Third Coast Toast

A Student's Dinner

2012-01-25T23:03:00.000-06:00

This has been a pretty frequent meal for me, of late. When you're a cash-strapped grad student, you have to keep it simple, but you don't need to sacrifice flavor and nutrition in doing so. Ok, so this isn't AS nutritious as it could be (I'll admit it, I'm guilty of excessive cheese-ing), but it's completely delicious and filling for a cold winter's night!

Whole wheat spagetti
Baby spinach sauteed with olive oil, garlic, dried basil and oregano
Healthy sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan
*Pro tip: in lieu of fresh minced garlic, go for a jar of pre-minced garlic - it's quick, just about as good as fresh, and doesn't leave that lovely garlic scent on your hands for days (although, this would be a convenient added benefit if you're being stalked by a vampire)

The Cellar: Small Plates Come to Evanston

2012-01-24T21:10:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, I trudged through the snow with a few girlfriends to check out one of Evanston's new additions to the gourmet dining scene: The Cellar.

The more casual sister of the elegant Stained Glass (which I have yet to visit), The Cellar did not disappoint. Iterating on the small plates trend with great success, the diverse American and European menu was perfect for sharing and grazing with a few friends and glasses of wine. Each of us ordered 2-3 dishes, and left completely satiated - wishing only that we'd left room for dessert. I'm sure that before the snow melts we'll be back to sample some of the sweets.

Star dishes of the night included:

The French Onion Soup (the classic - perfect for a snowy night)

Acorn Squash Ravioli (candy-stripe beets, caramelized walnuts, brown sage butter)

Butter & Salt Flight (Parmigiano Reggiano butter with fleur de sel/Goats milk butter with Himalayan pink salt/Truffle butter with truffle sea salt)

Baked Truffle Mac & Cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, orecchiette pasta, yum, yum, yum)

Can you taste the cheesy goodness? It's every bit as good as it looks... (via Clover Eats)

Gougeres: Easy, Cheesy, and Classy

2012-01-07T14:31:00.000-06:00

I got a pastry bag for Christmas, and over the holidays my mom taught me to make choux pastry - also known as puff pastry. It can be filled to make cream puffs, sliced and stuffed with ice cream for profiteroles, or baked with cheese for a savory treat - called gougeres. To make the pastry base, all it takes is butter, flour, eggs, and a little water, salt and sugar (for sweet ones). You can put the dough in a pastry bag and squeeze it out for a nice shape, or you can just drop it by the rounded spoonful on a buttered baking sheet.

For a gathering this past week, I made gougeres using the recipe for choux pastry in James Beard's "Theory and Practice of Good Cooking", and added gruyere cheese and fresh chopped chives. A half recipe made about a baking sheet's worth of golf-ball size puffs, which was perfect for the small gathering I was headed to. I think next time I'll try a cheese with a little bit stronger flavor, like parmesan - but they were delicious nonetheless!

NEXT's Paris 1906: The Borrowed Review

2012-01-03T17:51:00.001-06:00

So, I did end up going to Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas's instant classic NEXT last spring, per my previous post. However, I never got around to writing it up... and now, I can't for the life of me find the pictures I took. However, there are some very good photographers who took much better pictures than I ever could have, and some very smart food critics who agreed with me that the meal was a complete triumph. I loved every minute of it and so did my lucky boyfriend who got to be my date.

Here's an amazing slideshow from The Ulterior Epicure, who got to sit at the kitchen-side table.

Here's Phil Vettel's glowing Chicago Tribune review. I love how he frames the concept as repertory theater:

I'm going to guess that Next will never repeat this first menu, which is scheduled to run another 10 weeks; the 7,000 or so diners who manage to experience "Paris 1906" will have bragging rights for a lifetime, akin to theater patrons who saw "Bleacher Bums" at the Organic or Gary Sinise and John Malkovich's "True West" at Steppenwolf.

Indeed, what Achatz and company have done is reframe the dining experience as a form of repertory theater. The performers remain the same, but every three months there's a new script. And where better to stage such a coup than Chicago, where repertory is the very backbone of its theater identity?

The highlights of our meal included:

The fantastic, perfectly timed, enthusiastic service, which reflected the same smart, down-to-earth approach at Alinea
Catching a glimpse of Grant Achatz through the window as I passed by the interior door to Aviary (which wasn't open yet)
The duck, which my boyfriend politely gnawed to the bone
The diamond-shaped poached chicken in the fourth course (Supremes de Poussin) - strangely enough, that's the one that stuck with me the most for quite some time after

Enjoy the pictures and review!

My Two Favorite Things to Eat from the End of 2011

2011-12-30T15:36:00.001-06:00

Despite the monstrous tower of debt, there are a few truly fantastic perks to being a full-time student again. One is having the time to do things like... take a week to visit London and Paris. Which is what I did, just before Christmas. And it was there that I discovered My Two Favorite Things to Eat from the End of 2011: Raclette and Macaroons.

First: Raclette.

Whilst in London (because, you know, they use words like "whilst") I met up with an American expat friend for a trip to the renowned Borough Market - a semi-outdoor farmers-type market teeming with only the freshest and most succulent sweets, meat, poultry, and cheese in all of London. As we tried to decide what to eat for lunch, a girl walked by us with a plate of small boiled potatoes covered with a thick layer of melted cheese. We knew we had to have one.

Raclette is both the name of a cheese and the name of a traditional Swiss dish featuring said cheese. In this preparation, large wheels of the cheese were halved and placed under burners so that just the top layer melts, bubbles, and toasts. The melted cheese is then scraped off with a knife, over a plate of small boiled potatoes. The dish is finished with a few gherkins and grinds of pepper.

The Borough Market is pretty particular about photo taking, so I've had to borrow some photos from others. Here's the cheese toasting, via TheCheesiest.net:

And here's a shot of the final product, via my super stealth friend Allie:

Second: Macaroons

I can thank my boyfriend for introducing me to these gourmet two-bite delights - which could easily unseat the cupcake as the next hottest "designer dessert" in the US. Paris has several shops dedicated to the sweet, and the craze is starting to spread across London too. We stopped by one of Paris's well known shops, Hugo & Victor, to pick up a box. We had the choice of a variety of flavors including the traditional chocolate and vanilla, but also clementine, praline, pineapple, and the delightfully lime-like combava. My favorite, however, was pistachio. Here's a few shots of the goods:

Here's to an even more delicious 2012!

NEXT, tonight!

2011-04-20T10:35:00.003-06:00

Since my last major food entry was about my trip to Alinea... two years ago... it seems only fitting that I resume blogging with my trip to NEXT... tonight!

Suuuuper excited about the menu, the concept... and the fact that I was able to get tickets.

Can't wait... check back for commentary and with any luck a few pics!

Wednesdays are BACK!

2009-06-10T22:09:00.002-06:00

After LOST wrapped it's fifth season a few weeks ago, my Wednesday nights have been rather uneventful and really kind of empty. Until last night. I have to admit that I forgot that last night was the premiere of Bravo's new Top Chef spinoff series, Top Chef Masters. But I was pleasantly surprised to catch the second showing when it came around at 11pm.

This time out, the judges become the judged as real "top chefs" from around the country compete in classic TC challenges. What's at stake each week? A spot in the finals and a chance to win $100,000 for the charity of the winner's choice. Over the first six weeks, we'll be introduced (or re-introduced) to four chefs an episode, culminating in a dramatic week seven finale in which the top-top-chefs battle it out.

The main judges this time around are reputable food critics Gael Greene (New York Magazine), Jay Rayner (apparently big in the UK), James Oseland (noted food journalist and bigshot at Saveur magazine). I'm more up on my famous chefs than I am on my famous food journalists, but apparently these guys (especially Gael) are pretty big deals in the food writing world. I should probably take note.

The premiere episode featured chef Christopher Lee (who I only know from those Swanson Broth commercials), chef Tim Love (the maverick Texan who takes shots in the kitchen with his honky-tonk staff), Hubert Keller (former TC guest judge and James Beard lifetime achievement award winner), and last but not least Michael Schlow (famed chef and restauranteur in the Boston area).

Boy do I love to watch these guys sweat. I mean, they obviously had to do a lot of it working their way to where they are today, but there's still a delightful pleasure in watching them struggle through the same struggles as past TC contestants. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Exhibit one: dessert quickfire. For an audience of four twelve-year-old girl scouts. Try impressing that palate. Surprisingly, Tim Love's seemingly bland "strawberries three ways" did not win over the scouts, but Keller's "chocolate mousse, meringue swan, whip cream, and fruit & orange sabayon" received full marks! I guess the little ladies had good taste (and appreciation for cute chocolate mice)!

Next up was a three course dinner challenge - in which the chefs had to "go back to college" and only cook with a hot plate, a microwave, and a toaster oven. Oh, and they had to cook it all IN a tiny dorm room. Despite the odds, all the chefs came up with what looked like fantastic dishes. Cabbage soup... eh not sure if that would have hit the spot. But it was Hubert Keller's play on easy mac - with a creamy cheese sauce, prawns, mushrooms and herbs that brought the dorm down.

In the end, Keller edged out Lee by a hair to advance to the finals.

What matchup am I looking forward to next? I'd like to see Graham Elliot Bowles go up against Wylie Dufresne... and Rick Bayless go up against... anyone. Can't wait to see what's in store for next week!

ALINEA.

2009-04-14T21:28:00.020-06:00

Well it finally happened.

Yes friends, I finally went to Alinea. And it was everything I dreamed it would be.

The custom-made playground of chef-prodigy Grant Achatz, Alinea has shot to international superstardom since it's opening in 2006, and put Chicago firmly on the map as once of the country's most exciting and progressive dining destinations. Achatz's style has been termed "molecular gastronomy", for the way he uses chemical reactions to create unique flavors and textures from standard ingredients. Achatz has reinvented the fine dining experience, playing to all of the guest's five senses, and delivering truly inspired dishes that are as visually pleasing as they are delicious. And despite what some diet-coke-sipping skeptics say, this thing is no fad. It's a revolution. And with Achatz leading the charge, it's here to stay.

Since I moved into my current apartment a year ago, I've walked past Alinea's unassuming homestead at 1723 Halsted almost every day on my way to work. It's been a kind of sweet torture - knowing I was thisclose to being able to walk through those doors... yet feeling like I was never going to get there. At that point, I was missing two criticial things: the money to fund the meal, and the people to share it with. Even if I could come up with the cash, it wasn't something I was going to do on my own. It wasn't the first time I've been so close to an Achatz-helmed restaurant - I lived just blocks from Trio while a student at Northwestern - but it's the first time I'd felt it. Day after day I'd walk past, briefly stopping to gaze at the signless, blue brick exterior, wondering what lay behind the white curtains that always obscured the windows. When I got out of work late, the windows would be ablaze with a soft, rainbow glow reminiscent of the northern lights. And still I wondered what magic lay behind them.

I thought I might lose my chance to find out when I heard last year that Grant was battling stage IV mouth cancer. It's the kind of thing that's almost biblical in it's tragic irony: one of the world's most promising up-and-coming chefs diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. But luckily, Grant fought it, and kept his tongue intact along the way, even after several doctors recommended amputation (I imagine that doctor selection process might have gone something like this). He's now back to health and back in the kitchen, crafting his next edible adventure.

And all of this brings us up to a few weeks ago, when, after several hypothetical discussions, one of my college friends put her foot down and said "let's do it". Our friend Ben was getting back from a long work stint in Africa, I had a sweet tax refund coming my way, and suddenly there was no time like the present to make the dream come true. Finally, all of the pieces fell into place. The reservation was made and it was fully on.

***

The day of the meal - and indeed the whole experience - was pretty surreal to me. As I got ready to go I found myself unexpectedly nervous and giddy. Like, butterflies-in-your-stomach, before-a-first-date giddy. I met up with my three brave friends, Amanda, Heather, and Ben, and they were equally wired. The anticipation was palpable. After taking a few pictures of ourselves outside, it was down the rabbit hole.
Through the front door of Alinea is a short, disorienting hallway lit with those aurora borealis colors. Toward the end we were met with stainless steel doors that startlingly opened when we drew near - like we had just been through a time warp and were exiting a spaceship to another world. Of course, we were.

After being greeted by kind hosts, we were ushered to our table on the upper level. A smoky aroma hit me immediately on the walk up, and we wondered at what it could be. (We'd find out later that it was a combination of smoldering cinnamon and "fake" grill smoke.) From that moment and through the whole meal, I was wholeheartedly impressed with the unpretentious candor of the staff. Everyone who serviced us seemed like they loved their jobs and were enjoying every minute of it. And there was not an ounce of condescension the whole meal - even though we were obviously young, giggly, and very camera happy. I was totally comfortable being there and it definitely enhanced the experience.

Once we were seated, it was time for the show to begin. We all ordered the "tour" menu - 24 courses deep. The girls stuck kept it simple with water, but Ben went for the wine pairings which he thoroughly enjoyed. Going without the wine helps you keep the price down and lets you focus solely on the flavors of the food, but from what I'm told the wine definitely adds another dimension to the meal if that's what you're looking for.

Our first course was two roes (arctic char roe and Michigan steelhead roe) with traditional garnishes. Roe is something I've come to appreciate more as of late - it still freaks me out a little bit. But this stuff was so fresh it was sublime - it didn't have any of that "fishy" or "pickled" taste that you often get with caviar. And the garnishes it made a truly delightful first taste.

(All pictures courtesy of Ben Woo and his superior camera.)

The second course was a heavenly bite of foie gras with daikon, sudachi (a lime-like fruit native to Japan), and shiso garnishes and soup. The foie was really wonderful - butter-soft and surprisingly light. The garnishes gave it an interesting twist, and the "shot" of soup made for a tangy finish. With this course, as with many bites to follow - we did a sort of "cheers" and took it all at the same time. This was usually followed by a moment of silence as we savored and pondered the bite... and then often erupted into euphoric giggles. It's really hard to contain yourself when you're eating food this astonishing. Here's a good article that sums up that part of the experience very nicely.
The pork belly was up next - a warm pork belly confit layered between pieces of English-cucumber-soaked iceberg lettuce, banana seeds, and a spoonful of distilled thai chili & lemongrass "gel" that can be best described by this Gachatz twitter post: "distilled thai chilies at 50 C full vac. All flavor-no heat. Pretty interesting sensation. Your mind keeps waiting for the fire. Never comes" Wow do I love the taste of black pepper on fruit. The fourth course was a teeny little bite of poached pear encapsulated in olive oil with a little mint leaf and dash of black pepper on top. The eucalyptus in the bowl exuded a calming aroma. We kept on sticking our faces in our bowls to get more of it. The pear's grainy texture and the silky olive oil added a nice tactile element to the bite as well. Next up was the lilac and shellfish course. This was the first of a few dishes that utilized a strong floral element as a key flavor note. It's definitely different than anything I've ever tasted, and sometimes it's a little overwhelming (when you hit one of the lilac "pillows"). But paired with the honeydew, it works to add an unexpected but welcome twist to what might have been a pretty standard shellfish dish. Now this next course was a highlight - inspired by Grant's recent trip to Japan. The "soy egg" is a popular part of asian cuisine, and the flavor combination simply doesn't exist in western food. It's a pure shot of umami, basically. Grant's version of the "soy egg" was a small yolk encapsulated in a soy gelatin, garnished with wasabi and yuzu. It was potent and salty, with a long lingering aftertaste. Course #7 was a long line of indian-inspired chicken bites, interspersed with morel and eggplant bites. On the right is a lemon foam, and running under all the bites is a ribbon of sesame tahini puree. I love indian flavors and really loved the way they were addressed on this dish. The chicken liver bite was a bit of a kick in the mouth for me though - just a little too rich! My favorite service of the night came next: a trio of bacon, sweet potato, and mustard sorbet. The mustard sorbet is the little coin you see on the right, and had passionfruit, allspice, and soy garnishes. It was a really unusual and fantastic bite blending cold savory and sweet flavors. To the left we have the sweet potato - a little nest of fried deliciousness on the end of a smoldering cinnamon stick, lollipop style. When you suck the nest off the end of the stick, you're first met with the sweet fried potato and brown sugar, and then a surprise shot of bourbon that explodes in your mouth, leaving you with a refreshing alcoholic finish. We had surprise (and sometimes not surprise) explosions happen at a couple of different times in the meal... it never gets old. Finally came the bacon - a simple thyme-smoked strip wrapped in butterscotch and apple leather. Fantastically sweet, salty, and savory all at once. Another famous dish was up next: Hot Potato / Cold Potato. The ball of "hot potato", with a giant truffle shaving on top, is suspended above a little shot of creamy cold potato soup. You slowly pull out the pin - think grenade - and BAM take it all at once. Really wonderful flavors, tempatures, and textures all in one bite. We have taken to calling the next dish "the umami tsunami". Grant did use a lot of umami flavors throughout the meal, but it was perhaps this one and the soy egg that packed the most punch. This was essentially a "quill" of fried soymilk protein wrapped in shrimp and orange taffy. The dipping sauce complimented the taffy and soy flavors with another sweet note. As this was the only true "finger food" of the evening, they gave us warm towels to clean off our greasy little fingers. Nice.

A lovely white asparagus soup with sorrel puree, white pepper, honey marzipan, and fruity tapioca was next.

And then there was the BLACK TRUFFLE EXPLOSION (MOTHERF***ER)! This little ravioli has more black truffle packed in it than I've probably ever had in my whole life -- including the huge chunk that was on the hot potato. The broth literally explodes in your mouth when you bite down. Probably the most fantastic single bite of the evening. Gah, do I love truffle.
The next course was also a winner, if you can't guess by the name: "Butter and its Best Friends". A beautiful plate of buttered popcorn puree, lobster, popcorn, normal corn, mango, and curry. Oh, and a sac of "clarified" melted butter that oozes out when you pierce it the right way and squirts if you don't! To bring the "dinner" portion of the meal to a dramatic close, we were presented with a small but scrumptious cut of Wagyu Beef - the highest grade available of arguably the best beef in the world. It was served with powdered (deconstructed) A-1 sauce, salt and pepper on the side, as well as a really heavy salt-and-vinegar-chip-encrusted potato custard. The fun of this dish came from trying different elements on the plate together. The potato was a bit much for me on its own, but tasted great with the beef. And to evoke that "grilled" essence, the waiter set off a "volcano" of fake grill smoke in the middle of our table. Very nice touch. After the dust had settled from the deluge of dinner courses, it was time for dessert. First up we had a little edible "packet" of powdered grape soda, which tasted like especially spritely grape "fun dip" (remember that stuff? pure sugar). Then came a trio of sweets. A shot of pomegranate and cassia with a yogurt "ball" (hard on the outside, liquid on the inside) that - guess what? - exploded in my mouth. A "transparency" of raspberry, yogurt, and rose flavors. And a "bubble gum" tube of vanilla creme fraiche, long pepper, hibicus and tapioca that tasted like a bubblegum milkshake. You had to suck it through the tube, which made a really funny slurping noise and set us off laughing so hard that I almost couldn't finish it. We were far enough along in the meal at that point we were pretty delirious anyway, it didn't take much to send us over the edge! Next were two more interesting dessert courses. A dish with rhubarb in several forms, goat milk cheesecake (fantastic!), onion cotton candy, and lavender "air". The onion element gave it an interesting sharpness and I wasn't a huge fan of the lavender... but the rhubarb and cheesecake were great! The Kola Nut "parfait" was not a hit at our table overall - the kola, licorice, beet and buttermilk flavors seemed a bit redundant and didn't really add up for us. A thoughtful statement nonetheless! A chocolate course was next... it was dark, sweet and rich, with prunes, chocolate crumbs, and pine ice cream. It wasn't anything too far off the map, but I liked the pine twist. I'm interested to see what other more imaginitive kind of stuff Grant could do with chocolate, though...

Before we knew it, the end was upon us. Even though we were full almost to the brim, we weren't ready for it to end. But all good things must. Knowing this, Grant capped it with one of his greatest creations: the dry caramel. Essentially, a shot of powdered salted caramel that turns to ooey gooey sweetness when it reacts with the wetness in your mouth. A memorable and lingering final goodnight "kiss".

A truly inspired, memorable, and fun culinary experience overall. I was enormously impressed by the personalbe and professional service, the aesthetic of the room and table design, and the comfort of the seats (you sit in them for a long time!). Food-wise, I loved the way that sweet & savory flavor mashups played a major role in the evening, as did big bold umami flavors, truffles, and explosions.

After letting it all sink in for a few minutes at the table, we were invited to go in the kitchen to get a look at the action. We crammed ourselves in a corner, trying our best to be out of the way, rooted to the floor in awe and wonder as the chef-scientists bustled about, constructing their art. We watched, rapt, as a quiet and contemplative Grant set two cinnamon sticks alight with what looked like an industrial-strength cooking blowtorch. When we had stayed just long enough that it was probably starting to get awkward, we said thanks to our host and unwillingly made our feet walk toward the door. Then out through the steel doors it was, back into the time-warp hallway and back out into the real world. Unable to contain ourselves any longer, we burst out in hysterical laughter at that point, ecstatic from what just happened. We took a couple pictures of ourselves literally jumping for joy. And then we walked home slowly and deliberately, with huge smiles on our faces that we couldn't wipe off minutes or even hours later.

Mine's still on. :)

Lazy Sunday

2009-04-14T09:18:00.002-06:00

So, the full blog entry for my Easter trip to Alinea is to come, but in the meantime, whet your appetite on this piece of hip-hop excellence. It's Lazy Sunday... Alinea style. Lyrics by Amanda Dunlap.

Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon.
Call Gachatz just to see how he’s doin’.
Hello?
What up, Grant?
Yo foodies, what’s crackin’?
You thinking what I’m thinkin?
ALINEA.
Man, it’s happenin’.
It's the only answer, no substitute for another.
Goin' down to 1723 Halsted, brother.
No doubt that place has got the bombest gastronomy.
Got me going down faster than the wack economy.
Two, no six, no twelve, TWO DOZEN.
I told you that I’m crazy for these courses, cousin.
Yo, where’s the first course?
Garnished roes, dude.
Then hit the fois gras, it's my favorite food.
I prefer Pork Belly.
That’s a good one, too.
Sweet Potato is the best.
True that.
DOUBLE TRUE.
Half way through.
Step on it, sucka.
What's that on your spoon?
TRUFFLE EXPLOSION MOTHERFUCKER!
It’s the Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
Yes, the Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
We love those Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
Pass that Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
Yo, check out this popcorn.
The movie theater’s over-priced.
You've got some lobster?
Gonna dress it up nice.
Packet of A-1 looks a little suspicious.
but plus Wagu Beef equals CRAZY DELICIOUS!
I’ll reach in my pocket, pull out some dough.
Guy actin’ like he'd never seen a $10 before.
Don't you know all about the Hamiltons, hon?
Throw some fresh goats milk butter on these HOT CROSSED BUNS.
Roll down to the kitchen.
What's that Gachatz's handlin’?
You can call him The Flame.
From the way he’s lightin’ cinnamon.
Now frozen in our place.
This kitchen is the illest.
Which one of these fresh cooks looks like the skilled-est?
Back through the grey doors, reality is scary.
But the what's in our tummies is light and airy.
Now the next day, normal food seems tragic.
We're floating back down from a dream world of magic with…
the Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
Yes, the Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
We love those Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea
Pass that Chronic (what?)
Cles of Alinea

New York, New York

2009-02-11T23:37:00.011-06:00

Last weekend I skipped town to visit some of my favorite college friends in New York City. Being from the northeast, I've been to the big apple a bunch of times with my family, but I'm only now getting to know the city on my own. As a theater fan and food fan, I had to sample some of the best the city has to offer in my short time there. I got in late Friday, but Saturday it was off to the races. My friend (and self-proclaimed Broadway addict) Elizabeth got up early to snatch us half-price tickets to the matinee show of Equus, the acclaimed revival of Peter Shaffer's 1975 psychological thriller (or as many know it, the play that Harry Potter gets naked in). But before we went to watch a two hour show about a troubled teenager who blinds six horses in a seemingly inexplicable act of violence, we needed to get something to eat.

It was just about lunch time, so I suggested we hunt down a 'wichcraft. Perhaps the "lowest brow" of Top Chef Tom Colicchio's family of New York eateries, wichcraft is a network of quick, in-and-out gourmet sandwich stands and kiosks sprinkled all throughout Manhattan. We ended up at one in Bryant Park, and munched on delish warm sandwiches while we watched the crews set up giant white tents for New York's winter Fashion Week.

It was an unseasonably warm winter's day and the sunshine was bright and crisp. Here's a shot of the 'wichcraft kiosk in Bryant Park:

And here's a shot of my sammie: gruyere and caramelized onions on rye.

After lunch, it was off to the theatre. I haven't been to see a really good play in quite some time, and my laziness is purely to blame - each and every day I slog past one of the country's most prolific theatre companies - The Steppenwolf - on my way to work, yet I rarely get it together to set foot inside. Equus, which we caught on its last weekend, was a total sensory and emotional knockout - the kind of play that really moves you, challenges you, and makes you think.

Daniel Radcliffe, as well as fellow HP actor Richard Griffiths (who you may know as "Uncle Vernon), delivered powerful, expertly nuanced performances as the troubled protagonist and the unconventional psychiatrist attempting to unravel the reasons behind his crime. Also turning in an unexpectedly delightful performance was Kate Mulgrew, who you may remember as Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. From first line through the shocking conclusion, I was rapt. I left the theatre with goosebumps and a promise to myself that I need to go see live plays more often - there really is no match for it.

Here's a shot of Erica, Elizabeth and I outside the theater. Not pictured: the crowd of teenage girls at the stage door hoping to get a glimpse of the wizard himself.

All that emotional catharsis helped us work up an appetite. After wandering about the Broadway / Times Square area for a bit, we hopped a train down to popular East Village eatery Momofuku Noodle Bar. I wanted to try momofuku because it's one of the much-mentioned favorites of my favorite New York food blogger, The Amateur Gourmet. We got in just before the evening rush and were seated quickly. Momofuku, brainchild of celebrated NY restauranteur David Chang, is inspired by the ramen noodle bars of Japan. There's a bar with seating and a number of communal tables, and with a short menu and prompt service, it's designed to get you in and out and on with your night.

We started with 7 spice potato chips:

I then got the chicken ramen, probably the most basic, signature dish of the establishment. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and stir-fried, the noodles were fresh and eggy, and the broth was delightfully saltly. Fresh ingredients DEFINITELY beat the stuff you get at the store any day.

After dinner, we wandered a bit more and ended up cruising over to another David Chang establishment: Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery. This hopping little storefront offers a variety of frozen and baked desserts, as well as different flavors of milk. Following The Amateur Gourmet's advice, I went for the banana cake, and it was just about as good as he said it was. It was too dark to get a good picture, but T.A.G. has a good one here. The cake itself was a little too dense & heavy, but the delicious custard layer, as well as the caramel and peanut accents, made this slice one to remember. Why don't people combine banana and toffee / caramel more often?!? Seriously. One of the best flavor combos EVER!

After that we were stuffed silly and, having spent through a good chunk of change already, we grabbed some cheap wine at Trader Joe's and decided to lay low at my friend's apartment for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, I only had time for brunch before jetting off to the airport (well actually, the 90 minute train to the airport). Well loved Murray Hill brunch spot Penelope. Although it was about a 40 minute wait (we showed up at about 10am), it was well worth it. Unique sweet and savory dishes with delicious fresh ingredients make this a worthwhile place to spend $20 on brunch. I got a bottomless coffee and this dish: eggs scrambled with grilled asparagus and feta cheese, wheat toast and hand cut french fries. Perfect for curing the wine hangover. Elizabeth and Nicole got breakfast sandwiches and also reported rave reviews. I'd like to go back and try some of their "sweet" offerings sometime!

And with that, I bid a sunny, unseasonably warm New York a good bye... or rather... a "see ya later". Once I save up a little more change I'm sure I'll be back soon enough.

Top Chef Gets It's Very Own Simon Cowell, and Scandal Rocks the Kitchen

2009-01-21T23:48:00.007-06:00

Top Chef has really been kicking up the drama this season, to good effect. With a sharp-tongued new judge, a romantic scandal, a pair of european goofballs, the only thing lacking drama at this point is the food, really. So that's still a bit of a disappointment, but at least we are entertained!

With Gail off and married, Bravo's introduced a snarky new judge, Toby Young, who keeps the anecdotal, catchphrase-y digs coming ("Ladies and gentlemen, I've found the weapons of mass destruction, and they are in this bowl"). Although he claims he's not trying to be Simon Cowell, he sure sounds like it. Both Brits are renowned experts in their own fields, and have no patience for anything short of true excellence. Yet while Toby's carefully pointed insults are just as cutting, they air more on the side of the intellectual then Simon's. And, he manages to be fun to watch, too.

Also fun to watch is the slow trainwreck that is the romantic scandal between Hosea and Leah. After weeks of overt flirting, the cameras finally catch them making out on the couch this week. They must have found out pretty quickly too, as they both give bleary-eyed morning after confessionals expressing regret and hope that they'll still be in their at-home relationships when the show's over. But - they're both still around next week! Will they put aside their feelings for the sake of their home loyalties, or will they let their attraction win them over again? We'll just have to wait and see!

The Euro Twins Fabio and Stefan also scored another big win this week, as they each helped secure victory for their team in this season's edition of Restaurant Wars. Fabio charmed judges and diners alike in his front of house role, and Stefan served up a few truly knockout desserts. If Leah hadn't grossly undercooked her fish, it may have been a clear home run. Although Radhika's team's food was on par (and perhaps slightly better) than Leah's, Radhika's ghastly performance in the front of house role put her restaurant at a clear disadvantage. Because of the nicer space each team was given to work with, both restaurants looked better than any I've seen in other seasons - but as we could have predicted, each execution was not without mishaps.

