Friday, July 30, 2010

Fresh

Fresh, a new documentary about local co-ops and farmers standing up to the man and working to change the current industrial agricultural model, debuts at the Siskel Film Center today. The grassroots Fresh movement is working to promote "new thinking about what we're eating." You can view trailers and learn more at their website: http://www.freshthemovie.com/.

Tickets to the showings are $10 and can be purchased here: http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/d/freshthemovie/event/display-theater-event.sjs?event_KEY=22945#theaterlocation1.

If you check out the Saturday afternoon screening, stick around for a Q&A with the people from Evanston's The Talking Farm. Learn more about The Talking Farm here: http://www.thetalkingfarm.org/.

Sounds pretty cool. Wish I could go... Definitely let me know if you do!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Kith & Kin

Almost every month, I have dinner with the smart, funny and stylish ladies I worked with during my first PR job after college. They are some of my favorite people -- of course, it helps that they're fellow foodies.

This month, Kelly (also a member of my cooking club and one of the best cooks I know) recommended Kith & Kin in Lincoln Park. Kith & Kin opened at the end of 2009 and specializes in contemporary American comfort food. I was thrilled, since I'd also been wanting to give this place a try.

We started with one of the "crocks," little pots filled with spreads and served with crostini. We opted for the Pimento cheese crock. It was tasty, but served with far too few crostini for the amount of spread. On the plus side, the ever-cheerful staff was more than happy to supply us with multiple refills.

I enjoyed some Albarino wine with my entree, which was seared skate wing with corn and parmigiano pudding, carmelized corn, lime and cilantro. The presentation was beautiful, but the execution was lacking. Although the fish was cooked perfectly, it was way oversalted. So much so that I had trouble finishing it, which was very disappointing. The other elements of the dish were solidly executed. The corn and parmigiano pudding was delicious. The carmelized corn, lime and cilantro were combined in a salsa that breathed freshness into the dish.

Kelly and Erin both enjoyed glasses of Malbec and ordered the tagliatelle pasta dish, with summer squash fresh from Nichol's Farm, bottarga, confit garlic, basil, extra virgin olive oil and parmigiano reggiano. The pasta is handmade in-house and the entire dish had an air of extraordinary freshness. The sauce was like a lighter version of pesto, perfect for a hot summer night. The garlic confit was present, but not overpowering. The dish had a slight seafood element due to the bottarga, which is cured fish roe and
commonly referred to as "poor man's caviar." The fish didn't dominate the dish, but it was a delightful complement to the basil. This was my favorite of the dishes we ordered. I'd come back for it.

Geralyn ordered the open-face fried egg sandwich, made with 2 farm eggs, wilted dandelion, lardons and emmentaler on toasted brioche. It was like a higher-end, more complex breakfast sandwich. The wilted dandelion added a hint of bitterness not typically associated with your upscale bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. It was different -- and in this case, different was good. Ger also had a side of the poutine, which were just okay. Poutine is comprised of fries slathered in chicken gravy and topped with cheese curds. The fries seemed to have lost their crispness due to the gravy and melted cheese curds. They were fine, but nothing life-changing.

We also split a side of the salt potatoes, which were both simple and excellent. The potatoes were perfectly cooked, lightly salted and buttered with a sprinkling of chives. They took me straight back to my childhood, since they tasted almost exactly the same as potatoes my dad used to make for us. (And that's a compliment.)

We ended the meal with a slice of the chilled peanut butter pie. We decided on the pie based on the fact that it has a pretzel crust. I'm not sure why more desserts don't have pretzel crusts. It was incredible, especially combined with the peanut chiffon, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. This was a delightful combination of flavors and textures. I only wished there was a little more chocolate sauce on the plate.
That said, I liked it. A lot.

I'd go back to Kith & Kin, mostly for the tagliatelle pasta dish and the peanut butter pie. I'd skip the pimento cheese spread and try the eggplant puree crock. And if you're in the mood for a sandwich, the open-face fried egg is a good option.

Kith & Kin is a solid addition to the neighborhood, but won't make my list of Chicago favorites.

To learn more about Kith & Kin, visit http://www.knkchicago.com/.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Gaztro-Wagon: Wheels Up

Great news on the mobile food front: Matt Maroni's Gaztro-Wagon will be up and running as of Friday of this week. He finally made his way through all of the city's red tape and he'll get started serving up his Naan-Wiches during lunch at Millennium Park on Friday.

A Naan-Wich is Maroni's invention, which is comprised of fresh veggies, proteins and/or cheeses and served in delicious Naan bread. Like a sandwich... only better! Gaztro-Wagon's motto is "Fresh food fast." Clearly, I'm on board.

To find out where the Gaztro-Wagon will be setting up shop at any given time, you have two options: follow Maroni on Twitter using the handle wherezthewagon at http://twitter.com/wherezthewagon or sign up for text alerts at http://www.gaztro-wagon.com/Gaztro-Wagon/Home.html. Either one will tell you the Gaztro-Wagon's current location.

The schedule Friday, a.k.a. Opening Day, is rumored to be Millennium Park, then Lakeview around dinner time, followed by Lincoln Square late-night. There are separate menus for each of these phases. Check them out at http://www.gaztro-wagon.com/Gaztro-Wagon/Whats_Cooking....html.

I am especially eager to try the Wild Boar Belly, the Pork Shoulder and the Portobello Naan-wiches. I'll be stalking the wagon in Lakeview on Friday night. If I'm unable to connect with it there, you can be sure I'll track it down via Twitter or text in the very near future.

However, if you don't have the desire to become a professional Gaztro-Wagon stalker like me, you should know this: while Maroni's been waiting to get approved to drive around the city selling his creative street cuisine, he has also opened up a storefront in Edgewater. The store is located at 5973 N. Clark, between Ridge and Peterson, and there you can enjoy your food in-store or to go.

To learn more about the Gaztro-Wagon and the man behind it, please visit http://www.gaztro-wagon.com/Gaztro-Wagon/Home.html.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Bull-eh-dias!

Bull-eh-dias! brought tapas to the Southport Corridor last year. I am ashamed to say that it's taken me so long to pay this place a visit. It's one of those things where I've walked by and said to myself, "I need to remember that I want to go there next time I'm trying to figure out where to eat!" And then never did. Until last night.

The fact that my friend Maureen got a job waitressing/bartending there this summer has helped to keep the restaurant more top-of-mind. So last night, when my friend Patty and I were trying to figure out where we wanted to eat, Bull-eh-dias! was it.

Both of us live in the neighborhood and love tapas, so we were hopeful that we'd stumble upon greatness. And between the delicious sangria, the tasty tapas and a supremely personable chef/co-owner, I think it's safe to say that we have.

In typical Patty-and-me fashion, we approached dinner with the attitude of "go big or go home." We ordered up a pitcher of sangria and then set to work on the menu. Not surprisingly, we found a lot of things we'd like to eat. We narrowed the list down to seven and then were unable to eliminate any other options. So naturally, we ordered seven tapas for the two of us.

The chef/owner warned us that this was probably too much food. Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we didn't waver. Instead, Patty warned the chef/owner that he was about to witness something amazing. Maureen then came out and told us we'd ordered too much food. We told her to bring it. (We are idiots.)

All of the while, we were enjoying some delightfully authentic sangria. It was pleasantly reminiscent of my time studying abroad in Granada, Spain -- and I love pretty much anything that takes me back to study abroad. It's some awesome sangria. Not too sweet, but packed with a whole lot of fruit.

When the food plates started coming out, Patty and I were ready. The first dish we tried was the crab cakes. They were amazing. I hate it when the crab cakes themselves are overcome by mayonnaise and I am happy to say that this was NOT the case. These crab cakes were very tasty. They came with dollops of aoli in between the cakes (which, naturally, I avoided) and an awesome salad in the middle. The salad combined with the crab cakes was even more awesome. Great mix of textures and flavors, with a good balance between the semi-acidic vinaigrette on the salad and the crab cakes.

