It seems like just yesterday it was eggs drowned in soy sauce. Now, it's pig ear salad at Mado.
NB: while pig ears and trout seem fine to her sensibilities, ragu bianco or a white ragu of pork and chicken livers was not try-worthy for her. It is still very much worth ordering. If I was tallying top dishes of 2008, that would have made the final cut.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Year in Local
Semi-maudlin, quasi-spiritual Thanksgiving piece, check; holiday gift guide, check; the last step towards legitimacy, the year-end review. I am so there. Myself and my family found it easier than ever to eat local in 2008 because we had more sources than ever to buy local food.
Needless to say, we ate more local food than ever. We narrowed our biggest gap in local eating, the lack of local food when we ate out. We went out much less, mostly because we had too much in-house to eat. In addition, we found local at favorite restaurants like Mado, Vie and Lula's [ed. Lula's, that's a new one!].
We also narrowed our gap in our exceptions and make-do's. We stored better, so we had more local food in the winter. We worked harder (namely my wife), so we had things like canned tomatoes. We had more of the basics like garlic and onions, and we had less need to go to the "don't make yourself nuts rule" by eating things like out of season berries. Finally, what we really liked about this year was the various lectures and talks we attended (or gave). Local did not just taste good this year.
A happy year in local. Let's roll the tape.
January - We get our food from a top secret drop, on the road in Michigan, and at the smallest superstore.
February - We told you what was in season in this short cold month, but we told you about something even grander. On Grand, acting partially as the new bodega for her barrio, but also as a destination for all, Cassie Green and her then, not quite husband, opened a market focusing on local foods, Green Grocer. Over the course of the year, Cassie supplied us with early crops from Windy City Harvest, speciality local products like Papa Lena's beet chips, and my wife's addiction, Trader's Point Creamery Orchard Trio yogurt. If nothing else happened in local in 2008, we have the story of Cassie. Or not. Another woman made local available in the darkest month's Robin "Winter" Schmier. Here's a report from one of her markets in February.
March - We come close to running out of food (but not potatoes). Perhaps one of the reasons the CTrib later shuts down its Perspective section? Will 848 be next? By the end of the month, new foods arrive.
April - Ramps, the weed for the kook kidz (what about the rest of us). Bravo to us. So, I finally get the meal of my local dreams.
May - A wonderful relationship begins in the comments. Farmer's markets roll-out; nothing ever compares to the one in Madison. Soup-box/soap box program begins at Hull House on local food issues. I rant.
June - I rant for an audience (audio here). Markets are all over the place and Cassie is fully stocked. We are eating asparagus constantly. Mado! MikeG begins putting locavores to film. I rant.
July - The difference between freshly dug and new potatoes. I'm bitter (CTrib does story on locavores without me). Such a deal, free cheesecake and a fantastic group of local experts speaking each week at Eli's Cheesecake Factory. I believe this was the night we ate best the whole year.
August - Michael Morowitz's wife has twins in the middle of trying to start a new online eat local mag: the Local Beet. The month is otherwise dedicated to tomatoes.
September - Melissa and I lay out some tips for getting the rest of the harvest set.
October - Use your head, following the advice in this Sky Full of Bacon production. Mado launched their farm dinners, now my favorite way to eat there. Most farmer's markets wrap up this month.
November - Is there anything else besides Family Farmed Expo? I find time to provide 18 tips towards eating local. The Beet adds the Sustainable Cook and the Backyard Farmer.
December - Winter markets working out very well. How smart is this need for local food?
Coming soon: Mado goes New Year's Eve family style; Paul Virant takes on an Iron Chef; more Sky Full of Bacon podcasts on local food; Green City goes winter.
Happy New Year.
Needless to say, we ate more local food than ever. We narrowed our biggest gap in local eating, the lack of local food when we ate out. We went out much less, mostly because we had too much in-house to eat. In addition, we found local at favorite restaurants like Mado, Vie and Lula's [ed. Lula's, that's a new one!].