In the end, Radhika's nerves got the best of her, and her failure to perform in the front of house and "chef/owner" role got her the boot. Too bad, because her food has been great to this point! But, a whole part of being a top chef is being able to be a leader, to delegate responsibilities, and to know your strengths. Radhika knew this and she realized that she made a few poor decisions. But just as long as she'd learned from them, she'll improve in the future.

Next week: old favorites return to battle the newbies! And they're so excited to be back on TV that they're juggling all sorts of fruits! This one is sure to be a fan friendly challenge week, probably promoting the Top Chef cookbook (again). And now that LOST is back on the air, I can look forward to several hours of quality TV every Wednesday night for many weeks to come. What a great way to wait out this awful winter! Horray.

Top Toast of 2008

2009-01-09T12:00:00.001-06:00

Everyone's doing their "best of 2008" lists this time of year, so I thought I'd throw mine in the mix. Also convenient for me, as I haven't been too diligent about updating in the last... mmm... eight months or so. But that doesn't mean I stopped eating and cooking!

Without further ado, here's my Top Toast of 2008:

10. Homemade Pasta

One of my favorite parts of training for the Chicago marathon was the carbs. Basically, running long distances on a regular basis gives you a good excuse to eat carbs, because you need to build up your glycogen stores to fuel you through the miles ahead. Starting in May, I did long runs every Saturday (and sometimes Friday) morning, which I nearly always proceeded with a healthy carb-rich dinner. Lucky for me, pasta is one of my favorite foods, so that was often my choice - I even learned how to make it from scratch! After a couple of months I've gotten kind of good at it too. Here's a recent homemade meal of Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage.

9. Strawberry Shortcake

I was home over the fourth of July this past summer, and my mom made strawberry shortcake. Homemade biscuits. Sweet New Hampshire strawberries, perfectly ripe, in season. Freshly whipped cream - not too sweet. 'Nuff said.

8. Full English Breakfast, Happy Days, London

As far as a full English breakfast goes, it doesn't get more real - or delicious - than this one. Messy scrambled eggs, potatoes, sweet salty beans, grilled mushrooms and tomato, zesty sausages, and buttery toast. No black pudding.

7. Controversial Cupcakes at the Bleeding Heart Cafe

These savory Top Chef inspired creations were quite an experience. While the Wasabi White Chocolate was a kick in the mouth, the Perplexed Green (Curry) Tofu was rather delightful, and the Chicken Stir Fry cupcake was kind of awful but inventive nonetheless.

6. Return to Pataka

My European travels last March took me back through Edinburgh, Scotland, where I enjoyed some of the best Indian food I've ever had at Pataka. Curry is one of the UK's most popular foods - whether sit-down or carry-out (take-away as they say), Indian and Pakistani restaurants easily outnumber all other cuisines in the country. I got my favorite - Chicken Korma. Mmmm.

5. BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've never really been a fan of barbeque sauce - until this year. On a whim, my friend Ian and I picked up the BBQ Chicken Pizza from Homemade Pizza Kitchen (they make it fresh, you bake it), and it was AMAZING. It's essentially a white pizza with mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, and succulent little chunks of chicken, all drizzled with sweet, tangy barbeque sauce. It's all I've purchased from HPK since.

4. Topolobampo

I love it when my parents come to town. First, because since they still live in New Hampshire, I hardly ever see them anymore - it's nice to get some face time. And second, because they take me out to eat. Good places, too. This time around we went to Topolobampo. Mom's always been a fan of Rick Bayless and Frontera Grill, but she'd never been to Topolo, Frontera's fancy sister restaurant. The food was a knockout - wonderfully crafted "dressed up" Mexican, and the tasting menu was a fantastic way to experience it all.

I believe this guacamole served with cucumber and jimica slices may have been inspired by the episode when Rick Bayless guested on Top Chef: Chicago... Richard won the quickfire (thereby getting his dish on the Topolo menu) with a jimica wrapped veggie taco appetizer. The episode aired the night before our meal.

We finished up with Bayless's play on churros - light, crispy Mexican doughnuts served with a rich chocolate dipping sauce.

3. Birthday Dessert at TRU

In celebration of my 25th birthday, Jeanette, Leanne and I decided to check out the dessert tasting menu at TRU, one of Chicago's fanciest, schumanciest restaurants. Dinners here run somewhere around $200 a pop (sans drinks), but the dessert tasting is a slim $35 a person for five courses of pastriatic bliss. The place had a regal, stuffy feel about it, and despite being nearly packed it was surprisingly quiet. The staff were a bit stiff and formal, but our sommelier was really down to earth, and gave us a good deal on a really awesome bottle of dessert wine. The name of course escapes me now, but it was a great pair to all of our courses.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too eager with my camera, but here's a small sample of some of the delights we enjoyed:

A delightful, refreshingly citrusy mini aperitif...

A birthday wish in white chocolate...

And, on your way out the door, they hand you one of these, to "enjoy with your morning coffee". As if to say, "you'll have enough of a food hangover that you'll be needing it". It was a nice bow on a really lovely evening.

2. Stephanie Izard Winning Top Chef: Chicago

Ok, not edible. But still a really exciting moment (and television season) for Chicago foodies - and to top it all off, I got to interview her. Pretty cool. I can't wait until her Wicker Park / West Town restaurant, The Drunken Goat, opens this summer!!

1. Schwa.

I got a lucky seat at the much-sought-after Schwa last spring almost by accident. Considered by many Chicago foodies to be the very best deal for fine dining in all of the city (nine courses for $109 flat - and BYOB), it is nearly impossible to get a reservation. Probably because there are only four guys who work there, plus one helpful girlfriend who occasionally comes in and answers the phone. The brainchild of tortured genius (and Food & Wine Best New Chef) Michael Carlson, Schwa serves eclectic, gastro-molecular creations that challenge the diner just enough, and deliver exciting and unexpected flavors that work. The four chefs do all the cooking, hosting and serving themselves. It's quite an operation to behold, and considering there are only 26 or so seats, it feels like an exclusive dinner party.

Anyway, due to the value and incredible hype, it's incredibly hard to get a reservation. Call the restaurant at any given time, and you'll probably get a message saying that the voicemail box is full. If you're lucky, you'll call at just the right moment and be able to leave a message - which are always returned diligently. And if you're really lucky - like my friend Matt - you'll call at the precise moment when that helpful girlfriend picks up the phone intending to make another call. You'll startle her when you say "hello?" and she's expecting to hear a dial tone instead of a voice. And you'll bite your lip to supress the giant smile when she takes your reservation for just a few weeks away.

But then, what will you do when, just days before your reservation date, the girl you're seeing tells you she doesn't have the time to squeeze you in before starting her residency in Denver? You call me up, of course! And that's how I got my accidental seat at Schwa. But what an excellent twist of fate it was - probably the most etherial and awe-inspiring dining experience I've ever had. Here are a few highlights:

Chimay Beer Cheese Soup with a pretzel puff and mustard rind. Beer + cheese = mmmmm.

Stone crab with banana, celery, and coriander. Sweet, savory, and refreshing.

And finally, pad thai, with jellyfish tentacles subbed for noodles. Surprisingly fantastic.

A delicious 2008, all in all. Let's hope 2009 is even more flavorful.

How Does One Discern a Palate? And Wedding Bells Chime on This Week's Top Chef

2008-12-10T22:08:00.004-06:00

Our cheftestants' palates and tolerance were put to the test this week in a smart new "name that ingredient" quickfire, and a bridal shower challenge. Padma wore a beautiful purple dress that I want for my own, and Hosea finally won the berth of my favorite so far this season (which was yet unclaimed). He's talented, humble, and smart. And he knows how to taste a sauce!

A palate-testing quickfire has been a staple of the last few seasons, and I really liked the way they did it this time around. The chefs went head to head in a sauce-tasting competition: the competitor who could name the most ingredients accurately advanced. The three sauces were shimp & lobster bisque, thai curry sauce, and mexican mole sauce - all of which have a multitude of discernible and subtle flavors. I think the most flavors named accurately was seven - including salt and pepper - but most contests went to only four or five ingredients. I was surprised at how quickly many of them folded! But it was a really interesting thing to watch, nonetheless. In the end, Hosea won.

And it made me wonder... how does one acquire a "discerning palate"? Surely some people are born with a more attuned sense of taste, but I think it's still something that needs to be developed with time and age. Maybe chefs are kind of "palate proteges" as children - appreciating complex flavors like soy and chili far sooner than their peanut-butter-and-jelly-loving peers. Either way, I would guess that it takes most people at least until their early twenties to start appreciating stronger, more advanced flavors.

I try to think back to the moment when I began to enjoy more "mature" flavors, and I think it started when I was in college. Unfortunately, growing up in small town New Hampshire, I was not exposed to a lot of exotic flavors. But in college I tried sushi and thai food for the first time, and I learned to enjoy stronger, more flavorful chocolate and cheeses. Studying abroad in Scotland, I was introduced to the wonders of Indian curries. With some degree of resistance, I taught myself to love the complex textures of espresso, red wine, and expensive vodka. And then, suddenly, it was like a switch was flipped - there were hardly any foods that I didn't like or couldn't appreciate in some way. I'm still not the biggest fan of caviar or olives, but I definitely have a much more open mind and appreciation for strong, challenging, or otherwise uncommon foods. I don't like to play it safe anymore - I crave something more in the food I eat and cook.

As I'm sure it is with our Top Chefs, who are supposed to know how to balance advanced flavors in traditional and unexpected ways. Unfortunately, several of them fell short of that standard in this week's elimination challenge, in which Gail pimped out the chefs to cater her bridal shower - which was full of Food & Wine Magazine staff members. My favorite was when Gail said "these aren't the kind of women who get their salad dressing on the side". And she was right.

Gail's 4o or so guests were pretty discerning about their four courses, and while two were pretty solid hits (the Indian-inspired lamb and the heirloom tomato trio) the other two were clear misses. The deconstructed sushi roll (with nothing sushi about it, really) was a disaster - Danny really shot himself in the foot there, and I was happy to see his cocky badly shaven face go. But Fabio's team and their blue corn flour encrusted sea bass was not much better - the concept sounded about right, but apparently the flavors of the dish didn't wow the diners. One woman said "I feel like I'm eating old people food". Maybe because it lacked impactful flavors? I guess today's savvy thirtysomething women are expecting more out of their food too! As they should.

So another week of Top Chef rolls on, and it looks like next week, Martha Stewart's got something crafty planned for the cheftestants. A Christmas cocktail party perhaps? We'll just have to wait and see!

Team Cougar Takes a Victory & Chef Love Blooms

2008-12-03T21:55:00.005-06:00

Among the things I learned in tonight's episode:

1. Creme Brulee... not the best thing to make when you've only got an hour.

2. Why Top Chef will always be better than "Next Food Network Star".

3. Eggs benedict, the ice cream cone, and the bloody mary were all invented in New York City. Who knew?

I thought tonight's episode asked a very interesting and relevant question: does a top chef need to be able to do TV? Being on TV -- whether it's doing a small demonstration segment, or a whole TV show -- requires a few essential things. First, the chef must be confident and comfortable presenting their food to an audience. Second, they must be able to bring their style/dish down to a level that the home cook can understand. And third, they must have genuine personality - they must be enjoyable to watch. They must be... entertaining.

Self promotion and confidence are certainly important things that every real top chef has - they must, or else they wouldn't be top chefs. And having a TV-friendly personality (and skills) has certainly helped many chefs gain superstardom (and super profits). But I don't agree that a chef has to be able to do TV to be successful. Yes, they need to be able to give an interview. No, they don't need to be able to cook on TV. They don't have to be able to bring their food down to a "home cook" level. Some (dare I say, many) chefs just aren't TV friendly, and it hasn't stopped them.

Key point being - I think there is a big difference between "TV" chefs and real chefs. Don't get me wrong - I love me some Bobby Flay - but being able to create good TV and good food don't always go hand in hand. Which is why - for real foodies - Top Chef will always be better than The Next Food Network Star. Because good, inspiring food is entertaining enough by itself - I don't need the extra entertainment value. Yes, Top Chef IS a TV show and is definitely cast for personality. But the difference is that it centers around the food - not the character of the person who presents it. The best, most original, most inspiring food always wins - hands down.

All of that said... I do generally enjoy the development of the characters on Top Chef each season. Each year, the heroes, the villians, the token gays, and the crazies emerge. And we love it. This season, I'm particularly enjoying the progression of what I think is the first Top Chef Romance! It looks like love is blooming for Hosea and Leah - for the second time, they've been caught getting their flirt on in front of the cameras. Who knew they could get so comfortable with each other so fast? Carla thinks they're just expressing their "sexual tension". But I'm pretty sure someone called Leah "the flirt with the big rack" one or two episodes ago, so looks like she's living up to it! Can't wait to see what happens...

And for the first time, Top Chef has it's own resident cougar! Ariane, the perky, tan New Jersey mom, took her first victory today after spending the first two weeks of competition on the bottom. Her simple beefsteak, watermelon, feta, and balsamic salad was a hit with the ladies of The Today Show. One of the most simple dishes, it still represented a unique flavor combination that a "home chef" could make. I thought it was maybe a little too elementary, but it must have been good!

Looking forward to more culinary action (and maybe some drama too) next week!

Top Chef Hosts A Couple of Rockstars. Also, Tom is (Not) Gay?!

2008-11-26T21:58:00.006-06:00

Bravo's Top Chef is finally BACK with stoves a blazing, and they've wasted no time trying to "kick it up a notch" this season. The show is finally in New York City this time around - why it took them so long to get there, who knows - and they're making the most of their location so far, having already done a neighborhoods challenge and a stint at Tom C.'s Craft.

The show's producers have done a good job at picking an entertaining cast of characters as usual, although it seems to me that the overall talent level seems slightly lower than last season. My favorite people so far are crazy bug-eyed Carla, total cougar mom Ariane, Danny with his awful facial hair and worse NYC accent, Big Gay Richard and Pocket Gay Patrick. Too bad "team rainbow" got broken up so soon, with two of the three gays already kicked off - now it's up to Jamie to try and carry the LGBT banner to the end. I'm enjoying the budding romance between Hosea and Leah, but she does seem like kind of a flirt "with a big rack" as someone aptly noted at the beginning of the episode (!), so we'll see where it goes. It would be cool to have a real top chef romance, after four seasons. And no, the lesbians from last season don't count cause they were already together when the show started. Where's the drama there? As for actual contenders for the Top Chef Crown, I'm banking on Stefan, Gene, Radhika, Jamie and Hosea to turn in strong performances. Anyway, I'm interested to see how it all unfolds!

While the first two episodes were fairly standard, this week's episode kicked it up a solid notch... but also down one too. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see my hometown hero Grant Achatz as a guest judge on the show - FINALLY - after he was snubbed in his hometown of Chicago last season. I was wholeheartedly disappointed with the way his appearance was treated however. As such a prolific and progressive chef, I thought they would have given him a more creative quickfire challenge, and I can't believe they attempted to upstage him by putting him in the same episode as the Foo Fighters! I can only hope that he was enjoying the celebrity company as he shared microwave-and-toaster-oven cooked turkey with Top Chef megafan Dave Grohl. For real "foodie" fans, Grant is superstar enough to have carried his own episode. They should have given him that at least. Either way, it was really cool to finally see him honored with an appearance on the show. I hope they bring him back later in the season for some more legit challenges near the end.

And finally - apparently head judge Tom Colicchio is gay? How I could be such a fan and not know this yet is beyond me. I was alerted to this apparently well-known fact on tonight's show when Big Gay Richard made a comment about getting nervous when "cutie gay bear Tom" entered the room with the Foo Fighters. Update: Naturally I looked on the internet for confirmation, and found a few articles that lead me to believe it was true. Thankfully, a better informed reader (see below) set me straight - Tom has been happily married since 2001! Oops! I will make sure to do better research in the future!

Coming soon... six hits for six months of absence. Yeah, it was a busy summer. And fall. But it's not like I wasn't still eating... and taking notes! Stay tuned. :)

Bravo Honors an "A-List Chef"

2008-06-21T10:26:00.002-06:00

"If you're watching this you must be gay or a woman": I'm finally watching Bravo's A-List Awards, which I DVR'd last week. Kathy Griffin hosted and it's pretty funny. I just think its great that little Bravo (well not so little anymore!) decided to host a full-on awards show to salute the best in popular culture whilst pimping their own shows and of course engaging in more shameless product promotion. And as I'm watching it suddenly hit me that Bravo's audience must skew gay. Like really gay. Kathy Griffin should have been my first clue.

Anyway, one of the awards they gave out was for A-List Chef: "presented to a chef who has shown the greatest ingenuity and creativity with his or her culinary creations." The award went to Jose Andres (DC restauranteur and a guest on this season of Top Chef). The other nominees included David Chang (Momofuku/NYC), Suzanne Goin (Lucques and A.O.C./LA), and Michael Psilakis (Anthos/NYC).

After Tom Colicchio presented the award to Jose Andres, Kathy Griffin sprung a QUICKFIRE on them! They have "the commercial break" to make something delicious, which is to be judged by... the Top Chef All-Stars! But, post commercial break, Kathy Griffin choreographically drops the plates and ruins everything.

Bravo also honored an A-List restaurant: Bar Boulud (Daniel Boulud/NYC). Other nominees included: Little Owl (Joey Campanaro/NYC), Osteria Mozza (Matt Molina/LA), and Chicago's own Table 52 (Art Smith).

Third Coast Dish: Steph Speaks

2008-06-18T12:11:00.008-06:00

Top Chef 4 winner and new bona-fide celebrity chef Stephanie Izard finds a few minutes to fill us in on her new found fame.

Over here at Third Coast Toast, I've been supporting Team Stephanie from just about day one of this season of Top Chef. She proved herself to be a formidable competitor early on, snagging the very first elimination challenge win and picking up three more in her steady march to the Top Chef throne. There were times when we got nervous (peanut butter and tomatoes! yikes!), but in Chicago, our steadfast faith never wavered.

After receiving the title of Top Chef in last week's finale, Steph's been busy jet setting around the US for a whirlwind photo shoots, appearances, and interviews. Luckily, she found a few minutes to chat with me today via phone about her new found stardom, her trip to Asia, and the plans for her new restaurant.

Third Coast Toast: Hi Steph, thanks for taking the time to chat today. First off, congratulations on an awesome performance this season. How does it feel to be the first female Top Chef?

Steph: It's very exciting. It was a long, sort of difficult thing but in the end it all worked out - I'm super excited.

TCT: You definitely seemed very excited at the finale party last week. Was it hard to keep the secret all that time?

S: It was... in the end I just sort of played it like a little game. It was kind of fun to have a secret and not tell my parents. You know, it's like "I know something you don't know" and, just watching them stress out for the last week was kind of entertaining.

TCT: As the first female top chef, what's your perspective - do you think it's still harder for women to make it as a chef these days?

S: I mean, I don't think so. I think as long as you carry yourself as, you know, just a strong person and a strong chef throughout your career... of course there's gonna be guys that think that just because you're a female that maybe you can't do something. You just have to sort of do your best and be the best chef you can be, and not worry about not being a male.

TCT: How does it feel to be a celebrity chef now - to come from being famous in the Chicago food scene to being famous all over the world? Is it weird?

S: It's very weird. You know, of course everywhere I go in Chicago there's people all around congratulating me, which is amazing, but... yeah, it's everywhere, and it's so interesting to me to see how widespread the show was and how many people watched it... so it's crazy. This whole "famous" thing is sort of weird.

TCT: Cool. So there were a lot of different "characters" on the show this season - some were portrayed as likeable and some not so much, but everyone was definitely really talented. How much do you think personality, or "character" matters versus talent in the real chef world?

S: I think you should always focus on the food, and if you're the type of personality where it's gonna get in the way of making good food then that's definitely a detriment. But there's a lot of really great chefs out there that really aren't very nice at all. So I guess it just depends on what kind of relationships you want to have with your staff, and with people in the industry.

TCT: You mentioned in an interview with Chicagoist that a lot of being a great chef is being able to put together unexpected flavor combinations that work - you were really good about that this season, especially with the braised pistachios and the lamb in the last challenge. What is a great, unexpected flavor combination that you've had or discovered recently?

S: You know, I wouldn't say there's anything I've discovered recently... I'm always just playing around and making new things, but... trying to use fruit in a lot of your savory cooking is a fun thing to do. There's always beautiful fruit especially in the spring and summer and just, you know, playing around with it and trying to involve it in some of your savory dishes rather than just saving it for dessert is a lot of fun.

TCT: This season, what guest judge were you most excited to cook for, and were there any faces from the Chicago scene that you were surprised not to see?

S: I was probably most excited to cook for Anthony Bourdain - I've just been a long time fan, I love No Reservations, and... he's just so intelligent and well spoken, and I was just excited to see him there. I think a lot of people were surprised that Charlie Trotter wasn't there and maybe Grant [Achatz], but I don't think Top Chef is Charlie Trotter's thing. I think that they did find some great chefs from Chicago to participate, and it was a lot of fun to see some of the people I've been working with throughout the years.

TCT: I hear that you're scouting locations for a new restaurant in Chicago. Have you found any winners yet?

S: Not yet, I'm just starting early on in the process and I've seen some beautiful spaces, but I really want to put some thought into what neighborhood I want to be in. I think that's just so important that I want to sort of take my time and find the perfect space.

TCT: Do you have a concept or a specific cuisine in mind yet?

S: It's going to be globally influenced as far as the flavors go, keeping in with my style, but I want to have a restaurant that is the kind of place I want to go. Just really casual, no pretension, but it's all about just good food and wine and beer, and you know, hanging out with your friends and having a good time.

TCT: As you plan a menu, how important do you think it is to challenge diners versus serving flavors that they know and love?

S: I think that there's gotta be a delicate balance. If you have too many things on your menu that are kind of weird or bizarre you might scare away a few people, but I think there's a way to work in some unique flavors and some unique proteins and different items, that you can get people to sort of try something maybe that they haven't tried before. But definitely, it's always nice to have a few things on the menu might not be so scary, to encourage people from all over to come in.

TCT: I also heard that you're planning to keep it affordable. Can you tell me a little more about that?

S: Yeah, you know, there's some great restaurants in the city that are just super expensive, and I treat myself every once in a while to Avenues or you know, I want to try L2O, but I want people to come in on Tuesday nights just because they don't feel like cooking. It doesn't have to be a birthday or an anniversary or something special. I think that a lot of times you just want to have great food and hang out with your friends and you don't want to drop like $75 a person so, yeah, I definitely just want to keep it a little more affordable so it's just sort of a place you can go when you're just in the mood to go out.

TCT: Cool. So in between the Chicago taping and the finale taping, you took a trip to southeast Asia. Where did you go and what kind of inspiration did you find there?

S: I went to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, which was amazing. I would say mostly, the food in Vietnam was very inspirational. They just have a way with flavors that really matches my style, where there's always a little bit of a salty and sweet and spicy, sort of hitting every part of your palate. It's just great that when you're over there, even the street food is amazingly seasoned, and it was just a lot of fun to see the different cultures.

TCT: Who do you think you're going to keep in touch with from the show? Is there anyone that's going to go in on the restaurant with you? I know Dale from last season is pulling in CJ and Sara for his restaurant...

S: I'll definitely keep in touch - I still talk to most everybody, but I couldn't see any of us really partnering up for a restaurant. I think that two chefs trying to work at a place just butt heads a little bit and I think that we're all just really strong and want to all go our own paths and do really well on our own.

TCT: When do you anticipate your restaurant opening?

S: I'm gonna shoot for late next spring or early summer - I'd like to do it within a year, so it might seem a little bit rushed, but I want to give people a place to come eat my food, so, we'll see if I can do that quickly.

TCT: Ok, one last question: I have brown curly hair just like you - it was kind of straight at the party last week - but yours always looks so great on the show... what product to you use?

S: Finesse mousse all the way. I go through like a can a week. It's all about the mousse.

TCT: Ok, well that's all I've got. Thanks for taking the time.

S: Thanks, take care!

Top Chef 5: NYC!

2008-06-18T10:31:00.004-06:00

A credible source is reporting that Bravo has settled on the impeccible food town New York City as the location for the upcoming fifth season of Top Chef. Even though they've only just wrapped the broadcast run for this season (tonight's Top Chef Chicago Reunion Special will be the last show), filming for season 5 is reportedly set to begin in July and run through August.

As snack says: "I expect the Big Apple blogosphere to bring it."

Sweet Victory for a Summer Night: Dispatches from The Top Chef Chicago Finale

2008-06-11T22:43:00.008-06:00

It was a big night for Chicago... and a big night for women chefs everywhere as Stephanie Izard won the Top Chef Season Four crown in a fierce battle against runners-up Blais and Lisa, and thereby made history as the first woman to win the title of Top Chef in the television series' four season run.
As an invitee to the "exclusive" Top Chef Chicago Finale viewing party last evening at Room 21 in Chicago, I got a coveted front row seat to all the drama and excitement -- not even Steph's parents knew the outcome of the show! I also got to catch up with Chicago's other season four cheftestant, Valerie, as well as Season Three's Dale Levitski and Sara Nguyen who were also in attendance.

First off, let me say that Room 21 is an impressive restaurant space... I imagine the only reason I haven't been down there is that it is SO far down south... 2110 Wabash, which is practically ON Cermak. It starts getting sketchy this far south. But nevertheless, it was a beautiful place to have the party and the perfect evening weather only added to the vibrant atmosphere. Smartly dressed guests sipped on champagne and Grey Goose cocktails, and were treated to hors devours including crispy duck rolls, wasabi crusted lamb chops, seared scallops, rice-filled crostinis, savory fried chicken drumsticks, and melt-in-your-mouth himachi. Later on, the passed desserts included assorted candied popcorns, chocolate dipped strawberries, nut-rolled fruit-filled chocolate truffles, and mini red velvet cupcakes. I CLEARLY had to sample one of everything. Mmmm!

I ran into Steph shortly after I arrived. She looked great, and had a fantastic poker face on - her cheery, but impressively calm demeanor gave nothing away. "I'm just ready for it to be over" she said with a breathy laugh. Steph was joined by her parents and sister, as well as a few friends, who all seemed more nervous than her! I wished her luck and headed to the bar to pick up an orange martini - I decided that a classy night deserved a classy drink. And I do love the taste of good vodka. Yum.

After hobnobbing with a few people from Bravo and their contributing media partners, I caught up with Valarie a little later on. Pint-sized and packed with energy, Val shared that she's been keeping busy since the show going the Art Smith route as a private chef in Chicago. She has one main client who she spends most of her time with, and isn't planning on getting back into the restaurant world anytime soon - even as her pal Steph is planning to open a new place of her own. Like the other cheftestants in attendance, she had just returned from the filming of Bravo's A-List Awards (hosted by Kathy Griffin and airing tonight). She said it was a pretty crazy show but that it was fun to catch up with her fellow TC castmates.

With the time of the show drawing close, I found a few minutes to catch up with Season 3 cheftestant and Chicago resident Dale Levitski on his new restaurant and his take on the current season. (Here's me and Dale!)Preparations for Dale's new Chicago restaurant, Town and Country, are well underway, and he's got fellow season three cheftestants Sara Nguyen and CJ on board as sous chefs. Sara's also Dale's new roommate - they recently moved into a new place in the Lakeview / Lincoln Park area. When I later asked if they were settled and decorated, Sara laughed and remarked that no, the place still looks like a college dorm room. Oh well, I guess chefs are not necessarily designers! Dale shared that CJ wasn't out in Chicago yet, but was planning to move out in August. He giddily explained that the concept and design for Town and Country are complete, the space is purchased (in the west loop on Monroe & Canal), and he's already working out the details of the "contemporary diner" menu, which will include variations on his favorite dishes from his time on the show (which are also included in the new Top Chef cookbook) - rack of lamb, seared scallops, seared elk loin, turkey & pork meatballs, and more. "I want to have a fun, relaxed, professional kitchen" he explained, and having Sara and CJ there will help keep this philosophy alive. He said that being on the show and finishing in the final two gave him new confidence and direction in his career as a chef. "As a chef, this is the happiest I've ever been. I know this is what I was meant to do."

When he got to meet the season four cast earlier this week at the Bravo A-List Awards in NYC, he said he really didn't want to like them, but ended up being won over. "I think we were the season that all loved each other and got along" he noted, commenting that the editing of this season definitely exposed more conflicts between cast members. While he was happy with the way he was portrayed, he did add that "some people walk away from the show with regrets. You just have to be yourself" and hope the editors are kind. "One thing Bravo did do a good job of this season", Dale added, "was showing how beautiful Chicago is". We agreed that we did have an exceptionally beautiful fall, but nonetheless - they did get some great shots of the bean, the skyline, and all those other little parts that makes Chicago the gem it is. So cheers to Bravo on that.

But lest we forget, Stephanie was the star of tonight's party. "I'm nervous for her. I'm sweating!" Dale exclaimed as we discussed Chicago's chef-darling of the evening. Dale also revealed a startling connection that I hadn't heard of before tonight: Stephanie used to be Dale's sous chef at Andersonville eatery La Tache. Dale says he encouraged Stephanie to try out when auditions came back around, and as luck would have it - she made it! Dale was out of a sous chef, but as we know, he soon moved on to bigger and better things. I can't wait until his restaurant opens in September!

But back to the main event of the evening: the Finale! As nine o'clock rolls around, the guests of the party gather on the outdoor patio, where the show is being projected on a large screen. Stephanie and Valarie sit flanked by their families and friends in front row seats to the show. It's a perfectly warm summer night - the kind that feels like there's a little magic in the soft breeze - like something extraordinary might happen. The anticipation in the air is palpable.

