Barcelona - Toddler, Vegetarian and 'regular' Carnivore - need help please

My husband (the carnivore), I (vegetarian, bordering on vegan - Don't eat cheese but take milk / butter / eggs) and our then 17month old will be in Barcelona for one day and night after a cruise and I am looking for recomendations of places to eat, both for lunch and dinner.

We will need someplace that will cater for the 3 of us for lunch.
I am thinking that if we find a hotel with a nice restaurant we can have our toddler eat earlier and then we can possibly eat later (getting a babysitter) ... but this might not work out so I need a backup plan of a place to eat earlier also.
I am reading that most places don't serve dinner until after 9pm which will be too late for our little boy.
What kind of dishes could we expect in a tapas place (sorry for such a 'basic' question but I have never been before so really have no clue.
I am beginning to worry a bit about this so any help would be appreciated!
Thanks so much!

OnlyMe in Spain/Portugal

Help Me Buy A Carving Knife Please

Ok,
I've had another look and I've also looked in our kitchen to see what my husband favours - I see two serrated type carvers in there that I can honestly say I have never seen him use. On the other hand, he always seems to use the straight edged carvers / slicers in there - they are all pointed ones so I'm thinking, base on what I've seen him prefer in the past, and the fact that he's said he wants a thin blade, I'll opt for this one: http://www.nisbets.ie/products/ProductDetail.asp?siteType=CAT&productCode=C686&mediacode=CW-
I know it probably will be more difficult to maintain that the serrated edge one but going on what he usually uses I think it's the safest bet.
If he finds he needs a carver down the line a bit Fathers' Day is only around the corner :-) ...

One VERY last qestion .... any thoughts on this as opposed to a 'regular' sharpening steel? : http://www.nisbets.ie/products/ProductDetail.asp?SiteType=&productCode=C770

Thanks for everyoene help once again!

OnlyMe in Cookware

Help Me Buy A Carving Knife Please

Thank you both again for your replies.
What I should have said in my last post though is that I am looking at buying the chef / cooks knife and parer in addition to the carver (not instead of :-) ). The reason I'm looking at a cooks knife is for general kitchen duties -chopping etc especially for the likes of chopping / cutting turnip or swede ie 'hard' vegetables and alo general prep. The paring knife - well, it's cheap an looks like I might make some use out of it :-)

Re the carver I linked to - the one I gave the link to is a straight edge one but a similar one with a serrated edge is also available and again - both are available with rounded or pointed tips - if I'm opting to buy the cooks knife (I'm thinking should in addition to the carving knife / slicer unless I'm missing something?), am I better off with the slicer as opposed to the the carver??
Sorry - I know these are all very basic questions so I hope you all don't mind helping educate a complete novice.
And one last question - could the cooks / chefs knife be used to carve say a chicken where the slicer wouldn't be suitable?

Hope all that made sence?!

I greatly appreciate all your assistance!
Thank you so very much!

OnlyMe in Cookware

Help Me Buy A Carving Knife Please

I just lost a whole reply before I posted it :-(
Here goes again ... it won't be as long I'm afraid as I'm on borrowed time.

I really appreciat allof your replies and I have been looking at all your suggestions / recommendations online.
alanbarnes - Lovely knives but I'm afraid they're out of my league at the minute :-(
Politeness - I really like the look of the First Class knives ... especially the gorgeous carver set, and if I hadn't seen the VIctorinox I'd probably opt for them. The Victorinox however have taken my fancy and Ferret, your description of how sharp that slicer is has me convinced!

I have a few questions before I buy though and at the risk of sounding silly ... can anyone tell me what te difference between a chefs knife and a cooks knife is?
Also, why would you chose a round tipped slicer / carving knife over a pointed tipped or vice versa?

I'm considering buying these at the moment:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IAZC3M/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A18A0TM3E0UVPU
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IAZBVU/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A2RQWFR5XEZ1ZT
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IAZBVU/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A2RQWFR5XEZ1ZT

They're a fair bit more expensive than in the US but if we will finally have a few decent knives for prep / copping and carving I don't mind spending the money.

