Free-standing ranges generally are pushed back all the way to the wall - slide-in ranges have a gap in the back that is filled in with some kind of strip. Even with your cabinets bumped out (why did you do that?), are you sure you can't push the range all the way back. I know someone on another thread told you that your oven door needs to clear the cabinets, but did you check with your range manufacturer about that?

Thanks for the replies! These were really helpful. We weren't going to have a backsplash (just some high gloss paint) b/c there isn't a lot of room above the stove - we have an above-the-range microwave, and there is only a little bit of wall above the stove because of that. But a small bit of stainless steel to fill the gap might work (also, we wanted to use the Bertazzoni toekick to keep that area under the stove from collecting interesting and disgusting things that we can't reach to clean, but apparently it only works if your stove is exactly 36" high, and ours had to be placed higher to be level with the countertops - so maybe whoever does that piece could also come up with a simple toekick). It sounds like it might be a good idea to try to find a stainless steel fabricator - any tips on how to find one? This would mean going out of my way to hire yet another firm to do work in the apartment, and we are at the end of our time limit for renovations (baby due any day now, and just general renovation fatigue has set in), so I'm hoping to keep extra logistics to a minimum...

kitchenkelly (and everyone else) should I have them maybe cut that tapered trim (I don't know what it's called) maybe in half and then do it picture frame style? I sorta need to make up my mind by tomorrow morning when they come to finish things off. I like the tapered edge, not so fat as the quarterround, so maybe that's the way to go.

And stone slabs and quartz tops are always perfectly flat, and the same thickness? Of course the answer is no. Even a great cabinet install isn't perfect, the cabinets themselves are not perfect. And even if the cabinets aren't level, are countertop installers are suppose to reset cabinets? No, if it's bad enough they should stop and explain what needs to happen for them to install their tops. Even a great counter install isn't perfect. I've never seen an countertop install that didn't have a shim somewhere. Anyone who says that they install counters with no shims ever, is a telling a story.