What's Interesting at Caputo's This Week
Black radishes, roughly the size of turnips, looking like something used in the filming of Schindler's List. Got look carefully though. They are in a bushel basket underneath the bananas.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Why Go to Reuters Bakery Tomorrow (Saturday)
Every morning at Reuters, the fresser gets confounded with wonderful choices: multiple versions types of coffee cakes, seasonal rhubarb tarts, strudels, sweet rolls, but on Saturday morning, the choice is that much harder. On Saturday's Reuters bakes a kinda coffee cake loaf (in four varieties!). It is a yeast dough, ever so slightly dry, like a coffee cake, but overcome by various fillings like fresh blueberrys or pie cherries and topped with either icing or sugery crumbs. Slice it like bread. Toast it. But do it in a toaster oven with a tray 'cause the sugar will melt all over every thing.
Every morning at Reuters, the fresser gets confounded with wonderful choices: multiple versions types of coffee cakes, seasonal rhubarb tarts, strudels, sweet rolls, but on Saturday morning, the choice is that much harder. On Saturday's Reuters bakes a kinda coffee cake loaf (in four varieties!). It is a yeast dough, ever so slightly dry, like a coffee cake, but overcome by various fillings like fresh blueberrys or pie cherries and topped with either icing or sugery crumbs. Slice it like bread. Toast it. But do it in a toaster oven with a tray 'cause the sugar will melt all over every thing.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Ripped Off!
Lunch at Osteria via Stato
First, let me note that the Condiment Queen did not hate Osteria Via Stato quite as much as me. Second, on a dinner visit, Mr. Barolo wrote on LTHForum that he had a more pleasant experience. But I got the keyboard in front of me.
Did I mention that I hated Osteria via Stato? Aside from accusations of deliberate food poisoning, I s'pose that calling a place a rip-off is about as bad as you can say. No?
Granted, to be ripped off, one has to be willingly gullible, to expect something nice from LEY places (and I have defended them over the years), and to buy into this "more Italian" experience they were promising at Osteria via Stato. So, maybe it's my fault.
I expected to be impressed with lavish platers of attractive antipasti: vibrant salads, luscious meats. I expected the pastas to be deliciously simple, emphasizing the grain as much as the condiment, and I expected a good if small main course or secondi. Of course, based on all the hype and such, I was also expecting a price fixe menu. (I also expect in a pretty empty restaurant to not be led to a table in the corner abutting the computer, but that I remedied with a bit of vocalization.)
It turns out at lunch they do not really serve the price fixe anymore. It was all ala carte, but I made a little stink (called threatened to leave), and voila there was still a two course set deal for $19 (give or take a dollar I forget now). Should have stuck with the ala carte. Here's what we got. Two bowls of asparagus soup--I mean two bowls with a little bit of asparagus soup in them; two playing card thick slices of baked fennel; and an overdressed green salad. That was our wow-us first course. We were then allowed to pick from the pastas or entrees. I chose the "homemade" paparadelle with meat ragu, and my wife chose salmon with green sauce.
The soup was good enough, it was more a chicken veloute with a few slices of asparagus than a soup that really brought out the spring flavors, but it was very much wrong as the first thing served. The fennel tasted fine, but the way it came, so tiny, on a tiny plate, made eating it seem so joyless, and the salad, surprisingly enough was pretty bad, you would think green salad how can they do that, but it was overdressed and overdressed with a too sweet dressing. But c'mon, where was the house cured salmon I've heard about, the salumi, the proscuitto*. I've had glorious antipasti in Italy, and this felt more like what a place would give you as nibbles with a glass of wine.
And you know I am not gonna like the pasta. It may have been made in house, but I suspect it was done either with an extruder machine or an Atlas machine (if really made in house), because at the end of the day, it had none of that toothsomeness, that feel of real home made pasta. Like so much of the lunch, it seemed lifeless and joyless. And (of course) it goes without saying that it came way over sauced (and the sauce was nothing special either). My wife did enjoy her small piece of fish. I did not taste it, but visually, it did look well cooked.
Perhaps because they sensed my misery, they decided unannounced, to bring us some sides near the end of our meal. We got a polenta that was cooked well but was exceedingly bland, and some nice local asparagus that even they could not ruin.
On top of all of this, we were dumb enough to go with the bring us wine program (abet at the piker $15 option). It was an especially dumb call, cause they offered us a glass of wine with the set lunch. Instead, we got three mediocre glasses of wine. The first, a Sicilian white from Cusamano had a nice floral nose, but was vapid on the tongue. The second, a red Sicilian (Nero d'Avola) also from Cusamano was just vapid, and the third, a Puglian wine (Uva di Troia) from Santa Lucia had that bubble-gum-y taste of a bad Beaujolais noveau. We left most of the reds un-drunk.
