Foodporn Fri Feb 28 2014

Friday Foodporn: Chopper

Picture by benchorizo from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.

— Robyn Nisi

Column Wed Feb 26 2014

James Beard Foundation Awards Needs More Diversity

The food world is currently abuzz with praise for nominees of the James Beard Foundation Award (JBAF), an honor bestowed only upon exceptional chefs and food journalists. As I scrolled through list of notable semifinalists, however, I realized the awards conveyed a rather homogenous message: that a great restaurant in the US serves expensive American food and that a great chef (not pastry chef) is an older, white male. It felt like a déjà vu of the "Gods of Food" article all over again.

Skewed demographics in the restaurant industry (or really, any industry) don't surprise me, but I was curious what the numbers actually revealed. In the spirit of brevity and (short attention spans for statistics), I conducted a very basic analysis on the list of nominees and found the following.

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— Judy Wu

Review Wed Feb 26 2014

Salty Toast Crack Magic Popcorn Dust. Yep.

When I lamented Pinch Spice Market closing its physical store on Milwaukee just south of Western & Armitage, I didn't realize they would become even closer neighbors by appearing every other Sunday at the Logan Square Indoor Winter Farmer's Market. And when I heard they had a new spice blend called Salty Toast Crack Magic Popcorn Dust, I knew I had to have it. My router is named "unicorn palace," after all...

I digress. My partner got one of those Whirley Pop popcorn makers for Christmas a couple of years ago, and we've made popcorn pretty regularly ever since, as we should -- it makes great popcorn inexcusably easy to make. We normally do butter and some kind of hot sauce (Co-Op or Sriracha), occasionally some cheese, rarely any of our myriad spices in the cabinet. We still use about 1/3 stick of melted butter, but since getting the Salty Toast Crack Magic Popcorn Dust, we haven't used anything else. It's pretty much what it sounds like: a good dose of salt, cinnamon, sugar, and the surprise ingredient -- dried orange peel! It was $5-ish for a small tin, and I'd say we use just under a tablespoon per batch of popcorn.

I've had luck with other spice blends I've purchased from Pinch as well. I recently made some honey roasted almonds spiced with their Ethiopian Berbere, and a leftover custom blend, Surrett Singapore Spice, was excellent on some broiled salmon.

— Jen Bacher

Dessert Mon Feb 24 2014

Paczki Gets Into the Ring this Week

If you love donuts but need a holiday to enjoy them, this is your week to enjoy paczki, the Polish raised donut filled with fruit or custard (sometimes even infused with booze!) and topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream. You can find paczki year-round, but this week will see a lot of bakeries stocking up on them in preparation for Lent, which begins next Wednesday. To celebrate Fat Thursday, the Polish American Association will be selling paczki at sites all over the city, among them the paczki heavyweight Oak Mill Bakery. For next week's Fat Tuesday, Evanston's Bennison Bakery will begin taking paczki pre-orders today (and of course, their paczki eating contest is this Saturday); also, Dinkel's will begin accepting orders [pdf] on Thursday. You can also pick them up at Delightful Pastries, Weber's Bakery (which will open at the painful hour of 4am on Fat Tuesday!), or Bridgeport Bakery.

— Robyn Nisi / Comments (1)

Drink Mon Feb 24 2014

Whiskey Learnin' @ Fountainhead

Steadfast wino that I am, I don't know a ton about whiskey, except I like it in cocktails and Hot Toddies. Luckily, Fountainhead (1970 W. Montrose) has put together a series of whiskey classes, part of their "School of Spirits," running now through March.

I missed their first class earlier this month, an Introduction to American Whiskeys. It covered the basics of whiskey tasting and terminology, among other topics, and featured five tastings from different producers, like Knob Creek, Bulleit, and Koval. I did make it to the following week's class, "The Whiskeys of Heaven Hill," which featured four tastings from the Bardstown, Kentucky-based distiller, the third largest producer of American whiskey.

Over twenty students attended the sold-out class, which was held in Fountainhead's barrel room behind the bar. Sections of old whiskey barrels decorated the space above the seating area, blessing the class. The chatter of the restaurant provided a lively, if at times loud, atmosphere and reminded me of how much fun it can be to hangout at a bar with friends.

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— Christina Brandon

Recipe Sat Feb 22 2014

Ay, Chihuahua! It's National Margarita Day

According to Foodimentary, the original recipe for the Margarita was made of equal parts tequila, orange liquor and lime, served over ice with a salt-rimmed glass. Even on a chilly February day that sounds so good.