The show opens and immediately we go into the final challenge which is, predictably, "cook us the meal of your life". It must be a four course meal with seafood, poultry, meat, and dessert (yes, dessert!) courses. In a recycled move from last season, the cheftestants are also met with three prestigeous "sous" chefs for the challenge: Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin, April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig, and Dan Barber of Blue Hill (a 2008 James Beard Outstanding Chef nominee!). Stephanie gets to choose first and goes for Ripert. Blais goes for Barber, which leaves Lisa with Bloomfield.

Each cheftestant gets to choose from a long list of fine proteins from each of their chefs. They'll have a few hours to prep, and then five or so hours to cook the next day.

They get to work prepping and Eric Ripert is a bit miffed that Stephanie's giving him direction on how to filet a fish. The "studio" audience at Room 21 lets out a presumptive giggle and Steph cracks up at herself.

All too soon, prep time is over, and the chefs must retire for the evening. When they return the next day, it's only half surprising that POOF! they'll have no sous chefs for the remainder of the challenge. "We need to know that you lived and died by your own hands" comments Tom, after he's shared the twist in the rules.

"It's like your sous chef called in sick" Blais remarked. You just have to keep going and pick up the slack. Heads down, they get back into it. Blais is visibly frazzled and scrambling to pull his menu together. When Tom stops by, he remarks "I'm really in the shit right now". Yikes.

Stephanie's feeling the pressure too when Tom stops by. She sounds like she has a solid menu, but she's really worried about her dessert, a ricotta pound cake with salted banana cream. She's delivered (and indeed won) on other desserts, but she's starting to doubt herself. Bad news!

At this point I stole a glance over to Steph and her family, and her poker face was still on. Her family, however, was really sweating it out. But her quiet stoicism gave away nothing!

Lisa's surprisingly the only one in the kitchen who's calm, collected, and focused when Tom stops by. She's laid out a thoughtful menu of her favorite asian flavors, and she's feeling good about her timing and her ability to deliver. Well Lisa, you got this far. Let's see what you can show us tonight.

It's finally time for service - a black tie affair for nine, including Padma, Gail and Tom, Ted Allen, the three former sous chefs, Tom Zagat (yes, of THAT Zagat), and noted Puerto Rican chef (that we've never heard of) Alfredo Ayala.

First Courses (seafood):
Lisa: Grilled prawns with crab, chili-basil sauce, and homemade potato chips
Blais: Barely seared scallops with mango and pineapple vinegar
Steph: Seared Red Snapper with truffled clam and asparagus sauce elegantly served in a teacup.
*Lisa's prawns are excellently prepared, but some of the diners wonder if the chili kick is too intense for a first course. Blais's dish, on the contrary, apparently has no flavor at all. Steph's red snapper is a hit for flavor and elegant presentation.

Second Courses (poultry):
L: Tom Kha Gai (coconut chicken) soup and a dumpling
B: "Which Came First?" Guinea hen with an egg and foie gras
S: Quail breast over lobster ravioli with mango-lobster sauce and a quail egg
*The judges are marveled by the concept of Blais's dish, but feel like each individual component gets lost in the execution. They love everything about Steph's dish except the leeks - they're undercooked (crunchy!) and have no purpose on the plate. Lisa's soup however, is a home run. The judges are practically licking their bowls.

Third Courses (red meat):
L: Wagyu beef with chayote and cucumber salad
B: Pork belly with pickled rasdishes and mirin broth
S: Lamb Medallions with maitake mushrooms, braised pistachios, blackberry and olive tapenade
*The judges LOOOVE the lamb and are pleasantly surprised to see that the seemingly random assortment of ingredients work brilliantly together. Score one for Steph! Blais's pork belly is a flop for being underseasoned. Lisa's beef is cooked well, but the sauce is a little too sweet and the garlic doesn't come through enough.

Fourth Courses (dessert):
L: Thai Black Rice Pudding with coconut and lime and mango cream
B: Banana Scallops with Bacon Ice Cream (really Blais? AGAIN?)
S: Ricotta Poundcake with Salted Banana Cream
*The judges like the texture and flavor of Lisa's pudding, and find Steph's poundcake "average" - the like the cake but feel she came up short on the cream. Somehow they are wowed by Blais's banana-scallop-threepeat. They're acting like Blais invented bacon ice cream. Really guys? You've never heard of this concept before? BEEN done!

All in all, it was a pretty strong performance by Lisa and Steph, and not so much for Blais. For being the "risk taker" of this season, I've got to say that he's played it really safe, especially compared to some of the stuff Marcel was pumping out two seasons ago. Some foam there, some smoke here, a little bit of liquid nitrogen... it didn't really add up to anything ground breaking in the end.

We go next into the judges table, and now people are physically gathering around Steph on the patio - holding her hands in rapt anticipation. She's still got that poker face on. The judges go course for course and point out the ups and downs as noted above. When they ask if there's anything else the chefs want to add, Blais blurts out "I think I choked tonight". The judges are initially shocked at this admission, but later agree with him - he didn't perform up to his potential. OH SHIT! With Steph's lackluster dessert and Lisa's stellar soup, it looks like Lisa might have the edge here. The judges send the contestants away to deliberate to the songs of morning birds chirping. I ask Dale if he thinks the judges are drunk right now. "No. Not this time" he tells me. "But probably most of the other ones!" It still sounds to me like Padma is slurring her words a little bit. Maybe she's just tired.

They finally call the contestants back and the silent hysteria on the patio of Room 21 is at fever pitch. Padma finally, slowly, dramatically utters the words "Stephanie.......... YOU ARE TOP CHEF!" AND the whole place goes nuts! Everyone's crowding around Stephanie. After hugging her parents she leans over a row of chairs to give Val a big hug. And she finally gets to break the poker face and bust out that big toothy grin. It's plastered on her face for the rest of the night.

After I gave Steph my congratulations and the crowd arond Steph began to wane, I caught up with Dale on my way out the door. "I'm so happy for her" he glowingly remarked. "It's so great to be there to watch someone's life change in a minute". And it was.

Chicago's Superchef Grant Achatz Takes Top James Beard Honors

2008-06-11T11:17:00.004-06:00

Ok so I'm a few days late on this, but the annual James Beard Awards ceremony was held this past Sunday at the Lincoln Center in New York City, and Chicago's favorite molecular gastronomist, Grant Achatz, took the top prize: the Outstanding Chef Award.

If you're unfamiliar, the James Beard Awards are the annual "Oscars" of the American food industry: they are among the highest honors a chef can receive. The "Outstanding Chef" award is the highest prize: it goes to "a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as a chef for at least the past five years." So yeah, it's a pretty big deal. CONGRATS GRANT!!! :) His fellow nominees were:

*Jose Andres of minibar, Washington, DC (and guest judge on this season of Top Chef)
*Dan Barber of Blue Hill, NYC
*Suzanne Goin of Lucques, LA
*Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Alabama

Chicago chef Carrie Nahabedian of Naha took home the regional honor of Best Chef: Great Lakes. Her fellow nominees included Graham Elliot Bowles (for Avenues, Chicago), Bruce Sherman (North Pond, Chicago), Michael Symon (Lola, Cleveland), Alex Young (Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor).

My favorite Chicago pastry chef, Mindy Segal, was nominated but snubbed for the second year in a row in the "Outstanding Pastry Chef" category, so that's a bummer! But I'm glad she was nominated and I hope they do the right thing and give it to her next year.

Bravo's Top Chef was honored with a broadcast media award for "Best Television Food Special" for the Top Chef Holiday Special, which aired last December. The show did not however take the "Best Television Food Show" honors, which instead went to a PBS show I've never heard of (but must be good): Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. However, it's really a credit to the Top Chef producers that this show is taken seriously enough to even be nominated at these awards - notice that there's no Iron Chef, no Hell's Kitchen, no Emiril or Rachael Ray. There's a reason they're not in there and a reason why Top Chef is. And that's the reason I watch.

Read the Trib's full coverage of the event here. The complete list of nominees and winners is here.

Stephanie Sighting!

2008-06-09T22:07:00.003-06:00

My baker friend John reports that Top Chef Chicago finalist Stephanie Izard was spotted last Wednesday browsing the treats at Sweet Mandy B's on Racine & Webster in Chicago. Although John was downstairs at the time, tending to the ovens, his co-workers report that she ultimately settled on a chocolate chip cookie. Delish.

Steph's also going plate-to-plate with former Shawn McClain protege Nick LaCasse this Sunday, June 15, at the Drawing Room at Le Passage. The dinner sold out nearly instantly, so the organizers added a VIP post-dinner reception featuring a meet & greet with Steph and complementary seasonal cocktails created by her chefness. As was pointed out on Chicagoist, this event partly overlaps with the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, where the Top Chef winner is to have a showcase, so that may mean trouble for Steph on Wednesday. But as the Le Passage event is on a Sunday night, and looks to have been scheduled after the taping of the finale, it's very feasible that she's doing both in the same weekend. The Food & Wine Classic schedule lists a presentation on Saturday at 10:30am by Padma and Tom, titled "In the Kitchen With Top Chef". It says Tom and Padma will be giving cooking demonstrations... but... is it all a clever ruse??

I guess we'll find out on Wed!

Puerto Rico, My Heart's Devotion (Top Chef Finale Part One)

2008-06-04T21:38:00.003-06:00

... and one chef went back to the ocean. It was a night of hot flavors and fierce competition as plantains and pigs took center stage. The scenery was beautiful and the chefs well rested, but once they landed on the island there was no time for vacation - it was right back to the same high-caliber challenges.

Filmed just weeks ago, the chefs had a hefty break (about three months) between filming in Chicago and the Puerto Rico finale, which they all spent differently. Antonia opened her restaurant (Foxtail) and put in 100 hour weeks in the kitchen - yikes! [Sidenote - looks like Foxtail is just about the hottest new spot in West Hollywood - SUPER popular with the celebs! Go Antonia!] Steph traveled around southeast asia. Blais and Lisa spent the time sharpening their skills as well.

Blais, Antonia, and Steph are cheerfully reunited at the airport. They indifferently wait for the arrival of Lisa... no one is particularly excited to see her. Everyone feels like she should have gone home weeks ago.

No sooner have the cheftestants landed when they're thrown back into the fire - or, the Quickfire in this case. The chefs are welcomed to San Juan by Padma and guest judge Wilo Benet, apparently known for his fine Puerto Rican cuisine (...only in Puerto Rico). The challenge: create two kinds of frituras, or "fritters" - ubiquitous fried nuggets of various composition found throughout Puerto Rico, and "enjoyed best with a cold, cold beer" (of course Padma would be the authority on this!). Both must include an element of plantains. The chefs are also offered a full table of produce and a full refrigerator of proteins. Basically, whatever they do, it has to be nugget/bite sized, and it has to be FRIED - very typical of caribbean & central American food. And it's GO TIME!

Steph serves up tostones (flattened, fried plantain slices) with seared tuna, as well as pork & shrimp fritters with brown butter, lime & basil sauce.

Antonia serves crispy oysters with cilantro plantain jam, and fried yellow plantain with spicy slaw.

Lisa offers tostones with pan roasted duck & mango salsa, and chorizo fritters.

Blais has a play on "chips & salsa" with fried green plantain "chips" and a fresh plantain "salsa" as well as pork meatballs with plantain sauce.

The outcome? Wilo doesn't like Antonia and Blais's dishes as much as Lisa and Steph's. Guess the tostones were a good call! But its ultimately Steph who takes the win. And surprisingly it's her first quickfire win! Guess she's just been racking up the elimination wins. Not bad!

After the challenge, Wilo invites the four chefs over to a "classic Puerto Rican party" complete with dancers and live drummers. CUE THE SLOW MO! Over dramatic music, we now listen to Blais and the others remark about how nervous they are while we watch them akwardly dance with the locals and clap their hands. This is a little cheesy, but points for trying to add some gravitas to the finale!

Finally we're onto the elimination challenge and it is: pigs. Four of them. The chefs each get a full pig, and they must make at least two dishes out of it, that will feed 100 people at a very exclusive VIP event in the gardens of a famous Puerto Rican building. But they don't have to do it alone! To the "top chef march" theme, out come Dale, Andrew, Nikki, and Spike! As her "advantage" in this challenge, Steph gets to assign the sous chefs. After taking Dale for herself, its Spike and Blais, Nikki and Antonia, and Andrew and Lisa. Really, no one wanted to work with her. But Andrew-who-doesn't-throw-people-under-the-bus is going to channel his inner mother theresa and try to support Lisa even as she barks in his face.

The chefs get some PM prep time before the big day, and they take full advantage. However, Dale forgets to put the pork belly in the fridge overnight. WHAT AN IDIOT! They find it in the morning and it goes straight into the trash (why wouldn't it? why was there so much discussion about that?) so Steph and Dale need to think of a new third dish. They come up with a salad of chicharrones, fruit and prosciutto which ends up being a hit, surprisingly.

After the guests have left, it's onto judges' table. Blais and Stephanie are the favorites - Blais for his simple, yet elegantly executed dishes (especially the pork belly) and Stephanie for her consistently creative dishes, including the chicharrones salad. And the winner is... BLAIS! And he wins... A CAR!! Wow toyota, you've gone too far! Blais is overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, it's now onto the losers. Antonia gets dinged for her undercooked pidgeon peas and for serving all three of her dishes on the same plate, and the judges note that her dishes are the least sophistocated of the four. Meanwhile Lisa is criticized for poor execution of her tostone bite and overly sweet plantain-potato puree, as well as over-garnishing her dishes in general.

We go to commercial break and see that the fans have texted their votes for who should go home tonight... and it's a whopping 91% for Lisa. Wow. I don't think I've ever seen a margin that large on a Top Chef poll before. Unfortunately for the fans, it sounds like the judges have set up Antonia as the loser tonight... and indeed she is ultimately the one who is told to pack her knives. The collective audience watching around the country consequently groans out loud or shouts obscenities at the TV. Or a combination of both.

To top it off, Lisa's extra bitchy to Blais and Steph when she returns to the waiting room. "You could of at least said congratulations!" she exclaims. Blais decries her poor attitude to the cameras in one of the best lines of the night: "what does she want me to say? Lisa, you've won the bronze medal. Congratulations!" OH SNAP!

Why Lisa is still on - after sliding by week after week - is still a mystery. And all it means is that the finale is clearly a bout between Steph and Richard - although we could have assumed this all along. But its too bad that more likeable, personable, and inventive chefs could have made it this far - at this point, Lisa just makes the show a little difficult to watch... and take seriously.

Looking forward to next week, where the final flames are fired up in Top Chef's Puerto Rico kitchen. TEAM STEPHANIE ALL THE WAY!!!

A Bittersweet Farewell to Chicago

2008-05-28T21:41:00.005-06:00

Well, it's certainly been a fun run, but all great affairs must come to an end. And this, the last week of Top Chef Season 4 in Chicago, was our fabulous last hurrah. The chefs fevereshly sliced, diced, and sauteed their last efforts toward the finale in Puerto Rico - but only four would last the night. Guest judge and Chicago culinary icon Rick Tramonto was on hand to oversee the action.

After a few "wakeup" shots we are quickly on our way to the quickfire... which is a test in butchering at the famous Allen Brothers meat packing plant (located at 3737 South Halsted on Chicago's south side). And a classic Chciago challenge it is, if we consider that the very heart of Chicago's early industry was the infamous Union Stockyards of the city's south side, which supplied freshly butchered beef, via rail, to a significant majority of the country. And how appropriate that the Allen Brothers' business originated in those very stockyards, in 1893. But I digress.

The cheftestants are presented with large cuts of cow, which they are instructed to butcher into prime bone-in "tomahawk" chopped steaks. 20 minutes later, they're told to pack up their steaks and head back to the Top Chef kitchen, where Rick Tramonto and Padma are waiting. Predictably, Padma announces that the challenge is to cook the perfect steak. And how does Rick like his? Medium rare. The chefs have 35 minutes to get it right.

Spike starts grilling, then throws it in the oven. Antonia's basting away, trying to
"seal in the flavor". Stephanie's planning to let hers rest for at least five minutes. Blais is using a torch. Lisa's pan searing. Time is up and Rick knifes into each chef's steak, but doesn't taste them! Shocking. He simply inspects each steak for the quality of the butchering, and the done-ness of the meat. As Rick moves from cut to cut, his poker face gives nothing away. Stephanie and Blais come out on the bottom for their poor butchering, while Lisa, Spike and Antonia are praised for their clean butchering and precise cooking job - but it's Spike who ultimately takes the win. Padma tells him he'll have a very important decision to make in the next challenge, which is...

... having first choice of protein in the elimintation challenge (sound familiar?). For one night, Rick is handing over the kitchen of his hot new restaurant, Tramonto's Steak & Seafood (part of the Cenitare Restaurants), to the Top Chefs. They are each charged with creating an appetizer and an entree from what they find in Rick's kitchen. The place is fully booked for the night, so it's going to be a telling trial of each chef's true restaurating potential. Let the flames begin!!

As the sun sets, we see the Rav 4s powering up Lake Shore Drive to the suburbs (the restaurant is in the north suburb of Wheeling, IL). When the chefs arrive, it's up to Spike to choose his protein. He goes for the tomahawk steaks (trying to coast off his quickfire win, perhaps?) and a bag of frozen scallops, which the other contestants shun. I guess frozen scallops are NOT such a good idea. Lisa goes for shrimp and a whole New York strip steak, with peanut butter mashed potatoes... questionable. Antonia chooses a bone-in ribeye with mushrooms and potatoes. Stephanie decides on sweetbreads and a beef filet. Finally, Blais chooses hamachi and sweetbreads, and a beef tenderloin. MMMM... MEAT!

After making the rounds, Tom announces that he'll be "expediting" the meal. At first, this sounds like a cruel twist. But to the contrary, Antonia explanins giddily that this simply means that he'll be timing out the meal for the chefs, as is the custom role of an executive chef. Antonia is excited that Tom is expediting tonight! Oh yes she is.

It's almost time for service, and OH SHIT! there are VIP guests! And they're... THE WINNERS FROM THE LAST THREE SEASONS! This is a lovely surprise. Harold, Ilan, and Hung offer words of wisdom to the chefs as they're sweating it out, and take their seats. The stakes are duly (triply?) raised. The judges decide that they want "tasting portions" of all the dishes - and the chefs have to whip it together quick.

It's time for service and Lisa is up first. Her chilled shrimp appetizer is not a hit, and neither is Spike's scallops and hears of palm or Antonia's warm mushroom & artichoke salad. The sweetbreads appetizers are a hit, however - both for Blais and Stephanie.

Next up it's Blais's entree - and he's taking his time plating his beef filet with potato puree, red wine, turnips and pickeled brussels sprouts. The presentation elicits a "wow" from Gail. Nice work! Harold notes that all the flavors work well when eaten together. The overall vote is positive.

Lisa's NY Strip steak with spicy apple caramel sauce and peanut butter mashed potatoes is next. Rick's digging the flavor profile, but in the general opinion, the beef is not cooked quite right.

Up next is Spike, and his tomahawk steak with sweet potato puree, blanched brussels sprouts and cipollinis. The sweet potatoes are too sweet, the meat is "just ok" and the judges aren't "blown away".

Stephanie comes next with a beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms and an apple sauce. Georgeous presentation, well constructed, and a hit with the judges. Yum!

Antonia lets us know, again, how much she loves having Tom "in the kitchen" with them, doing the "expediting". Her bone-in ribeye with toasted fennel & cipollinis and a potato gratin goes over well - the judges like that its rounded and rich... if a bit too rich.

Service is finally over, and it's on to the last Chicago judges table. They love Blais's sweetbreads appetizer, but felt his entree was a little undercooked (even though it was plated beautifully!). Steph's sweetbreads are praised, but her entree is questioned. Predictably, Lisa's chilled shrimp is slammed, but her peanut butter mashed potatoes are a hit. Antonia's whole menu is praised as being "perfect steakhouse". Spike's meat is cooked well, but he gets slammed for choosing the frozen scallops (you'd have to be blind not to see that coming) - but he tries to blame it on Rick Tramonto for having them there in the first place!! OH SNAP!

When the chefs have exited, Gail expresses how happy she was to taste clever and delicious dishes that she's never had before. I love this comment, because I believe the hallmark of a top chef boils down to just that - to make truly original dishes, combining new flavor profiles, that taste great. And that's probably what I love most about food - maybe even the reason I'm a "foodie". Nothing compares to the thrill of ordering something you've never had before... say, coconut curry ice cream, or a wasabi-white chocolate cupcake... and the experience of that first bite. It's not always great - that's why you have to take risks! But when it hits, it hits. And you know that the person who dreamed up that dish has some kind of genius about food. That's what it takes to make an authentically original dish shine.

So who's hit it tonight? The chefs are called back, and while Blais has the best appetizer, and Antonia has the best entree, it's Steph who nets the win for having the most well-rounded, best executed dishes overall. It's then down to Lisa and Spike... and although we ALL want to see Lisa go, it's Spike who gets the axe, ultimately for his poor choice of scallops.

And there we have our curtain on the Chicago chapter of Top Chef Chicago. What a ride it was. I am still sorely dissappointed to see that Grant Achatz has been left off of the guest judge roster, and less so about Charlie Trotter... although I suspect that either or both of them may make appearances in the finale. Mindy Segal has been passed over completely, it seems. Pity. But there are still two weeks of action in store for the chefs, so who knows who will show up. And the gender odds are good: with three women and one man in the final four, it's highly likely that America's Next Top Chef will be a woman.... and that her name will be Stephanie. :)

Until next week... keep up the TC spirit! TEAM STEPHANIE ALL THE WAY!!

I've just had the most lovely brunch...

2008-05-25T15:18:00.006-06:00

It's been an activity-filled weekend for me: first was the Soldier Field 10K yesterday (fun times!) and today I did Bike The Drive with a few friends. Basically the city closes down 30 miles of the major highway that runs along the Chicago lakefront - Lake Shore Drive - and open it to bikers for about five hours. We got there around 8am and did a 15-mile loop. It was really georgeous weather, and I was excited to try out my new bike. When we finished, we decided to seek out some brunch. Someone suggested Orange, a well-loved Chicago brunch nook, and of course I was in. Orange has been on my "list" for quite some time, so I was excited to give it a whirl.

We biked an extra 4-5 miles from downtown just to get up to Orange, which is located at 3231 N. Clark, just north of Belmont. Luckily the wait was only 40 minutes for four people (would be at least an hour most other places), so we decided to grab some Dunkin' Dounuts coffee and wait.
From the moment we sat down, I could tell that Orange would be a brunch unlike any other. Their truly innovative and delicious brunch creations, ranging from "frushi" (fruit and sweet sticky rice "sushi"), to "green eggs and ham" (a pesto-tomato scramble), to fanciful fruity pancakes offer hungry diners a feast of succulent morning options. We decided to start with some fresh blended juices (at $3.50 a pop, about what you would pay for a large OJ anywhere) - I did orange and pineapple. Mmm. I also started out with some famous orange-infused coffee, which is reportedly an acquired taste, but I loved mine with a little cream and sugar.

Like an album by my favorite band, the menu is a hit-list of awesome dishes - every one of them sounds great. And - they're just about all under $10, which makes it all the more sweet! I had a really hard time deciding between the chai-tea infused french toast, the pancake sampler (four silver-dollar stacks with various sweet fruit toppings and fillings), and omelet #4: an omelet with chopped ham, candied pineapple, and swiss cheese, topped with coconut and toasted almonds. Eventually I landed on the omelet, and a good choice it was. I was curious about how the pineapple would play with the egg, but it was perfect- and the swiss only enhanced the package. It came with a little "cake" of the house potatoes (partly mashed fresh ones), and two halves of toast. We were all very pleased with our meals, and the service was as pleasant as the clientele, who were all very happy and upbeat on this beautiful almost-summer day.

I wish I'd had my camera, but alas it was left at home. So you'll just have to take my word for it that Orange was best brunch I've had in Chicago (even edging out Toast!)... and probably ever. I definitely need to go back and work my way through the menu... and bring my camera next time!

Top Chef Week 11: Restaurant Wars is BACK!

2008-05-23T00:10:00.006-06:00

They really couldn’t keep Top Chef’s most anticipated challenge – Restaurant Wars – off the menu this season… although they did give us a scare. Padma and the cheftestants exuberantly welcomed the return of the well loved and historically crushing challenge, and in the end, one team – in the words of Simon Cowell – delivered “a knockout”.

I have to admit, this is the challenge I most wish I had been invited to (thanks Bravo) but maybe they were too worried that I would spill the beans. Either way, whoever attended it definitely honored their confidentiality contracts because not a peep was leaked prior to the show’s airing. But I’m getting ahead of myself… let’s start at the beginning.

In a classic move, Tom shows up at the Top Chef house pre-six AM to deliver a warm, friendly wake up call to the contestants. They are off to… Chicago breakfast institution Lou Mitchell’s (565 W. Jackson Blvd, in the west loop) to work the egg station for the morning. Although I’ve never been to the original, I have a Mitchell’s (opened by Lou's brother) near my apartment in Lincoln Park, and it is truly excellent diner breakfast cuisine. If Lou's fluffy, creamy double-yolk eggs are as delicious as this brother's, the chefs have quite a challenge on their hands.

The hallmark of a good line cook is to be fast yet accurate, and to be able to manage multiple orders at once – very different from the careful, artistic cooking that the chefs are used to. And eggs are one of the most difficult foods to cook just right - leave them on an extra few seconds and they turn dry, brown, and rubbery.

Spike boasts of his line cook experience, but fails to deliver when its his turn in "The Hole". Stephanie and Richard struggle too... while calm, collected, methodical Dale and Antonia come out on top. Antonia is crowned the winner – her fifth win! Suddenly someone’s gaining a little more legitimacy.

After the challenge, Tom announces that he’ll be absent for the evening’s challenge, as he’ll be attending a charity event. In a secret-agent style move, he gives a slip of paper with a hand-written address to Antonia and tells the chefs to go there – bidding them good night and good luck. Stephanie, the token local, announces that she’s never heard of the street, so we know that it must be pretty far off the beaten path.

The chefs arrive at an empty warehouse, to find a large, wood-floored empty space, and a beaming Padma. As if we couldn’t guess what was coming next, Padma announces “Restaurant Wars is BACK!”. As the winner of the quickfire challenge Antonia gets to choose her team. Barely flinching, she calls out Blais (BOOM!) and Stephanie (BOOM!). Can I get a DREAM TEAM? Of course this leaves Dale, Lisa and Spike to decide what creative ways they are going to drown each other. It allmost seems unfair.

However, when the chefs start discussing their themes and menus, it does sound like Dale, Lisa and Spike’s asian-flavored Mai Buddha is going to be a formidable competitor. All three have extensive experience and confidence cooking Asian cuisine, and they sound like they have a pretty solid menu. However, as fill-in head judge Anthony Bourdain notes, Asia is a pretty big place, and there’s a lot of cuisine to cover. Are they going to be able to do it all, and do it all well?

Blais, Antonia and Steph start in on their upscale gastropub concept Warehouse Kitchen (real creative name, guys), and their menu looks to be simple yet promising. Looks like the proof will be in the dishes.

It’s time for service and both sides unveil uncharacteristically impressive décor and cohesion of their restaurant concepts, except for Mai Budda, which feels a little like a Prince video. Thanks, Spike. The judges, including guest judge Jose Andres (a spanish chef credited with bringing the "tapas" (small plates) concept to America), stop by Warehouse Kitchen first, where they are treated to a menu of fresh linguine with clams & sausage, goat cheese and beet salad, and gorgonzola cheesecake. They love it – hardly a bad thing to say about any dish. A beaming Stephanie is front-of-house and delivers a pleasant performance.

Next it’s over to Mai Buddha, where the experience is less impressive. Spike has cleaned up and performs well in his role as front-of-house, but the dishes fail to deliver. Lisa's laksa is a pungent smoky mess, as is her mango sticky rice with toasted coconuts, and Dale's butterscotch scallops (which actually look pretty tasty to me, but did not impress the judges). Spike's short ribs (recipe) is one of the only shining moments on Mai Buddha's menu.

As we could have predicted, Warehouse Kitchen delivers the knockout, winning the challenge with flying colors. Which is, to be noted, a feat all on its own - if we can recall how truly flawless they were in their execution compared to all of the Restaurant Wars of seasons past. Good job, team. Stephanie is handed the win for her excellent dishes and her leadership. She gets a trip to Spain! Lucky Steph.

Now it's Mai Buddha's turn on the chopping block and it's not pretty. Dale and Lisa have a supremely ww and unprofessional squabble, which prompts Jose Andres to comment that he can't see either of them working with people in a restaurant. Ouch. By a stroke of luck with his short ribs and front-of-house role, Spike slides by. Finally, despite the fact that Lisa committed the most horrid culinary crimes of the evening, it is executive chef Dale that is asked to go. The cutting of the executive chef is a characteristic move, but goes against the grain of this season's judgements, which seemed to favor those with the best dishes, no matter what the consequences. Lisa survives to see another week. But her days are clearly numbered. No one with that kind of attitude can be a Top Chef!

Next week, it's REALLY going to be the Cenitare challenge, with full on shots of guest judge Rick Tramonto in the previews. This will likely be the last show that was filmed in Chicago, as I suspect that they will fly the top four finalists to Puerto Rico for the finale. Boo hoo! I am still so dissappointed that it seems like neither Grant Achatz or Charlie Trotter or Mindy Segal are going to make an appearance. We better see at least one of them in the caribbean!

Next week: check back for the Top Chef's Guide to Chicago!