*One of the first visual cues that things were not all they should have been at Osteria via Stato, is that when you walk in, you see a display of a bunch of the antipasti (as well as a few of the raw materials with labels of origin). I'm not gonna comment on the wrinkled eggplants, but the ham. It is displayed prominently, shown off. Yet, it is shown off in a machine slicer, actually a show-off machine slice with a vivid paint job. It's really meant to catch your attention, show off. But all I think is, who really wants to show off machine sliced prosciutto. Would not a place that aspires to what they aspire to, hand slice the ham? Is not prosciutto SUPPOSED to be hand sliced...
Lunch at Osteria via Stato
First, let me note that the Condiment Queen did not hate Osteria Via Stato quite as much as me. Second, on a dinner visit, Mr. Barolo wrote on LTHForum that he had a more pleasant experience. But I got the keyboard in front of me.
Did I mention that I hated Osteria via Stato? Aside from accusations of deliberate food poisoning, I s'pose that calling a place a rip-off is about as bad as you can say. No?
Granted, to be ripped off, one has to be willingly gullible, to expect something nice from LEY places (and I have defended them over the years), and to buy into this "more Italian" experience they were promising at Osteria via Stato. So, maybe it's my fault.
I expected to be impressed with lavish platers of attractive antipasti: vibrant salads, luscious meats. I expected the pastas to be deliciously simple, emphasizing the grain as much as the condiment, and I expected a good if small main course or secondi. Of course, based on all the hype and such, I was also expecting a price fixe menu. (I also expect in a pretty empty restaurant to not be led to a table in the corner abutting the computer, but that I remedied with a bit of vocalization.)
It turns out at lunch they do not really serve the price fixe anymore. It was all ala carte, but I made a little stink (called threatened to leave), and voila there was still a two course set deal for $19 (give or take a dollar I forget now). Should have stuck with the ala carte. Here's what we got. Two bowls of asparagus soup--I mean two bowls with a little bit of asparagus soup in them; two playing card thick slices of baked fennel; and an overdressed green salad. That was our wow-us first course. We were then allowed to pick from the pastas or entrees. I chose the "homemade" paparadelle with meat ragu, and my wife chose salmon with green sauce.
The soup was good enough, it was more a chicken veloute with a few slices of asparagus than a soup that really brought out the spring flavors, but it was very much wrong as the first thing served. The fennel tasted fine, but the way it came, so tiny, on a tiny plate, made eating it seem so joyless, and the salad, surprisingly enough was pretty bad, you would think green salad how can they do that, but it was overdressed and overdressed with a too sweet dressing. But c'mon, where was the house cured salmon I've heard about, the salumi, the proscuitto*. I've had glorious antipasti in Italy, and this felt more like what a place would give you as nibbles with a glass of wine.
And you know I am not gonna like the pasta. It may have been made in house, but I suspect it was done either with an extruder machine or an Atlas machine (if really made in house), because at the end of the day, it had none of that toothsomeness, that feel of real home made pasta. Like so much of the lunch, it seemed lifeless and joyless. And (of course) it goes without saying that it came way over sauced (and the sauce was nothing special either). My wife did enjoy her small piece of fish. I did not taste it, but visually, it did look well cooked.
Perhaps because they sensed my misery, they decided unannounced, to bring us some sides near the end of our meal. We got a polenta that was cooked well but was exceedingly bland, and some nice local asparagus that even they could not ruin.
On top of all of this, we were dumb enough to go with the bring us wine program (abet at the piker $15 option). It was an especially dumb call, cause they offered us a glass of wine with the set lunch. Instead, we got three mediocre glasses of wine. The first, a Sicilian white from Cusamano had a nice floral nose, but was vapid on the tongue. The second, a red Sicilian (Nero d'Avola) also from Cusamano was just vapid, and the third, a Puglian wine (Uva di Troia) from Santa Lucia had that bubble-gum-y taste of a bad Beaujolais noveau. We left most of the reds un-drunk.
*One of the first visual cues that things were not all they should have been at Osteria via Stato, is that when you walk in, you see a display of a bunch of the antipasti (as well as a few of the raw materials with labels of origin). I'm not gonna comment on the wrinkled eggplants, but the ham. It is displayed prominently, shown off. Yet, it is shown off in a machine slicer, actually a show-off machine slice with a vivid paint job. It's really meant to catch your attention, show off. But all I think is, who really wants to show off machine sliced prosciutto. Would not a place that aspires to what they aspire to, hand slice the ham? Is not prosciutto SUPPOSED to be hand sliced...
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Al Pastor es La Ley
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my luck in chowhounding has a lot to do with the eagle eye of the Condiment Queen. There are times, however, when I do OK as well. As we have discussed on these boards before, a good signifier to me has always been home-made-y looking signs advertising regional/obscure specialities. La Ley at the intersection of Grand and Austin has several big hand painted signs telling the passerby of their barbacoa de borrego estillo Durango (steamed lamb as done in Durango, in the north of Mexico). I've been wanting to go here for a while. And as so often the case. What took me so long.
