Chicago Foodies

Beautiful Soba at Ginza

Yep. This was my lunch today.

If winning a Bib Gourmond is determined by the personal money spent by Michelin inspectors, then Ginza gets my version.

I spend more money there than any other restaurant, eating lunch at least twice a week. And more often than not it's on soup.

I have at least a dozen pictures of bowls of ramen, udon and soba on my phone. Today's buckwheat soba was especially pretty with the glowing tempura flake.

The iphone takes some snazzy pix. I might be able to leave the fancy camera and Leica lenses at home more often than I already do.

Ginza
19 East Ohio
Chicago, IL
(312) 222-0600

Les Nomades

Les Nomades is one of those places that falls beneath the celebrity chef and media hype radar.   Owned by Mary Beth Liccioni since 1989, acquiring what was at the time Le Français, the restaurant is in some ways very established.  Its Streeterville location is very unassuming, tucked away on Ontario Street, hidden behind a garden, that one would miss if not paying attention to it.    Chef Chris Nugent also remains behind the scenes, despite a pedigreed resume of Zealous and Tru, as well as stellar reviews of his cooking at Les Nomades by Chicago Magazine, which gave 3-1/2 stars, four stars by Phil Vettel at the Tribune, and 2010 Restaurant of the Year by Pat Bruno at the Sun-Times.

The clientelle, when we were here, tended to be more senior, which is often the case for jacket-and-tie places, though perhaps a bit more at Les Nomades, whose long span sometimes receives unwarranted assumptions that it is long in the tooth.  Despite the undeserved assumptions of French food being stuffy, Les Nomades is anything but with its seamless fusion of contemporary with traditional.

Balsan – Sunday Family-Style Supper

The Elysian is a stunning example of a modern high rise that can pull off classical elegance without being over the top.  Somehow it manages to be discrete as well; from its hidden, European-style courtyard to its impressive marble foyer, it was almost impossible to figure out how to go to Balsan, the restaurant on the third floor.

Along with other writers, we were invited to sample the $29 family-style Sunday night meal.  A tasty salad was served first, made of apple, celeriac (a type of celery root), and arugula, mixed with tarragon and a mustard vinagrette.  The other starter was perfectly-cooked sea scallops with fennel, orange butter sauce, parsley, and capers (though, frankly, how many times do you get bad scallops?).  

2010 Taste of Chicago Map of Restaurants

Here's the official Restaurant Guide! Click on it to view it at a larger size.

Top Chef Season 6: The Tour

Has it been a while since you've thought about making foods using vending machine products in less than half an hour? Interested in playing putt-putt golf? The Top Chef tour rolled into town today, and will be around through Friday, May 7 outside the Tribune Tower. Cheftestants Mike Isabella and Kevin Gillespie will provide a cooking demo and answer all the questions you wish hadn't been edited out by Bravo. You can also have your picture taken at a faux Top Chef judges table, get your apron autographed, and buy a Top Chef t-shirt or onesie. Unfortunately, it looks like pre-registration for seating (and getting food samples) is closed, but some first-come, first-serve seating is available for early arrivals. Or, there is plenty of room for gawkers to stand around the edge of the tent.

I only had time to catch a few minutes of the Q&A, but here are some quick gems:

Asian Carp, the Obtainable Sustainable

It is a distant relation to your pet goldfish. It feeds rapaciously on plankton like an aquatic pig and has a face only a mother could love. It threatens to singlehandedly upend the food chain in our lakes. There are more of them in the Mississippi River basin than in any river in China. Behold the Asian Carp.

Unless you've been living with your head stuck in a riverbed, you have no doubt heard about the latest invasive species threatening to disrupt the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. Last week, the Chicago Reader published an issue highlighting the Asian carp, analyzing the battle to halt the carp's spread with electric barriers. How much longer will physical measures stop the invasion? In December 2009, when a six-mile stretch of the Chicago canal was poisoned in order to complete maintenance on the electric barrier, an Asian carp was found among the dead fish. The ensuing brouhaha led several neighboring states to file suit against the state of Illinois, demanding that the commercially-vital locks be completely closed. But it may already be too late. A new eDNA test that detects species-specific DNA in running water has found already found evidence of Asian carp in the waters above the electric fence.

M Burger. Good, Fast or Cheap. Pick 2... right?