We also narrowed our gap in our exceptions and make-do's. We stored better, so we had more local food in the winter. We worked harder (namely my wife), so we had things like canned tomatoes. We had more of the basics like garlic and onions, and we had less need to go to the "don't make yourself nuts rule" by eating things like out of season berries. Finally, what we really liked about this year was the various lectures and talks we attended (or gave). Local did not just taste good this year.
A happy year in local. Let's roll the tape.
January - We get our food from a top secret drop, on the road in Michigan, and at the smallest superstore.
February - We told you what was in season in this short cold month, but we told you about something even grander. On Grand, acting partially as the new bodega for her barrio, but also as a destination for all, Cassie Green and her then, not quite husband, opened a market focusing on local foods, Green Grocer. Over the course of the year, Cassie supplied us with early crops from Windy City Harvest, speciality local products like Papa Lena's beet chips, and my wife's addiction, Trader's Point Creamery Orchard Trio yogurt. If nothing else happened in local in 2008, we have the story of Cassie. Or not. Another woman made local available in the darkest month's Robin "Winter" Schmier. Here's a report from one of her markets in February.
March - We come close to running out of food (but not potatoes). Perhaps one of the reasons the CTrib later shuts down its Perspective section? Will 848 be next? By the end of the month, new foods arrive.
April - Ramps, the weed for the kook kidz (what about the rest of us). Bravo to us. So, I finally get the meal of my local dreams.
May - A wonderful relationship begins in the comments. Farmer's markets roll-out; nothing ever compares to the one in Madison. Soup-box/soap box program begins at Hull House on local food issues. I rant.
June - I rant for an audience (audio here). Markets are all over the place and Cassie is fully stocked. We are eating asparagus constantly. Mado! MikeG begins putting locavores to film. I rant.
July - The difference between freshly dug and new potatoes. I'm bitter (CTrib does story on locavores without me). Such a deal, free cheesecake and a fantastic group of local experts speaking each week at Eli's Cheesecake Factory. I believe this was the night we ate best the whole year.
August - Michael Morowitz's wife has twins in the middle of trying to start a new online eat local mag: the Local Beet. The month is otherwise dedicated to tomatoes.
September - Melissa and I lay out some tips for getting the rest of the harvest set.
October - Use your head, following the advice in this Sky Full of Bacon production. Mado launched their farm dinners, now my favorite way to eat there. Most farmer's markets wrap up this month.
November - Is there anything else besides Family Farmed Expo? I find time to provide 18 tips towards eating local. The Beet adds the Sustainable Cook and the Backyard Farmer.
December - Winter markets working out very well. How smart is this need for local food?
Coming soon: Mado goes New Year's Eve family style; Paul Virant takes on an Iron Chef; more Sky Full of Bacon podcasts on local food; Green City goes winter.
Happy New Year.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Nothing Says I Love You Better Than Several Loaves of Bread
Freddy's Today
Nice deal. We purchase a pork tenderloin sandwich, change of pace, with the red gravy; a very large prosciutto sandwich on focaccia (so large we bring half home); we get a free sample of several chicken ravioli, alfredo sauce (yum!). Two pops. We leave with three loaves of about the best of its kind, bread in the Chicago area + several more pieces of focaccia.
Note: For a change of pace, and special holiday shopping, Freddy's is open this Sunday. They are also open the day after Christmas.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
Nice deal. We purchase a pork tenderloin sandwich, change of pace, with the red gravy; a very large prosciutto sandwich on focaccia (so large we bring half home); we get a free sample of several chicken ravioli, alfredo sauce (yum!). Two pops. We leave with three loaves of about the best of its kind, bread in the Chicago area + several more pieces of focaccia.
Note: For a change of pace, and special holiday shopping, Freddy's is open this Sunday. They are also open the day after Christmas.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
More Local Gifts
Via the Stew, a link to a whole host of Illinois food companies. I know some of these people, and would comment more if (or when) I have time.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Baked Lame at Rodity's
I've heard (more than once) that Rodity's is the place Greeks/Greek-Americans visit more than any other in Chicago's Greektown. Despite my constant quest for authenticity, I have not been there myself. I do like what I see on the menu.