The first thing I saw upon entering was a very robust cone of al pastor pork. I knew what to have with my barbacoa. When the CQ opened her menu, she knew what she would have (after seeing a tiny piece of paper advertising carne en su jugo). My ony decision, get the al pastor en gordita or not. With a bit of half-assed Spainish, I learned that the gorditas were hecho a mano, handmade, and I was set on lunch. Truly great al pastor. Ideal al pastor in the sense that the meat was throughly crisped up from the spit cookery, not hung to dry and fried on the griddle. The gordita was huge, like a masa sammy. The two tacos de barbacoa were just as good, the kinda fatty, near gelatonous taste that leaves your lips greasy (but in a good way).
All the stuff was enhanced by a trio of salsas, each hotter than the next. I was especially keen on one made mostly of charred jalepenos, but a thinner green sauce, and a red sauce with a strong smokey element were about as good. The carne en su jugo was not quite as complex as some I've had, but what it lacked nuance, it made up for with muscle. A very strong bowl of meat, bacon and beans. Ms. VI gave it the esteemed comment, "it does not taste like restaurant food." Unlike most carne en su jugo I have had, the meat was soft and rich instead of grilled. They had no take out menus, so I do not currently have the address or telephone number. I cannot vouch for anything else on the menu, but I was pretty blown away on this, my first visit.
After eating here, I was most interested in the opinion of Rich4, a hound rather obsessed with tacos al pastor. Well, it seems he likes the place.
Taqueria La Ley
6000 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 385-9878
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my luck in chowhounding has a lot to do with the eagle eye of the Condiment Queen. There are times, however, when I do OK as well. As we have discussed on these boards before, a good signifier to me has always been home-made-y looking signs advertising regional/obscure specialities. La Ley at the intersection of Grand and Austin has several big hand painted signs telling the passerby of their barbacoa de borrego estillo Durango (steamed lamb as done in Durango, in the north of Mexico). I've been wanting to go here for a while. And as so often the case. What took me so long.
The first thing I saw upon entering was a very robust cone of al pastor pork. I knew what to have with my barbacoa. When the CQ opened her menu, she knew what she would have (after seeing a tiny piece of paper advertising carne en su jugo). My ony decision, get the al pastor en gordita or not. With a bit of half-assed Spainish, I learned that the gorditas were hecho a mano, handmade, and I was set on lunch. Truly great al pastor. Ideal al pastor in the sense that the meat was throughly crisped up from the spit cookery, not hung to dry and fried on the griddle. The gordita was huge, like a masa sammy. The two tacos de barbacoa were just as good, the kinda fatty, near gelatonous taste that leaves your lips greasy (but in a good way).
All the stuff was enhanced by a trio of salsas, each hotter than the next. I was especially keen on one made mostly of charred jalepenos, but a thinner green sauce, and a red sauce with a strong smokey element were about as good. The carne en su jugo was not quite as complex as some I've had, but what it lacked nuance, it made up for with muscle. A very strong bowl of meat, bacon and beans. Ms. VI gave it the esteemed comment, "it does not taste like restaurant food." Unlike most carne en su jugo I have had, the meat was soft and rich instead of grilled. They had no take out menus, so I do not currently have the address or telephone number. I cannot vouch for anything else on the menu, but I was pretty blown away on this, my first visit.
After eating here, I was most interested in the opinion of Rich4, a hound rather obsessed with tacos al pastor. Well, it seems he likes the place.
Taqueria La Ley
6000 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 385-9878
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
What's Interesting This Week at Caputo's
Organic "mini-watermelons". Also available at Goodness Greeness (although I do not know this place). See here for details.
Also, fish. I've been very impressed with the looks of Caputo's fish department. Right now they have whole "toto" fish. Beats the heck out of me, and sea snails too.
Organic "mini-watermelons". Also available at Goodness Greeness (although I do not know this place). See here for details.
Also, fish. I've been very impressed with the looks of Caputo's fish department. Right now they have whole "toto" fish. Beats the heck out of me, and sea snails too.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Missing Information
Cynics might suggest the lack of posting stems from two weeks of drubbing in the Phil Vettel game (e.g., review AND mother's day listings...). No, I can and will give Phil credit for his victories. Rather, I have been bedeviled by the twin demons, work and wrecked computer. Work's still there, but the computer problems have been mostly fixed (for the time being). Look forward soon to plenty of vital information:
The Czech paradox...opinions on three leading Midwest deli's; the strata of Milwaukee dining...Michigan style coney dogs and coney burgers...a like new version of the ice cream listing (with data on the superb south side ice cream gems like Gayety and Cunis)...reviews of Apple's America and the Stern's Roadfood (neither hits the sweet spot)...lunch with the big shots at Gene and Georgetti's...
Stay tuned and sorry for the missing information.