Next, we tried the bacon-wrapped dates. As I do every time I eat a bacon-wrapped date and in my typical "unable to wait for anything" way, I scalded the bejesus out of my mouth. I'm not sure when I'll learn that these suckers are ALWAYS too hot to eat when they first come out, but I hope it's soon. Once I was able to breathe again, I was raving about these puppies. They're dates, which provide a pop of sweetness and moisture, offset by a dollop of goat cheese, all wrapped in crispy bacon. Piping hot, but absolutely amazing.
Per the picture, the presentation could use some work, but don't judge a book by its cover. Great balance of salty, sweet and a little tang. Definitely do the dates.

Then there was the portabella mushroom plate from the list of daily specials. The portabellas were a tad bit oily for my taste, but overall the dish was innovative and solidly executed. The portabella mushroom was topped with roasted red pepper, a little heap of pulled pork and a thin slice of melted Manchego cheese. I have never seen pulled pork in any sort of tapas before, but I welcome its presence anywhere and everywhere. The balance of flavors and textures was tasty. I'd like to eat it again.



The fourth dish to roll out was baked goat cheese, served with crispy garlic crostini. Solid dish featuring a tasty marinara sauce to provide an acidic foil against the creamy goat cheese. I will say that I think they left the goat cheese under the broiler a little too long, as the top was not as soft as I'd have liked. That said, I like to mix my goat cheese in with my marinara and it was slightly harder to do, so it might just be an issue of personal preference. Patty loved it.

The next dish was the garlic shrimp. They were big, meaty shrimp that were perfectly done and served in a bath of hot olive oil with sliced cloves of garlic and red pepper flakes. These are some great shrimp. A classic combination that's well-executed.

FYI: so far, Patty and I have cleaned every plate. (Minus two lonely crostinis from the goat cheese, but mostly that was because we deal heftily in our goat cheese and marinara to crostini ratio.)

Next up, we found ourselves facing the patatas bravas. These are like mini potato wedges that have been deep fried into golden glory and then are served with two dipping sauces: a spicy red sauce and a garlic aioli. Ideally, you'd dip these little potato bites into the spicy red sauce and then temper that out with some of the garlic aioli. I did this a couple of times, but as with buffalo wings, what I really want is spice. With wings, I never utilize the blue cheese dressing. I just like things to be hot with little to no relief. I don't know why. Consequently, most of my potatoes were consumed sans aioli, but Patty was loving the combo sauce approach.

At this point, we did have some stragglers on the patatas bravas plate. We knew we still had Spanish meatballs coming our way and we were trying to gear up for that. The Spanish meatballs were good, although the photo didn't really come out. There were four meatballs served atop a bed of saffron-seasoned rice. The texture of the rice was slightly off. It wasn't quite risotto texture, although it reminded me a a little bit of that. If the rice had been a little creamier, it'd have been extremely reminiscent of risotto. Unfortunately, it was a little gummy. Still tasty, but a creamier texture would have been ideal. The meatballs themselves were pretty good, but played best when paired with a bite of the saffron-infused rice.

In the end, Patty and I polished off everything but two crostini and a handful of patatas braves. Not bad. And the food was excellent. The chef/owner was very impressed with our display of bravado and bull-headed ability to eat ourselves into massive food comas just to prove that...we could. He was also quite knowledgeable and friendly, going out of his way to make sure that we were having a good time. I also thought that it was nice of him to warn us it might be too much food; it's rare that a place will stop you from over-ordering. He seems to genuinely look out for his customers. I really hope that this place does well.

Bull-eh-dias! is a solid neighborhood place. Because there are so many great menu options, I'd ideally come in with a group, so that you're able to try more small plates without the risk of spontaneous combustion. However, if you have more self control than Patty and myself, it's also a great place to come with a friend or a date and share a few small plates and a pitcher of sangria. I suppose not everyone makes every meal a competitive eating showcase. For those of you that fit that description, good for you. I'm afraid it's still a foreign concept for at least two of us.

Monday, July 26, 2010

blackbird

I had the pleasure of having lunch with my friend Maggie at blackbird on Friday. Mags works at Food & Wine, so she's a blackbird pro, but it was my first time. (Cross it off the bucket list!)

I have to confess that I couldn't bring myself to take many pictures of the food at blackbird. I'm sorry. Given the pristine, minimalist atmosphere in the restaurant, I felt like it was almost blasphemous to bust out my phone for every single dish. Basically, I wimped out. Which of course, I regret now.

Something that everyone should know is that blackbird offers a fabulous prixe fixe lunch option -- $22 for 3 courses. This is definitely worth the money if you are looking to enjoy an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. You should also know that Maggie and I decided to forgo this, since she was dying to get the pork belly sandwich (her favorite thing to order for lunch there) and I really wanted a croque madame, neither of which were featured among the prixe fixe options that day.

I also have to confess that I was a little hungover when I enjoyed lunch at blackbird. This is part of what made a croque madame so appealing -- and also prevented me from trying their acclaimed baby octopus confit appetizer. Couldn't do it. Not on Friday. (Damn you, country night at Houndstooth. You were glorious, but you made dining adventurously a challenge on Friday at noon.)

Ok, enough caveats. On to what we DID enjoy for lunch. Maggie made the brilliant recommendation of splitting the endive salad, which is probably the coolest salad I've seen/eaten -- maybe ever. It's such a work of art. The menu describes it as follows: "Salad of endives with baby lettuces, potato, basil, dijon, pancetta and poached egg." The entire salad is served in a nest of crispy potato, with the endive leaves peeking out artfully from the top. A poached egg sits atop baby mixed greens, herbs and pancetta. Once you break that egg, the entire thing is covered in yoke-y goodness. This salad is fabulous. It is like a delicious combination of breakfast (poached egg, crispy potatoes and pancetta) and lunch (endive, baby greens, basil, dijon, etc.). You have to try it.

We also tried an order of the soup of the day, mostly because it was a chilled lettuce soup and I was intrigued by this. It was poured into our bowls over lumps of halibut (also chilled) and a cheese that was artfully spread at the base of the bowl. The soup was just all right. The halibut was good and the soup (made from Romaine lettuce) was interesting, but it paled in comparison to the endive salad.

As I mentioned, Maggie enjoyed the pork belly sandwich, a highlight of the blackbird lunch menu and frequently featured in the prixe fixe menu option... just not that day. It sounded amazing. The only reason I didn't order the pork belly sandwich myself is that I realized I'd eaten pork belly 3 times in the past week already and decided I needed to branch out. But it looked amazing and she was thoroughly pleased. Here's how blackbird describes it: "organic pork belly sandwich with cabbage slaw, dijonnaise, winter vegetable salad and garlic frites." I will definitely order it the next time I'm there for lunch.

My croque madame was JUST what the doctor ordered, especially given my slightly hungover state. I mean, this is an amazing sandwich. A croque madame is basically a hot ham and cheese served with a fried egg on top. And not surprisingly, the better quality the ingredients are, the better the end result is. This one was served on buttery toasted bread, which houses delicious house-cured ham, melty Swiss cheese and red onion. Lastly, it is topped with an organic fried egg and served with some truly fantastic pommes frites. Everything on my plate was perfect in every way. I want to eat this again and again.

Both Maggie and I enjoyed our extremely rich sandwiches so much that we were too full to even split dessert (a rarity). But that only means that I'll have to come back to blackbird to give those a try. The desserts on the menu that day sounded both tasty and interesting, which is in keeping with the reputation that Paul Kahan (Executive Chef) and Mike Sheerin (Chef de Cuisine) have built for blackbird.

