Sarkis: The Greatest Place On Earth

It's almost embarrassing to admit this, but I have been eating Sarkis Lorettas for over 15 years.  And I don't mean every once and awhile, I'm talking several days in a row, every time I am back in Chicago and, sometimes, multiple times in one day.  That's just how good these things are.  Now, for those of you that go to Sarkis and order eggs sunny-side up or waffles, that's just pure armature play.  Put your big boy pants on and go for the original.  I've tried every Loretta but my staple has always been the ham with everything, special hash browns and a diet coke.  Feel free to steal my order.  Lucky for Chicagoans, there are two locations; one in Skokie and one on Fullerton and Clark.  They also deliver.  Run, don't walk.

Sarkis: The Greatest Place On Earth

Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls

When people travel, they typically like to shop. Maybe they'll buy some souvenirs to remember their trip by, some toys for the kids or perhaps they'll take advantage of department stores and local designer storefronts. Well, I'm not your typical traveler. When I get home, I unpack a suitcase filled with food products.

While we were in Chicago, my brother informed me that Lettuce Entertain You started bottling its Spicy Peanut Sauce from my favorite spot, Big Bowl. To give you some context, this is like telling a 12 year old girl that the Jonas Brothers are on her doorstep. I absolutely FREAKED out, hopped a cab to Big Bowl and bought 4 bottles to take home, (I also made a to-go order for my plane ride).

Big Bowl is one of my favorite LEYE concepts that blends Chinese and Thai flavors and is down-right delicious. I worked there for a summer in college and have continued to eat there for over 10 years. The dish that keeps bringing me back is the fresh and light summer rolls they serve with their Spicy Peanut Sauce and now that they are bottling the stuff (prayers answered!) I can recreate the dish in my San Francisco kitchen. And that's just what I did last night.

A little side note: I marinaded my shrimp in a mixture of grated lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and fresh ginger which added acidity and brightness.

Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls
(Not the official Big Bowl recipe)

• 1 cup thinly sliced Bibb lettuce
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup cooked bean threads (cellophane noodles, about 1 ounce uncooked)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 6 ounces cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 8 (8-inch) round sheets rice paper

1. To prepare the rolls, combine the first 8 ingredients.

2. Add hot water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1 inch. Place 1 rice paper sheet in dish; let stand 30 seconds or just until soft. Place sheet on a flat surface. Arrange 1/3 cup shrimp mixture over half of sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Folding sides of sheet over filling and starting with filled side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Gently press seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a serving platter (cover to keep from drying). Repeat procedure with remaining shrimp mixture and rice paper sheets.

Serve with Big Bowl Spicy Peanut Sauce

Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls

Wolfy's

We were just in Chicago for a week catching up with old friends and family and with the dishes and restaurants we miss the most. One of the highlights of our trip was our very first visit to my friend Josh's new hot dog joint in Northbrook, Wolfy's.

Wolfy's opened a little over 4 months ago and has become a community epicenter. The local ball team goes after games, business men come for lunch and it's about as family friendly as they come. Josh is the perfect front man and does a great job making everyone feel welcome and a part of the Wolfy's family.

Despite the killer hot dogs and fries with Meerkat (!) cheese, there is truly something on the menu for everyone. How about a Tuscan toss salad, tamale or tuna melt? Better yet, how about a gyro, Italian beef or chicken nuggets? The diverse menu caters to all types of customers- young and old.

What was my favorite bite? Well, that would have to be the grilled salami. Josh insisted we try it and, boy, I'm glad we did.

Congrats Josh. A job well done.

Wolfy's

Cherry-Berry Pie

If you go to the Green City Market in Chicago (in my old hood, tear), chances are you have seen this pie in person. Paula Haney is an acclaimed pastry chef that left the big kitchens of some of the hottest restaurants to open Hoosier Mama Pie Company. This pie takes advantage of the luscious berries in season right now that can be found easily at farmers markets everywhere. If you can't get a pie from Paula's stand, try and make it at home using this recipe.