Cynics might suggest the lack of posting stems from two weeks of drubbing in the Phil Vettel game (e.g., review AND mother's day listings...). No, I can and will give Phil credit for his victories. Rather, I have been bedeviled by the twin demons, work and wrecked computer. Work's still there, but the computer problems have been mostly fixed (for the time being). Look forward soon to plenty of vital information:
The Czech paradox...opinions on three leading Midwest deli's; the strata of Milwaukee dining...Michigan style coney dogs and coney burgers...a like new version of the ice cream listing (with data on the superb south side ice cream gems like Gayety and Cunis)...reviews of Apple's America and the Stern's Roadfood (neither hits the sweet spot)...lunch with the big shots at Gene and Georgetti's...
Stay tuned and sorry for the missing information.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Bourdain and Bulli
Apparantly Tony Bourdain did a one hour program on Ferran Adria, but it's been embargoed from US consumption.A Chicago foodie got his hands on the tape though. He gives a re-cap here.
A link for people with BitTorren familiarty is provided at the end of the post.
Apparantly Tony Bourdain did a one hour program on Ferran Adria, but it's been embargoed from US consumption.A Chicago foodie got his hands on the tape though. He gives a re-cap here.
A link for people with BitTorren familiarty is provided at the end of the post.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
James Beard Food Journalism Awards
The nominees are out (via SauteWednesday). Sad to see my favorite food piece missed the cut. Anything else left out?
The nominees are out (via SauteWednesday). Sad to see my favorite food piece missed the cut. Anything else left out?
Do We Have a Winner in the (CTrib) Cheap Eats Game?
Every Wednesday right before I unwrap our Chicago Tribune, I regale (or torment depending on your mood) the family with the Cheap Eats game. Each week, the Tribune's food section publishes a "Cheap Eats" review, or shall I call it a "review". I'll leave for another rant, the heading dominated format that leaves little room for actual remarks on the restaurant, and talk today on the basis of the Cheap Eats Game. Is it a restuarant worth reporting.
Because there is one Cheap Eats review each week. And there are a lot of cheap eats in Chicago (or as noted on LTHForum, in the furthest suburbs as well.) So, each week, I wonder, could it be a undiscovered but interesting taqueria, a well regaded Persian place run by an Assyrian family from Iraq, or god dang it, That-a-Burger. What comes each week? Endless faux Irish pubs (who knew Buffalo chicken wings were so popular in Eire), corporate outposts, and best of all, corporate outposts of Irish pubs (or is that Irish pub corporate outposts?). Play along.
I cannot figger out if we have a winner this week with Let's Go Bistro in Downer's Grove. It's not faux Irish and it's not a chain (I do not think), but it is also faux French (it aint a bistro). Actually, my first thought when I saw the restaurant name was, bistros should be the domain of the main Trib reviewer, Phil Vettel. Since this is really a cafe, really a diner (so it seems), I can see it outside *his* domain. Anyway, in the bungalow this morning we split on whether this was a winner. Care to cast a vote?
Every Wednesday right before I unwrap our Chicago Tribune, I regale (or torment depending on your mood) the family with the Cheap Eats game. Each week, the Tribune's food section publishes a "Cheap Eats" review, or shall I call it a "review". I'll leave for another rant, the heading dominated format that leaves little room for actual remarks on the restaurant, and talk today on the basis of the Cheap Eats Game. Is it a restuarant worth reporting.
Because there is one Cheap Eats review each week. And there are a lot of cheap eats in Chicago (or as noted on LTHForum, in the furthest suburbs as well.) So, each week, I wonder, could it be a undiscovered but interesting taqueria, a well regaded Persian place run by an Assyrian family from Iraq, or god dang it, That-a-Burger. What comes each week? Endless faux Irish pubs (who knew Buffalo chicken wings were so popular in Eire), corporate outposts, and best of all, corporate outposts of Irish pubs (or is that Irish pub corporate outposts?). Play along.
I cannot figger out if we have a winner this week with Let's Go Bistro in Downer's Grove. It's not faux Irish and it's not a chain (I do not think), but it is also faux French (it aint a bistro). Actually, my first thought when I saw the restaurant name was, bistros should be the domain of the main Trib reviewer, Phil Vettel. Since this is really a cafe, really a diner (so it seems), I can see it outside *his* domain. Anyway, in the bungalow this morning we split on whether this was a winner. Care to cast a vote?
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Proud Papa
It was one of those rarest of days. A special day. Daddy-daughter. Solo. Actually, even rarer, it was Daddy and older daughter. We made great use of our day together. A day of great chow. A day to make Pop proud.
After dropping off Mommy and other daughter for their camping trip, we faced the first hurdle of the day, breakfast. Chinese she said, and Dad pointed the car in that direction. An unusual Saturday morning traffic jam forced us off the highway at Independence Boulevard, but it gave Dad a chance to point out all the ex-synagougues. I had been happy before with Seven Wives before, for something breakfasty, but different. It was a little hard at Seven Wives because early in the day the seem to have a limited selection.