Ay, chihuahua! is an idiom which also expresses surprise as if to say "Wow, there are so many!" And there really are many creative alternatives to the traditional Margarita with which to raise a glass in celebration like the Cucumber Margarita or the Ay Diablo Margarita at Chicago's ¡AY CHIWOWA! Tavern.

Cucumber Margarita
1.5 oz corzo resposado
1 oz cucumber juice fresh
.5 oz of pomelo grapefruit
.5 oz mariposa
1 oz agave nectar
1 oz lime juice

Shake and serve in a margarita glass (salted rim optional).

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— Harvey Morris / Comments (1)

Foodporn Fri Feb 21 2014

Friday Foodporn: Loafin'

Picture by Mel Hill Photography from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.

— Robyn Nisi

Review Thu Feb 20 2014

Chengdu Impression Does Szechuan Justice

Authentic Szechuan cuisine is masochistic -- it makes you sweat, makes you cry, makes you beg for sweet, sweet mercy (possibly even a couple bowel movements later). You leave the experience contemplating the fragility of mankind, yet you find yourself both mentally and physiologically stronger. If you order cashew shrimp or spring rolls at a Szechuan place, shame on you. If you order a dish not swimming in freshly chopped garlic, cilantro, Chinese celery, and numbing peppercorns, may the gods above have mercy on your feeble soul.

Chicago's classic Szechuan joint is Lao Sze Chuan, but Chengdu Impression in Lincoln Park cooks wonderfully authentic food, if you know what to order. (Plus, I trust Mike Sula on Asian-food related matters.) To preface, my family is from the Szechuan province, meaning my grandfather still makes his own chili condiments by frying up green peppers in his 50-year-old wok.

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— Judy Wu

Interview Thu Feb 20 2014

Chicago P.D.'s Sophia Bush Talks Food with Gapers Block

Sophia Bush loves Brussels sprouts. She also loves good tequila, bourbon and "massaged" kale.

Gapers Block got a chance to sit down and talk food with the actress who is currently residing in town filming the new "Chicago P.D." (a spin-off of "Chicago Fire"), at Unleashed, where she volunteered with the Trio Animal Foundation to support the Barefoot Wine "Sole of the Year" program, an initiative that celebrates people, like local TAF founder, Sue Naiden, doing good in their communities.

So, I hear you love Au Cheval. Can we be best friends now?

It's one of the best burgers in the world as far as I'm concerned. It's amazing. I've been going there since the first week I got here, and I'm on a first-name basis with most of the staff. We typically work late so we are definitely looking for late night places. I try to get into Maude's before the kitchen closes once a week because it's just some of the best food I've ever had, and I recently went to the Monkey's Paw. They have a great bourbon and whiskey selection.

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— Brandy Gonsoulin / Comments (1)

Event Tue Feb 18 2014

1st Annual Kitchen Cook-Off @ Fountainhead

Behind every great chef is a great team, but the folks that are generally responsible for making sure your citrus glazed pork shank and mushroom sage risotto makes it to your table like the chef intended rarely get the spotlight. Not this week.

Since Monday, Chef Cleetus Friedman from Fountainhead has stepped aside and is letting his staff take center stage with the 2014 Fountainhead Kitchen Cook-Off. In a round-robin competition, 10 chefs will compete from now until Friday, presenting two different dishes per day under Friedman's tutelage. You decide the winner and the winning dish will be on the official menu for a month. Yesterday's menu included a smoked chicken taco with fried brussels sprouts and a traditional cog au vin so I have a feeling the rest of the week will be delicious. This kind of stuff doesn't happen often in Chicago, so get down there and support these guys.

— Brandy Gonsoulin

Restaurant Tue Feb 18 2014

At Bottlefork, Food and Beverage Seek Menu Equality

Can any marriage be an equal partnership? Bottlefork, a New American restaurant concept from Rockit Ranch Productions opening today in River North, intends to achieve a culinary marriage where food and beverage play an equal role.

Billy Dec, CEO/Founder of Rockit Ranch Productions, created Bottlefork in partnership with Chef Kevin Hickey. Chef Hickey was previously executive chef at Chicago's Four Seasons Hotel for over 18 years, earning Michelin Star and AAA Five Diamond status.

"We're bringing together the elevated food and beverage game beyond being just two complimentary but separate parts of the business, and even beyond advanced pairings to a point where our bar and kitchen talent are connected as a team, free to put elements of the bar in the food and elements of the kitchen in the drinks," said Dec.

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— Harvey Morris

Review Tue Feb 18 2014

Bullhead Cantina Comes to Rogers Park

If you live anywhere near Rogers Park, then you know how important it is when a new restaurant moves into the neighborhood. For many years your friends and neighbors living on the way far North Side have subsisted with very few restaurant options. Taking a walk through the hood lately, though, it's easy to see that's changing.