In fact, Mike Sheerin was named "Chef of the Year" in the recently released (and always eagerly anticipated by Chicago foodies) "Restaurants Issue" of CS. It's certainly not the first award Sheerin was won for his work at blackbird; he was also named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs this year.
But if you want to see what all of the acclaim is about, you'd better make that reservation... In the same CS "Restaurant Issue," Sheerin is quoted as saying that he is plotting his own solo project and intends to launch within the next year -- or two, at the most.

Get in while the getting's good!

Pricing Info: Maggie's and my two entrees plus two appetizers and two soft drinks came to a total of $46. So even if you don't do the prixe fixe menu, you can still get lunch at a hot Chicago restaurant for under $25.

Fun fact: blackbird is named after the slang term for the Merlot grape. Kinda cool, I thought.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

FineDineDeal Launches

There's a new game in town when it comes to foodie deals. FineDineDeal launched this weekend, with the mission of making finer dining a little more accessible to the everyday Chicagoan.

Thanks, FineDineDeal. Here's how it works: the website allows you to pre-purchase a discounted multi-course meal (a la pre fixe menus) and secure a reservation at some of the city's finest dining establishments.

Some examples of participating restaurants include Sunda, mk, Le Colonial, Prosecco and onesixty blue. I can tell you that I plan to partake in this little deal for many of the restaurants I just listed -- and there are more options available on their website at http://www.finedinedeal.com/search

Once you go to the site, you enter in the date and time for which you're seeking a reservation. If you'd like, you can also enter a specific restaurant you'd like to try. After that information has been entered, the results will populate on the next page. If you entered a specific restaurant, it'll tell you about the menu available that day and the price associated with it. If you didn't select a specific menu and left it at "All Chicago Restaurants," the site will provide you with a list of possible restaurants, menus and reservation times available for your desired date/time.

Pretty cool. I'm already a gigantic Groupon junkie, so things should get interesting with FineDineDeal thrown in the mix.

Definitely let me know what you try -- and how it works out for you. You know you'll hear from me!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Sea Dog Blue Paw

I discovered Sea Dog Blue Paw, one of my absolute favorite summer beers, at one of my favorite bars in Chicago. Small Bar in Wicker Park is one of the best beer bars in the city; its selection of beers on tap, in bottles and cans, too, is seemingly endless. Currently, they have over 150 beers available at their Division location.

The bar is what it says: small. The tiny exterior is supplemented by a cute little outdoor patio, which provides some great people watching down the increasingly popular strip of bars and restaurants on Division. (InnJoy and The Fifty/50 are nearby neighbors that also have beer gardens and lots of fun people to watch.)

Jeff and I stumbled upon this little bar a couple of years ago when we were waiting for a table at what would become one of my favorite pizza places in the city, Crust, which is also Chicago's first all-organic restaurant. (Amazing. More on this in a later post.) When the people at Crust hand out the little blinky thing that tells you when your table is ready, they tell you that you can head to some of the bars around Crust for drinks while you wait. Small Bar looked cute, so we moseyed on in. Both of us were amazed at the beer selection and Jeff also loved that it's a huge FIFA soccer bar, which are few and far between in this city.

Now, I'm normally a dark beer girl, but I've been known to stray from my porters and stouts on hot summer nights. While looking over the extensive beer menu, I was intrigued by this Sea Dog Blue Paw wheat blueberry beer. I ordered a bottle and as soon as the bartender opened it, I was pleasantly overcome by what smelled like a batch of blueberry muffins fresh from the oven. Very cool.

I poured the beer into my glass and took a sip. I discovered a true wheat beer that somehow also comes across as being chock full of fresh Maine blueberries. It's not a cider, so it's not overly sweet. This is a real beer, but perfect for summer with the freshness of the blueberries, light carbonation and a crisp finish.

Last night, I was pleased to discover that they now carry it at my other favorite beer bar in the city, The Bad Apple in Lincoln Square. (More on that in a later post as well.)

In the meantime, be on the lookout for this standout at your favorite bars and restaurants and give it a try. Blueberry muffins and beer make a surprisingly great combination!

FYI: Small Bar has since opened up two additional locations -- one on Fullerton and one in Logan Square. To learn more, visit http://www.thesmallbar.com/

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Best Dishes: Rigatoni Alla Buttera at Coco Pazzo

Every week, readers of The Chicago Tribune's Play section tell the editors about their favorite dishes in Chicagoland restaurants.

As I was perusing the options this morning, I noticed that it features one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes at one of my very favorite Italian restaurants: the Rigatoni at Coco Pazzo.

I was going to write about Farmers' Markets in Chicago today, but the thought of the Rigatoni alla Buttera stopped me cold. I knew what I had to do: talk about Coco Pazzo.

Coco Pazzo is a River North restaurant that serves Tuscan cuisine -- both contemporary and traditional -- and places a strong emphasis on freshness of ingredients. This focus is evident in their dishes, which take everyday Italian well above and beyond the familiar. Their bread is baked in-house daily; their pastas are all handmade fresh each day. The menu changes frequently in order to enable the chefs to use the freshest ingredients possible.

However, one menu staple is the Rigatoni alla Buttera... And thank God. It is so wonderful. Every time I'm there, I have to order at least an appetizer portion of the Rigatoni. (If you'd like, you can create a main course of 2 or 3 appetizer portions of their pastas. I've been known to do this on at least a few occasions.) But I digress. Back to the Rigatoni.

The fresh Rigatoni pasta (my favorite shape for its propensity to pick up the perfect amount of sauce -- and peas, in this instance) is served in an impeccable tomato cream sauce with fennel sausage and peas. I know, I know, I talk about balance a lot, but I do believe it's so much of what makes a truly great dish. Not surprisingly, you've got it here. Pasta and tomato cream sauce is always a beautiful combination, with the acidity of a typical tomato sauce playing nicely off of the richness of a hint of cream. However, when you throw in the spice and depth of some fennel sausage and the sweetness of peas, it's really taken to the next level. Texturally speaking, this dish is flawless. The pasta and sausage provide substance, the peas a pop of freshness and there is just enough smooth, rich sauce to tie the entire dish together flawlessly.

Eat this. Immediately. And while you're there, don't hesitate to try the gnocchi and the risotto of the day. Both are always spectacular (and frequently make up pasta options 2 & 3 on my plate).

While you're dining, don't hesitate to sample their award winning 200+ wine list. I can't tell you how many delicious bottles I've tried here. Their servers are extremely knowledgeable in the fine art of wine pairings and can definitely assist your table in finding the perfect fit(s) for your meal.

Their desserts are also awesome. My favorites (and at this point, I've tried almost the entire list) are the panna cotta, the travoletta and the fondente. The panna cotta is an eggless vanilla bean custard, served with caramel sauce and fresh berries. And it's out of this world. The travoletta takes richness to a new level with Gianduja mousse, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate hazelnut crunch and raspberry coulis. The fondente is a warm flourless chocolate cake served with cappucino gelato. Unbelievable. That said, every dessert I've had here has been great, these are just my top three.

Also not to be missed is their selection of gelatos. Truly amazing. You get a little trio of flavors, so you don't have to pick just one. These vary, but my favorite is the stracciatella -- just as it was when Jenny and I were traveling through Italy and making up to 3 gelato stops daily. (BTW, stracciatella is similar to chocolate chip ice cream.)

The only dessert on the menu that I haven't tried is the dolce limone, which is described as candied lemon cream, amarena cherries, marscapone sorbet and amaretti crumble. Suffice to say, I'll be giving that a whirl next time I'm there.

Oh my gosh, Coco Pazzo. You make me so happy.