Well it's not exactly fast. So fast food that's not fast is what? The line outside of M Burger is long. It's not likely going to get short anytime soon. You'd think that's because foodies make a point to head over for burgers made in a kitchen that used to house TRU's pastry kitchen but it's more likely that it's across the street from the hospital. Nearly the entire lunch line was badged hospital staff. Considering nothing is over $5 it's a welcome addition to the local workforce.

Truth told the line for takeaway took 20 minutes. The walk back to the office 2 minutes. When I opened my bag and saw that they forgot a burger I was really disappointed. I've never had it happen to me at a McDonald's... so that's not good.

With a twinge of frustration I decided to just deal, I mean who goes back for a burger? Granted I ended up paying ten bucks for a burger and fries, albeit unintentionally, but they're swamped. I'll bug them later and see what happens.

I did get the M burger... they left out a regular burger. The M is awesome. It's really what I like about fast food burgers. The meat is not livery. It's well done (as any thin fast food patty should be). There may be a bit of salt on the burger but I think it's the sauce. Until I get that damn plain one, I won't really know. The fries were a bit salty but not as salty as the 5 Guys fries.

Lunch in the Loop: Taza

In my never-ending quest to find interesting, reasonably priced food in the Loop, I stopped by Taza, an unassuming storefront offering Middle Eastern and Mediterranean classics. (Alas, being on Franklin, Taza is technically just outside of the Loop, so my search continues on.) Pictured here is the "gourmet" falafel sandwich, which comes decked out with savory hunks of falafel, a smear of creamy hummus, a scoop of Jerusalem salad and hot sauce for a little extra zip. The falafel was hot and crisp, with a soft, pillowy interior. This was topped with crunchy chunks of cucumber and tomato in tahini and lemon dressing. Everything was brought together in a warm, hefty pita pocket. Did I mention this will only set you back $5? Light, delicious, and affordable.

 At 1 pm, there was no lunch crowd and plenty of open tables for seating, which is a major plus in my book. I'll definitely be back to try their gyros and schwarma. 

Taza
176 N. Franklin
(312) 201-9885

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).

Terzo Piano – The Restaurant at the Art Institute of Chicago

Take the elevator to the Terzo Piano. It is hard to tell if the Art Institute's Terzo Piano restaurant was really designed with art-lovers in mind. On the one hand, it is ideally placed, being on the third floor (the ‘terzo piano’, see?) of the Art Institute’s modern wing. However, on the other, going there for lunch can really interfere with a culture-filled day out. Once you have had a look over the menu and ordered a pre-dinner drink, you start to realize that this is not somewhere you'd want to rush your lunch.

We started to get some strange looks as we tried to see "what everyone else is having". We settled on the butternut ravioli (very rich, the kind of dish you can get away with eating only in winter. I’m talking waistline, ladies), and my friend ordered the Uno, Due, Tre burgers, a plate of three small burgers, beef, lamb and shrimp.

I suspect the waiter was overjoyed when we finally ordered, because we had already spent far too long looking at everything on the menu. We changed our mind multiple times, as we saw more and more interesting dishes emerging from the kitchen. But, to be honest, I’d go here every week if only for the desserts and the wine (the financier with lavender ice cream is definitely worth trying).

And for those of you who lean towards French wines, you'll know it’s rare to find a bottle of Château d’Esclans this side of the Atlantic, and certainly this side of Lake Michigan. Speaking of which, after lunch, stop and take a look out at the view from the restaurant terrace. On a clear, blue-sky wintry day it makes you happy to be in Chicago.

La Madia – Being Thin... Pizza

Thin crust gourmet pizza does have a place in Chicago. In fact, La Madia knows how to make such a thin creation flavorful, even for the stuffed pizza-lover at heart. Creativity in pizza offerings is to be applauded at La Madia. My favorites include the taleggio and 3-hour roasted grapes, the triple pepperoni with truffle oil, and the buffalo mozzarella with torn basil. The Taleggio and roasted grape pizza sounds like an odd combination, admittedly, but as a foodie sometimes the more unique the concept, the more intriguing.  It’s worth ordering just to fulfill that intrigue. Likely, you will order it again because the soft creamy taleggio cheese mixed with the sweet grapes on a firm crust is unexpected, and quite enjoyable.

Ramen at Ginza, the Perfect Food for the Cold, Rain and Snow...

Ramen deserves a dissertation. Most people are only familiar with the msg-laden shrinkwrapped brick sold to poor college students and eaten with a bizarre sense of pride. I won't go into detail at this moment (but I sure will soon) but that point of comparison is exactly like dismissing Italian pasta because you have only tried Ravioli-O's.