The latest addition to Rogers Park's growing culinary selections is the highly anticipated Bullhead Cantina. The whiskey and taco bar, owned by Francisco "Paco" Ruiz, opened its first location in 2012 in Humboldt Park. The Cantina, revered for its atypical taco selection, opened its second location at 1406 W. Morse Avenue on Valentine's Day.

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— Jeremy Owens

Beer Mon Feb 17 2014

Craft Beer Comes to Kendall College

Earlier this month, beer educator Siebel Institute of Technology opened their new teaching hall at Kendall College (900 N. North Branch St.), a move that verified what many of us Chicagoans knew already: this city loves beer.

The craft brew scene has exploded in recent years, and it's not all about just drinking. You don't order "a beer" anymore. Even at a party, you're asked, "what kind?"

Chicago is crafting pretty much every kind of beer under the sun, from the German-style lagers of Metropolitan Brewing to the Belgian-inspired ales of Haymarket, and this city has the brewpubs, restaurants, tap rooms, and bars to serve them. With shops like Brew Camp hosting beer-making classes, it's easier than ever for beer lovers to experiment making their own home brews.

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— Christina Brandon

Recipe Fri Feb 14 2014

Recipe Mashup: Chicago Mix Brownie Cookies

I've loved brownies since I was a kid, even before I knew they were invented in Chicago.

In 1893, my beloved brownie was created in the kitchen of Chicago's Palmer House (now the Palmer House Hilton) as a new dessert to serve at the World's Columbian Exposition; it was cake-like, but smaller for portability. The original brownie recipe used crushed walnuts and an apricot glaze; the Palmer House Hilton still makes brownies according to this original recipe.

Nothing against crushed walnuts or apricot glaze, but I like the challenge of incorporating more unconventional ingredients in my brownie creations. For this challenge, I selected Garrett Popcorn's The Chicago Mix, which combines sweet Caramel Crisp with savory Cheese Corn. (A trick I learned from a former Garrett Popcorn employee on how to eat the irresistible Cheese Corn without turning your fingers orange: use chopsticks!)

Garrett Popcorn, launched in Chicago in 1949, became popular by handcrafting small batches of popcorn in old-fashioned copper kettles based on a secret family recipe. The now-famous Chicago Mix was created by Garrett's after watching people buy separate bags of cheese and caramel corn, then awkwardly trying to combine them.

After my own trial-and-error in combining Chicago Mix with brownies, I ended up with a brownie cookie which had the right amount of moisture content to not overwhelm the popcorn. This Chicago Mix Brownie Cookie is crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.

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— Harvey Morris / Comments (16)

Foodporn Fri Feb 14 2014

Friday Foodporn: Love is All Around

Picture by Renee Rendler Kaplan from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.

— Robyn Nisi

Review Thu Feb 13 2014

Exploring Food at Frontier

Frontier in West Town is aptly named. Merriam-Webster defines frontier as "a new field for exploitative or developmental activity" and that's exactly what Chef Brian Jupiter ("Jup") accomplishes at his restaurant. His winter menu features exotic proteins normally found in the wilderness, and his recipes push the boundaries of culinary excellence. Dishes featuring alpaca, boar, venison, elk, and rabbit may seem pretentious (maybe even obnoxious), but the concept is based on Southern comfort food and presented in a relatively traditional fashion.

For dinner, my party and I shared crawfish and shrimp hushpuppies with blue crab tartar sauce, a kale and apple salad (urban till chives, dried mulberries, candied apricot kernels, jamon, goat cheese), alpaca sausage (with pumpernickel bread, bourbon onion jam, caraway kraut, and house giardinera), elk shepherd's pie, fried chicken with honey glaze, alligator scaloppini (with cheddar gnocchi and tomato buerre blanc), and cauliflower with hazelnuts and goat cheese.

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— Judy Wu

Brunch Thu Feb 13 2014

DMK Burger Introduces the Chilaquiles Brunch Burger

That weird time during brunch where you are in-between breakfast and lunch creates quite the dilemma. You don't want eggs but a sandwich or a burger seems too impractical, perhaps even improper. What is your hung-over, confused yet noticeably hungry self to do?

DMK Burger Bar is giving you an answer with their new Chilaquiles Brunch Burger. Following in the footsteps of their "Biscuits and Gravy" burger, they've thrown a heaping pile of scrambled eggs, jalapeño, tortilla chips, tomatillo salsa verde and jack cheese onto their traditional burger. Pair this delight with a Bloody Mary and you're on your way to round two, drinking that is.

The burger will be available from 11:30 am until 5pm, Saturdays and Sundays during their brunch hours.

