Chicago Foodies

Salmon Burgers with Hoisin Barbeque Sauce

Homemade burgers are a great way to make a little food go a long way. Even the most expensive ingredients can be stretched in a burger. Case in point is the salmon burger. I'm not talking about canned salmon. I mean fresh, Atlantic salmon. A pound of salmon is usually a serving for two people, but in this burger recipe it feeds four. 

Even if you don't make these burgers, this barbeque hoisin sauce is one to add to your recipe book. It's sweet, strongly flavorful and just amazingly good. It really thickens upon standing, but you can still use the leftovers for a stir fry or as a dip for some Asian-inspired meatballs. 

Is the Half Moon Bay Model the Future of Sustainable Fishing?

Because they exist in a murky world deep below the crashing waves or gentle lake surface that we see, the world's seafood supplies remain a mystery to most diners. If the gruesome realities of large-scale commercial beef, pork, and poultry production are unfamiliar to Americans, imagine how little we know of the industrial fishing practices that bring seafood from the water to our plate. As even someone unfamiliar with the industry can imagine, it's broken. Many species are overfished, ecosystems are imbalanced, and in some cases, populations are reaching the point of no return. An article in today's New York Times explores a ray of hope that shines from Half Moon Bay, Caliornia: an unprecedented partnership between The Nature Conservancy and area fisherman has yielded promising results. Is this model the future of sustainable fishing?

Pairing Oysters with Wine

A while back, Chicago Foodies was invited to a wine and oyster pairing event at Shaw's Crab House and Oyster Bar, a fitting place to become more educated about different oyster styles.  The panel was led by Rowan Jacobsen, an engaging and well-rounded author who had written books such as A Geography of Oysters and American Terroir, a book describing a sense of place regarding a variety of items other than the typical things we associate with location, such as wine and coffee.  Three winemakers were represented, courtesy of importer W.J. Deutsch:  André Lurton, a large producer in Bordeaux;  The Crossings, from New Zealand; and Barone Fini, a family-owned Trentino and Alto Adige producer of Pinot Grigio with roots dating from the late fifteenth century, represented by the charming Giovanni Bonmartini-Fini.

Fish Bar: The Real Deal

Editor's note– Welome to our new writer, Ashley Streichert, a Loyola grad who loves food and the conversations food creates.

If you love seafood, then you must check out Lakeview's new restaurant Fish Bar. The owner's of DMK opened up this restaurant in the beginning of March and they really hit the nail on the head. The concept is simple, the food is fresh, and the prices are right.

I went to Fish Bar on a Thursday evening and waited an hour for a table. The wait was tolerable. You can grab drinks from the bar, hang out and peruse the menu. They have a nice selection of craft beers, including Blanche de Bruxellea Witbier for $5.50 a pint. They also had Bloody Mary oyster shooters for $4, which I couldn't pass up.

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.

Ria and Balsan at the Elysian Hotel

After months of anticipation, delays and rumors, the Elysian Hotel finally unveils two new restaurants this week. Ria is an upscale dinner-only concept with a focus on seafood, while sister restaurant Balsan is more casual, featuring a raw bar, wood-fired oven pizzas and housemade charcuterie. Both restaurants are on the third floor of the sparkling (literally) new Elysian Hotel, whose elegant European courtyard entrance is worth a detour by itself. Executive Chef Jason McLeod leads the helm for both restaurants, and has ample amounts of luxury hotel experience under his toque from San Diego's Grand Del Mar resort and Four Seasons. He is also wont to walking around with a cast-iron skillet of sizzling sausages. The rich, meaty smell was making heads swivel like a turntable.

So, were the restaurants worth the wait? Are hotels finally shedding their reputation for overpriced, stodgy dining and leading the way with revolutionary new restaurants? I dropped by the media preview on Monday night to check out the action.

The Environmentally Destructive Trend of... Sushi?

Are pescaterians and sushi-lovers destroying the ocean's natural habitats?

