Chicago Foodies

Pho at Quang Noodle

Now that it's cold it's time for soup. I was walking back from a haircut and went in thinking Tom Yum and ended up at Quang Noodle getting chicken Pho. $6.95 gets you a very large steaming bowl of noodles, chicken, chilies, cilantro, sprouts and wonderful clear broth that has just enough heat to last on your lips for an hour and keep your core warm for a 4 block walk. It didn't do anything for my gloveless fingertips.

Kobe Beef and Cruelty

The current issue of Gourmet Magazine has an interesting article on the conditions of Kobe cattle in Japan. Chef Raymond Blanc went looking in Japan and found that where the assumption is that these premium priced animals are massaged and treated well in actuality according to the article they are crated and remain mostly immobilized in their own feces. They are force-fed beer to restart their faltering digestive system from immobility.

Braised Oxtail Dumplings in a Garlic Broth

So I got on a kick with the shortribs. Oxtail is another one of those $7-8 purchases that when mixed with proper braising liquid, a cab I had handy, and seasoning... and a liberal dose of time, turns simply into flavor.

I mixed up a quick rub with coriander, cumin, pepper, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and a bit of garlic powder and applied it liberally to the tail. A browning in a pan and placed into a preheated cast iron covered pot with the cup and a half of cabernet and into the oven coasting in at 250 degrees.

The 1/2 pound Breakfast Burrito: The McSkillet

I was frightened by the news of the 900 calorie Hardee's breakfast burrito... had something like 60 grams of fat. Holey Schnikie...

While I'm not used to McDonald's playing catch-up, especially with Hardee's they sure enough come through in the clutch with the McSkillet breakfast burrito.

It's got egg, sausage, American cheese, potato, jack cheese, salsa, a veggie selection all wrapped in a flour tortilla. That's one durable flour tortilla.

The sausage version comes in at 610 calories nothing close to the 900 that the Hardee's breakfast-tube sports... The McSkillet has 330 calories from fat, 36 grams of fat... 56% of your daily value and 14 grams of saturated fat.

All this results in 137% of your daily value of cholesterol. What a way to start your day. If you wondered the 60 grams of fat from the Hardee's option ends up translating into god knows what but I'd speculate that if you're into Hardee's you don't really care.

Nutritional values sourced from Associated Content.

Foods of Chicago – A Delicous History

WTTW is airing a documentary Foods of Chicago – A Delicious History. The program airs Tuesday night (tonight) at 7:30pm.

A quick conversation with Dan Protess speaks volumes. He's a writer/producer for WTTW working on Foods Of Chicago with Geoffrey Baer. It's a 100 minute documentary covering the breadth of Chicago's history in food. The highlights include Al Capone's involvement in the popularization of potato chips, the multi-ethnic origins of the Chicago hot-dog and even the surprisingly brief history of Devon Avenue.

I couldn't agree more with Protess's assessment of Chicago:

"I wanted this show to be a celebration of Chicago's cultural diversity, because I think that's what makes this such a terrific place to live. And I really couldn't think of a better window into Chicago's diverse communities than food," says writer/producer Dan Protess. "Our timing for this show could not have been better – it's airing at a time when the rest of the world is finally coming to realize what we Chicagoans have known all along: that this is a great place to eat."

Portugese restaurants

I've never been to Portugal but I've had a lingering curiosity about Portugese food.  I looked up the number of Portugese restaurants in Chicago and found none.   There are even Swedish restaurants, and I found one place that claims to be Danish, so what gives?  Portugal shares some of the southern European culinary traditions of its neighbors.   Spain and Portugal, for various reasons, tend to take a back seat to Italy and France.

Fondue: Home Cookin'

When you get fondue pots for gifts, it's a waste to watch them sit on the shelves.  And, of course, you can get fondue at a restaurant.   Geja's is quirky and interesting, but their decor and menu are stuck in 1975, and while I like the decor in a time warp, it's a challenge getting excited over tartar sauce and shrimp cocktail.  Melting Pot looks like it has an interesting menu, but it has too much of a shopping-mall chain feel to it.

So why not have a fondue party?   So for starters I went over to my favorite shop, Pastoral.  And no, they're not paying me to say this.  Seriously.