Helen, you missed one way on the bottom of the page, and you wonder why I always say nice things about you.
Helen, you missed one way on the bottom of the page, and you wonder why I always say nice things about you.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Local Presents
I was talking over the summer to a journalist. I asked why he did not have a blog. He said that he did not think he could do the daily chatter, getting regular posts up thing. He said he feared lists making and the such. I was like, blog filler, lists, holiday presents, top tens, bring it on. No one can fill the Internets with filler like me. I live for the bullet point baby. And what "publication" worth its bytes these days has not published a list of holiday gifts. Only a few of these things below, have come via publicist, so if you want inclusion in next year's tally, start schmoozing me now.
Here's several very good gift ideas for the locavore in your family.
Here's several very good gift ideas for the locavore in your family.
- Nothing says "I'm with you" to a farmer like a little cash up front. Give the gift of fresh fruits and vegetables each week. Here's a good list of CSAs in the Chicago area. As I have written before, the benefits of a CSA exceed the mere delivery of food.
- I'm not above paying over $20/lb for cheese, and I love feta cheese, but I've not had it in myself to pay the $20/lb for Hidden Springs Creamery feta. I'm a big fan of all of her cheeses, especially the fresh "Driftless" cheese, but I have not yet sprung for the feta. This is the kinda of over-top gesture that makes an ideal holiday present.
- The chronocles in Kurt Friese's A Cook's Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland makes the best of holiday presents because it will lead to many finds and adventures as he highlights some of the Midwest's best food people and producers. You can read an excerpt here.
- Some of the artisans featured in Friese's book are the bootleggers gone legit in Templeton, Iowa. Templeton Rye can be found in Chicago at area Binny's. Rye tastes a bit drier than bourbon, and this whiskey has an appealing smoothness.
- Find more farmers and artisans by taking one of the Learn Great Foods tours.
- Make your own farm tour, but combine it with a farm dinner at Prairie Fruits Farms.
- Drive even further from Chicago to the most ideal place around, Washington Island. Stay at the Washington Hotel or at least have dinner there. Maybe you'll be able to do shots of Death's Door vodka with Martha Bayne.
- Nothing says I love you to an eat local acolyte than the most essential purchase, a freezer.
- Fill that freezer with a side of meat. Here's a list of farms in Illinois to get you started.
- Can anyone in sun-drenched Cali call proscuitto local?
- Be even more decadent with caviar.
- It's not so much an eat local present, but it's a good food present nonetheless, à la card chicago is a deck of 52 discount cards for Chicago area restaurants. $30 gets you $10 off each of the places in the deck. With choices ranging from Hot Doug's to Mado to Manny's! as Natasha sez, "it almost ridiculous not to own one." Of course in Nasha's e-mail, she does not say how to get the cards. I got mine at the Family Farmed Expo.
- There's no shortage of good eat local books. Michael's started a collection over at the Beet. I plan on adding to it soon.
May your holidays be a local holiday!
Eat Local
Quote of the Day
HelpfulHelen describing China getting around to banning certain chemicals from their foods.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Today's Freddy's Comp
I cannot believe I walked out of Freddy's today for less than $15 (less than $14 but who's counting). A big plate of pasta, pork tenderloin with giardinara, a slice of the porchetta, a big spoonful of roasted potatoes--why mine cannot come out that shade of brown, a roll for sopping and two pops. Some on the house.
It's hard, then to say which I liked best. Like Mado, I do find myself oddly attracted to the bread, Freddy's rolls are that good, but the rest would be blog-worthy if I had to pay for it all.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
It's hard, then to say which I liked best. Like Mado, I do find myself oddly attracted to the bread, Freddy's rolls are that good, but the rest would be blog-worthy if I had to pay for it all.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Hard Workin' Woman of Local
Sure, I can eat local food, but these two woman, Robin "Winter" Schirmer and Cassie "Green" Green. Make it happen. Robin had good food at her winter markets last weekend and Cassie has plenty in her store.
