Another Mado Family Dinner Under the Belt

Really, it's not six course of local pork cooked up by Chefs Rob and Allison Levitt of Mado, with the assistance of Jason Vincent of Lula's soon to open Pilsen spot that has me avoiding dinner tonight. I mean I did nosh a bit at the Happy Anniversary party for Cassie's Green Grocer and ate one wee moon cake my family brought home for me from Argyle. Besides, I should treat the Mado family dinners as much more than an exercise in gluttony. After all there was the Slagels talking hog while we ate one of their hogs, but REB on LTHForum does a good job of covering the Slagels. In fact, Ronna covers the meal pretty well, although I found the fritto misto of pork parts crisp and hot when it got to me. Still, what is there to say these days about a Mado family meal than, boy am I stuffed.

Actually, I believe I ate much less at the family dinner. I mean not less as in what a regular person would eat, but maybe less than I did at a previous family dinner. Rob Levitt admonished us early on, save room for desserts. If we did not adequately and fully eat his wife's creations, he would be sleeping on the sofa, he warned. On the other hand, what about me. What about this Rob ending up on the sofa. See, lo, around three in the AM, I awoke from the internal machinations of my organs that sought to process all the consumption. I'm not blaming that on the pork so much as the five bottles of wine and a good dose or two of Michigan pear brandy we all shared. I needed one of those purified seltzer bottles Mado sells for like a buck, but I had to settle for plain old Lake Michigan to hydrate the systems. Next thing you know, I'm watching the early version of Sports Center. I could of course, if I wanted, watch the Australian Open live. And drifting off on the couch.

Platter after platter of pork somehow lends itself to reasonable eating. I'm the kinda guy though to eat much too much of roasted celery root or turnips, well turnips cooked in goose fat. I could settle this time for ones of each. I even limited myself to one trip around the charcuterie table, but I stopped only because I had psyched myself up all afternoon not to each so much pork rillette. I want very much to have a better figure to sell the health benefits of local eating. One can only sell local health on so many slices of house made mortadella.

I took reasonable portions of the next courses. The most non-porcine thing on the menu last night, a fried sardine contained so much sardinial intensity that I was not returning to it anyway. One was enough. I showed restraint on the salad course of lentils, pickled tongue and bacon, but come to think of it, there was not more to eat. I did not have that problem with the meatballs, and several rosemary heavy polpette lay next to my spot, taunting me. I did finally give in and have a second meatball, but I did it the way my grandfather would, who would not, in a thousand years, ever have eaten in a place like Mado, but if he had, would have done like me, taking a forkful and then another forkful until a whole extra meatball had made its way into my gullet. Really, it was not the extra pork I needed, it was the sauerkraut.

We all ooh'd and ah'd over the dumplings, lauded the cookies that combined buckwheat with air and just a hint of sugar and need no urging from Rob to finish his wife's Shaker lemon pie which made the definitive argument for lard crusts. Yet, yet all that, this was a night for lowly ol' cabbage. Dabs of it gave the right buttery accent to the pasta, and the sauerkraut that Rob said he had made and then plum forgot about, I overturned all the extra meatballs to get any kraut lurking underneath. I'm stuffed on sauerkraut.

It goes without saying that I cannot wait until the next Mado family dinner.

Mado
1647 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 342-2340

Nothing Says I Love You Better Than Several Loaves of Bread

Freddy's Today

Nice deal. We purchase a pork tenderloin sandwich, change of pace, with the red gravy; a very large prosciutto sandwich on focaccia (so large we bring half home); we get a free sample of several chicken ravioli, alfredo sauce (yum!). Two pops. We leave with three loaves of about the best of its kind, bread in the Chicago area + several more pieces of focaccia.

Note: For a change of pace, and special holiday shopping, Freddy's is open this Sunday. They are also open the day after Christmas.

Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com

Today's Freddy's Comp

I cannot believe I walked out of Freddy's today for less than $15 (less than $14 but who's counting). A big plate of pasta, pork tenderloin with giardinara, a slice of the porchetta, a big spoonful of roasted potatoes--why mine cannot come out that shade of brown, a roll for sopping and two pops. Some on the house.

It's hard, then to say which I liked best. Like Mado, I do find myself oddly attracted to the bread, Freddy's rolls are that good, but the rest would be blog-worthy if I had to pay for it all.


Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com

Mado Revealed, More

Great write-up and pictures of about the whole Mado night's menu on LTHForum (kinda reminds me of a certain scene in Diner).

Even before some unnamed family member dropped the camera, I was short on food pics on the blog. I can share my Mado gluttony word-wise, but I trust these pics, likes these pics before, will also give an idea of Mado-goodness.

The Effects of Goose - Latest in Mado Family Dinners

Two Big Thumbs Up



I'm not saying I skipped eating yesterday, but a fairly light dinner of pasta with River Valley mushrooms and leftover beets (Genesis Growers) about did the it for me. My bloodstream was still oozing goose fat, the effects of Sunday night's family dinner at Mado. I'm stuffed.


