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Interview Thu Feb 20 2014

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

_MG_9851.jpgSophia 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.

If you like whiskey, you'll have to check out Fountainhead if you haven't.

No, where is that? I have to take notes ... You know, one of the directors is a big foodie so we've been going to a lot of places around the city. He introduced me to Mott Street. The people are cool and it's the kind of place you can go alone and sit at the bar and talk to the staff all night and have a great evening.

What are your favorite places so far?

Gosh, Au Cheval, Maude's. We also had a big classic Italian welcome dinner the first week we were here at Carmine's. The guys there know some of the guys from our show and they sent out every insane thing you could think of, kind of like a tasting menu. I'm really trying to get to Schwa but it's so tough to get a reservation, and I never know when I'm going to be off, so it's pretty difficult. I really need to go to Topolobampo, too. The Little Goat typically ends up being a brunch spot for me and Girl in the Goat, obviously ... there's just so much good food here. We've all been saying if the show gets picked up for Season 2, we're all going to Alinea and Next. Also, talking about late night, what's actually really good and one of my favorite places to hit is Sunda. If we get off early on a Friday and I still have full menu access, their Great White Roll is one of the best things I've ever eaten. I will go and just order several of those and that's my dinner. I don't need anything else on the menu ... but the shaved Brussels sprouts salad is also off the chain.

I love me some Brussels sprouts...

Then you have to have the Brussels sprouts from Mott's. They're next level.

That's how I feel about kale sometimes.

When kale's done right -- and you always know if people have massaged their kale or not... It's when people give it to you totally raw, you're like, you didn't massage the kale! You got to cut it with a little citric acid, you got to smooth it out.

You didn't give your kale enough love!

You didn't TLC your kale! We should make T-shirts, "Love your kale!"

"Love your dog and love your kale."

Laughs

How does Chicago's food culture compares to the West Coast?

It does feel different, but this is my kind of town. I love how hearty and exciting it is ... I mean, having access to this much variety is kind of a dream to me. There's so many places to go.

So, are you a wine, whiskey or beer kind of gal?

I love specialty cocktails and the art of mixology. I also love good tequila, so I would say my top three is bourbon, tequila and great wine. That's my trifecta. But I do love a good beer and I am enjoying testing out the local beers here. It's fun and it's something to discover ...We need to go out to dinner. When is this happening?

(Author's note: Did Sophia Bush just invite me to dinner?)

Done and done. I'm down for something like that. (Seriously, done and done Sophia, your people call my people.)

Do you ever get to cook?

I cook so rarely. What inevitably happens is every time I buy groceries, I have a busy week at work and then everything goes bad and then I feel terrible. There's also just so many restaurants that I haven't been to here yet that I just want to go out and try them all. About a couple of weeks ago though, a bunch of coworkers came over and we watched films all day and made chicken stew together. It was really cool for us to do that and spend time together.

In training with the local cops for "Chicago P.D.," did they take you to some of their spots?

Yeah... (hesitates), but they gave us their secret spots so I feel like I'm not allowed to talk about it.

But places you're definitely going to go back to?

For sure

(I tried Chicago, I tried.)

Your character, Erin Lindsay, is a strong, cop character. Where would she go for dinner or to hang out?

There's places I know that I haven't discovered that would be Erin's spots. She has haunts, you know, not just spots. That's actually something that as I'm here more and I experience the city more, I'm excited to find some of those places, those haunts.

~*~


Catch Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay on "Chicago P.D." every Wednesday on NBC at 10/9 CT.

Photo credit: StarTraks

 
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jen b / February 20, 2014 4:49 PM

had I known about this in advance you could've brought my dog... who loves kale.
(seriously)

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Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

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Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
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