Limited. Did I mean different, odd? The standard breakfast is pick one from A one from B. A is mostly "regular" breakfasts like waffles and eggs and B is various kinds of noodles. Nothing there sounded appealing. We decided instead for the congee combo. It is firstly a bowl of congee; secondly some soft rolled rice noodles. And did I say I was proud, the chowhoundita had two bowls of preserved egg/fish congee, although she later confessed, she did not want to know what the fish was until after she finished. While it is unglamorously served in a small styrofoam cup, the coffee that is included with the congee deal is very good. Also, the heavy lacquer furniture and artsy-fartsy wall decorations belie the low prices here.
From there we meandered up Michigan Avenue and Clark Street, talking about architecture and stuff, ending at Tower Records. (You know things have changed so much in this hood by how easy parking is.) She made me proud by seeking out (and requesting for gift) Green Day's American Idiot. What's more, the title song, especially, makes me proud that there is something around still called rock n' roll.
Not quite hungry but there, we took our first dip into the waters of Hawaiian cooking, Chicago style, Aloha Grill. We got a big old plate of fried chicken breast, very, very crisp; two sauces, the curry and the sweet katsu sauce; and a lot of rice. Our plate did not include the mac salad, which I think is a good thing. From there, we checked out the Austrian Bakery on Clark. I know it's gotten pretty good reports, and the Brilliant one raves about it, but nothing looked too good. Instead, we had a crepe and mint tea (well mint tea for Dad, crepe for daughter) at Crepes and Coffee. It is an interesting place, apparently run by some Algerians, which of course means you can get merguez in your crepe. But there are a lot of choices that especially appealed to me, with cajeta and dulce de leche and nutella and Belgium chocolate sauce (an international array of goo).
We spent a fair amount of time playing with cats at P.A.W.S, then hooked up with my parents. For more looking at orphaned animals--this time Anti-Cruelty and an early dinner at Marcello's Father and Son. Dad always likes their broasted chicken and especially their cole slaw with a strong suggestion of horseradish (cole slaw tasting anyone?) Of course, she made me proud by scarfing down a big ol' steak sammy.
All during the planning of our special day, we talked about what would be our crowning touch, dessert. And to make me quite proud, she passed, saying she had enough for the day.
Seven Wives
2230 S. Wentworth
Chicago, IL
312-842-7888
Aloha Grill Hawaiian BBQ
2534 N. Clark St.
Chicago IL 60614
773-935-6828
Austrian Bakery and Deli
2523 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
(773) 244-9922
Crepe and Coffee Palace
2433 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
(773) 404-1300
Marcello's (A Father & Son Enterprise)
645 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
312.654.2550
It was one of those rarest of days. A special day. Daddy-daughter. Solo. Actually, even rarer, it was Daddy and older daughter. We made great use of our day together. A day of great chow. A day to make Pop proud.
After dropping off Mommy and other daughter for their camping trip, we faced the first hurdle of the day, breakfast. Chinese she said, and Dad pointed the car in that direction. An unusual Saturday morning traffic jam forced us off the highway at Independence Boulevard, but it gave Dad a chance to point out all the ex-synagougues. I had been happy before with Seven Wives before, for something breakfasty, but different. It was a little hard at Seven Wives because early in the day the seem to have a limited selection.
Limited. Did I mean different, odd? The standard breakfast is pick one from A one from B. A is mostly "regular" breakfasts like waffles and eggs and B is various kinds of noodles. Nothing there sounded appealing. We decided instead for the congee combo. It is firstly a bowl of congee; secondly some soft rolled rice noodles. And did I say I was proud, the chowhoundita had two bowls of preserved egg/fish congee, although she later confessed, she did not want to know what the fish was until after she finished. While it is unglamorously served in a small styrofoam cup, the coffee that is included with the congee deal is very good. Also, the heavy lacquer furniture and artsy-fartsy wall decorations belie the low prices here.
From there we meandered up Michigan Avenue and Clark Street, talking about architecture and stuff, ending at Tower Records. (You know things have changed so much in this hood by how easy parking is.) She made me proud by seeking out (and requesting for gift) Green Day's American Idiot. What's more, the title song, especially, makes me proud that there is something around still called rock n' roll.
Not quite hungry but there, we took our first dip into the waters of Hawaiian cooking, Chicago style, Aloha Grill. We got a big old plate of fried chicken breast, very, very crisp; two sauces, the curry and the sweet katsu sauce; and a lot of rice. Our plate did not include the mac salad, which I think is a good thing. From there, we checked out the Austrian Bakery on Clark. I know it's gotten pretty good reports, and the Brilliant one raves about it, but nothing looked too good. Instead, we had a crepe and mint tea (well mint tea for Dad, crepe for daughter) at Crepes and Coffee. It is an interesting place, apparently run by some Algerians, which of course means you can get merguez in your crepe. But there are a lot of choices that especially appealed to me, with cajeta and dulce de leche and nutella and Belgium chocolate sauce (an international array of goo).
We spent a fair amount of time playing with cats at P.A.W.S, then hooked up with my parents. For more looking at orphaned animals--this time Anti-Cruelty and an early dinner at Marcello's Father and Son. Dad always likes their broasted chicken and especially their cole slaw with a strong suggestion of horseradish (cole slaw tasting anyone?) Of course, she made me proud by scarfing down a big ol' steak sammy.