This time of year a huge bowl of ramen, with sheets of nori and wakame (both wonderful seaweeds... don't flinch like that) half an egg, fishcake... yes the Japanese stole gefilte and made it better, beads of glistening fat. It's awesome.

Ginza, so far, is above and beyond anything else I've had in Chicago... Won't somebody let me know where else to go!

(Yeah Ginza again... where the curry rice is also good. And again for Udon)

Ginza (in the Tokyo Hotel)
19 E. Ohio St.

I Dream of Falafel... and Chicken Sharwerma

I Dream of Falafel on Franklin near Jackson St. is a foodie’s lunchtime dream come true. Mediterranean quick-service competitors Roti and Benjyehuda are nearby, but patronize those locations for excellent salads and crispy fries, respectively. I Dream of Falafel will transform your lunch hour if you are craving smooth hummus, firm falafel, or flavorful shawerma.  

The I Dream of Falafel menu is a simple three-step process to chicken shawerma, beef shawerma, and falafel heaven. My favorite way to enjoy their culinary delights is with a bed of hummus topped with chicken shawerma and falafel, finished with tahini, lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers.

The 'Right' Wine vs. A 'Great' Wine at Tru

Last week, courtesy of Mirassou, I had an interesting experience pairing $12 (approximate) wines from Mirassou with a 6-course tasting menu at Tru. It was an opportunity for wine to transform into something more through simple guilt-by-association with the wonderful food and while I'm not sure if that happened, what it showed was how paired wine actually adds to a meal.

 Mirassou offers your standard varietals: Cab, Merlot, Pinot, Chardonnay, SauvBlanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling
They were each paired with our dishes: scallops, venison, crab, short ribs, halibut, skate & duck, and a nectarine and sour cream dessert.

How could you match them up? Mind you I already had this meal with the pairing but in all honesty I can't recall what went with what so before I look it up let's guess. The point of this is that different wines can be paired for different reasons and there really is no 'right' way to do things.

Riesling has to be with the fruit forward dessert. I'm cheating here because I remember this pairing clearly... Consider it a 1-varietal handicap. So now you have 3 whites and 4 fish courses... so which goes with skate and duck? It's very 'French' so I'd guess the sauv blanc... the scallops were served with quinoa and broccoli so I think pinot grigio with it's slight citrus... leaving the halibut and a leek emulsion and chardonnay reduction with, what else, the chardonnay. But what about the crab? It was in a clear tomato broth... that's more of a pinot grigio given the tomato acid? But we're out of whites... that means a red needs to be somewhere in here. And with the acidity of the tomato broth I'm putting it here. I'm guessing the Pinot Noir. It's lighter than the merlot or the cab. But let's assign reds and see which is left.

Frontera Grill – Profeta de Tierra Ajena

Por Ernesto Adduci

Es notable lo del Chef Rick Bayless: un Americano muy americano, que supera a los mexicanos preparando su propia comida. Considerando la extension y variedad de la comida mexicana, esto es un verdadero logro. Cierto, ganar Top Chef Masters lo ha encumbrado a la fama a nivel nacional, sus libros venden y la gente mira sus programas de tv, pero nada de esto se compara al triunfo de cada una de sus creaciones culinarias.

Hace tiempo queria ir a Frontera Grill, el restaurant que se transformo en su marca bandera, pero no fue hasta hoy que logramos encontrar una mesa en el bar. Probamos tres “Platillos Pequeños”: las empanadas de puerco, los sopes rancheros y del menu de Topolobampo, las mollejas de ternera en mole verde. Pedimos las flautas de pato, pero se habian terminado. El tener una mesa en el bar resulto beneficioso, pues pudimos probar platos de ambos menus, incluidas las deliciosas mollejas de Topolo, el restaurant formal de Bayless.

The BEST 'Happy Hour' in Chicago… Fleming's

Fleming's has been serving their "5 for $6 'Til 7" special this summer and, frankly, it's the best deal in the city. They're offering a selection of 5 Cocktails, 5 Wines and 5 Appetizers for $6 initially, until 7pm but it now is running all night.  If there is a downside to tasty and affordable beef carpaccio, seared tuna, lump crab cakes and top shelf cocktails it's that the dining area is not a rooftop deck. That said, the rooftops seem to be aloof and un-apologetically trendy to a fault.

