Best. Holiday. Ever.

Thanksgiving is dedicated to all that I love most: food, family and friends. Naturally, it's my favorite holiday. Since my mom's family is all here in Chicago and there's a large contingent of my dad's family out on the west coast, I alternate spending Thanksgiving here at home with the Clarks and feasting with the foodies out in Palm Springs. Either way, it's always an amazing day.

This year, I spent the holiday in Chicago. Peggy and Bill, my fave Chicago foodies, graciously hosted and everything was fantastic. However, I'd like to highlight my personal favorite Thanksgiving tradition: the cooking of the second turkey.

Ask anyone who's borne the burden of dating any member of the Clark clan and they'll vouch for what an "experience" the Thanksgiving experience is. There are approximately 700 of us (only a slight exaggeration) and it gets really, incredibly loud. But in the midst of all of the insanity, the traditional games of dice, the toasts (you may or may not be welcomed to the family on your very first Thanksgiving appearance, which may or may not creep you out, but if you belong you'll be able to laugh it off), the raucous laughter, the chorus of voices -- each one louder than the next and the gaggle of little kids running around... there is a sit-down meal of epic proportions.

There is dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin muffins, stuffing, gravy, beef tenderloin, a big green salad. And then there are second helpings. Then there's dessert. Pies of all kinds: pumpkin, cherry, lemon meringue, French silk. An amazing array of cookies. It's all very normal.

But then things get real. All the while we've been feasting on rounds 1 and 2, lounging around watching football, drinking cocktails, eating dessert and goofing around with one another, something great has been in the works.

That something is turkey number two. And it's done just as people are feeling ready for some turkey sandwiches. Holidays in the Clark family aren't a sprint; they're a marathon. Knowing that, Peggy and Bill roast a second turkey and prepare a full sandwich bar, complete with a variety of breads, rolls and croissants, an assortment of condiments and most importantly, a giant platter of fresh-from-the-oven white and dark meat.

It is, without a doubt, the best part of the day. I highly recommend this tradition to anyone who loves a good meal. Or three. Or four. But on Thanksgiving, who's counting?

Chez Joel: Je T'aime

After attending an alumni event in the old Ignatius hood a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I'd been meaning to go to nearby tiny French bistro Chez Joel since it opened over a decade ago. At that time, I was attending high school at St. Ignatius and Chez Joel was really the first nice restaurant to take hold on Taylor Street in the changing neighborhood. Back then, Ignatius was still surrounded by housing projects on two of four sides and Taylor Street was still the heart and soul of Chicago's close-knit Italian community, Little Italy.

As such, Chez Joel was an anomaly on a street defined by numerous Italian hallmarks (Al's Italian Beef, Ro Sal's, Mario's Italian Ice, Serafina's, Tuscany, Pompeii, Rosebud) and randomly, a restaurant called The Thai Bowl... along with the abomination that was Nea Agora, with raw racks of lamb being carted in and out at an alarming frequency by blood-spattered workers who grinned greefully at the horror on the baby faces of tiny freshmen students being crushed by backpacks twice their height and weight. A French Bistro? All right. Everyone said the neighborhood was transitioning; we supposed this was proof.

And it was. Ten years later, Chez Joel doesn't look the least bit out of place on this stretch of Taylor Street. In fact, it fits right in on what is an absolutely cosmopolitan and downright adorable spanse of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. The neighborhood has, in fact, changed and is now known more as University Village than anything else. The last of the housing projects were razed shortly after my senior year. Little Italy is still alive and well, but the residents and families who've been there for generations find themselves fighting for space with students and yuppies -- and combating the rising property taxes and rents that have accompanied the change in their neighborhood.

Being the thoughtful guy -- and fan of good food -- that he is, Jeff surprised me with a reservation last Friday night. History and ties to the past aside, I was delighted to discover my new favorite French restaurant in Chicago. I am not one myself, but the place is a Francophile's dream. As we entered, we were greeted with airy "bon soir" after "bon soir" from a staff that seemed absolutely capable of continuing an entire conversation in French if visitors were willing/able. We were then presented with a wine list largely dominated by French gems. Being rather unfamiliar with French wine, we asked our friendly and knowledgable server to assist us in picking a bottle. She did an excellent job; we were very pleased with her selection -- a 2007 Chateau Mangot St. Emilion Grand Cru.