To learn more about Coco Pazzo, visit http://www.cocopazzochicago.com/coco-pazzo.html

To check out The Chicago Tribune's Must-Try Dishes for this week, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/chi-100224-chicago-best-dishes-pictures,0,7166686.photogallery

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Worth The Wait

Mad props, Stephanie Izard and the crew from the Boka restaurant group. Girl and the Goat was absolutely worth the wait, the hoaxes and the menu changes you threw our way before actually opening.

The first thing I will say is that the staff is friendly and totally accommodating. Every single person we interacted with had a great attitude, even though the place is packed to the gills and has been featured in every publication, blog and foodie website known to man in the past week since its opening. The staff is just plain pleasant -- and it seems truly genuine. So refreshing. Score 1, Izard. Who, by the way, was present and in front of the open kitchen, checking every single dish that went out. Score 2, Izard.

We waited about a half an hour past our 7:00 p.m. reservation time, which is to be expected when you hit up a new restaurant within the first week of opening. So we meandered over to the bar and had some drinks. I'm a sucker for Albarino, so I had to order a glass of that. It was perfect for a hot summer night. My uber-foodie friend Meg started out with a Smoking Jacket, a cocktail comprised of
Bourbon, house-made grenadine and lime. We were sold on the house-made grenadine, but since the head mixologist of the Boka restaurant group is in charge of cocktails at Girl and the Goat, we were pretty sure they'd all be fantastic. The Smoking Jacket was delicious: not overly sweet, with a good balance between the bourbon, the acidity of the lime juice and just a hint of sweetness from the grenadine.

We sat down at our table and were a little disappointed to learn that the acclaimed fat bread we'd all read about was not on the menu that night. Our disappointment faded fast when the two appetizers we ordered instead arrived. We got the corny goat, aka bread made with goat cheese, served warm with whipped goat cheese and corn relish. It was AMAZING. The smokey back fat, a pig's back fat whipped and served over a mixture of bourbon and caramelized onions, was paired with biscuits and was sold in to us as tasting "like the best bacon cheeseburger you've ever had." This is an apt description. The dish was so light and so airy, but absolutely had the flavor of an amazing bacon cheeseburger. So cool. Back fat has never been so appealing.

From that point on, the parade of small plates began. And it was glorious. Izard recommends ordering 2-3 small plates per person. You don't have to tell us twice. We went to town immediately.

The first dish that came out was green beans with fish sauce and cashews. It sounds weird, but it was definitely one of the highlights of the meal. The green beans were so fresh (clearly from one of the farmers' markets cited at the base of the menu) and the pairing with the fish sauce and cashews was a home run from both a flavor and texture standpoint. Green beans never had it so good. The second dish that arrived was the crispy pig face. Yes, that's right. It's not for the faint of heart. The dish is comprised of all edible parts of a pig's face, which are then combined, rolled up in a pig's tongue, sliced and fried to crispy perfection. The crispy patties are placed atop a perfectly executed chimichurri sauce and then topped with a fresh arugula salad. Holy God, a pig's face contains some tender meat. It was so good -- and expertly paired with the sauce and the arugula. All three of us were totally blown away.

Next, they rolled out the seasonal specialty that is soft shell crab, sitting on top of the veritable throne of a beautifully done mixture of farmers' market favorites: bicolor corn (fresh off the cob) and tiny potatoes. As a final touch, the crab was lightly drizzled with a chipotle aioli. It was such an incredible blend of flavors: perfect soft shell crab with fresh summer vegetables and a hint of spicy creaminess. Seasonally conscious and fabulous.

Before we knew it, we were looking at the smoked goat pizza, which is a flatbread topped with smoked goat, ricotta cheese, grilled onions and raw kale. I am sorry to say it since this plate features one of the restaurant's namesakes, but this was the most disappointing dish we had tonight. The kale was overpowering. The smoked goat was done to perfection and the ricotta and grilled onion paired well with it. But everything on the flatbread took a backseat to the kale. I am not going to tell the Top Chef what to do, but I would try spinach or arugula as alternatives if I were recreating the dish myself.

At this point, it was time to try some more drinks. I tried the Girl and The Goat Viognier, which Izard blended herself out in Walla Walla, Washington. I mean, if a restaurant has blended its own wine, you can bet I'm going to try it. The wine was a little sharp at the start, probably due to the fact that it's most likely a pretty young one, but was great once it had a little air up in it. I swear, it was like a different wine after a little swirling and a little time. Really tasty. Meg took this opportunity to order an Old-Fashioned, which impressed her very much. (Laura stuck to the fab Albarino, which is a steal for $9 a glass.)

And, it seems, Girl and The Goat had saved the best part of the meal for last. The final two dishes we ordered were a recommendation from our server, since there were still tons of plates we wanted to try but we were quickly running out of room in our stomachs.

Enter the clams and the ham frites. The clams were served in a bath of awesome: a fennel broth, shards of fresh fennel and out of this world house-made fennel-infused sausage. The clams were phenomenal. The perfect bite includes clam, sausage and some fresh fennel. And the ham frites were the ideal accompaniment. Ham frites, in case you're curious, are french fries rolled in ham salt. (Ham salt is created by dehydrating ham, pulverizing it and then tossing it with a bunch of salt.) These little frites are served up with two dipping sauces: a smoky tomato aioli and some sort of delicious smoked Swiss cheese-based sauce. If you're creeps like us, you can refuse to part with your whipped goat cheese, which you'll also use as a dipping sauce for your ham frites. But as it turns out, the best dipping sauce of all for the frites is actually the broth from the clams! A-freaking-mazing on every single count.

Although we thought we were about to explode, we ordered two desserts. Again, our rock star server Lindsey came through in the clutch and recommended the potato "doughnuts," served with fresh figs, honey and some kind of crazy yogurt. We also ordered the fudgsicle, which featured olive oil gelato along with some sort of fudgy chocolate gooey business and a crunchy, salty chocolate crisp. To top it all off tableside, the server pours in the "dragon's milk," which is actually a rich dark stout. This has crazy complexity for a dessert, both in terms of its flavor profile and from a texture standpoint. Don't be afraid. Embrace olive oil gelato. As soon as possible.

In the end, the food is fresh and innovative (read: fantastic); the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive; and the space is awesome.
I like the chef and I absolutely love her restaurant. This girl will be returning to the Goat ASAP.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

O-VER-RA-TED

I won't lie. Chicago has a few places/things that receive a lot of hype, but that I absolutely think are overrated.

Here's a list -- and some reasons why:

Market. I know people loooove Market; I just can't understand why. The food is decent -- but really nothing to write home about. (That's right, even the mac n cheese muffins.) The staff has an attitude and I fail to understand why this is the case. I know I'm not the professional athlete at the table next to me, but that dude just got into a full-fledged domestic dispute with a woman at his table and your security team did absolutely nothing but walk around and observe. His teammate stepped in -- luckily for your sweet staff -- but seriously? You're going to let this go on on your patio and you're going to get the rep for being a place to be seen? Yeah, not my scene.

Neither is the rooftop at Market. It's basically a whole lot of people under the impression they're important trying way too hard to look and act cool. We got a cabana. We got some drinks. And it was fine. And that was about it.


In the future, I'll take a pass and try some of the new rooftop spaces Chicago has to offer. But in the meantime, one I've been to and can recommend is the Vertigo Sky Lounge at the Dana Hotel. Also worth trying is the Terrace at the Trump. You'll pay a pretty penny for drinks, but the view is fabulous and so is the service. You may
also consider the rooftop at Bottom Lounge for a gorgeous view with a more laid-back, rocker vibe. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not. Go there and you'll see what I mean.