She writes in to say her produce aisles include:
She writes in to say her produce aisles include:
TomatoesWho says we cannot eat local in December?
Cucumbers
Yellow Zucchini
Chard
Basil
Herbs (just a few)
Raspberries
Mado Revealed, More
Great write-up and pictures of about the whole Mado night's menu on LTHForum (kinda reminds me of a certain scene in Diner).
Even before some unnamed family member dropped the camera, I was short on food pics on the blog. I can share my Mado gluttony word-wise, but I trust these pics, likes these pics before, will also give an idea of Mado-goodness.
Even before some unnamed family member dropped the camera, I was short on food pics on the blog. I can share my Mado gluttony word-wise, but I trust these pics, likes these pics before, will also give an idea of Mado-goodness.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Quote of the Day
Why Helen is the most beloved woman in food blogging, discussing the CTrib's Good Eating section:
With the all-Blagojevich-all-the-time news cycle right now, we were surprised the Trib even ran a food section at all today. But then we learned from Bill Daley's twitter that the Good Eating team plans their story schedule literally a year ahead of time. Therein, we believe, lies the difference between blogging and Legitimate Journalism, because we plan our story schedule approximately twenty seconds before hitting "publish."
The Costs of Local
When that five dollar pint of raspberries goes in one sitting, it's easy to think local food is more expensive. Surely if you price local meat, you will be tempted to turn vegetarian. Still, I contend that local food saves money. Moreover, the price of local food pays back in many ways.
The key factor, more than anything, and Mado, Vie, Lula, etc., aside, local food is about cooking your food. The Chicago Tribune, happy its bankruptcy is now yesterday's news notes the advantages of cooking while talking about my wife's passion, cookbooks:
The key factor, more than anything, and Mado, Vie, Lula, etc., aside, local food is about cooking your food. The Chicago Tribune, happy its bankruptcy is now yesterday's news notes the advantages of cooking while talking about my wife's passion, cookbooks:
Cooking at home can be more economical, yes, but that's just the beginning of the bonuses with inspired recipes from a new cookbook. Cooking can bring family members together, it can open a window to other cultures, it can teach kids to become more independent, and it is almost always a more nutritious way to eat.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
The Effects of Goose - Latest in Mado Family Dinners
Two Big Thumbs Up
I'm not saying I skipped eating yesterday, but a fairly light dinner of pasta with River Valley mushrooms and leftover beets (Genesis Growers) about did the it for me. My bloodstream was still oozing goose fat, the effects of Sunday night's family dinner at Mado. I'm stuffed.
As I've said before, as good as meals at Mado can be, there's no better way to enjoy the output of Chefs Rob and Allie Levitt than through their family dinner. The theme this time was goose, which like the wild boar previous, was procured by George Rassmussen of Swan Creek Farm. Rob Levitt managed to get the goose, or at least the goose fat, into most everything he served. Allie Levitt wisely restrained herself.
There may be no bigger attraction of the Mado Family Dinner than the all-you-can-eat buffet at the start of the meal. Call me crazy, but this is the one time I can eat as much of Mado's from-scratch (the starter's name is Francine) bread. OK, I'm pretty crazy about the sour cherry mostarda too; yea, and like the four year old a few seats away from me, I also very much enjoyed the goose liver mouse and goose rillettes. Of course one of us took two helpings. Rob mentioned that he had never worked with goose livers not of the fattened type before. So, you do not get that buttery foie thing. Instead, you get animal essence, like all the efforts of that goose had been channeled thought its normally operating liver to show its natural flavor goodness.
It takes much restraint to not simply gorge on charcuterie. I very much love Mado's next course, the vegetable antipasti. I am always so impressed and happy with the things they can do with a few ingredients. Mado seems able to slice up any vegetable thinly, dress it, and make it taste too good. They did this the other night with sunchokes and watermelon radishes. On the other hand, the roasted carrots got a bit of assistance from the goose cracklins.