As I've said before, as good as meals at Mado can be, there's no better way to enjoy the output of Chefs Rob and Allie Levitt than through their family dinner. The theme this time was goose, which like the wild boar previous, was procured by George Rassmussen of Swan Creek Farm. Rob Levitt managed to get the goose, or at least the goose fat, into most everything he served. Allie Levitt wisely restrained herself.

There may be no bigger attraction of the Mado Family Dinner than the all-you-can-eat buffet at the start of the meal. Call me crazy, but this is the one time I can eat as much of Mado's from-scratch (the starter's name is Francine) bread. OK, I'm pretty crazy about the sour cherry mostarda too; yea, and like the four year old a few seats away from me, I also very much enjoyed the goose liver mouse and goose rillettes. Of course one of us took two helpings. Rob mentioned that he had never worked with goose livers not of the fattened type before. So, you do not get that buttery foie thing. Instead, you get animal essence, like all the efforts of that goose had been channeled thought its normally operating liver to show its natural flavor goodness.

It takes much restraint to not simply gorge on charcuterie. I very much love Mado's next course, the vegetable antipasti. I am always so impressed and happy with the things they can do with a few ingredients. Mado seems able to slice up any vegetable thinly, dress it, and make it taste too good. They did this the other night with sunchokes and watermelon radishes. On the other hand, the roasted carrots got a bit of assistance from the goose cracklins.

We moved on to what some might call the primi piatti, which to others would be a meal and a half. Rob braised the lesser cuts of goose, the gizzards, wings, necks, and served it over polenta. To me, the goose tasted nicely Medieval, with some type of ancient spicing, but Rob insisted that it was really just the flavor of the goose as he used only a limited amount of rosemary and sage. My one complaint, the ratio of goose to starch. As good as the goose was, it was a bit too much compared with the polenta, but like I say, I'm also the guy hording the watermelon radish.

Rob places a salad course between his primo and secondo or main course. Frankly, it's always been an odd duck of a course (no pun intended!). Not that the food has not been good--I mean I loved-loved last dinner's apple-fennel-boar bacon salad, but I do not quite agree with the placement of this course. The idea of returning to a salad soon after similar vegetable antipasti seems, well, redundant. I'd suggest Mado put the salad after the main course as a palate refresher. (Me, I would still eat it if that's your fear.) On the other hand, no one much thought of this dinner's salad as a salad anyways. Big tubes of goose sausage about hid the frise component of the dish. Then, buried within, chunks of potato fried in goose fat. Really, this is about as ideal of a dish for my tastes as possible. All the things I like, matched in the ways I like. And like the braised goose, the goose sausage had a taste that said ancien cuisine, something to do with its course yet mushy texture (in a good way!).

Goose showed up in the main course, not just in the spit roasted breasts but in the turnips roasted in goose fat. I'm not sure which one I liked more. I do not believe any goose fat bolstered the carnival squash puree, but I liked that one a lot too. Now, cannot you see why a little green salad would fit in nicely about now.

Instead, we headed full bore into Allie Levitt's handiwork. The slices of sour cherry pie were not so big, but the pastry-ish crust was big in butter. There were two platters of the chocolate ginger cake, one with slices made from a bundt pan, one with slices cut in triangles. I asked Allie which one she thought contained more cake. She said the bundt type slices. Good, as that's the one I had eaten. I'm never going to be unhappy with sour cherry pie, certainly not one made from intense Seedlings cherries, but the spiced cake certainly thematically drove home the meal. An old fashioned dinner for sure.

I had about a third of a bottle of Limoncello with me, and all around me were very happy for its cleansing powers.

Mado's next family dinner will be a New Year's Eve extravaganza. Rob expects to make cotechinno. I've suggested he get some local caviar.

Mado
1647 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 342-2340
Two Thumbs Up!

Freddy's Revealed

Annmarie at Freddy's today pointed me to this great set of pics of her place.

(BTW, my latest food fantasy is to team up Rob from Mado with Joe from Freddy's.)

Obligatory Freddy's disclosure: lunch of pork sandwich, giardinara, beef gravy; pizza ala Napolina and eggplant in Freddy's red gravy no match for doggy bag Joe sends us home with: pasta with clam sauce and much more eggplant.

Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
(between 16th St & 18th St)
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com

Café des Architectes in the Hotel Sofitel, Brunch

How's the Thumb Thing Working?

The VI family, especially the girlz of the VI family, love a good tea, especially a good tea around the winter holidays. One year in search of good tea we discovered the well designed Café des Architectes in the Hotel Sofitel just off of Rush Street. Impressed enough with tea, we returned for what we found to be a stellar brunch. So, when the Thanksgiving weekend denouement required a brunch, Mom and Dad pushed for Mado brunch, but since we had already imposed Thai on younger daughter the night before, we let her have her way with Sofitel. The thumbs gave this one nine, which the wife thinks points out the limitations of the system. In true MikeG-ian fashion, I would say that is exactly the kinda of result that makes the system work. Let's go to the score cards.

