The Box
Spring CSA Week 3

The box is not even here, but Farmer Vicki does such a great job making it hard for me to wait for tomorrow, I thought I'd share her report on Week 3.

Quote Farmer Vicki:

This week's boxes contain French Breakfast radishes. Traditionally, they are the radishes used for making breakfast sandwiches. They are long and slender, tender and relatively mild. Don't waste the leaves - they make an excellent addition to your juicing, in a smoothy, in a greens recipie or in a salad. Greens are high in nutritive value - far more so than the radish itself. We also have salad turnips (red ones and white ones). They are both young tender turnips, designed for eating raw, although they can be steamed, stir fried, or cooked the same as a traditional turnip. Again, don't miss out on the delectable greens.

Another treat for the week is bekana. It looks like a lettuce, with more of a thin "greens" type leaf texture. It is considered a Chinese non-heading cabbage (brassica group). Several different veggies fall in this catagory, but with a great deal of variance between them. This veggie I eat raw most often, altho it can be handled like a green, juiced, steamed, braised, sauteed. I enjoy greens with rice and/or beans (pinto, etc.). I season by steaming the rice in a veggie broth with onions, celery and garlic (optional). I wash and chop the greens and add for the last couple of minutes so they remain a bit firm. To include beans, precook the beans and add to the rice mixture. Steam together for several minutes before adding the greens. This green is particularly good in a stir fry. Just add it to your favorite recipie. Please share your greens recipies as many folks struggle with how to use them.

Some folks have raab in their boxes and some have boc choi. If you are planning a stir fry, include the boc choi or raab in your box. The whole plants are edible. Boc choi is a wonderful Chinese veggie with lots of possibilities. I use it raw in salads at times, but most often in stir fry. It can be used in place of celery in a soup recipie. The flavor is light, fresh and mild, with almost a hint of cabbage, but uniquely its own flavor. Raab is wonderful lightly steamed with butter and salt, or add it to another dish (such as the stir fry).

I do appologize as we forgot to tag the bekana, the raab and the boc choi bags. Bekana is light green and looks a bit like lettuce. Raab is darker green and has stems with buds and/or flowers. The boc choi is a clump of stalks with broad leaves at the top with lighter colored stalks. A few of the turnips were ready and I placed them in boxes at random. They are either red or white and round.

You will find I like growing greens, oriental veggies, lettuces and salad crops. Of everything I grow these are my favorites. I have been known to grow 30 varieties of lettuce in a single year, but usually stick to 8-9 types. I've settled on the one's that do best for me in each season.

We are trying to plant crops outside and the rain is holding us up. The field was a solid lake on Sunday night. If we try to go out there it will suck us right up. I have learned the hard way to stay out of the field when it is this wet. That sand will grab a boot and hold it tight. It takes Hercules' strength to pull up out of that goop. When the field dries we will have to run to get out there and get it done before more rain settles in on us (Thursday, I believe). I want to sing "Rain, rain go away," but after our lack of rain last year I hesitate. One year after 3 or 4 weeks with no rain, to be silly, I went out and did a rain dance. Coincidentally, it began raining and it rained and rained and rained. I felt as if we should begin to build an ark. It rained until the fields were flooded and we were unable to get into them for over 2 weeks. The weeds prospered, the crops rotted and I was dismayed, to say the least. Since then I never, ever attempt to wish for something other than what we get. So, perhaps on Wednesday we can get into the field again.

Get Ready
Eat Local Challenge Coming in May

Last year, a group of food bloggers participated in an Eat Local Challenge in August. This year, an Eat Local challenge has been called for May. You will see soon, references to a blog dedicated to the challenge. In the meantime, I want to give advance warning for all who may also want to participate.

The thing is, you may want to participate, but May is not an easy month to dive into eating local in Chicago. Most people around here have not aligned themselves with a farm like Genesis Growers to get spring items. Only a few farmer's markets open in May and late May at that--Green City and Evanston. Moreover, there will not be a lot of produce for sale in these markets. If you expect to get by on local food in May, in the Chicago area, without any preparation, you better enjoy rhubarb. Still, there are many things you can do to participate, if not explicitly, in spirit.

First of all, pay attention. You can find certain local products with a bit of poking. For instance, Caputo's sells Michigan apples. Even Whole Food's has Wisconsin potatoes. Try to plug these things into your larder. Second, think beyond produce. Milk, eggs, cheese, meat can all be sourced from local providers. Last, think about some of the rationales for eating local. Reduce energy consumption, eliminate waste. So, what can be bought in bulk. What packaging can be ditched? As I say, even if you cannot eat local products in May, you can abide by the spirit of the Eat Local Challenge in May.

To help people participate in the Eat Local Challenge in May, I will be posting various resources over the next couple of weeks.

Eatchicago Asks a Vital Question

Seek These Out

Whitefish Salad at Good Morgan's Fish

"It's so good because we make our own mayonnaise"

And it is. Even my scared of fish daughter ate some. All of their stuff shows similar care. If you wanna have actual gefilte fish (i.e., not outta a jar), they will grind the fish for you and wrap the bones separately. If you are even more lazy, Good Morgan makes it for you. And if you are a traditionalist or nostalgic, Good Morgan makes true gefilte fish, that is a fish fillet stuffed with ground fish.

Delightful Rugelach
Last week, my wife and I were inquiring of certain delightful items at Delightful Pastries on Lawrence, as to their flour content. The woman behind the counter said she'd get the baker. We expected an older, well Eastern European looking man. Out came a twenty-something woman with a vague accent--long story short, she's Polish by birth, raised in South Africa, educated in New York, and learned in French pastry. It is her family that bought the former Lawrence Pastries a few years back. While we were shopping macaroons, we asked about the rugelach, which we had learned to love from our last visit. It turns out these have no antecedent in Polish baking, but she enjoys baking them. These are by far, the best rugelach I have had in Illinois.

Good Morgan Fish
2948 W. Devon Ave., Chicago
(773) 764-8115

Delightful Pastries
5927 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 545-7215

The Box
Spring CSA - Week 2

Stop!

Of course I wrote this too late for those preparing Passover sedars, but for all you still cooking Easter dinners, stop. Consider your menus. Are they filled with dishes falsely associated with spring. Beyond, Easter, are you inspired by things like this? Have you shopped for asparagus, fava beans, strawberries, new potatoes. If not, please stop. Don't eat that stuff. Look what you could be eating.

The box this week: even more of these oil well drill sized carrots, and don't believe anyone who says big carrots have to be bad, these are amazingly sweet and delicious; tiny chard so tender you could eat it raw; a bag of mixed lettuces called mesculun; golf ball sized beets, with greens that can make another dish; and a full head of romaine lettuce. There was also a big supply of fresh thyme that went almost immediately into our spring lamb. It is enough for great meals.

We used some of last week's carrots in the pressure cooker with corned beef and a few more in this week's Grandma tzimmes. The broccoli raab got braised with garlic and then added to whole wheat pasta for a satisfying vegetarian meal. The sprouts, alas went mushy before we could figure out a use. Last week's kale awaits.

Listen, I am not perfect. We snagged some sweet potatoes for the tzimmes. We needed something green for our sedar. I convinced my wife that we could not get asparagus, but we still got broccoli. Still, people can try. We tracked down local, keeper potatoes at Caputo's, both for the tzimes and as a garnish with the lamb. We still draw from our store of onions. Not entirely devout, we still put meals on our table focused on local foods. You can too.

Eat Local (and seasonal)
Gourmet Edition
On Saturday, my family and I, along with a few tagging along kidz, had the pleasure of seeing the Shorter Shakespeare Macbeth production at Navy Pier. Surely, I went along not just for the stop afterward to Fox & Obel but for the cult-cha, but the show was surprisingly good. Not that different from an episode of this year's Soprano's (really!). Still, I always like any excuse to visit F&O.

I especially like the ample commitment the place shows to local and seasonal products. Perhaps, it is all for show, but sometimes you have to appreciate your partners regardless of their motivation. Local was most on display in the dairy case with Country Cottage eggs and Traders Point Creamery products (with samples!) amongst the offerings. There is also a commitment to carrying local cheeses (which is not that hard given the quality of items like Pleasant Ridge from Upland). What most impressed me, however was the spring lamb from a farm in Illinois (darn, forgot the name!).

Real spring lamb. Something you read about WAY more often in Italian cooks (e.g., Silver Spoon) than ever seen in a local market. Aside from runs of king salmon, it seems we as an eating public have been entirely weaned of the notion that protein should be seasonal. Yet, here it is, a once a year treat. Lamb that by its very nature will be different in a few more weeks. F&O displays it against standard Colorado,all year round lamb, and you can vividly see the difference. The spring lamb, which, beating heart, beating heart, is also local, is smaller (a whole leg looks like it would barely feed 8) and pink like the color of veal. I will not know what it tastes like until tonight. I am eager.

I hassled the F&O meat counter a bit about meat. I like that they carry media approved Bill Curtis grass-fed Tall Grass meat, but I pine for them to carry local meats from the likes of the Wettsteins or Rissman or Roseland (stuff out there at the Green City Market). We both know, however, that the local providers cannot ensure steady supplies of fresh meat--infrequent slaughter schedules. Still, if we can enjoy the yearly treat of spring lamb, maybe we can get used to the idea of yearly beef. No?

[Note, I began this post on Monday, but it's been a too hectic week. I apologize to anyone who would have shopped spring lamb at Fox & Obel for their Seder. You still have a few days, however to Easter.]

The Phil Vettel Game (?)
Actually, I have pretty much walked away from the Phil Vettel game, losing to often these days. I mean the revamped, mostly food oriented At Play section in the CTrib, is more than acceptable, and Phil dishes out a lot of the copy. Now, the Cheap Eats reviews...

What bugs me is this:

But dominating the place are blackboards with daily fish specials. Owner Glenn Fahlstrom, who has an extensive background in seafood as a chef and an original owner of Davis Street Fishmarket, wants to combine quality seafood with a diner menu. But as most seafood options are more than our Cheap Eats limit, we'll stick to the main menu, where most things are under $13.

