Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Grand Chefs Gala & After Party

What's a Chicago foodie to do on a Friday... Specifically this Friday?

I am extremely excited to report that I'll be attending the 14th Annual Grand Chefs Gala at The Fairmont Chicago as a guest of our dear family friends, the Conways. The Grand Chefs Gala benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and touts an impressive line-up of many of Chicago's best chefs: Curtis Duffy of Avenues, Jason McLeod of RIA, Stephanie Izard of Girl & The Goat, Jimmy Banos Jr. of The Purple Pig... the list goes on and on. (See a complete list of the hors d'oeuvres chefs here.)

Each chef attends and prepares hos d'oeuvres for the Gala -- so it's bound to be a culinary extravaganza of epic proportions. Since the event's "black-tie preferred," I suppose I'll have to leave my Thanksgiving pants at home and exercise some form of relative self control. But I promise to try and report on as much as I possibly can!

However, the fun doesn't stop there. After a delicious dinner provided by the chefs at The Fairmont Chicago, the party kicks into high gear with desserts and drinks from more Chicago masters of the culinary and cocktail arts. If this sounds like something right up your alley, come join us!

At the Grand Chefs Gala's After Party, you'll enjoy desserts from some of the biggest names in Chicago sweets (Sarah's Pastries & Candies, More, The Bristol and lots more) as well as cocktails crafted by some of the city's finest mixologists (Brad Bolt from Bar DeVille, Fred Sarkis from Sable Kitchen & Bar, Steven Cole from Violet Hour and more).

The After Party runs from 9:30 - midnight and tickets are $60 per person. There'll be live music, mingling and general merriment in support of a fantastic cause. The party's bound to be a blast -- but it's also a unique opportunity to try some of the best libations and treats Chicago has to offer, all under one roof! Come, enjoy food and drink, and support a great cause. Purchase your ticket here.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Due Lire

There are few things I love more than good northern Italian food. The flavors are brilliant, simple and fresh. The cooking is thoughtful, but without pretense. Plainly put, it's just delicious.

Lucky for me, Lincoln Square now has a solid, authentic northern Italian restaurant option. Due Lire is a recent addition to the neighborhood -- so much so that it's still B.Y.O.V. (Bring Your Own Vino) until the liquor license arrives.

Jeff and I wanted some delicious Italian food, but didn't feel much like traversing the city this frigid Wednesday night. We were having our usual "where to eat, it's already getting late" debate when I remembered two things: 1. A month or two ago, we'd noticed that a place called Due Lire was set to open on Lincoln, near his place in North Center and 2. It had just been listed as one of the restaurants featured in "The Hot List" for the February issue of Chicago magazine.

As a result of the latter fact, we decided to call the restaurant and were thrilled to learn that they could accommodate two people at 8 pm. Perfect. We grabbed a delicious bottle of Burgundy Jeff had on hand and headed out to meet the new neighborhood Italian.

The place was bustling -- on a Wednesday. Clearly, this little neighborhood spot is benefiting from both the heavy foot traffic on Lincoln Ave (located right near Tank, the popular Lincoln Square sushi spot) and its debut in Chicago Magazine. As we waited for our table with a few others awaiting seats, a patron leaving assured us that it was "well worth the wait." That's a good sign.

Neither Jeff nor I was particularly starving, so we ate pretty lightly. I started with the rucola salad, comprised of arugula, grape tomatoes and sharp parmesan cheese. It was very tasty.

For his entree, Jeff ordered the ravioli rustici, which is ravioli that's been stuffed with short rib and served in a flavorful mushroom-laced ragu. It was very good. Smallish portion by typical American standards -- definitely meant to be a starter plate followed by a meat course, but perfect for us this evening.

I had the gnocchi in a Bolognese sauce. The gnocchi was perfect. And as someone who's worked very hard to perfect homemade gnocchi, I know firsthand how hard it is to get it right. (Too much flour and the "pillows" sink like lead. Too little and they're gummy and gross. Gnocchi done well is truly an art.) The Bolognese sauce was good -- a little salty for my taste, but I certainly acknowledge that I am overly sensitive to that sometimes. Most people would probably think it was perfect.

Lastly, we had the cioccolatissimo! for dessert. That's a chocolate lava cake with delicious homemade whipped cream and a touch of amarena cherry sauce drizzled on the plate. It was quite tasty.

At Due Lire, a meal is definitely meant to be a multi-course experience so the portions are manageable. Our experience isn't typical -- on most days, we'd have needed to order (or at least split) a meat course as well to ensure that we left with full stomachs. And I can't wait to go back and do just that because the meat courses looked amazing. I especially want to try the filetto manzo, a pancetta-wrapped fillet with sauteed mushrooms and a red wine reduction.

For a salad, two pasta dishes and a dessert, the bill came to $49 with tax. (This also included a $5 glass fee.) As I noted, we'd need more food to feel satiated on a normal day, but it was perfect for tonight. Overall, Due Lire was quite reasonable... and quite tasty.