Mom - She's happy not doing dishes. She likes upscale-ish types of place. She likes brunch. She's somewhat aghast that from the basket of French pastries brought to the table at the start of the meal--a strong plus for this place--that our younger daughter manages to eat the whole pain au chocolat without giving her a taste. Mom's a bit peeved over certain service flaws, but will leave that to other thumbs. She very much enjoys the brunch sampler consisting of three juice shooters, a four plate combo of scrambled eggs with chorizo (the hard Spanish kind), avocado tian, french toast and smoked salmon, and ending with three mini desserts (pumpkin cheesecake, maple creme brulee and chocolate-orange cake). Mom does note that nothing beats the truffled eggs she had at her first Sofitel brunch, but the cooking overall is very good. Two Thumbs

Dad - Dad...Dad, did someone say local? Dad detects quality ingredients! The salad side on the steak sandwich he splits with daughter is like salad at home. Sauteed fingerling potatoes, while a bit underdone are very sweet. Late research confirms this [ed. such a foodie, you did not even know about the Noguier hire?]. The split thing gets Dad plenty of tastes, but he allows daughter a much bigger portion of steak sandwich. Darn, as it's quite good, both the meat and the meat juice soaked toast. See, there's all sortsa stuff on the brunch sampler daughter avoids like the caviar on top of the avocado and the aforementioned smoked salmon, so she gets more steak. Two Thumbs

Older Daughter - All good. No one complains as much when she eats the entire pan au raisin. Not being Dad, asparagus alongside crabcakes and eggs does not bother her (that much). Two Thumbs

Younger Daughter - Any surprise here? Endless glasses of orange juice (all tables seem to get all-you can drink juice and coffee), the bigger bits of the mini-desserts, pain au chocolate, croissant AND several slices of baguette (don't ignore the last just because there's fancier stuff around). She did not pick this place on a lark. How many thumbs can she give it? Two Thumbs

Elijiah - How would our picky and persnickety friend react to the uniformity of opinion above. Well, Elijiah's here to make sure we see all. He's duly impressed with the look of the place; loves his coffee like they serve it, in French press pots, but also finds said coffee a bit on the weak side. Elijiah demands better service from such a place. He practically holds a stopwatch to the time it takes to clear dirty plates. The way the waiters make the rest of us pass dishes around annoys him too. Like some of the commentators on LTHForum, he's snobbish over anything molded in a ring these days, even if the avocado tian tasted fine. He wants his guacamole deconstructed not Frenchified. And the brioche. While the rest of us found pastries in the basket to love, he found a dry and tired brioche. Elijiah is not happy. One Thumb

Café des Architectes
20 East Chestnut Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Nine Thumbs

Mado's Next Family Dinner - December 7, 2008

I've mentioned before that as much as I like eating at Mado, I like eating best there during the family dinners. While I knew a family dinner was in the works, Rob and Allie were a bit late announcing the details. From a recent e-mail:

it's time for mado's next family dinner!
on sunday, december 7, 2008 we will be featuring goose from swan creek heirloom farm. look forward to goose sausage and spit-roasted goose breast and, of course, allie's amazing desserts. the goose dinner will be 5 courses served family style, beginning at 6pm and will be $65 per person, not inclusive of tax and gratuity.
to reserve seats at the table call or email.
hope to see you there!!

773.342.2340

Thai Avenue

VI Restaurant Scale in Action - 8.5 Thumbs

As I explained the other day, this blog has now introduced its soon to be trademarked, patented, talked about late night on WGN, food score. The ten thumb system. We put it to use yesterday at Thai Avenue.

Thai Avenue is not the flat out best Thai restaurant in Chicago (I'd say Spoon with more confidence if it has not been over a year since my last visit there), but for a variety of reasons, it is my family's favorite. Reason's for favorite-ness includes the authority of the flavors and the willingness to help with the menu (and a new picture menu makes getting the Thai-Thai food easier than ever) as well as a special place in blogging memory. Much of the family is also a fan of the lunch specials, but that did not apply to last night's dinner.

The compilation:

Older daughter - She of the cast iron gullet scarfs down on many helpings of bamboo salad done medium + on the heat scale, a wondrous dish of funk and heat. She gobbles down several pieces of Thai fried chicken, likes the chicken laab and the stir fried on-choy too. A solid two thumbs.

Younger daughter - Pouty for a good long while over the very fact of eating Thai food, settles in to a Panag curry after Dad throws a conniption over the mere idea of her getting a plate of lemon chicken. Dad also convinces her that she'll like the on-choy. Besides, there's sticky rice to be had. She does, does and does, but not especially being fan of Thai food, gives it one thumb.

Dad - Dad gets angee-angee over the thought of being at a beloved Thai place and being left out of the ordering. Fit later, he's enraptured with the dishes on the table. Two thumbs.