One last question- what about sharpening ... what about something like this one or does anyone have any other suggestions?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-Sheffield-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B000IAZAQ6/ref=sr_1_140?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1240393588&sr=1-140
I don't want to ruin my nice new knives with the wrong tool!

Thanks again for everyones help an sorry I haven't replied to everyone individually on here (I had in my previou -lost -post).

OnlyMe in Cookware

Help Me Buy A Carving Knife Please

Hi all,
Apologies for not replying sooner, I've been having internet issues. I have just printed out all the responses and hope to go through them all in detail either tonight or tomorrow when I'm sure I will certainly have more questions :-)
Anyways, I just wanted to check in and say thanks so much for the replies and suggestions thus far - they are all very much appreciated.
And of course if anyone has and more advice / suggestions all comments are welcome :-)
Thank you

OnlyMe in Cookware

Help Me Buy A Carving Knife Please

Hi all,
I'm no Chef and neither is my husband but for a long time now he has been looking for a 'good' carving knife. His birthday is coming up and as part of his gift I would like to get him knife.
The problem I have is that I live in Ireland a long way away from anywhere I can try out knives so I'm going to have to buy online.
I know he prefers a thin bladed knife and wants to use it for carving everyday roasts, chickens etc. as well as that Christmas turkey. I want something that will last but I know he won't want to nor have the time for taking the care of the knife that a lot of you do on here (sorry!).
Any help that you can provide is much appreciated!

On a side note - if I can get a carving knife at a fairly reasonable price I might even be tempted to buy a nife for peeling / chopping vegetables - any recommendations there?

Thanks again and I hope I haven't offended anyone with my very very basic questions / comments :-)

OnlyMe in Cookware

Recs for Strict Vegetarian AND Meat Lover

Hi kitelover & nsxtasy,

kitelover, I used to use the term lacto-ovo vegetarian to describe myself but this lead to confusion as I do not eat cheese and technically lacto-ovo vegetarians eat all dairy products and don't differentiate between those containing animal by products such as rennet which hardens cheeses and comes from 'deceased' animals, thus, I'm a little 'stricter' than lacto-ovo but not as strict as vegan and that's where I have most of my difficulties in that most vegetarian offerings contain some sort of cheese be it parmesan or pesto. Anyways, I'm not trying to be pedantic, just trying to explain why I don't use the term and there doesn't really seem to be a definitive term for my 'taste'.
I appreciate your recommendation for Tallgrass and nxstazy, you seem to have had an absolutely wonderful time there, however, we won't have a car in Chicago and with our time there being quite limited I don't think we can realistically make it there - I think it will have to be experienced on another visit .... which gives me another reason to return to Chicago :-)

Thanks again for taking the time to give me advice!

Only

OnlyMe in Chicago Area

Recs for Strict Vegetarian AND Meat Lover

Thanks for the heads up on Keefers jbontario - although I'm fairly reasonable going to a steakhouse I'm afraid I would NOT be reasonable if there were ANY trace of meat in whta was said to be veggie!!!! This has happened to me on a few occasions and I have been far from a happy camper - in fact, after being sick (yup, meat has that effect on me), I tend to avoid as much risk of it happening again as I can sooo.... if Keefers didn't even think to advise that there was meat was in the potato croquettes I hate to think about the lack of care they "may" have keeping veggie items separate from meat ones :-( ... think I might be better off being safe than sorry and skip Keefers..... But every cloud has a silver lining .... Wildfire looks like a place that just 'might' be inclined to put together a veggie dish without cheese with a little notice (seeing as they have a couple of 'veggie'+cheese dishes on their menu anyways - think I might e-mail them to see.

Thanks again for your help

OnlyMe in Chicago Area

Recs for Strict Vegetarian AND Meat Lover

Hi all,
Sorry I kind of 'abandoned' the post - I have been away and am crazy with work comittments right now but not usually one to 'post and run' I'm just popping back in to say that, even though I haven't had a chance to properly go through everyones suggestions, I want to say Thanks Everyone!!!...and once this weekend is over I'll have more time to browse and post....