Frontera Grill. I love you and everything you stand for, Rick Bayless. I love your commitment to authenticity. I love that you honor the invaluable truths that are sustainability and locally-sourced food. Your drinks are delicious. But I think Frontera gets more hype than it deserves. I am sorry. I wish I didn't have to say that. Frontera is good, maybe even great. But Frontera is not the gift sent from God everyone thinks it is. Honestly, no matter how good it is, there is no restaurant that could live up to the praise Frontera has received. It's not your fault, Frontera. I still rank your blood orange margarita as one of the absolute best drinks I've ever had.

May Street Market's Cupcake Flight. This is another example of a place that is good, but has received so much positive press that it couldn't possibly deliver. I know cupcakes, and May Street Market, yours are pretty good. But they are dry in comparison to some of the cupcake giants in this town (read: Sweet Mandy B's, Alliance Bakery, Sweet Honeybee Bakery). Just saying. I know you play around with cool flavor combinations, but there's not a lot that can save a dry cupcake. All of that said, go and support May Street Market. It really does have delicious entrees and is another amazing restaurant committed to the mission of serving locally-grown, sustainable food. I just don't get why their cupcake flight gets so much darn press.

Fireplace Inn. Granted, I wandered in unsuspectingly one night when the UFC championships happened to be on TV. For whatever reason, this place is UFC championship headquarters. It was completely packed and the servers were incredibly rude. Ladies, I get that it's a tough night. I've been you. Which means I have a lot of patience until you're ungodly rude to me -- and you manage to get ALL of my drink orders wrong. However, since it's too crowded to bother correcting you, I'll just drink my beer as fast as possible and flee. I have heard great things about their vodka lemonades, so I will be back... but for now, Fireplace Inn is on my list of places that just aren't worth it. Prove me wrong next time. I am begging you.

Perennial. I have to give this place mad props for atmosphere. It's a really freaking cool space. And it's a pretty convenient location. However, the food doesn't deliver. Since it's run by the same peeps that run the much-heralded Boka, I came in expecting the same dining experience. What I got was mediocre food in an awesome space. Since I'm ultimately about substance over style (although I DO love it when you get both -- ahem, Piccolo Sogno), this is a fail in my book. If you serve me food that's just okay, the setting isn't going to make up for it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have...

Spring. Dear Spring, the space you are in feels way too corporate and way too cold to be a restaurant. My friend Jeff likened it to a hotel lobby -- and that's pretty much dead on. Your food is delicious, but the space you've chosen ruins the ambiance it's obvious that you've tried so painstakingly hard to create. If this restaurant only had a more intimate feel, it'd be an exponentially improved experience for diners. However, keep it up with what you've got going on with the food -- fabulous.

That's it for now. What did I miss? Are there any other places you think are crazily overrated? Or did I miss the mark here -- have you had really positive experiences at any of the above places? Let me know!

Monday, July 19, 2010

BIG STAR = BIG WINNER

I have been dying to go to Big Star since it opened, but hadn't made it over since I just haven't been around Bucktown much lately. However, I couldn't wait any longer and some friends and I made plans to go for a late lunch/early happy hour.

For those who haven't heard, Big Star is the latest "street food" venture by well-known gourmet chefs. The main man behind Big Star is Chef Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Avec and Publican acclaim. Let me tell you, the man knows what he's doing with this honkey tonk taco stand in the former Pontiac Cafe space on Damen -- and he's gotta be bringing home big money. The place is crowded at all times.

My friends and I snagged seats on their patio. Big Star specializes in whiskey and is supposed to have some pretty amazing cocktails, as the man running the libations part of this show is the same mastermind behind Big Star's famous neighbor, The Violet Hour. Though it was tempting, we felt that 2:00 p.m. was a little too early to start hitting the hard stuff. Instead, we decided on some Tecate (and Miller High Life).
And then we concentrated on the menu.

Naturally, I ordered pretty much everything on it. Literally. We ordered some chips and guacamole and some queso fundido to start. The guacamole was delicious. It may rival Adobo in terms of delicious gauc in Chicago. The chips were a little bit hit or miss in terms of uniform crispiness, but the guac absolutely made up for them.

The queso fundido was absolutely the best queso fundido I've had in a long time. It was layers of deliciousness -- a layer of roasted poblano peppers, followed by chorizo, followed by delicious melted cheese. It was savory and spicy and a little bit sweet mixed with gooey cheesy goodness. I need to eat it again soon.

Then I ordered four tacos... for myself. But most importantly, between the three of us, here's what we had:

Tacos Al Pastor (traditional pork shoulder with grilled pineapple)
Tacos de Borrego (lamb shoulder)
Tacos de Panza (pork belly)
Tacos de Raza de Poblano (poblano chilis)
Tostada de Pollo (chicken tostada)

The Tacos al Pastor were awesome. The sweetness of the grilled pineapple is the perfect complement to the savory pork shoulder. A classic favorite done well.

The Tacos de Panza, with pork belly and a fabulous tomato-guajillo sauce, topped off with onions, cilantro and queso fresco, were probably my favorite of the tacos I tried. The savory richness of the pork belly was tempered by the sauce and the onions. The cilantro added some freshness and the queso fresco balanced everything out. This was probably my favorite menu item. Definitely give it a try.

The Tacos de Raza de Poblano were also tasty -- a nice combination of roasted sweetness from the poblanos, along with some cheesy, creamy goodness and a hint of spice. Well done.


The Tacos de Borrego were the low point of my meal for the simple reason that it lacked the complexity I found in the rest of the dishes I tried. I love lamb and think it's great that more and more chefs are doing interesting things with it. However, it's a tricky meat since it is so rich (read: fatty) and can have a flavor that may be too gamey for some people's taste. The Tacos de Borrego fell victim to lamb's richness. It was overwhelming -- even thought the taco also featured radishes (interesting!) and queso fresco. Maybe I just got a taco that didn't have enough radish because that flavor should do the trick to cut into the richness and balance it out. Instead, it just tasted like I was eating flour tortilla, lamb and queso fresco. Disappointing.

The Tostada de Pollo was fabulous -- and I even went ahead and got it with the poblano crema (big step since I absolutely abhor sour cream -- and all creamy condiments really)! It was so well done. The flavors combined perfectly -- and there were many layers of them. The tostada was crispy, the chicken thigh was perfectly cooked, the black beans added depth, the crema was not overwhelming and added a cool creaminess. The spices and red onions added a pop of fresh flavor that rounded the whole thing out impeccably.

The service was great -- everyone from the hostess to the servers were super friendly and attentive. I'm happy to report that I didn't experience any attitude here, despite the fact that it's on everyone's hot list. And with good reason, since the food's delicious and it is home to one of the absolute best patios in the city. The people-watching is incredible. Such a fun place to spend an afternoon. (And by the way, our tab only came out to a total of $63 for food and drink for three people, all of whom had between 3-4 beers each. Awesome.)

I can't wait to get back to Big Star to try everything else on the menu -- and I'll definitely be ordering up some more Tacos Al Pastor, Tacos de Panza and Tostadas de Pollo. Since
I didn't try any whiskey or cocktails during this visit, I absolutely plan to do so next time around.

Way to live up to the hype, Big Star. See you again soon.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Food on the Move

Food trucks. They're all over NYC. It's about time the movement hit Chicago. But the city makes it pretty tricky to get the licensing needed in order to roam around the city distributing food to the masses via vehicle. That said, some new companies have popped up to take their food to the streets of Chicago.

Keep an eye out for Flirty Cupcakes, which was started by two ladies who had the dream of distributing cupcakes from a sky blue van. Sound creepy? It's not. It's really cute actually. And the purveyors couldn't be nicer.

To my delight, I happened upon the Flirty Cupcakes van on Southport, right in front of Mystic Celt, on my way home from work one day. The cupcakes are pricey (in part because their operating costs are a little higher due to some regulations by the city -- like that any/all cupcakes they distribute must be packaged), but it's definitely an experience.