As we sipped our wine, we sampled some of the bread, which was excellent -- always a good sign -- and an unusual, but delicious olive oil/olive tapenade mixture. Of course, being a little French bistro, butter was served as well.

To start, we ordered the mussels in a white wine and herb sauce. The mussels were extremely large and tasted exceptionally fresh. But what really made this dish was the sauce, which was nothing short of phenomenal. At one point, Jeff literally had to remove the bread basket from my side of the table with a reminder that if I continued on at my current pace, I wasn't going to have room for dinner OR dessert. It's a good thing I came with someone to save me from myself, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss a bite of my entree or the dessert that night. But seriously, get the mussels. Even if it's just for the sauce. It is so worth it.

For my entree, I selected the filet mignon with a Bordeaux red wine and thyme sauce. It was honestly a better steak than the one I had at Gibsons the week prior. Same cut, but perfectly seasoned and cooked exactly as I'd asked: medium. The sauce was phenomenal and the filet was served atop an colorful melange of hericots verts and slender carrots, along with a mushroom fricasee. The presentation was artful, but the execution of the flavors was the true star of the show. This entree was brilliant. Every element worked on its own, but together they made the meal outstanding.

Jeff ordered the duck, which was comprised of a duck leg and breast, which were accompanied by a delicious Bourdelaise sauce and some cranberries, whose tartness was a perfect complement to the richness of the duck, served atop a mushroom fricasee. Each of the elements in this dish worked as hard as those in mine and the payoff was the same: the entree was amazing.

We really struggled to decide which dessert to order. So many sounded appealing that there wasn't one I didn't want to try. After a lot of deliberation, we narrowed it down to the nightly special, an apple tart tatin, a dense chocolate cake served warm and with vanilla ice cream atop it and an almond cake, also served warm and with an accompanying scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ultimately, we decided to go for the special apple tart tatin and it could not have been better. (Or more beautiful. Sorry for the lack of photo. I forgot to take one in my excitement to dig in.) The apples were hot, fresh and sweet, the pastry was perfect, the ice cream was cool and creamy -- and the caramel artfully swept across the plate was unbelievable. This dessert was spectacular. In the same fashion as our appetizer and entrees, each element stood out on its own, but when combined they worked together in perfect harmony to create something truly unbelievable.

All in all, the service was wonderful, the food is phenomenal and the atmosphere is cozy. (However, I'll definitely be sure to come back in the summer as they have a much-acclaimed outdoor patio for al fresco dining. Like a creep, I took a peek during our visit and I can imagine it's just perfect for a summer meal.) I was crushed when they closed Old Town Brasserie, but I definitely have a new favorite French place in town. Chez Joel, after ten years, I'm so glad I finally got to know you. I'll be back, sooner rather than later.

Dear Michelin: Finally. Love, Chicago

Today may as well have been Christmas Day for Chicago food enthusiasts. The global foodie powers that be (a.k.a. super stealthy Michelin Guide inspectors) have released their 2011 Guides... and they reviewed Chicago restaurants for the very first time in history! As everyone here knows, Chicago restaurants have been very, very good this year. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Chicago restaurants also received a veritable boatload of Michelin stars in their first showing!

The list of Chicago area restaurants awarded one to three Michelin stars contains a lot of the usual suspects from the Chicago fine dining scene, but there were a few notable newcomers as well. Some of the selections may surprise you, but my attitude is "the more the merrier!" The more Michelin-starred restaurants that we have, the the more foodie cred we gain and the more cosmopolitan our amazing city seems. Chicago is a great city -- and its restaurant scene just keeps getting better and better. Let the throngs of tourists flock! (But please don't impair my ability to get reservations at these places...)

You can view the complete list from Michelin below (with my comments at the end, naturally):

"Three Michelin stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey. One always eats here extremely well, sometimes superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients."

Alinea
L2O

"Two Michelin stars mean excellent cuisine, worth a detour. Skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. "

Avenues
Charlie Trotter's
Ria

"One Michelin star means a very good restaurant in its category. A place offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard."