Mom - Settles down Dad but perhaps hold grudge over not getting noodles--damn Dad has to be "authentic". Likes what she eats but not the order. One and one-half thumbs.

Elijiah - Did not need Elijiah's thumb yesterday. His role played by dinner guest. Dinner guest not into Thai the way Dad's into Thai, but she's quite happy with healthy stir fry, hold various stuff, and won ton soup. Two thumbs.

Thai Avenue
4949 N Broadway
Chicago
773-872-2222
8.5 Thumbs

The Thanksgiving Hot Dog

+ Introduction of New VI Family Restaurant Scale

People have their cherished Thanksgiving food traditions; a special stuffing, a way with the turkey. Growing up, my mother cooked a good dinner for sure, and when it was not her, it was an almost equally talented Aunt. My mother even has a dish, a cheesy, gooey, 60's style, with canned green olives, corn dish thing that's on the table each year. Still, I have another cherished holiday tradition, one we revised this year, the holiday hot dog. See, each year, while my mother was hard at work, or we were otherwise waiting for the big dinner, we needed a meal. My mother would send me the two blocks away to our neighborhood hot dog stand, Ira's. Even with the big meal ahead, I'd have two Vienna dogs, all the works, minus onions, plus a bag of average fries on Thanksgiving.

This year, maybe because I was reminiscing anyways about the hot dog tradition, but also to reward the hard work that the three girls did raking leaves, we hit a newish hot dog spot not too far from us, Ody's at the intersection of Grand and Austin. I asked someone who looked vaguely in charge (he was not the owner), why they opened here. Ody's is a ground up, orange and red brick, investment of a building, and frankly one that baffles me. The stretch of Grand from Narragansett all the way to maybe Cicero, which Ody's sits in, is like the crash reconstruction center of the city, with endless junkyards, body shops, auto re-builders, window fixers and other related businesses. Perhaps dent and ding men make for a hearty lunch crowd. Perhaps such workers work late hours as Ody's is also a 24/hr operation.

Foodwise, it's striving for a bit of the Maxwell aura with a large, above average Polish saw-sage, grilled onions on top. I'm glad my wife ordered it as I have a reason to return. The hot dogs were only about average, with a skinned snap but also too luke warm, the bun being really too cool. The fries are fresh cut, but to prove some point, very below average. I tried to get them to cook some longer but that did not help in the least.

Now, I was realizing that when I do the occasional restaurant review, I need a gimmick so I can get picked up by Helen and the mmmmm midweek links guys. I cannot do food porn as after losing one camera, my older daughter went and broke the next camera. A new camera is out for at least 2008. I aint gonna wow them with MikeG-esqe wit, nor can I be as stunningly original as Hat Hammond. My odd finds never seem to strike the fancy the way ReneG's does, something I suppose having to do with his damn scholarship. But do they have the VI Family ten thumb system?

The four of us each has a thumb to rate. Then because my wife felt the scale too narrow, I decided to add in the Elijah thumb, two extra thumbs for contingencies, balance and a theoretical ten point scale. And how did it work at Ody's?

Both parents gave it one thumb. The kidz each gave it one and one-half thumbs, insisting that the scale allowed for such measurements, and Elijah gave it one thumb, for a total of 6 thumbs (outta 10).


Ody's Drive Inn
6001 W. Grand Ave., Chicago
6 Thumbs Up

Today's Mado News

Antipasto Lunch at One of the Reader's Best New Restaurants

Mado announces their antipasto lunch:

from 11am until 2:30pm tuesday through friday, we will be offering an antipasti platter. It will feature our vegetable antipasti, seafood antipasti and charcuterie, and will come with house-made bread and grain mustard. the platter will be $29 and will generously feed two or more.

The Reader names Mado one of its best new restaurants for 2008. From Mike Sula's original review:

Mado By the time you’ll be reading about what I ate at Allison and Rob Levitt’s minimalist Wicker Park restaurant, you may have to wait until next year to try some of it. That’s because much of the menu at Mado, in the space formerly housing Barcello’s, reads like a shopping list for the week’s Green City Market. Preparations are simple, with all due reverence given to the superior quality of the ingredients, raised by an A-list of regional agrarian rock stars.

Next Mado news? The latest in farm dinners.

Much to Eat at Mado

I've mentioned at LTHForum.com, that as much as I love Mado, I love it best when offered up family style. I have had the privilege of being there for both of Mado's "Family Dinners", multi-course affairs built around a theme and a farmer. The first one was a harvest dinner, with Nick Nichols of Nichols Farm. Last night it was George Rassmussen of Swan Creek Farm and a wild boar he procurred. I've enjoyed about all my eating at Mado, but I probably enjoy it most at the family dinners.