We'll definitely be back -- and I'm looking forward to it already.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

grahamwich: a mixed bag

grahamwich, I wanted to love you. You know I did.

graham elliot remains one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Chicago and I still think that Graham Elliot Bowles is a genius. But I was underwhelmed by grahamwich.

Not because it was cash only. And not because the sandwiches were $10 apiece. Nope, neither of these fazed me. I will pay whatever amount of money however the chef wants it delivered as long as the food, or even the experience, is fabulous.

The restaurant was cute and the staff was nice. Until I asked if it was possible to order the turkey confit sandwich sans sage mayo. The hipster behind the register told me she'd strongly recommend against it. (I then remembered the "no substitutions" rule I'd read about at grahamwich.) I'm not a picky eater, so normally "no substitutions" isn't a huge deal for me. But Graham, crafty bastard that he is, managed to stick mayonnaise of some sort on virtually every single sandwich on the menu.

I explained the situation about my EXTREME aversion to mayonnaise (one of only four things I don't like, mind you) and the girl looked at me like I had four heads and was some lower form of foodie life. This bugged me. Fine, tell me I can't make substitutions. But don't judge me. I know for a fact that some of the most well-known chefs in the city share my aversion to mayonnaise. We know it's one of the mother sauces. We can't help it. We don't like it.

She tried to explain that without the mayonnaise, it'd be dry... and I'd miss out on the sage. I get that. It happens every time I order a sandwich without aioli or mayonnaise or whatever alias it's going by that day. I'm okay with the dryness. I hate mayonnaise THAT MUCH.

Ok, I said. I'll get the jibarito press, which are comprised of pork shoulder, pickled mango, queso fresco, habanero mustard and crispy plantains. No mayo there. Well... that was true, but instead of the crumbly queso fresco I'm used to... I got sneak attacked with some form of creamy white business that seemed to be a sour cream/mayonnaise deal in disguise! Sneaky, Graham. Very sneaky. I was unimpressed with the jibarito press. The idea was great, but the flavors were lacking.


Habanero mustard? Complemented by pickled mango? And succulent pork shoulder, offset texturally by crispy plantains? Genius. I thought for sure this was going to be a flavor fest. But it wasn't. Everything kind of blended together and what I tasted most was the element I didn't want: creamy white stuff. I understand that asking that a restaurant omit an ingredient affects the flavor and upsets the carefully crafted balance that the chef worked so hard to concoct. But if you hate one of the elements of the sandwich, you never get the balance the chef intended. Because the ingredient you taste more than anything else is usually going to be the one you hate. This was the case for me, but in truth, the rest of the tacos didn't blow me away either.

Cavoto had got the turkey confit, since she's not afraid of a little sage mayo. (Or anything, really.) It was good; but there was a lot of mayonnaise on that sandwich. I will say that since the turkey is shredded, it would have been a mighty dry sandwich without that mayo and it did impart some sage flavor. However, I couldn't eat more than few bites of my half because the mayonnaise tang was too overwhelming -- for someone who hates mayo. Otherwise, it was good. The rest of the elements included candied yams, stewed cranberries and field greens, all piled onto hawaiian bread with turkey confit and sage mayo. If you like mayo, chances are that this is probably a good sandwich.

The truffle popcorn made famous at graham elliot is a lot better at graham elliot. Too much truffle oil on the popcorn at grahamwich. I reeked of it for the rest of the day and I think I'm going to have to wash my coat because it still smells like truffles two days later. The popcorn at grahamwich is good, but it doesn't do the original justice. And don't wear anything down when you eat it.

grahamwich also offers housemade sodas, as they call them... I personally think of them as "pop," but whatever. Cavoto and I both had root beer and it was pretty tasty. Enjoyable, but nothing unusual.

And then there was brilliance. The cinnamon stick frozen yogurt is a gift from God. It is perfect in every way, shape and form. Flavorful (but not overpowering) cinnamon yogurt is topped with sweet roasted apple, lots of salted caramel and crumbled pie crust in some sort of parfait-like concoction. It's messy as all hell, but it's so delicious that you couldn't care less -- save the fact that you have to waste a precious drop of this fabulousness. grahamwich home run! I'd go back in a heartbeat for the cinnamon stick yogurt.
All in all, I was underwhelmed. Maybe my expectations were too high. But since I work a block away, I'll be back for the cinnamon stick yogurt. And while I'm there, maybe I'll try the grilled cheese. Doesn't seem like there's any creamy white condiment lurking there. But... you never know!

If you want to get a sense of how great a chef Graham Elliot Bowles is, go to graham elliot. If you're around 615 N. State, don't have a strong aversion to creamy white condiments and are looking for a sandwich, give this place a whirl.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Francesca's Pizzeria Napoletana

Welcome back, Mega Biters. I apologize for my hiatus. There was a lot going on over the holidays... The holidays themselves, a slew of engagements -- even a marriage!

All of this was cause for celebration -- and therefore, food. The time has come to get back to documenting it all.