(link)

Anyone see a problem? Especially as Phil's not touching this place?

Scratch That
More Time Life Foods of the World

With spring cleaning, another book appears

American Cooking

The Best Reporter in America

Murray Waas

Time Life Foods of the World - Update

I mentioned here, my collection of Time Life Foods of the World books. Since that post I found out that I have Middle Eastern Cooking; American Cooking : The Melting Pot, and I have two versions of Cooking of China. I will trade the later for any of the following:

African Cooking
American Cooking
American Cooking : Creole and Acadian
American Cooking : The Great West
American Cooking : New England
American Cooking : The Northwest
American Cooking : Southern Style
Classic French Cooking
Cooking of Germany
Cooking of India
Pacific-Southeast Asian Cooking
Russian Cooking
Cooking of Spain and Portugal

The Box
Spring CSA - First Week

The squash fuzzed white, the rhutabagas ran, local eating lay bare in the hungry months. Seasons change. Farmer Vicki grows. Green houses protect. Enable crops. We get:

Winter carrots - The only keeper crop left, four carrots the size of sex toys . Some went into yesterday's corned beef.

A head of lettuce that looks like a curly version of romaine

More lettuce in the form of mescalun mix

A kale looking like oak leaves. It took me two e-mails with Vicki to nail these down. Nibbled, they are mild enough to eat without cooking

A bag of sprouts I have no idea how to use

Brocolli raab, some with yellow flowers and some looking a lot more like arugula. I imagine they will go with pressure cooked beans

As you can see, it is enough to counter a lot of meals, but not exactly enough to make do for the entire week. So, I s'pose we'll eat out a couple of times.

If You Do Not Have a Pressure Cooker
Buy One!

For years, the way I fantasize about owning an XKE, my wife dreamed of pressure cooking. I really do not know the origin. Well, pressure cookers being cheaper than vintage Jaguars, she got her wish sooner. Only she never used it. By the time we moved the pressure cooker was in pieces, missing pieces. So, for another four or so years, she dreamed. I still have no E-type, but she got another shot at pressure cooking. Again, however, she hesitated. Hesitated a few years, but in the winter of 2006, she decided to cook under pressure.

Like a lot of things in life, the answer is, what took her so long. The thing is darn right magical. Take tonight's dinner. Corned beef: simmered in less than an hour. Cut up vegetables: done in four minutes. That's right, four minutes. It's like something outta the Jetsons. Granted, the hiss can make for a less than peaceful interlude into family dining; still, four minutes.

I cannot say she has fully exercised her baby. She's driven it over 100, but not got close to the red line. Beef stews, black beans with ham hock, lamb shoulder with white beans, amazing stuff. And soup, put a chicken, some vegetables and within an hour it is double density. Like I say, magic.

Freak Occurance:

Actual review posted on Chicago's Chowhound.com board.

The first taste of Spring…
…With More to Come Today

When Farmer Vicki stopped by Oak Park a week or so ago, she gave me two bunches of her first crop, some radishes. With the kidz on spring break last week, we spent the week mostly in Wisconsin and away from those radishes. I got to them this week. First, chopped on buttered bread and then just whole as veg with lunch. These are Willy Wonka radishes. The first taste in the mouth is sweet, the other radish flavors develop within a few seconds, and then about 10 seconds after biting, a pepper pow rocks the mouth. Proof that the first tastes are worth the hungry months, and proof again, that one eats best when one eats local. An appetizer, our first Spring CSA box comes today. I hear there will be some carrots, some lettuces, some greens and some green onions. I will report back later.

Here’s what life on the farm is like this time of year, from Farmer Vicki:

We are behind in greenhouse transplanting and seed starting, but will be able to catch up soon if we work hard. This season can get goofy with so many things demanding attention. Start seeds, transplant to new flats, and then start some more seeds. Then the crops need to be harvested in the greenhouses and the field needs tending. Time to clean the field, spread compost, disk, lay plastic and begin planting out those spring crops - onions first.

Time-Life Food's of the World
Any Other Collectors?

Our bungalow overflows with books about food. My wife buys the cook books; I buy the books about food. Lately, I am especially keen on the Time Life Food's of the World Series. As Chowhound.com sez:

the semi-miraculous Time Life Foods of the World series -- legendary tomes penned by top reporters pampered with uncommon time, budget, and editing

Here's the complete set; I have starred those I own:

African Cooking
American Cooking
American Cooking : Creole and Acadian
American Cooking : The Eastern Heartland*
American Cooking : The Great West
American Cooking : The Melting Pot
American Cooking : New England
American Cooking : The Northwest
American Cooking : Southern Style
Cooking of the British Isles*
Cooking of the Caribbean Islands*
Cooking of China*
Classic French Cooking
Cooking of Provincial France*
Cooking of Germany
Cooking of India
Cooking of Italy*
Cooking of Japan*
Latin American Cooking*
Middle Eastern Cooking
Pacific-Southeast Asian Cooking
Quintet of Cuisines*
Russian Cooking
Cooking of Scandinavia*
Cooking of Spain and Portugal
Cooking of Vienna's Empire*
Wines and Spirits*

My problem from a collection standpoint, I have only one of the spiral recipe booklets, for Scandanavia. Also, I have the books in two formats, some with plain, solid harcovers, others with laminated photo covers.

Anyone else seek these out?

Maxwell Street Updates

A shooting late last month left the Maxwell Street bluesman known for boogieing behind his keyboard unable to use his legs.

Now, friends and fellow musicians are planning a benefit concert for Piano C. Red, shot in an armed robbery March 22 at a South Holland gas station.

(Full story here.)

I will try to post more on the benefit when I find out.

If the music is not rocking as much, the eating remains sublime. My previous two visits had me worried. The market is facing street construction and construction of a new shopping center. In reaction, when I was there in the fall, a lot of food vendors occupied a patch of Taylor street kinda north and around the corner from the main market. Then, when I visited on January 1, there was like no food. I was glad that last week pretty much all of the food vendors were there, with only Lencho's grilled tacos in a different (read more nothernly) location.

It was good in that it was nearly all there: the steamed cow head tacos, the fresh made masa for huitlocoche and pork in moles red/green; birra in a few forms, pupusas, churros, rico huarches, elotes, etc. It was bad in that there was pretty much no new finds. About the only thing edible I had not seen before, the vendendores who sell corn and rice pudding empanadas, had a candied plum, like a crab apple, kinda thing.

Holla!
Apple Holler off da Interstate

We venture to Wisconsin a lot. Mostly to eat. Or shop for things to eat. Or buy books about eating (cf cookbook section at Downtown Books, Milwaukee). Unless Dad is pressing for extra scenery, we arrive via Interstate 94. And we always pass Apple Holler signs, then Apple Holler, something that looks like Lamb’s Farm without the social service agenda. You know, some farm animals waiting for a quarter’s worth of pellets, hay rides, corn maze, that kinda place, and the obligatory kountry kitchen kinda restaurant. Surely, not a chowhound kinda place. Yet, yet, there has been a pull to try. At least once, right? Moreover, we tend to need a place to eat right around Apple Holler, a bit north of Kenosha, too hungry to wait for Milwaukee (one reason we have made several stops at Miro’s Little Europe). You know what, we have another place to stop.

Being Wisconsin, the kitschy place off the Interstate, with big billboards and its own version of dinner theater served some very good food. Being me, I loved the fact that this breakfast buffet did issue a press release about being local; it just went a delivered actual Wisconsin food. What fruit exists in Wisconsin this time of year? Apples. Apple butter, apple fritters, apple sauce for french toast, apple cider to drink. OK, there was something besides apples. Not mango, not strawberries, not Florida blackberries, the other fruit on the spread, canned cherries. Being Wisconsin, the buffet featured potatoes and potatoes mixed with cheese. I liked the latter better. It tasted, with its heavy hand of black pepper, like a cheddary filling for pierogi. There were eggs scrambled and eggs backed in squares and called quiche. Pancakes and french toast to be topped with those aforementioned fruits. Finally, there was just really, really good bacon and sausage and apple wood smoked ham. As Gwiv would say, after eating this bacon, you burp up smoke rings.

A nice feature of eating breakfast late, we were there for the turnover to the turkey dinner. (Changes at noon.) We were invited to sample. Having just eaten rasher upon rasher of bacon and quite a few apple dumplings—keep an eye on the buffet for fresh batches—I did not have much room. Still, I tried dollops of sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, cole slaw (especially good), and surprisingly, a new apple dish (cinnamon). I skipped the turkey (breast only), baked beans, bbq chicken, and bratwurst. The ham and cheesy potatoes stays on the buffet by the way.

This is (very) good cheap eats. The breakfast buffet was $8. Sure, it is a buffet, with all its steam, but this is the kinda food that stands up to the vapors. And, as noted, items like the fried dumplings (not on the steam table), get changed quickly. There is nothing artsy or innovative on the buffet, nor is there a lot of technique in the goods. It nearly all stands on its raw quality, ham and bacon and farm eggs that just do not seem to show up in city markets. When that did not work, the secret weapon (in Wisconsin), add liberal doses of cheese or butter or both. It is worth a stop fer sure.

Apple Holler sells a bunch of Wisconsin stuff, cheese spread and summer sausages. There are many, many more types of baked goods and sweets made from apples like apple dumplings, apple turnovers, taffy apples, and apple cider donuts. I resisted all of that but could not resist the canned goods, getting some corn relish and a spicy bread and butter pickle. Raining, we skipped the animals.


FROM ILLINOIS

Take I-94 North. Exit Hwy KR (exit #337). Turn left at the off ramp stop sign. Go under the overpass (I-94). Turn right at the stop sign (west frontage road also known as S. Sylvania Avenue). Apple Holler is 1/4 mile down the frontage road.

Which should we use, corporganic, easier to say; or corganic, pithier?

Mchodera may just soon take over the blog. He provides this great link to the world of "organic" food.

Welcome Aboard

I was outta town yesterday, so missed the Chicago Tribune's urge to eat local.