Top Chef Week 10: Sexy Salads & Luxury Lunches

2008-05-15T20:11:00.008-06:00

A curious choice in guest judge, and another simple-yet-tricky elimination challenge faced our cheftestants on this week's installment of Top Chef Chicago.

This week's guest judge was the famous, the award-winning, the accomplished... Sam Talbot from Season Two! Ok maybe not award winning (unless you count being named one of NYC's ten sexiest chefs), or particularly accomplished (unless you can call running the restaurant at The Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY "making it"), but he certainly is famous and he certainly is HOT! In all seriousness, I'm sure Sam's a great chef and obviously a rising star in the NYC scene. It's just that with seven contestants left, and reports of a finale-filming in Puerto Rico last weekend, there can't be more than two episodes left in the city of Chicago. So I'm hoping that Bravo chooses to bring in big Chicago talents for those at least. [Update: It's official, the Top Chef Chicago Finale was definitely filmed in Puerto Rico last weekend. AND just to tease us, Bravo darling (and Senior VP of programming) Andy Cohen even has a video up about it on Bravotv.com. Here's Andy and Tom in Puerto Rico.]

This week's show opens yet again with a morning-after montage. Really, this is getting old. I don't need to see a barechested Spike wrestling his pillow, Dale permi-waxing his hair, or Stephanie plucking her eyebrows. Week. After. Week.

Anyway, when the chefs arrive to their quickfire challenge, they are greeted by aforementioned lovely Sam from season two. Sam challenges the chefs to "bring sexy back" to salads (ok, sexy chef, sexy salads. kind of cheesy, but I like it). The chefs get a whopping 45 minutes to prepare their creations - yet this is still not enough time for some. Stephanie goofs by leaving her asparagus chips off of her "poached pear and artichokes fall duet" salad and lands in the bottom. Along with her are Blais (for a poorly executed and curious "fruit and vegetable ceviche"), and Lisa (whose seafood - banana salad failed to deliver). On the flip side, the judges favorites are Antonia's wild mushroom salad with a poached-egg topper, Dale's predictably-asian poached chicken with nori paste and sake, and our winner this week: Spike with his "Sensual" beef salad featuring pineapple, cucumber and skirt steak.

Spike doesn't get immunity but he DOES get an "important" advantage in the elimination challenge. Hmm, guess there's no new guest judge for this challenge -- Sam's still hanging around. The chefs are charged with creating a healthy, microwavable lunch for the candidates at the Chicago Police Academy. Their dish must include one each of the following food groups: vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein. The catch? Spike gets to shop first, and he chooses to knock out the easiest lunch choices: bread, lettuce, chicken and tomatoes (a fruit, apparently! I'm still on the opposite side of that debate, but I'll let this one slide). The competition is on!

Back at the kitchen, the chefs get to creating their lunches. Rice is a popular grain: Antonia uses jasmine rice with her filet mignon, and Dale and Lisa both use brown rice - although "someone" turns the burner up on Lisa's, causing it to burn. Hmm... suspicious. Andrew should have used rice as he's making sushi (for whatever delirious reason). However he subs pureed parsnips and pine nuts for rice. Yikes. This can't be going anywhere good. Steph uses barley in her hearty mushroom and meatball soup, and Blais uses quinoa and lentils in his rice-paper "burrito". To be honest, none of it really looks all that appetizing to me. Which means that the average Chicago cop would probably NOT be amused.

The chefs pack up and travel to the Chicago Police Academy (1300 W. Jackson) where they share their dishes with the police-in-training. Steph's is a hit, as is Dale's bison wraps and Antonia's beef.

Andrew's sushi is a disaster, Blais's "burrito" apparently tastes better than it looks, Spike's chicken salad was a dissappointment, and Lisa's rice isn't done.

In the end, Dale and Steph end up in the top two, and Dale takes the prize. He is cocky.

Lisa, Spike and Andrew are all called in on the losing end. Lisa decides it's appropriate to point out that Andrew didn't have a whole grain in his dish. She's clearly not making any more friends. And she still looks like she's ready to smash in someone's face. Although Andrew tries to argue in favor of the nutritional attributes of his dish, the bottom line comes down, as I expected: It didn't TASTE good! As the challenge was to create a satisfying, healthy lunch for people who usually eat fast food, Andrew is the clear loser, and is asked to pack his knives and go.

I was kind of shocked that Andrew made such a massive misjudgement in choosing his dish - he seems like such a smart guy. But maybe his choice was a product of the fact that he has limited versatility - when you only cook top-of-the-line fine food at a place like Le Cirque, perhaps it does become hard to ground yourself in the reality of cooking for a more general, "common man" audience. However, likely none of this matters because reportedly Andrew's already back in the kitchen at Le Cirque, plotting his next move.

Next Week: Restaurant Wars is BACK! But this time it's three-on-three. I would guess that they're probably using Cenitaire restaurants for this one, as I reported last week in my Top Scoop. This is the challenge that sent Tre home in last season's biggest shocker, so it's anyone's game to lose at this point. Look for Rick Tramonto as a guest judge!

Top Scoop

2008-05-10T10:20:00.005-06:00

Looks like an upcoming episode of Top Chef will feature Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto's Cenitare Restaurants as a location for one of the elimination challenges. Cenitare is made up of four restaurants offering different dining experiences and price points, so a little something for everyone. It's located on the first level of the Westin Chicago North Shore in Buffalo Grove, IL (a north west suburb of Chicago). No word on what the challenge will be, but former Cenitare Executive Sous Chef Ian Swope had this to say on his blog, in an entry dated Oct. 31, 2007:

"Our kitchens were taken over this week by the producers of Top Chef to film an episode. Pretty chaotic but all in all pretty fun. The restaurants looked beautiful made up for television and the kitchens shined after staying up all night polishing everything. Met Tom Colicchio and thanked him for the wonderful meal. Nancy and I had on our honeymoon at Gramercy Tavern. That was way back when he was still actually in the kitchen there. I also set up a demo for Gail Simmons to film and now my knife is famous. Oh well."

Update: Ian also reports that the episode specifically used Osteria di Tramonto and Tramonto's Steak and Seafood, which I believe are the two nicest restaurants in the complex. He also reports that SURPRISE! Rick Tramonto is the guest judge for the episode. Thanks, Ian!

Swope also writes about how he auditioned for this season of Top Chef, but didn't make it past the first round because "the initial interview with the producers is way more about personality and how you would work on television and has nothing to do with cooking experience or your resume." Casting people for personality over skills? How Bravo.

But perhaps Swope is most famous for creating this Top Chef Drinking Game, which has consequently spread across the internet. Enjoy:

The Premise: There are two teams, although more are likely. One team are the Judges, i.e. Tom Collichio, Gale Simmons, Ted Allen and whomever the guest judge is. I am also grouping the host, Padma Lakshmi, in with this since although she’s not a judge, nor qualified to be one, she nonetheless offers up plenty of fodder for the game.

The second team are the contestants. These are the actual “chefs” in the competition. The season starts out with 15 contestants and week by week they are whittled away until the final chef remains.

The Rules: Here is where we start the game. Any alcoholic beverage could be used but for the sake of simplicity we will consider one drink to be one ounce of spirits, i.e. vodka, tequila, gin, etc… Everybody picked their sides? Okay, let’s go.The Game:

For the Judges, take one drink …
Whenever the host, Padma, says anything that she is totally unqualified to talk about. This usually ends up being anything that comes out of her mouth so be careful here. You might want to leave this one out of the game or you could end up passing out before the first commercial break.

Whenever head judge Tom Colicchio makes a remark along the lines of “This is Top Chef not Top (whatever)”.

Whenever the guest judge happens to be a chef who’s probably not very well known outside of his cooking region. Take two drinks if he thinks he’s famous now that he’s a guest judge on Top Chef and feels the need to act like a dick.

Whenever judge Gale Simmons mentions Food and Wine magazine, her real employer.

Whenever the guest judge is Anthony Bourdain. Take one additional drink for every pithy comment he says that the other judges are merely thinking.

Whenever head judge Tom Colicchio remarks about how he only cares about the food and not about whatever drama happens to be ensuing.

Whenever any judge asks a contestant what their inspiration was for the dish they’ve prepared.

For the Contestants, take one drink …

Whenever a contestant says something along the lines of “I don’t care if others don’t like me because I’m here to compete, not make friends”.

Whenever a contestant says they should have no problem with a particular challenge because it’s in their area of expertise. Two drinks if they fail the challenge.

Whenever a contestant attributes their poor performance to being so far away from family and friends. Two drinks when the show is filmed in LA and they happen to live in Santa Monica.

Whenever a contestant expresses concern that they’ve never had experience with an ingredient or applience that anyone who’s worked in a restaurant should know how to use… like a charcoal grill.

Whenever a contestant makes a “trio” of something. Two drinks if it’s a “duo” or “quartet”.

Whenever a contestant gets excessive with the adjectives in describing their dish. Two drinks if the adjectives sound like they came from a mid 1950’s copy of RedBook, such as “succulent”.

Whenever a contestant accuses another of stealing their ideas, style, ingredient, etc…

Whenever a contestant completely misses the entire point of the challenge. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: Serving poached lobster as your dish in a grilling challenge, creating an amuse for an entree challenge or using the featured ingredient as a garnish at best.

Whenever any plate garnish is purely decorative and inedible.

For both Contestants and Judges take one drink …

Whenever the product placement reaches obscene levels. Just like including Padma in the hosts, this might be dangerous… Apply at your own risk.

Whenever all contestants express complete shock at finding out what a particular challenge will be. Two drinks if it’s completely unwarranted; “This challenge is cooking shrimp?! No!! I’ve never done that before!”

These are just the most obvious. I’m sure there will be more and we will all thank Bravo for keeping us inebriated.

For this season, I would also add:
Whenever there's a gratuitous shot or mention of "the Glad family of products".

Whenever Padma appears to be drunk.

Whenver Spike changes his hat.

Whenever a lesbian chef gets angry.

Whenever Nikki talks about or makes pasta.

Whenever there's a cut to Stephanie to intro some Chicago restaurant or chef.

Top Chef Week 9: Ring the Bells

2008-05-08T22:20:00.013-06:00

And then there were eight.

This week on Top Chef, we got it all: drama, fire, desperation, romance, a Casey look-alike and even a fairy tale wedding. Well, if your heart's wish was to have Top Chef cater your wedding. And one lucky Chicago bride and groom got just that! A friend of mine actually attended the wedding (he's a friend of the groom) so keep reading for the insider scoop... it's not what you'd expect!

We open with a classic relay challenge. From now on, the winner(s) of the quickfire challenges will no longer get immunity! But they WILL get a special advantage in the elimination challenge. Teams are drawn and it's Stephanie, Blais, Antonia and Andrew versus Spike, Nikki, Lisa and Dale. The cards seem to be stacked, but Lisa starts for her team and gains a huge advantage in the orange peeling & supreming task. However, her teammates promptly lose the lead for her in the following events of artichoke cleaning, monkfish cleaning & filleting (gross!), and mayonaise-making. They come into the last task even, but Steph goes into wisking hyper mode and whips out a quart of mayonaise in a flash. Nikki couldn't get hers to break, and thus Stephanie and team with the challenge.

But the sweet taste of victory fades quickly when Padma drops the elimination challenge bomb: instead of Restaurant Wars (waaah! I LOVE that challenge!), this season it's Wedding Wars! Which doesn't really add up to Restaurant Wars at all, but oh well. We'll take it. So we meet JP and Corey (who is totally a Casey look alike! Anyone?), the blushing young couple who also happen to own and operate a restaurant and wedding venue in Chicago, Galleria Marchetti.

Casey and Corey: twins separated at birth?

The chefs' task is to cater the reception - for 125 guests per team, one to the bride's tastes and one to the groom's. Oh yeah, and the wedding is happening THE NEXT MORNING. I smell an all-nighter coming on (not that we couldn't have figured that out from the previews!).

The big advantage for the quickfire winners? They get to choose the bride or the groom. And it's the bride, "because it's her day". Aww, nice speech Blais. But did you think about the fact that she's going to flip if everything isn't perfect? Then again, maybe this groom will too... he looks like a "detail oriented" guy. The chefs harredly take down their client's wishes and requests, and set off to Whole Foods and Restaurant Depot (correction - not wedding depot, although I think Antonia called it that) to spend their $5000 budgets. Then its back for a rousing all-night session at the Top Chef kitchen. Nikki's on the groom's side and he's super Italian (Marchetti!), so they hit it off. Nikki's making pasta again, and refusing to take a leadership role on the other dishes - clearly she doesn't want to take responsibility if they turn out badly, but really, she's already in the driver's seat, so she might as well take the wheel. She avoids it.

Blais seems to be the natural leader on the bride's team, but everyone is getting to their individual tasks. The bride likes meat & potatoes, so the team is going with a down-home, southern comfort food theme, that hopefully will work well for them. Stephanie takes on a massive wedding cake (scary move!) but when its finished, it looks AWESOME, and looks supremely professional next to Lisa's boring, amateurish square mess of a cake.

Our guest judge for the evening is Gale Gand (Executive Pastry Chef & Co-Owner of Chicago's fantastic Tru). Stephanie is spooked that she's making a cake for one of Chicago's top pastry chefs. But she needn't worry!

The outdoor ceremony looks beautiful, and the banuqet tent lovely as well. The chefs have a round of appetizers go out, which include bruschetta, mini pulled pork sandwiches, and fillos. Then the party moves inside and the chefs serve their buffet.

Even though the bride and groom seem to be psyched that Top Chef is filming their wedding, my friend who was at the event was not amused by the presence of the production. He also wasn't impressed by the food - he could tell that it was made in a hurry and that the chefs weren't experienced with catering. No dish really stuck out for him, and he spent more time ducking around cameras than hanging with his newly married friend, which he regrets. So maybe it's NOT the best thing to have Top Chef cater your wedding. But dear Bravo, hear me now: when I ever do get married, if the timing is right, and the show is still running, you are MORE than welcome to come cater the event!

Once the reception is over and the champagne buzz has faded for all except Padma, it's back to judges table. Man, the cheftestants likely haven't slept in a day and a half. Intense.

The bride's team comes out on top. Although the chicken and creamed spinach were weak, the judges love the brisket, pizza, and especially the cake! Gale gives a beaming Stephanie high praise for the cake, which she said "would take her three days to make". The judges hand Blais the win, but he decides to give it to Stephanie, for her victory on the cake. Aww.

Then its over to the groom's losing team. Spike is safe because of his excellently executed Chilean sea bass. Lisa is good because the judges liked the taste of her cake (if not the presentation). Dale worked his ass off in the kitchen, and is safe for all of his efforts there. So it's Nikki who is sent packing, because despite her Italian expertise, she refused to take a leadership role on the team. But she ended up in a directive role anyway, and because she didn't embrace it and help create a thoughtful, coherent menu, she's out.

Next week, Ted Allen is back, and it looks like the remaining chefs are cooking for the Chicago Police academy. Oh, and it looks like Sam from season 2 might also be making an appearance, especially considering Antonia's comment: "tall, dark, handsome, AND he can cook? Sign me up!" A budding romance on Top Chef? The kitchen is heating up!!

Things I'm still waiting for this season: the appearance of Dale Levitski from season 3 (when is his Chicago restaruant going to open?!), guest turns from Grant Achatz (I feel like they're waiting to bring him out) and Mindy Segal (of course), and the challenge where the chefs cook for Charlie Trotter and all of his closest friends - the top chefs of the world. His big twentieth anniversary happened while Top Chef was filming... it has GOT to happen. I have no proof yet but mark my words... just wait. :)

Top Chef Chicago Week Eight: Child's Play

2008-05-02T22:54:00.006-06:00

This week on Top Chef Chicago, it was "take your kid to work day". Well, not literally. But there were a lot of kids... and a lot of talk about kids... and about single parents raising kids. Basically it was the Nikki and Antonia show. Hey, if last season taught us anything, food with a "story" (or "soul", per last season) always wins more points with the judges... and this week was no exception.

The show opens with another blatantly brand-sponsor focused Quickfire Challenge, which seem to have become commonplace in Top Chef. Sidebar: Really, do they need all of these advertising dollars to keep this show afloat? I think not. Yes, its a great marketing opportunity, but the vast majority of the product placement on Top Chef is interruptive and overdone, and therefore ends up having an negative effect on viewers such as myself. Those times that it's done well, it fits seamlessly into a challenge, and makes sense, as in the beer pairing quickfire or the Weber tailgate. But when we have a breakfast challenge utilizing a certain brand of blender, a challenge build around Bombay Sapphire gin, and in this case, a quickfire built around 90-second Uncle Ben's rice, it all seems a bit contrived.

Nevertheless, here I am, blogging about Uncle Ben's, further spreading the brand name, so it seems that the marketers have won. Anyway, back to the Quickfire: the cheftestants are given just 15 minutes and a sack of Uncle Ben's "Ready Rice" (ready in 90 seconds... which means it's probably not that good) to create a complete, healthy meal. Art Smith is the guest judge, and Dale, Richard, and Antonia come out on top. And surprise: Antonia wins with a rice-salad creation.

So the girl's got some game! I guess she's stepping it up in the wake of her recent mishaps.

Now we're on to the Elimination Challenge: guest judge Art Smith is all about easy, healthy cooking for the whole family. And apparently budget cooking as well, because he gives the cheftestants just $10 each to purchase food and complete meal for a family of four. After hitting Whole Foods, it's off to the Washburn Institute to cook the food (this is one of the places we thought might have been the Top Chef kitchen last fall. Not so!). And surprise! It's take your kid to work day in the kitchen, as Art Smith brings in some of the children from his non-profit, Common Threads, to be sous chefs for a day.

Antonia gets all teary from missing her daughter (apparently she's a single mom!), and Nikki launches into several anecdotes about her hard-knock life cooking for herself as a child. The chefs are actually great with the kids - I thought they would be more frustrated, but even in the commentary, it seems that everyone got a kick out of them. And they were soooo excited to be there! How fun.

When all the meals shake out, Antonia, Nikki, and Andrew are on the top. Art Smith gushes over Nikki's dish because of his love for "one pot wonders". However, the win goes to Antonia for her simple stir-fry with wheat noodles. A double win!

In the bottom are Steph (again! gasp!), Lisa, and Mark. I was worried about Steph all through the show, because she seemed so down in her cutaway comments. I was so worried that she was going to get the boot. And then we see why: Steph paired peanut butter, tomatoes, and lemon in her dish - which apparently didn't turn out so well. Mark made a curry with no protein - which may be popular with kids in Australia, but whose complex flavors have yet to win over Americans. And Lisa's underseasoned chicken dish impressed no one. Ultimately, its Mark who gets the boot, to a loud sigh of relief from the girls in my apartment. Steph lives to see another week, but she's going to need to step up her game if she wants to stay in it! To quote Christian Soriano, the competition is getting FIERCE!

Next week: the chefs cook for a whole wedding, which partially explains why they apparently need to stay up all night slaving in the kitchen. I spotted a friend of mine from work in the previews (imagine that! I love Chicago!) so check back for the inside scoop here on Thursday.

Controversial Cupcakes

2008-04-30T11:34:00.010-06:00

Cupcakes are enjoying a unique moment of popularity... nay, cultural obsession in the US.

A traditional, simple bakery sweet, long-loved by children and adults alike, cupcakes have recently become a fixture of finer culinary exploration. Eager to move beyond the expected, chefs are experimenting with new savory flavors, toppings, and frosting-cake combinations. Traditional flavors of vanilla, chocolate, red velvet and carrot cake are giving way to wasabi, ginger, chili, and even eggplant, with mixed results. It's certainly culinary innovation, but the most important question remains: does it taste good?
Before we get into it, perhaps we should start here: What, in fact, defines the nature of a cupcake? And what makes it different than a muffin? My amateur suspicion was that muffins are more in the "bread" family and cupcakes are more squarely in the "cake" family, and that ingredients (i.e. chunks of fruit, or lackthereof) and key flavors play a major role. But I turned to an expert to get the real scoop. Here's what my friend John, a baker at Chicago's legendary cupcake shop Sweet Mandy B's, had to say:

"Muffins are quickbreads. Cupcakes are just small cakes. So the difference lies in the ingredients and ratios between them. Quickbreads have a lot more flour than cakes, and generally will use butte as the fat. Cakes on the other hand tend to use oil as their fat and have more sugar." To that I would add that no matter what kind of flavors are used, a cupcake must also somehow be SWEET. For a pastry to hold as a cupcake, there must be a clear sweet note in the flavor profile.

So there we have it. Now, how do the nuevo cupcakes appearing on the current culinary scene match up? With new flavors being added to the mix, the new debate, of course, arises between tradition and innovation: what's better? Traditional cupcake flavors, expertly executed, or unique new flavor combinations that cause our palates to take notice? This very juxtaposition was played out on an episode of the Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, of which I caught a rerun few nights ago (it originally aired around this time last year).

Bobby challenged Terri Wahl of Auntie Em's Kitchen, to a cupcake challenge. A favorite of LA locals for their giant, soft cupcakes topped with artfully shaped mounds (and I mean MOUNDS) of icing, Auntie Em's only serves four classic cupcake flavors: chocolate, vanilla, carrot cake, and red velvet. Red Velvet, a very classic cocoa (but not chocolate) flavored cake, is the shop's standalone best seller, and that is likely why Terri chose to BRING IT to the throwdown. [Here's her recipe.]

Bobby however, always the innovator, had to create a new cake and frosting flavor combination to challenge Terri Wahl's sublimely executed standard. Bobby went for a "spicy and sweet" flavor profile (his trademark, or so he remarked on the show) with his Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramelized Mango Buttercream Frosting. It was then up to judges Candace Nelson (Executive chef of LA's famous Sprinkles cup-cakery) and Clare Crespo, author of Hey There Cupcake to decide which was the better morsel. What would it be? The delicious down-home bite or the sintillating new creation? In the end they chose Bobby's Gingerbread-Mango cupcake - a predictable choice from two cupcake conoisseurs, who have spent their days tasing the best of the best traditional flavors. When presented with a new, surprising flavor combination that worked, of course they would be impressed, and bestow the award accordingly. (Candace Nelson also does a lot of flavor experimentation at Sprinkles - some of the more eclectic flavors include ginger lemon, chai latte, and peanut butter chip).

According to our "cupcake rules", Bobby was still within bounds on this challenge - his creation was cake-based, used sweet dessert flavors, and was tasty enough to win over the judges. However, what of the newest cupcakes turning up that are completely throwing the standards of "dessert flavors" to the wind? The addition of such ingredients as teryaki, curry, wasabi and even eggplant begs the question: If you add savory flavors to a cupcake, can you still call it a cupcake?

One of the bakeries leading this new trend is Chicago's Bleeding Heart Bakery with their new offering of Top Chef Chicago-themed "Controversial Cupcakes". Since week 4 of the competition (airing weekly on Bravo), Michelle Garcia (Executive Pastry Chef of The Bleeding Heart Bakery) has been pushing the boundaries with inventive cupcake creations inspired by the ingredients of each week's winning dish. If you watch the show, you can imagine how wacky some of the ingredients are that she has to work with -- especially since almost all of the winners so far have been savory dishes. As I live in Chicago, I had to pop over and try some of these controversial creations, and see how they stacked up to the cupcake rules.

The dish that sparked the whole idea to begin with was Andrew, Dale and Richard's Smoked Salmon with Faux Caviar and Wasabi White Chololate Sauce, the winning dish of week four, which resulted in this creation:

White Chocolate and Wasabi: Yellow cake with a white chocolate glaze, and wasabi-white chocolate frosting. The first forkful yields a provocative mix of flavors -- at first, it tastes like a normal yellow cupcake. But then the wasabi starts to burn a little bit and unleash its sharp aroma. The yellow cake is sweet, light and moist, and the frosting is rich and fluffy, but the wasabi kick at the end is definitely an unexpected eye-opener. I took a few bites and although the composition and texture of the cupcake were spot on, I just couldn't get into the wasabi - white chocolate pairing. It doesn't work for me in a cupcake, but I could see it working with a savory dish. According to the cupcake rules, this one makes the cut because it has a distinguishable yellow cake base and clear sweet notes - the only questionable element is really the wasabi in the frosting, but it's not enough of an offender to put this one outside of the cupcake family.

The second cupcake I tried was this one:

Perplexed: A vanilla cupcake studded with carmelized eggplant, cilantro, and jalapeno, with green curry and lemongrass frosting, topped with a almond crusted tofu nugget. This one comes from the winning dish of week seven: Richard and Dale's "Perplexed Green Tofu". I was excited to try this one as I have enjoyed curry as a element in sweet dishes in the past. The tofu nugget is tough and chewy, but tastes good with the curry-lemongrass frosting - nicely executed. Unfortunately, the cake itself is dominated by the jalapenos. The cilantro and eggplant don't really come through at all, and, when I take a bite with the frosting, even the curry gets a little overpowered. It's dense and chunky, but the yellow cake flavor does come through to an extent. The verdict? I like this flavor combination better than the white chocolate wasabi, but I'm still not sold on it. I would still consider it within the bounds of Cupcake, as it has a distinguishable yellow cake base and clear sweet notes in the cake and frosting. It's definitely pushing the boundaries though.

The third and final cupcake I tried was this interesting little bit:

A Stir-Fry Cupcake. Inspired by this past week's winning dish, it's soy-infused cake studded with carrot shavings, edamame, mint, sesame, and chicken (yes chicken!), topped with a honey glaze and a fondat "noodle". This is definitely like no dessert I have ever tasted before. It actually doesn't taste all that bad, especially with the honey topping, but after a bite or two, it's falling apart, vegetables and chunks tumbling forth, the cake not enough to hold them in. And CHICKEN? You can't put meat in a cupcake and still call it a cupcake. Or whole edamame beans. Seriously. Despite the fact that it's cake-based and has the sweet tone from the honey, I think this one crosses the line - I can't call it a cupcake. But Michelle did, and good to her for putting it out there. I just have to say that after tasting it, I have to respectfully disagree.

So there you have it. In the cupcake debate between tradition and innovation, tradition wins, save the rare instance where some innovative dessert idea is pulled off expertly (as in Bobby Flay's case). The Top Chef cupcakes, with their intense savory ingredients, just didn't cut it for me, although it was a welcome culinary adventure. Although I appreciate new flavors, there's really still nothing that compares to a Sweet Mandy B's yellow cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkles. Mmm-hmm.

On a final note, I think the greater point that the cupcake debate demonstrates is that increasingly today, chefs are pushing the boundaries and forcing us to think of our favorite, common foods in different ways. It's introducing more people to culinary exploration that may not have considered it on their own. So cheers to the chefs like Michelle Garcia who are boldly reinventing the rules. Keep it up!

TCC Week 7: Sickly Sweets and Aroused Asparagus: Not So Funny.

2008-04-23T22:21:00.007-06:00

It was a salty-sweet week on Top Chef Chicago. Richard scored a double victory, while Stephanie ending up in the bottom and narrowly escaping elimination, among other things. Missing cooking equipment, one super-metro pastry chef, and a panel of humorless judges rounded out an interesting evening.

Years ago, at drama camp, I had a British director who assigned us a play laden with complex, dry British jokes that proved a challenge for our young American humors. Repeatedly during rehearsals, he would shout out "THAT WAS FUNNY!", after a line failed to produce any hint of a giggle from those of us on stage and in the wings. I feel like we could have used him at the judges table tonight, reminding the judges that "THE ASPARAGUS WAS FUNNY!" before they sent Jen packing her knives. Did they forget that food is supposed to be entertaining?

True, I would have rather it was Jen than Stephanie. CLEARLY. [I even swore to stop watching the show after tonight's episode had they kicked off Stephanie. And I meant it!] But for how entertaining and inventive Jen and Steph's dish was, I was shocked that they were the pair on the chopping block at the very end. Antonia has now been cited TWICE for failing to deliver on the requirements of a challenge, cooking uninspired food, and barely making it by because her dish was slightly better than the next chef. She had better step it up if she wants to stay in this game, and stop making excuses!

Ugh. But let's get back to tonight's show - which opened with a dessert challenge. I learned something new tonight - being a chef specializing in desserts, or a "pastry chef", is a unique and very specific career path. I was frankly surprised to hear many of the cheftestants say "I don't do desserts", many of them clinging to a single recipe and hoping it would get them through. Perhaps this explanation by Richard (who is now apparently goes by his last name, Blais, with the other cheftestants) sheds some light (posted last night):

Bravotv.com: Why is making a dessert so difficult for chefs (especially for past contestants)?
Blais: I think it's a mental block. People think dessert, and they think cake, they think tuile or crunchy cookie and they think fruit coulis. It's like a cook thinking a savory course has to have a starch, vegetable, protein, and sauce. I don't have any formally trained and embedded knowledge of pastry, so I think that helps me think fluid in terms of pastry/last course. The pastry kitchen, the cocktail bar ... it's all an extension of the kitchen; they are all just stations in a kitchen. (Read the rest of his comments here).

So now I understand that when the chefs say "I'm not a pastry chef", it really means that they don't have that formal training. Which does seem strange at first (shouldn't a chef be able to cook everything?) but makes a lot more sense now. I just never knew how specialized "pastry chefs" were until tonight.

And who better to represent the profession but prettyboy Johnny Iuzzini. WHAT? Ok he's won a James Beard award, but WHERE WAS MINDY SEGAL, Chicago's hometown pastry hero-cum-restauranteur? She's been James Beard nominated twice now, so really, that's got to count for something. And her restaurant is amaaaazing. I mean, I've never been to Jean Georges but I'm sure if Johnny was ever in a pastry cage fight with Mindy he would have a serious reckoning.