Photo credit: DMK Burger Bar

— Brandy Gonsoulin

Closings Tue Feb 11 2014

Kabocha to Close Saturday

Shin Thompson cannot get a break. After briefly turning over operations of his beloved (now closed) Logan Square restaurant Bonsoiree to Aria alum Beverly Kim and husband Johnny Clark in 2012 (who in turn left a few months into the gig), his next chapter has also shut it doors; Kabocha, the "Japanese brasserie" concept that opened less than a year ago, will close permanently after this Saturday's dinner service. Thompson continues as a partner on Bonsoiree successor Table, Donkey and Stick.

— Robyn Nisi

Random Tue Feb 11 2014

For the Lovers, The Haters and Those In-Between: The 2014 GB V-Day Round-Up

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and nothing screams more predictable about the equally anticipated yet dreaded holiday than sappy, pretentious dinners and bad chocolate. While there's plenty of those out there this season, we wanted to provide some other options for spending America's most loved holiday. (Hint: it involves beer, pizza, square dancing, vodka and Russians. Not in that particular order, though.)

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— Brandy Gonsoulin

Foodporn Fri Feb 07 2014

Friday Foodpic: Ramen Misoya

Picture by Mel Hill Photography from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.

— Robyn Nisi

Random Wed Feb 05 2014

Best Snack Delivery Services

Getting a package is a life-changing experience every single time. Getting a package containing food is even more magnificent. Grocery and meal delivery services (e.g. Peapod, Meez Meals) are all the rage right now, but a new demand is emerging in the snack market. These companies offer creative and nutritious options that make 3pm noshing even more exciting:

NatureBox
For $19.95 each month (for the smallest package size), NatureBox snackers receive a surprise box of new munchies, including granola bars, roasted chips and peas, and fruit crisps. Subscribers can also indicate their dietary restrictions and taste preferences when ordering from this California-based company. Unique selections include flax crostini bites, dried California peaches, Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops, and Siracha Roasted Cashews.

Graze
Headquartered in Jersey City, NY, this subscription snack company has a nibblebox and caloriecounterbox, which are filled with portioned snacks like nuts and dried fruit. I'm intrigued by their unique selection of "dips and dippers," including My Thai (sweet chilli sauce with baked soy bites), Bonnie wee Oatbakes (red onion marmalade with cheese and chive oatbakes), and jalapeno hot chips (jalapeno salsa with mini tortilla chips). Less healthy (but less guilty) options include billionaire's shortbread (fudge, blanched almonds, milk chocolate drops, cranberries) and cookies and cream (mini chocolate cookies, roasted hazels, white chocolate buttons and sunflower seeds).

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— Judy Wu / Comments (1)

Recipe Wed Feb 05 2014

Meatloaf: A Cure for the Winter Blues

Don't bother checking the weather report. What would be the point? It's snowing or it's just about to snow and it's cold. There was a Polar Vortex last week and a Winter Storm with an actual name. I'm not complaining, I'm just making sure that you're keeping up. It's rough out there! Jack Frost has been very busy this winter.

It's around this time every year that my love for Chicago and the onset of my Seasonal Affective Disorder go fist to cuffs. This year is particularly challenging. I am in hibernation mode and can barely be bothered to roll out of bed. I also have cabin fever like you wouldn't believe and Target doesn't have enough Vitamin D in its warehouse to help. I've been coping my usual way by eating my feelings. How about you?

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— Jeremy Owens

Beer Tue Feb 04 2014

Beer Specials: Metal & the Dude

Two local microbreweries have fun new projects this week.

First, DryHop Brewers launches Metal Beers & Burgers, its collaboration with Kuma's and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, this Wednesday, Feb. 5 with the release of Reverse Thunder, an 8.0% ABV imperial red, named for a song by the metal band Red Fang. The beer will be tapped at DryHop at 6pm, and will be available at DryHop, Kuma's Corner and Kuma's Too for the next month.

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— Andrew Huff

Review Mon Feb 03 2014

Satisfactory Meal at Woodie's Flat

There are certain Christmases in which the presents are slightly mediocre, the dinner ham is a bit salty, and the tree is haphazardly decorated with ornaments you purchased on sale last year. That's how I felt about the Super Bowl this year.

And unfortunately, that contributed to my general disappointment at Woodie's Flat. This Old Town joint serves typical bar food--burgers, wings, tacos, and the like, but I found the lack of non-burger/sandwich entrees somewhat dissatisfying. A roasted chicken plate or flatbread option would certainly spruce up the menu. Their appetizer special--soggies (jack, cheddar, and herb parmesan cheese in hoagie bun with warm jus)--also tasted like a wet pizza.

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— Judy Wu