Late March in Chicago is not the spring of storybooks. No pastel-colored tulips, no fuzzy lambs gamboling, no lush green lawns. If anything, the new season remains buried under winter's gray gloom. The "Hunger Moon" holds sway, at least climatically.

This term, used by indigenous people, refers to late winter when there is little locally grown food to eat, writes Jessica Prentice, a food activist and chef in her new book, "Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection" (Chelsea Green, $25).

That gets it right, huh? The rest of the article is pretty good too; register and check it out. And make sure you page all the way to the end of the article for a short profile on my favorite Farmer Vicki.

Fueling Your Food

After tastes better, one of the best reasons to eat local is the impact on the environment. Chowhound Mchodera turned me on to this article in the SF Chronicle on the energy costs associated with eating.

On a scale from one to five -- with one being nonprocessed, locally grown products and five being processed, packaged imports -- we could quickly average the numbers in our shopping cart to get a sense of the ecological footprint of our diet.

The article brings up some of the obvious, the enormous fuel needed to ship products from the southern hemisphere to our markets, but it also mentions something less recognized. A lot of the energy benefits of organic farming are lost on those big corporganic farms when they have to ship in tons of manure for fertilizer.

My biggest sin: coffee. Sure, I can improve things slightly by using roasters based in Chicago like Intelligentsia or Metropolis or in Milwaukee like Annodyne or Alterra. Still, the beans are being shipped from somewhere. Luckily, I enjoy the Mexican fair trade organic coffee. Is that the best option?

Stock Up + Spring CSA

Last night, as advertised below, Farmer Vicki presented in Oak Park. Vicki stated something that should be obvious, but perhaps is not. She told us that each week's CSA in the summer is supposed to contain too much food. In other words, put aside some of each week's harvest for the late fall, winter and early spring. Vicki also impressed on us, how good a canned peach could be when it was a local peach, picked at the peak of ripeness and canned in good time. If that was not enough to inspire me to try even harder to stay local all the time, Vicki also told us about the Florida gas chambers, how Florida oranges are picked goblin green, kept like this for ages, and the gassed when needed to look right for the market. Makes me want to give up on my citrus exception. And to help us all stay local, Vicki mentioned that she might give canning classes this summer to her CSA members. Beyond, Vicki, I am working with a LTHForum participant to set up some canning classes. Canning, freezing, drying, storing in a quasi-root cellar, now is the time to start planning how to take care of the harvest's excess.

On a different but related subject, for those like me, with bare larders, help is finally on the way. Vicki's spring CSA starts in two weeks. As she told us last night, her greenhouses are brimming with food to sell in the next 8 weeks, including tomatoes, peppers, assorted lettuces and greens. In addition, things are sprouting at her fields, and we can expect broccoli raab, rhubarb almost for sure, and maybe, maybe sugar snaps and early seasons strawberries. Like I say, if you are like me, and long for local produce (and have none left), the spring CSA is a godsend. Sign up now! For more information contact Vicki at 815 427-6617 or at genesis_growers@hotmail.com

How Do YOU Define Eat Local?

One of my confidential sources told me that Steve Dolinsky, the Hungry Hound, talked about eating local on his TV appearance today. Seems, so I'm told, Steve remarked that now that Spring has sprung, we could get back to eating local. That is good ol' California and Florida produce and none of that non-local international stuff.

Swear to god, that's what I heard.

Do I Have the Best Wife?

She wants to make some black beans from scratch, AND

She is using LOCAL smoked ham hocks AND

The ham hocks came from our freezer.

Triple happy.

Considering a CSA

One of the easiest ways to eat local is to have a share in a CSA. Each week during the growing season, you get a box of materials from a local farm. I especially note the Spring CSA from Farmer Vicki. This CSA gives you a chance to get real produce WAY before the markets open. Here's a list of CSA's from my friends at Seventh Generation Ahead:

SGA's 2006 CSA Farm Directory


2006 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms

Serving the Chicago Area

*for more details on any farm, contact Seven Generations Ahead at 708 660-9909

1. Angelic Organics, Caledonia, IL: Angelic Organics is the largest CSA in the country, offering vegetables and fruits during the growing season and during an extended winter season. Angelic drop-off sites include 12 sites in Chicago, one in Rockford, and sites in Oak Park, Evanston, Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Elgin, Highland Park, Park Ridge, Warrenville, Westmont, and Wilmette. To get their brochure with pricing and options, go to www.angelicorganics.com.

2. Genesis Growers, St. Anne, IL: Genesis Growers, a female operated farm run by Vicki Westerhoff, offers a traditional vegetable, herb, and fruit CSA where you pay up front and receive weekly deliveries of seasonal organic produce. Spring CSA April 1 (9 weeks) for $180.00 with drop offs in Oak Park, Chicago, and Wheaton. Summer CSA will begin June 7 and last until the end of October. Two size shares will be offered - full and 3/4. Full shares will $550 or $600, depending on whether they receive farm processed products. 3/4 shares will be $375 or $425, same scenario. For more information contact Vicki at 815 427-6617 or at genesis_growers@hotmail.com

3. Green Earth Institute, Naperville, IL: Green Earth Institute is a working farm and learning center located in the heart of Naperville and offers fresh organic vegetables and herbs, grown at their farm, for shareholders from mid-June through October for pick-up at the Naperville farm location (10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd, Naperville). Full shares (weekly) and half shares (biweekly) are available for the 2006 season. Details and sign-up form are in the 2006 CSA brochure . Call Steve Tiwald at 630-664-5681 for more info.



4. Kings Hill Farm, Mineral Point, WI: Kings Hill Farm is a vegetable and fruit CSA that delivers weekly during its growing season (June-Nov) and every other week during its winter season when it accesses organic produce from farms that grow year round. Kings Hill requires weekly payments for shares, and gives customers the option of canceling on any given week if they know they will be out of town. Kings Hill requires a $50 annual membership fee, and offers “a la carte” purchases of produce in addition to its prepared shares. Pick-up locations are in Oak Park, Chicago, Lombard, and Barrington. To subscribe, contact Farmer Tom Ulick at 888 752-2301 or visit the Kings Hill website


5. Sandhill Organics at Prairie Crossing, Grayslake, IL: Sandhill Organics is located in the heart of Prairie Crossing, a nationally recognized conservation community just 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Sandhill Organics is certified organic by Midwest Organic Services Association, and offers CSA options for fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers. Sandhill CSA drop-offs are located in Oak Park, Wheaton/Glen Ellyn, Barrington, Chicago, and Prairie Crossing. To download Sandhill Organics’ brochure with pricing and options, visit their website


6. Sweet Earth Organic Farm, Wauzeka, WI: Sweet Earth Organic Farm is a female operated farm run by Renee Randall that offers organic vegetables, herbs, and fruits for CSA shareholders. Chicago Locations: Austin/Addison, Belmont/Ashland, Montrose/Pulaski, Chicago/Damen, Lincoln Park-North/Clark. Suburban Locations: Northbrook, Elgin, Evanston. For more information contact Renee at 608-875-6026 or download the Sweet Earth brochure here.

Tana shares her blog

When I started "seriously" getting into eating local, I gravitated towards sources that knew more than me. Tana was WAY ahead of me, and I've always been a secret admirer of hers. Until last week. I finally got to put my devotion in the open, getting the chance to dine with her (and also, another hero, Paul of Kiplog). Now, instead of checking her blog weekly, I'm there 3, 4 times a day (at least, I bet her numbers have gone way as I click waiting for updates). Today's guest blog, a reprint of an article by Nina Planck is worth the visit (fer sure).

Meet Farmer Vicki in Oak Park

From the folks at Seven Generations Ahead:






Bringing the Farm to Your Home
Thursday, March 23
7:30 p.m.
1131 N. East Avenue, Oak Park

You’re invited to spend an hour with farmer Vicki Westerhoff of Genesis Growers, a premier organic farm located an hour south of Chicago. Join friends and neighbors interested in fresh food, good health and social justice, to talk and learn about:

· Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – buying a “share” in a farm and receiving weekly supplies of delicious field-fresh veggies and fruit

· what “sustainable” and “organic” mean

· the importance of supporting family-run farms, and fostering a connection to the land and those who grow our food

· details of Genesis Growers’ CSA program, and how you can enroll

The genesis of Genesis …Vicki began growing her own organic food several years ago after a long illness that wasn’t responding to traditional medicine. Dismayed at the condition of the soil and the ecology of her family’s conventionally-farmed land, she set out to heal her small section of earth. She soon saw her land come alive and her health improve! Vicki and crew grow more than 60 varieties of vegetables on 20 acres.

About the Genesis CSA … Vicki’s CSA program begins in June, with pick-up at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. Large and mid-sized shares are available. Benefits include out-of-this-world produce, family farm visits and an e-newsletter with photos, farm news & recipes.

Come and learn more. Bring friends (and a checkbook, in case you want to enroll)!

Eat Out to Help the Community

A little e-mail I thought I'd pass along:

Subject: Share a Meal with Community Shares to benefit Housing Action Illinois


I want to let you know about an exciting event being held on Tuesday March 14, 2006 that will benefit Housing Action Illinois.

On that day, restaurants across Illinois will participate in Share a Meal with Community Shares to help raise funds for dozens of community groups working to address homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, health care and other issues facing our communities.

All you have to do is enjoy delicious food with family, friends or co-workers at one of the participating restaurants. In return, the restaurant will donate 30% of the proceeds to Community Shares of Illinois and its member organizations. As a diner, you can designate a portion of your bill to one of the benefiting charities such as the Housing Action Illinois.

So call today and make your reservations! It's an easy way to make a difference and to support valuable non-profits addressing local community needs. For more information including a list of all restaurants and benefiting charities visit: http://www.share-a-meal.org.

Community Shares of Illinois represents dozens of community organizations working to make our communities a better place to live. Member groups work to improve the quality of life in Illinois by addressing a wide range of issues including affordable housing and health care, the environment and civil rights, as well as other issues affecting women and children, people of color, working families, the disabled and poor. All member organizations will benefit from the funds we raise with this event, and restaurant patrons will be able to designate a portion of their donation to a specific organization if they so choose.

