Chicago Foodies

Restaurant Week: Blackbird

So I found out too late that Blackbird was serving dinner in addition to lunch specials for restaurant week. But, no matter, I was in for the typical Blackbird treat.

I hit about 4 places every restaurant week. I find the choices made to be very indicative of the caliber of restaurant. You can tell when certain menus seem chintzy. It sometimes is a type of ingredient or a very common dish. Broad examples would be pasta-heavy options or maybe lots of chicken. It could maybe be dishes with very few ingredients or big hunks of grilled something ie. burgers, etc.

Blackbird offered roasted chicken, grilled trout or a sweet potato agnolotti and in doing so could suggest some prix fixe adjustment. But it just goes to show how perceptions are unreliable. It may have been one of the best lunches out that I've had (the last one also being at Blackbird).

Julia Child on David Letterman

Restaurant Week: Topolobampo

With a PBS series, several cookbooks, multiple James Beard awards, and a prolific Twitter account under his belt, Rick Bayless is an undisputed elder statesman of Chicago's culinary scene. Despite my best intentions though, I never made it to either of his flagship restaurants, Frontera Grill or Topolobampo. There was always some new opening to see, another hole-in-the-wall to discover. Then last September, Bayless won Top Chef Masters, the lead time to get a reservation increased exponentially, and I put it off visiting some more.

But, strange things happen when you decide to move out of town. My normally procrastination-friendly mindset has evaporated and I am suddenly scrambling to check off items from an ever-growing bucket list. Should I be trying new restaurants? Revisiting old favorites? Should I be embarrassed that I've never eaten a burger from Kuma's? Is it really worth waiting in line for 4 hours at Great Lakes just to say I've tried the "best pizza in America"? I think I've covered a fair amount of territory already, but there are certainly missing Legos. Where would you go if you had two months left in Chicago? Anyway, the combination of impending deadlines and Restaurant Week was sufficient motivation for me to make a reservation at Topolobampo, 6 weeks in advance. And now that I have finally tried the Mexican maestro's work, I am upset that I didn't haul myself here earlier.

Cat Stew – The Horror of Tradition in the Kitchen!

Walmart – The High-End Grocery Store... ?

Granted, the guy for some reason says pr-ah-duce but it's an interesting video. It makes sense that Wal•Mart would be a leader in organics. It's a smart tactical move to keep them at the top. But then again they are the antithesis of eat local, aren't they?

Out of State, Not Out of Mind: Chelsea Market, NYC

For the past several months I’ve been lucky enough to call New York home for the occasional weekend. So when I’m not feeding on Bon Chon chicken in the village or Indian food in Queens I’m taking advantage of one under-hyped aspect of food in New York, the food market.
 
The one in walking distance for me is the Chelsea Market, which at first glance resembles Navy Pier. It’s kind of got this overpriced, lame, touristy vibe. And while there may be cheaper places in certain areas, the selection and prices here put Chicago to shame. On a whim I can find beautiful short ribs, skate wing or monkfish for around $8 a pound. Veggies are even more affordable and available. Giant trumpet mushrooms, fresh bunches of thyme for $0.85 ($3 at Dominick’s), fingerling potatoes for less than the price of sweet garnets in Chicago… it goes on and on: Torpedo shallots, hydroponic carrots with lush parsleyesque tops, literally on and on. I went a bit overboard and my bill came to $7 and change.

Sweets for Sight- Bubbly and Truffles this Thursday... for Charity!

Event attendees will receive champagne,  chocolate truffles,  and other libations… all in the name of helping others! Profits benefit the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired's "Seeing Is Believing" program.

This program provides no-cost exams and low vision devices for students in Chicago-area schools.   $45 per ticket or $350 for a group of ten tickets! Event information below and registration link here.

Sweets for Sight
February 11,  2010
5:30- 8:30
The Red Head Piano Bar
16 W. Ontario

Turkish Cuisine and Bakery in Andersonville

I walked in to this place at 6:30 on a Thursday night, and the first thing I noticed is that the large BYO restaurant was empty.  The second thing is that I looked around for the bakery and didn't see one, so I assumed the bread given to our table was the product of the "bakery".   Not being extremely hungry, I only ordered one main course, something called the Hunkar Begendi, also known as the Sultan's Delight.

Treat: BYO American – Indian Fusion in Humboldt Park

Situated on Kedzie just north of North Avenue, right around the corner from the classic Roeser's Bakery that has been around since 1911 as well as a check cashing place with a giant inflatable gorilla on the roof (at the time of this writing).    One of the first things I noticed is that the place was full, a good sign for a neighborhood that is slowly improving and progressing with more dining options.  The next thing was the counter area with a huge espresso machine (a good way to keep a place profitable by serving coffee in the morning and dinner at night).     Billing itself as "Contemporary American cuisine with Indian influences" it did offer a unique twist by taking western dishes and adding Indian influences.   Marigold restaurant, situated in Uptown, did precede Treat by using the contemporary Indian slant, but perhaps the difference here is that there are Indian twists on very non-Indian foods (gnocchi, crab cakes, panini). 

Newcastle Brown Ale DraughtKeg

Here’s a neat bit of trivia for any beer enthusiast to know: the familiar Bass red triangle logo was the first trademark to be registered under the Trade Mark Registration Act of 1875. Priorities. I dig it.

However, this post isn’t about Bass. It’s about a fellow English ale and second cousin once removed to Bass – Newcastle Brown Ale.

 Right. Yes. I know what you’re thinking, “Big deal. What’s so interesting about this beer?” That’s not what I’m trying to get at here, so relax. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel for describing its taste, so I’ll just leave that out. I’m just trying to bring a little knowledge and some humor to the table, because in the end, that’s what beer should be about. Let me back up…

Donnie Yen Cooks in Iron Monkey

Ricobene's: Breaded Steak Sandwiches

Ricobene's is a long-time Southside institution, with a sign proudly trumpeting its opening in 1946. Though Bridgeport has been playing host to an eclectic melting pot of eateries lately, Ricobene's is no flash in the pan, but a stalwart of old school Chicago dining. Think Manny's, but less Jewish and more Italian.

Framed black and white photos hang on the walls decorated with the classic checkboard motif. A closer inspection of one picture revealed a signature from Mayor Daley. This is, after all, the neighborhood which has served as the home of five of the city's mayors. If political clout isn't enough for you, Ricobene's is also a popular cop hang out. No less than four of Chicago's finest walked through the doors during my last brief visit.