Chicago Foodies

Gilbert Cellars 2004 Claret: Wahluke Slope, Washington

Claret, for those not in the know, is the British term for Bordeaux red wines.   A majority of the Bordeaux reds tend to be a mixture of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and this is no exception here.  The Washington State wine is a mixture of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Malbec, and 10% Petit Verdot.    The easy-drinking red was a mixutre of cherries and chocolate, with hints of vanilla.   I would recommend this as a great sit-down dinner wine with food-friendly acidity, restrained fruit, and minimal oak.    For under $20 I found this to be a balanced wine not requiring long aging nor harsh tannins..  I last saw this wine last at Pastoral in their Lake St. location, though I cannot say for sure it they still carry the 2004 or 2005.

Afford to Eat Right

There's an interesting article in Esquire by way of Andrew Sullivan's blog. It's all about the increasing costs in food: Cost of meat rising, feed costs rising 400%, rice costs booming, butter, etc.

At Momofuku, we've made a name for ourselves selling lots of pig and not accommodating vegetarians... But don't get me wrong: My restaurants still won't kowtow to vegetarians. We will, however, focus more on vegetable and grain dishes in which meat adds flavor, not heft.

I found that to be the interesting paragraph. Everyone has a story about some freakin' awesome green beans or spinach or a salad. Usually due to a 1.2 a teaspoon of duck fat or a few bits of bacon or some other meat product. The irony is that we know we shouldn't eat meals made mostly of meat every night and now our process of production is breaking down to force us to eat right. Nature is mysterious and I guess it can be man-made of metal and plastic bags.

Playdough Palooza

The Children’s Memorial Hospital Wish List Auxiliary Board's yearly fund-raiser, Playdough Palooza, raises money for toys for the hospital.

This year’s event is taking place Friday, October 3rd at the Chicago Cultural Center from 6:00 – 10:00PM.  The event will include lots of food and drink, lively entertainment and a silent auction.

Tickets are  $65 at the Children's Wish List website.

 

Hershey's Ditches Milk Chocolate?!?!?!

It's been a few weeks of "are you KIDDING me" moments... from Presidential politics to the economy – heck, CrispyontheOustside sets up my state of mind in the right way:

Last week, our country faced major changes as a result of the worsening economy. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. Bank of America purchased Merrill-Lynch. The Federal Reserve took over AIG in an $85 billion bailout. Even worse though, was Hershey’s decision to stop doing what they do best – manufacturing chocolate.

For a living I work with big brands and I don't even want to get into the myriad problems with Hershey becoming known as the mock-chocolate candy option. Sell your stock now (which you should have done apparently 3 years ago). This is a prime indicator of things to come. If Hershey's is willing to do this why not McDonald's not using 100% beef in their burgers – which they do currently use, contrary to many rumors. Or Starbuck's using mock-coffee.

Let's be clear: Hershey's is substituting Vegetable Oil for Cocoa Butter... in certain candies. Not their Milk Chocolate Bars. If it says "milk chocolate" it is otherwise it says "chocolate candy".

Growing Power: My Favorite Greens

Green City Market is my favorite market in terms of quality and breadth of selection.  Many of the stands provide fresh basil, arugula, mescalin, and other types of greens.   But I have yet to find any stands that provide the freshness of Growing Power's greens.  Their mustard greens are extremely powerful and spicy, their beet greens taste like beets, and their amaranth gives a nice touch.  They also have a great sweet basil, which I mentioned before in my pesto posting.  Apparently they have a greenhouse, which gives them the ability to sell greens year round. 

The best thing about Growing Power's greens is that they require little or no dressing.   I believe that a vinagrette ruins these greens--I recommned nothing more than olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.   The greens alone may not even require that.

Growing Power
Green City Market
Lincoln Park
Wednesday and Saturday

Lorentz 2001 Altenberg de Bergheim Riesling

I actually do sample a fair bit of New World bottles and wines, but most of the time I tend to gravitate back toward Europe.  Most of my New World purchases are leftovers from a few years ago when I got sucked into believing that tasting jammy fruit in wine somehow made it better.   One example was a 2004 Alder Brook Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, which tasted okay...until it was paired with food.    Another example was a 2004 grenache from Australia called Bitch.  Strong cherry and plum flavors and the usual fruit bomb taste with time in oak.  Robert Parker loved it, but I didn't.  The press release from Parker said "the packaging was designed by someone with considerable imagination."  I call the pink bottle a gimmick.  Forgettable.

Crust

The plan was to have dinner at our favorite pizza place, Spacca Napoli, but once we found out it was closed from Labor Day to September 16th, we quickly came up with a contingency plan. The emerging (actually, full-fledged) green/organic trend had introduced Crust to Chicago via Wicker Park, and we were eager to justify the amount of carb intake with "but we're eating well"!

Crust's slogan "Eat Real" boasts their status as the "Midwest's First Certified Organic Restaurant," with most ingredients promised as organic. The ones that aren't, are noted dutifully at the bottom of the menu. The restaurant uses bright welcoming colors with red chairs, and even a tented patio for rainy days like the one we experienced.

Bill Kim's Urbanbelly

It's hard to explain how my Friday was redeemed. It was a long day. I was graciously getting a ride home that was delayed an hour due to construction on the inbound LSD... are they kidding! Traffic outbound wasn't much better so I was needed something nice. I saw a listing on LTH for Urban Belly and made the Bill Kim connection and talked the driver into a detour to California, just North of Diversey. In a strip mall is Bill Kim's new diggs. Sure enough three weeks into the endeavor he was right there in the kitchen dishing out dumplings, rice dishes and bowls of noodles. Once you order at the counter seating is at one of four communal tables. It surely isn't Le Lan. But TGIF.

Rise Sushi and Sake Lounge

I’ve been to Rise Sushi and Sake Lounge on Southport a couple of times with large groups of people.  Last time was no exception as there were 8 of us in our party.  There were some things that Rise did well.  The menu is extensive, which was appreciated by several in our group that were not interested in sushi. Specialty entrées, noodle dishes and small plates proved to be more than enough for the non-sushi lovers to choose from.

Schlitz is Back in the 'Burbs...

Schlitz has been back in the city for a while. It's back in the burbs starting this week. Granted it's $5.99 a sixer  so they're banking on a slightly more affluent crowd than their previous advertising suggests. Now if only they'd bring back the pull tab.