Chicago Foodies

Drink of the Week: The Madras

I feel like there needs to be some Carribean or Indian lore to this drink. The best I can come up with was that when David Ogilvy popularized the fading colors of Madras cotton a drink came along with the same fading colors... red and orange into a pink. In my opinion stirring the madras is a crime.

The cocktail is vodka, cranberry and orange juice. I like to go with an orange wedge or lemon twist. It's an easy drink where you can barely detect any alcohol. So you can add a lot. Start with vodka over ice and then fill mostly with cran. Especially if your cran is warm swirl the glass around to get it cold quickly and also mix the vodka. Top off with OJ. You shouldn't stir the OJ.. It should just bleed into the cran. It is NOT a blended drink and not to be confused with the Sea Breeze which replaces the OJ with grapefruit.

Considering today is the first cool day in a while I may be hoping for a bit more summer in the coming weeks.

Just a Simple Cup of Coffee

On my way over to a friend's house to watch some Sunday football I had plenty of time driving through Bears traffic to wonder why people refer to chocolate milk as coffee. I stopped at Starbucks to get coffee and his order was a "Venti iced mocha" to his credit he usually gets an extra 2 shots of espresso and forgoes the whipped cream but really? It's not coffee.

I've been hearing about the Mint Mochas at Argo, etc. At Starbuck's ,at the grocery store, I wait in line behind 3 or 4 of these orders to get my grande coffee with room for cream – not that I add cream, I just hate when the caps leak or pop off in the car if they've been filled too full.

Marlin Steak with Parsnip Puree...

Fish has been working for me lately. I did a seared mahi-mahi a few weeks ago and while I loved it my wife wanted fish that was cooked more... she also isn't too crazy about wilted spinach. Her loss. This time she was much happier and honestly it took me half an hour after a long day at the office. Sandra Lee, eat your heart out.

The first thing to do is peel your $0.99 cent parsnip and peel a yellow onion. With a bit of salt and a touch of butter/olive oil, saute them both. As they wilt touch it with a decent splash of some cheapo Chuck's Chardonnay. Crack some pepper and let it cook. When it's a bit brown and the onion is thoroghly cooked turn the fire off and dump the pan into your food processor. Before you continue chop the bottoms off your asparagus and throw away. Chop the bottom 1/4 off of what's left and chop up drop into recently vacated pan. Cook the chopped ends in the saute pan and pop the remaining tall asparagus tops into a tall pan and blanch.

Willamette Valley Wineries

California's wine country is on the list but I'm making my way south. I've been to several good wineries in Washington state and have just enjoyed a busy day in Willamette valley's Dundee County drinking some awesome Pinots. To be honest I'm fairly sick of them but appreciate Oregon's ability to produce them.

You would think that you would have to have a plan when you decide to spend a day winery-hopping. The county's blue info signs make things pretty easy. Not only that but where a late start might kill a day hiking, most places don't open until 11am so you're pretty safe.

I would suggest drinking responsibly so spit some out or get a designated driver. We made it to Lange, Torii Mor, Archery Summit, Argyle, Duck Pond, Sokol Blosser, Erath and Anne Amie. Considering we covered 8 wineries in 4 hours without planning a thing you can come to the simple conclusion that not only are the wines in the area great but it's really easy to get to them all spur of the moment. 

AWESOME DEAL: Cuisinart 21-Piece Knife Set $99

It's not anything super fancy but a forged 21-piece set (Includes knife block and a cutting board) for $99 and free shipping? I'm not sure I would ever use the steak knives but who knows. Having an 8" chefs and a 7" santuko and a 6" chef's is pretty nice, and it's cheaper than some of the used prices I've seen.

Uru-Swati: New Vegetarian Indian on Devon

Uru-Swati opened up a few months ago at 2629 Devon. It's all vegetarian and really tasty. I was there in the afternoon for a late lunch and enjoyed the waiter's willingness to explain everything on the menu. I ended up ordering the Tadka Dal and the Alu Jeera and the pre-req samosa to start.

You Don't Have to Finish it in the Smoker...

I know. I'm a wimp. A grade-C foodie. I have to finish my meat in the oven. I can't wait for the smoker. It's not like I didn't give it 8+ hours... There's such a thing as over-smoking, right?

Actually you can over smoke meat. Hickory chips are usually the easiest way to get a bitter flavor. Since the flower pot is pretty tame there is little flame on the wood so the chips don't actually catch. I like to wrap the meat in foil and then into a 350º oven for 20 minutes, until the temps is at 200. The juices are all there and chopping it is a dream. I commit another sin in removing the bone from the shoulder before smoking and usually set up 3 or 4 chunks to cook. (Likely to some a bigger sin than the oven-finishing). Yes, the crispy parts are still crispy by the way.

Bourbon Barrel Bock... New Glarus Unplugged

New Glarus Unplugged beers are the limited run craft-beers from the Wisconsin-only brewery. As a reader noted Woodman's, just east of HWY94 on 50 is a relatively close shop to get plenty of good beers.

Truth told I went to get a case of Spotted Cow and ended up getting all sorts of fun stuff. I'll get to the flight of wheat beer soon enough but the Bourbon Barrel Bock is one-of-a-kind. The pronounced bourbon flavor is a perfectly malty and sweet tone to a beautiful amber colored brew. It's a very sweet beer with barely any head and perfect for big meals.

It's aged for 4 months in boubon oak casks and you can really tell. Vanilla and caramels come out and, with some fruitiness, are the big flavors here.  Sitting outside, smoking some meat was a great place to drink this. It's