All during the planning of our special day, we talked about what would be our crowning touch, dessert. And to make me quite proud, she passed, saying she had enough for the day.
Seven Wives
2230 S. Wentworth
Chicago, IL
312-842-7888
Aloha Grill Hawaiian BBQ
2534 N. Clark St.
Chicago IL 60614
773-935-6828
Austrian Bakery and Deli
2523 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
(773) 244-9922
Crepe and Coffee Palace
2433 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
(773) 404-1300
Marcello's (A Father & Son Enterprise)
645 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
312.654.2550
Monday, April 11, 2005
No Value Blog
I came across this blog, Anchored Nomad, via a comment on EatChicago. I'm not sure if there's any redeeming value, but it sure is a fun read.
I came across this blog, Anchored Nomad, via a comment on EatChicago. I'm not sure if there's any redeeming value, but it sure is a fun read.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Chowhound
It has been about a year since I and most of the other people who posted regularly on Chowhound's Chicago Board departed to LTHForum.com. Us foodies now have various opinions of our old hang-out. A lot of people could care less about what happens there. To a large part, I agree with that sentiment. It was clear to me and a lot of other posters on Chowhound, that the 1,000's of posts we made that added value to the enterprise were hardly appreciated. The view essentially was, someone else will just take your place. Have they?
My bone is with Chowhound. What bugs me is, there are people out there like me that want to grow as foodies, want to be with people who pang as they pang. The want to be with their tribe. Chowhound just does not serve them well. One of the biggest liabilities of Chowhound is that there is no way to create identity. People can be who ever they want, even from day to day. The only defense a system like Chowhound has, is to have long time posters who are willing to be accountable, be who they are.
Honestly, it was this post on Chowhound that drove me to blog on Chowhound (and it is a post already moot). Someone trying to give a tip on Chinese food suggested a long dead restaurant. I read the post and I did not know if the post was serious or a troll. And it just summed up, to me, so many of the issues with Chowhound. Wonder about the motive of the poster, and Chowhound would step in, correct the poster, and you get attacked for not allowing alternative viewpoints. The whole Chowhound system fails to do what it claims to do, be a resource for people who live to eat.
I am glad I know about other sources. I just want others to be as lucky.
It has been about a year since I and most of the other people who posted regularly on Chowhound's Chicago Board departed to LTHForum.com. Us foodies now have various opinions of our old hang-out. A lot of people could care less about what happens there. To a large part, I agree with that sentiment. It was clear to me and a lot of other posters on Chowhound, that the 1,000's of posts we made that added value to the enterprise were hardly appreciated. The view essentially was, someone else will just take your place. Have they?
My bone is with Chowhound. What bugs me is, there are people out there like me that want to grow as foodies, want to be with people who pang as they pang. The want to be with their tribe. Chowhound just does not serve them well. One of the biggest liabilities of Chowhound is that there is no way to create identity. People can be who ever they want, even from day to day. The only defense a system like Chowhound has, is to have long time posters who are willing to be accountable, be who they are.
Honestly, it was this post on Chowhound that drove me to blog on Chowhound (and it is a post already moot). Someone trying to give a tip on Chinese food suggested a long dead restaurant. I read the post and I did not know if the post was serious or a troll. And it just summed up, to me, so many of the issues with Chowhound. Wonder about the motive of the poster, and Chowhound would step in, correct the poster, and you get attacked for not allowing alternative viewpoints. The whole Chowhound system fails to do what it claims to do, be a resource for people who live to eat.
I am glad I know about other sources. I just want others to be as lucky.
Friday, April 08, 2005
The Phil Vettel Game
Every Friday, we play the Phil Vettel Game. Today was a day we thought there was no winner, as Phil did a review, and appeared to hit a place rather under reported by the Chicago press, Grotto on State. It was not until I got to this line that I realized there was a come from behind win:
"The Grotto also has a well-earned reputation for great lamb chops--meaty, richly flavored rib chops grilled to a perfect medium-rare (if you order them as I do)."
Well, maybe they do, but if today was the first day Phil Vettel reviewed Grotto on State, how could they have a well deserved reputation for great lamb? Is he, perhaps quoting from another reviewer? Inquiring minds wanna know.
Every Friday, we play the Phil Vettel Game. Today was a day we thought there was no winner, as Phil did a review, and appeared to hit a place rather under reported by the Chicago press, Grotto on State. It was not until I got to this line that I realized there was a come from behind win:
"The Grotto also has a well-earned reputation for great lamb chops--meaty, richly flavored rib chops grilled to a perfect medium-rare (if you order them as I do)."
