Chicago Foodies

Microwaving India

Tasty Bite dinners and a rice cooker yield awesome multi-entree dinners in 2 minutes flat (per entree). And you have a selection! of which many are vegan; Madras Lentils, Kashmir Spinach, Bombay Potatoes, Jodhpur Lentils, and others. And they're all good.

Today's were lentils and rice. Madras Lentils with kidney beans in a spicy tomato-based sauce and Jodhpur Lentils, yellow lentils in a thinner sauce. Over brown rice it makes for a responsible and tasty dinner.

You will definitely find ones you like more than others but they are all better than you'd expect. Not that they compare to homemade Indian but you can saute some chicken (or goat even) then pour the 'Tasty Bite' of choice over and simmer as long as you want.

McPho - Pho Hoa

I've disclosed that I'm not the HUGE vietnamese soup fan so in light of the sniffles I forwent my sojourn for Pakistani to purchase a small bowl of pho at Pho Hoa, 4925 N Broadway, after getting some darker cooking wine, super tiny baby bok choy, and mango rolls at the grocery in the same strip mall.

Pho Hoa is apparantly a chain restaurant serving nothing but pho. I ordered the #5 and hoped I wouldn't have to wade through bits and globules of who knows what. Several trips to "soup" places on Argyle left me overwhelmed to say the least. Usually the flavors of fish cake, beef, pork, peppers, hot sauce, soyish sauce, fish sauce, fresh herbs, etc. etc. etc. all swirled together and warmed to kick up the scents usually is a bit much for me.

Mitsuwa

It used to be called Yaohan. It is a Japanese grocery/kitchen store/food court. They have stores in California, New Jersey and Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Before I really got into food I was somewhat-obsessive about toys. So up until 4 years ago I had been buying udon in the food court and Godzilla bandai snap-together candy toys at the grocery store known now as Mitsuwa.

Instead of Tetsujin pariphanallia I buy dumpling sauce, dried noodles, frozen noodles, mushrooms, and things that I can't explain.

Macaroni & Cheese – Martha vs. The Social

My wife is on a kick. We ate Mac and Cheese twice this weekend, going to lengths to do so at that. Heading up to Milwaukee for Easter allowed the opportunity to hit The Social, 434 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee – where they do a memorable mac and cheese. A rosmary chicken in creamy goat's cheese type of Mac & Cheese.

As they say, the memory is always better and sure enough this time it sort of reminded us of rosemary chicken tetrazini. It wasn't as good as we remembered it. The roasted chicken didn't carry the rosemary instead it was super-rosy integrated into the entire dish.

For comparison's sake we put Martha's Mac and Cheese together Sunday night and while I thought it on par with The Social's, it lacked the oomph from a previous attempt. It was pretty bland as per the directions. I'd tend in the future to add more nutmeg, salt and cayanne to taste and then it should edge out Milwaukee's best...

Shed Your Yellow Tail

     Here in the frugal Midwest, we love a bargain almost as much as we love steak, potatoes, monster trucks, and Sandra Bullock movies. Nothing speaks to the frugal diner more than the words “bring your own bottle”. You can see ears perk up as soon as the words are mentioned and you breathe a sigh of relief, contemplating which color Yellow Tail you will bring. Will it be teal, the classic yellow, or the purple flavor?

Aquaculture: Fish Farms

From The World Wildlife Fund Fish food for thought
18 Feb 2003
Each year, some 80 million tonnes of wild fish are caught from the world’s oceans. But not all these fish end up on our dinner plates. More than one-third is used to make fishmeal and fish oil. Even this doesn’t all go directly into food or other products: two-thirds goes to make feed for farmed fish.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food industries in the world. The growth of the fish farming sector of the industry is largely fuelled by an ever-increasing demand for high-quality fish such as salmon and trout. These are carnivorous fish that in the wild eat smaller fish, squid, and other crustaceans. When farmed, they are fed pellets made largely of fishmeal and fish oil.

Davis Street Fish Market

I enjoy fresh fish so at first glance the menu at Davis Street amazed me. There was no fish (or is it there were no fish). I quickly figured out that the specials were on a big blackboard on the wall behind me. Grouper, redfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, tilapia, monkfish, snapper, and others all sounded good. Some are broiled, some are panfried. A few come with a more special preparation.

The table ordered, starting out with the smoked salmon spread. It arrived as two scoops on top of salad greens which made me think immediately of tunafish. Not appealing to me so I reluctantly tasted it to find a terrific creamy smokey spread. Merle's apparantly smokes the fish for them (same ownership) and it is wonderful. The one member of the party who was unenthused by the order admitted it was great. I even bought the wife a 1/2 lb to take home. (she left it in the car and is afraid of "the possum" - so there it stays)

Thien Noodles *Closed

Unfortunately Thien is no-longer with us. Blue Elephant around the corner on Devon is the next closest recommendation.

Thien Noodles (or Thien's Noodles as it says on the sign) is North on Clark. It's our local cash-only spot on the way to the video store. It also is slowly focusing me towards Vietnamese food. While a large contingent of the foodies in Chicago are Vietnamese soup fans I am not. Or at least am not as ardent. I like it but I prefer a Chinese or Thai soup. It's not the fish cake or any one thing in particular but for some reason I don't hunger for it... Or would you thirst for soup? Well if you did it wouldn't be a Joycean thirst. Happy St. Patty's btw.

La Oaxaqueña

At 3382 N. Milwaukee is a real find. La Oaxaqeña serves up fabulous food. In this case Molés and Chile Rellenos that I'd choose for almost any meal. The spelling is almost impossible to remember and I always go back to La Oaxacana or La Oaxacena forgetting the "q" as of this moment I'm unsure of the spelling and want to go back to my takeout menu.