So I find myself more often than expected enjoying an after work snack of seared tuna with a lovely wasabi/mustard sauce and a nice glass of Mondavi's Solaire Chardonnay. Followed by a Dimond Rita (glorified margarita with Herradura) or a Grey Goose Appletini hold the apple and the jumbo lump crab cakes – all together you're looking at $24. Not bad at all.

Sixteen Restaurant: In Perspective

Chicago is a beautiful city, American to the bone, and Trump Tower sits in a perfect location.  The Terrace Bar, outdoors, on a Saturday night at dusk, seemed quite magical.  Despite the long waiting list for a party of two to grab a drink outside, $20 gets you in fairly quickly. 

It was worth it.   My wife and I were there for a very special occasion, with reservations to Sixteen awaiting right after the cocktails at The Terrace.  The staff were extremely nice, and we even got a window table.  After all, the view is part of the experience. 

The first thing that became apparent after we sat down is the true Donald Trump-like nature of the restaurant.  Despite us supposedly getting the only available time slot for dinner reserved a month in advance, there were empty tables around us.  I also realized that the coveted window tables are not worth tipping the host.  There was more than one available, and the windows looked onto the party crowd at The Terrace.  But the famous "We'll try to accommodate you to the best of our abilities" speech, especially on an anniversary dinner, makes one feel a bit jumpy and start fishing for greenbacks in the pocket.

Cafecito – The Cubano Sandwich

New visitors to Chicago invariably assume that the Loop is the city's center for nightlife and dining activities. However, the sad truth is that the Loop has a reputation for being a culinary wasteland of fast food chains and Starbucks, which means I am always a bit flustered when asked to grab lunch in the Loop. Like a perpetual motion machine, there must be some universal law against restaurants in the Loop being good, fast and cheap. Well, I am not here today with breaking news that the singularity is here. However, the addition of Cafecito, just a couple blocks shy of being in the Loop, means that we are inching closer to achieving that perfect triumvirate.

Cafecito is a small cafe tucked inside the HI Hostel building, and their claim to fame is their Cuban sandwich, anointed the city's best by TimeOut Chicago. They also offer an impressive display case of baked goods, pastries and side salads. The cafe itself is bright and cheery, with couches for lounging and a danceable mix of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican tunes in the background. This tends to attract a coterie of hostel travelers, students and cubicle dwellers. Aside from its proximity to the Loop, Cafecito is right next to the Auditorium Theater, making it ideal for a quick pre-theater dinner.

Taste of Chicago 2009

The Taste of Chicago is the city's largest draw in terms of visitors, and you either love it or hate it. Though many foodie cognoscenti turn up their noses at the prospect of Port-a-Potties, waiting in long lines, torrential sweat-inducing 90+ weather, and the possibility of people packing other kinds of heat, I say this is no reason to miss out on Chicago's celebration of the best deadly sin: gluttony. You simply need to have a little strategy and planning before attending.

To avoid the elbow-to-elbow crowds, I stopped by the Taste a little after the weekday lunch rush, at 1:30 pm or so. I was able to buy tickets in minutes, and never had to wait to buy food. This was a vast improvement over last year, when I showed up on a weekend afternoon, during the Stevie Wonder concert.

I recommend scanning the list of vendor booths beforehand, and jotting down ones to target. This year, the item with the greatest Whiz-Bang appeal is definitely Garrett's Popcornsicle, or a caramel & cheese popcorn ball flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. You can see the liquid nitrogen steaming off of your popcornsicle for a minute or two after receiving it. The popcorn ball itself is crunchy, cold and refreshing on a hot day. It will set you back 6 tickets.

Lockwood's Chicago Style Lobster Dog

...is a damned, dirty lie. But a lip-smackingly tasty one at that. Though the haute dog looks benignly similar to a regular Chicago hot dog, its innocuous appearance is a facade for daredevilish things. But fear not, there is nary trace of ketchup on this hot dog.

So, what do you get for your hard-earned $18? For starters, your hot dog wiener has been replaced with a delicate, slow-poached sausage of lobster mousse. The bright yellow is not mustard, but a vivid saffron-ginger sauce. In lieu of onions and a dill pickle spear, we have leeks and a cucumber spear. The entire ensemble is topped with cherry tomatoes and slices of green pepper, and served on a hefty potato bun. A Chicago-style hot dog this most certainly is not, as it does not evoke the bold, in-your-face chutzpah of the classic Chicago dog.