Like a Chinese banquet, Mado's family dinners operate on the principle that each dish is merely a cog. That the meal comes from the entirety of dishes served, each part playing off another. What's more, there are two more ways that these meals remind me of Chinese banquets. First, there is a mindfulness to the meals. It is not just food on a plate, but food from a farmer nearby, and I mean as in sitting nearby. Moreover, there is a theme to each meal, a chance to think about what the chef is thinking. Second, like a good Chinese banquet, once has to be very careful not to fill up on the initial courses. Chinese banquets often begin with platters of cold cuts, including something meat jelly-ish (as well as often, jellyfish). Mado starts you with two of their house charcuterie. As with a Chinese banquet, it takes will power not just to fill on these things. Hell, it takes me will power not to fill up on the radish parsley salad and fig mostarda. I did have room to eat much food.

I took only one portion of the roasted honey-eggplant 'cause that's a dish my wife's working on herself these days. I did eat two of the made from risotto, arancini. My attempt to eat even more helpings of the canelinni beans with boar shank was ruined by them taking the dish away (despite my pleas). I did, I guess, then have room for two helpings of the boar ragu with house made noodles. I only had one plate of salad, shaved fennel, heirloom apples, boar bacon, chestnuts, but who needs more than one plate of salad, but it was a big plate though. I would have liked a few more slices of the spit-roasted boar loin, but then again, I finished both the slices of cake offered while most around me were splitting at that point. Finally, to help drive a point home, I hope, I ate lavish amounts of roasted celery root and sauteed mustard greens. I wanted the house to know these were very much appreciated.

'Cause I pretty much appreciate all that Mado does. Not just the local-seasonal menus, the nose-to-tail eating, but also the enormous generosity of Chefs Rob and Allie Levitt who have been training my wife in the finer points of kitchen science and who also allowed MikeG and I to show the world what a head can taste like.

Eat At Green Restaurants

Earlier this summer I learned about the efforts of Dean Zanella and 312 Chicago restaurant to run a zero waste kitchen. Chef Zanella suceeded so far that his cooking oil went back to fuel the tractors of the farmer's who supplied him. I knew of some other chefs who clamored to emulate Zanella. One who is now suceeding is future Iron Chef, Paul Virant of Vie. Paul graciously allowed me to re-print some news he has:

The first newsletter of the 2008, I spoke about minimizing "landfill" waste. As of Saturday August 23rd, we are doing it! Harry Carr from Mint Creek Farm picks up our food waste every Wednesday after the Green City Market. The Resource Center (which operates City Farm) picks up our recyclables (glass, plastic containers and aluminum). BFI continues to pick up our cardboard/paper (which is hopefully recycled, though I'm very skeptical). This leaves only a small amount of true trash. I was proud to be one of Food & Wine magazines "Best New Chefs" in 2007, but this accomplishment makes me prouder...If every individual, family, corporation and business would begin to, and continue to make these types of changes, the ecological health of the world will be preserved for generations to come...

I plan on being at Vie tonight. I also plan on celebrating this great news the best way I know, with a great meal.

Mado Truly Revealed

Department of Whoops, Part 2,73

I somehow managed to put the wrong link in my Mado post yesterday. What I want to reveal, most of all, is how good the food can look at Mado, and what I need to do most of all, is correctly link to the post by Ronnie Suburban. It's here!

Mado Revealed

For the, er, several who read this vehicle steadily, you know that I mention Mado restaurant a lot. I expressed affection for the place before it opened, or at least before I visited. Mado lured me with its twin missions of serving an ever changing menu of market driven cuisine and its dedication to using the whole beast. I have since dined at Mado, I believe, eight times. I have found my initial instincts to be correct. I really enjoy Mado, not just the food presented but the whole Mado shtick. I do, however, need to reveal a few things about Mado.

What Mado looks like: one of the most active in the Chicago eating community, Ronnie Suburban, takes great food pics. We dined with him at Mado last week. Let his pictures do the talking.

The menu canard: the early reviews of Mado warned

By the time you read about what I ate at Allison and Rob Levitt’s minimalist new Wicker Park restaurant, you may have to wait until next year to try some of it.

I've already revealed this on the blog, but Mado does not change quite as much as first suspected. The hanger steak has not left the menu, nor has baby octopus. A grilled lake fish, probably trout, will be there, with a spare sauce, either herb or nut based. Given that these items have been consistently spot-on, I am not so much complaining. Still, not as an every day diner, but as a frequent Mado diner, I can report that the menu does not change as much as you would think.

The impact: over the last several years, my food interests have segued from the hounding, find the next great find mentality, to an intense interest in local, farms and the such. In other words, instead of having a new favorite restaurant each week, I have come to favor only a few. Instead we mostly dine-in on our bounty of local. Mado joined a short list. It is special to me, and I have had few bad things to say about it both in idealism and execution. As I said above, nearly everything I have eaten at Mado, I have loved. Still, I want to express a few ires.

