Book Tue Nov 25 2014
There aren't any statistics to back me up, but I'm going to grab part of a wishbone and declare this to be the most stressful week. Thursday's meal is arguably the most difficult that you'll plan this year. That's somewhat hilarious, since chances are you're organizing the exact same menu that you did last year and maybe even the year before. Isn't it time for a Thanksgiving shake-up? If you've been crying out for change, I have an answer for your Turkey Day woes.
Indian for Everyone by Anupy Singla is full of more than 100 classic and popular Indian recipes. The book really does what the title suggests. It offers Indian recipes for any home cook regardless of dietary restrictions, level of expertise or familiarity with Indian food. Singla includes a guide to Indian spices and how to use them as well as suggestions of how to make any of the recipes vegetarian, vegan or even gluten-free.
Continue reading this entry »
— Jeremy Owens
In honor of the holidays, Bolat African Cuisine, a sub-Saharan restaurant in Lakeview, is hosting a dinner giveaway every Wednesday through December 24. Bolat will provide a standard, three-course dinner to the first 20 people who make a reservation. Though subject to change, the prix fixe menu includes Cilantro Veggie Soup with Honey Bread, Caramelized Jerk Wings with Jollof Rice, and Coconut Tabu. I had an opportunity to chat with Chef Emmanuel Abidemi, owner and chef of Bolat, about his dinner giveaway.
Continue reading this entry »
— Judy Wu
Picture by Adrienne Cragnotti from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.
— Robyn Nisi
Event Thu Nov 20 2014
"The best conversations happen over dinner," or so started the night at last month's Dinner Party, the monthly show at City Winery hosted by Fear No Art's Elysabeth Alfano.
Every month, vibrant host Alfano invites three local notable names to join her at the dinner table to share conversation and dinner from a known chef. Past appearances have included SNL writer Katie Rich, Wilco percussionist Glenn Kotche, Rick Bayless, famed talk show host Jerry Springer and "Chicago Fire" actor David Eigenberg.
Continue reading this entry »
— Brandy Gonsoulin
"Free" ramen for a year for only $200? Yes, read that again. The math is startling: assuming a ramen bowl costs $8, one can break even within a month, leaving 11 more months of free-ramen bliss.
Continue reading this entry »
— Judy Wu
Event Wed Nov 19 2014
Kendall College will be the site of this year's Chicago Food Film Fest, an annual, four-day merging of the screen and plate. Short films and documentaries will be aired while theatergoers feast on themed plates. Tonight's opening party, "The Great Chicken Wing Hunt," will show the new documentary of the same name; you'll get wings, wings and wings alongside milkshakes from Edzo's (a short doc about Edzo himself will also be shown tonight) and pie from Hoosier Mama; tickets $65-85, event begins 6:30pm. Additional events tomorrow through Saturday include homages to sriracha, seafood and beer. It's better than $10 popcorn, am I right?
— Robyn Nisi
Bar Tue Nov 18 2014
Synonymous with the sugar-saturated, brownish liquid one sips on a cold winter's day, cider is a seriously understated beverage. Cider is essentially fermented fruit juice, with the same complexities and diversity as wine. It was actually extremely popular in the U.S. during the late 1700s, but German beer and Prohibition quickly stymied its growth. Spain and England are the world's primary producers of cider, though France and the U.S. are burgeoning markets. Today, cider accounts for roughly 1% of the total U.S. beer market, although some experts believe that projection will increase to 5% within the next five years.
Cider presence in Chicago is decent, though obviously minuscule compared to the craft beer scene. One restaurant team is trying to change that by opening Chicago's first cider-oriented bistro-pub. From the group behind Fountainhead in Ravenswood, The Northman will offer 100+ ciders in bottles, draft, and cask. Located in Lincoln Square, The Northman will open its doors in Spring 2015, but I attended a recent pop-up showcasing its cider and food menu:
Continue reading this entry »
— Judy Wu
Picture by Seth Anderson from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.
— Robyn Nisi
Beer Thu Nov 13 2014
Jared Rouben's Moody Tongue Brewing has created something very rare and special indeed: a beer loaded with black truffles.
The Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner is brewed with Austrialian black truffles from Truffle & Wine Co.
