Dessert Mon Feb 06 2012
The Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.) is holding a few chocolate-themed events in the coming days in preparation for that day that occurs two days after Lincoln's Birthday.
The Chemistry of Chocolate (this Wednesday, 6-7:30pm; $5) is an opportunity to learn more about why chocolate smells and tastes the way it is from a chemistry point of view; Blommer Chocolate Company's Melissa Tisoncik will be on hand to give you the skinny.
From Bean to Bar (this Saturday, 10am-noon; $20) takes you through the journey of how a cacao plant is groomed for a life of living in heart-shaped boxes (and sometimes having to endure forced marriages with peanut butter, nuts and fruit).
— Robyn Nisi /
Picture by Alexandra Moskovich from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool. Submit your pics!
— Robyn Nisi /
Random Thu Feb 02 2012
There's going to be a lot of crying on Sunday when one team loses. That we know. But there's going to be more crying beforehand, and it won't be because Kelly Clarkson screwed up the Star Spangled Banner or Madonna failed to bring back "Like a Virgin" during her half-time show. It's going to be because of onions.
Super Bowl is a weekend of endless variations on pulled pork, chili, messy dips, you name it, that all in some form or the other involve the use of onions. And we all know what happens when it comes to onion cutting - tears. It's caused by a substance known as propanethial sulfoxide, (yes, I know, yawn), which is similar to sulfuric acid and it occurs when your knife slices into the onion and disrupts all its membranes and things. (I hope I would give off the same deadly substance as well if someone tried to shank me).
Instead of crying your way through it, take a tip from the movie The Help and stick a matchstick in your mouth, unlit of course. Seriously, I've done it. It works. (And don't worry Chicago, you don't have to be a Southerner to try this little trick). Once you've mastered it you just might find yourself running over to The Chopping Block to work on your knife skills. And can you just image how cool you'll look brandishing a chef's knife with a matchstick sticking out your mouth come Sunday.
Or you can be like this guy and get all MacGyver on it.
— Brandy Gonsoulin /
TV Thu Feb 02 2012
I'm back! Just like Pee-Wee Herman, evidently. Three thoughts on this week's episode of "Top Chef".
Last night's installment felt sort of out of step with the rest of the season. Padma looked like a grown-up for the first time this season (did she finally put her beautiful foot down and refuse any more denim or weird jumpsuit things?), and a well-known child-like grown-up was guest judging. The connection to Texas was the most tenuous we've seen it (except for the Charlize Theron ep, which didn't even try). And despite multiple hurdles in the elimination challenge (find your own food, bike it around town, talk your way into someone else's kitchen), the cheftestants seemed pretty low-key on the drama index. All of which made for a fun episode to watch! Sing it with me now, "The stars at night, are big and bright..."
I was sad to see Grayson pack her knives and go. A Wisconsin girl who couldn't help but deliver gargantuan protein portions, sass Tom (twice!) and get away with it, and play nice during all the drama earlier this season -- I miss her already.And did anyone else catch her childhood cooking photo during the pancakes quickfire? While she was reminiscing about making a mess cooking in her home kitchen growing up, it looked more like an un-screened episode of "Little House on the Prairie," with the long pioneer-Victorian dress and what was probably flour but looked an awful lot like gunpowder all over the floor. The kind of photo that says, "Something terrible may have just happened here..." and that totally makes me like her even more.
All in all, it was a fun episode, though I'm not sure it was the best endorsement for biking... In Texas anyway.
And one last thought about Episode 12, for which I was asleep on the couch and failed to watch until the weekend. (Grad school, people. It's hard...sometimes.) While we lost Chris Jones (for the last time, not THAT Chris Jones) who we can only hope will cut his hair and be a good grooming role model for the family we never knew he had until the last few episodes, we gained what seemed like a sense of calm and stability that was utterly and likely purposefully lacking in the first portion of the season. The chefs that remain seem to genuinely respect and maybe even kind of...like each other.