Well, maybe they do, but if today was the first day Phil Vettel reviewed Grotto on State, how could they have a well deserved reputation for great lamb? Is he, perhaps quoting from another reviewer? Inquiring minds wanna know.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
The Difference Between Oak Park and Berwyn
Adjoining villages, Oak Park and Berywn both dealt substantial defeats to their ruling cliques. I s'pose the Oak Park pols went off and had a deep conversation on the meaning of the defeat. In Berwyn, they went off and beat someone up, a politican from another village. (Note, there is nothing funny about the attack which ended the victim in intensive care.)
Adjoining villages, Oak Park and Berywn both dealt substantial defeats to their ruling cliques. I s'pose the Oak Park pols went off and had a deep conversation on the meaning of the defeat. In Berwyn, they went off and beat someone up, a politican from another village. (Note, there is nothing funny about the attack which ended the victim in intensive care.)
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
More Value
One of the top five or top ten eating experiences in Chicago, depending how much you count, say ChefG and his ilk, is the Sunday "Maxwell" Street Market, which as all foodies know, is not on Maxwell Street, but Canal, running in each direction from Roosevelt. It is here that Mexican street food gets to be most accurately presented, and it is especially interesting and delicious because the vendors come from many states of Mexico. You can have the corn masa empanadas of Guanajunto, the birria of Jalisco, the grilled steak of el norte, and the pambaso of Mexico City. It is quite hard to draw this whole enterprise into a few words. Luckily, David Hammond produced the only guide out there. It can be found here. (Tip to Ann on Chowhound who reminded me where it was on the Internet.)
PS
If you really like it, buy the Gorilla Gourmet DVD to your right.
One of the top five or top ten eating experiences in Chicago, depending how much you count, say ChefG and his ilk, is the Sunday "Maxwell" Street Market, which as all foodies know, is not on Maxwell Street, but Canal, running in each direction from Roosevelt. It is here that Mexican street food gets to be most accurately presented, and it is especially interesting and delicious because the vendors come from many states of Mexico. You can have the corn masa empanadas of Guanajunto, the birria of Jalisco, the grilled steak of el norte, and the pambaso of Mexico City. It is quite hard to draw this whole enterprise into a few words. Luckily, David Hammond produced the only guide out there. It can be found here. (Tip to Ann on Chowhound who reminded me where it was on the Internet.)
PS
If you really like it, buy the Gorilla Gourmet DVD to your right.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Miro's Charcoal House Little Europe
As Milwaukee begins to wan in my taste memory, I need to get an even older experience to blog. Otherwise, Miro's Charcoal House Little Europe in Wisconsin will be one blur of schnitzel, sausage and garlic flavored toast. Actually, do I need to say more about Miro's that schnitzel, sausage and garlic flavored toast?
The VI family visited Miro's three times already. Each visit included, if not schnitzel, certainly lots of sausage. Miro's menu goes three pages deep, but like a pizza parlor with an extended list, a lot of the choices are combination plates. It is possible to avoid schnitzel or sausage, but be somewhat forewarned. Twice, the Condiment Queen strayed. Once to fish and once to a beef tenderloin/shrimp combo plate; neither time did she walk away as happy and stuffed as the rest of the table.Avoiding stuffedness at Miro's is quite hard. It is hard first of all, to resist one of the five or so German and Czech beers on tap including a schwarzbier or black beer. And if you come on a Saturday night, as we have, you may have to wait a while for a table. Peckish, you will need to order the small potato pancakes, latkes, served with a sauce somewhere between ranch dressing and garlic butter. With the edge off, you can enjoy your soup. With the soup eat a slice or two of thick Wisconsin rye, either toasted and soaked with salty garlic butter or plain (plain?). Liver dumpling soup stays daily, a fine introduction to this soup, dumplings more fluffy than livery, while your alternative soup rotates. Needless to say, this being Wisconsin, the alternative probably includes cream and butter. One time, we had cream of chicken. It arrived thick yet unusually yellow in color. Guess what made it so yellow (hint, Wisconsin). The soup and garlic toast could sate. Luckily, Miro's serves enormous platters of food. Order a sausage plate, and you get four sausages about sixteen inches long. A schnitzel plate includes three giant swatches of breaded meat. Of course there are sides including long fingers of potatoes, roasted and then fried, showered with lemon pepper and combo plates of spatzle and bread dumplings. Finally, everyone gets dessert. Dessert of the day, but I doubt it ever changes from the dessert we got on each of three occasions, a fresh crepe filled with sweetened thin farmer's cheese.
As I noted above, if you stick with the basics, it seems hard to go wrong at Miro's. They make four kinda sausage in house, a plump Polish, a taut and spicy Bohemian, a meaty knockwurst and a brat heavy on the nutmeg, and then they grill them perfectly. We went to Miro's twice during recent debate on Hot Doug's, and it is hard to really appreciate Hot Doug's sourced sausages after having Miro's terrific handmade stuff. Aside from the CQ's misadventure in slightly frou-frou food, the only other thing less than delicious I tried was, amazingly, the gravy for the bread dumplings and spatzle. Stagnant and underspiced, it did no help. And the spatzle needed help especially, a little too plain. Since the potato wedges are so good, it is not really a problem in the long run.