The ires: I think I have already expressed my primary ire, a tendency to play it safe. This, of course, is only a criticism that a true devotee, a full kool-aid sucker could express. I think I understand Mado's concerns. The need to attract customers not as over-the-top as me. To afford some safety or at least have dishes that will sell. It's a needle-threader. I think there are many up to the challenge. More lamb belly? Cuts of cow beyond hanger? Get a little Fergus Henderson on us Rob. Also, I'd like to see a bit more veg adventure too. Mado tends to stall on favored preparations. Small potatoes are roasted; summer squash is escabeached; eggplants are honeyed. The left side of Mado's menu seemed a bit stagnant on my last visit.

Am I like the indy music fan who rejects his favorite band on the first whiff of its hitting it big? But I love Nevermind. I love Mado. I do not think Mado has gone downhill in two short months, nor has it violated any spirit it once had. I think a few revelations, good and bad, are fine for this blog.

Mado
1647 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 342-2340
Website under construction

More Mado

Eat Local Out

As I mentioned the other day in my bitterness, I have Mado on the mind for reasons that will be revealed some other time. With Mado on the mind I had practically no choice but to visit for a meal. As they say in the critic notebook, you gotta hit Mado today 'cause you might not be able to taste that menu tomorrow.

Satuday night was Spanish night at Mado. I know Rob's more sophisticated than 1080, but he must have been reading something that got Spain on his mind. Maybe he's a Euro soccer fan. And what made Saturday Spanish day at Mado. Well let me put it another way, maybe it was not so much Spain on his mind but incredibly good deals on Marcona almonds and chick peas. Each appeared on several menu items. I've enjoyed Mado's take on octopus before, so an appetizer of octopus and chick pea puree appealed, but you know what? While chick peas abounded on the menu, we never had one.

We did get some almonds, and you know what? As much as I love almonds generally, and Marcona's specifically, I found there too many in the dish we sampled. On the other hand, that particular dish was probably the best thing I've eaten at Mado. Coddled egg with spring vegetables. He coddles the egg for the barest of times. I do not know if he uses some fancy contraption, but in the end product is just this side of set. It is not, however, gross. The runny egg mixes with a strong dollop of butter in a bowl with the freshest of peas and favas plus the almonds. The almonds add nice crunch, textural contrast as we critics say, but ultimately I would have liked a few less as the almonds distracted. Poor me.

Poor me having to eat at Mado. Is it cliche to say Rob Levitt is hitting his stride? Improving each day? Getting his groove. Maybe it's all the advice I leave him on the blog [ed. say what?]. Although I am supposed to say you cannot have the same dishes I tried when talking about Mado, I have to say that my wife and I had versions of dishes we've already tried. In both cases, we liked the current versions even more. With the hanger steak, there seemed little space to improve, but Mado did. The Chef never came out to shmooze, so I never got the chance to ask if he changed beef suppliers. I found this week's hanger steak fattier, i.e., richer, a good thing in steaks. The pike wisely included a sauce this time, a well executed walnut. The strong flavor of the nuts bounced well off the mild fish. Of course if the Chef came out to shmooze, I would have bugged him to use local black walnuts instead of standard Cali-nuts. I suppose there's some room for improvement at Mado.

I hope the Chef did not stay in the kitchen because we did have one wee problem. See, the pike was cooked about perfect. A big hunk of fish, the skin crisped, about 1/2 cooked until just done. Then, we got to the other half. That's where we get to the about. It stopped being done. Freshwater fish is not the fish for medium rare (and less). In the end, however, I cannot complain too much as they fixed it, re-sauced it completely and added more of the cauliflower garnish.

I aint complaining about the rest of the dishes that graced our table: duck rilletes with just enough French espice to offset their heaviness; and a smoked steelhead trout with beets. Did I say above that the coddled egg was the best dish ever at Mado? What about the trout, an amazing collection of flavors from smokey to salty to sweet. I could have eaten a big moundful. We started intense with those appetizers, we finished light and etheral with a coffee pana cotta. If Rob had had time to shmooze, I would have told him I was one happy eater.

Eat local, eat local out. Mado's at 1647 N Milwaukee. Reservations advised, (773) 342-2340. For now, it's still BYOB. It's always seemed like a bargain--do order more than you think you need, the prices are that good--and BYOB makes it that much more of a deal.

PS
I read the post to my wife, as I do most of my breakfast posts these days. She's not in favor of the rhetorical flourishes of this review, but we'll agree to disagree on that. She does bring up a good point though. She says, what they hell am I doing talking up almonds and chick peas when you want to emphasize the localness of Mado. For instance, she says, "what about the cauliflower with the pike, how can you call that just a garnish." I guess my short answer would be that the almonds and chick peas do not distract from the localness of the Mado menu. It is still nearly wholly derived from what happens to be in the market that day. Spanish day aside, there is no place right now in Chicago more committed to such an up-to-date menu; that and his ability to use local animals, the whole beast, make Rob Levitt a Chef to admire as well as enjoy.

I'm Not Bitter - Blogday

I am NOT motivated to blog all day by my bitterness towards all things Chicago Tribune. I mean if I refuse to look at the paper this morning, the Cubs might have won yesterday. Besides, does Gerry Smith know I'm a Tribune vendor. It's just with the holiday and all, I'm very behind in my blogging. I've been blinded by bitterness, but I've got lots to say.

