Chicago Foodies

Rocks: A Night of Burgers & Stone Brews

Rocks in Lincoln Park hosted a burger dinner with a Stone brewery pairing on Monday, June 6. The four-course meal featured special dishes that also incorporated Stone beer in their recipes. Their mid-west representative, Aaron Tyrell, guided us through the different beers and dishes.

Stone Brewing Company is based in San Diego county in California but their following is continuing to grow in the Chicagoland area. Their claim-to-fame is Arrogant Bastard, an IPA with lots of attitude.

The dinner began with a Stone IPA to refresh the palate. The IPA is smooth, yet hoppy. It's on the top of most IPA lover's lists because it is full of flavor and extremely refreshing.

The first course was a beer cheese dip made with a smoked porter that's made with beechwood smoked malt, similar to a scotch. The porter introduces chocolate and espresso flavors and pairs well with tangy barbecue dishes and chocolate. It's a heavier beer, but very drinkable.
The cheese dip, served with garlic bread for dipping was hard to stop eating. Not only was it made with the porter, it was also paired with the porter. The smoky flavor worked against itself nicely.

Cooking with Qdoba

Qdoba's creative executives were in Chicago last week, teaching local foodies and how to make some of their signature dishes. ChicagoFoodies was invited to attend the event and learned some fun tricks of my own.

The event was led by Qdoba's executive chef, Ted Stoner at the Lincoln Park location on Clark Street.

They served micheladas with fresh lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Modelo. They also had a nonalcoholic drink blended with strawberry puree, lime juice, and ice.

After enjoying drinks and snacks the guests broke into three groups and learned how to make a fresh salsa, a guacamole, and a chile salsa.

Local Option – Beer Lineup: One of The Best Ever?

Just want to give a quick blurb about a recent beer event I attended on Wednesday, March 16th, at Local Option pub on Webster Avenue.  The Option did a rare beer tasting headlined by rare Founders brews and some other gems from the U.S. and across the pond.  Word got out about the event early enough that the keg tappings, which were to begin at 6, played to an already packed house by that time. 

Hoagie Hut... Closing Thursday.

Hoagie Hut - A Lincoln Park Tradition is closing Thursday 9/30

You knew it was too good to last. Located in prime Lincoln Park real estate, this long time establishment served Vienna Beef Chicago-style hot dogs, cheesy cheese fries, and (of course) hoagies of all kinds. Restaurant wise, it wasn't much to look and there wasn't much seating but it was the quintessential hot dog joint... ketchup stained bench seats, a classic arcade machine, and quite the friendly staff who even brought your order to your table.

We spoke to the staff today and they said Thursday is there last day in business... with the future unknown... take a stroll down to this Lincoln Park tradition before it's gone.

Hoagie Hut
2580 N Lincoln Ave

BOKA: Second Annual Chicago Chef Week

I finally got over my post-Restaurant Week blues only to relapse with the Second Annual Chicago Chef Week. My cohort and I searched for a resto where we had not yet been, and could be a good deal for Chef’s Week (rather than choosing a restaurant where you can eat all three courses for close to the $30 price). We decided on BOKA, and, needless to say, Executive Chef Guiseppe Tentori (Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2008) did not disappoint.

The dimly lit restaurant was chic and timeless – with a strapping young group of staffers greeting you upon arrival. The food was delish – as was the wine. There were two choices per course on the Chef’s Week menu, and it was tough to decide between them.

Gluten Free for You and Me

'Tis the season for Christmas stollen, holiday cupcakes, and rum cakes, too. Now many people who cannot tolerate gluten can grab a cupcake with friends or enjoy an easy dinner out in Chicago. Luckily there are many great resources and eateries for those who have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance.

A few suggestions around Chicago include the following: Chicago Diner (www.veggiediner.com) in Boystown offers a vegetarian menu, but also has an entirely gluten free menu. Swirlz Cupcakes (www.swirlzcupcakes.com) in Lincoln Park makes at least one flavor of gluten free cupcakes each day of the week. My favorite blog for gluten free recipes and ideas is www.tamaraduker.com . The blog is rife with humor, honesty, and creativity in gluten intolerant cooking!