The following restaurants will be participating:

Chicago - Loop
312 Chicago (L)
Atwood Café (D)
Cyrano’s Bistrot (D)
Wishbone (D)

Chicago - North
Ann Sather (B, L)
Atlas Café (L, D)
Artemio’s (D)
Heartland Café (D)
Wishbone (D)

Chicago – South
Noodles/ 57th (L, D)
Noodles/ 53rd (L, D)
Northwoods, Flossmor (D)

Champaign-Urbana
Kennedy’s (L, D)
Milo’s (D)
Silvercreek (D)

Peoria
Rhythm Kitchen (D)

Southern Illinois
17th St Bar & Grill, Murphysboro (L, D)
El Jalapeno, Anna (D)

Springfield
Maldaner’s (D)
Tuscany (L, D)

(B) Breakfast
(L) Lunch
(D) Dinner

Bob Palmer
Policy Director
Housing Action Illinois
11 E. Adams #1501
Chicago, IL 60603
312-939-6074 x. 4 (phone)
312-939-6822 (fax)
312-282-3959 (cell)
www.housingactionil.org

Frontera or Not Frontara
Again

I last wrote about Frontera Grill over two years ago, which I believe was the last time I ate there (I think). In my last post, I asked how does Frontera stack up against Not Frontera. Or which is the superior Mexican restaurant. I concluded then, that while I liked things about Frontera, I liked Not Frontera, the neighborhood restaurants better. Some people misintinterpreted this conclusion. I am accused of simply preferring the cheap over the refined (perhaps verging on reverse snobbery). I have also been told that the kind of Mexican food I wanted could not be achieved at more expensive places, that my favored foods would loose something in their translation to Frontera. I reject both ascertations, the former on experience (just look at me digging a pricier Mexican meal here), but the latter more on faith. For I believed then, as I do now, that Frontera fails on the plate, not in the concept. I still have faith even as I walked away from Frontera again, let down.

It was the trout, trout done in the manner of chicharron de pescado, or fish heavily breaded and fried up so crispy it tastes like a chunk of pork fat. It is a common way of frying fish, not just in Mexico but in South America as well. It instictually appeals to me, and I enjoyed a lot, the version I had at Islas Marias. How would Frontera compare? Frontera uses trout from the Rushing Waters farm in Wisconsin. This should appeal to my eating local-ness (and my advocacy of fresh water fish). Regardless of the source, I think trout (rainbow), a poor choice for this dish, as the nuance of the fish gets lost in the hard fry. Yet what hard fry. This dish really failed, failed to deliver that whack of Wiv-crispness. There was no chicharron in my pescado. Everything else on my plate tasted great. I do not dismiss (at all), the pureed red beans that surely tasted like Rick’s being hanging out with the French guys, smooth and with a nice touch of butter (!). I bet there are versions of Mexican beans that contain butter, that Frontera is not being inauthentic here, but I really do not care. It worked. Well. I also liked the salad of juliened napa, with equally thin slices of pickled jalepeno hiding under the pale greens. The avocado salsa met my expecations in smoothness, complexity and heat. Of course, Frontera’s tortillas are not as good as La Quebrada, but I would have ignored that if they could have turned out a superior piece of fish (which they should).

The other dishes I sampled hit the same specrum. A trio of ceviches contained one outstanding version, Frontera’s longtime lime doused classic, with a good dose of chiles. Another of the trio, had the exact catsup mixed with orange juice flavor found in any neighborhood taqueria. With only tiny pieces of seafood, this cocktail again failed to exceed Not Frontera. The last of the trio, with nice rings or squid suceeded on an ingredient level but did not wow me on a flavor level, although one of my dining companions loved this one. On the other hand, our other appetizer lent the biggest support to my faith and hope in Frontera, bits of “Enchiladas” Potosinas.

I’m a bit lost why Bayless put in the quotation marks. This would suggest a Thomas Kelleran dish, something like but not like. Now, I am no expert on enchiladas Potosinas, having read about them here, and sampled them here. But what I had last night did not seem like enchiladas Potosinas, they were enchiladas Potosinas, complete with the red chili infused masa casing. If the filling was a bit lighter and more velvety than a street version, it did not, in my book make the dish either wrong or inauthentic. This plate succeeds on a higher level in all ways. From a garnish of spicy AND visually gorgeous shavings of Beauty Heart radishes to a fry with just a whisper of grease, oily enough to transfer taste, not so much to bog you down, here it was, a classic recipe, executed right, of the best ingredients, plated to its full advantage. This is what Frontera should be able to achieve with all of their dishes.

The Return of Eat Chicago!

One of the truism's of blogging is, if you don't write, people will not click. And if you have not clicked on EatChicago for a while, you may not realize he's back and bloggin'. Check out his take on eating in Chicago. Perhaps, like me, you will wholly disagree with his assessment on the Berghoff.

I'm in Love!

Les Dames du Boeuf

A typical Dames' night out begins with cocktails at a suitably old-school bar. Before arriving at Le Veau d'Or, for example, the group had congregated for drinks at Donohue's, four blocks to the north.

"It has to be within easy walking distance of the restaurant, because of the high-heel factor," Ms. Breslow said.

Eat Local Challenge

I am very lucky. My ability to eat local is that much easier because I have a great farmer's market in community (Oak Park). Plus, I have the job flexibility to visit the Green City Market midweek if I desire. Many people, however, cannot shop a farmer's market so easily.

A bill in pending in Congress is seeking to give others the opportunities I have. Make it easier to shop at a farmer's market. See this blog for more. (Hat tip Craig Camp).

Pigmon Covers Carne en Su Jugo

My friend Pigmon, inspired mostly by the detailed research of ReneG (cf this) or perhaps ErikM, decided to do his own reporting, that of Carne en su Jugo in and near Chicago. It it is a fantastic piece of food study. Visit the thread on LTHForum to see what he did.

Of Course the Yak was local (ya!)
The Twin Cities in February

Want to go to Minnesota in February? It will not cost too much money. With some clients in need of schmoozing and great deals—cars from $13/day on Priceline, the Condiment Queen and I took off for Minneapolis last week. We returned mostly well fed if dazed by the non-Euclidian street patterns of Minneapolis (and especially) St. Paul. These are vibrant cities with several pockets of activity, also (from the window of the rental car) seemingly well integrated communities of high and low, ethnic and student, commercial and residential. Minneapolis and St. Paul would not suggest places for repeat visits, but I feel we barely scratched the surface. I hope to return.

The trip started roughly. Of course, a good 2 or so hours of driving frustration on my part resulted from incorrect assumptions instead of standard map reading (abetted however by the failure of Budget Rental Car’s map that did not distinguish color-wise between Minneapolis and St. Paul). So, on Sunday, after taking the slow way into downtown Minneapolis from the airport, we decided to hit St. Paul—on the notion that we’d be in Minneapolis the rest of the trip. My intuition was that downtown St. Paul would be on the opposite side of the river from downtown Minneapolis or at least that the Mississippi divided these twins. Wrong. There is a good deal of Minneapolis east of the Mississippi, and there is no apparent physical boundary between St. Paul and Minneapolis (leaving one to wonder why they had to be two cities in the first place). This logical fallacy on my part kept me, for a long time, in placing us on our simple map. We had decided to visit Bread & Chocolate for a little pause gourmande, based on a nice caramel roll picture on the Roadfood.com site. And we finally arrived after several twists. All this for an OK bun, good if in the neighborhood but not worth the schlep. It did keep us in St. Paul for dinner, where we tried the Everest based cuisine of Nepal and Tibet at Everest on Grand.

After dinner, we asked the pretty Nepalese woman where the yak came from, and we got in perfect and ideal Minnesota speak, “a farmer outside of St. Cloud, ya”. I wish I had a talent for mimicry because I so adored the sound of hearing about the local yak. Honestly, I enjoyed the yak repartee better than the yak meal. The Condiment Queen thinks it was because I was uptight and in a bad mood, a combination of worry over pending meetings and deep annoyance with getting lost. She liked Everest. New to the food of Nepal and Tibet, we ordered a ton (although our overall bill was not too high). We got two types of Tibetan dumplings: steamed (momo) and fried (kothe) with filling, respectively, of veggie and ground pork/ground turkey. They come with a thick green, pretty spicy sauce (achar). The wife and I differed on which dumplings we liked better. She preferred the fried, but I found those a bit greasy. I liked the cleaner flavor of the steamed dumplings. In addition to the dumplings, we ordered a Nepali daal-bhat, a combination of meat, vegetable, dhal, rice and condiments. You pick the meat and the vegetable, and emphasizing the exotic, we got keema yak and breadfruit. Given a choice of heat, we went for the penultimate. Too hot, by a lot, or the food just did not seem to have enough other stuff too balance the chili. I also thought the spices in the ground yak tasted burnt. I did not appreciate the breadfruit, but my wife loved it. Dessert was an iffy fresh cheese in sugar syrup.

I fantasize of owning my own restaurant; perhaps one day. When it does, it will be a lot like a merger between two restaurants in downtown Minneapolis: Hell’s Kitchen and Ike’s. Hell’s Kitchen got the local and the artesian, epitomized by house made jams and bison sausage. They also make an exceptional peanut butter that comes with your breakfast toast or as a side, and squeeze in some tummy room for an order of Mahnomin Porridge, a conglomeration of wild rice, nuts, and dried fruit all tied together with delicious local heavy cream. The house breakfast appears pricy at nearly $10, but the eggs, sausage, and especially the rosti potatoes, a crisp pancake made of shredded potatoes left me feeling not the least bit ripped off, and did I mention the toast and jam? The rest of the breakfast and lunch menu (no dinner) is filled with dishes in the same spirit. After reading about they fried walleye BLT, my wife could not wait to try, and it easily met her expectations. She liked it so much she had two meals there. Ike’s, next to Minneapolis’s hallowed silver-butter steak, Murray’s fooled the hell outta me. My wife first scoped it out, and she knew I’d love it. It seemed expertly preserved, a bit of old Minneapolis left in the land of skyways. Amazingly, this place of well-worn wooden booths, oak center bar and terrazzo tile is not that old, built only in 2003. It is nearly exactly the décor I imagine for my future restaurant. I cannot comment on the food, but we liked the drinks, including the Minnesota custom of serving a small beer chaser with a Bloody Mary. We would have sampled something from the nicely priced happy hour menu, but they estopped the deals because of a Timberwolves game that night. I can say that the burgers passing by smelled good.