I see there has been a bit of a discussion going on since I posted re steakhouses - while these aren't something I would chose to go to if I were with other veggie friends, hubby DOES love his steak and as you can't get 'proper' steaks (debatable I know) in Ireland it's his opportunity to indulge and so long as I don't end up with a plate of lettuce I'm OK with that as I LOVE LOVE LOVE those amazing creamed potatoes you can get in the US (can't get them half as good here in Ireland either :-( ) ... so really, I'm fine with some good 'sides' and a good desert + wine for one night..... it must be Lurve ;-) !!

Anyways, thanks everyone for your comments - I will definately be back with some more questions once things have calmed down a little for me workwise.

Only

OnlyMe in Chicago Area

Recs for Strict Vegetarian AND Meat Lover

Thank you all so much for taking the time to offer suggestions - they are all VERY MUCH appreciated!

nsxtasy,
Hot Chocolate is just the kind of place we're looking for - Just reading that Dessert Menu is making my mouth water! The Altawood Cafe looks pretty good too AND they do Ceeme Brulee - probably the best option for our pre-theatre dinner like you said.
I had seen the Green Zebra previously and while the menu is GREAT for me, Hubby would be quite limited as he's not in the slightest 'veggie inclined' and at the moment there's just one fish dish on there. North Pond on the other hand looks great for hubby but not so good for me as everything seems to contain cheese and sometimes 'leaving out the cheese' just doesn't work :-( . Now I konw Deep Dish Pizzas are an institution in Chicago and I'm almost embarassed to say but hubby is a 'thin crust' kind of guy so Pizzas are probably not the way to go for us. Fox and Obel looks YUMMY and if we don't go there for Dinner we will definately go for lunch - do you know what the Cafe is like? Is it somewhere you could sit over dinner (can you get wine?) or is it an 'in and out' kind of place? Vinelle's pastries look spectacular too!!! Is it just takeout or would we be able to rest our weray feet there too??

Morton Arthur Eaton,
Ideally we'll be ablt to find someplace that is a compromise and suits both hubby and I but I have found that, even in a steakhouse, as long as the sides are 'good' and there is a sellection of them, I'm a pretty happy camper for one night at least - (those creamed potatoes in Smith & Wollenskis were to absolutely die for).
Sometimes we find 'bar type' places that offer steaks, burgers, pasta, faijitas etc - there was one great one in NYC which fit both our needs but I'm not sure if there are places like this in Chicago???

Wak,
I think that Keefers looks the best for me for the sides. I really like the look of Spoon Thai's menu too! How long do you think it would take to get there by EL? Is it relatively straight forward? We are pretty big Indian fans and the menu for India House is definately perfect for both of us. We also like mexican and can sometimes find places that don't overload on the cheese and my one exception to the rule of 'sometimes it just doesn't work leaving out the cheese' is faijitas - so any recs there would be great too.

Again, thank you all for your suggestions. I know I am pretty fussy and the cheese issue really makes life difficult but I think it's better being prepared before going - we definately don't want to spend hours walking around trying to find someplace in the cold so I hope no-one minds me saying that some of the places aren't suitable for us. Thanks again for your patience!.

PS, I found this place - does anyone have any opinions? http://www.opera-chicago.com/sitenavV02.aspx?CompanyID=8259&MenuID=3097 - I like the fact that it has two different menus and am I right in thinking that it's not 'too' far away?

OnlyMe in Chicago Area

Recs for Strict Vegetarian AND Meat Lover

Hi all,

Hubby (Meat Lover) and I (strict vegetarian) will be in Chicago for 3 nights in January - Jan 1st to 4th and we are looking for recommendations on restaurants for lunch and dinner please.

We are booked into the Amalfi which is on 20 W Kinzie St, (although we may yet change this to either the Omni on 676 North Michigan Ave or the Sofitel Water Tower on 20 East Chestnut St - Downtown if we find a deal!). We will be seeing Jersey Boys in the LaSalle Bank Theatre one night so need someplace between the Hotel and that area. On the other nights we can be flexible.