Papples and Pawpaws

Tipped off by the blogosphere, I looked for Asian pear guru Oriana Kruszewski at the Green City Farmer's Market this weekend. As promised, Oriana had colorful baskets of Asian pears on hand, and was soon enthusiastically pressing samples into my palm. These pears are nothing like the Asian pears you see in stores; unlike their perfectly uniform and fleshy cousins, they are small, asymmetrical and blotchy. However, what they lack in size is more than compensated for with flavor. Though each varietal has a distinctive profile, these were unanimously bursting with clean, bright honeyed flavors. Without too much arm-twisting, I quickly snapped up a basket of Japanese and Korean variety pears and a pawpaw.

If you haven't tried pawpaw before, it is a native American fruit that tastes something like a cross between a banana, a mango and a papaya, with a delicate, creamy texture. Still, trying to describe the taste of a pawpaw is akin to reading about how to play the piano, so you should instead drop by Kruszewski's stand at Green City and say hi.

Oriana's Oriental Orchard at Green City Market
South end of Lincoln Park (Clark & LaSalle)
Wednesdays & Saturdays, 7 am-1 pm

Crepe & Coffee Palace

Tucked away in an unassuming storefront on Clark, Crepe and Coffee Palace offers a unique ethnic eatery to Lincoln Park: the Algerian creperie. For those of you who live further north, an additional sister location in Andersonville might fit the ticket.

The restaurant offers both sweet and savory crepes, but the savory options are the real stars of the show. These are served with a cup of soup, your choice of either sweet potato or chicken cilantro.

If you are accustomed to thinking of crepes as dainty dessert items, you will be pleasantly surprised at the robustness of the Algerian dinner crepe. Pictured here is the Crepe Iberica, which came stuffed with housemade olive tapenade, ricotta, pistachios, pineapple, cilantro, and mixed greens. On another occasion, I tried the Crepe Marrakech, filled with raisins, cream cheese, carmelized onions, almonds, sundried tomatoes, and baby spinach. Though most of the filling ingredients are not specific to North Africa, there are a couple of items (merguez and rosewater) that you can incorporate for an Algerian accent.

Goose Island Brewpub

A couple weeks ago, Chicago's thriving craft beer scene got some unexpected national recognition when the NYT ran an article on local microbreweries. Though a few lesser-known gems are mentioned (like Ukie Village's Bar DeVille), the article reads like a Who's Who in highlighting the area's best beer lists, from the Map Room to road-trip destination Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana. Luckily, many of the best beers are offered in conjunction with excellent food, so no sacrifices have to be made if you are in the mood for noshing. Hipster haven Piece packs its tables with patrons salivating for their thin-crust pizza, while Hopleaf offers an irreproachable menu of Belgian-style mussels, charcuterie and sandwiches. But the grandaddy of all brewpubs in Chicago is Goose Island. When it was announced that the Clybourn brewpub would not be closing after all, I leapt to my feet and shouted, "There is a God!"

Lincoln Park Whole Foods is Now Open

To much buzz and ballyhooing, the new Lincoln Park Whole Foods is now open. At 75,000 square feet of space, it is the 3rd largest Whole Foods in the world (behind London and Austin), ironically on par with the size of many Wal-Marts. But let me put aside the question of whether Chicago needs such a monstrously large Whole Foods for now, and say that this one is Awesome. I will admit that I was hoping for a sushi conveyor belt (like the Bowery Whole Foods in NYC), but I quickly got over my disappointment when presented with a vast array of in-store take-out options.

Green City Market Meets Alice Waters – Honey Crisp Apple Pie Recipe

We made it to the farmers’ market last Saturday just in time for, Chez Panisse chef, Alice Waters' book signing to begin. I was a bit surprised to see how small the market was, but soon realized that not all the produce farmers arrived yet, due to the limited availability of items during the early spring season. That could be why the market will move to a new location soon- to make room for more vendors. Actually, the next outdoor market opens on May 6 and moves to Lincoln Park. 

After a short wait and chat with another Alice Waters fan, I stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and asked the genteel Ms. Waters to sign my local library’s copy of Edible Schoolyard (I had prior permission). I then pressed my luck by asking her to sign personal stationary I decorated with cutouts of the beautiful Chez Panisse Foundation logo and artwork just for the occasion. If she thought it strange or was annoyed by the request, I couldn’t tell- she just kindly asked how I wanted it signed. I could tell she was as sweet a person as I’d seen on television years ago when she made a fennel salad for Julia Child.

St Patty's Deals

Happy St.Patrick’s Day!

 

Go Chi-Irish today and celebrate St Patrick's Day at one of the many restaurants offering deals on Irish food and drinks! Dance to bagpipes and live bands, and don't forget to put your green on!