Blackbird
Boka
bonsoiree
Crofton on Wells
Everest
graham elliot
Longman & Eagle
NAHA
NoMI
Schwa
Seasons
Sepia
Sixteen
Spiaggia
Takashi
Topolobampo
Tru
Vie

To provide some context, only The French Laundry (an EPIC fine dining institution in Napa Valley) received a three star rating in the 2010 San Francisco Michelin Guide. Other legendary fine dining spots such as Gary Danko, Chez Panisse and Masa's received one star. Therefore, Chicago says "What's UP, SF!!!" and "What's up, Michelin -- it's about damn time you made it out here! Come on now, we're a sensible stop right on the way from NYC to SF!"

That said, it is extremely exciting that Michelin recognizes that there are so many amazing restaurants in the Chicagoland area. (Yup, thanks to Vie in Western Springs, I have to say "Chicagoland" instead of just Chicago. Way to represent fine dining in the 'burbs, Vie!)

While I have yet to make it to any of the two- and three-star winners, I have been to many of the one-starred restaurants above and they're outstanding. But of course, I was most excited to see that some of my all-time favorite restaurants received stars: bonsoiree and graham elliot! (Glad I just visited graham and have another reservation for bonsoiree on the books already... These places are going to be jammed! Also, I have to give mad props to Jeff here for discovering bonsoiree wayyy before Michelin -- and anyone else I know, for that matter -- and introducing me to it.)

However, Longman & Eagle gets a special shout-out as well. The Logan Square bar and restaurant features a small, but extremely innovative menu and executes it very well. I saw a hilarious tweet today that said, "Longman & Eagle's star proves that at least one Michelin inspector is a hipster." (Sarah Brick.) All kidding aside, Longman & Eagle is a big hipster hang-out, but it clearly has mainsteam appeal as well. Either way, looks like this neighborhood fave is going to be around for awhile!

The amazing two- and three-star ratings for Alinea, L20, Ria, Charlie Trotter's and Avenues only make me more determined to get reservations on the books. Due to the prices one must pay for some of the most outrageous dining experiences on the planet (literally now), I may have to do just one a year... but I will get to all of these establishments eventually! After a conversation with Keith from Food Babies today, I'm thinking you might be seeing a joint dinner at Alinea at some point in the (relatively) near future...

But in the meantime, who's been to the two- and three-star venues? Any thoughts? Raves? Reviews? Fill us in!

And if you'd like to know more of Michelin's thoughts on Chicago restaurants, you can purchase the official guide here.

Ladies. Love. STEAK.

Per my earlier post, I rounded up ten ladies who love steak for dinner at the acclaimed Chicago institution, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street. After a couple of cocktails at Lux Bar, we settled into our table in the dining room. Our very animated server welcomed us and aided us in picking out a suitable Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany our steak selections. The ladies who love steak happily toasted our love of steak and set to work on the menu.

We started off with some crab cakes, which I loved. The beauty of the crab cakes at Gibsons is that they're made with high quality jumbo lump meat crab and aren't overwhelmed by mayonnaise or any other sort of creamy grossness. Instead, they taste like crab, which to me indicates that they're perfectly done. However, the cakes are served with a side of something creamy and lemon wedges, should you feel the need to jazz them up in any way.


And then it was time for the steaks. All Gibsons steaks receive a "prime" grade from the USDA, which is pretty impressive considering that currently less than 2% of all beef produced in the U.S. is graded "prime." It's also worth noting that Gibsons beef comes from cattle proven to be of at least 90% Black Angus heritage -- and that all steaks are aged for 35 days before being cooked in 1800-degree infrared broilers to preserve the delicious beefy juices that make steaks great.

Steaks come with a choice of soup or house salad at Gibsons. Everyone at the table opted for the salad, which we discovered is a pretty hefty portion in and of itself, and which was quite tasty. However, I was almost full by the time my steak arrived. Gibsons definitely abides by the Chicago tradition of going big or going home. (A rule by which I tend to live my life... for better or worse.)