I personally don't think that the cupcakes are as good as the ones from my favorite bakeries (Sweet Mandy B's, Sweet Honeybee and Alliance), but they are tasty and super cute. My favorite flavor was the Curious George -- banana and chocolate cupcake with salted caramel buttercream frosting. I also enjoyed the PB&C -- a peanut butter and chocolate concoction. The Red Velvet was solid, but the No Plain Jane (vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting) was kind of boring. Probably not enough vanilla. And no, I'm not kidding. The main issue I had with these cupcakes is that they're dry. I'm not sure why that is, since a pastry chef bakes fresh batches every morning... But that was my experience with the four that I tried.

Love the idea and think they've done a great job creating buzz around the project. Who doesn't love happening upon some cupcakes unexpectedly?! However, if you'd like to stalk them down and know where they're going to be ahead of time, you can do that, too. Follow them on Twitter with the handle FlirtyCupcakes here: http://twitter.com/FlirtyCupcakes.

And now two more lady entrepreneurs are taking their homemade popsicles on the road -- via bike and trike. They are called the Popsicle Princesses and liken themselves to the tamale guys who come into bars and sell tamales to all of the drunk peeps. This weekend, they were at Pitchfork and also visited Boystown and Andersonville. According to their Twitter feed, the ladies are making more popsicles and will be in Wicker Park in a few days. You can follow the Popsicle Princesses on Twitter using the handle ChicagoPops here: http://twitter.com/ChicagoPops.

To learn more about their philosophy and some of the flavors they offer, check out the recent TimeOut article dedicated to the pop-distributing duo here:
http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/87175/street-food-now-popsicle-princesses

Note: Also be on the lookout for the Sprinklesmobile, another cupcake truck that is going to be roaming around giving away FREE cupcakes for a month to promote the launch of the opening of the Chicago outpost of the acclaimed L.A. cupcake shop. Sprinkles Chicago is slated to open in mid-July, so it should be happening any day now. You'll be able to get your fix at 50 E. Walton Street once the store officially opens its doors.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Chilam Balam: Rookie of the Year?

As soon as I heard about Lakeview's new Mexican BYOB Chilam Balam earlier this year, I was busting out emails left and right to assemble my foodie posse and give this place a try. A super young chef who cut his teeth at both Frontera and Adobo -- and whose philosophy stresses the importance of using seasonal, local ingredients and sustainability? I smelled the potential for greatness.

Chilam Balam delivered in every sense of the word. Some friends and I went shortly after it opened and I am obsessed with it. Warning ahead of time: the space is small and it is still drawing huge crowds. This means that there is always a wait and the restaurant gets loud. Don't bring Grandpa.

It's a new season since I dined there, so the menu may be different now -- but don't worry, the high quality local, seasonal ingredients are what really drive the greatness behind the dishes. And I'm confident that's still the case.

Nonetheless, when we went...
Three of us ordered six small plates and I got an order of the soup, which was corn with cream topped with Shitake mushrooms.
The soup was honestly some of the most delicious soup I've ever had. Every single small plate was impressive: the halibut ceviche, the memelas, the flautas, the two salads (one greens with poblano dressing, the other heirloom tomato) and the empanadas. The balance the chef executed within each of the dishes was probably the most impressive part of the meal -- and he did it again and again.

For dessert, we ordered the chocolate chili mousse with a spiced goat cheese center and empanadas filled with peanut butter and served with black mission fig and chocolate sauces. The empanadas were the shining star -- completely outstanding -- but the chocolate chili mousse was tasty as well.

Just thinking about the empanadas makes me realize I need to get back there ASAP!
A foodie friend I went with says she literally dreams about them sometimes.

I'd highly recommend Chilam Balam: a restaurant on a mission to preserve the planet with delicious food for reasonable prices.

To learn more about Chilam Balam, visit their website:

http://www.chilambalamchicago.com/

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Berry Moon: Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt

The only thing that I love more than regular frozen yogurt places are self-serve frozen yogurt places. New Berry Moon in Lincoln Park is my new favorite frozen yogurt place in the city.

I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of the kefir/tart yogurt places that have been popping up all over, so I'm really glad to find a place that offers both options -- in a self-serve situation!

Berry Moon offers ten flavors of frozen yogurt (which vary) and tons of options for toppings, ranging from fruit to candy to sauces to Lucky Charms marshmallows and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Some of the toppings are pictured at left and vary as well.

Tonight I tried the cake batter and dutch chocolate frozen yogurt flavors, with a tiny bit of white chocolate frozen yogurt and rainbow sprinkles to top it off. Yes, I am a weirdo. I wanted my yogurt to taste like cake with frosting. And it did!

As usual when allowed to serve myself, I overserved myself. Not surprisingly, I ended up with a very full cup of frozen yogurt and sprinkles. The total came out to almost $5 and it was well worth every penny. My roommates and I all agreed that we'll be back to this place with a vengeance.

Berry Moon is located at 2618 N. Clark Street, between Wrightwood and Drummond Place. Definitely head on over and serve yourself something delicious.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Gemini Bistro - A New French Fave In LP

I've drafted my foodie bucket list and fully intend to blog about every experience as I'm able to check each glorious place off my list, but want to post about some of my current favorite Chicago restaurants in the meantime.

One of them is definitely Lincoln Park's Gemini Bistro. When Old Town Brasserie closed, I was heartbroken. I absolutely LOVED that place. So I was very excited to hear about a promising new bistro closer to my house.

When my mom asked where I'd like to celebrate my birthday with her on a beautiful day in May, it was an easy choice. And we were not disappointed.


Gemini Bistro has a pretty al fresco dining area, a stylish interior atmosphere, great service and most importantly, delicious (and surprisingly affordable) bistro cuisine.


To start, Kath and I both had their Squirtzky cocktails, which were quite refreshing. We kicked off the dining with their creamless tomato soup (which comes with a tiny, but outstanding grilled cheese) and their version of a Mediterranean salad. Both were absolutely delicious and obviously made with high quality ingredients.


We each ordered the steak frites with the filet mignon option -- and they arrived done to perfection. Mine was perfectly medium and my mom's was actually medium-well, which is impressive because many restaurants don't get medium-well right. Our waiter recommended an awesome bottle of Meritage to go with the meal -- and he was right, it was the perfect wine for the job. (I'm not usually a Meritage girl, but the man knew what he was talking about.)


The service was knowledgeable and attentive, but not overbearing... And they finished the meal off with a complimentary skillet cookie compete with two candles. I love this place and will definitely be back!

To find out more about Gemini Bistro, visit their website here: http://www.geminibistrochicago.com/

Lollapalooza: A Better Taste of Chicago

So my boyfriend* Graham Elliot Bowles was named the Culinary Director of Lollapalooza 2010, which is understandable after the crazy success of his booth at Lolla last year. Everyone wanted a piece of his lobster corn dogs, so the place was packed and sold out daily.

Well, apparently Lolla took notice and put him in charge of helping them get even more amazingly delicious food at the fest this year. Thanks in large part to Graham, many of the biggest names in Chicago dining are coming in hot with treats for all at the music fest that gets bigger and better (and hotter than a blazing inferno) every year.

All right, without further ado, on to the list of new restaurants added to Lolla's 2010 Chow Town:

Big Star
Bleeding Heart
Blue 13
Burrito Beach
Elate at The Hotel Felix
Franks ‘N’ Dawgs
Graham Elliot
Hoosier Mama Pie Company
Kuma’s Corner
The Metropolis Café
more cupcakes
Rockit Bar and Grill
Seedling
Sunda
The Smoke Daddy Rhythm and Bar B Que
The Southern
Trotter’s to Go

I mean, that is like a veritable "Who's Who" of Chicago dining -- and he may not even be done adding venues yet! Dare I say I'm even more excited about the food at Lolla than the music this year?

