Sprinkles Cupcakes

Sprinkles Cupcakes invaded Chicago earlier this year with its cute-as-a-button name and logo. Heralded as one of the originators of the cupcake craze, the cupcake fans in this city went wild when the L.A.-based Sprinkles opened up shop in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood.

It seemed pretty gutsy to open a store in an already cupcake-crazed -- and arguably, cupcake-saturated -- market, but people seemed to be completely obsessed with the new shop. When I expressed skepticism as to whether Sprinkles would bump my cupcake favorite (Sweet Mandy B's) from my number one spot, I was assured by a Sprinkles fanatic that I'd become a believer after trial. So I was pretty pumped to see for myself what the hype was all about.

It took me a little longer than I'd have liked to investigate. But after spending a lovely afternoon at The Spa on Oak, Kath and I decided to round the corner and stop into Sprinkles for some cupcakes. Predictably, Kath got the Double Chocolate, a Belgian dark chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting. It was tasty -- definitely an excellent pick for a dark chocolate lover.

Since they didn't have an option for yellow cake and chocolate frosting today, I opted for the Black & White, a Belgian dark chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles. It was a solid cupcake.

But as you may be able to tell, I'm not racing to jump on board the Sprinkles bandwagon. Sprinkles is a nice addition to the robust Chicago cupcake scene. If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and try a few.

But for me, the reigning cupcake queen of Chicago is still Sweet Mandy B's for the following reasons: I prefer Sweet Mandy B's cake-to-frosting ratio (Sprinkles has less frosting) and think that the Sweet Mandy B's frosting itself is better, as I prefer both the consistency and level of sweetness. Sprinkles' vanilla frosting was too sweet for me (even paired with the dark chocolate cake) and while the bittersweet chocolate frosting was good, it still doesn't compare to the chocolate frosting at Sweet Mandy B's.

Sprinkles is good, but as usual -- the advantage goes to my favorite hometown hero: Sweet Mandy B's.

Henri

First, I am woefully behind in posting. My apologies. I'm going to try to catch up on some of these posts, starting with Henri.

Jeff and I ate at Henri a couple of weeks ago and had a fabulous experience. The service there is phenomenal. Everything about it -- starting with the call from the maître d' to confirm our reservation and to see if we had any dietary restrictions or allergies -- was flawless. And completely unpretentious. Which is even more refreshing in the context of such a supremely elegant and tasteful space.

The dining room at Henri is both sophisticated and gorgeous. (Far too dim and elegant to take many pictures on my phone, peeps. Sorry! Check out some daytime photos on Yelp here.) The atmosphere is one of hushed refinement, but the service is friendly and unassuming. Love it! The approachable service makes the small dining room feel infinitely more cozy.

What's more, the food is good! It's fairly pricey, but it's a great place for a special occasion. And they are aware of that fact, because it's one of the questions the maître d' asks when calling to confirm a reservation. Jeff's and my "occasion" was really just that it was a new French place I'd been dying to try and it's very close to Symphony Hall, where we were heading after dinner that night. But if you do have something special planned, Henri's the perfect spot and the staff will most definitely go out of their way to ensure that you leave very pleased with your decision to dine there.

Jeff and I both started with cocktails. He had a Manhattan (nothing shocking there) and I switched things up a little by ordering a Champagne cocktail, which was mixed tableside. And by "mixed," I mean that the bartender came over and poured the Champagne into my glass, over a cube of rock sugar, some house bitters and a raspberry or two. It felt appropriately sophisticated in the space and was a perfect pre-dinner drink, but probably too sweet to drink more than just one.

Our dinner began with two orders of the consommé of rabbit, which was a light and delicious broth hand-poured by our server over rabbit agnolotti and winter squash. Normally I'm against two people ordering the same thing, but it's really hard to "share" soup -- and it was freezing outside that night! And I'm glad I didn't just get something else for the sake of getting something different, because this was quite tasty.

I had been debating between two dishes (again, unsurprising): the Fig Glazed Duck Breast, served with a goat cheese “tart” with fig and grape, and the Roasted Florida Snapper, with squash, Parisian potatoes, sage and allspice. The fish was tasty, but in the end, I wished I had gotten the duck. It just seemed like the more interesting and unique choice. But that's my own fault.

For his entreé, Jeff chose the NY Strip Steak, which is cooked in their stone oven and served with cheddar potatoes. I had some food envy; I'm not going to lie. Even though he ordered his steak medium-rare instead of my hallmark medium, my fork was still finding its way onto his plate. (He loves that...)

For dessert, we had the AMAZING dark chocolate tart. It was really delicious. I'm loving it all over again just thinking about it. Their dark chocolate tart experience epitomizes the entire restaurant's understated elegance: it's simple, chic and unbelievably wonderful all at once.

I will most certainly be back to try the runners-up to my entreé and dessert: the Fig Glazed duck and the very promising Paris Brest. (I've been obsessed ever since we had an amazing version of this dessert at The Elysian's Balsan.) Can't wait for a return trip to Henri!

Plan your visit here. Henri is located at 18 S. Michigan Avenue, right nextdoor to its sister restaurant and one of my favorite pubs, The Gage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!