Our other dinner was at a place called Barbette. We got to Barbette by accident, the result of some pretty awful preparation on my part. Yes, I remembered Minneapolis was known as the only place in the USA with an authentic Sri Lankan restaurant. Yes, I had read the thread on LTHForum where GAF mentioned its passing. No, I did not bother to think of this when planning our dinner. Moreover, there were red flags, including lack of mentions in guide books and local magazines. I meant to call…Oh well, our trip to the edge of Lake Calhoun and back brought us near the sexy, French looking Barbette—more well done terrazzo! It was like dining inside an Edith Piaf song. Unfortunately, the service matched the tempo of much of her singing. The combination of handling one price fixe dinner for her and just an entrée for me for the kitchen’s new chef was just too much. My wife’s courses came out intermittingly and my dinner arrived before her entrée. The double upside, some complaining got us a round of drinks on the house and a huge tray of ripe cheeses. On top of that, the food was very, very good. We wrapped up the night with ice cream at Minneapolis’s famed Sebastian Joe’s.

The advantage of getting lost is you run into things. If you look here you can see why I decided to stop for a burger at the Ideal Diner, a hand formed not too thin good diner burger to boot. I ran into Minneapolis’s house bakery Wuollet after picking up cheesecake at Muddy Paws, liked them both. Our final meal came from the Ukrainian combo deli-cafeteria, Kramarczuk, where we got assorted sausages and dumplings (varenyky) to eat on the plane. We passed a lot that seemed worthy of stopping with more time (and maybe strolling weather). Upper Central had a bit of Da’Bomb to it, including a Patel grocery store. University across Dinkytown well into St. Paul, I believe this area is called Frog Town, was block after block of things that appeal to me, from used book stores to (a lot of ) Vietnamese restaurants. Like I say, I’d like to return.


Bread & Chocolate
867 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105

Everest on Grand
1278 Grand Ave, St. Paul
651.696.1666

Hell’s Kitchen
89 S. 10th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Ike’s
50 S Sixth St, Mpls.
612.746.4537

Barbette
1600 W Lake St, Mpls.
612.827.5710

Sebastian Joe's
1007 W Franklin Ave, Mpls.
612.870.0065

Ideal Diner
1314 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, 55413
(612) 789-7630

Kramarczuk
215 E Hennepin Ave, Mpls.
612.379.3018

Muddy Paws Cheesecake and Wuollet
Assorted locations including Hennepin in the Prospect Hill area

Play Ruckus

Dan Levy, who developed the well-recieved table game, Hubbub, has a new product. Ruckus. Check it out!

Eat Local Challenge
Better Luck Next Year

We have clearly reached the limitations of eating local in the dead of winter. Even our stock of potatoes dwindles. Yes, we do have apples, but at this point we parse them out amongst winter fruits like oranges. We use our freezer stock. Just the other night, we evoked summer wonderfully with de-frosted pesto and green beans, along with keeper 'tatoes. On the other hand, basic dishes like braised short ribs require us to sneak into some store to buy a few carrots and a stalk or two of celery. We do feel pure when we use Farmer Vicki's package of dried thyme. We cannot get by simply on local.

I always feel a twinge of guilt when I unfold my cash to purchase something non-local/outta season. Still, I channel my frustration into inspiration for future challenges. We need practice, and we need failures to know how to do better. Clearly, we need to stock up better on "base" ingredients like carrots. We also have to manage better our biggest cheats, store bought salads. Of course when I eat a beet salad prepared by a local Polish market I feel in the spirit of eating local, but next year I want to put away my own salads and salad-ish type items. January's prepared beets should be local beets. We should be able to get by.

We have two months until the start of Farmer Vicki's spring CSA. We are going to continue to "be local" these months, with our stocks and storages. We recognize this will not get us far in our daily meals. We will use the period to learn. Come next February 2, you should see a different response to getting by in the Eat Local Challenge.

Better Late Than Never (Continued)

Check out all the new reviews at Sean Parnell's great site.

"I love sitting around a table and arguing. I love that group process. I lose arguments a lot. Maybe [the argument's] over the merits of a crust-less quiche recipe -- that was the last big argument -- but I want people to argue and defend themselves. It's fun, it's healthy."

Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen's Chris Kimball in today's Sun Time's Food Section.

Eat Local Challenge Challenge Part III
Yes, we have no beets

Yes, we are still at it. Just yesterday, my wife, the Condiment Queen, diligently perused an apple to see if it was local before (not) buying. I apologize, however, for the lack of posting. And for those with ADD/AHAD, here's the short version, yes it is getting hard/we cheat by eating out.

Farmer Vicki delivered the last of her scheduled Fall CSA boxes in December. She then delivered a supplemental bag in January. She finally ran out of beets by these deliveries. Instead she delivered a mix of keeper stuff and greenhouse stuff (and of course her treats like home canned concord grape jelly). I should note that a greenhouse tomato, from a local greenhouse, is still a greenhouse tomato. Lettuce though tasted fine. By December, one cannot count on making do with the weekly delivery. I'm not saying it's all fluff at this point, but what comes can only supplement existing stocks. Ours goes down. We have several weeks until Farmer Vicki starts her spring CSA, and it will be a challenge.

What's lasting: parsnips, rutabagas, turnips. The parsnips are especially old, having come from the Oak Park Farmer's Market, but they show no deterioration. What's mostly good: red potatoes. Most weeks in the fall CSA, we got a big bag of red potatoes. We have stored much more than we have used. Most of these potatoes are fine, but a few are growing eyes. What we should have used quicker: beets. We got a lot of beets in the fall; several however, went to mold before we used them. What else looks good and bad: squashes. If nothing else, we got squashes, and we got squashes all over our storage room. Some squash, especially the spaghetti squash, did not last long. And do not forget apples. Our apples, especially the apples purchased in Wisconsin in November and placed in the coldest part of the basement (next to the wall), have lasted just fine. The problem, within the next week, they will be gone, eaten. Going forward: a challenge.

We have freezer stock, mostly frozen berries. We make smoothies. We *allow* citrus and bananas. We have both now in the house. We cheat. Farmer Vicki has provided us some excellent lettuces in her fall deliveries, but we have also bought greens from Costco and Trader Joe's. We buy prepared salads from local markets. Just yesterday we picked up a beet salad from a Polish market. I doubt they used a keeper/local beet in the salad. We eat out a lot. We are not perfect. It is a challenge.

LTHForum.com Announces Great Neighborhood Restaurants Part II

Press release below. Its hard to have a list of top restaurants based on a variety of eaters. Passionate eaters may disagree greatly on places. I have a range of opinions on the places listed below, some I love, a few I could live without. Still, what I like about the Great Neighborhood restaurant Program (or GNR in the lingo) is that it encapsulates not the best places in town, but places that inspire, places that are special and unique. It's a great list.

For more information, contact:
David Dickson (630) 399-9172, ddickson@rmcis.com
Gary Wiviott, (773) 282-3277

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago, January 17, 2006 - LTHForum, the Chicago-based culinary society, has announced winners in its semi-annual Great Neighborhood Restaurants program.

Winners represent an eclectic mix taking in everything from the most minimalist hot dog stand in town to the most exotic one, from a Japanese restaurant dishing up spiritual experiences in a Korean neighborhood to one dishing up homey Japanese comfort food in Lincolnwood.

Only 17 out of Chicagoland's nearly 15,000 restaurants received the award in this round of nominations. Previously, 26 other restaurants received the award. Awards are based on multiple visits by some of LTHForum's more than 1,700 registered users.

Said program administrator David Dickson, "We have two primary objectives in doing this. We want be a tool for consumers to find good and adventurous places to eat, and we want to help support deserving restaurants that many might not otherwise have discovered." He pointed out that LTHForum is an all-volunteer organization, with no financial interest in any of the awardees.

The winners, in alphabetical order, are:

Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlán - specialty Mexican - 1322 West 18th St., Chicago
Cafe Salamera - Peruvian, primarily sandwiches - 6653 N. Clark St., Chicago
Candlelite - thin-crust pizza - 7452 N. Western Ave., Chicago
Cunis Candies - ice cream - 1030 E. 162nd St., South Holland
The Elephant - Thai - 5348 W. Devon Ave., Chicago
Gene and Jude's - traditional hot dogs - 2720 River Rd., River Grove
Honey 1 - barbeque - 2241 N. Western Ave., Chicago
Hot Doug's - non-traditional hot dogs - 3324 N. California Ave., Chicago
Johnnie's - Chicago Italian Beef - 7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park
La Quebrada - Mexican - 4859 W. Roosevelt in Cicero, 723 S. Broadway in Aurora, and at 3818 W. 63rd St., 2906 W. Cermak, and 5100 S. California, all in Chicago
Lula Café - eclectic - 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago
Matsumoto - Kaiseki (chef's choice, multi-course) upscale Japanese - 3800 West Lawrence Ave., Chicago [Note: At press time, Matusmoto appears to be on vacation for the month of January.]
Nhu Hoa - Vietnamese/Cambodian/Laotian - 1020 W. Argyle St., Chicago
Renga-Tei - traditional Japanese - 3956 W Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood
Semiramis - Middle Eastern/Lebanese - 4639 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago
Sweets & Savories - contemporary - 1534 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
Tre Kronor - Swedish - 3258 W. Foster Ave., Chicago

Each restaurant was nominated by one of the over 1,700 registered members of LTHForum.com, the Chicago-based culinary chat site, and ratified by the moderators of the board based on the degree of discussion and community-wide enthusiasm from the food-obsessed participants on the site.