The ladies ordered a variety of cuts of steak (all of which appeared raw tableside during the waiter's spirited menu spiel), but the majority of us stuck to a classic -- and my own personal favorite: filet mignon served with Bernaise sauce on the side. The quality of the filet was impeccable and it was cooked to a perfect medium as well. If there's one negative to note, my filet was a tad over-salted for my taste. It was nothing unbearable and I certainly enjoyed my steak; I just could have done with a little less salt. (I also have to say that the picture below doesn't really do the steaks justice, but it's really hard to photograph food well on a phone!)


The sides we ordered were also very tasty. Spinach sauteed with garlic and olive oil, creamed spinach (my personal favorite accompaniment to a steak dinner), sauteed baby button mushrooms, mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, a loaded baked potato with bacon and lots of melted cheese (a former menu favorite requested by Gibsons regular Ms. Katie O'Keefe)... All of them were delicious. My personal favorites were the sauteed mushrooms and the creamed spinach.


Much to our waiter's glee as he was clearly a major fan, former Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias sat down to dine with some of his buddies just a few tables away from us. Alexi was kind enough to stop by our table to say hello and buy dessert for the table. He enjoyed that we were just ten ladies who happen to love steak and we enjoyed the fact that he was buying us dessert. All in all, he couldn't have been nicer. However, his presence is notable in that it's a reminder that Gibsons is still very much a place for Chicagoans to see and be seen while doing what we're known to do best: eating beef in large quantities. (We did not feel the need to invite Alexi to post-dinner cocktails at Lux Bar or to the planned dance party at the Hange Uppe. Just didn't seem right. But Katie did snap this shot of him and our adoring waiter.)

Dessert was a gigantic slice of rich chocolately mousse cake. You can't really see the completely enormous and over-the-top decadence that is dessert at Gibsons in the picture below, but you can see that it's large (and sturdy enough) for a large steak knife to be sticking out of it. Mostly, I included the photo below because it's a cute picture of Brenna. But trust me, the cake was delicious. Unfortunately, at that point, we were all so full that we could barely enjoy it.


All in all, Gibsons is a lot of food. A lot of good food. Come hungry and expect something of a spectacle. I recommend that everyone visit Gibsons at least once in his or her life for a great steak, a lively meal and a true (and truly stereotypical) Chicago experience.

Ladies Who Love Steak

Recently, I found myself really wanting a great steak. The more I thought about it, the more I also wanted some red wine. And also, a dirty martini. At that point, I realized that what I really wanted was a Mad Men style boys club dinner... with some of my favorite girls.

So I emailed some ladies that I know love steak as much as I do to organize our first Ladies Who Love Steak dinner. The only rules were that everyone order steak and that we drink copious amounts of red wine. At Gibson's. (The iconic Chicago-style steak house seemed the perfect venue for our first outing.) And as my roommate Joyce sat at the table grinning from ear to ear while the extremely zealous waiter pounded a very thick cut of beef against a plate literally inches from her face for dramatic effect during his little spiel about our dining options, I knew two things: Gibson's was the perfect setting for this boys night and I had definitely found the right group of girls.

To prevent the post about Ladies Who Love Steak from becoming ridiculously long, I'm breaking it into two parts: cocktails at Lux Bar and the main event. This portion will focus on the cocktails.


We decided to have pre- and post-dinner cocktails at Lux Bar, my favorite Viagra Triangle watering hole (if you're not counting Butch McGuire's, of course). But yes, when it comes to a place to enjoy cocktails earlier than 2 a.m., Lux Bar is where it's at. Their cocktail list is fantastic and every drink I've tried has been delicious.

My favorite seems to be the St. Germain, which is comprised of St. Germain (an elderflower liqueur), Chopin vodka, Sauvignon Blanc and a splash of soda, served over ice with a lemon twist. It isn't something I'd normally order, but it's extremely interesting and quite tasty. I recommend the St. Germain, but I strongly advise against ordering more than two. They are sneakily potent. (Ok, it's not that sneaky if you look at the ingredients, but they don't taste like liquid fire so it's easier than it should be to overindulge. And two is all it takes for that to happen. Laura and I have been kind enough to take care of the the trial and error part for you. Trust us.)

