - September 1st, 2005, 12:48 pm Post #30 - September 1st, 2005, 12:48 pm
    I think the thread topic was "Coming to Chicago tonight, what's the best all-kaiseki choice?


    Wasn't it New York-style kaiseki?
    Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
    New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
    Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

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