Sample comments leading to the awards included:
Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlán - "I like just about everything about this place: the un-assuming exterior, the kind and generous folks who run it, and the absolutely knockout quality of their birria, whether in tacos or broth... I have to say it is honestly my new favorite food. I had it about a week ago and I am constantly thinking about going again... What could be better on a snow-bound day than moist roasted goat served with goat consommé, garnished with chiles de arbol, onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime?"

Cafe Salamera - "I got back from Salamera about an hour ago and I'm already looking forward to my next trip back. This place is phenomenal. The beef empanada (filled with beef, olive, raisin, egg) had a beautiful crispy crust and moist, tasty filling. The fried pork sandwich with onions and sweet potato was amazing. Soft bread, slight taste of lime and cilantro. I put a little of the hot sauce on to make it perfect. This might be the best sandwich I have ever had."

Candlelite - "I am a long time fan of the old Candlelite, and I am happy to say that their pizza is as good as it has ever been... Excellent, wonderful, delicious. (Think I like the place?) Crisp thin crust, fresh, flavorful ingredients, real chopped garlic-important as my 'standard' pizza is sausage, garlic and onion-served hot and crisp in a casual, family friendly, bar atmosphere... The garlic fries are outstanding, the atmosphere is nice, and the rest of the food is pretty good, too."

Cunis - "A little taste of heaven... This old-style ice cream parlor in South Holland is always a sure bet if you have a taste for fresh, homemade ice cream. Their seasonal peach sundae is worth a drive and their fresh chocolates and candies are delicious... What makes a Cunis sundae great is dark chocolate hot fudge made with all the candy-maker's art... It's about the best salted pecans imaginable, and the nuts alone elevate their sundae above the rest. But also the fudge, dark and intense and winey, almost like liquid Valrhona."

The Elephant - "If you had an aunt from Thailand, this food is what she would serve if you stopped at her house for dinner... The owner, an accomplished home cook, always felt the desire to own a restaurant and in just a couple of months she is really hitting her stride. The Elephant's larb is consistently good, very herbal with a nice hit of ground toasted rice. Papaya salad is quite good as well, hand cut, nice crunch, good flavor and, if you desire, spicy hotness... The perfect ethnic restaurant: family run, well-executed food, friendly and welcoming."

Gene and Jude's - "I'm a born and bred Chicagoan and I think I've eaten at some good hot dog stands over the years, but none has been more consistently good than Gene's & Jude's... It's not trying to be anything but a hot dog stand. The young staff is friendly and efficient. The hot dogs have a great snap and a good flavor. The buns are properly steamed. The fries are real, and it's great watching them cut up the potatoes on their handy dandy manual french fry cutter... The relish provides the note of necessary sweetness that makes this hot dog a total taste symphony."

Honey 1 - "Robert Adams is a man in tune with his BBQ pit... The perfect marriage of wood smoke and pork with just the right amount of chew, toothsome, but never tough, moist flavorful meat... They also nail what I consider the perfect hot link for me. Nice and smokey, slightly dried texture with a decent crunch, and not overpowering with the seasonings... I relax here in the glow of digesting my dinner of Honey 1 tips, hot links and a couple of ribs and ponder why I, of all people, should be so blessed to have this holy of holies now basically in my backyard."

Hot Doug's - "I had, I'm almost embarrassed to admit, my first Hot Doug's experience today, and it was a true revelation... The beauty of Hot Doug's is in the offerings beyond hot dogs: the thuringer, andouille, the specials, the duck fries, and, of course, the atmosphere and ever-engaging Doug... The best damned sausage I've ever gotten at a hot dog shop. It was so good, I took a day off work and went back the next day to sample the duck fat fries... Hot Doug's is like a fine little wine shop, selecting and showcasing rare and unusual examples from the prime sausage regions."

Johnnie's - "Johnnie's has some kind of black magic in their small stand that produces Italian beef with everything just right... We tasted five beefs in one day and what struck me was the overwhelming superiority of Johnnie's. The chocolaty-brown meat (tender and full of flavor), the sauce (good notes of garlic and oregano, and not greasy), the crisp and hot giardiniera... Johnnie's grills stellar sausages on hardwood coals. Not only do these taste great, they make Johnnie's, on most days, the best smelling restaurant in Cook County."

La Quebrada - "I have not found a better tortilla in Chicago than the ones La Quebrada makes, large and thick... La Quebrada makes some exceptional sauces, the curry scented salsa India (no joke), the house warm molcajete, with roasted tomatoes and chiles and the extra spicy, one dimensional, but one brutally great dimension arbol... From the outside it looks like nothing special, certainly one of any of thousands of Mexican places around Chicago. Inside, they make the effort to make things better. Guacamole, salsas, pico de gallo are not difficult things to make, yet Quebrada coaxes the most out of these things."

Lula Café - "One of my favorite restaurants, a place that is not only a part of its neighborhood, but a creative factor in helping shape that neighborhood... The key point that impresses about Lula is that their commitment to fresh, local, and organic is very taste-able, tangible, and real. Oftentimes lip-service is paid to these words on menus and the qualities can be lost in the preparation... Lula is a no BS-bistro that chooses to highlight natural flavors. They're creative without being destructive, showing a deep respect for their ingredients."

Matsumoto - "A dinner here borders on a spiritual experience... This is a chef [Seijiro Matsumoto] who embraces his art passionately. Matsumoto provides a level of dining that demands the attention of every chef, every gourmet, and anyone who thinks about food... It's going to be extremely difficult to enjoy eating at my usual sushi haunts after eating fish of this quality. Matsumoto's ability to capture the essence of the combinations of flavors and textures was total... This was one of the great meals of my life."

Nhu Hoa - "Perhaps the only restaurant in Chicago offering Laotian and Cambodian cuisine. Those dishes, like the Vietnamese offerings, shine... It is my go-to on Argyle when I am not interested in pho. I've only had the 7 courses of beef once, but I've had the bowls of cold noodles with vegetables, meats, egg rolls, etc. many times. Likewise, I've had the papaya salad a lot, as it's one of the gosh darn best versions in town. Julie is a wonderful and warm host... The 7 (really 8) courses of beef is one of the best deals in town, even if you skip the 8th course."

Renga-Tei - "It's Japanese comfort food. Nothing fancy. Just plain good... Love the soups, tonkatsu, tempura and many of the appetizers, especially the gom-ae and agedashi tofu. I also like the Japanese Myron and Phil's feel that comes from the Japanese waitstaff and the many multi-generational tables of Japanese customers... To me, Renga-Tei is just like a neighborhood corner diner, except this neighborhood and corner are Japanese. There's a casual, everyday, family environment about the place that makes you feel at home."

Semiramis - "A casual, relaxing place with a touch more class than the other joints on the Kedzie strip... We tried batinjan moutabbal, highly smokey with a bit of eggplant back (bitter), the ultra luscious green beans (with the olive oil surely playing a co-starring role), and a meat schwarma sammy. The meat itself off the spit was very well spiced and delicious on its own, but with all the add-ins, even better... The two tables in the window would be a very nice place to while away the afternoon drinking Arabic coffee with cardamom, munching olives and pickled turnip."

Sweets & Savories - "A very friendly and well-run place, totally 'tude-free, maybe even the folks who mob Rose Angelis a few blocks away will discover it eventually... I really admire this place because they work very hard to please their customers versus other places where the passion isn't apparent... Hands down, the best Kobe beef burger (or burger in general) that I, or my friends, ever had... The tasting menu is, in my opinion, the absolute best bang for the buck in the city."

Tre Kronor - "Cute as a button without overdoing the rustic Swedish thing, down to the actual accented blonde waitresses... I've had few better breakfasts in recent memory. My smoked salmon eggs benedict was perfect, simply perfect, fluffy poached eggs, freshly-made real hollandaise, potato cubes that for once were crisped up and cooked all the way through.... Genuinely pleasant staff all seemed to be moving quickly, efficiently, and very much trying to keep people happy."

LTHforum is a Chicago-based internet chat site and impromptu dining society which has quickly grown to become an influential fixture on the Chicago dining scene, widely read by journalists and chefs eager to know what's new and what regular diners are saying about the city's restaurants. Participants, while not ignoring the city's high-profile restaurants, are particularly adept at finding small, out-of-the-way eateries that many Chicagoans may not be familiar with.

Registered members discuss everything from restaurants to recipes, focusing on Chicago but taking in destinations as far afield as Montreal, Paris, and Xi'an China. Discussions also cover cooking techniques, local sources for unique foodstuffs, and, occasional silliness, such as a recent discussion about the atmosphere on Planet Mongo when visited by Flash Gordon. The site's web address is www.lthforum.com.

Previous winners, arranged by cuisine, were:

AMERICAN
Barbara Ann's, 7617 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago - South side BBQ joint serving excellent ribs and arguably the city's best hot links.

Chuck's Southern Comforts Café, 5557 W. 79th St., Burbank - South suburban Burbank's best restaurant by a country mile, a Frontera alum dishing up high-class comfort food.

Manny's, 1141 S. Jefferson St., Chicago - Cafeteria serving old school Jewish deli classics to a democratic crowd ranging from machers to meshugas.

Moto, 945 W. Fulton St., Chicago - "Scientific" food at the far end of the cutting edge, by a chef who entered our virtual neighborhood to debate his cuisine with us.

White Palace Grill, 1159 S. Canal St., Chicago - Roosevelt Avenue 24-hour hash-slinging joint catering to a colorful mix of late night and early crowds.

CHINESE
Ed's Potsticker House, 3139 S. Halsted St., Chicago - Northern and northeastern Chinese restaurant off the beaten path in Bridgeport.

Fabulous Noodles, 4663 Old Tavern Rd., Lisle - Chinatown-quality authentic Chinese in a Lisle mini-mall.

"Little" Three Happiness, 209 W. Cermak Rd., Chicago - Outstanding Chinatown hole-in-the-wall (from which LTHForum takes its name).

Lao Sze Chuan, 2172 S. Archer Ave., Chicago - Chinatown Mall restaurant serving seemingly endless menu of Western Chinese specialties.