"We used more truffle than I have ever had the opportunity to use before -- or, for that matter, more than I have ever seen in a kitchen," Rouben said in an email. "The truffle was not just 'infused' per se, and there are no truffle oils in the beer. I used several different techniques throughout the brewing process to incorporate and showcase the truffle flavor and aromatics."
Five hundred 22-ounce bottles will be sold via an online lottery this Friday, Nov. 14. From 10am to 3pm, enter your name and email address on the site. Names will then be chosen at random and offered the opportunity to buy one bottle for $120. A few additional bottles will be made available in December at a few area restaurants, including Grace, GT Fish & Oyster, RPM Italian and RPM Steak.
— Andrew Huff
Picture by Mel Hill Photography from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.
— Robyn Nisi
On a movie theater project he oversaw years ago, Alan Lake experienced first-hand what the kitchen could do to someone with autism and other developmental disorders.
"A state agency approached me to employ several candidates. We hired a couple of young adults and the training culminated with a week of having a representative from the agency attending as liaison before leaving anyone on their own," said Lake, a local chef and fellow Drive-Thru writer. "They were very upfront in telling us what we could or could not expect in our new charges, both in behavior and abilities."
Two workers became ticket takers, others answered phones or ran errands around the facility. One with Aspergers Syndrome, whose social skills Lake noted left something to be desired, loved watching the Food Network and wanted to work in the kitchen. Lake put him in the pantry where his job was to take inventory of numerous items on a prep sheet and prep and plate whatever was needed.
"He started slow but blossomed shortly after his minders left," said Lake. "Within months he was cha-chaing to the music I played in the kitchen and even going out with the staff on occasion. Months later, though not the life of the party, he'd pretty much extracted himself from his shell and was very much a regular guy."
Lake says agency reps came back saying they couldn't believe what progress he'd made, and that he was like the poster boy for the program -- never figuring he'd function as highly as he did.
"I don't know if they were being conservative in estimating his abilities or if he just rose to the occasion because I needed him to, as often happens in a restaurant."
As parents of an autistic son, Chicagoan's Julie and Michael Tracy know the impact of autism and understand the gap in the system between childhood and adulthood.
Continue reading this entry »
— Brandy Gonsoulin
Review Thu Nov 06 2014
"I was attracted to the stove flame, but my grandmother pushed me back. It was dangerous. But how could something so delicious come from such a dangerous thing?" Chef Guillermo Campos Moreno details the origins of his love for cooking, a journey which would later include a peyote-inspired "spiritual" awakening in the desert, a 7-month solo trip through Mexico, a brief stint at Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis, and elaborate meals for corrupt Mexican politicians.
Now, Chef Guillermo helms the kitchen at Kokopelli, a Wicker Park-based taqueria born from a food truck in Tijuana, San Diego's sister-city. The eclectic food truck was featured on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, and his concept eventually caught the eye of several investors in Chicago. True to its Tijuana roots, the restaurant specializes in seafood and colorful salsas, though there are plenty of warm-blooded and vegetarian options. Kokopelli's signature chargrilled tortillas are crunchier than the familiar soft shells, and while people like both hard-fried and soft shells, some find pseudo-crisp tortillas morally disconcerting.
Continue reading this entry »
— Judy Wu
Michelin, known for tires and dining recommendations, announced their Chicago Bib Gourmand recipients this morning. While it's not the same as receiving the heralded Michelin star, it's an acknowledgement that a restaurant is doing something right and affordable; these are the places where two courses and a glass of wine (or dessert) can be had for $40 or less. Past recipients include Purple Pig, Girl & the Goat, and Nightwood. This year's new class of recipients include:
Hyde Park's A10, Wicker Park's Azzurra EnoTavola and Carriage House, River North's Beatrix and Untitled, West Town's The Dawson, Dusek's in Pilsen, Edgewater's Herb, Avondale's Parachute (see our review), Logan Square's Table, Donkey and Stick, and River West's Two.
— Robyn Nisi
Book Tue Nov 04 2014
The baking wizard (whose recipe for sables holds a special place in my heart) will be appearing this Sunday at Floriole (1220 W. Webster) to promote her newest book, Baking Chez Moi.
Greenspan and Middlewest's David Tamarkin will discuss her book and work, and attendees will also get champagne and treats from her book (which will be sold and signed by the master herself at the event). Tickets $25.
— Robyn Nisi