The best part of the holidays is getting together with family and friends to share delicious meals and treats. Anyone who knows me knows that the girls I grew up with are like an extension of my family -- and like any close family, we make sure to get together as much as possible around the holidays.

For one of our get-togethers, Kate suggested a pizza place I'd been dying to try: Nella's Pizzeria Napoletana. Only she called it Francesca's Pizzeria Napoletana. And that's because the name has been changed... but the pizzas are still fabulous!

If you like Neopolitan-style pizzas, get yourself over to this little gem of a restaurant. Speaking of gems... Annie O'Connor took this dinner as the opportunity to tell us that she got engaged while on vacation the week before! Clearly, this was cause for celebration.

We kicked off the meal with a bottle of bubbly and after a lot of squealing, congratulations and even some squawking, we got down to the business of ordering our food. Turns out that they have an awesome special on Tuesdays: salad, pizza and dessert for $19.

Yes, for under $20, you get a sizable salad of your choosing, an entire pizza of your choice and a giant and delicious dessert. It's way too much food, but it's all very tasty -- so you really have to go for it.

I chose the insalata mista, the Bufalina pizza and the profiteroles. A.ma.zing. Everything was simple and delicious. I love mozarella di Bufala, so when they told me that they import that business from Italy and it's the real deal -- I knew which pizza I was ordering. The Bufalina pizza features fresh mozarella di Bufala, basil and olive oil on a perfectly chewy crust. Apart from that, the salad was fresh and tasty.

By the time it was time for my profiteroles, which are one of my all-time favorite deserts, I was a very happy camper. But those profiteroles made me even happier. For those of you who've never had the pleasure of experiencing this dessert, it's a cream puff that's been split in half, stuffed with vanilla gelato and then toppped with oodles of hot fudge. Highly recommend.

Also not to be missed on the dessert front is the mighty Calzone Lina, which is a phenomenal dessert calzone filled with sliced bananas and nutella, served hot and topped with a heaping scoop of cool, creamy vanilla gelato. It's not a looker, but it's their specialty dessert for a reason. It is delicious.
The group also tried the torta bacio, which is a chocolate-hazelnut mousse with a white chocolate center and roasted cocoa beans. This was my third favorite of the three desserts, but it was still tasty. I just prefer a pastry + gelato combo to mousse.

All in all: Food was awesome, service was friendly and good, value = great!

Francesca's Pizzeria Napoletana is located at 2423 N. Clark Street and wants you to come in and eat delicious pizza immediately. Highly recommend the Tuesday deal.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Mac N Cheese Food Truck?!

This just in -- there's a mac n cheese food truck soon to be hitting the streets of Chicago. The Southern, a popular restaurant in Wicker Park specializing in Southern fare, is launching a food truck entirely devoted to mac n cheese!

According to The Feast, Southern Chef Cary Taylor will be tooling around town in a Mercedes truck, offering various kinds of mac n cheese to the masses -- including an occasional "specialty" lobster and cheddar mac n cheese!

It's like a dream come true. And this news has also reminded me that I really want to try The Southern in 2011. Two new goals... Find the mac n cheese truck once it's out and about later this month -- and try The Southern! (Yelpers love it. Read reviews here.)

Add them to your list as well!

Monday, January 3, 2011

These Are A Few of My Favorite (Christmas) Things

I love Christmas. Considering I love anything that combines family, friends and food, this should come as no surprise.

However, I have a few favorite things about Christmas, which I will list here.

1) Patty's homemade pizza. Our family's Christmas Eve is like a giant open house and we just gorge ourselves on cocktails and round after round of heavy appetizers. My favorite of these "heavy apps" is my aunt Patty's homemade pizza. Of course, since it's prepared for the Clark family, it's plain cheese. It is simple... and phenomenal.

2) Stuffed mushrooms. Christmas Day involves a more formal meal structure, with a big dinner preceded by appetizers and followed by desserts. This year, we had some amazing appetizers. Among them were some absolutely delicious stuffed mushrooms. They were the perfect texture -- just firm enough with a delicious cheesey-breadcrumb filling and not greasy at all! These may have been the best stuffed mushrooms I've ever had. Mad props to Kelly Hickey -- well played.

3) Beef tenderloin. The main event on Christmas Day is beef tenderloin. One of my favorite cuts of meat, prepared lovingly -- and masterfully -- by one of my favorite uncles. This year, he decided we needed three separate roasts so that he could prepare each to a specific level of doneness. One was well-done -- a travesty to meat-lovers everywhere, but a delicacy among the Clarks... and Joe knows his audience. Then there was a roast that was medium to medium-well. And lastly, thank God, a roast that was medium-rare to medium. The meat was amazing: perfectly-seasoned, tender, impeccably prepared.

4) Last but not least, there's the homemade peppermint bark my aunt Ginny makes every year. Amazing!

Yes, these are a few of my favorite homemade holiday things... Back to the restaurant reviews moving forward... There's a lot of great eating to be done in 2011!

Hope your holidays were fantastic and wish you all a very healthy, happy and hearty new year!