Moon Palace, 216 W. Cermak Rd., Chicago - Upscale Chinatown restaurant serving Shanghainese food to those who know how to dig and beg for it.

CUBAN
Cafeteria Marianao, 2246 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago - A little slice of Miami in a busy, ramshackle stand offering Cuban sandwiches and coffee.

EUROPEAN
Klas, 5734 W. Cermak Rd., Cicero - Capone-era Mittel-European fantasy Czech restaurant

Laschet's Inn, 2119 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago - Authentic German food, beer and gemütlichkeit in the old German St. Ben's neighborhood.

Podhalanka, 1549 W. Division Ave., Chicago - A hearty Polish working-man's spot, easily overlooked on fast-gentrifying Division Street.

ITALIAN
Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, 1079 W. Taylor St., Chicago - Taylor Street stand serving classic Chicago Italian beef and charcoal-grilled sausage.

Freddy's Pizza, 1600 S. 61st Ave., Cicero - Cicero deli offering housemade Italian-American dinners, sausages, pizzas and breads.

Ristorante Agostino, 2817 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago- Family Italian restaurant on west side Harlem Avenue "Little Italy."

Riviera Foods, 3220 N Harlem Ave., Chicago - West side Italian deli offering outstanding housemade sausages and sandwiches, including the "Will Special" (named for LTHForum member "Your Pal Will").

Sabatino's, 4441 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago - Sinatra-era Italian-American fine dining restaurant serving Chicago classics like Chicken Vesuvio.

JAPANESE
Katsu, 2651 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago - On an obscure stretch of Peterson, pristinely fresh and beautifully prepared sushi, sashimi and cooked dishes.

MEXICAN
Amanecer Tapatio, 573 Collins St., Joliet - Could the best and most authentic Mexican restaurant in the Chicagoland area be this tiny, very friendly storefront in Joliet?

Frontera Grill/Topolobampo, 445 N. Clark St., Chicago - Rick Bayless' River North restaurants, which pioneered authentic, upscale Mexican food in America and helped bridge the gap between Chicago's ethnic and expense-account food cultures.

Taqueria la Oaxaqueña, 3382 N. Milwaukee Ave. and 6113 W. Diversey Ave. Chicago - Pair of fine family Mexican restaurants serving outstanding freshly-made versions of classics like chicken mole.

MIDDLE EASTERN
City Noor, 4714-B N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago - Excellent Palestinian restaurant related to an adjacent meat market on the Kedzie middle eastern strip.

THAI
Spoon, 4608 N. Western Ave., Chicago - Lincoln Square Thai restaurant famous for "secret menu" of brightly authentic Thai dishes.

TAC Quick, 3930 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago - Chic Uptown Thai spot serving eye-opening authentic grilled meats and Thai curries.

VIETNAMESE
Tank Noodle (Pho Xe Tang), 4955 N. Broadway St., Chicago - Bright and welcoming Argyle Street spot serving excellent versions of Vietnamese soups such as pho and entrees.

#30#

For more information, contact:
David Dickson (630) 399-9172
Gary Wiviott, (773) 282-3277

Food Envy
Wish List for 2006

• Whether schwarma, gyros or al pastor, I want it cooked on the spit. Not in a pan; not on the griddle, and surely not like too many al pastors, cooked and then re-cooked and then re-cooked again.

• Moreover, when it sez char-grilled, I want it grilled over charcoal. Flavorizer rocks are not charcoal.

• That all my French fries (home fries, cottage fries and similar) come exclusively from fresh cut potatoes.

• And all my coffee be served in real cups. Not only is it better for the environment, it tastes superior.

• That more will be inspired to take the eat local challenge, and that we find nary an asparagus in August or a Peach in April.

• Regardless, 98% of the tomatoes served should not.

• The relish tray comes back into vogue (and all those places still with a relish tray thrive).

• Dressings are homemade.

• Pepper is fresh ground.

• I can expound just a bit more like GAF, with the eye for detail of ReneG, add some of the scholarship of Antonius (or Erik M), be as smart an aleck as Hat Hammond, and just once, be able to talk wine with Steve P. Oh, and also, maybe earn an LTHForum.com quote.

• Neither my palate nor pocketbook craves Alinea, Moto or Avenues, but I feel like I should visit at least one of these in 2006.

• But I would love to do a comprehensive assessment of Chicago’s steakhouses.

• Then, compare to Peter Luger.

• Craft, Bouchon (Vegas edition), Joe’s Stone Crab, Bastide, and perienial wish listers Chez Panisse and St. John are all places I would travel to if I could; while the places close to home I most lust are Matsumoto and Toplobopampo.

• Also, go to Vancouver to see if the Chinese food is worth the fuss. Until then, I want people to pay more attention to what I have to say about Chinese food in Chicago.

• Also, also, another thin-crust pizzathon to restore my faith in Chicago pizza and answer Pigmon's challenge.

• As a committed believer in the Czech Paradox, I plan on consuming my full of dumplings and beer even as I finally loose that 40 lbs that’s been nagging me since I broke my wrist in law school.

• Eat more Scandanavian food.

• When the Condiment Queen makes a batch of caramels, plenty are left over for me.

25 Best Things Eaten in Wisconsin in 2005

(First two, then no particular order for the other 23)

1. Lawyer (burbot) escabiche with smoked whitefish spread – Washington Inn, Washington Island
2. Vanilla custard (only vanilla is marketably superior) – Kopps, Layton (and other locations)
3. Sausage platter (Bohemian, Polish, Brat, and Knock) – Miro’s Little Europe, Kenosha
4. Boiled beef with mustard dumplings – Coquette, Milwaukee
5. Kewpie Burger – Kewpie’s, Racine
6. Donuts – Finley’s Holiday Inn, Washington Island
7. Wild raspberries picked slightly off-roadside – Sister Bay
8. Vanilla ice cream with Door County cherries mixed in (better than cherry ice cream!) – Door County Ice Cream Factory, Sister Bay
9. Vanilla custard – Leon’s, Milwaukee
10. Fly-in fish boil – Washington Island
11. Morning Glory pastry thingee – C. Adams/Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee
12. Glass of Senator Kohl’s milk – Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee
13. Assorted smoked fish – Charlie’s, Gill’s Rock
14. Cheese Danish – C. Adams/Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee
15. Hot green Serbian peppers in vinegar, with feta cheese – Old Town Serbian, Milwaukee
16. Tiny potato pancakes (a/k/a latkes) with ranch-ish dressing – Miro’s Little Europe, Kenosha
17. Every damn kringle – Bendsten’s, Racine
18. Summer sausage mitt – Bobby Nelson’s, Kenosha
19. Brat on buttered kemmel – Penguin Drive-In, Manitowoc
20. Fried lawyers – KK Fiske, Washington Island
21. Cherry crisp w/Ceder Crest vanilla ice cream – KK Fisk, Washington Island
22. Whipped cream sandwich – Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee
23. Breakfast sandwich of farm smoked bacon, fresh hen eggs – Farmer’s Market/Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee
24. Burek – Old Town Serbian, Milwaukee
25. Pie slices – Sweetie Pie, Fish Creek

Subject to change

The Czech Paradox
Believe at Operetta

No one talks about the Czech paradox. We know about the French paradox. Eat all the foie gras stuffed croissants you want, and as long as you wash it down with a nice bottle of red wine (any red wine, from Chinon to Chateau LaTour), you will avoid heart disease, diabetes and other issues that plague the super-sizing U.S of A. Still, did you know that a diet of beer, more beer and a plate full of bread dumplings will keep you fit enough to join Charlie’s Angels. Don’t believe me. Visit Operetta on Fullerton between Central and Austin. After yet another delicious meal last week, I find that I must tell the world about the Czech paradox.

I am utterly convinced that the three women who are the service staff at Operetta are paid international assassins, especially the one known as “Kate.” “Yeah, Kate” I said making little rabbit fingers when one of my daughters one asked her name, spies really tell their name to whomever asks. I go to Operetta for the ample portions, the cheap imported beer, and the garlic soup (surely a top 10 Chicago soup), but I go just as much to gawk at Kate. How can I best describe Kate? Perhaps as a shorter haired version of the old Black Canary from DC Comics? Kate looks like she could dead lift 200 lbs, yet she has none of that Chyna induced bulk. She trains to keep her edge, and like her two cohorts at Operetta, she eats Czech food. Granted while the other two are sleek and slim, they are not quite as brutal looking as Kate. But remember, each member of this Fox Force Five (of course the other two are out of town on assignment) has their own special skills. They are walking proof of the Czech paradox.

Remember that everyone over 21 is expected to order a beer when seated at Operetta, either Pilsner Urquell, Staroprame (my preference) or Radegast. Each brand has its own glass that shares a common trait of being large. Most diners get more than one. In fact, I wonder when the smoking laws take effect in a few weeks, Operetta might qualify as a tavern. Soup is less de rigueur than beer but worth getting. As I noted, the garlic soup, with croutons, parsley and a sprinkling of cheese is up there with any soup in Chicago, but creamy paprika with tiny slices of hot dog like sausages, yesterday’s goulash thinned out as soup, or the chicken are all worth ordering—my suggestions being limited to soups I have tried. Entrees at Operetta come on what we Americans call “serving” plates. Still, if you think the secret of the Czech paradox is the creamy dill gravy, you should know that many an Operetta meal comes fried as well. Perhaps nothing goes better with a Czech beer than a slab of munster like cheese (that’s American munster not the smelly French munster), battered and fried and served with a mess of sliced roasted-fried potatoes. Could the secret be the “tarter” sauce many dip their cheese? It may be that certain (not all) meals at Operetta get a bit of canned peas/canned corn and carrot salad. This little bit of veg may keep Kate sharp. Not all “plates” get this treatment though. Platters of roast pork with sauerkraut or smoked butt with creamed spinach avoid these extras. More room for the dumplings. These are dumpling eatable without gravy (but who would?), yellow from a bit of fat in the dough. Better dumplings in Chicago, I do not know.

