Chicago Foodies

Restaurant Memories

At the suggestion of Marcia, a reader, this is a post of recollections and restaurant nostalgia. If you had that great date place or daily cafe that's long gone then click on comments and let everyone know.

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Red Beer...

I was in Grand Island Nebraska recently and had what I assumed to be a local Corn Husker thing... a red beer.
It sounds pretty gross but tastes pretty good. It's a tap lager with tomato juice. A bit of investigation finds the same drink in Sasketchewan - known as the Redeye. And in Texas... and many other places as well.

Some folks recommend a shot of tabasco.
So Lemonade and beer in the UK is a shandy (or shandygaff) and there's orange beer... orange juice and beer.

I thought it was pretty tasty but it made me want a bloody mary.

Turkey Gravy!

The origin of the Turkey on Thanksgiving in it's glory is largely due to Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post cover. During wartime beef went to the troops although this year, amidst war, it seems like we are making little or no sacrifices.
"None of us have tasted Beef these three years back as it must all go to the Army, & too little they get, poor fellows."

Gravy...
Deglaze your turkey bits and store.
Reserve 1/4 cup (more if you want) pan drippings...
heat very hot and add an equal amount of flour.
Stir in and cook until a light brown to medium brown paste. Remove from heat, it will keep cooking gradually add a flavored stock (star anise & chicken stock...? white wine reduced about in half?)...
adding it gradually will keep it from becoming lumpy...

DON'T BURN IT!

Calo

This Italian spot in Andersonville used to have that red carbet, booth and disco feel of a spot that's been there and been doing that for a while. They opened a shmancier option next door and then chucked it all and just remodeled the two together. Lots of the character is gone but the old-school menu stayed the same.

Froggy's

Froggy's in Highwood has been on my short list of North Shore restaurants for a while. On Green Bay Rd. just north of Highland Park, is a mini-restaurant row and Froggy's is right next to Gabriel's. I was expecting good French food at a reasonable price. In addition to that we had very little hassle for a Saturday night. It was, after all, the suburbs.

They offer a $32-$37 price fix with choice of entree, cold appetizer, hot appetizer and dessert. We were in a group of 8 and all of us but one went that route. They brought out a salad for that lone diner during one of the appetizer courses so there would be a plate in front of everyone. That's dining.

Andersonville on the National Stage

Imagine my surprise this morning when on MSNBC national news, amidst bombings in Jordan and CIA Black Prisons I saw, Andersonville coffeeshop, A Taste of Heaven. Why? The kids. They make too much noise.

Apparantly some mother is calling all her friends to boycott the place because unreasonable people want a quiet area to sit around, read and drink coffee. A sign goes up that says something about "inside voices" which if you've seen the place is definitely not sarcastic. Let the raving begin.

All in all I'd guess that the boycotting people have loud, snotty, germy, wandering children and they don't want attitude with their latte. Who could blame them? But the last thing other people want on a Sunday morning with their coffee and hangover is someone else's kids using their outdoor voices.

Let's be honest. If you have kids, 10am to you is mid-afternoon. But it's like 8am to me. If there are people in a nice quiet place trying to read then what's the big deal? So between Wal-Mart's hiring discrimination and the CIA's Black Prisons THIS is what get's Chicagoan's ire. Or more importantly THIS is what our national media covers...

This town ain't like it used to be.

The Hershey's Store

Right across the street from Ghiradelli's is now The Hershey's Store. I didn't know what to expect when I took a look inside but boy was I disappointed.

I don't have kids though the promise of chocolate is an obsessive diversion for most people. A little girl was the center of attention in the small store as she was urged to shout "I love chocolate!" Upon doing so she was rewarded with a loud rumbling and several fistfulls of candies were sent spinning down an apparatus and into a bucket which was sealed and sold to the little girl's mom.

Kizoku Pt.3 - Body Sushi

*Kizoku has closed.

Eddy is from Vegas and he's bored. So what do you do? Bring nyotaimori to Chicago... Hell, it worked in Vegas.

What better way to compete with the foie gras legal hullabaloo than a good old fashioned naked lady.

Nyotaimori is Japanese sushi presentation on the torso of a naked lady (covered with strategically placed items - so not really nude in the "nude" sense of the word). Though it is, as far as Wikipedia says, not a royal custom but one "generally associated with prostitution and the Yakuza... "

Needless to say, it sounds like damn good business. And, since I promised to head back to Kizoku for dinner, I brought my camera...

The $500 body sushi "all you can eat" is served in the lounge. Meals run about an hour and a half. As it's a pretty dark room, I got some shots and went back to the dining room to eat.

It seems like the body-thing is getting them lots of press. People should be glad that the restaurant is actually quite good and will likely gain some loyal customers.

La Tache for Brunch

La Tache on Balmoral in Andersonville is a cute little French bistro that is priced out around Le Boucheon $15-$22 for entrees. I've been there once before for dinner and remember enjoying it, promising to return. Though it's been a while, I finally did go back... for brunch.