It's a small restaurant with stiff chairs, clear plastic covers on their tablecloths and white plates with a blue ring around the edges. It's not busy. The waitress is helpful and the owner, a friendly older lady,  made sure I understood that the molé is homemade with anchos and guadillos. They have been in business for 6 years.

The Backyard Coffee Roast

What do you do with that old hot air popcorn popper? Roast coffee? That couldn't work.

After a brief visit to Metropolis on Granville (coffee roasters and cafe) refreshed my barista days post college I started thinking more about coffee. I figured a hot air popcorn popper is pretty much the exact same thing but accepts way smaller quantity. The Metropolis guys are not using hot air (so you know). I had a "Popcorn Pumper" from a salvation army trip and figured what the heck.

Blind Faith Café

I think I'm the only person who hates going out for Sunday brunch.  The thought of getting up and first thing in the morning stuffing myself with a butter soaked omelet, lard coated hash browns or sticky sweet french toast is completely unappealing.  If I'm going to expend calories I want a Gorgonzola cream sauce over pasta, chicken, beef, potatoes, just about anything will do.  Also, if I'm going to spend money on food I'd like it to be something mildly adventurous.  I've been able to make flap-jack's and scrambled eggs myself since the 6th grade.  I do make an exception however, and happily, for brunch at the Blind Faith Cafe in Evanston.  When I invite people to go to Blind Faith, and then tell them it is a vegetarian restaurant, they are immediately turned-off.

Ixcapuzalco

*** NOTE The restaurant closed and moved to 2165 N. Western Ave. very soon after this post. It may account for some of the kitchen's inconsistencies. It's time to go back I guess...

Ixcapuzalco was opened by Frontera chef, Geno Bahena, to great acclaim. It's in Logan Square on Milwaukee. I had very high hopes. I'm a big fan of Frontera and have debates about the viability of Mexican food as cuisine. It definitely is and Frontera/Topolo are ample proof for me. Needless to say I was eagerly anticipating Ixcapuzalco.

Coffee-Cake

A little coffee with your fiber? So I made whole wheat pancakes. I figured higher fiber, no bleach... sounds good. We ate most of them, stuck the rest in tupperware with wax paper and had a couple more over the last few days.

Making a whole wheat pancake you are trying to avoid the heavy, super absorbant, grainy cakes. Trying to replicate regular pancakes. These absorbed maple syrup endlessly. They were pretty grainy but tasted good. Like a wheaty cornbread without committing to savory the way cornbread does. So I think maybe use that absorbancy and make coffee-soaked whole wheat chocolate pancakes...

Trotter's To Go

I have never been to Trotter's. I just haven't... no good reason I guess. But I thought it was odd that I had never even walked into Trotter's to Go. I saw the website. I love Pastoral, go to Whole Foods and buy miscellaneous crap from Sam's cheese and accoutraments section and I was on Fullerton.

Brookhaven Marketplace

Brookhaven Marketplace in Darien is not a large store, nor is it impressive in it's decor, but if you are looking for an unusual food, or just like experimenting in the kitchen, this place is worth the visit.

To your right, when you first enter is the produce section. It has at least six varieties of old familiars like oranges and onions, and  a healthy selection of greens. Peppers of every sort, color and degree of hotness, and eggplant including Indian, and Japanese varieties.  There are all kinds of roots, and the largest selection of dried beans and legumes I have ever seen.

Sparky's is Over Medium

A "lunchcounter" could, these days, be misconstrewed as the diet crazy. It's a shame nobody has revived them ala Starbucks... or maybe it's better they didn't.

If you head west from the lake on Oakton you drive past McCormick and industry until, a beacon to bellies, Sparky's appears. It's not much of a sight. A chameleon on the industrial stretch that includes masons, auto-related shops and other unknown buildings ostensibly packed with industrial equipment and electrical from the 70's.

Restaurant Prospects Trending Down

From CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Restaurants stocks took a tumble Wednesday after Lehman Brothers slapped a "neutral" rating on the segment, contending that the "days of rapid unit growth" are long gone.

Got $3?

All must sing the praise of Charles Shaw. $3 and you get a choice of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Nouveau... (cook with the nouveau).

It's a blend of excess wine from a variety of Califonia vinyards that they bottle and blow out the door for $2 bucks in CA. CV is that a good bet is to snag a bottle from Trader Joe's and pop it in the car. If you like it grab some more. A friend remarked that it can be quite a find but very inconsistent. Due to the blending you are kind of playing roulette and he then suggested the afformentioned strategy.

Omelette & Toast

It's just an omelette with toast.  Since I'm on a chive-kick I tossed it in as a garnish.

Throw some bread in the toaster.  I had some zucchini and mushrooms, diced them, tossed them in a small non-stick with butter fried them up and added 3 eggs. Fold them in a couple of times to thicken up the eggs (also why you're using the smaller pan – to make a thicker omelette) and then let them start to set until you can give it a flip.

Once flipped add some cheese. I used Tillamook cheddar (it was on sale) we had cubed for the dog's pills... give it a minute or two and fold over the cheese. Turn off the burner and grab your toast. Use a small ramekin to cut out a circle from the toast. Then slide the omelette on to a plate and use the ramekins to cut out two portions of eggs. Wipe off the edges and serve with the circular toast, chive, and some Louisiana Hot Sauce. It's a basic omelette gone purty.

Foie Gras Kobe Rockit Burger

It' s $20. It's got foie gras on it. That's better than cheese, right? It's kobe beef. If this isn't "big food" I don't know what is.

Rockit on Hubbard is a restaurant with a bar upstairs. Or is it a bar with a restaurant downstairs. I'm not sure either is true and I think that kind of works. It's a great meeting place and that's why I went.