Thanks for the help, everyone-- the link to the bbq forum was especially useful: those folks take their grills seriously! I think I gained a couple pounds just reading about the food they make... I think that point that this is radiant, in the 500, possibly as hot as 700 degree range, as opposed to 1200 degree infra red is very valid. The Solaires look great, but so expensive: I'm building a new house, and the line of credit might allow me to sneak one of these in, but I'm reluctant-- maybe in a couple years, after the dust has settled. If I didn't have a pretty immeadiate need for a new grill, I'd probably wait a year and see what evolves. But I do need one, and the consensus seems to be that this machine does generate higher temps than a conventional open flame burner. So I may pay a visit to HD tomorrow, and succumb to temptation...

abd1, I've had my BS about as long as you have. I haven't used the broiler as much as the burners and grill. Last night I decided to try an old Julia Child recipe that I used to cook often - a spatchcocked chicken with a mustard-garlic topping that's done under the broiler. I remember how it cooked in my previous oven - a Gaggenau wall oven with electric broiler, so I could do a comparison. I used the broiler pan (lined w foil) that came with the oven, which was a good size once the chicken was laid out. I put the pan in the center of the oven rack but didn't try to do anything special in terms of lining it up under the broiler. It broiled evenly but was getting done faster than in my old oven. (One mistake I made was brushing the final mustard-garlic mixture on at the beginning - should have been the last five minutes. Sooo, it was getting dark too quickly. I moved the rack down one level and kept on going.) With this recipe, you cook the chicken for 15 minutes on side one, brushing with oil/butter every 5 minutes, flip it over and cook another 15 minutes, again basting every 5 minutes. The mustard topping goes on for the last 5 minutes. Despite my trying to do the recipe from memory and thus messing up part of it, my DH and I loved it - thought it was very juicy and tender. The skin was nice and crisp. I didn't have the chicken as close to the burner as I did with my electric broiler - the heat seemed much more intense. By moving down one level, it didn't affect the broiling area - the entire chicken from end to end was definitely getting exposed. It will take a bit more playing around but I was very pleased with how the chicken did. A few months ago, I broiled a rack of lamb using a butcher's recipe I've used many times in the past - in the Bluestar, it was definitely the best I ever did, as good as any restaurant. FWIW, I broil with the door open and pull out the drip pan slightly to protect the knobs from getting overly hot.

I have used my wonderful infrared broiler to do steaks both on my old Viking and my new Bluestar. As well as cooked steaks on an outdoor infrared grill. Although I have made some wonderful steaks with he broiler, I think you get *slightly* better tasting steaks with a grill, as you get more smoke hitting the steak and flavoring it. In a broiler, most of the smoke is generated on the top of the steak and just rises from there, not really flavoring the meat. But I have cooked some amazing steaks with the broiler for certain. And an added bonus, it is easier to clean than using an indoor grill. :)

Our RNB 60 went into service almost 1 year ago exactly and I would rate your assessment as very fair and objective and quite similar to my view. I would have a hard time comparing the BS burners to electic in any fashion but i have not cooked on electric in probably 20 years or more so I am out of touch there. I use the 22k burners for a number of high heat applications and find them to be unmatched to anything I have used before. I have not woked with it yet but it does do an mean tempura which requires extremely good heat recovery IMO to replicate traditional tempura that I am fond of. I agree with the burner/flame control observation but I have found every gas unit i have owned to be less than linear...its a get used to kind of thing. I do not have the griddle (got the Lodge 2 burner/grill top after market unit)and have never used a commercial grill/charbroiler so have no comparison there but we absolutely love our grill/charbroiler. Given the amount of use we get out of the grill however, I would not want to sacrifice additional real estate up top for more than one 12 inch grill or griddle but I am a burner hog of sorts. I spent about 4 weeks finally agreeing to give up 2 burners for a grill and that meant the 8 burner plus a grill option. That said, the grill and 4 burners to its immediate left are definitely the working part of the range. The outside 4 burners at either end on are overflow but do get used regularly. As to fit and finish, I agree that it is a handsome solid unit and the center piece of the kitchen. However, I have always been of the opinion that this is the one thing BS could tighten up a bit but it is indeed a minor point. The only measurably nicer looking ranges IMO are the French units that are twice as much money size for size but generally less horsepower. All in all I echo your kudos, the BS is a tremendous residential unit. I am also amazed at how much they have increased in price over the last 2 years. Although in use for only a year, I actually placed the order for ours in October of 2006, got it in about January of 2007, was installed in October and we moved in in December of last year just in time for holiday cooking. What a treat! Unless mine was an incredible bargain, they have gone up about 20%.