Anyway, in the end of the dessert challenge, Blais came out on top with his imaginitive "Banana Scallops and Guacamole", while Lisa and Dale got nods for their yogurt/fruit/wontons and halo-halo (shaved ice dessert), respectively. I thought that Andrew's Banana & Chocolate Ravioli (pictured above) also looked heavenly, although it didn't get a call out. I had dessert ravioli for the first time at Mindy Segal's Hot Chocolate, and it was AWESOME - a great concept if executed correctly!

It was then onto the elimination challenge - inspired by audience suggestions from Second City! Again, the chefs turn up in my neighborhood (nay, several blocks from my apartment) and sadly I wasn't there to witness it. Boo! Random color - emotion - ingredient combinations guided the chefs this time, and some, like challenge winners Blais and Dale, used their suggestions (Green Perplexed Tofu) to create truly inspired and thoughtful dishes. Here is theirs:

Others, like Antonia and Lisa, chose to eschew their suggestion (magenta drunk polish sausage) in favor of creating something that may have tasted good but was totally off the mark conceptually. Spike finally got to make his soup tonight, which admittedly did look amazing. I love butternut squash ANYTHING, and creme fraiche too. In one of Padma's more endearing drunk moments of the evening, she rambled "I would lick my bowl if there weren't cameras here..." Oh, come on Padma. Just DO it next time! Feed the munchies!

Next week we've got the loveable Chicago culinary staple ART SMITH as our guest judge, and it looks like kids from his non-profit Common Threads will be guest chefs! Yay for bringing back a Chicago figure. Just can't wait for Charlie and Grant's inevitable appearances... but something tells me that Bravo is saving them for something special, later in the season. Whatever it is, it's gonna be goooood!

Top Chef Chicago, Week Six: Everything Tastes Better with Beer!

2008-04-16T21:42:00.006-06:00

The star of tonight's show? DA BEARS! Or perhaps more accurately... DA BEERS!

It was an alcohol-fuled evening on Top Chef Chicago, and Padma wasn't the only one slurring her words by the end of it!

Even Chef Tom and Gail couldn't keep their beer giggles under control as the cheftestants took on tailgate food... with mixed results.

The show opened with a GLORIOUS quickfire... beer pairing! The only thing brighter than Padma's smile were the eleven glistening glass pitchers filled with various liquid gold. Each contestant had to create a dish that complemented the beer of their choice. The selection was varied, but I was sorely disappointed to see that Chicago brewers were conspicuously left out of the mix. Where was the Goose Island? The Piece Golden Arm? Heck, even the Rock Bottom brews (admittedly not Chicago-exclusive, but STILL!) ?? Not even a PBR or Old Style was in sight!! POOR.

Nevertheless, the cheftestants managed to use their Michelob, Land Shark, and Hoegaarden for good as they came up with tasty combos. Guest judge Koren Grieveson of Chicago's fabulous Avec was poker-faced but discerning. Steph was in the top three! But the quickfire win ultimately went to Jen for her perfectly executed beignets. Padma loved it, but then again, she did mention that Jen's was one of the last dishes that she tasted. Beer munchies perhaps? Everything does taste better when you're drunk!

And maybe it was the alcohol, but there was definitely a lot of errant gayness happening amongst the men in tonight's episode too. For instance, Ryan: "I don't like sports. I like spending my money on clothes and going out dancing with my friends". Ummmm... gay? And then of course we had the Mark - Spike bubble bath. Spike, I know you say you're "comfortable with your sexuality", but really, when you're already gay, that's got to be easy, right? Pour yourself some more of that bubbly.

But, back to our story. It was then on to the elimination challenge... tailgate food! This was another challenge that was well reported last fall, yet it was still fun to watch it all unfold. I was psyched to see that the impeccible Paul Kahan of Blackbird and Avec was the guest judge! I've been to Blackbird twice now and it is truly the best midrange / upscale dining that can be found in Chicago. The dishes are inventive and challenge you just enough to make it a truly remarkable experience, every time you go. Oh, and they've won a BUNCH of James Beard awards and nominations. Need I say more?

Ok, back to the tailgating. The beer was flowing, the fans were decked out, and the chefs grilled up a storm... some of them at least. There was even an '85 Bears celeb appearance, as William "The Refrigerator" Perry barked "I want some ribs"! Mark was a mess, Ryan was a showman, and Andrew wore a helmet. And the judges were all clearly a few pints to the wind, as Gail and even Tom couldn't keep their beer giggles down! Looks like it was a fun time.

But as we know, all fun times must come to an end. And I'll admit that it was a bit of a shocker that Ryan was let go over Mark and all of his unsanitary ways. And the judges rule: cooking bad food and being cocky and not following the challenge is worse than cooking bad food and being a hot mess. All I've got to say is Mark better watch it!

NEXT WEEK:
Looks like we've got a dessert quickfire challenge, and my strongest, most eager guess would be that James Beard nominated Chicago pastry chef Mindy Segal (of the scrumptious Hot Chocolate) will be the guest judge! She was definitely consulted about the contestants for this season of the show, so hopefully that's a good sign that she'll be on! I love Mindy and her fabulous restaurant - definitely one of my favorites in all of Chicago. Read my gushings on it here.

And then we've got an "improvisation" challenge featuring Second City... AGAIN, right down the street from where I live... can't believe they snuck right under my nose. Either way it's looking up to be a good week! Can't wait!

The Week in Top Chef: Ming Tsai Gives It To Chicago

2008-04-10T00:12:00.008-06:00

TEAM STEPHANIE!
I'm starting it here and I'm starting it now. Besides being a Chicago girl, she's already got two elimination challenge wins already, and she's got the skills, wit, and good sense to take it all the way. GO STEPH!!

After last week's "films challenge" and the previous week's Rick Bayless block party fiesta, we had another previously documented challenge air tonight - the Meals on Wheels "elements" challenge featuring guest judge Ming Tsai. Read the initial reports of this challenge, as reported to me by an attendee last fall, here.

The fact that I grew up in the greater Boston area and have never been to Blue Ginger aside, I love Ming Tsai. I love his public television show, I love that he's brilliant but that he carries himself with such composure, and I'm sure I will love the food at his restaurant whenever I get to go.

Sure enough, the elimination challenge unfolded just as it was reported - four teams served first courses along the themes of earth, fire, water, and air. Air seemed like a pretty whack food theme to me, and it seems that the team did a lackluster although not altogether terrible job of creating a light and "airy" dish. However, it was the earth team that fell to the bottom in the end, due to their lack of seasoning. Which is frankly deserved in my opinion, because an "earth" theme gave them the liscence to create a dish with truly impactful flavors. Clearly you shouldn't knock diners out with the first course, but clearly you can't underdo it either. Zoi took the fall for the team this time... and the lesbian couple is broken up! Drama.

Two things to look for in upcoming shows:
1. Tom Colicchio actually smiling. He was in some sort of giddy mood in the kitchen today when he was questioning the teams about their dishes - perhaps it shouldn't have been a such a shock to me to see him giggling like a schoolgirl, but there it was. Wonder if it will happen again anytime soon!

2. Padma being drunk. We learned last season (and this was confirmed when I met Dale) that Padma likes to drink, and that in fact, all of the judges sometimes go to judges' table after having several glasses of wine. When you keep this in mind, things become a lot more funny when Padma seems just a bit off...

For a detailed preview (ahem, spoiler) of what's to come in next week's Bears Tailgating Challenge (presented by Weber) click here!

That's all I've got for this week - tune in next week for another recap!

Springtime for Britain and Italy: Part Two

2008-04-09T21:55:00.005-06:00

ITALY!

FLORENCE

One train, one plane, one bus, and most of a day later, Susie and I finally arrived in Florence, Italy, to warm, sunny skies. After checking into our hostel, Susie set off to meet her friend Jill, and I set off to do some touring before dinner. Waited in line to see Michelangelo’s David, which was truly impressive, and generally wandered about the streets before meeting Susie, Jill, and my friend Taylor (from the frisbee team) for the first of many scrumptious Italian dinners. The spot was Donatello’s Ristorante, right in the shadow of the city’s massive cathedral, which is generally referred to simply as “The Duomo”.

Here’s a shot of my fettuccine with tomato cream sauce:

After dinner, Jill took us to one of her favorite gelato spots, Grom – unique for making their gelato fresh daily, according to their own recipes. It was a treat!

The next morning, Susie and I were up early to do some sightseeing before heading to Rimini on the afternoon train. We tried to go over and climb the Duomo, but it was sadly closed for Easter week. Unfortunate. Instead, we wandered over to the Piazza della Signiora, which among it’s sculpture garden of famous art, offers the entrances to the famous Uffuzi Museum and Palazzo Vecchio. The line at the Uffuzi was far too long, so we wandered into the Palazzo Vecchio instead. This building is the old seat of government in Florence and is still used for some political purposes to this day. It’s chock full of exquisite paintings, artifacts, furniture, and more – not a floor, tile, foot of wall or ceiling panel is untouched. This is a view into the map room (note the giant globe that anchors the room): It was then on to the Ponte Vecchio, which was picturesque!

For lunch, we stopped by a little hole in the wall called I Fratellini for a panini. Lonely Planet calls this place "the best street food in Europe". It's a tall order. But I was impressed. Fresh, warm bread, creamy mozerella cheese, and delightfully salty prosciutto made it an extraordinarily delicious treat.

After lunch we got some mid-afternoon gelato at the Festival del Gelato!

They have over 40 flavors! It was hard to decide which one to get. I landed on nutella and profiterole.

RIMINI

We then dashed to catch the afternoon train to Rimini, just a few hours to the east. We spent the first night at the Paganello opening party on the beach, tossing the disc, eating steaming agilo e olio spagetti and sardines, and copious amounts of Paganello wine. Our first day of games was sunny and somewhat warm. We all got a little sunburned. That night the whole team went to an upscale pizzaria near our hotel. Ok maybe all Italian pizzarias are nice by comparison. Or perhaps its just that they don't have much in between take out shops and formal restaurants. Anyway, here's my pizza - prosciutto e funghi (mushrooms).

Here's Julie and Jim enjoying the house red!

Our second day on the beach was partly cloudy and a little bit more chilly, but still pleasant. After our last game we dashed back to the hotel for a quick scrubdown before heading over to Chi Burlaz for another delicous Italian feast. The owner of this place is a crazy Italian man who randomly serenades diners in broken english karaoke. The food however, was right on pitch. I had pumpkin ravaoli - one of my faves:

And here's table one...

... and table two!

Day three started off a little chilly and cloudy, and rapidly went down hill. But before the cutting 40-degree rain squalls rolled in, we posed for a team photo! That night, we figured out how to order in some pizzas to the hotel (thanks Julie!), and I negotiated a neary tobaccaria for a box of beer. We then headed to the last night party - which had a good & evil theme. We didn't really dress up, but in true fashion, there were some spectacular costumes from the UK teams and many of the European teams. If there is one thing the brits know how to do, its to throw a proper theme party. Gawsh I miss it!

The next day the weather cleared a bit, and we played one game in the morning before settling in to watch the finals in the afternoon. After that, it was off to the train station and on my way to Venice.

VENICE

After arriving to Venice after dark, exhausted, I finally made it to my hostel (by boat), which turned out to be overpriced and exceedingly basic, but delivered the warm, dry comfort of a bed anyhow.

I woke to georgeous blue sunny skies. I only had one full day in the city, so I did my best to make the most of it. Really, I just ended up wandering the streets and alleys, stopping into churches and museums here and there. Here's the grand canal:

In the afternoon I stopped into a little cafe

for an espresso and nutella crepe. I have to say, I have never, EVER, liked espresso before, but this stuff was liquid gold. It was so smooth and aromatic, and not cuttingly bitter like much of the espresso I've had in the past. It was a perfect complement to the crepe!
As the afternoon waned, I picked up a ticket to see a string ensemble perform Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and other selections at this church.After a quick trip back to the hostel to freshen up, I returned to the main island for a delicious dinner-for-one of 1/4 carafe of wine and mushroom risotto. I ended up chatting to an Australian guy and his mother who were sitting next to me - love meeting random people abroad! I was actually impressed by the number of random people who started talking to me when I was travelling alone - it was nice to meet so many friendly people.

After dinner, I dashed off to the concert, which was exquisite. After that, it was straight to bed, to rest up for the next day's travel to London! To be continued...

Springtime for Britain and Italy: Part One

2008-04-09T21:03:00.005-06:00

SCOTLAND!
Like many college grads, I started my full-time career straight after graduation. No celebratory trips, no fanfare. Just a straight dive into a 9 to 5 grind (well more like 8 to 7, but you get the point). So when I recently took two WHOLE weeks off of work to travel in Europe, it was the longest legitimate vacation I’d had in quite some time. And I made the most of it.

The reason for the trip was to take a team to Paganello, the legendary ultimate Frisbee tournament in Rimini, Italy, but I made a few other stops along the way. Here’s the story.

I used all of my saved up United miles to book a round trip flight in and out of London – which is where my trip began. Briefly. I spent several hours on the morning of March 17th traveling on various trains between Heathrow airport, central London, and Gatwick airport, where I caught an EasyJet flight to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Edinburgh is a lovely, ancient city – and it has a special place in my heart because I lived there for a number of months during college, studying at the university, working, and yep, playing ultimate. My little sister is currently doing a semester abroad there, which gave me legitimate reason to visit.

When the airport bus finally put me out on a bridge overlooking the city’s central gardens, the massive castle hulking on a crag above, Susie was waiting for me. We quickly decided that it would be Indian for dinner – I wanted to take her to a place I had gone when I had lived there, if we could find it! Luckily we did.

Pataka is a little Indian treasure tucked away on the city’s north side, somewhat near the meadows. When most people think of traditional Great Britain cuisine, it’s usually pub food, bangers and mash, or haggis that come to mind. But because of the region’s significant Indian and Sri Lankan population, it is one of the best places in the world (outside the far east) to get an excellent curry. And the British LOVE their curries. I’m just fascinated by the way that the cuisine has become such an accepted and adored part of the British diet – in these countries, Indian take-out places are just as popular as pizza or Chinese food in America. Perhaps more so.

Anyway, back to our story. So Susie and I go creeping along the streets of the causewayside neighborhood in Edinburgh and find Pataka, at long last. Here’s a shot of our delicious curries:

I got Chicken Korma, and I believe Susie has the Chicken Bhuna. They were served with hot naan bread and basmati rice, and it was just as good as I remembered.

It was Susie’s 21st birthday at midnight, so to celebrate, we went out with Susie’s roommates to one of Edinburgh’s most infamous student-dominated clubs: Why Not? The club was also as I remembered it from my time in the city, although most of the people there were younger than me this time. Well I guess that’s to be expected. Either way, when I bought a round of drinks for everyone I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were far cheaper there than in Chicago – ten pounds (about $20) bought me five “double” drinks. And thus, alcohol would stand as the only thing cheaper in Europe than in America for the length of my trip.

The morning after our big night out, Susie and I nursed our hangovers with a proper fry-up breakfast at the City Restaurant, nearby Susie’s flat. Here’s a shot:

Eggs, beans, toast, and bacon made up this meal, but “full” fry ups usually include a grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms, sausages, and sometimes black pudding (which I usually skip on account that it is gross. I forget why, but I know it is).

We spent much of the day tooling around Edinburgh, admiring the shops, and even checking out an excellent Ansel Adams exhibit. For lunch we grabbed sandwiches from Gregg's (my fave cheap sandwich & pastry shop) and chips (fries) with vinegar, salt & brown sauce. Yum.For Susie’s birthday dinner, we went to a restaurant called Garfunkel’s on the Royal Mile. Although admittedly a chain (which I generally try to avoid when traveling!), Garfunkel’s offers delicious, hearty fare and big, sweet, messy desserts. That was really what we were there for. Here’s Susie with her Profiterole birthday sundae.
We got to bed at a reasonable hour, and the next day it was up and out at dawn to begin our trek to Italy. To be continued...

A Long Time Gone

2008-03-18T10:40:00.004-06:00

Yes friends, life has been crazy the past few months. I have a ton of new pictures of various lovely meals on my phone and computer that have yet to be uploaded and shared... fear not, I will be getting back to it. However, it won't be anytime in the next two weeks because... I'M IN EUROPE!

Yep, I hopped to the other side of the pond. The reason? To play in an ultimate frisbee tournament called Paganello in the little beachside town of Rimini, Italy. It's apparenly the "cancun" of Italy, famous for being a spring-break desintation. I have a feeling it's not going to be very warm, but at least it beats Chicago right now. And the disc playing is going to be almost as fun as the parties, I'm sure.

ANYWHO... I'm of course documenting my experience with pictures of food... and some of people... so those will be uploaded at journey's end. My first stop is Scotland (which is where I'm writing from). I studied here at the University of Edinburgh in the fall of 2004, and I've been brought back here to visit my little sister Susie, who is currently studying at the school. We've already sampled some of the local cuisine including a FABULOUS Indian restaurant, too many sweets, cider, and of course "chips" (fries) with salt and vinegar. Yum. Tomorrow, it's off to Florence, Italy, then to Rimini, and then Venice, and finally London before I head home to the US. I'll be keeping track of my adventures so stay tuned for the full update!!

In other news, TOP CHEF CHICAGO primered last Wednesday night! The season opener was fun and exciting to watch. First challenge: of course, Chicago style deep dish pizza! It was amazing how much some of the chefs messed it up. Especially those with the inches-thick crust and the thin layer of cheese. What were they thinking?? I was happy to see at least that the Chicago girls, Stephanie and Valarie, pulled through in that challenge... and it was great to see Stephanie WIN the first elimination challenge! She seems both really talented and really cool, so I hope she does well. I'll be cheering for the hometown girls! Among the other contestants, no one really stands out to me. I'm interested to see what the self-proclaimed molecular gastronomist of this season will do. Basically a lot of them seem kind of cocky, so it will be interesting to see who can actually throw down when the heat is on.

Also noticed with interest that their Top Chef kitchen couldn't be farther away from the Whole Foods they shopped at... (Whole Foods by the way looking to be a big sponsor of this season - they've even got Top Chef displays up in all the Chicago stores)... their kitchen is at a city college hidden way down on the south side, and the Whole Foods is up in boystown on Halsted! That must have been a trek for just about every challenge.

Although I'll be away for the next two shows, I'm DVR-ing them, and really looking forward to the season. I'm expecting it to be a hit-parade of Chicago's most well loved chefs, some of which are known to be Rick Bayless, Ming Tsai, and Art Smith. I would be surprised if Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz didn't make an appearance as well.

Ah, it'll only keep me sighing, starry-eyed, every time I walk past Alinea on my way to work. Someday, Grant, someday...

Top Chef Chicago to Primere March 12!

2008-01-25T09:57:00.000-06:00

This past Wednesday, Bravo announced that the new season of Top Chef, filmed in Chicago, will primere at 10/9C on Wednesday, March 12, 2008. Yippeee!! Bravo also rolled out their full ad campaign for the show this Wednesday, running promos featuring the judges and the new contestants during the evening's new episode of Project Runway (which I am LOVING this season, btdubs - yeah Christian!). Bravo has also revealed the names, pictures and profiles of all of this season's Top Chef contestants, which can be viewed on bravotv.com. Chicago's Valarie and Stephanie are in there, as was expected... there is a NEW Dale, from Chicago (but Asian)... and there is no indication of anyone who's friends with Marcel or Hung. Yet. It's a hot new crop of chefs, though, and as Bravo's ad campaign goes... I can't wait to LET THE FLAMES BEGIN!

Click on the "Adventures in Top Chef" link on the right to learn more about the Chicago challenges, guest judges, and locations you can expect to see on the upcoming season!

Also, I promise a big, huge update / roundup soon. I've been a blog delinquent! But I'll be back...

Top Chef Holiday Special... in Chicago!

2007-12-06T22:10:00.001-06:00

Well friends, it's been awhile! But I'm back. There's a big roundup of my favorite November eats is on the way, but tonight I had to comment on the Top Chef Holiday Special which primered tonight on Bravo! (Spolier alert ahead.)

We have known this one was coming for a while, but it was still a thrill to get the first glimpse at Top Chef in Chicago! I suspect this special was filmed in late September, right before the Season 4 contestants arrived. Reports indicated that for several days at the end of the month, the exterior of the Top Chef house was decked out with Christmas decorations, so it makes sense.

Amid classic shots of the L, the Chicago Theater marquee, and the Chicago skyline at night, there were some solid shots of the new season's living, shopping, and cooking digs.

Show opened on the Chicago Top Chef house - a graystone, which we know to be on Paulina St. just south of Diversey. Interior looks cozy - a typical Lincoln Park "single family home". In this case, it's just a really big "family"! It was endearing that each contestant gave a hearty "brrrr!" as they stepped out of their cherry red Rav4s, because I'm pretty sure it WASN'T cold at all during September. Could they have been pretending? Hmmm...

Two of my Season 3 faves are back -- CJ and Tre. We've also got Tiffani and Marcel, who were spotted waiting for lunch at Frontera Grill back in September... so now we know why they were in town.

The challenge is revealed: cook a gourmet, three-course holiday meal. Winner gets $20K. And it doesn't go to charity this time. (That's a little dissappointing for me - I liked how they did that last time... but oh well.) The contestants are given $350 and the customary 30 minutes to shop at Whole Foods ... and we see the Whole Foods on Halsted for the first time! In all of it's georgeous glory. I think a few of the contestants even commented on how wide the meat and fish selection was. The section is HUGE!

The chefs finish shopping and the Chicago Top Chef Kitchen is revealed -- and it is a SHOT out of the blue: the Washburne Culinary Institute. I've never heard of it. It's part of the City Colleges of Chicago, and its wayyyy on the South Side. Probably a smart choice by the Bravo producers, because they knew no one would find them there!

As for the meal - the food looked great, the commentary was entertaining. Great to hear CJ's swagger again. And I'm pretty sure by the end of the meal (and at the Judges' Table) that Padma was a little tipsy. Or perhaps a lot tipsy. Well, word is she does love to drink!

All in all, it was a great look into what's ahead for Chicago. Even if the promo for the Chicago season (which ran during tonight's commercial breaks) was incredibly lame and unrevealing, I'm no less excited for it to come on the air. Can't wait!

Fall Finally Descends on the Windy City

2007-10-29T22:37:00.001-06:00

In this, the last week of October, the weather in Chicago has finally started to feel like fall. The leaves are finally starting to change color, and the air is finally getting that cool, crisp, fireplace-scented quality that I've come to know and love. I've had to dig out my scarves, gloves, and sweaters, and I've started having to wear a coat to work. I'll miss the warmth of summer... but I'm ready for a change.

The Chicago Top Chef front has been unusually quiet over the past week... I'm sure they're still doing challenges, but perhaps Bravo is going to further efforts to keep them under wraps after The Stew published a very detailed spoiler of the Meals on Wheels challenge. In any case, filming has been on for a little over six weeks at this point, so I suspect that sadly, they'll probably be finishing up soon. Padma is apparently took a break from filming on Tuesday to do a book signing at Art Smith's hot spot Table Fifty-Two, so I guess they're still in town... but who knows for how long? Le sigh.

Well, since I've got no major Top Chef dish to talk about, I thought I'd share one of my FAVORITE fall recipes: Apple Crepes. Growing up in New Hampshire, I would go apple picking with my family on sunny fall weekends, and then my mom would use the apples we picked to make an assortment of delicious creations, including German Apple Pancakes (a la Walker Bros), Apple Crisp, and my favorite, Apple Crepes. She shared the recipe with me when I moved out to college-- and I recently revived the tradition.

My favorite kind of apple is Macintosh. Apparently they are special to New England's apple orchards-- I had a really hard time finding them out here in Chicago. When I cruised Green City Market several weekends ago, they told me I was "two weeks late" for Macintoshes. That Saturday, I settled for a bag of questionable looking Cortlands (the fact that they were "organic" was apparently an excuse for their diseased-looking exterior)-- which promptly WENT BAD in about two days' time. WTF. At that point, I gave up on the local farmers and went to Whole Foods, where I found a BOUNTY of georgeous looking Macintosh apples, from Oregon I think. Here they are:
After picking up some extra butter and whipping cream at the store, I was ready to make my crepes. I used Mark Bittman's recipe (from How to Cook Everything) for dessert crepes, which called for:
3 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 - 1&1/4 cups milk
7/8 cup all-purpose flour
4-5 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

The instructions go on and on, but are essentially this: beat the eggs, and mix in the salt and 1 cup of the milk. Whisk in the flour, sugar & two tablespoons of the melted butter. If the mixture is too dry, add the rest of the milk. Finally, add the vanilla. Then, you are supposed to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours (or up to 12 in the fridge). I neglected to read this on my first pass through the recipe. Naturally, when I got to this point, I was not prepared to wait 2-3 hours to enjoy my crepes. Instead, I waited just one hour. But they ended up turning out ok, so I guess I'm lucky.

While you're letting your crepe batter "sit", you can make the apple filling.

Brown Sugar Sauteed Apples

6 or so cooking apples
one stick of butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup calvados or 1t vanilla

Peel and core the apples, and slice them crosswise into 1/8 inch slices, like so: Melt about 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and add a single layer of apple slices. Saute the slices until browned (about five minutes). Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, and repeat this step until all of the apples are cooked. Then, melt the remaining butter and add the brown sugar to the skillet until it dissolves. Add the vanilla at this point -- if you use Calvados instead, add the calvados and let it boil for about five minutes, stirring constantly. Finally, add the apples back to the skillet, reduce heat, and cook for about another five minutes (until the apples are heated through). If there's two of you, someone can start making the actual crepes while the other finishes up the apples. To make the crepes: uncover the sitting batter and stir it up to give it an even consistency. Melt some butter in a little bowl, and get out a pastry brush. Then, for each crepe, follow this process:

1. Brush the pan with butter - it should sizzle but not burn.

2. Pour about a half-ladle of batter into the pan (unless you have one of those little ladles), and turn the pan so that it coats the bottom in a thin layer. Don't use too much batter or else the crepes will turn out thick and rubbery instead of delicate and light. Turn the crepe after about 60 seconds, and let it cook for about 30 seconds on the other side. Remove to a plate-- stack the crepes with sheets of wax paper in between so they won't stick together.

Now you can put together your crepes. In the past, I've done them with vanilla ice cream: this time, I decided to go with a little vanilla whipped cream instad. Here's a step-by-step visual of the assembly:

YUMMMM!!!

Top Chef Weekend Antics

2007-10-16T20:20:00.000-06:00

The Top Chef 4 crew was out and about Chicago this weekend, making their regular run to the Halsted Whole Foods and cooking up some tailgating fare for Bears fans at the game on Sunday.

Meghan has got what may be the first pictures of the season four cheftestants, which she's posted on her blog. Before a Bravo minion called her off, she snapped a few shots as the chefs shopped at the Halsted Whole Foods on Saturday. There are still a whole bunch of chefs left, judging for the pictures. Thanks Meghan for the good detective work!

And as it turns out, the chefs were likely shopping for an elimination challenge that would take place the very next day, at none other than the Bears game! Weber (the grill company) seems to have sponsored this one, as it was a tailgate food battle at the Weber Tailgate Party, pre-Bears game on Sunday. GREAT Chicago-centric challenge. And as I recall, there was also a Weber grilling challenge in season 3. Yum. The news of the Weber tailgate challenge comes from a commenter on The Stew, who reports that her son, an aspiring 13-year-old chef, attended the tailgate and was starstruck upon seeing Padma, Tom, and the like. Makes me think of the little kid in Ugly Betty! Awww. Too bad the Bears didn't win though. ALMOST!

Finally, it seems that one of the season four cheftestants is named Dylan... and that he's surreptitiously... or maybe not... trying to let the world know. Check out this comment on The Stew:

Hmmm... very suspicious. Well, that's all the update I've got for now folks. If you've got any leads or ideas, forward them my way!!

Top Chef 4 Crashes Celebrity Chef Charity Gala in New Challenge

2007-10-13T13:30:00.000-06:00

Last night, Top Chef 4 crashed the party at the Meals on Wheels 2007 Celebrity Chef Gala to serve attendees a surprise. My friend Courtney was lucky enough to be at the event, so she gave me the report.

The event, which took place on the top floor of Macy's on State St. in Chicago, included a $350-a-plate four-course seated dinner, as well as a $100-a-ticket dinner-and-dessert reception. Chefs from Frontera Grill, Blackbird, Le Bernadin, De la Costa, Sarah's Candies, Dahlia Lounge, and others presented food for the evening.

When diners arrived last night, they learned that the four-course dinner would include a surprise fifth course - prepared by none other than the contestants of Top Chef 4. Apparently, even the chefs preparing the other four courses didn't know Top Chef was coming, until they actually showed up - camera crew and all. The Cheftestants prepared the first course of the evening, and camera crews recorded diner's and judges reactions. My friend wasn't at the actual dinner, so no word on the food or how many chefs are left in the competition, but she was able to peek into the dining room. All of the judges were in attendance, along with guest judge Ming Tsai of Food Network fame and Boston's Blue Ginger. Sounds like a good time was had by all, and a lot of money was raised for a worthy charity.

UPDATE: Although I am clearly the one who broke this story two days ago, The Stew had someone on the inside, so they've got even more detail on the event. Sounds pretty cool!

In other news, The Miami Herald reports that Bravo filmed a Top Chef "Holiday Special" in Chicago several weeks ago, and that Tre is one of the participants. This corroborates with earlier reports of there being Christmas decorations in the front yard of the Chicago Top Chef house -- probably part of the filming. The news of the "holiday challenge" was leaked by one of the guest judges (and Season 3 judge), Norm Van Aken, who also shared that the prize money was $20,000. At least Bravo's nice enough to give us SOMETHING to tide us over between Top Chef seasons!

Two TC4 Contestants Revealed!

2007-10-11T11:46:00.000-06:00

Two Chicago chefs competing in the fourth season of Top Chef in Chicago have been revealed... and both are women!