First, some link love. I hope you all have seen MikeG's video on local, the guy with the passion for roof tops and roof top gardens as well, Bruce, now has a blog. Check it out.

Other things that should show up today or soon:

Eli's Cheesecake hosts a farmer's market on Thursdays. They are also hosting a series of lectures on local food related topics (a series that seems to have slipped by everyone's radar). Last week Lloyd Nichols spoke. Next week it's Terra Brockman of the Land Connection.

Bitterness aside, I don't buy this quote from the CTrib's article

"Illinois does not have a lot of local vegetable producers, so when you go to farmers markets you see folks from Wisconsin and Michigan," Slama said. "It's a regional approach if you still consider yourself someone who eats primarily local food."

It is true that when you go to farmer's markets in the Chicago area you will find farmer's from Michigan like Hardin Farms, who grow the best stone fruits or Walt Skibbies with an outstanding selection of apples and pears, but when it comes to vegetables, market shoppers are most likely to find Nichol's Farm at their market. They can also buy vegetables from Farmer Vicki's Genesis Growers, Henry's Farm, Kinnikinnick Farm, Sandhill Organic; there's the Midwest Organic Farmer's Coop that Robin "Winter" fronts at Daley Plaza; hell there's City Farm who show up each week to the Logan Square Farmer's Market. And speaking of Logan Square, what about Farmer Rob and his Montalbano Farm. He's also at the Ridgeville Market in Evanston that needs your love. Of course, maybe you are not a market shopper, there's that small outfit out of Illinois serving the CSA needs of many, called, um, Angelic Organics. I could go on, but I have other things to not blog about.

Scotch Hill Farms, who oddly enough, are in Wisconsin, but show up at the Oak Park Farmer's Market, are seeking interest in a milk and cheese CSA. The CSA, with a delivery at Oak Park, would provide high quality local products such as Sugar River Dairy yogurt. Stop by their stand and tell Tony or Dela you are interested.

I've had Mado on the mind for reasons that will be revealed some other time, but 'cause of that, my wife and I decided to dine there last night. It's been good before, quite, good, but last night was the best meal so far. Still, despite Rob's promises, they're not serving bread. I'm not bitter about that either.

No, grapes are not in season yet, but the market is awash in new products. Concentrate now on the products with the most fleeting of season. Chad Nichol's tricked us into buying fava beans with this clever conceit, he grilled them for us. We bought a pound and a half. Unlike last year, the Chicago area locavore has apricots to eat. Grab 'em now.

Besides apricots and favas, we keep on getting other local foods, including a whole half-a hog (which my wife did a masterful job of squeezing it into the freezer). I'll be updating the inventory soon.

Hey you, don't eat local. Instead of a year on a 100 mile diet, try a lifetime of reasonable eating.

I have infusions to write about and pics from a lavish Shabbat dinner, but until all that, go read Valeree's blog, it's very good. She's not the least bit bitter.

Mado

Eat Local Out

Two glowing reviews of Mado, only one cliches the fleetingness of its menu.

Maywood, Mangos, Midwest Organic and Mado to Boot

This is Loretta Brown. My wife and her are on the Board of West Suburban PADS. She makes dolls, which you can kinda see in the background. She has also organized a brand new farmer's market for Maywood, Illinois. I am always happy to see and support new markets. As they say in Maywood, this one's farmtastic.




Maywood is lucky enough to also have in its residence the hardest working women in winter markets, who's slumming it this summer on behalf of the good people of the Midwest Organic Farmer's Cooperative, Robin Schimmer.



Robin's stocking the Maywood market with all range of good stuff, from local grain, to fruit and veg (local strawberries not pictured) to meats, even locally raised, sustainably farmed tilapia. If you can get one person to show up at your market, you can do no worse than have Robin and her variety of organic products from our own home state.




On this last weekend, Maywood offered two stands selling fruit. This farmer brought produce from Michigan.



Still, the world of local has not fully set in, and a man selling flats of mangos sold out his inventory first.

Mmm, our farmtastic day did not end at Maywood. We took the kidz for lunch at Mado, where Rob offers up sandwiches made with the same high quality farm-fresh ingredients as he does at dinner. While pork and lamb sammys tasted great, it pained me to look at the chalk board of dinner options and know that I could not have one. There was not a single dish on the menu that I did not want to eat. Rob had already driven my wife to buy duck eggs that day from the Wettsteins at the Oak Park Farmer's Market (yes, I confess we eat that market too, finding our first cherries!).
After lunch, I was counting all of the dishes I would attempt to re-create at home. Sugar snaps with pecorino and tagliatelli with garlic scapes, lemon and hot peppers are two that I have to try.

The Maywood Farmer's Market is on the first and third Saturdays until October, 7 AM until 1 PM. It's located at St. Eulalia Church, 1851 S. 9th Avenue, 9th and the Eisenhower.

