Chicago Foodies

Cole Slaw Failure

This is a recipe to help us remember how NOT to make cole slaw.

I set out trying to make a tangy vinegar based cole slaw stretching a bit of an asian flavor into a sweetened tangy crisp slaw. Oh well. While I do like creamy slaws I also like vinegar based slaw. I just used too much vinegar.

Post Memorial Day Malaise

Another Memorial Day goes by without any solid BBQ. Plenty of sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, etc... but no smokey goodness. For a city boy with a patio the size of a large freezer the lack of smoked, pulled meats from any backyard foray is a marked absence. But there is hope... maybe I can smoke some meats on my miniscule patio.

I was going through my TIVO'd episodes of "Good Eats" and came to the one with the plant pot used as an earthen smoker... I'm intrigued. I've spent the day planning my route home to purchase the necessary bits.. plant pot, some hardwood, an electric hot plate... with any luck I won't burn the place down.

Wholly Frijoles

There is something about Mexican food that puts me in a good mood.  Maybe it's all the wild and bright colors usually painted on the walls, or the up tempo music piped through the dining room, or the spicy flavors that remind me of how much fun I always have in Mexico.  Whatever it is, I usually crave Mexican food daily for these reasons however, I've found most of the local Taquerias fall short of imagination and taste. 

Frontera Grill has been a long time favorite and in my opinion Rick Bayless does everything right, but I can not afford that luxury as often as I would like until now....I've fallen in love with Wholly Frijoles - a Mexican Grill that to me rivals Frontera - at last! 

Usmania

Our old favorite restaurant, Lucky Kebob, is the reason Pakistani food has become a comfort food. While my platemate has a huge thing for chicken tikka masala (note the similarities to her thing for panang chicken) she enjoys the differences of Pakistani food versus Indian.

Usmania is on Devon east of Western. The differences that I have seen might be more in reference to the restaurants I've been to as opposed to cultural cuisine specifics. I've noticed that Indian food is more dairy oriented than Pakistani and Pakistani food is more grill related than Indian. I've also noticed that there is a tremendous menu crossover in most places as well as a significant amount of vegetarian dishes in both.

Katsu: Kat$u...

OK... you can guess when I start with a disclaimer I am conflicted.

On one hand Katsu seems to me to be the most Japanese restaurant that I've been to in the city of Chicago... bearing in mind I have not yet been to Japan. Their flavors and scents are different from any of the other sushi places I've been to. Their hot menu items seemed unusual and very appealing. Maybe I should go back for Japanese food. Maybe I made a mistake when I got all revved up to go to Katsu for sushi.

Because on the other hand Katsu is expensive. Even for sushi places... It's on Peterson and I just got caught flat-footed. The last sushi place I tried and pigged at was Kaze and this priced out the same. Pieces are gigantic and are $4 each. Special pieces cost more. Rolls start at $6 and balloon to $15 or so (I'll check my takeout menu)... I got a nice sampling of 3 glasses of sake for $9 and had a wonderful kiss fish tempura appetizer.

All in all we got 3 rolls and 6 pieces of fish, the sake sampler, kiss-fish appetizer for $90. Very interesting but not worth the money.

Ba Le

There are many different French influenced Vietnamese resturaunts around Argyle, ranging from the expensive, like Pasteur, to the everyday, like Ba Le French & Vietnamese Bakery.  Known for their Banh Mi sandwiches, they have over a half dozen on the menu.

Don't ask me what they all are, and don't ask the women behind the counter either, as English is the second language, just go and pick a number and be adventorous.  I picked the #1 Ba Le Special, while my compainion picked the #3 chicken.  I was very anxious to taste it since the woman behind the counter pointed to the types of meats that were in it, they sell them all, wich consisted of headcheese and other bologna type meats that I would normally never, ever, eat.

School Lunch: Whale

Is the dolphin, whale or pig the most intelligent?  Everything's Better with Blubber.
From The Sydney Morning Herald

Almost black and certainly smelly - it's part of Japanese culture, writes Deborah Cameron, Herald Correspondent in Tokyo

The catch of the day is whale. Delivered fresh from the ocean, it arrives before the start of school.

In a couple of hours the bell will sound and primary school children will tuck into the whale, coated in breadcrumbs and fried with a little garlic and ginger.

New Leaf: Organic Produce Boxes

 Just past Devon in Rogers Park is New Leaf: Natural Grocery.

A flier with coupons, a couple for Organic Valley dairy, a fair trade coffee coupon was under my door last week.

A specific offering is the Organic Produce Box which is a week's supply of, what else, organic produce.
The contents of our boxes change weekly, but to give you an idea of the quantity, listed below is a sample from their website of a $15 box.  

Lawry's BBQ Beef

1:30 rolled around and I was still looking to eat lunch. The window was closing and it had to be relatively quick. Lawry's is the closest restaurant and their lunch special sounded promising. BBQ Beef sandwich for $6.

It's big. It's on a kaiser roll and it's good. I snagged a chocolate and white chocolate chip cookie and sat down in the back room. The table is set with homemade potato chips that everyone seems to love more than I do.

Trotter's To Go: Again

On the heels of a great duck confit I was drawn back for more. I figured I loved it I needed it. Mmmm.

They were out of it. So I got to try something new.