— Andie Thomalla /
News Wed Feb 01 2012
Wicker Park's friendly coffee shop, the Wormhole, is staging an all out assault on our local landfill. After kicking their greening efforts into over drive on Jan 1, Wormhole is now composting and recycling 80 percent of their waste, mostly comprising of coffee grounds and biodegradable cups. Currently they are cranking out 250 pounds of compostable material per week, but rather than dump that in our landfill, Wormhole has hooked up with Growing Power to see their trash turned into black gold. Growing Power, who has five urban farm projects in the Chicago area, swings by Wormhole twice a week to pick up 15- to 25-gallon tubs and will add this waste to help heat up their compost throughout the city.
In other news, come Feb. 20, Wormhole will be closing up shop for a brief remodel to change the layout of the store and will reopen March 5. They also hope to be a host pick up site for Growing Power market baskets and a drop off spot for Wicker Park community compost. Details on those developments and more can be found on their blog.
— Joanna Ericson /
Bar Wed Feb 01 2012
Mixologist Paul McGee (pictured right as a friend's Halloween costume), whose delicious cocktails launched the Whistler to bar stardom (bardom?) will be leaving the Logan Square watering hole after tonight to embark on a new project with R.J. and Jerrod Melman of Lettuce Entertain You, the management behind such places as Hub 51 and Paris Club. Will the drinks go with him, and the Whistler invests in a lit-up margarita machine? Time will tell.
— Robyn Nisi /
Event Wed Feb 01 2012
Want to know how? I'll tell you. It's really easy. I mean, you could sneak into your special person's apartment and spell out your initials in four different kinds of rose petals, careful to avoid yellow, 'cause it means "FRIENDSHIP." Or, instead of breaking and entering--do this, a gift from me to you: expend the least amount of energy (read: make a reservation) and impress your date with a cheesy explanation of what an amuse bouche is, in hopes of scoring that kiss! Nine times out of ten...
Whether it's in Logan Square or Near North Side, here's a list of talented and savvy restaurants that are sure to impress and are prepared to help you show your significant other that you care about good food just as much as you care about him/her.
Continue reading this entry »
— Alexandra Moskovich /
Event Tue Jan 31 2012
Calling all wine lovers. Slow Food Chicago presents the first ever English publication of the Slow Wine guide, 2012. An event celebrating this release will be appropriately held at one of Chicago's very own hubs of Italian fine wine and dining, Spiaggia. The night will involve a walk-around wine tasting featuring over 100 wines from 45 select Italian producers. The admission price includes a complimentary copy of the Slow Wine 2012 guide along with a commemorative wine glass to take home with you. Light food pairings will be provided and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food Chicago. This Slow Wine event will be held on Feb 2 from 6pm - 8:30pm. Spiaggia is located at 980 N Michigan Ave. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $30 for Slow food members. Tickets can be purchased here.
— Katie Johnson /
Paul Kahan's much rumored Publican Quality Meats is opening on Feb. 6, right on schedule. They'll begin with in-house baked bread and other locally sourced items. The butcher will be fully functioning, selling meats, charcuterie and sandwiches, the following week. [via]
— Joanna Ericson /
Event Sun Jan 29 2012
Green Grocer Chicago celebrates its fourth year in business today. Doesn't 2008 seem like it was just yesterday? Anyways, stop by today for an open house celebration with food and drink tastings galore! You have just under an hour left to snag some samples from Crumb breads, Faith's Farm meats, Co-Op hot sauce, and Crop to Cup Coffee. From 1pm to 4pm sample Carr Valley cheeses, Nicole's Crackers, Pear Tree preserves, and Seedling's apple cider. Rounding out the night from 4pm - 7pm will be samples from the likes of Pasta Puttana, Honeypie Bakery, BOT Bakery and Candid Wines. The impressive roundup of local vendors alone will give you reason to celebrate. Green Grocer Chicago is located at 1402 W Grand Ave. 312-624-9508
— Katie Johnson /
Deals Sun Jan 29 2012
Get 'em while they're hot. And certifiably vegan. The Chicago Diner is offering vegan party "wingz" for six (pictured), just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. Regularly offered for $35, you can enjoy them at 20% off if you ask for the Super Bowl special. At $28 a tray, I'd say that's quite a steal for vegan meat delectables. Party wingz alone not going to cut it for you and your veggie friends? Check out the Chicago Diner's catering menu for additional offerings. The Chicago Diner is located at 3411 N Halsted St. All orders for the Super Bowl special must be placed prior to Feb. 2 (48 hours notice required). Contact orders@veggiediner.com or call 773-935-6696 for more info.