Vodka Pample-Mousse: Drink of the Week

Some people pronounce it La-Cwah but let's be honest it could just as easily be pronounced like St. Croix... either way La Croix has a wonderful grapefruit flavor with an even more flamoyant name... Pample-Mousse. Everything is flamboyant in French. It's the easiest drink you could make and the key is not to make it too strong. It's a 0 calorie sparkling water with just enough flavor to actually taste GREAT with vodka. It's like you're not even drinking alcohol. Except eventually your spelling will get worse.

Obviously you can't really count on ordering it at a bar. But you can bring a 12-pack of La Croix and a bottle of Kettle One to your local BYOB and you, and maybe even your neighboring table, will enjoy the crisp fresh drink that can really creep up on you.

It's a La Croix Pample-Mousse with vodka. Try and order that by name.

Ginza Fish at the Tokyo Hotel

The menu has been changed but in font and paper-stock only. You can still get a great Curry Rice and Gomae. They were cutting up this tuna while I was there having lunch and I took this picture. This is just a tiny part of the beautiful fish he was carving up.

Here's a link to the previous trip there.

Ginza Fish
19 E. Ohio St.

The Langostino Battle Continues at Long John Silvers

Especially in Maine this has been a moderately big deal with politicians and industry people all taking a stand on how to talk about Langostino.

While it starts with an L it's not really Lobster – even though it tastes more like lobster than shrimp – and costs more like lobster than shrimp. The fallout seems to be that they now refer to the Long John Silver's Lobster Bites "with real Langostino Lobster Tail." If that doesn't clarify the issue, I don't know what does.

You Who Are About to Diet... We Salute You!

I don't want to know what my cholesterol-level is. I can only guess that I'm at least 5 pounds over what I was last time I looked and that was a while ago. I have decided not to stop going to great restaurants and not to stop enjoying food but that I don't have to have the braised, deep-fried, sugary, fatty foods that I haven't consciously avoided thus far.

BUT Here's what I had to eat today! The day before the diet (of sorts) starts... Egg McMuffin (I AM ASHAMED), lots of coffee and a kick-ass cruller, a Bismark (jelly-donut), Long John Silver's Lobster Bites (research of sorts), and braised short-ribs with tons of roasted garlic. You know that Homer Simpson noise where his tongue lolls out of his mouth. Yeah. That's me. Lucky there's no ice cream in the house.

...I did get a blueberry kringle.

Drink of the Week... Drysack Medium Sherry

Wow. Like the Madras wasn't girly enough. If there's any consolation it's that I'm watching hockey while drinking my sherry. To make it even better it's the Flyer's game. Looking to see which Flyer will get fined and suspended for another illegal hit. In short, it's a far-cry from the Niles Crane sherry-drinking-type thing.

Portugese Reds

I was listening to an excellent '60s and '70s Brazilian band called Os Mutantes, and since Brazilians speak Portugese (and also because Portugese wines are cheap) I somehow started thinking of Portugese reds.   As Spanish reds are becoming more well-known, and of course, higher in value, it was time to head west to their neighbor.

Uptown Eats: Magnolia Cafe

People ask me, "How come you don't own a car?".  Sometime my answer is, "So I can afford to eat."  As an Uptown resident I live in an area that is borderline pedestrian-friendly, and if they cut bus service it will be even less so. (Thanks Rod!)

Sweets and Savories

For anyone dieting before the holidays who, like me, try to preserve some sanity in the process with one, big fat “cheating” meal a week to take the edge off - I’ve got the perfect one for you. You can find it at Sweets and Savories on Fullerton and you can find it for half price on Wednesday nights (10 dollars down from 20 dollars).

Federal Government Subsidises Obesity

Everyone knows the food pyramid... (the one on the right). The federal government subsidises farming, we know. But it's surprising how the money is distributed. I find it really amazing how fruits and veggies get almost none of the pie.

Good Medicine Magazine has a really interesting article about government subsidies being part of the reason why, in a restaurant or a grocery store, a salad will cost you more than a hamburger... typically. This of course provides less healthy foods to everyone at a discount versus healthy choices at a premium.

Macy's 7th Foor Salads

Since 90% of my office right now is on some form of diet we have been searching the loop at lunchtime for the perfect salad fix. Of course not all salads can really be called diet, or even healthy for that matter but there is something about going out for a salad that just makes you feel better than going out for a burger.

 

In the search for the perfect salad we’ve certainly come across some really bad ones. The Gage comes to mind were I had a $15 dollar bowl of iceberg lettuce with some dry Tamarind chicken, Calamata olives and goat’s cheese thrown in. The combination didn’t work and the iceberg lettuce didn’t justify the price.