Now here's the deal - I'm a VERY strict vegetarian, bordering on Vegan - I don't eat meat, fish foul OR cheese but do take milk / cream and eggs. I'm not keen on Tofu (feels too much like meat for me) and I will eat most any cuisine.
Hubby will be looking for a good steak on one night I'm sure although what kind of steak I'm not exactly sure - we don't have the choice here in Ireland that you get in the US so I'm not sure what the differences between dry aged etc is. I don't mind eating in a steakhouse so long as the sides are tasty - we both had a fabulous meal in Smith & Wollenskis in Boston last year. He also likes fish and most cuisines although he's not a big fan of Italian.

We are BIG desert fans - him chocolate, me Creme Brulee or something fruit based so any suggestions for someplace for a good dessert would be great - either at lunch time, with dinner or someplace else after dinner / theatre.

I have done a little research and am a little overwhelmed. ANY suggestions are much appreciated!

Thanks for your help!

OnlyMe in Chicago Area

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

RGR - Thanks for all that information.
I thought I'd cover all bets by posting in both places :)

That Mexican looks very good - I've never had food anything like that in a Mexican so would be keen to try.

Thanks again

OnlyMe in Manhattan

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

Oh, and what are the opening hours / latest seating time?

Thanks

OnlyMe in Manhattan

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

FANTASTIC RGR!!! I think you have me convinced! That's a really good idea to make the reservation and then decide whether to keep it when the 'new' menu is posted. I will get on to it right away but before I do one more question (of course!), am I correct in taking it that they give you madelines AND mignardises?!

Thanks so much for answering all my 'novice' questions.

OnlyMe in Manhattan

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

Davy& RGR, Thanks so much for explaining kosher to me and now I know that it's probably not the best option for us.

RGR, sorry, I had seen the Le Potage section but thought that there was a completely separate vegetarian menu with more choices (ie with a similar number of vegetarian choices to that of the 'normal' Dinner Menu). I'm a bit dissapointed that 'that's it' as there's only one thing on there that I would eat - the rest have cheese and I'm not a fan of chilled soup. BUT, as you said, the menu is seasonal so I'll keep an eye on the website to see if the 'winter' menu is more appealing. As for telephoning to make reservations, if it were something I would really like to do I do not mind calling them - how far in advance do you recommend? One more question - I've just browsed the photos of past dishes - how big / small are the portions? Would you be full after 3-4 courses or not?

Thanks again

OnlyMe in Manhattan

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

One last question (for now at least!), I tried to book Cafe Boulud using OpenTable but it's telling me thqat it's too soon to book - how far in advance can I book and should I book once it's possible to do so (ie is it very difficult to get reservations?)

Thanks again

OnlyMe in Manhattan

Serious Carnivore AND Strict Vegetarian

RGR thank you so much for all those recommendations. We would be especially interested in Devi - we are big fans of indian food and Lamb is actually DH's favourite (along with steaks in America - aparently steak at home "isn't a patch" on American!). Uncle Nicks also looks like it would be nice for a change - we don't have any Greek restaurants here at home. Cafe Boulud might just be the perfect place for our 'splurge' meal and I especially like the fact that they have a separate vegetarian menu, however, .... I can't seem to find it (vegetarian menu) on their website - anyone know where I might find it just to see what kind of dishes there are?

Gary Soup, You are right and wrong with your comments on my lacto-ovo'ism - you are correct in saying that I don't eat cheese because of the rennet but I'm afraid I still LOVE cheese! BUT this isn't a problem here in Ireland as it's possible to get true vegetarian cheeses off the supermarket shelf, however, even here in Ireland most restaurants don't realise that normal cheese isn't truely vegetarian in that it contains animal-rennet so as a rule, I never order anything in a restaurant that contains cheese - safer that way!

One more question - what is kosher milchig resto - hope that's not a very stupid question but kosher food isn't very common in the West of Ireland :)

Thanks again for all your help, it's greatly appreciated!

OnlyMe in Manhattan