Chicago Foodies

White Wine Tasting at Oceanique

Last week the editor-in-chief of Chicago Foodies and I met Philip André, the wine director of Oceanique, an intimate French-American seafood restaurant situated in the city center of Evanston that has been in business since 1989.

Philip was kind enough to show us a few wines on his day off, and most of them were from Alsace.   While I've shifted my tastes in red wine over the years, for whites it was love at first sip for me when it came to Alsace, and I haven't looked back.  In fact I may even take top Alsatian grand crus over first-growth Bordeaux, but I'd have to think about it first.

El Bulli Documentary Hits Screens in Evanston, Chicago

For those of us that didn't have the chance to eat at El Bulli before it closed, or who will never be able to snag tickets to Next's El Bulli menu, a new Spanish documentary is the closest we'll ever get to the progressive cuisine of Ferran Adria. El Bulli: Cooking in Progress offers a glimpse into the mad scientist mind of one of the world's most regarded, and debated, chefs. Whether you think he's a genius or a basket case, the film will shed some light on his singularly creative process.

Free Tasting at WineStyles Evanston ONEHOPE

WineStyles Evanston will feature a free tasting Thursday October 27th of ONEHOPE wines. This winery has an interesting brand concept. They donate  50% of all profits to charity. Their website goes into how they divvy-up the charitable contribution as well as the origin and history of the company.

I'm curious if the wine is as interesting as the brand. I guess I'll find out on the 27th!

Haitian Restaurants in Chicago

One of the best ways to experience a culture is through their food. Ironically in a city founded by a Haitian, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, I could only find one Haitian restaurant still open (please correct me if I'm wrong), Sweet Nick's Caribbean in Evanston. At a time when Haiti is top of mind for heartbreaking reasons, food can be a connection that provides real insight and empathy that you can't get from all the news in the world. Most importantly, it might be something positive at such an unfortunate time for the Haitian people.

Sweet Nick's Caribbean
741 Howard St
Evanston, IL 60202
847-869-7172

Eating Greek in Evanston

I’d never think to eat Greek in Evanston but I’ve been to two places so far that have proven you don’t have to go to Greektown to get good Greek food.

The first place I was taken to was Cross-Rhodes Restaurant, which has been an Evanston staple for years.  Gyros are the thing to get here.  My dining partner (who had been coming here since she was a kid) impressed me with the vegetarian salad that she easily made non-vegetarian by topping it with Gyro meat.  The salad came piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, oil and vinegar dressing, Greek fries, Tsatziki sauce, Feta cheese and the added Gyros slices.  I had never seen Greek fries before on a menu so we decided to get an additional side order.  They were steak cut fries topped with a lemon-herb dressing that despite the dressing were very crispy.  A great twist on the common fry.