I will also tell you that they make a mean dirty martini. I believe that they should be done with Ketel One and served extra dirty, although I always hate ordering them that way because I sound like an idiot. Oh well. The mission was accomplished. I was very happy with the product.

Stay tuned for the next part of the meal: devoted to all things steak and red wine-related.

Pequod's Pizza

I have been hearing rave reviews of Pequod's Pizza for years, but for whatever reason, I'd never had it. Jenny and I decided to change that the other night and headed out for some deep dish deliciousness.

It feels like a true Chicago pizza place: dimly lit with booths, a big bar, plenty of neon signs and Blackhawks decor... and last but not least, giant plastic cups filled with amazing fountain soda. (You know, the kind with just the right amount of syrup and carbonation? It's all too rare, but when you find it, it's like liquid gold.) The place is very casual. We didn't feel the slightest bit out of place clad in hooded sweatshirts and yoga pants.

Jenny and I both love vegetables on our pizza, but it always takes us forever to decide on a combo. For example, she doesn't like mushrooms and I have this weird thing about how I don't think that spinach should be combined with green peppers if you're doing only two ingredients. Something about the flavor combination just rubs me the wrong way and if there's nothing else in the mix to break it up, I just can't do it. Spinach and red peppers though? I love that, but some pizza places just don't bring the red peppers. I know, it's odd. Finally, after some waffling, we settled on a deep dish pizza with spinach and garlic.

All in all, Pequod's is very tasty. The crust on the bottom of the pizza was the just the right thickness and perfectly crisp -- never soggy. (An unfortunate, but rather common flaw with delivery pizzas ordered from one of my favorites, Lou Malnati's.) The ingredient to cheese ratio was good and the pizza was served piping hot.

However, I have to say that I wasn't a huge fan of Pequod's signature "caramelized crust." When the pizza arrived, Jenny said "Well, it's kind of well done... I think they burnt it." And when it comes down to it, "caramelization" aside, that's how the top half of the crust looked and tasted to me. Burnt. I mean, it's still good pizza. I'd eat here again. But I couldn't help thinking that the pizza would be so much better if they hadn't charred the crust. (You should also know that I am a firm believer that "roasting" marshmallows doesn't mean setting them on fire and blowing them out. By and large, I do not believe "burnt" is ever a desirable flavor.)

So... sorry, Pequod's fans, my pan favorites are still Lou Malnati's, Art of Pizza and Gino's East. (And in case you're curious, my favorite stuffed pizza places are Art of Pizza, Fornello's and Giordano's. Piece takes New Haven-style hands down. And I love Pat's Pizza and D'Agostino's for thin. And of course, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder wins out for pizza pot pies.)

Mmmm, pizza. I really do love it all.

XOCO

Yesterday, Laura and I decided to return to XOCO, Rick Bayless' popular take on Mexican street food, for lunch. Appropriately enough, XOCO (pronounced "shoh-coh") is Mexican slang for "little sister," which is how the cafe is viewed within the Bayless empire. And although XOCO is Bayless' foray into quick-service dining, the tenets of sustainability and local sourcing that govern both Frontera and Topolobompo apply here as well.

Laura and I have been to XOCO for lunch before, right when it opened and the lines were spanning entire city blocks. So it was nice that there was only a reasonable line inside the actual cafe when we arrived. However, even though the lines seem to be a bit more manageable these days, it should be noted that XOCO's system of ordering food and being seated is a little... different. You walk in, get in line, place an order at the counter. Standard fare, except for one twist. While you're in line, a hostess approaches to ask about your seating preferences (aka tell you what's available -- "Counter service okay?"). After you've placed your food order, you reconnect with said hostess so that she can lead you to your seats.

The XOCO menu is divided into parts: tortas from the wood-burning oven, tortas from the griddle, caldos, salads and sides, pastries and bean-to-cup chocolate. (FYI, tortas are sandwiches -- or paninis in the case of those from the griddle -- which are served anytime after 11:00 a.m. and caldos are hearty soups that are served only after 3:00 p.m.)