This is the fare that nourishes the team at Operetta. A diet of great beer, fried cheese, tarter sauce, mounds of meat in gravy, and lotsa bread dumplings. Visit. Eat. Drink. Observe. You too will come to believe in the Czech Paradox.

40 Percent

Update: My wife, the Condiment Queen, is very concerned in how I am promulgating this idea that we eat out 40% of the time. She wants the foodblog world to know that that's 40% of lunches and dinners, not 40% of all meals (i.e., breakfast). And many weeks of late, we may eat out only 35% of the time! What kills us is the weekends, where we'll eat out nearly every meal.

Eat Local Challenge Challenge
(Part II)

As I noted the other day, the eat local challenge has so far, not been much of a challenge, at least when it comes to having stuff to eat. Does not mean there are not challenges. I think I have an idea why people switched to frozen peas and California lettuce.

And it's not boredom. Of course boredom is surely a challenge of the eat local challenge. Think of late May, early June. The markets are inundated with asparagus. It's special, it's delicious, if you are like our family, you find ten ways to Wednesday to make asparagus. And just as we are tiring of asparagus tetrazinni, the market switches to peas or the sugar snaps. Bore of those, and soon it's zuchinni, corn, tomatoes, etc. A lot of the fun of farmer's market shopping is to see what's new and special that week. There is pleasure in eating things every so often. So, the first squashes are a treat. Who does not like apples. Now, two months after the farmer's markets ended, the only fresh fruit we have had (besides our citrus exception) is apples. We have a lot of beets...

There is a certain disdain for keeper produce, memories of depressions and rationiong and all, and the other night when it seemed like dinner was going to be squash soup and beets, I felt so Dickens (but it was a timing thing not a price thing). I also think for a lot of people, something like rutabaga just sounds bad, like you're gagging while you say it. [ed. perhaps we should use the British, swede?] Yet, with a little bit of manipulation, these turnips and beets and celery roots, and parsnips can produce great food. It's nearly all sweet, nearly all of nice texture. But having worked with this produce for a few months, I can tell you why it is a challenge.

My wife the Condiment Queen started making roast vegetables the other night at about 4:30. At 6:00, I came down for dinner, and she was not even close. It takes time and effort to deal with this stuff. Cannot eat the skin of a squash, nor a rutabaga. I suppose you could eat a turnip or beet as is, but any time saved peeling is lost scrubbing. After the skinning and chunking (lotsa work on a squash), many of the keepers require more work. Mashed up, with some butter, wow, really get you eating vegetables kinda food, but grandma did have some triceps on her, no?

That's the challenge. I think a lot of demand for supermarket produce arose outta convenience. It was not peas that people sought, but unshelled peas. It is not beets that people really do not want, it's the purple hands they do not want.

If They Ask Me
10 Favorite Foods

Paul at Foodblog sez there is a meme going around, asking food bloggers their ten favorite foods. Well, if the meme gets to me, here's what I'd tell 'em:

Fried chicken - I like a lot of chicken: roasted, broiled, grilled, poached with home-made mayo, but I like best, fried chicken. From fast food, crisp yet moist Pollo Campero to Austin Leslie's famed garlic marinated, to rarely seen true Midwestern pan-fried chicken, I am rarely unhappy when eating fried chicken.

Spicy food - I like hot food, like Thai food, but I mean here, highly spiced food. If nothing else, I have in mind Indian food. I love how nearly everything in Indian food seems doused in secret masala spices, even the mixed nuts. Also, highly spiced sauces, like the green salsas at the Afghan resturant on Da'bomb, Isla Marias, Pico Rico, the Ecuadorian chicken place; or Salaam in Albany Park.

Nuts - Which gets me to, nuts. I like a nice plain toasted almond like the next guy, but nuts go to a new level to me, turn me into an addict, when treated with spices or sugar. My wife makes outstanding spiced nuts, so good she's considered going into the nuts business. And I think she'd make a fortune.

Anchovies - Gee, these little fishies pack a lot of flavor. Is it that mysterious fifth flavor, unami or just the salt? It really is worth the ick to de-bone genuine salt packed anchovies.

BBQ - Like fried chicken, this is a genre that appeals to me no matter what. NC style, Texas style, faux Chicago grilled ribs; you see I love both the cooking method and the sauce. I'm so far from a purest. Just the other night I really enjoyed Russell's Ribs in Elmwood Park, with just the faintest hint of char, but a lovely sauce that I can never quite diagnose.

Lake perch - Do I love this because it is so rare to find these days? Perhaps. As a medium for a lot of butter? Perhaps. Or because of their latent sweetness and perfect texture? Perhaps.

French fries - Like my younger daughter, I love potatoes in nearly all their forms. Moreover, you would think that having spent a good part of a summer in Grenoble, that my favorite potato dish would be a decadent gratin. No. The thing about gratins, mashed potatoes, or other potato dishes is that they are more vehicles for butter, cream and other great foods. Frying a potato most brings out the nuance and flavor of a potato. Take the fresh cut fries at Al's Italian Beef, there is a sweetness to these potatoes that you would never detect otherwise.

Bread - I do not see eye-to-eye with Jim Leff much these days, but when he said toast was the most perfect food (or something like that), well he's spot-on. I can walk away from the spread at Fogo de Chao and be most happy with the cheese bread. I can be happy at Old Country Buffet because I love their rolls. The overall improvement of bread in Chicago in the last ten or so years has been a real boon. My two favorites: Fox and Obel and Freddy's.

Salad - including cole slaw and papaya salad - I've noted that liking salad is really about liking salad dressing, and it is true that I love salad dressing, especially vinaigrettes but all sortsa dressings from green goddess to Hidden Valley ranch. Still, I like salad too, the stuff under the dressing. Unlike my older daughter, I will not eat plain lettuce, but dressed, it is an ideal marriage. I also adore the mouthfeel of a great chopped salad (and I make the best).

Donuts - Chowhound MikeG accurately called donuts "food crack". Not so much because they are addictive but in the way that grease and sugar, two things that make food taste great, are distilled down to their basest levels. I would be so fat if I lived in LA with great donuts on nearly every corner. Here, I go most to Dunk Donuts in Melrose Park but especially love Dat Donuts on the south side of Chicago. The Oak Park Farmer's Market donuts are not ideal but special for many reasons. Something akin to LA donuts can be found at Wheeling Donuts in, well, Wheeling.

So many things that barely made the cut: champagne, corned beef, hand sliced lox, and nearly all Jew food (except gefilte fish); how could my list exclude hot dogs or hamburgers? my mother's rack of lamb? Door county cherries?

Fried Chicken in and near Chicago

OurPalWill does a nice round-up.

Fall CSA Week 6
Eat Local Challenge Challenge (Part I)

As I have been fond of saying, don't ask me now about the Eat Local Challenge, ask me later. The question becomes, when is later now?

Unlike the last few years, winter hit hard early this year. Our eat local sources, City Market and Farmer Vicki expected to dig up things for several more weeks than Mother Nature allowed. Farmer Vicki has been planning for hard frost by building greenhouses. Early winter disrupted the plan, and her greenhouse is no fully operational while she cannot harvest from her fields. The market for local produce dwindles.

This week's box: a (lot) of red potatoes, a good amount of beets, a bag of tiny greenhouse lettuces, three onions, one medium sized squash and one tiny squash. Of course, one cannot be expected to eat for the week on this haul. Now, our family's simple solution, one that has nothing to do with the Eat Local Challenge per se, is to eat out a lot. Yea, our box goes a long way when we eat about 40% of our meals at various restaurants.

Still, our stocks contain lotsa potatoes, we have about ten or so squash in the basement, our extra fridge contains plenty of beets, turnips, even red bell peppers that are holding up very well; last week's bok choy is fine, but I cannot convince the Condiment Queen that she does not have to cook it Asian style (can someone give me an Italian name for bok choy, she'll cook it faster?). Have I mentioned that we have barely dipped into our freezer? We are not gonna starve in the next few weeks. Ask me later.

Fall CSA
Week 5

I have not picked up my box yet today, but once again, I doubt I can say it as well as Farmer Vicki.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is cold. Mr. Weather Man says that we are 20 degrees below normal. I don't know about you, but I did not need him to tell me that. Winter is not my favorite time of the year - especially frigid winter. It is almost like we are having to pay back the extra warm fall we had - degree by degree. What do I hate about winter? Frozen water in the animal houses. Fogged up glasses every time I go into a greenhouse. Shoveling snow. Dragging hoses over to the well. A runny nose and wind stung eyes while bottle feeding the calf. Wet gloves. Slick roads. Cold vehicles. Dressing like an eskimo. Hat-hair.

But, alas, we live in Illinois - the land of "anything goes" weather-wise. Abuelo likes to tell me, "Mucho frio." I agree. But, then I tell him the good things about winter. (Can't dwell on the negative.) Snow is pretty. Warm homes are cozy. Hot chocolate is delightful. The earth rests. Snow men can be made, snow angels created and snow balls thrown. (Don't tell them - I want to throw the first snow ball.) Then there is sledding. Now thats great fun.

Its time to settle in and cook and bake those wonderful winter treats. I always cook more in the winter. Isn't it wonderful to come in from the cold to smell a pot roast and apples with cinnamon? Nothing like those "homey" smells to get us warmed up - physically and emotionally as well. This is aroma therapy at its best. But, what I like best of all is a trip to Florida. Peel off all those layers ( I wear many, many) and feel the sun and warmth for a week. Now that's really fun stuff. Actually, whenI go to Florida I spend a great deal of time pndering the seed catalogues and placing my orders for spring. I also catch up on my books for tax season. But, what better place to do it than out on the back patio looking out over the green grass.

This weeks share is pretty self explanatory. Greens are either kale or baby boc choi. Boc choi had a white stem with a large smooth leaf. The kale has a purplish stem with an oak tree shaped leaf. Squash is carnival and butternut. Your dry herb of the week is parsley. Boxes are in several sizes because I am low on boxes (please return) - just take one box each.

If you can pick up early it would be best for the produce because it is so cold out.

Hope you have a warm and cozy week. Farmer Vicki