It seems like an extreme question, but the truth might just be closer than we realize. The proliferation of ideas like eating-locally and sustainability don’t just apply to the Green Grocer or Chicago’s Green City Market, as safe seafood and safe fishing practices are increasing in popularity.

While those who eat fish are not intending to harm the planet, there is a genuine concern regarding worldwide fishing practices. Admittedly, I had no idea that this problem existed and have been taking down hamachi, king crab, shrimp, and flounder with zeal! The fishing industry has come along way from “Dolphin Safe” on the label, but there is evidence that some populations of fish are being depleted and habitats are being destroyed.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a “best choices”, “what to avoid”, and “good alternatives” guide for fish. Check out the Seafood Watch Pocket guide at www.montereybayaquarium.org to best enjoy fish in a safe way.

Please Pass (on) the Tuna

By now, most people have read or heard about Fast Food Nation, an indictment of the modern factory farm, where cheap meat is produced at an all-too-high, hidden environmental cost. The recent emergence of swine flu has once again put the spotlight on factory farming and how the industry encourages the proliferation of disease. With that in mind, I began investigating the complementary industries of fishing and aquaculture. Taras Grescoe's Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood provides an eye-opening, informative guide to the state of the world's seafood supply, and is a must-read for anyone who eats seafood, if only for reasons of self-protection.

The oceans have long been credited with inexhaustible supplies of seafood, but a combination of industrial-age fishing techniques and a burgeoning human population has wiped out many fish stocks to levels of commercial extinction. Bottom-trawling, or dragging a net across the seafloor, essentially destroys and levels hundreds of square miles of seabed each day. Dynamite and cyanide are commonly used to stun reef fish (grouper, Napoleon wrasse); it is estimated that a square meter of coral reef is killed for every reef fish caught. Meanwhile, people have been consuming more and more seafood, from the newly affluent Chinese to the explosion of all-you-can-eat shrimp and crab specials at American chains like Red Lobster.

Mariscos El Veneno

It was a warm and mild evening, with glorious puddles of melted snow on the sidewalks, but my heart was in despair. We were on a quest for pierogies and borscht in Ukrainian Village, hoping to knock back a few beers and leave smelling like cabbage. Alas, not one, or two, but three of the Polish restaurants we’d passed were closed for the night. (Apparently, it’s common for Polish restaurants to close their kitchens at 7 pm on Fridays.) Where to turn next? Our eyes alighted upon the glowing signs of Mariscos El Veneno (translation: “poisonous seafood”), and more importantly, the enormous platter of prawns being brought out by a server. We bit.

Economic Woe for Lobstermen... $6.95/lb Lobster

A telltale sign of economic slowdown is the reduction in the price of lobsters... People aren't eating out as much and when they do they're not spending as much as they did a few months ago. A quick conversation with Chef Patrick Sheerin from the Signature Room confirmed that the past few weeks have seen a marked decline in patrons, though expectations for the remaining chunk of the holiday season should be a buoy of sorts. (had to throw that nautical reference).

Ordered live from Pine Point Fisherman's Co-op in Maine at Lobstercoop.com you'll be dropping $6.95 for a one pound lobster, $13.50 for a 1.5 pounder ($9/lb) and $25.00 for a jumbo 2lb lobster. What better way to save the economy than to support the co-op. You don't have to order live either... they do par-cooked.
I just think of Annie Hall...

The Fish Keg

I feel like I sold out a friend by including Hagen's Fish Market before The Fish Keg. It's nearly perfect. The first time I was there two 70+ ladies were trying to get their oysters double battered and were not making any headway with the young guy upfront. They asked for a gentleman in particular. If I remembered his name the story would gain in authenticity but I don't.

Let's just call him Harold.

Hagen's Fish Market

I was driving past. I was looking for lunch. It's the perfect storm. There was parking. There was a mural. It has almost epic potential. It's a mural of vikings fishing on the wall. There's neon, etc. everything but a phone number. I love the Fish Keg on Howard. Needless to say I went in for a bite and I ate it in my car.