As such, I'll be armed and ready to go on August 6th, trying as many of these amazing places' offerings as possible -- and spending all the money I saved on my ticket by scoring one of the $60 3-day passes. And it will be worth it.

Move over Adam Richman: For those three days, it's going to be "Nan vs. Food."


*Creep Disclaimer: I only wish Graham Elliot Bowles was my boyfriend. We are not actually dating. Nor does he have any idea who I am. Awesome.

Monday, July 12, 2010

girl & the goat opens today

This is not a test. I repeat, this is not a test.

Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard's much-anticipated West Loop restaurant, Girl and the Goat, is finally opening tonight!

The restaurant's opening has been delayed multiple times (and a few months), but Izard's been doing a great job building buzz and keeping people excited about her new place with the goat buttons that she's been distributing at various events throughout the city, including the fabulous Green City Market.

Izard gave out a total of 1,000 of these quirky numbered buttons and then drew 25 winners' numbers at random. These lucky peeps have already enjoyed a preview dinner prior to tonight's opening. I am jealous.

But don't you worry; I've already made my reservation and will be providing you with a play-by-play early next week.

To learn more about Girl and the Goat in the meantime, check out this site:
http://www.thrillist.com/links/143768

Thursday, July 8, 2010

GRAHAMWICH?!

Graham Elliot Bowles is opening a River North sandwich shop, which will be called "grahamwich." Hilarious. This is one of many reasons I love Graham Elliot Bowles. (The others have to do with his fondness for taking the pretension typically associated with fine dining down about 400 notches by inserting subtle humor and incorporating novelties and childhood faves like Cheese Nips into his incredible culinary creations. And also his appearance on Top Chef Masters, where he came off as hilarious, humble, creative and completely down to earth. Hmm, Anthony Bourdain and Man vs. Food had better watch out; I think there's a new food man making his way into my heart.)

I have been dying to go to graham elliot -- and am counting down the days until Lollapalooza this year in part because I missed out on last year's lobster corn dogs that sold out at his booth EVERY DAY -- and now will add grahamwich to my list as well. Unfortunately, there's not much info out on the new place, which was slated to open in late May/early June. You can visit the website, which is cute but won't tell you much, here: http://www.grahamwich.com/

According to The Stew, we can expect street food and sandwiches at grahamwich, along with homemade sodas in five flavors from hand-pulled tabs. Also look for seasonal soft serve (!!!!), such as a roasted butternut squash ice cream with marshmallow in the fall.


Grubstreet reports that he's shooting for a mid-July opening (we shall see... I hope this is not another Girl & The Goat hoax), but also that he's working on a beer with Goose Island. Clearly, I will be sampling this as soon as it's released.

If you're curious about the new place -- or you just love Graham Elliot like it's your job -- check out the Hideout at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night when he's interviewed by the Red Eye funny man Mark Bazer during "The Interview Show." For more information, visit http://www.hideoutchicago.com/writeups.html#INTERVIEW

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend, which makes me sad because of my love for Graham, but also because Mark Bazer's column in the Red Eye is flipping hilarious. If you're able to make it, PLEASE let me know how it goes!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tango Sur: One More For The BYO Hall Of Fame

24 years ago today, Kelly Dolan (my cousin, neighbor and BFF all rolled into one) was born. As you might imagine, this calls for multiple celebrations -- the first of which was dinner tonight at one of my all-time favorite BYOB restaurants in our hood, Tango Sur.

Tango Sur is an Argentinian steakhouse that has become extremely popular for the following reasons: 1) its amazing food 2) its byob policy 3) its Southport corridor location, which also offers a great al fresco dining option.

We decided to wander over nice and early to ensure we'd get a table. This was wise as the place was completely packed by 7 p.m. on a Wednesday... and with good reason. If you like steakhouses, this place is the best value in the city.

I hadn't been in a while, so I'd forgotten exactly how much bang you get for your buck at this place. When I ordered the $24 chef's special "el filet," a cut of filet mignon with a red onion and wine reduction and a side of spinach mashed potatoes, I was expecting an 8 oz. petite filet -- which would have been totally reasonable. Instead I got two massive 12 oz filets, which were outstanding in quality. (And this means I'll be enjoying filet mignon for lunch at the office tomorrow. Totally normal.) The sauce was well-executed and the mashed potatoes were nothing short of phenomenal. My only possible critique would be that my steak came out much closer to medium-rare than medium. Fortunately, it was still incredible.

Kelly got the same chef's special I did (though I should note that her requested medium-well came out exactly as she'd asked). Our characteristically less adventurous madres ordered the "el lomo," another chef's special featuring a plainer filet mignon served with chimichurri sauce on the side and garlic steak fries. Kath's came out seasoned a little differently than my aunt Patty's, which is kind of random since they ordered the exact same thing, but both were tasty.

We also sampled the provaleta and tortilla appetizers respectively. As someone who has eaten a lot of tortilla espanola in her day, I am happy to report that this one delivers on every level. Quality ingredients yield a great tortilla, but the lemon wedges they serve alongside it are what really put the dish over the edge. I have never had tortilla seasoned with fresh lemon before and was thrilled to discover that it adds a completely new dimension to this old favorite.

If you love cheese, you'll love the provaleta, which is served melted and boiling hot with olive oil and roasted red peppers. Delicious. Nothing shocking or unexpected there, but an absolutely solid appetizer accompanied by some truly well-crafted dinner rolls.

If you haven't been to Tango Sur yet and especially if you just looove a good meat fest at a great value, check out the original Southport location. You can buy a great bottle of wine at Que Syrah, a cute independent wine shop just across the street. The staff are well accustomed to helping diners from Tango Sur pick out the perfect bottle to accompany their meal.

BTW: Tango Sur also recently opened a Wicker Park outpost, but I haven't been over to check it out yet. If you have, let me know if it lives up to the original!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Mediterranean Grill: BYOB(omb)

I had planned on eating at Tank Sushi in Lincoln Square tonight, but unfortunately, I didn't make a reservation and the foodie gods were not on my side. Upon entering at 7:00 p.m., we were told that they were completely full until their last seating at 11 p.m. Note to all: make reservations if you want to dine at Tank.

Fortunately, one of my absolute favorite BYOB restaurants is located nearby -- just steps away from my favorite wine shop in the city. We made a beeline for Fine Wine Brokers and the owner helped us pick out a fabulous bottle of Barbera to go along with our upcoming meal at Mediterranean Grill. (He also made some menu recommendations. Love him.)

Mediterranean Grill doesn't look like much from the outside, but I love me some Mediterranean food and it has gotten great reviews on Yelp. Yelp didn't lie -- this place is the bomb.

Tonight, we got the Mediterranean salad, the chickpea salad, the hummus, an order of falafel, a lamb schwarma sandwich and a BBQ chicken schwarma sandwich. That sounds like a lot of food for two people -- but it was perfect because I loved every single thing we ordered. And the total was a whopping $29 for all of it!

Everything was wonderful, but the highlight of my meal was the new entry on the table -- the BBQ chicken schwarma sandwich, which comes in a pita. I'm not sure what else is in that pita, but it is delicious. The BBQ sauce -- as well as the chicken -- is out of this world on its own, but it's accompanied by a super savory side sauce with just the right amount of heat to add entirely new levels of complexity to the dish. I ate the entire thing and I'll admit that I was completely stuffed after the first half of this sucker. Way too good to waste.

Mediterranean Grill really is one of the best BYOs this city has to offer. Highly, highly recommended.

My Foodie Bucket List

I've been to a lot of restaurants in Chicago -- and a lot of them have been amazing. But since Chicago's a big food town, chock full of talent and with a little bit of a second city chip on its big shoulders, it's always pushing forward and demanding more from itself. Consequently, more amazing new places pop up every week, which -- combined with the sad fact that I'm not independently wealthy -- can make it pretty challenging to conquer all.