We moved on to what some might call the primi piatti, which to others would be a meal and a half. Rob braised the lesser cuts of goose, the gizzards, wings, necks, and served it over polenta. To me, the goose tasted nicely Medieval, with some type of ancient spicing, but Rob insisted that it was really just the flavor of the goose as he used only a limited amount of rosemary and sage. My one complaint, the ratio of goose to starch. As good as the goose was, it was a bit too much compared with the polenta, but like I say, I'm also the guy hording the watermelon radish.
Rob places a salad course between his primo and secondo or main course. Frankly, it's always been an odd duck of a course (no pun intended!). Not that the food has not been good--I mean I loved-loved last dinner's apple-fennel-boar bacon salad, but I do not quite agree with the placement of this course. The idea of returning to a salad soon after similar vegetable antipasti seems, well, redundant. I'd suggest Mado put the salad after the main course as a palate refresher. (Me, I would still eat it if that's your fear.) On the other hand, no one much thought of this dinner's salad as a salad anyways. Big tubes of goose sausage about hid the frise component of the dish. Then, buried within, chunks of potato fried in goose fat. Really, this is about as ideal of a dish for my tastes as possible. All the things I like, matched in the ways I like. And like the braised goose, the goose sausage had a taste that said ancien cuisine, something to do with its course yet mushy texture (in a good way!).
Goose showed up in the main course, not just in the spit roasted breasts but in the turnips roasted in goose fat. I'm not sure which one I liked more. I do not believe any goose fat bolstered the carnival squash puree, but I liked that one a lot too. Now, cannot you see why a little green salad would fit in nicely about now.
Instead, we headed full bore into Allie Levitt's handiwork. The slices of sour cherry pie were not so big, but the pastry-ish crust was big in butter. There were two platters of the chocolate ginger cake, one with slices made from a bundt pan, one with slices cut in triangles. I asked Allie which one she thought contained more cake. She said the bundt type slices. Good, as that's the one I had eaten. I'm never going to be unhappy with sour cherry pie, certainly not one made from intense Seedlings cherries, but the spiced cake certainly thematically drove home the meal. An old fashioned dinner for sure.
I had about a third of a bottle of Limoncello with me, and all around me were very happy for its cleansing powers.
Mado's next family dinner will be a New Year's Eve extravaganza. Rob expects to make cotechinno. I've suggested he get some local caviar.
Mado
1647 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 342-2340
Two Thumbs Up!
I'm not saying I skipped eating yesterday, but a fairly light dinner of pasta with River Valley mushrooms and leftover beets (Genesis Growers) about did the it for me. My bloodstream was still oozing goose fat, the effects of Sunday night's family dinner at Mado. I'm stuffed.
As I've said before, as good as meals at Mado can be, there's no better way to enjoy the output of Chefs Rob and Allie Levitt than through their family dinner. The theme this time was goose, which like the wild boar previous, was procured by George Rassmussen of Swan Creek Farm. Rob Levitt managed to get the goose, or at least the goose fat, into most everything he served. Allie Levitt wisely restrained herself.
There may be no bigger attraction of the Mado Family Dinner than the all-you-can-eat buffet at the start of the meal. Call me crazy, but this is the one time I can eat as much of Mado's from-scratch (the starter's name is Francine) bread. OK, I'm pretty crazy about the sour cherry mostarda too; yea, and like the four year old a few seats away from me, I also very much enjoyed the goose liver mouse and goose rillettes. Of course one of us took two helpings. Rob mentioned that he had never worked with goose livers not of the fattened type before. So, you do not get that buttery foie thing. Instead, you get animal essence, like all the efforts of that goose had been channeled thought its normally operating liver to show its natural flavor goodness.