Ordering lunch is always kind of odd in a counter environment. The good stuff is by the pound. You say you want lunch and get guided towards the sandwiches... which is what I went with before hearing that the cod (I think it was cod) comes in already breaded. It was okay. It was about $3.00. I won't go any farther into the sandwich because you'd go back for the smoking. 

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.

Ipswich Steamer Clams... Union Oyster House

I don't like oysters or clams very much. I had a terrific dinner at MK two nights ago and the first plate we saw had an oyster with strawberry on top. I wasn't into it. My co-diner even less so. There was a certain irony when I called her the next night from Boston waiting for a seat at the Union Oyster House oyster bar.

The Union Oyster House is the oldest continuously serving restaurant in the U.S. It opened in 1826 and has been serving ever since. Only three families have ever owned the establishment. Isaiah Thomas published the first newspaper in the U.S. upstairs, "The Massachusetts Spy." It wasn't about basketball. It's an old place with a very old oyster bar.

Wellfleet at The Fish Guy Market

On Thursday evenings the Fish Guy Market on Elston closes its retail fish shop and transforms into Wellfleet fish restaurant. Tables are set out between the refrigeration cases and tea lights and candles create an unorthodox atmosphere for a 6 course dinner, though some courses are plated and served together.

The candlelight effect is terrific but the presence of Bill Dugan and crew is equally engaging. Anything you want to know about anything with gills he can explain and he takes you through the evening's dishes with a genuine enthusiasm.

The menu changes every few weeks but the service and level of preparation of the dishes should be constant. Given that they've only been at it for a short time it should even improve. It's BYOB and a couple of different bottles would give you a nice range considering the several courses.

The first course came as a plated combination of three large oysters in an "Asian style," a soy and radish treatment. It was a very clean way to serve a very fresh oyster. A ramekin of creme fraiche covered a layer of cauliflower puree and a healthy portion of Illinois sturgeon caviar – Joel Robuchon style. I enjoyed the cauliflower puree but would have liked toast points or something on which to spread the very rich and very tasty dish.

OYSY– What Happened?

I went through a phase where I was eating lunch at OYSY often. Then I had a bad super-white-tuna lunch special that really didn't sit well. I figured it was an unlucky meal but hadn't gone back since.

Roughly 6 months later I was wandering around looking for lunch and figured I'd try it again. I was part in the mood for sushi and part wondering whether I'd been just unlucky that once and since I hadn't mentioned that meal here I figured this time, I'd mention my lunch.

Lunch at The Fish Guy Market

My first visit to the Fish Guy Market on Elston was part of my langostino quest. I had started at Fulton and headed north. It was a bit after noon and I was tempted by fillets being grilled for other customers. For something like 8 bucks you can pick your fish and get it grilled on a roll with a wonderful herbed mayo.

Fish & Chips in the UK

So a big thing in the UK is fish and chips... that means breaded and fried cod, haddock or plaice or if you're branching out fish could include salmon, skate, halibut... chips means fries. They come with lemon, malt vinegar and you can order pickled items or mushy peas.

We had good, OK and downright ugly fish and chips in and around London. In Covent Garden is a good spot, Rock and Sole Plaice. It held up as the best of the lot. The fish, haddock, was crisply fried, the skin flavorful and the fillet thoroughly boneless. The dill tartar sauce was creamy and went well with both the fish and the traditional wedge-cut chips. The mushy peas were bland and the beer was Turkish if I recall... go figure. It's one of the few legit take-away fish and chip spots and the best of the lot, not to mention that Covent Garden seemed to be the most conducive neighborhood to wandering around.

Las Islas Marias

There's a really neat Mexican seafood place on Grand and Cicero that I've been meaning to try. A big delay came when I found out that they opened a new location, basically in my neighborhood. After trying that spot I was having a hard time justifying giving a second chance to their Grand location which is supposedly a great place. But I'm glad I did.