— Katie Johnson /
Image by Brandon Harris from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.
— Robyn Nisi /
Random Thu Jan 26 2012
America's Test Kitchen FEED blog posted an infographic titled Cakes Throughout US History today. In addition to sharing some tasty looking cakes and their historical significance (starting with Boston cream pie in the 1850s and ending with Smith Island Cake, which became the state dessert of Maryland in 1981), the infographic includes other culinary history trivia to ostensibly put the cakes in context. About a quarter of the way down the timeline, a blurb about the 1893 World's Fair caught my eye.
1893 Chicago IL Columbian Exposition in Chicago, at which a newfangled eating tool known as a "spoon" becomes all the rage.
So, wait, before 1893, Americans ate their soup with a knife and fork? Thomas Jefferson's slave invented macaroni and cheese but didn't have a spoon to stir it with? Paul Revere's silver shop made place settings of knives, forks and other forks? That seems unlikely.
With a little digging, I think I found the historical tidbit author Mari Levine and illustrator Jay Layman seem to have misinterpreted. According to PBS's "History Detectives," the souvenir spoon was invented in 1889 by a Washington DC silversmith, servicing the fad among the European travelers for collecting small souvenirs bearing the name of the city or country visited. The concept took off, and soon there were hundreds of commemorative spoons being sold in cities across the country. In 1893, the year of the Chicago World's Fair, silver prices plummeted, making souvenir spoons cheaper to produce and more affordable to common folk. The Columbian Exposition was the perfect venue for the fad to explode, as 27 million visitors streamed through. (The spoon, incidentally, has been in use in at least parts of Europe since the 1500s, and in the American colonies since the 1630s.)
The infographic's other Chicago footnote is more accurate, if potentially more legend than truth. Supposedly the Bloody Mary received its traditional celery stick garnish in the 1960s when a guest at the Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel grabbed one from a relish tray to stir his cocktail. According to historian Barry Popik, the claim is unverifiable, but celery stalks had been served with tomato juice-based drinks in the 1950s and earlier. But hey, at least it's not a complete misstatement of history.
View the full infographic here.
UPDATE: America's Test Kitchen has corrected the infographic. It now reads, "World's Columbian Exposition happens, kicking off the Golden Age of collecting commemorative spoons."
— Andrew Huff /
Deals Wed Jan 25 2012
Super Bowl Weekend is barbecue weekend, it seems. While Gapers Block is hosting its BBQ Bowl rib competition on Saturday, Barn & Company, 950 W. Wrightwood Ave., is offering two specials for Sunday.
In the restaurant, $30 gets you a "Four Quarter Meal," with courses showing up each quarter: a cup of chili and pulled pork sliders in the first quarter, nachos and Texas smoked sausage in the second, BBQ ribs and smoked brisket in the third, and smoked hot wings in the fourth. But if you're hosting a party at your house, pitmaster Gary Wiviott has you covered. The $350 Super Bowl To Go package includes:
• 5 BBQ chickens
• 10 racks of "Chicago's Best" baby back ribs
• 60 smoked BBQ wings
• 25 Texas-style smoked sausage
• chips and guacamole
• aked beans
• mac 'n cheese
• cole slaw
"We say feeds 10 to 15, but that's if they are BBQ guys or linebackers," says Wiviott. Reserve yours on Fanfueled.com no later than Friday, Feb. 3.
— Andrew Huff /
Fans of dirty punk rock may have realized that Pancho's isn't quite the same place anymore -- the appearance of fancy craft brews being your first clue. Turns out Brian Peterson of MP Shows went in on the venue with Tamiz Haiderali, formerly of Treat Restaurant. The venue is being renamed Township, and it's not-so-silently opening this weekend for a pop up brunch.
Old favorites will be served, as well as some new dishes; Dark Matter coffee will be available, and thanks to the attached bar you can spike it with the booze of your choice. The only catch? You need to make reservations, and for now the joint is cash only. If you've missed the Daal, Poori and Eggs as much as I have, check it out this Saturday or Sunday, 9am-2pm.
Township, 2200 N. California
Call 773-384-1865 or email treatrestaurant@gmail.com for reservations.
— Jen Bacher /