Miro and his family, who escaped communist Czechoslovakia in 1981 dominate the dining room. It is easy to do. Miro's Charcoal House is highly visible from the expressway, I-94. There are two buildings, plain in nature, but decorated with effort to look as mitteleuropean as possible. So much so, that it looks almost too cutesy, like Apple Holler, which is an exit or two north. When you get there, you find that one building, housing a classic Wisconsin tavern, remains reserved for parties. Everyone gets crammed into the other room. It reminds me a bit of the famous Marx Brothers scene on the steamship. There is a u-shaped bar with Mrs. Miro, chatting, smoking and pouring large glasses of beer. There is a small showcase cooking area, where Miro with his floppy chef hat, makes his daily specials, and there are typically, at dinner, people waiting for tables. The spectacle though, is all part of the appeal.
Miro's Charcoal House Little Europe
6613 120th
Kenosha, WI
262-857-9073
(You will see Miro's going north on I-94 from Chicago. It is on the east side of the highway, your right. You then exit the expressway and double back on the frontage road to get to Miro's.)
As Milwaukee begins to wan in my taste memory, I need to get an even older experience to blog. Otherwise, Miro's Charcoal House Little Europe in Wisconsin will be one blur of schnitzel, sausage and garlic flavored toast. Actually, do I need to say more about Miro's that schnitzel, sausage and garlic flavored toast?
The VI family visited Miro's three times already. Each visit included, if not schnitzel, certainly lots of sausage. Miro's menu goes three pages deep, but like a pizza parlor with an extended list, a lot of the choices are combination plates. It is possible to avoid schnitzel or sausage, but be somewhat forewarned. Twice, the Condiment Queen strayed. Once to fish and once to a beef tenderloin/shrimp combo plate; neither time did she walk away as happy and stuffed as the rest of the table.Avoiding stuffedness at Miro's is quite hard. It is hard first of all, to resist one of the five or so German and Czech beers on tap including a schwarzbier or black beer. And if you come on a Saturday night, as we have, you may have to wait a while for a table. Peckish, you will need to order the small potato pancakes, latkes, served with a sauce somewhere between ranch dressing and garlic butter. With the edge off, you can enjoy your soup. With the soup eat a slice or two of thick Wisconsin rye, either toasted and soaked with salty garlic butter or plain (plain?). Liver dumpling soup stays daily, a fine introduction to this soup, dumplings more fluffy than livery, while your alternative soup rotates. Needless to say, this being Wisconsin, the alternative probably includes cream and butter. One time, we had cream of chicken. It arrived thick yet unusually yellow in color. Guess what made it so yellow (hint, Wisconsin). The soup and garlic toast could sate. Luckily, Miro's serves enormous platters of food. Order a sausage plate, and you get four sausages about sixteen inches long. A schnitzel plate includes three giant swatches of breaded meat. Of course there are sides including long fingers of potatoes, roasted and then fried, showered with lemon pepper and combo plates of spatzle and bread dumplings. Finally, everyone gets dessert. Dessert of the day, but I doubt it ever changes from the dessert we got on each of three occasions, a fresh crepe filled with sweetened thin farmer's cheese.
As I noted above, if you stick with the basics, it seems hard to go wrong at Miro's. They make four kinda sausage in house, a plump Polish, a taut and spicy Bohemian, a meaty knockwurst and a brat heavy on the nutmeg, and then they grill them perfectly. We went to Miro's twice during recent debate on Hot Doug's, and it is hard to really appreciate Hot Doug's sourced sausages after having Miro's terrific handmade stuff. Aside from the CQ's misadventure in slightly frou-frou food, the only other thing less than delicious I tried was, amazingly, the gravy for the bread dumplings and spatzle. Stagnant and underspiced, it did no help. And the spatzle needed help especially, a little too plain. Since the potato wedges are so good, it is not really a problem in the long run.
Miro and his family, who escaped communist Czechoslovakia in 1981 dominate the dining room. It is easy to do. Miro's Charcoal House is highly visible from the expressway, I-94. There are two buildings, plain in nature, but decorated with effort to look as mitteleuropean as possible. So much so, that it looks almost too cutesy, like Apple Holler, which is an exit or two north. When you get there, you find that one building, housing a classic Wisconsin tavern, remains reserved for parties. Everyone gets crammed into the other room. It reminds me a bit of the famous Marx Brothers scene on the steamship. There is a u-shaped bar with Mrs. Miro, chatting, smoking and pouring large glasses of beer. There is a small showcase cooking area, where Miro with his floppy chef hat, makes his daily specials, and there are typically, at dinner, people waiting for tables. The spectacle though, is all part of the appeal.
Miro's Charcoal House Little Europe
6613 120th
Kenosha, WI
262-857-9073
(You will see Miro's going north on I-94 from Chicago. It is on the east side of the highway, your right. You then exit the expressway and double back on the frontage road to get to Miro's.)
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