Time Out Chicago reports this week that Stephanie Izard, who has cooked at Vong's as well as her own Scylla (recently closed), and Val Bolton, who has cooked at Spring and HotChocolate, are currently battling it out for Top Chef glory in the windy city. After two women chefs have made it to the finals, wouldn't it be great if one could actually WIN this season? The best of luck to both of them!

In other news, I thoroughly enjoyed the Top Chef 3 Reunion Show last evening. It was great to see everyone hanging out and reminiscing on what I think has been the best season yet. CJ really is hilarious... I appreciated his sarcasm and witty commentary this season. The Howie / Joey "Love Connection" bit was pretty funny too... and I LOVED Dale's feature... especially the fact that after it ran, he said "I've always wanted a montage!" Well Dale, that makes two of us. Ha!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again that I think it's SO great that the chefs all seemed to get along this season. I really prefer that to the drama and immaturity that contestants displayed on season 2. I'm a little ashamed to say it, but I was kind of sad when the show came to an end tonight. I was more invested in the people this season than before, and I guess it's just kind of sad that it's all over! Well, Top Chef will be back in a few months with a whole NEW crop of people, so I'm interested to see what that turns up. I'm thinking that, considering filming will wrap in Chicago by Christmas, the new show will be on around March.... right after Project Runway wraps. We shall see!

Season 4 Contestants Continue to Sweat it Out in Chicago

2007-10-08T12:42:00.000-06:00

As the summer-like heat rolls on in Chicago, so do the Cheftestants of Season 4.

The chefs taped a segment over the weekend on Richmond Street in Ravenswood - Bravo seems to really love hiding in Chicago's little-known neighborhoods! Rick Bayless, the award-winning owner of Chicago's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, took a turn as guest judge, and Padma, Tom, Ted Allen, and Lee Anne were in attendance as well. Over Saturday and Sunday, contestants were divided into two teams, who invaded four homes and cooked in their kitchens. The chefs then served their food on the street as part of a neighborhood "block party", complete with a dunking booth and bouncy house. Sounds like they had a good time, despite the almost 90-degree heat!

Guest Judge Rick Bayless has certainly had an exciting week, as he also hosted another group of "top chefs" last Friday, as part of Charlie Trotter's blowout 20th anniversary celebration. Joining him for lunch were Ferran Adria of Spain's El Bulli, Heston Blumenthal of England's The Fat Duck, and Mattias Merges (Trotter's Chef de Cuisine), who all later enjoyed what may have been "the last supper" at Schwa (which "closed indefinitely" one day later). I only wish I could have been invited to / been able to afford the crown jewel of the weekend: Trotter's $5000 a plate dinner, cooked by chef-legends Adria and Bluementhal, as well as Daniel Boulud, Tetsuya Wakuda, Pierre Herme, and Thomas Keller (French Laundry). Proceeds went to charity.

In other Top Chef 4 news, I am nearly convinced that they are using the Calphalon Institute as their home-base kitchen. I have been told they have or will use the Illinois Institute of Art, but I've been by there a few times and not seen any evidence of The Chefs. A call over to the Chicago Cooking & Hospitality Institute led me to believe it wasn't there either. Plus, the Calphalon Institute has ceased "public" classes -- they only conduct private cooking classes or workshops for groups now. Hmm, maybe like... a "private" group of "15" chefs from "Bravo"?

And finally, the Top Chef 3 crew bid their last goodbyes to Chicago and each other last Thursday night with a proper blow-out party after the taping of the TC3 Reunion Show (to air this Wednesday evening). One of the things many viewers including myself liked best about this season was the lack of "drama" and "villians", and the fact that the chefs genuinely appeared to like each other and get along. Andy Cohen only confirms this further as he writes via blog: "Miami sent out such positive group vibes: they were so psyched to be back together and pretty much all of them said at some point how sad they were about being at the end of the Top Chef road". He then goes on to tell of the cast and crew's post-reunion-show shenanigans which started at Rockit (one of my fave spots), and continued at The Underground, where the group "danced their faces off" to the beats of DJ AM and enjoyed "flowing bottle service" until the wee hours of the morning. "It was kinda like graduation night" reminisces Andy: "It was a joyous night and The Underground was fantastic".

Ok Andy, now that TC3 is over its time to give us some DISH about TC4!!

Ears open...

Toro Sushi

2007-10-05T10:19:00.000-06:00

In the midst of all the Top Chef madness, I did take a break on Tuesday night to enjoy a DELICIOUS bite at a Chicago institution: Toro Sushi.

If you ask anyone who knows food in Chicago where to go for the city's best sushi, the answer is always unanimous: Toro Sushi. This tiny little sushi shop on Clark and Demming is teeming with people every night of the week as chef/owner Mitch Kim rolls up and slices out some of the freshest, most succulent maki, nigiri and sashimi I've had in Chicago. Unlike other sushi joints, who get fresh fish in once a week and use preservatives, Mitch gets fresh fish deliveries every other day -- and you can really taste the difference.

If you want to sample the delights of Toro Sushi, be prepared to wait. I showed up at about 8pm to meet a friend for dinner, and the wait was already an hour long. I put in my name anyway, but I learned that the best plan is to show up an hour before you actually want to be seated, put your name in, and go do something else until your table is ready. The gracious hostesses at Toro actually take down your phone number and call you when your table is ready, expressly so you DON'T have to wait around outside forever (although many people seem to anyway). When my friend showed up, we spent part of our hour wandering up to a little liquor store and choosing a wine to enjoy with our dinner.

Toro Sushi is BYOB, but there is no corkage fee, so bring as much "B" as you like. To go along with the light, salty flavors of fish and rice, I would suggest a medium-bodied white wine-- like a pinot grigio (which is what we had) or a crisp lager, such as Sapporo. You don't want something that's going to overpower the flavors of the fish.

We were finally seated around 9pm in the middle of the three front window tables. On one side, we had two tipsy young waitresses, imploring us to try this roll and that, and on the other we had a pleasant young couple who could not keep from singing the praises of Toro, and of Mitch Kim. "One of my favorite things," the woman said, "is that when we come here, we always end up making friends with all the people sitting around us, because we're all like 'this sushi is soooo gooooood!'" She said that they come to Toro often, and usually sit at the bar, where they are treated with generous free rolls and creations from a fastidious Mitch. The man is literally a machine, pumping out delicious and exquisite sushi for all 40 people in the place on his own-- I didn't see another sushi chef there the whole time.

We started off with some standard edamame and miso soup, as we cracked into our wine. Our waitress was courteous, attentive, and easy to communicate with-- and our rolls arrived pretty quickly after we ordered. My friend got a smattering of different kinds of rolls, including unagi and super white tuna nigiri, which were delicious. Even the california rolls were decidedly above par. I got a "three musketeers" roll, which had a few different kinds of fish, super white tuna (a new try and new favorite), imitation crab meat, and was topped with two kinds of roe. Not so much of a fan of caviar (I'll get there someday!) I chose to flick those off my rolls. The ones I couldn't scrape off didn't taste that bad, though -- they moreso added a salty, "fishy" essence to the roll. Not half bad. The gracious gushing couple next to us also implored me to try one of their "Oh My God" rolls -- my favorite of the night, I think! The roll has super white tuna, mango, avacado, crab, cream cheese, is rolled in warm rice and tempura crumbs, and is topped with unagi and served with unagi sauce and spicy mayo. Didn't have my camera on me this time, so you'll just have to take my word for it that everything was beautifully plated and presented.

When we had finally had our fill of sushi and wine, we got our bill-- which was shockingly low for the quality of the food we had eaten. A six piece spicy tuna roll only costs about $5, and my specialty roll was only $11 I think, for 9 giant pieces. If you get the specialty rolls (which you should!) your bill will run a little higher. But you can DEFINITELY eat on a budget at this place and still have an amazing meal.

I will definitely be returning, in due time... an hour before I want to eat however, because this place is showing NO signs of slowing down.

Everybody Loves Chicago

2007-10-05T09:09:00.000-06:00

The continuing georgeous weather in Chicago can only mean one thing: God is smiling on Top Chef. Seriously, it is supposed to be firmly in the 50s and 60s right now... yet, the high temp for today is 89, tomorrow is 87, Sunday is 88. Bravo says they will conclude filming TC4 in Chicago "before the weather gets bitterly cold"... and well, at this rate, they've got pleeeenty of time.

I'm not the only one who's loving the weather: Andy Cohen reports via his blog that him and the whole TC3 crew took to the streets of North Halsted for the Finale after party at Cocktail, one of Dale's favorite haunts. But before getting their drink on, Dale and Ted Allen took Andy & friends to "the gayest 7-11 on the planet". Observes Andy: "It did, in fact, seem incredibly gay. They sold OUT magazine there." Andy also muses about the party: "Casey questioned Tom, Dale was king, Hung was on fire, the girls looked like a million dollars, Marcel mingled, and on and on."

Finally, he adds: "It's late and we are taping the reunion show tomorrow." So I assume the reunion show was taped last night at the same place the Finale was shot - Resolution Digital Studios on the West Side. Guess they didn't really need a studio audience for that one. Hopefully during the reunion show they'll be wise enough to give us at least a LITTLE dish on Top Chef 4. Perhaps they can cobble together a brief promo or something. ANYTHING! Really, how can they be filming all of this stuff, and not even mention the season-sized elephant in the room. For goodness sake.

Bravo's blog "The Dish" reports that they also had a good time at the finale, and observe that "Chicago is georgeous! Go Cubs!" Go Cubs indeed. Here's a link to their exclusive photo gallery of the Finale. A few photos show the whole season 3 crew!

Of Dale's second place finish, Tom Colicchio writes: "I’m not exaggerating when I say that Dale was glowing after the show. He may not have won the title, but he gained something infinitely more important -- a renewed sense of himself as a chef. After retreating into a bleak place for a year and a half, Dale showed us, and himself, that he has what it takes to transcend the pitfalls of this mercurial business. Dale is back, and watch out, world." I whole heartedly agree. I can't wait until Dale opens his restaurant!

Finally, a little more TC4 scoop. On Wednesday, during my failed-finale-folly, I did learn that the name "Magical Elves", which is usually spotted along with TC4 filming, is actually the production company working with Bravo on Top Chef 4. I also called up Fox & Obel to see if there was any filming scheduled at that location -- but the woman I spoke with in their marketing department shared that "if there is, neither of us know about it!". She was polite and courteous though, unlike the person I spoke with at Whole Foods. Yes, it has filmed there, he told me. And no, he doesn't know when they're supposed to film next. He doesn't think that's the kind of information they can "just give out". Well boo on his parade too! I'll still be checking it out whenever I have a chance to get over there.

At some point, I promise to get back to my favorite part of this blog -- actually writing about restaurants and food. But really, how can I not stay excited about Top Chef? I just hope I can keep the dish going as the weeks of filming roll on! If you've got any tips please send them my way!

Almost Famous: A Love Letter to the Top Chef 3 Finale

2007-10-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

I sat at my desk this afternoon, struggling to focus despite being nervous... and excited. Not only because I knew the Top Chef 3 finale would be tonight, but because an email had plinked into my inbox the day before, advising me of the location from which the live Chicago finale would be broadcast. I can't say who it was from -- only that it was a lucky answer to an email I had sent on a whim. "Join BRAVO for the taping of the Top Chef 3 Live Finale in Chicago" the invite read, "at Resolution Digital Studios" and listed an address on Chicago's West Side. "Arrive by 8:00pm to be seated by 8:15pm". Every fifteen minutes or so, my mouse drifted back over to the "Gmail" tab at the bottom of my screen, and I let my eyes scan over the email again. I tried not to get too excited -- I knew there was probably no way I would get in... but I knew that I had to go check it out. I couldn't sit on that kind of information and not use it.

And so, after work today, my roommate and I got appropriately gussied up, hopped in my black Saturn Ion, and began our quest to get into the Top Chef 3 Finale. Just to get to the studio, we had to drive through a rather desolate strip of dark warehouses or factories of some kind. When we finally spotted the studio, we skipped the "valet parking" and promptly parked the car. As we approached the main entrance, my roommate wondered: "do you think we're really going to get in?" "I don't know" I answered. But I had a plan.

We approached the front entrance, where two young women sat at a table -- they were the gateway we had to pass before we could get in. The first woman looked up at me as I approached, and smiled. "Name?" she asked, gesturing toward a list in front of her on the table. "Well, I'm not really on the list." I answered, also with a smile. "Someone forwarded the invite to me... I write a Chicago food blog called Third Coast Toast." I mean, it's true, and it sounded legitimate enough. "Oh, ok, well who forwarded you the invite?" I volunteered the name of my informant. "She doesn't seem to be on the list... what is your name again?" I told her, and she checked the list again, shaking her head slightly. "Let me check with Press... they're inside. I'll be right back." With that, she disappeared into the broad glass doors that made up the entrance, which was itself a giant glass wall, maybe 40 feet wide and thirty feet high. As we waited for her to return, we peered into the lobby of the building: a smart, colorful, creative looking space which looked in on yet more glass-fronted rooms. And in one of these rooms, we spotted Casey.

"Look, there's Casey!" I whispered to my roommate. "Where?". Look, do you see the girl with the ponytail? Sitting in the chair with her back to us?" "Yeah... how are you sure that it's..." and at that moment, as if she knew we were talking about her, Casey turned around and looked straight at us. I thought I saw Hung behind her too, peering out onto the sidewalk outside the front door. But just as briefly as she looked, she turned back around, and continued some lively conversation with whoever else was in that room, energetically bobbing her head as she does, and taking sips from a water bottle.

I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her... or Hung, or Dale... who were so close to coming to the end of a grueling, exciting, and emotional six month journey as contestants on Top Chef. As the show later revealed, Casey would know her fate far before the live announcement in Chicago. But at that point, when we saw her, I can only guess that her heart was still pounding, still aching in anticipation of Padma uttering her name along with those coveted words... "you are the Top Chef".

I was jolted out of my starry-eyed gaze as the front door swung open again, and two new, chic-looking young women came out to speak with us. "So, you're on the list?" "Well, not exactly..." I explained. "Someone forwarded me the invite. I write a Chicago food blog called Third Coast Toast." She considered this for a moment. We were SO CLOSE.

She looked to her companion, then looked back and delivered the crushing news: "We're so sorry, but the person who forwarded you the invite passed on the event, and so we gave her seat to someone else." My heart dropped.

"If she had told use you were coming, we could have saved the seat for you, but now it's much too late". "Well, is there standing room? We don't mind standing..." I tried. "Unfortunately there's no room at all-- believe me, if there was, I would help you out, but as of now, even the staff is having to give up their seats and watch from upstairs. The studio only holds about 150 people and we are totally packed." They seemed genuinely sorry that they couldn't let me in. Rather than try to press further, I recognized this to be the end of the road. I had showed up, and made my attempt-- that was the most important part. After a deep breath, I thanked the press women, and the women at the table for their help... and with one last glance up at Casey, my roommate and I turned back around and headed for the car. "At least we tried" she said to me as we made our slow walk back. "Yeah, at least we tried."

Of course, the night wasn't totally lost. We still had the show to watch, which we did with glee. At the start, we were in the ABH camp -- Anyone But Hung. We were sad to see Casey go down in the last Judges' Table, but we were happy to see that our hometown hero Dale was still neck-and-neck for the title as the end of the pre-recorded finale in Aspen drew to a close. Cut back to Chicago, and we learned from Padma Lakshmi that Hung was the winner. Of course we were sad that it wasn't Dale, but all in all, it was a win-win situation. Dale's opening his own restaurant in Chicago already (no word on when, but his lease is signed and he has a team of partners), and in the end, the judges couldn't deny Hung the title. I mean, the man has been consistently excellent from Day One of the competition. I think if Tre had stayed in, he would have had more of a fight on his hands... but it was very clear to me at least that Hung was technically the best chef of this lot.

And so, I will rest my head tonight, happy to know I made a grab at a dream and missed -- but at least I tried. And hey, there are still several more weeks of TC4 filming to come in Chicago. Perhaps the best is yet to come. :)

Finale Fever: The Top Chefs Descend on the Windy City

2007-10-03T10:58:00.000-06:00

THE CHEFS HAVE LANDED!!

There have been numerous sightings of Top Chef 3 contestants all over the city yesterday and today, as they arrive for the Top Chef 3 finale being aired LIVE from Chicago, TONIGHT!

Yesterday afternoon, Metromix blogger Karen Budell ran into Casey, Joey, Sara N., Lia and Sandee hanging around outside of the Starbucks on Michigan Ave and Grand. After introducing herself, she learned that Casey was on the phone with Dale and they were trying to decide where to get a bite to eat. Well, who better than Dale to give advice on Chicago cuisine! While Hung was not seen with that crew, he was spotted walking on Ontario and Michigan , also yesterday afternoon. Maybe he was on his way to meet his fellow Chefs?

I've also learned, from a reliable source, that all of the chefs & judges in town for the finale are being put up at the W Hotel - Lakeshore. Fancy!

The location of tonight's Season 3 Finale is still being kept under wraps, but The Stew reported yesterday afternoon that "the set will be closed... so fans hoping to be in the audience will be out of luck". We'll just see about that. The Stew also reported that the guest judges for the finale (filmed in Aspen) will include Michelle Bernstein, of Michy’s in Miami; Rocco DiSpirito, of Bertolli pastas; and Todd English, of Olives restaurants. I suspect they will also be present this evening in Chicago as well.

Check out today's Good Eating section of the Tribune for The Stew blogger (and legit reporter) Joe Gray's interview with Dale. Here's the online version.

If that's not enough, here's another new DALE interview, posted yesterday, this time from the Chicagoist. Click the link to read Dale's opinions on instant mashed potatoes, his favorite guest judge, and being Chicago's hometown hero.

Finally, multple TC4 sightings have confirmed that the Chefs are indeed donning "beige" chef jackets this season, and are traveling not in their customary Rav4's, but in an armada of large, unmarked white vans. The vans were spotted outside Whole Foods on Halsted last Sunday... and also in "West Lincoln Park", where they may be living.

Also -- I must just say that in the past few weeks my opinion has really changed on Dale. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first... he cooks good food, but he didn't come roaring out of the gate the same way Tre, Hung, and Brian did this season. However, in the last few episodes, he's been creeping up on my radar. I think the big shock comes when you hear about his resume -- he's worked with all the best in Chicago, at Cru, Orange, La Tache, Deleece, Sola, and most impressively Trio, where he succeeded the famous Grant Achatz as executive chef-- just before the restaurant closed in 2006. Before he was cast on Top Chef, he was already being considered as one of Food & Wine's Top Ten New Chefs. Knowing that Dale has this background -- indeed, he's held his own among the best of the best-- gives him and his dishes a lot more credibility in my mind. Come tonight, only one thing is for sure: Dale is a star. Whether or not he wins, he's opening his own place in Chicago and I'm sure it will be a success. I can't wait to go. Go team Dale!

Countdown to Wednesday & More TC4 Tidbits

2007-10-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe there are only TWO days left until the finale of Top Chef Three! I have to admit I'm not the kind of person who usually gets excited about TV shows, or celebrities... or celebrity chefs... but now that Top Chef has all it's Chicago connections, I can't help myself from wanting to get in on the action in my own town.

No reported sightings of TC3 Finale participants or festivites YET, but there are a few more TC4 sightings to report!

Yesterday morning, the Top Chefs were again spotted filming at the Whole Foods on Waveland & Halsted. The Stew and several LTHers reported sightings. Apparently when they are filming, there are signs on the door that inform normal customers that by entering the store they consent to being filmed. The signs also don't identify the show that is being filmed, but say "Magical Elves - TC 4" -- this pseudonym was also reported by observers of filming at Saturday's Green City Market. Something else to keep an eye out for! Eye witnesses reported that 12-15 contestants in tan chef's jackets (a new thing for season 4?) were running around the store and buying copious amounts of vegetables -- including the store's entire stock of fresh fennel. Perhaps it's a challenge at Green Zebra? One observer overheard a chef saying they had a budget of $200, and that the food needed to keep until Tuesday. Maybe they are cooking for the contestants of TC3? All possibilities...

Still without a sighting of my own, I took a little drive around the Ashland & Wrightwood area last night on my way to a BBQ, only to find... no sign of filming or the chef's customary transport, RAV4s. Thus, the location of the TC4 house still remains a mystery.

Hopefully next time, I will have some TC3 finale dish to share...

TC4 Spotted at Green City Market

2007-09-29T21:21:00.000-06:00

To think... the cast and crew of Top Chef filmed a segment this morning in Lincoln Park's Green City Market... JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM ME... and I was not there.

Add this one to the locations to stake out:
Whole Foods on Halsted & Waveland
Fox & Obel
Green City Market

Can't wait for Wednesday's TC3 Finale... still trying to find scoop on WHERE it's being filmed and WHERE they may be going after.

And the watch goes on...

Top Chef 4 Sightings & House Location (Potentially) Revealed!

2007-09-28T11:08:00.000-06:00

The throngs of past-and-present Season 3 contestants & judges have yet to arrive for next week's Top Chef 3 Finale in Chicago, but there's been SEVERAL reported sighting of other Top-Chefers, confirming the fact that filming is definitely underway in Chicago.

Last week (Sept 21), former contestants Marcel, Sandi, Josie, and Tiffani were spotted in full TV makeup enjoying lunch at Frontera Grill. On Monday, guest judge Eric Ripert was seen in Streeterville, while Tom Collichio was seen lunching at Blackbird (thanks to commenters on The Stew!).

And just YESTERDAY, the whole Top Chef 4 Crew was spotted tearing around the Whole Foods on Halsted & Waveland, presumably shopping for yesterday's challenge. Perhaps it's this season's Fresh Market? I would have thought they would go for Fox & Obel, but Whole Foods is fine with me! Also, probably means the TC4 Kitchen is somewhere nearby...

Finally, the alleged location of the Top Chef 4 house in Chicago has been uncovered... it's somewhere in Roscoe Village. Apparently there used to be Christmas decorations in the front, which have since been removed.

That's all the scoop I've got for now... until next time, eyes peeled!

UPDATE: my anonymous commenter tells me the TC4 house is not in Roscoe Village... also read in another source that it may be around Ashland & Wrightwood. No confirmation yet...

Top Chef 3's Chicago Finale Draws Nearer; Still No Word on Location

2007-09-26T13:15:00.000-06:00

The Stew, the Chicago Tribune's food blog, posted a new report Friday about Season 3's Finale (set to be broadcast LIVE in Chicago on Oct 3) and relayed their futile attempt to gain more information on Season 4. Bravo is predictably remaining tight-lipped about the location of Oct 3's finale, and any of the details of Season 4, although the article does note that "Season 4 will film over the next eight weeks or so... kitchens are being prepared, a house for the chefs is being readied".

I'm guessing maybe they're doing up a place in Wicker Park? Perhaps a nice three-story walkup?

And as for the location of the Chicago Top Chef Kitchen: I heard from one source that it might be the Illinois Institute of Art Culinary Center, downtown in the Loop... however, upon closer inspection today, I found the place to be empty, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. A sign on the door said it was closed for a "test", and that it would re-open on Oct 11. Seems too soon, considering that TC is set to film in Chicago until November. My two other guesses are that the kitchen will be at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, or the Calphalon Culinary Center in Chicago.

That's all I got for now. Keeping my eyes open...

Top Chef Watch: Season Four

2007-09-23T23:43:00.000-06:00

To my delight, Bravo announced this summer that they would be taping season four of Top Chef in Chicago. To make things better, the Red Eye reported last week that filming began last Friday, Sept 21. Bravo said in their announcement that they are aiming to finish filming before the weather in Chicago "gets brutally cold" - which could be next week for all we know, but I'm guessing that means by the end of the year. I'm not sure how long the taping runs, but with fourteen contestants I'm thinking at least two months.

Fellow blogger Femdom Future has already unearthed the audition tapes for five of the new season four contestants: check them out here.

I've grown to love the show, especially this season, and I'm excited to hear it's being taped in my own town. Despite my recent run-in with Dale Levitski (current contestant on Season 3), I'm not much of a "celebrity stalker". However, I do fully intend to keep my eyes and ears open for the whereabouts of the Top Chef 4 crew over the next few months. I mean, I live in Lincoln Park -- right in between Charlie Trotters and Aliena -- they've GOT to come to my neighborhood at some point - they just HAVE to!!

First questions first: where do we think the contestants are staying in Chicago? They stayed at Fountainbleu in Miami...

Second: Where will their main kitchen be? I'm thinking either the Illinois Institute of Art in the Loop, the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, or the Calphalon Culinary Center in Chicago.

... and the Top Chef Watch: Season Four begins!!

Blackbird

2007-09-23T22:48:00.000-06:00

I had the good fortune of being treated to dinner at Blackbird last week, which I enjoyed with two friends. Blackbird is a pretty remarkable place - it's ultra sleek and modern, and has won countless awards and nominations including several James Beard awards, a number of Wine Spectator awards, Best New Chef in Food and Wine magazine, and the distinction of being on Gourmet magazine's list of one of the top five restaurants in Chicago, and top 50 in America.

Unlike it's other top-Chicago peers, Blackbird delivers a stunning dining experience for about $25 an entree. It's located in the ultra-trendy West Loop, right next to sister restaurant Avec and around the corner from Sepia. The cuisine is "contemporary American", with a heavy emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients.

We started out with some pre-dinner cocktails, which were awfully strong, but delicious. The one in the foreground is the Orange Blackbird - a strong and sweet mix of Tanqueray and Orange liquors. Leanne got a "Rosewater Something", which had cucumbers in it. It was strong but impressively refreshing, and pretty.

For our first course, we all ordered something a little different. I ordered the "crispy veal sweetbreads with green acres farm crispy carrots, preserved lemon-hazelnut yogurt, candied caraway and beets". Its a good thing I didn't ask what "veal sweetbreads" were before I ordered or ate it - they're apparently the thyroid glands of a deer. It tasted like a gourmet chicken nugget to me, though! Notice how they fit all of those ingredients into one tiny package on the plate:
We all love scallops, so we got an order to share of "seared maine diver scallops with local sweet corn, eggplant puree, early tart apples and lovage". Still not quite sure what lovage is, but this dish was SO GOOD!Laurel got the pinenut gazpacho with soppressata, apricot, spring radish and nasturtium -- yes, there were flowers in the soup. As far as soups go -- and my new obsession with them-- this one was GREAT. Lots of interesting sweet and savory flavor dynamics.

After we were brought our wine (an '05 Domaine Barrod Beaujolais Villages Pinot Noir) and a tiny little amuses-bouche (which was a spoonful-sized portion of salmon on a butternut squash puree), our main courses arrived. The pacing of the meal was great - I was worried that they would rush us though, but luckily they allowed us ample time to sit and enjoy our food and drink. The service was also impeccible - our waitress seemed more like a dinner party hostess and was very well informed about everything on the menu. When they brought our appetizers and entrees, they did it with flair and in groups, almost choreographed so that everyone's plate hit the table at the same time. I loved it.

I got the grilled california sturgeon with oyster mushrooms, spring peas, rye gnocci, guanciale (an Italian bacon) and mustard. It was deliciously salty, and came in a tasty broth. I think the "mustard" was the foam on top. Laurel got the seared arctic char and Leanne got the roasted half grimaud farms muscovy duck breast which were both good as well.

Dessert was DELIGHTFUL, and Laurel's and my plate came with little candles on them, as we let it leak that we were both celebrating birthdays. It was nice.

I got the buckwheat crepaze with rhubarb consomme, candied celery and sicilian pistachio ice cream. I love crepes and rhubarb, so it was a hit.

Laurel got the milk chocolate cremeux with coconut-curry ice cream, cashews and lime, which was also REALLY great, especially the coconut curry ice cream - that's one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time.

Leanne got the marcona almond panna cotta with nougatine, blueberries and chamomile, another home run of wonderful flavors and textures.

All in all it was a truly amazing evening of stellar food. I'm so happy I had the opportunity to go, and I look forward to dining there again sometime.

Birthday Desserts

2007-09-23T21:55:00.000-06:00

I recently celebrated my 24th birthday, and to commemorate I went to not one but TWO birthday desserts -- one before my birthday (for my friends who would be out of town on the actual date), and one on my real birthday.

On my real birthday, we had some "small plates", wine, and desserts at MK, which was absolutely fabulous. The place was a little stuffy, and filled with overdressed businessmen and older couples, but our waiter was congenial and we had a good time. I would really love to go back sometime and sample their dinner menu, and perhaps even the prie fixe menu - which runs at about $85 for five courses, I think. I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it that the desserts were beautiful! AND they brought me a complimentary cookie plate with "Happy Birthday Lisa" written on it in Chocolate. YUM!

On my pre-birthday, I enjoyed dessert and wine at Sola with my friends Laurel, Amy and Jenni. I had heard good things about Sola, but I must confess that I had an alterior motive for wanting to go there that night-- I read on Metromix that Dale Levitski, Chicago's current representation on Bravo's Top Chef, was working there in his time between the show and opening his own place in Chicago. The article said he'd been doing a number of jobs around the restaurant, including bartending and front-of-house, so I secretly hoped we might catch a glimpse of him while we were there.

Imagine my surprise and delight when we walk in, and there he is-- WAITING TABLES. And imagine my FURTHER surprise when we get sat AT ONE OF THEM. I almost lost it like a early nineties New Kids on the Block fan. Whaaa!

Dale was super cool -- really down to earth and charmingly amused by his newfound celebrity. I did ask him for a picture - to which he gracefully obliged, saying "it's cool, it kind of happens a lot now". In between desserts and bottles of deliciously sweet wine, we picked his brain on what his experience has been like on Top Chef.