It takes much restraint to not simply gorge on charcuterie. I very much love Mado's next course, the vegetable antipasti. I am always so impressed and happy with the things they can do with a few ingredients. Mado seems able to slice up any vegetable thinly, dress it, and make it taste too good. They did this the other night with sunchokes and watermelon radishes. On the other hand, the roasted carrots got a bit of assistance from the goose cracklins.
We moved on to what some might call the primi piatti, which to others would be a meal and a half. Rob braised the lesser cuts of goose, the gizzards, wings, necks, and served it over polenta. To me, the goose tasted nicely Medieval, with some type of ancient spicing, but Rob insisted that it was really just the flavor of the goose as he used only a limited amount of rosemary and sage. My one complaint, the ratio of goose to starch. As good as the goose was, it was a bit too much compared with the polenta, but like I say, I'm also the guy hording the watermelon radish.
Rob places a salad course between his primo and secondo or main course. Frankly, it's always been an odd duck of a course (no pun intended!). Not that the food has not been good--I mean I loved-loved last dinner's apple-fennel-boar bacon salad, but I do not quite agree with the placement of this course. The idea of returning to a salad soon after similar vegetable antipasti seems, well, redundant. I'd suggest Mado put the salad after the main course as a palate refresher. (Me, I would still eat it if that's your fear.) On the other hand, no one much thought of this dinner's salad as a salad anyways. Big tubes of goose sausage about hid the frise component of the dish. Then, buried within, chunks of potato fried in goose fat. Really, this is about as ideal of a dish for my tastes as possible. All the things I like, matched in the ways I like. And like the braised goose, the goose sausage had a taste that said ancien cuisine, something to do with its course yet mushy texture (in a good way!).
Goose showed up in the main course, not just in the spit roasted breasts but in the turnips roasted in goose fat. I'm not sure which one I liked more. I do not believe any goose fat bolstered the carnival squash puree, but I liked that one a lot too. Now, cannot you see why a little green salad would fit in nicely about now.
Instead, we headed full bore into Allie Levitt's handiwork. The slices of sour cherry pie were not so big, but the pastry-ish crust was big in butter. There were two platters of the chocolate ginger cake, one with slices made from a bundt pan, one with slices cut in triangles. I asked Allie which one she thought contained more cake. She said the bundt type slices. Good, as that's the one I had eaten. I'm never going to be unhappy with sour cherry pie, certainly not one made from intense Seedlings cherries, but the spiced cake certainly thematically drove home the meal. An old fashioned dinner for sure.
I had about a third of a bottle of Limoncello with me, and all around me were very happy for its cleansing powers.
Mado's next family dinner will be a New Year's Eve extravaganza. Rob expects to make cotechinno. I've suggested he get some local caviar.
Mado
1647 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 342-2340
Two Thumbs Up!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Freddy's Revealed
Annmarie at Freddy's today pointed me to this great set of pics of her place.
Obligatory Freddy's disclosure: lunch of pork sandwich, giardinara, beef gravy; pizza ala Napolina and eggplant in Freddy's red gravy no match for doggy bag Joe sends us home with: pasta with clam sauce and much more eggplant.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
(between 16th St & 18th St)
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
(BTW, my latest food fantasy is to team up Rob from Mado with Joe from Freddy's.)
Obligatory Freddy's disclosure: lunch of pork sandwich, giardinara, beef gravy; pizza ala Napolina and eggplant in Freddy's red gravy no match for doggy bag Joe sends us home with: pasta with clam sauce and much more eggplant.
Freddy's
1600 S 61st Ave
(between 16th St & 18th St)
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 863-9289
www.freddyspizza.com
Gosh, I Love Helen
As I eagerly await Sunday's Mado goose dinner, some other goose thoughts crossed my desk. Hear what she has to say!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
New Local Beet Feature Up
The best dressed man on the Local Beet team has turned in his latest dispatch. David "Hat" Hammond talks local with one of the localist of chefs in the area (and future Iron Chef Cheftestant). See what Paul Virant of Vie has to say at the Beet.
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