Mado is at 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago. (773) 342-2340

Mado

Eat Local Out

On Saturday, the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance was generous enough to let me lecture on eating local. During the question period, someone asked about eating local out. First, I realized I had glossed over the part in my speech where I said I limit my eating local to eating in, that I still enjoy the wealth of interesting restaurants around Chicago (see this meal for example). Then, when talking about local restaurants serving local, I went on for a bit about Lula's Cafe, in Logan Square, where I had had sous vide rhubarb the week before. My wife, in the front row, was mouthing to me, Vie, Vie. She's was making little victory signs with her fingers if I could not read her lips. She was afraid that if Paul Virant hears the speech when it's podcast by WBEZ (I'll post the details when I know), he'd be offended (or at least disappointed) that I did not mention his place. To my wife's relief, I spent a minute or so kvelling about Vie. I never did mention Rob and Allison Levitt of Mado. My bad. Any discussion of eating local out must include them and their restaurant Mado. I bet within a few months, any discussion of eating local out will begin with them.

Diligent readers of this blog will know that I've entertained the idea of opening a restaurant. If I did, it would not be quite like Mado--I'd like a more classic decor: tile floor, wood booths than Mado's spare style, and our cuisine would be a bit more Midwestern, haute farm, than Mado's Mediterranean focus, but in spirit, we'd be Mado. I SO admire what they are doing and how they are doing it. Buying local. Changing the menu frequently to reflect the buys, the seasons, the offerings; using the whole beast, butchering their own animals, making use of each part. On one visit I had lamb belly. Every have lamb belly? Try Mado.

It's already cliche to begin a Mado review by telling the audience they will not eat the same food as the reviewer. That's not really true. I've been to Mado twice, and both times had the bruschetta con pulpo, braised octopus, seasoned with a bit of red chile, on toast. Mike Sula at the Reader found the dish "off-key", but I've enjoyed it each time. Rob must do a lot of slamming of his octo, because it's never been the least bit tough. My second try with this dish received a bit less chile, a slight shame, as this item can support a fair amount of spice-heat. I would order it again, and I bet you can too. Likewise, you will probably find some type of headcheese, translated to the Italian testa, to assuage the squeamish, on the day's menu. In fact, Rob told me that Crain's Chicago Business is doing an article on him and Paul Virant and headcheese. Sic! And, and in fact, in a few week's Rob's gonna make headcheese (or something) from the head of the hog we've purchased from the Wettstein's. Get the headcheese. Mado's methods limit the jelly aspect of the dish. Instead you get nicely seasoned, meat made into neat shapes, square once, ribbons another.

Another thing you might have heard about Mado is that it's maybe a bit on the pricey; not so much pricey but small portions for the money. I disagree with that too. I think their prices/portions are eminently fair, and I've walked away twice finding my bill much less than I believe it should have been. Mado prices their chaucuterie at $4 each or 4 for $15. I've tried several items in this category. The slabs are big enough to fully enjoy, and rich enough you don't want more. A half order of pasta, I've tried a ramp stuffed ravioli, is worth adding $8 to the bill. Dinners come with a side, but are already portioned with sides. I will confess that my very, very favorite thing I have eaten at Mado were the two sides that came with our fish last Saturday: thinly sliced raw Michigan asparagus, lightly dressed, and English peas, with a dab of butter [or what I thought was butter, see comments below]. I have never left Mado hungry, nor feeling gypped in any way.

I do have my quibbles. We can all quibble, no? In between my first and second visits to Mado, I ran into Rob at Red Hen Bakery. My wife was aghast that practically the first thing out of my mouth to Rob after "hi" was, "funny seeing you in Red Hen as you need to serve some bread." He does. Mado's food is spare and intense. He does not need bread so much to mop up sauces as to give a bit of palate relief. This was especially true for the rabbit pate we had the other night. My next quibble would be that Rob has a heavy hand with salt. I can understand why he uses it. It's the same issue as the bread. The richness is such that salt cuts. Still, sometimes, I would like just a wee bit less. It's a fine line, and maybe I'd rather him be at edge and fall over than undersalt this kinda food. Finally, I would say, richness aside, a sauce, a bit of sauce would not be the worst thing. For instance, on Saturday, we had pike, cooked just fine, perfect; moist, crisp skin. Yet, pike is a very mild fish. It begged for a beurre blanc (although my wife sez, "I disagree totally"). Likewise, on my first visit, I had the lamb belly as noted above. It was very much in the same vein as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's lamb breast St. Ménéhould, long cooked, then breaded and fried. Only Hugh gilds the lily with a tarter sauce. Rob leaves the breaded lamb meat on its own. I liked Rob's spicing and he fried it well, but I would have liked the sauce.

So, Mado and She's Cooking will not be the same restaurant, but good natured rivals. Until my place opens, I'll be eating a lot at Mado. I will certainly mentioned them more, next talk I give.