Cocina Tarascas

While planning a birthday dinner for someone who enjoys Mexican food, I thought I'd hit upon the perfect location in Mixteco Grill. Unfortunately, I also severely underestimated the popularity of the restaurant because when I called to make a reservation, I was informed that the earliest time we would be able to get a table would be 9:30 pm. Oy veh, where else to turn on a busy Friday night for a dinner that was to take place in two hours? Someone suggested trying Cocina Tarascas instead, a Lincoln Park restaurant featuring "Mexican cuisine with a Caribbean twist." Oh, and let us not forget their most infamous claim to fame: the 45 1/2 oz. margarita. Well, I surmised that even if the food was mediocre, the excess alcohol would be enough to cover all sins. Cocina Tarascas it was!

The Counter

 Want to have it your way? Move over, Burger King, there's a new burger joint in town where you can have it over 312,000 ways. The Counter outpaces Mongolian grills at their own game by taking the do-it-yourself concept to new extremes, allowing you a vast array of choices for your burger's toppings, sauce and cheese. If you often find yourself in a quagmire of indecision, this may not be for you. If you have always felt stifled by the mundane, obligatory lettuce-cheese-tomato-onion combo on burgers, read on.

Riccardo Trattoria: As Real As Italian Can Get

My wife and I stumbled upon Riccardo Trattoria when we were checking out the line at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder next door and decided instead to pursue other options.  We decided to eat there on a whim, and when we were done felt that we needed to return a second time.

All but one of the staff I have seen so far are Italian.  The passion for the food, the homemade pasta, and the attention to detail make this mid-priced restaurant an incredible value for money.  For an appetizer  I ordered the Honeycomb Tripe Florentine, which was braised with tomatoes, what I believe were basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese.  It was outstanding and exceeded expectations, and I would recommend it to those who do not normally care for tripe.   My wife ordered Minestrone Genovese, which was not your typically tomato and lentil soup, but rather a wonderful pesto and rice soup.

Alinea: Another Peek

Alinea has made a name for itself in the Chicago food scene for mixing food and science.   For starters you actually order over the telephone when you make reservations--they offered the twelve-course chef's tasting menu  for $145 or the twenty-six course tour for $225.    Its Lincoln Park address is very discreet, and if it weren't for the valet parking men we would miss the front entrance.  Opening the doors you walk down this long, dark hallway highlighted in red, and once you get to the end a pair of automatic double doors opens in front of you, just as you ask yourself how to get in.  The actual entrance is a bit cramped, in spite of the long hallway, and I found myself dodging people serving food.   The host was able to find my reservation, and he reiterated our request that my wife didn't care for shrimp and olives.

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

Molly's Cupcakes

On a particularly lazy Sunday afternoon, my roommate and I decided to leave our couch and go on a mission to find us some cupcakes for breakfast. Hailing from the west coast, we had high expectations for ridiculously-priced cupcakes. We realize it's just a fad and a complete waste of retirement money, but the promise of a piece of heaven throws all rationale out the window.

We did some half-hearted online searching and landed on Molly's Cupcakes in Lincoln Park. The minute we walked in, the decor put a smile on my face. Brightly colored furniture and wooden swing sets captured my attention, as well as the big smiles behind the counter. I immediately zoned in on the Red Velvet cupcakes and the anything-filled-with-chocolate-on-chocolate cupcake, with hot chocolate on the side.

Breakfast of the champions.

Sushi Para II

My first warning probably should have been the "all-you-can-eat sushi" for only $16.99. However, my hole-in-the-wall-lovin' self worked up an appetite as we descended to a basement in Lincoln Park, revealing a small space adorned with wooden furniture and a sushi bar wedged in the corner.

I deliberated over the menu and like all my prior "all-you-can-eat" experiences, secretly vowed NOT to roll out of the door in discomfort by the end of the meal. Their menu had a decent variety of appetizers, nigiri sushi and their special rolls. My friends jumped on the appetizers as I carefully made my choices of the special rolls.

Lito's Empanadas

Lito's Empanadas is an extremely tiny place located on Clark St. in Lincoln Park, and it was love at first sight.  When I was on the bus on my way to getting my haircut, I thought I have to stop at this place.  Lito's sells nothing but eight styles of empanadas, including a choco-banana empanada for those with a sweet tooth.  It's a great place for street meat food at street meat prices, which range from $2.09 to $2.29.