The tortas from the wood-burning oven are served on big, hearty rolls that are a little too robust for my liking. The bread is fresh and tasty, but the rolls are so big that they get in the way of managing to incorporate every delicious element of the sandwich in each bite. Also, when you bite into the torta, it's easy to lose a lot of the filling, which tends to spill out over the sides. (This is especially true for tortas like the Gunthorp Chicken Breast torta since the pieces of chicken aren't uniformly shaped and don't really lie flat.)

The tortas from the griddle are like delicious paninis with what is, in my opinion, a much better bread-to-other-ingredients ratio since they're made with thinner bread.

All right, that's enough of the overview. Time to get down to business. Between the two of us, Laura and I ordered the chips and guacamole, the Choriqueso torta, the Milanesa torta, the Mexican chocolate hazelnut cookie and the Polvoron.

The guacamole is solid at XOCO. Nothing crazy or crazy creative, just good solid guacamole. They do stick a couple of radishes in it though, so that's a little something different. But other than that, it's pretty straight forward guacamole served with chips that are perfectly crispy without being overly greasy.


The Choriqueso torta is one that's prepared in the wood-burning oven on the hearty rolls. I know I just talked about how the bread on these tortas is too much, but the choriqueso works much better with this bread than the Gunthorp chicken breast did. Here's why: the ingredients themselves don't add as much volume in addition to the bread. You've got Rick Bayless' delicious homemade chorizo, roasted poblano peppers, artisan Jack cheese and a delicious tomatillo salsa. All of these ingredients lie flat -- and therefore, manage to stay in the sandwich when you take a bite. It's a fabulous blend of spicy, smokey and savory. Great sandwich.


However, I have to say that the Milanesa is my favorite sandwich I've had at XOCO thus far. This little panini-like sandwich is one of those "from the griddle" tortas, composed of crispy Gunthorp chicken breast (nothing but the best for Rick) that's been pounded out so it's thin and manageable in panini form, coated in breading and all kinds of amazing spices then fried, black beans that have been coarsely combined so that they're really more of a spread than actual beans, artisan Jack cheese, pickled jalapenos and the amazing XOCO tomatillo salsa. The sandwich is also supposed to come with cilantro crema, but due to my hatred of creamy condiments that interfere with my heat, I took a pass on that. This sandwich is phenomenal. When I first saw it, I thought "wow, this looks like something a little too fried for my liking" -- as somehow I'd missed the "crispy" description of the chicken in the menu. But it was love at first bite. Every element was in perfect balance and all of the ingredients played off of one another in perfect harmony. I could eat this sandwich every day of my life. For real.


Laura and I closed the meal down with two perfect, albeit very unnecessary, cookies. We had the Mexican chocolate hazelnut cookie and the Polvoron, a Mexican shortbread creation that reminded me of a big Mexican wedding cookie. (People with nut allergies beware -- they're ground up and sneakily incorporated into this cookie.) Both were extremely tasty. I'm glad that Laura suggested making a diversion from our usual chocolate and churros selection. I thought I'd regret it, but I have to say that the pastries do represent at XOCO as well.


Speaking of chocolate and churros, definitely try them. The churros are a level above anything I've had anywhere else in the U.S. They're served warm, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside... and the flavor is perfect. To supplement the churros, Rick also turns out traditional thick, high quality chocolate served hot and in a cup (like hot chocolate, but thicker, richer and infinitely better). There are four options: authentic (freshly ground chocolate and water), Aztec (freshly ground chocolate, chilis, allspice and water), chocolate (a chocolate shot and 2% milk) and Barcelona, which I've never had and which is described only as "thick and rich." My favorite of the options is the Aztec, as I love spiced Mexican chocolate. (Well, really, I love anything spicy.) But I have yet to meet a chocolate at XOCO that I don't like.

Next on my list of things to try there: the seafood caldo, which was recently written up in Chicago Magazine's list of the 30 Best Mexican Dishes in the city. Have you had the seafood caldo? Is there something I haven't mentioned that you think is an absolute must-try? Let me know.

XOCO is located at 449 N. Clark Street (right next to Topolobampo and Frontera Grill), on the corner of Clark and Illinois. (The entrance is on Illinois.)