More duck. Without the confit available I went with plain old duck breast instead of the peking duck, tenderloin meatloaf, aussie beef tenderloin...

I splurged and snagged two crabcakes, two bite-sized pieces of seared sesame tuna, asparagus in a marinade and a parsnip and shallot vanilla infused somethin-somethin... plus chocolate chip cookie dough... this time they didn't toss in a baguette... bummer.

OYSY 2: Suburban Oysy

After adopting Oysy (OH-EEE-SHE) downtown as a great lunch place I decided to take some relatives out to the one in Northbrook feeling the white tuna in yuzu would be much appreciated.

I would never have tried this place without prior knowledge as it's in a mall and actually shares space with its partner restaurant Pacific Rim Asian... Yikes. 

312 Chicago

As a "Broadway in Chicago" season ticket holder, I've tried to get a reservation at 312 at least a half dozen times.  As the Chicago theater scene is booming, the restaurant scene in that area is not, and I've walked in circles around Randolph for hours trying to find someplace that is actually open after 6pm.

Consequently, I've given up the search and have been frequenting the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields and have been pretty satisfied with their service and prices yet the food is somewhat pedestrian, making me long for something new.  So again, walking in circles around Randolph we decided to try 312 and foolishly asked for a table for two. 

Free Range Studios: Store Wars!

Peel the farm Cuke!

You must use the ways of the farm if you're to join the Organic Rebellion. This is a hoot!
Click on the image to experience the Store Wars flick!

Spring World - $3.95 Lunch!

Spring World in Chinatown has top notch food and they offer a fantastic $3.95 lunch special. The restaurant is in the mall off of Archer and is next to a couple of great wrapped candy stores.  See the Mapquest (link below) for directions.

Mr. Eatchicago.net went down with me a few months ago and I've been back several times since. Included in the lunch is a selection from list A - meat dishes, one from list B - veggies/tofu but served in equal quanity, tea and soup

Boycot Beluga...

I noticed that my Google Ads include one for finecaviar.com offering Beluga. I can't pick and choose my google ads... I'm investigating but otherwise here's some info...

The caspian is beinng overfished and the sturgeon are generally not mature...
see this link for more info...

Kaze was Awesome.

My favorite restaurant in Chicago is a traditional sushi spot - Torajiro. I do enjoy new tastes and have been around but I tend to gravitate to simple sushi on a regular basis.

People talk ad nauseum about Kaze. I'll admit it was time I tried it. And I'll admit you all were right.

It's a pretty restaurant on Seeley and Roscoe that's not too big with a  long sushi bar and comfortable Louis XVI chairs that look good for the room. The waiter knew what was what and we let him make some suggestions. I've read that Kaze's waiters have been perceived as pushy but we appreciated his suggestions. We seemed to surprise him by constantly ordering more.

We started with the hirami sashimi, pieces of whitefish wrapped around sprouts, bamboo shoots and served on pine nuts and ponzu sauce. The dish arrived as we were going over the menu and it looked very pretty. the pine nuts were a gravel-like bed for the rolled fish stood upright. It tasted great. It was the first sign that the restaurant was matching flavors well.

Authentic Ethnic

I found this article indicative of the state of affairs in Chicago. It seems to me that there are tons of people looking for a taste of authentic ethnic. There aren't that many people looking for the same authentic ethnic music, movies, dance, art, etc. It seems that food, and not George W. Bush,  is the great uniter and the words "melting pot" are standing the test of time. From Madison.com

The nation's palate is changing for many reasons, especially among teens and young adults, market researchers say. This is the impact of the Food Network, more exposure to international travel/travelers, immigration growth and the increased blending of cultures within families.

Potbelly the Next Starbuck's

Apparantly we'll all be wanting a Potbelly's right next to our Starbuck's and Trader Joe's. I like the warm toasty Wrecks and since I can't get them at the Old Navy sandwich counter on State Street anymore... It'll do.

From the Chicago Tribune

Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz sees the potential for Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Works to grow into the next Starbucks.

"Potbelly has the opportunity to build a national brand and a national company," Schultz said. "What they do will be universally accepted."

Chorizo Burger at Sizzle

Edgewater has started to develop interesting restaurants. Speakeasy, Indie Cafe, Blue Elephant, South, and Sizzle are all recent additions to the neighborhood. Chicago Magazine wrote Sizzle up for their chorizo burger but a couple of months before I got a door hanger announcing the chorizo burger. I've been thinking about the chorizo burger for a while and finally tried it last night.

I'd had drinks at The Pumping Company before and Sizzle still looks fairly similar. I was expecting a beer garden as well but got a beer patio. The place has an identity crisis. It's still a smoky bar but one that serves $5 mini lobster tail plates and halibut entrees. But they offer $1 bud lights. And the chorizo burger.

L'Appetito: Downtown Deli

L'Appetito, 30 E. Huron St. is an Italian deli with indoor and outdoor seating and some grocery items as well. It's a couple blocks west of Michigan Ave and they will make you whatever you want. They have a great selection of meats and cheeses (with emphasis on Italian products) as well as tuna salad, egg salad, pasta salad, etc.

Their sandwiches (subs, etc) run large, except the slim tostinos, and the man in front of me ordered a half of one. I took his lead with a 1/2 a muffalatta but was given a whole. It was $6.50 and enormous.