We asked him if he still kept in touch with anyone from the show, and he said he did - with a bunch of people, including Sara (he had just received a text from her a little while ago), Casey (who he had already talked to three times that week).

Is there anyone in the house that everyone hated? Not really, he said-- apparently, even Hung was pretty cool. He guessed that Micah was the only one who people didn't really like, but she was missing her family so it's probably good she got kicked off when she did.

Amy asked why Dale thought it was that the chefs seem to make stupid mistakes sometimes, like overcooking rice. He said that when you're under the pressure of time and space constraints, it becomes easier to make stupid errors. One of the stupid things he said he did was cut himself, which he never does. He shared that he cut himself three times in the first episode -- and that Tom Colicchio definitely noticed and gave him a look. In so many words, he repeated what he's said on the show, many times: It looks so easy when you're sitting there watching it on TV, but it's not -- it's really hard.

Finally, we asked him if he won, and he predictably dodged the question by telling us that no one knows yet -- they're announcing the winner on a live show in Chicago on October 3rd. I'm guessing he probably has a confidentiality agreement he has to honor, which makes sense. While my feeling is that he probably won't win up against the talents of Casey and Hung, he did advance to the final four and the finale in Aspen on this past week's show, so who knows! I'll be rooting for him for the next two weeks.

Oh, and this is what we ate:

I got the Baked Hale-aska - a play on baked alaska. A chocolate cake square topped with ginger ice cream and meringue, with a raspberry sauce.

Jenni got a pineapple - macadamia treat that I forget the name of.

All in all it was a WONDERFUL pre-birthday!

Mon Ami Gabi

2007-09-23T21:15:00.000-06:00

A lot of people make a fuss over Chicago's most expensive restaurants, and for good reason - places including Tru, Aliena, and Charlie Trotters are consistently ranked among the top restaurants in America. And they all run at about $200 per person, at a minimum. However, I've discovered that there's a lot of other really dynamic restaurants in the city that don't pack as much of a punch on your wallet. Some of them still have prie fixe menues, if that's what you're looking for, but they also offer a la carte menu items for around $13 an appetizer and $25-30 per entree. If you don't splurge on wine, you can easily get a great meal for around $50, which is a much more reasonable "splurge" for a starving young professional's budget.

The places on my list that fall into this category are:

Zealous

Landmark

Boka

Blackbird

Sepia

Avec

Bistro 110

Hot Chocolate

Aria

Feast

Kevin

Japonais

Sushi Samba

Another one of these delicious, somewhat expensive lot is Mon Ami Gabi, an absolutely charming French Bistro located in the decadent Belden-Stratford apartment building, right on Lincoln Park. I had the pleasure of dining there a few weeks ago with my friends Amy and Laurel. We wore dresses.

Mon Ami Gabi looks like it's straight out of The Great Gatsby. The interior is a cosy parlor framed with warm dark wood, a tiled floor, stained glass accents and 1920s style art. There's also an outdoor patio lined with white Christmas lights that looks out onto the park.

Our smartly dressed, very attentive waiter started us out with a bottle of white wine and a steamed artichoke - you peel off the "leaves", dip them in lemon butter, and enjoy. Yum.

I also indulged in the cold carrot soup, which was DIVINE. I have a new thing for fine soups. Especially the ones that they pour for you at the table. I enjoy the extra flourish!

Although Mon Ami Gabi is known for it's steak frites (steak with fancy "french fries"), I opted to get the pork. Here I have three little medallions of pork, wrapped in bacon, topped with julienned granny smith apples. Also on the plate: wilted greens and a square of potatoes au gratin. They were a bit intense on the creaminess, but delicious nonetheless. The pork was juicy and tender - I suspect the bacon-wrap helps keep the moisture in the cut of meat. Amy did get one of the steak frites (which run at about $18 - a deal!), and LOVED it. Still need to work on these flash-less picture taking skills, though...

Then came dessert. Perhaps my favorite thing about French dining is the desserts - they sure knew what to do with their pasteries, cream, and fruit. We couldn't decide on just one, so we got two. The were both AWESOME.

First, a Bananas Foster Crepe, filled with vanilla cream.

Second, a berry crumble topped with a scoop of vanilla. SO GOOD!

I could get used to dining like this.... when my budget will allow, of course.

Cheese & Bread

2007-08-22T19:48:00.000-06:00

I could survive solely on cheese and bread. Its truly the perfect pairing of two foods. When I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, it was a staple of my diet - Scottish country cheddar and cream crackers was a frequent snack and even meal, especially while backpacking. And with gourmet groceries and cheese shops throughout the city (and country), it was never hard to find a delicious slice of cheese and a baguette.

Here's a pic of my little sis Susie enjoying a little cheddar and cream crackers at the train stop:

Here's me with some sun-dried tomato & basil gouda and a fresh baguette that we bought at a farmer's market in Cork, Ireland. So good!

And, back to the present. If cheese and bread are the world's perfect food pairing, that makes pizza the world's perfect dish. I got to enjoy pizza two ways recently - dressed up, and dressed down. And BOTH were delicious.

First - FRASCA : pizza dressed up.

Frasca's calling card is pizza and wine - make that gourmet pizza and fine wine. The atmosphere of the place absolutely complements the cuisine as well. Fire light from candles and a wood-burning oven dances across the modern wood and brick decor, bringing a feeling of warm sophistocation to the experience.

I went with my friend Ian, who had enjoyed Frasca before. With his guidance, we ordered a handful of items off of the "small bites" appetizer menu - essentially a list of cheeses, cured meats, and bruchettas that came with freshly baked baguette. And a little bowl of olives. And a little bowl of candied raspberries. Yum.

Then came the main event: the wood-oven baked pizza. We split a "sopressata", which was topped with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, crumbled sopressata sausage, and delicious mozzerella. I enjoyed mine with a light, sweet Riesling, while Ian went for a red. Here's Ian with his pizza and wine.

Second on the recent pizza circuit was Exchequers - a different but no less wholesome dining experience.

Exchequers is a GEM of a pub & eatery on South Wabash in the Loop. I stopped by this fine establishment last week to join a few colleagues for some post-work pizza & beer. The beer was German... the name started with a T... and it was on special. So naturally we got pitchers.

As an appetizer, we got a "tower of onions". Yumm! Here's Brian with the beer
& onion tower.

As for the pizza, we mixed it up with one thin crust (pepperoni & garlic - SO GOOD!)

and one deep dish (sausage, green peppers & onions). While the deep dish was delicious, it didn't live up to my "Giordano's standard" of deep dish. Not enough CHEESE! Although you wouldn't know it from these pictures. Here's an action shot of the CHEESINESS!!

Here's to cheese and bread.

Summer in Chicago

2007-07-30T21:14:00.000-06:00

And here, friends, is another long-awaited recap of the first half of my first summer in Chicago proper. Having lived in Evanston last summer, I didn't really get to appreciate the way that Chicago simply explodes with life once the summer months set in. Restaurants and bars jubilantly cast open their windows, women in sundresses and oversized sunglasses take over the streets, and no matter what day or time it is, the interstate is backed up. Not to mention the FAIRS AND FESTIVALS that take place every weekend, all over the city-- wherever you are on a weekend, it seems that if you stop and listen hard enough, you can hear the distant strains of a cover band rocking it out in one of Chicago's neighborhoods. And who can forget the ever-present fireworks- every Wednesday and Saturday at Navy Pier. In fact, I was pleasantly reminded of the fact that I live "downtown" just the other day when I thought I heard gunshots in my back alley, only to remember (with relief) that it was a Wednesday. Yes, I live close enough to the downtown to hear the Navy Pier fireworks. AWESOME!

Anyway, let's get to the HIGHLIGHTS.

1. Lisa, Kate and Laurel go to BOKA

I thought that Boka, a staple of my daily walk to the Red Line, would be a lot like its Halsted sister (and one of my favorite Chicago institutions), Landmark. I was wrong. Boka has all the prices of Landmark, but with a far more chi chi attitude. It was "fine dining", for sure -- the head chef of this place is a former protege of Charlie Trotter himself-- and I can't say I didn't like it... it just was a little fancier than I expected.

Here's our appetizer, which was a play on the classic tomato, basil & mozzerella neopolitan. Can't really see it, but there was pesto gelee in there. Interesting.
Next up were the main courses. I got sesame-wasabi crusted salmon, with green tea soba noodles and soy foam. So gastroscientific. Not pictured: Laurel's soft shell crabs, which we learned were ACTUAL CRABS, battered and fried whole. We helped her out with them.

I should also mention that this dinner was EXTRA special because one of my favorite college friends KATE was in town for her graduation! Kate's a fellow foodie who got to see a lot of the Chicago culinary scene before I did courtesy of one very generous boyfriend. She now lives in San Francisco and works for Google. I took her to get dessert at my favorite local low-cal dessert stand, Treats! Seriously, 90 calories per four ounces of something that looks AND tastes just like real soft serve? Sign me up. Here's Kate, enjoying her treat!!

2. We are more preppy than you, neighbors

Laurel and I popped our collars and rung in our new apartment with a little Lincoln Park Prep Party... because we landed a cheap place on one of the richest streets in the city. We still don't know quite how.

The double-popped collar brigade:

Fancy (and delicious!) Cookes:

And OF COURSE, finger sandwiches!

3. It always tastes better over a campfire

One of my best college friends, Amy, is from Michigan, and she graciously took a bunch of us up to her hometown of Interlochen, Michigan a few weeks ago. We pitched tents at a lovely little campground right on Lake Michigan, and of course made some quality campfire food while we were out there. After years of cooking campfire food with my family and at Girl Scout camp, my favorite is still the tinfoil dinner. Just chop up some meat (chicken), add a bunch of your favorite veggies (carrots, potatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, etc), a generous amount of butter, Lawry's seasoned salt, and even some shredded cheddar cheese, then wrap it all up in tinfoil and cook it in the coals for about 20 minutes, until everything's cooked through. Open and enjoy!

Here's Jenny making her preparations:

4. Camp House Cooking

I went home to New Hampshire over the 4th of July week, and had some delicious home-cooked food both at my real house and at our new little lake house we call "the camp". Not pictured is my first lobster dinner, unfortunately undocumented. Although I can tell you that while I REALLY wanted to love lobster, I wasn't a huge fan. Did love the tail... didn't like the "claw meat" or the whole dissecting-the-animal part. Guess I'm not quite grown up, yet.

Anyway, here is a typical grill-out dinner, which we ate pretty much every night. This one is tilapia, corn, asparagus, and zucchini. Tip: grill your fish and corn in tinfoil to keep the moisture in as they cook.

After dinner we usually went to Johnson's, an ice cream stand not far from the camp, that has the largest servings you've ever seen. We all got "kiddie" sizes, which were slightly bigger than a 16-inch softball. Yikes.

I made some bacon-wrapped scallops on the grill. They came out ok, but since I like my bacon a little crispier, I think I'll fry it a little longer next time before wrapping the scallops.

5. I think I'll go to BOSTON

I went for a day trip in Boston while I was on the east coast, to visit my friend Meredith. It was a beautiful day in Boston, so we just strolled around and went window shopping on Newbury Street. Here we are enjoying some scones and tea at Tealuxe on Newbury Street - kind of like the Armitage Ave of Boston, but nicer.

I love me some tea with soy milk!

Mmm Meredith and her green tea... so healthy.

6. Summer's not complete without the BEACH!

Over July 13 & 14, I played in an ultimate frisbee tournament on Montrose Beach called Sandblast. Our team was called the American Gladiators, and we showed up with style, finesse, and of course costumes. My shirt may have had an angry eagle on the front, but Richard's took the patriotic cake!!

We may not have won the tournament, but we won the party!

7. Can't go wrong with curry (unless you do).

And finally, last week I made some pretty badass curry-shimp-noodles. Here's a picture of the shrimp frying up in the olive oil and spices. Yummm!!

Well that's all I've got for now. Things not pictured: the Old Town Art Fair, Pitchfork Music Festival (that I didn't make it to this year), Taste of Chicago (also missed), Going Out in Naperville Can Be Fun: The Tale of Jeanette's Birthday, Flat Top Grill (multiple times), and others.

Coming up next: Lisa & Ian do FRASCA, Lollapalooza. Stay tuned.

A Stellar Weekend in the City

2007-06-13T23:29:00.000-06:00

There are weekends you rest, there are weekends you have to work. There are weekends you travel. And then there are those weekends you spend with your favorite people, stay up till all hours multiple nights in a row, and have to end up reluctantly, sluggishly dragging yourself to work on Monday, with a smirk on your face you can't wipe off.

This past weekend was one of those weekends.

With georgeously warm, clear weather Friday, Saturday AND Sunday, I made the best of it by taking advantage of some of the best Chicago has to offer.

Friday night, my roommate Laurel and I went to Mix Bar (on Diversey & Halsted) for the Young Professionals of Chicago's annual "Summer Soiree" fundraiser. For a mere $40, we were fed, watered (with a top shelf open bar), and provided great company. It think these guys have a great idea going as far as fundraising goes too: they know their target audience, and they know that they're going to do better charging $40 to get in (with a raffle & silent auction), than they will with a $120 a plate black-tie event. Anyway, it was loads of fun.

Saturday, I slept in then met Amy to throw around a frisbee in Oz Park, which is up the street from my apartment. It has a lovely big field, just perfect for tossing a disc. When we got tired, we headed down to Wells St. to check out the Old Town Art Fair... which we didn't realize was a Dillo Day style drinking-fest until we got there. Yes, there was a lot of lovely art that I only wish I could afford. And there was festival food-- I got a BBQ Chicken Sandwich and then Amy and I split some Chocolate Dipped Strawberries On a Stick... mmm. The only downside to the fair was that it was horriffically crowded and every bar was totally packed to overflowing. Now that we know what the scene is, we'll have to plan ahead to get there earlier next year! Nevertheless, it was fun to check out.

headed out to the Chicago Brauhaus in Lincoln Square with a posse of my college friends for some boot-drinking good times. The Chicago Brauhaus, little did we know, is a kind of family-type restaurant with authentic German roots-- they're apparently known for their brat selection, and for their schnitzel. However, it was the giant glass boots of Spaten that we came for-- and enjoyed. If you've seen the movie Beerfest, you'll know what I'm talking about. The rules of the boot are simple:

1) the toe must always point toward the middle of the table
2) the boot can never touch the ground / table until it's empty
3) after you drink of the boot, you must flick the boot before you pass it to the person next to you.

Kind of like communion at church.... but not.

After the boots had done us in, we happily cabbed down to the Cubby Bear to see Mike & Joe, of course. There was no line at the door which was a welcome surprise, but the place was hopping as usual. It was a great set list that night as well-- I always tell people Mike & Joe are like the best mix tape only live, and I mean it-- they not only play good music, but they know how to line their songs up. Just when you think you've heard the best song of the night, they kick it up a notch. Never fails to impress!

Sunday morning I slept in, then miraculously willed myself to run 6 miles. After nursing my sore-from-singing vocal cords with some tea, it was off to the main event of the weekend: FALL OUT BOY, +44, THE ACADEMY IS..., and COBRA STARSHIP at the Charter One Pavillion on Northerly Island (also called Mag's Field... it's right on the lake by Soldier Field). Sadly Amy and I got there just in time to MISS Cobra Starship... big tears... but TAI, +44, and of course FALL OUT BOY rocked my socks off. Oh yeah, and even LUPE FIASCO made a surprise guest appearance in the middle of Fall Out Boy's set... wicked!! The show was all pyrotechnics, big stage antics, seizure-inducing jumbo-screen visuals, screaming thirteen year olds, and SO much fun. Thanks to our friend Morgan, who INSISTED we must brave the crowds and get close to the front, we had a great view. And the performance itself was spectacular-- Patrick Stump was spot on, even in his killer rendition of Michael Jackson's Beat It. Man that guy can hit the high notes! And I sang along with every one... at the top of my lungs.

Needless to say, on Monday morning I dragged myself and my lost-voice out of bed and to work... but I couldn't wipe the smirk off my face all day.

Thank god for weekends like this. I love Chicago.

Hello, Summertime

2007-06-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

Well... it's been a while. In the time beween my last post and now a lot has happened... I've moved apartments, I've lost four (yes four) bosses at work and gained two new ones, I've been to Canada (and back), and summer has bloomed.

I've also had some tasty eats, of course. Here are my highlights from the past month:

1) Summer means grilling, and I've busted out the Barbie (pet name for my little weber) a few times already since the weather turned warm. Here are my favorites so far this summer:

- Grilled balsamic-marinated asparagus

- Grilled corn on the cob (keep the husk on, and soak it in cold water for at least 20-30 min before you grill it. peel the husk off and enjoy!)

- Grilled marinated chicken breasts (simple and delicious)

- Grilled Portabello - tomato - mozzerella napoleons

- Hot dogs. Yum.

Here's a lovely summer salad, that I made to go with...

... This lovely grilled chicken, asparagus, and corn!

2) Mmm... Meat.

I enjoyed probably the fanciest meal of my life several weeks ago when I got to go to David Burke's Primehouse (in the St. James Hotel) on the company dime. We had clients in town and well... I guess we wanted to show them a good time. Yessss. I had the Classic Filet Mignon "Oscar" style (meaning it was topped with crabmeat, asparagus, and garlic hollandaise). AMAAAZING!

I also enjoyed a tasty cut of beef last month at Las Tablas, a charming Colombian restaurant on N. Lincoln in West Lakeview. I think I had the "Bandeja Paisa": a NY strip steak with a lot of sides, including cornbread, a plantain, an egg, and some other weird fruits-or-vegetables. Here's a shot of my plate:

3) New & Old Neighborhood Eats

Tilli's is a lovely little spot just down the street from my new apartment. Amy, Leanne and I went there for a late lunch after moving me into the new place. It's a georgeous restaurant, especially when they have the patio open on a sunny day... but the food was a little overpriced and sub-par. All the flavors of our food were slightly off and a little too intense (we couldn't tell if it was a sour citrus taste or over-salting... probably a combination of both). However, despite that, we managed to thoroughly enjoy our lunch. Here are some pictures:

John's Place is right up the street from my old apartment, and right next door to my fave Chicago cupcake joint, Sweet Mandy B's. Laurel and I stopped in to John's Place on the way to the movies on Webster a few weeks ago.

Laurel had a pesto fish dish:And I had my fave standby: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with SWEET POTATO FRIES!!!

4) Amy and Lisa go to Beerfest on Navy Pier

Mmmmm... beer. So many different kinds of beer. So many different kinds of delicious.

5) Minnie's

And finally... me and the girls grabbed a bite to eat recently at this Armitage & Halsted spot, that serves mini gourmet sandwiches and burgers and is SO CUTE!!

And there's the recap for ya, folks. I promise I'll be more dilligent about updating this summer, cause I'm sure there are many more good eats / cooks / drinks to come!!

Dollar Burgers

2007-04-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

You can tell a lot about a restaurant by the price of a burger. The burger is the classic American lunch / dinner food: you can dress it up, you can dress it down, but overall, it's a very helpful standard by which to compare restaurants, especially price-wise.

That is, unless, it's dollar burger night.

Dollar burger night is a welcome phenomenon that seems to have swept across the breadth of Chicago's eateries. The way it works is that on a given night of the week-- usually Monday or Tuesday (but I've heard that if you do the research you can find one for every night of the week)-- the restaurant (usually a bar & grill or lounge) will offer their standard burger for a mere $1-$2. Burger toppers & fries often cost extra, and most deals require you to purchase a beverage, but hey, it certainly beats the $8-$12 most of these places charge for a burger on a normal night.

I had the $2 burger at Matisse Bar & Grill (on Diversey & Clark) last night... which came with sweet potato fries-- excellent! Service was a little off (our waitress asked us if we needed new beers just about every two minutes), but the food came promptly and tasted good, so I give the place a thumbs up.

Here are some other good places that you can get dollar burgers around the city:

SoPo
3418 N. Southport
$2 burger with fries on Mondays

Gaslight Bar & Grill
2426 N. Racine
$2 burgers on Mondays

Grand Central
950 W. Wrightwood
$2 burgers on Mondays

The Dark Horse Tap & Grille
3343 N. Sheffield
$1 burgers on Mondays

D'Vine
1950 W. North Ave
$2 burgers on Mondays

Citizen Bar
364 W. Erie
$3 Citizen burgers on Mondays

Darwin's
1935 N. Damen
$2 burgers on Tuesdays

Zella
$1 hot dogs, $2 burgers, $3 chicken sandwiches on Thursdays

Anyone know of a good dollar burger deal I left off the list? Let me know!

The Best Restaurants... In the World!

2007-04-23T15:54:00.000-06:00

S. Pellegrino just released their list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants today. Only 8 are in America... and two of those 8 are in Chicago! Predictably, they are: Aliena (#36) and Charlie Trotter's (#30). The world's number one restaurant, according to these people, is El Bulli, of Barcelona, Spain. The top American restaurant (ranked #4 overall) is French Laundry of Youtville, CA. Check out the whole list here.

Hot Chocolate

2007-04-22T21:04:00.000-06:00

Ok. So I realized two things recently: 1) I am kind of poor (hey, junior ad execs don't get paid enough), and 2) that most really good food is really expensive. I mean, I love cheap burgers, pizza, burritos and other dives as much as the next guy, but sometimes I really just want a nice meal, in an inspiring atmosphere. Clearly that's not something I can afford on a regular basis, but it's worth it for the splurge every now and again. And while there are places in Chicago that I REALLY can't afford right now (i.e. Aliena, Charlie Trotter's, Tru), there are luckily dozens of what I like to call nice "mid range" eateries in town too. I qualify "mid-range" restaurants as having $20 - $30 entrees, quality food & service that stacks up to the price, and a sophistocated atmosphere.

Seeking to feel inspired (at a mid-range price), Ted and I went to check out Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park last Thursday evening... and inspired we were.

Hot Chocolate is an absolutely delightful restaurant aptly situated among the hip, trendy boutiques and eateries on Damen Ave in Wicker Park. Although breakfast, lunch, and dinner are on the menu, the place is really known for its desserts -- chef / owner Mindy Segal (former pastry chef at MK) was just nominated for the 2007 James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef Award (see all the nominees here). With warm dark chocolate walls and decor, as well as a dynamically lit bar and an open kitchen at the back, the place really begins to glow as the sun goes down.

We were seated promptly upon arriving around 7:15, and although it wasn't very busy when we arrived, the place soon became packed. The clientele were sophistocated, hip, and energetic, yet unpretentious, contributing to the atmosphere of the place itself. Armed with a gift certificate from restaurant.com (thanks Mom & Dad!) Ted and I decided to go all out. We started with an appetizer of mussels in a green curry, coconut, and lemongrass sauce:

I don't really eat that many mussels, but these defintiely tasted like "the ocean" to me. Don't know if that's a bad or good thing, but I just couldn't really taste the delicious flavors of the sauce in the mussels over the ocean taste.

Next up was our entrees. Ted got the Lamb, which was expertly prepared, but came with grits, which I don't think complemented the lamb very well. I got the Short Rib (pork) with baby carrots, caramelized brussel sprouts, shoestring sweet potatoes (I think), and potato puree. The rib was delightfully tender, moist and full flavored, and the veggies complemented the meat nicely.

The first courses were quite good, but the desserts totally blew us away. We couldn't decide on just two... so we decided to get three.

Here are the hot fudge-filled hazelnut ravaoli with cherries and whipped cream... a knockout combination of flavors and textures. Sweet pasta? I'm all over it.

Here is Ted's choice, a citrus medley of lemon merengue, blood orange, and a lime shortbread tart, which had a wonderfully creamy tone complemented by the zing of the citrus:

And here is our agreed upon favorite, the apple tart with butterscotch apple ice cream, in a brandy sauce... SO GOOD:

Another cool thing about the evening was that Mindy Segal was a visible presence at the restaurant-- we saw her bustling around in her chef's coat and pigtails, making sure things were going smoothly in the kitchen and at the front-of-house. According to "industry sources" she's kind of a firecracker, but she runs a tight ship, and Hot Chocolate (her first solo project) has been a huge success. Since I started this blog I've begun to take notice of chefs a lot more, and knowing that they're in the kitchen the night you're there only adds to the excitement of the dining experience. Most times, the head chef, like the star of a play, will be in the kitchen-- on the stage-- on any given night. But sometimes, the star has finished his or her award-winning run and moved on, like in the case of Charlie Trotter's, where the man himself hasn't been in the kitchen for years. Serious foodies will say that this makes a difference-- that, for instance, Trotter's is past it's prime without the man in the kitchen. But I figure if the quality and reputation are still upheld without the founding star, it's still great. I mean, I would have loved to see Wicked when Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth were still in the starring roles. But the story and music is still just as moving with new stars in their places.

All in all, chef-in-the-kitchen-or-not, I definitely plan to go back to Hot Chocolate. Next time though, I think I'll just splurge on the desserts.

Weekend Update

2007-04-16T22:32:00.000-06:00

It was a busy weekend, to say the least. Drinks after work on Friday at Catch 35 (a classy joint), turned into a bar hop from Witt’s (on N. Lincoln... not so great if it were not for the free drinks we got), to Y Bar (hilariously pretentious, but hey there was free champagne), the Rock & Roll McDonalds on Dearborn (we got hungry), John Barleycorn (we decided it was time to dance), and finally, Pizza Ria on Clark (we got hungry again).

On Saturday, grabbed a late lunch / early dinner with Leanne and our friend Christine, who was visiting from out of town. Hankering for some lunch / brunch fare, despite the fact that it was almost 3:30pm (we had played our frisbee games that morning), we decided to try to check out Toast on Halsted and Webster. However, when we walked in the door, we were informed that they were closing—we were too late. A tad bit crestfallen, we figured that there must be some other good little spots around, so we wandered down Halsted... and right into the friendly confines of Nookies Too.

We were seated right away, and upon opening our menus, we all quickly realized that Nookies Too was EXACTLY what we were looking for... diner food with a cozy Lincoln Park flair. With a generous breakfast menu including banana toffee pancakes, strawberries & cream waffles, and eggs any way you want them, Nookies Too also offers a full menu of hot & cold sandwiches, burgers, salads and even dinner entrees for later in the evening. And apparently on Friday and Saturday nights, they are open 24 hours, to the delight of late night revelers (like myself). Good to know!

Although I was terribly tempted by the banana toffee pancakes, I instead opted for a Turkey Reuben, which came with a bowl of soup, a pickle spear, and Nookies own thick cut chip-fries... basically thick cut potato chips, but with the soft fried texture of steak fries. I’ve never seen anything like them:

Christine and Leanne were also pleased with Nookies, especially the delish diner coffee:

Saturday night was a little less hectic, but just as fun. Started the night at a concert at the House of Blues with my friends Ian and Justin (Matt Wertz, Stephen Kellogg & Jon McLaughlin playing—REALLY great music!), then afterwards we headed down the street to Rock Bottom Brewery, to grab a craft beer and a bite to eat. Then it was over to that infamous after-hours spot, The Hangge Uppe, to meet Laurel and Jenni and dance the rest of the night away with the 80s music videos and the popped collars.

When I woke up this morning I was STILL tired. But it was worth it.

April Snow Showers Bring... More Snow Showers: A Recap

2007-04-12T22:18:00.000-06:00

Yes, I haven't posted for several weeks. And it's been snowing in Chicago... in April. But I've got a reason... for the break, at least: I'm moving! Well yes, moving apartments... but you knew that already. I'm moving blogs! For a while now, I've been checking out the other free blogging engines out there... including Typepad, Wordpress, and Blogger. While I found typepad to have the best blogging platform while also being the most user-friendly, I simply didn't want to pay the $14.95 a month to get all of those benefits. At least not yet. So, I settled on Blogger, which will allow me to blog for free (and ad-free), while still giving me most of the benefits Typepad wanted to make me pay for. Oh, and Blogger also has a deal with Google that will let me elect to host ads on my site if I want to... and get paid for it! How sweet is that?

Anyway, as with any move, there's been a lot of work to do in preparation... which is why I haven't had a new entry in a few weeks. The work has mainly consisted of manually transferring all of my entries thus far to my new site, but I even taught myself a little "CSS" code so I could manually add some special features to my new blog's layout. Pretty cool stuff!

All that explaining aside, here's a recap of what I've been up to the past few weeks:

1. Chicago Bagel Authority

This unassuming GEM of a bagel shop sits right next to the Armitage brown line el station that I walk to and from every day. Finally, last Friday, I ventured in for a snack with my friend Dessa. Lucky I was with Dessa, because she knew the whole history of the place! Apparently the first "Bagel Authority" is on the campus of Miami University of Ohio... and the one that is in my Chicago neighborhood was opened by MU alums. And when you walk in the door, you can tell: home photos and Ohio college memerobilia decorate the walls, and the place has a distinctively casual, down-home feel to it, as if that step in the door really did transport you to a quaint Ohio college town. Although the menu boasts legions of delicious looking sandwiches and toasties, I opted for a simple Bialy Bagel with Hummous... not toasted, but STEAMED! Giving it that warm, chewey, just-pulled-from-the-oven taste. Delicious. (notice the steamers in the foreground of this pic!)

2. First Friday @ The MCA

This was one of my first forays into the Chicago "young professional happy hour" scene, and boy was it a good time. Basically, on the first Friday of every month (hence the name), the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art hosts a glorified happy hour from 6-10pm. $10 entry fee gets you access to cash bars, free hors deouvoers, and of course, to the museum's exhibits... but I have a hunch that most people aren't there for the art. When Dessa and I rolled in to the MCA at around 7:30 last Friday, the place was HOPPING with young twenty and thirty-somethings decked out in their finest trying-really-hard business-formal and club chic. Needless to say, the people watching was phenomenal. Of course there were the hot shot "young professionals" (as was to be expected), but there was a whole crop of much more interesting people too: for instance, the long-haired Italian looking man with big rings on his fingers, the awkward Germans trying to set up tennis dates with us (we politely declined), and the lavishly dressed, considerably older men in general. Endless entertainment.