To help me stay focused on finding the best of the best I haven't tried, I like to keep a little running list... which I'm sure is not shocking to those of you who know (and love?) me -- and my propensity for lists.

But this list will also give you an idea of some of the things and places you can expect to see on the site as I continue on my culinary journey -- a.k.a. food crawl my way across the city:
  • Alinea
  • Spiaggia
  • Lula Cafe
  • Nightwood
  • The Purple Pig
  • The Publican
  • NoMi
  • mk
  • Japonais
  • Atwood Cafe
  • Cafe de Architectes
  • Cibo Matto
  • Decca
  • Balsan
  • Ria
  • Macku
  • Cumin
  • Thalia Spice
  • Branch 27 (need to get back following big changes in staffing)
  • Arun's
  • Katsu
  • Kuma's Corner
  • Hot Doug's
  • Franks n Dawgs
  • Takashi
  • Duchamp
  • The Bristol
  • Chikurin
  • Urban Belly
  • Belly Shack
  • epic
  • graham elliot
  • Great Lakes Pizza
  • Coalfire
  • Tank
  • Mado
  • Irazu
  • Sapori Trattoria
  • Boka
  • Schwa
  • Sprout
  • Il Mulino
  • Bite
  • Cafe Orchid
  • Los Nopales
  • Opera
  • Mana Food Bar
  • Tiffin
  • Grahamwich
  • Ruxbin Kitchen
  • L20
  • Le Colonial
  • Mercat a la Planxa
  • Turquoise
  • Eve
  • Feed
  • Filter
  • Moto
  • (k)new
  • one. six one
Please let me know if there's anything that I might have missed and should consider for future posts! (And thanks for the great suggestions so far! Keep 'em coming!)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Adobo Grill Guacamole Still Reigns Supreme

I love guacamole. I used to make it multiple times a week -- experimenting with different variations on my recipe and loving every minute -- until I was forced to acknowledge that my mass avocado/chip consumption was making me fat as a bastard.

Though I've cut back on quantity since then, I have a hard time imagining a more perfect summer scenario than enjoying some quality chips and guacamole with margaritas (or delicious Mexican beers) and good friends on an outdoor patio.

Enter Adobo Grill. While I've had mixed experiences with their entrees, nothing beats their guacamole.
This was confirmed after a day at the beach with Jenny, when we decided to do an impromptu progressive dinner in Old Town. Naturally, our first stop was Adobo for some margaritas and delicious chips and guacamole.

I am happy to report that it still gets my title for the best guac in the city. Made fresh tableside, you're asked to select your desired level of spiciness: mild, medium or hot. Since Jenny and I love to supplement chips and guacamole with salsa, we went with medium -- which had the perfect level of kick for us. (Note: the medium is still relatively spicy, so definitely stick to the mild if you don't have much of a tolerance for heat.)

Adobo's salsa sampling is featured in the photo above as well. While some of the four flavors (pico de gallo, chipotle, verde and hot) are more interesting than others, it really pales in comparison to what Adobo does best: chips and guacamole.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Pour Drinks & Eats

There's a new "neighborhood sports lounge" in town: Pour Drinks & Eats has taken over the old La Taberna Tapatia bar space (formerly affiliated with El Tapatio across the street) at the corner of Ashland and Roscoe. (Don't worry, El Tapatio -- the Mexican restaurant itself -- is still open.)

When I heard about Pour's menu, filled with ambitious-sounding dishes and delicious specialty cocktails, I was intrigued. But it was the 40-seat outdoor beer garden that really moved Pour straight to the top of my list of places to try. Like many Chicagoans, I have an deep appreciation for a great beer garden -- and I'm always on the look-out for the next best thing.

Spoiler alert -- a top-liner here for those of you who don't care about all of the details: Solid beer garden. Decent drinks. Above-average bar food. Good for a nice day when you want some eats and drinks. I'll be back.

Now for those of you curious about the experience and what to order...

Pour delivers on its beer garden. The space has a couple of comfy-looking cushioned wicker benches and tables lining its back walls. However, those were taken when we arrived, so we headed to one of the iron tables and chairs that occupy most of the space and ordered some cocktails.


All of them were beautiful. That said, I'll need to quote some random cast member from MTV's "The City" here: "In this business, there are work horses and then there are show ponies." These cocktails, by and large, fall into the latter half of that statement. All pretty, but mostly devoid of substance/complexity.

My friend Katie got some white sangria, which is on special on Thursdays. I'm not going to lie to you, I've never seen clear white sangria before and thought it seemed a little suspect -- mostly since it looked like Katie was drinking water with some fruit on the top. But then I tried it and found out it packed an unexpected punch. Not my favorite white sangria I've ever tried, but decent.

I got the spiked lemonade, which was muddled with strawberries and basil and topped with Sprite. This drink, in theory, is brilliant. The execution, however, was lackluster. There was WAY too much Sprite and not nearly enough lemon, strawberry or basil. If I wanted a Sprite with some vodka, I'd order a vodka Sprite. Not terrible, but definitely not great. I moved on to beer shortly thereafter.

Jenny tried to order
the Hot & Bothered, a drink with Absinthe in it that sounded cool, but unfortunately, they do not actually have any Absinthe. Mmmk... So she ordered her second choice, which involved the term "Sunrise." This drink was pretty -- but just decent. (Unfortunately, I don't remember what's in it and am confident that she won't either. Sorry, I promise I'm going to start taking a notebook out with me.)

Colette got the Pineapple Express, which she enjoyed. She said it was sweet, but not too sweet -- which is an accomplishment for anything that features pineapple juice. I didn't manage to take a swig of this one before it was gone, but Colette also moved on to beer after just one.

Then we started in on the food. We ordered the guacamole and chips and salsa. (I love good guac, so I feel like I have to try it everywhere it's offered.) Pour's guac was pretty disappointing -- not that this stopped me from eating it. What stopped me from completely gorging myself was that it came out with sour cream drizzled all up on it. Nothing stops me in my tracks like the creamy white stuff. This was not listed in the menu, so I didn't know to make my normal pre-emptive "Please, God, no sour cream" plea to our server. Oh well. I ate around it. And what was around it was green, as it should be, but totally bland. Sad face.

Then came our entrees. Colette and Katie got the Chicken Ciabatta sandwiches, which they both liked very much. Both elected for the side salad, which was mostly some mixed greens and a tomato slice or two tossed in some balsamic vinaigrette.

The server recommended the shrimp tacos (regular style, not original), so that's what I ordered. Their "regular" style comes with lettuce, tomato and shredded cheese, as opposed to the "original" style which serves up the tacos with onion and cilantro. These shrimp tacos were pretty darn tasty. Good balance of flavors, tons of shrimp, fresh tortillas. Only downside is that they used the same tomato wedges from the side salads on the tacos, which 1) weren't ripe and 2) were cut in slices which were hard to manage within the taco setting. Dice your tomatoes, fools; this is Taco 101.

Jenny ordered the grilled cheese with Fontina and sage. And I am glad she did. This had been my second menu choice because I love sage like it's my job and you don't see it a lot outside of Thanksgiving and fall dishes featuring butternut squash. Fontina also happens to be one of my favorite cheeses, so the pairing was going to be pretty much ideal. It was. The
balance was phenomenal and the cheese melted beautifully. The quality bread they used -- and of course, the sage -- kicked things up a notch to ensure that this was no ordinary grilled cheese. This is the best dish we had there.

Pour, this was a solid showing. I'll be back to try some more of the menu, most notably the pancetta-wrapped dates stuffed with Manchego (my other fave cheese) that we saw running around to other tables and one of the nine craft beers they have on draft.