Drinks were predictably a little on the steep side, but the free munchies were worth the $10 entry: the resident Wolfgang Puck Cafe served up Fried Ravaoli, Homemade Parmesan and Cracked Pepper Potato Chips, and sweet little pistachio and sugar cookes. There was apparently an after-party at the super-pretentious west loop club Reserve, but we didn't make it. Instead, our night took us across Michigan Avenue to the NoMI Lounge at the Park Hyatt, then up to Mad River (lord knows why we made that downgrade), and then to Minibar... where the lack of women only confused us briefly before we realized we were on North Halsted. All in all, a good night.

3. Plush Pup.

I am a big fan of hot dogs... and a bigger fan of the little hot dog shops all over Chicago. I don't know if hot dog shops are a Chicago thing (perhaps because the headquarters of Vienna Beef are here?), or if they have them in other cities. The thing is that all cities have little fry-up burger joints, where you can get a burger, a dog, fries, a gyro, you name it. But the interesting thing about Chicago is that they always seem to have the hot dog champion the name... i.e., The Wiener's Circle, Clark Street Dog, Swank Frank, Underdog, Plush Pup etc... I could go on and on. (Hopefully this summer I will, as I continue my quest to document Chicago's best hot dog shops!)

Anyway, I think all of these places are great, and Plush Pup is no exception. It's actually pretty far out... on Cumberland just off of I90, but it was the perfect place to stop and grab a bite on the way home from two very freezing ultimate frisbee games last Saturday. I had a Chili Dog... which I've never had before. The chili kind of soaked into my bun in a way I didn't like, but it was tasty anyway!

4. Easter Brunch!

Last Sunday was Easter, and Dessa and I, being a few of the only people who DIDN'T go home for Easter, banded together to attend a little church (well a BIG church) at St. James Episcopal Cathedral, and then went to get some Easter Brunch!

Unfortunately, I didn't plan well enough ahead for my Easter Brunch, because come the Friday before Easter, pretty much every reasonably priced restaurant was booked up. We were, however, able to get a table at Heaven on Seven, which is at 600 N. Michigan, in the same building as the movie theaters. Heaven on Seven wasn't as nice as I expected, but we were able to get a decent breakfast for a very decent price, so that was nice! Dessa got an omelet and I got the Bananas Foster French Toast, which was de-lish:
Also delish were the delightfully seasoned home fries-- they were nice and zesty, and perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Overall, a good Easter, and more motivation to check out some more of Chicago's legit bruch places, including Toast, Orange, Feast, and Hot Chocolate. Anyone interested?

And there's the wrapup. Hopefully the new blog will be A GO very soon... keep your eyes on this spot!

A Nice Slice of Real Estate

2007-04-12T21:53:00.000-06:00

I signed a lease for a new apartment last night.

It's a nice little Lincoln Park chateau (if you can call it that)-- the cozy top floor of a two-flat just a mile down the road from where I live now. With plenty of comfy living space (check), decent-sized kitchen WITH dining space (double check), and backyard primed for summer grilling (bonus!), it's an understatement to say that my future roommate (my college friend, Laurel) and I are VERY excited. In the end, our whirlwind apartment search turned out for the best. And as I strolled down my new street after signing my lease, it all got me to thinking... just how much real estate reflects the rest of life.

**********
I mean, it's simple when you think about it. Life is made up of a series of decisions. The decisions get bigger as you get older, but the decision-making process remains quite the same. Usually, you've got a number of options to choose from, and more than likely you won't be able to get exactly what you want, so you have to compromise. You have to bargain with others (and with yourself) and weigh out all of your options before making your final choice.

So, take apartment hunting. With so much real estate to choose from (especially in a city as big as Chicago), the option-weighing and decision-making processes become compressed in time: once you start looking, it's a race to find a place that meets your needs and grab it before someone else does.

And the same kind of process goes for colleges, jobs, and even boyfriends and girlfriends-- they're all pieces of real estate too. With schools, employers, and people, there are always options, always tough decisions to be made, like... do I rent or do I buy? So I go with my safety school, or my reach school? If my job isn't what I thought it would be, do I wait it out or do I get out? Is this a person I could see myself being with? Do I want something for the short term, or do I want to commit to an investment for the long term? Do I settle for what I've got now or do I look for something better?

And then... even when you've made a committment to a person, place, or job, you may begin to doubt yourself-- you may start thinking about other apartments, or people, or jobs that you passed up... or worse, you may start thinking about aparements you've never seen or people you haven't met yet -- you might get hung up on "what (or who) else is out there".

It's certainly a lot to think about. But the conclusion I came to last night is that the best thing anyone can do is try to live in the present moment and make the most of the real estate you've got, right now. And in the end, that's exactly what I decided to do.

By the time I came to this point, I had walked from my new apartment to the gym... run four miles on the treadmill, and walked another half mile. All this thinking (and perhaps the running) were making me HUNGRY. And not just hungry for anything. Hungry for SHRIMP.

So, on the way home from the gym, I veered left into Whole Foods and bought some raw shrimp. And this is what I did to them when I got home:

First I sauteed them in a healthy amount of olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, a few minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. (I tried to use enough olive oil that I could toss spagetti in the shrimp pan and have it be coated.)

At the same time, I boiled up some spagetti. When it was done, I tossed the spagetti into this pan with the cooked shrimp, then I served it up and garnished with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Probably will use less olive oil next time, but oh boy the dish tasted GREAT! Needless to say, at the end of the day yesterday, I was very proud of myself.

Rebels of the Sacred Heart

2007-03-20T21:41:00.000-06:00

... otherwise known as, St. Patrick's Day 2007. Name lovingly stolen from an epic picture album by Amy Rushlow from the same holiday.

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite days of the year, for a few reasons. First, I'm third generation Irish on my Mom's side (the O'Malley's)-- my great grandparents came over to America during the Potato Famine. So I have some legit Irish roots to celebrate. Second, it's the day before my sister Susie's birthday, which has always been a good time. And third, what's not to love about a holiday that celebrates the best of Irish culture: food, music, and beer? Not much!

This year, St. Patrick's Day landed on a Saturday, and the group of us decided to make the best of this welcome occasion by celebrating in style throughout the day.

The day started at roughly 9am with lovely "Irish Coffees" (basically Starbucks spiced up with a healthy dollop of Baileys. Goes VERY nicely with a Soy Caramel Macciatto!).

[picture coming soon!]

The day continued with some traditional and not-so-traditional food, drink, and festivities at The Emerald Loop - a lovely, if generic, Irish "pub" / restaurant on Wabash & Wacker.

Green beer: Not traditional. But tasty. Goes well with....

Curry Fries: Traditional. Combination of the Irish's love of frying things, and the delightful ubiquity of Indian Curry places in the UK.

Corned Beef Sandwich: Traditional. And too big to fit in Jenny's mouth all in one piece.

Cheeseburger: Not really traditional. But eaten as a breakfast food, with Guinness? That just might be. So tasty, Jenni's trying to steal a bite too!

Green Headgear: Not quite traditional. But FUN TIMES!

Green River: Traditional in Chicago. They claim it's non-toxic. But I don't understand how anything that color can be?

Irish Punk / Riverdance Power Hour = Beer as a Meal: Traditional.

When green cookies are involved: Priceless.

And that's where my pictures end, folks! A good day was had by all, and the only resolution at the end is that one St. Patrick's Day per year isn't enough. We're already planning for our "halfway to St. Patrick's Day" party / day of frivolity... which will be in September. Stay tuned. :)

Family Eats on the Block

2007-03-14T20:57:00.000-06:00

After a mildly stressful day of apartment hunting in the lesser parts of Lakeview and Lincoln Park, my future roommate Laurel and I found ourselves wandering down Belmont this evening, in search of some warm comfort food. With lists of pros and cons and room sizes battering at our brains, the only two things we really wanted at that very moment were food and beer. Bracing against the cold, dark, biting March rain, we shuffled down the street, looking for a place where we could get both. Duck Walk: BYOB -- out. Ann Sather: only serves breakfast & lunch -- out. Clarkes: ~~no beer -- out~~ (update: Amy has informed me that Clarkes actually does serve beer. Oops.). Asha: BYOB -- out. But then, up around the corner on Sheffield, a friendly sign seemed to wave hello: Leona's.

Leona's has been on "my to-try list" for a while -- it always looked like a cozy, family-oriented neighborhood spot. In fact, it reminded me of one of my very favorite neighborhood family restaurant chains-- Gregg's (in Rhode Island-- home of the best chicken parm and Heath Bar Crunch Cake EVER).

However, I wondered, would the food at Leona's measure up? With places like this, you never really know. Exhibit one: Dave's Italian Kitchen in Evanston. Warm and friendly? Yes. Family-oriented? Yes. Food? Cheap, but crap-pay. (Honestly, who puts red bell pepper in their alfredo sauce? Awful.)

Luckily, as far as comfort food goes, Leona's food was pretty good... but it was more than a bit overpriced. The Italian-slanting menu offers up standard-par pasta, pizza, and lasagna, but also several varieties of hearty American favorites, including burgers and big fat sandwiches -- all alongside a bellywarming assortment of sides. Laurel & I decided to split a hulking Caesar Avacado Veggie Wrap with potato wedges and pesto rotini on the side.

[ PICTURE OF FOOD ]

The potato wedges were what I expected, and the pesto rotini was tasty-- but cold. The wrap was huge- definitely a meal for two, but was a little dominated by giant chunks of avacado. Now don't get me wrong, I like avacado, but only really in the way I like peanut butter: in moderation. I would never stick a whole spoonful of peanut butter in my mouth, just as I would never just take a bite out of an avacado. Just too much at once. However, the meal did have one redeeming touch-- every dish at Leona's comes with a side of their own apple crisp. Mmmmm. Overall, Leona's gets an A for the homey, inviting, family-friendly atmosphere... but only a B for the standard but overpriced good.

Surf & Turf

2007-03-07T20:28:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, Ted, Allie & I cooked up a little coast-meets-the-heartland. Otherwise known as Surf & Turf: The Gathering. That was the theme at least. I elected to be the "surf", while Allie was the "turf", and Ted made some delicious non-theme-related desserts. I was a little scared to try my stuff out (my stuff being the crab dip, shrimp, and risotto) since I'd never made any of it before, but luckily things turned out OK!

So, you may be asking yourself, what are the steps for a successful Surf & Turf?

STEP ONE: Cut a hole in a box.

oops... wrong instructions.

STEP ONE:
Hot Spinach, Artichoke & Crab Dip
(loosely guided by this cooks.com recipe)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a medium sized saucepan. Saute 3 minced shallots and a few minced cloves of garlic, as well as 1/3 cup minced crabmeat, in the butter for a few minutes. Then add, in this order, melting / stirring well after each addition: 1 package of thawed spinach, 8oz cream cheese (1 philly block), 8oz sour cream (small pack), 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1 can/jar marinated artichokes (chopped), 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese. Then what I could have done (but didn't) is put the dip in crocks / oven safe bowls, top with remaining monterey jack, and bake at 300 until cheese is melted.

Homemade Pita Chips
Buy as many small pitas as you want (the 8" ish ones), and slice them into 8ths. Lay slices flat on a baking sheet. Brush with mixture of olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 10 minutes or so until nice and crispy.

STEP TWO:

[ PICTURE OF DINNER ]

Marinated Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Marinade one pound of deveined shrimp in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Skewer 3-4 shrimp on bamboo skewers until no shrimp remain. Grill shrimp about 3 minutes on each side on a George Foreman grill (or something of the like).

Roast Beef Sirloin
Allie made this one. And it tasted GREAT!

Marinated Roasted Asparagus
(marinated in a vinagarette, garnished with goat cheese)

Wild Mushroom Risotto
used this Rachael Ray recipe. came out ok but want to find a way to make it creamier next time.

[ PICTURE OF WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO ]

STEP THREE:
Melt chocolate and dip delicious things in it. Decorate.
(courtesy of Ted)

[ PICTURE OF CHOCOLATE DIPPED THINGS ]

Banana Cream Pie
(courtesy of Leanne)

[ PICTURE OF BANANA CREAM PIE ]

Oh, and I forgot an important step. Perhaps Step Zero: wine. Thanks to everyone who brought some, and thanks to all who attended and took a chance on our amateur cooking skills!

Ripping It Up in Mormon Country, Part II

2007-03-06T16:59:00.000-06:00

After finally getting to Park City, Utah on February 23rd, getting settled with my friend and host Paige, and having some LOVELY sushi and succulent chocolate, it was time to rest up for the main event: THE SKIING.

SKI DAY ONE: DEER VALLEY (IT'S THE SKIER'S MOUNTAIN!)

Saturday we got up early and headed over to nearby Park City Bread & Bagel for a fueling ski breakfast. Paige got PB on a bagel, and I went for the bacon, egg & cheese bagel. Mmmm.

[ BREAKFAST PICTURE ]

Sufficiently fueled up, we headed over to the mountain, which is only about a fifteen minute drive from Paige’s place. The day was BEAUTIFUL—sunny with the kind of huge, sapphire blue skies that make the snow sparkle like a million little diamonds. With giddy, schoolgirl-like anticipation, we jumped on the chairlift and began our ascent into the great white wonder that is Deer Valley.

Paige has been raving about Deer Valley to me since the first time we skied together sophomore year of college. And it definitely lived up to my long-held expectations! The mountain is full of big wide cruisers, but also has its fair share of bump runs, bowls, and even chutes. (See pictured the chutes we opted NOT to do. Next time.)

[ PICTURE OF CHUTES ]

But perhaps the best thing about Deer Valley is that it is indeed “The Skier’s Mountain”—there are no snowboarders allowed! Ok, yeah, I know that not all snowboarders are inconsiderate, reckless assholes who scrape all the snow off the slopes and play racecourse with the skiers who get in their way... but enough of them are to give the whole lot a bad rep.

Before we knew it, it was mid-afternoon. Our morning fuel having worn off, we parked our gear and headed into one of Deer Valley’s several lodges to recharge. Although predictably expensive, the culinary offerings were among the best I have seen at any ski resort, ever... and I have been to quite a few. Paige raved about the Turkey Chili (“It’s so good, I swear they put crack in it!”), so I decided I had to try some. For $7.95 I got a steaming hot bowlful, with bread on the side... and it DEFINITELY lived up to the hype.

[ PICTURE OF TURKEY CHILI]

I love that it had a chicken broth base (rather than a tomato base), and that it had a touch of heat without being too intense. And the combo of corn, bell peppers, and black beans gave it an even, delightful, oatmeal-like texture. And I’m not the only one who loved it—the stuff is so popular in the area that they actually sell Deer Valley Turkey Chili Mix at the local grocery stores. Naturally I had to grab some and bring it home.

After lunch, Paige and I rode the chairlifts until they closed, zipping down each time to see if we could make it before they roped off the lift lines. When they finally did, we unclipped, de-booted, and headed home to rest up, shower, and prepare for dinner.

IT'S GOOD TO BE A V.I.P.

Having skied hard all day, we decided to treat ourselves for dinner by making a reservation at Grappa, one of Park City’s fanciest and most awarded restaurants. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to afford such a splurge, but since Paige moonlights as a bartender at one of Grappa’s sister restaurants in the area, we got the V.I.P. treatment. Which essentially means a very nice little discount.

Grappa bills itself as an "Italian Cafe", serving up the finest in pastas, antipastos, cheeses, and classic italian fare. Known to the locals as one of Park City’s go-to fine dining establishments, Grappa also has a distinction from the Wine Enthusiast for it’s impressive wine list, which includes several brands of the restaurant’s namesake Grappa—a brandy-like spirit made from the winemaking leftovers (i.e. grape peels and other stuff). Located in a cosy, three-floor building that looks like it could have been someone’s luxury ski cottage at one point, Grappa’s exposed rafters are strewn with faux grapevines, and real working fireplaces add to the warm, romantic lighting. The cushy, plush chairs only add to the feeling of unpretentious luxury that the place affords.

Having been greeted by our waiter, as well as the night’s manager, we were started with a small antipasto dish, the highlight of which was the delish sweet roasted red peppers.

[ PIC OF ANTIPASTO ]

Next up came our appetizers: Calamari Friti with Lemon Caper Aioli (perhaps the lightest, tastiest, delicately crispy calamari I’ve ever had!), and Insalata Mista (butterleaf lettuce, deliciously light and tangy dijon and dill vinagerette, with a pan-roasted almond asiago crisp).

[ PIC OF CALAMARI ]

Then came the main event: our entrees. Paige ordered the Horseradish Encrusted Atlantic Salmon, and I skipped over the sea scallops to opt for the Osso Bucco—which I had heard so much about from Mario Batali, but had never actually tried.

[ PIC OF OSSO BUCCO ]

Here’s the documentation of my first bite:

[ PIC: ME TAKING A BITE OF OSSO BUCCO ]

In case you’re a lower food mortal like myself, Osso Bucco is a braised shank of venison, cooked long and slow in stock and herbs. I found it to be an incredibly lush, rich cut of meat, without being too heavy or fatty—the chocolate silk pie of meats, if you will. Velvety in your mouth, but not so much of a hit to your stomach. Apparently the marrow in the bone is also some sort of delicacy—hence the little fork sticking out of the bone. Although kind of grossed out, in the spirit of adventure, I gave the marrow a little taste. It wasn’t bad, kind of like a meat-flavored jelly, but I didn’t go back for seconds.

Once we’d eaten our fill of our main courses, we had them cleared away and ordered some tea and dessert. Here’s Paige with her tea:

[ PICTURE OF PAIGE WITH HER TEA]

And here’s our dessert:

[ PICTURE OF DESSERT ]

Tortufo, the classic Italian dessert of “cocoa almond sponge cake, surrounded with cherry chip semifreddo, enveloped in bittersweet chocolate mousse, dark chocolate glaze and sprinkled wtih candied rice croccante.” A delightful little sweet morsel to top off our evening of divine eats. We enjoyed it with a spritely, pucker-up sweet Italian dessert wine.

Bellies full and fueled for the next day of skiing, we finally rolled out of Grappa and into the crisp Utah night.

Ski Day Two: Solitude

[ DANGER AVALANCHE PICTURE ]

No real food highlights from day two (lunch was some standard ski lodge chicken fingers & zesty fries, and I made Paige my vodka cream pasta for dinner), but the AMAZING skiing is worth mention. Solitude is a trek up into the mountains from where Paige lives, but totally worth it. Far less crowded than Deer Valley had been the day before, Paige and I spent the day skiing-off and skiing-on to the lifts, while carving up the big cruisers and taking some time to bounce through the powder-strewn woods. We found a few spots with powder approaching knee-high levels, but nothing much deeper than that. Usually the powder is deeper this time of year, according to Paige, but I was plenty happy with what was there. Here is a trail we wanted to take but couldn’t because of avalanche danger. RUGGED!!

All in all, a wonderful but entirely too short ski vacation. I'm already planning for next year.

Ripping It Up in Mormon Country, Part I

2007-02-27T16:45:00.000-06:00

I spent this past weekend in and around Park City, Utah, skiing and hanging out with one of my favorite college friends, Paige. She's living the dream out there, freelance writing for magazines, occasionally bartending "just for fun", and of course, skiing ALL THE TIME. And well, since I don't have the balls to take my career in my hands and move out there like she did, I am forced to limit my time in Park City to short visits-- which there will hopefully be many more of in the future.

I grew up skiing in New Hampshire-- my mom had me up on the slopes not long after I began walking-- and I've grown to really love it over the years. When I was living out East, it was always so easy to just jump in the car and go, I took it for granted. It was only when I moved to the Land of No Hills-- Chicago-- that I realized just how much skiing meant to me-- and how much I missed it. Luckily, Northwestern had an annual ski trip (which I went on twice), and I still had vacations at home to hit the slopes. But now that I'm working full time, it's a little harder to make those ski trips happen. But that's where Paige comes in-- she's living the dream, and she's gracious enough to share it with me, whever I can make the trip out to Utah. Oh, it's great to have friends with common interests... yes, yes it is.

So, of course, this entry isn't going to be all about me moping that Chicago doesn't have any hills. I had a kickass time with Paige in Park City, hitting the slopes and savoring the eats-- not the least of which was my first Osso Bucco. Keep reading.

Day One: Flight Attendants, Please Prepare for Landing

The first thing that struck me as I walked out of Salt Lake City International Airport was the mountains-- towering, majestic, and appropriately snow-capped, they rose dramatically off of the plain that is Salt Lake City, forming an almost protective fortress all around the edge. Paige drove up in her rough-and-tumble Chevy Tundra (you need an SUV to be able to get anywhere in those parts) and whisked me off for the short drive back to her apartment. After getting settled, we headed into town for our first dinner, at Flying Sumo. This place served up some of the most excellent sushi I have ever tasted-- and I've definitely tasted my share. I think it was Paige who told me that this place turns Sushi virgins into believers-- people who've never tasted sushi before come here and are instantly converted.

We started off with edamame and a pot of delicious green tea, which we found (upon lifting the lid) to be seasoned with little bits of popcorn and other unidentifiable morsels. Considering I usually loathe green tea (I think it tastes like boiled grass, so I just try to drown it out with sweetener), it was truly the some of the best savory green tea I've ever had. And it complemented the sushi fantastically.

[ PICTURE OF MAKI ROLLS ]

We started out with two large, fat maki rolls. Paige got the Dakine Roll, which came in wonderfully sweet Dakine sauce-- wonder if it's named after the outfitter? I got the Nitro Shrimp Roll, which wasn't as spicy as it claimed to be, but did come with some flaming hot sauce on the side (which I guess was meant to be the "nitro"). Still not full, we ordered a third roll-- the Hawaii Five-O-- which was even bigger than the first two, and QUITE scrumptious. Don't remember exactly what was in it, but there was some tempura action and it was sprinkled with crushed macadmia nuts, adding a delightfully crunchy texture to the roll's sticky rice and chewy seaweed.

Stuffed with sushi, but not stuffed enough to skip dessert, Paige and I strutted out of Flying Sumo and made our way up Main Street in search of something sweet. Main Street, Park City is a quaint and charming little drag dotted with boutiques, restaurants, and ski shops, and strung up with Christmas lights that were made more beautiful by the falling snow. Quickly enough, we came upon the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in all of its confectionary glory.

[ TWO PICTURES OF SWEETS SHOP ]

Although initially overwhelmed at the selection of gourmet chocolates and candy apples, I eventually settled on a generous chunk of macadamia nut toffee, while Paige went for a nicely sized caramel. Next time I'm going to have to spring for one of these drool-worthy caramel apples though.

Got to be off to bed now... but stay tuned for Day 2 of my Utah trip... including my first Osso Bucco... coming soon!

Tapas!

2007-02-21T20:26:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, when I was still in college at ole Northwestern, my parents took me to eat at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba on one of their visits. I appreciated it then, as much as I could with my 19 year-old-palate, but I've been itching to go back ever since I moved "downtown" (read: south of Evanston), especially since its literally right down the street from my apartment. So when my friend Laurel said she was free for dinner last Wednesday night, the choice of where to go was clear.

Cafe Ba Ba Reeba had all the Spanish charm and atmosphere I remembered from my visit four years ago. At 7pm, the place was beginning to fill up with the Lincoln Park post-work dinner crowd, and the bar was already serving up Sangria and mojitos to happy hour revelers. The intricate decor of the place, especially the painted tile floors and colorful wall decorations, really adds to the authenticity of the experience, as does the dim, deep orange lighting.

Laurel and I were seated at a table in the back room, where we promptly began scrutinizing our menus. I love Tapas because everything comes in small portions, allowing you to taste many different flavors and dishes all in one meal. After much pondering, Laurel and I decided to skip the cold tapas, and choose five different hot dishes... and of course, a half-pitcher of the most LOVELY Sangria (pictured above). Here are some of our selections:

Patatas Bravas (Spicy Roasted Potatoes with Tomato Alioli)

Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes)

Vieras Salteadas
(Seared Sea Scallops with Rasins, Couscous, Pesto & Pinenuts)
And for dessert, we had a mini "Platano al Caramelo": caramalized banana topped with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with what I think were crushed macadamia nuts. It was the PERFECT little morsel of a dessert. And I've gotta say, I always forget how well vanilla, bananas, and caramel go together-- and I'm pleasantly reminded every time I taste it! All in all, it was a LOVELY meal, and only came out to about $25 per person, which is pretty good considering all of the food and wine we got! I'll definitely plan to go back, probably when the weather is much warmer and they've got the outdoor patio open. A warm summer night, under the stars-- yeah, I think those times are when the place REALLY begins to feel like Spain.

A Whole Lotta Brazzaz

2007-02-20T19:49:00.000-06:00

Two nights ago Ted and I put on our Sunday-don't-have-to-work-Monday-Best and headed over to Brazzaz on Grand and Dearborn for what turned out to be a fantastic dining experience.

Brazzaz is a Brazilian Steakhouse, and is a totally unique experience, apparently traditional to the steakhouses of Southern Brazil. You pay a flat price for your meal-- I think it's $48 for dinner and $25 for lunch or something like that. For that price, you get free reign over the GOURMET salad bar (more on that in a minute), and all the meat you can eat. Drinks are separate, and they have an impressive wine list with a healthy selection of Argentinean wines-- to my delight. We had a buy-one-dinner-get-one-free coupon, so we spent the money we would have saved on a lovely botttle of Alamos Malbec (pictured at left). Malbec is a medium-bodied red (kind of like a Merlot or Chianti) with a warm, velvety flavor-- and it went GREAT with the meal.

When Ted and I showed up, the place was hopping-- even though it was a Sunday night. Luckily we had made reservations, so we only had a short wait before we were seated. The movie we were going to see didn't start until 8:20, but Ted insisted we leave about two hours for the restaurant-- which I didn't understand until we got there.

The interior of Brazzaz is very upbeat without being "loud"-- dynamic lighting, broad tables laid with crisp white linens, and gently pulsing latino pop music give it a sophisticated yet energetic feel. We were seated at a cute little window table tucked in the corner, in a perfect spot to observe the mixed clientele of the restaurant, which ranged from families and groups of adults to couples enjoying intimate dinners.

First up came the gourmet "salad bar"-- which was not so much a salad bar, but a truly exceptional buffet of cold and hot starter dishes, sides, and finger food. I mean, instead of being Brazzaz: The Brazilian Steakhouse, the place should really be called Brazzaz: America's most amazing salad bar, EVER. Seriously. Here's my first plate from the 'bar:

Highlights: Sushi, cocktail shrimp, oyster on the half shell (my first time trying oysters... not as gross as I thought), roasted mushrooms, creamy mushroom risotto (outstanding), marinated artichoke, hearts of palm, cheeses, salad greens. Bread. Not pictured on this plate but also great: cheese tortellini, green apple salad, sesame green beans.

Independent of the ‘bar, every table also gets three “sides”: mashed potatoes (perhaps the best I’ve ever had—SO GOOD), breaded fried bananas, and fried polenta. Essentially, Paula Deen’s Brazilian heaven.

Having had our fill of appetizers, Ted and I soon decided it was time for the main event—the meat. Apparently at Brazzaz they slow roast it the Southern Brazilian way—minimally seasoned, over flaming coals, giving it a delicious naturally char-grilled flavor. And how does a diner at Brazzaz acquire said precious meat? Easy. When you are seated at your table, you find a plastic coin at your place setting, one side of which says "Yes please, I want meat!" while the other side says "No Thanks" or something like that. When we flipped to our coins to YES we were nearly instantaneously set upon by a parade of traditionally costumed meat men, offering several different kinds of carne asada skewered on dangerous looking swords. When they arrived at the table, they would gingerly slice off a dainty chunk of their roast and let you grab it with provided tongs. After less than five minutes we were fighting them off with our forks and knives until we could get a second to flip our coins back to "No, Thanks" with a sigh of relief. I didn’t get a money shot of all my meat, but over the course of the evening I tried: garlic seasoned jumbo shrimp, top sirloin, chicken leg, sausage, Black Pepper Filet Mignon, and even warm smoky-sweet roasted pineapple. There are 16 different meats offered total, but as you can see, I only made my way through five. More incentive to go back!!

By the time Brazzaz had had its way with us, we were too stuffed for dessert. We got our check, then waddled over to the Lowes Theaters at 600 Michigan Ave to see Smokin' Aces... which was everything I hoped it would be. A "fast paced action thrill ride", with dozens of famous faces and cameos (even Matthew Fox was in it for about five minutes!), that made up for what it lacked in plot with delirious scenes of egregious techno-pumping Quentin-Tarantino-style violence. Jeremy Piven delivered as the coked-out mob-prince-turned-snitch that everyone was trying to kill and collect for. I love that man.

After the movie, Ted and I of course looked for some liquid dessert to close out the evening. After sipping on some ridiculously overpriced bubblies at the elegant but snobbish Pops for Champagne, we went on sort of a wild goose chase up on Lakeview and Lincoln Park, only to find that, surprise!, most of Chicago's cocktail lounges are closed on Sunday nights. Forlornly, we shuffled into the Lion Head Pub on N. Lincoln for a nightcap next to the charming but heatless fireplace. Even though we didn't find our after-dinner-after-movie cocktail lounge, we were still pleased with the evening. As we sipped on that last drink, Ted sighed. "Its times like this that... I actually feel like I live in a city." I answered. "I know what you mean. It's so easy to go to work and come home every day... and not realize that there are so many great places and things going on all around you." And with that, we closed out our tab and made our way out into the balmy 30-degree night.