Cherry-Berry Pie

Crust

1. 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, frozen
2. 2 teaspoons salt
3. 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes—9 tablespoons frozen, 5 tablespoons chilled
4. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar mixed with 6 tablespoons of ice water

Filling

1. 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2. 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
3. Pinch of salt
4. 2 cups pitted sweet cherries
5. 3/4 pound raspberries (3 cups)
6. 1/2 pound blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
7. 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
8. 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Make the Crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt. Add the chilled butter and pulse until it’s the size of small peas. Add the frozen butter and pulse until it’s the size of small peas. Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the flour mixture. Pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently to form a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and flatten into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 10-inch metal pie plate and freeze for 20 minutes. Roll out the remaining dough 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Make the Filling: In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of sugar with the tapioca and salt. In another bowl, toss the cherries with the raspberries and blueberries. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture and toss gently.
4. Mix the flour and the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle in the crust; tap out the excess. Spoon the filling into the crust.
5. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the remaining dough into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Arrange the strips across the pie in a lattice pattern. Trim the overhanging strips to 1/2 inch and press them to the crust. Pinch the rim between your fingers to flute it. Freeze the pie for 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the cream over the lattice crust and rim and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 1 hour, or until the crust is richly browned and the filling starts to bubble. If necessary, cover the pie with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool on a rack until warm before serving.

Cherry-Berry Pie

Wolfy's Northbrook

Attention Chicago!!!

Wolfy's Northbrook opens tomorrow at 11am so round up your friends or kids and go grab a bite that everyone will love that won't break the bank. Some menu items to be excited about are:

· Fresh Salad Bar with everything you might want to please your healthier side
· Fresh brisket and chuck burger made daily by the most famous butcher in Northbrook - served on a hand baked Challah roll (yum)
· Polish’s done right like we’ve come to love on Maxwell St
· Grilled Salami sandwich that emulates Poochie’s with grilled onions, on soft French bread, and a dab of brown mustards
· Real Merkt’s cheddar for your dogs, fries, and burgers
· Vienna products across the board of course!!
· An amazing gyros (pita-meat-sauce-meat again-onion-tomato)
· Awesome Chicken pita sandwich’s marinated overnight
· Kick ass fries to round off your meal!

Location is in the little strip mall on the southeast corner of Dundee and Sanders.
873 Sanders Rd., Northbrook, IL, 847-272-1177)

Make sure to say hi to Josh Kaplan, my good friend and fellow foodie. Also, check out Wolfy's video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZAcB_jrQTA

See you there Kaplan Brothers!

Wolfy's Northbrook

Casserole Queens' Chicken Pot Pie

Did anyone else catch the Chicken Pot Pie Throwdown on Food Network last night? If you live in Austin, Texas you MUST call the Casserole Queens'. Now, I am not a casserole kinda gal but you cannot resist these two bubbly friends that bake and deliver goodies dressed up in 50's duds. They were adorable and you could tell that they love their job, their communities and their friendship. Watching this episode made me crave this comfort food so I'm going to whip it up for my sister and boyfriend tomorrow night. They use puff pastry for the crust which gives it a nice buttery, flaky texture.

P.S. I made this and it was great BUT you need to add way more flour. I would add 1/4 cup of flour and go from there. Sauce was way too thin.

Casserole Queens Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 roasted chicken, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped red sweet pepper
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups peas, blanched
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, blanched
• 2 potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled
• 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, sweet pepper, and shallots and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, salt, tarragon, and black pepper. Add milk and cream all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in wine, peas, carrots and potatoes; heat thoroughly. Transfer the hot chicken mixture to a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Place pastry over the hot chicken mixture in casserole dish. Brush puff pastry with egg wash then cut slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Casserole Queens' Chicken Pot Pie

Build Your Own Bloody Mary Brunch

People are passionate about their Bloody Mary's. Just ask my best friend, Carrie, who likes to use a pickle spear instead of celery and adds olive juice to her mix. Me? I like mine spicy and I mean really spicy. So how do you make everyone happy? Have them make it themselves.

I threw a Build Your Own Bloody Mary brunch and it was a huge hit. Forget the food, these cocktails are a recipe on their own. It took one friend 10 minutes to make theirs. He put lemon juice around the edge of the glass and rolled the rim in celery salt. Next, he smashed up olives and hot peppers over the ice on the bottom before adding any liquid. It was quite fascinating, really. My guests really took their Bloody seriously and that made it even more fun.

If you're ever in Chicago make sure to hit up Stanley's on the border of Old Town and Lincoln Park. They have a DIY Bloody bar on the weekends and they have the best fried chicken on the planet. Oh yeah, karaoke night is not to be missed. Midwest celebrities like Eddie Vedder and Kid Rock like to break it down for locals.

Build Your Own Bloody Mary Brunch

GameDay Buffalo Wings

The Super Bowl is just around the corner so that means snacking on some American bites and dips. There is no question that beer, football and Buffalo wings go hand-in-hand. I found the recipe for the original spicy Buffalo chicken wings from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. Many argue that Anchor Bar is the birthplace of this bar food staple. You can adjust the heat by adding more or less cayenne and Tabasco.

Buffalo Chicken Wings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

* 36 chicken wing pieces (one wing makes 2 pieces - the "flat" and the "drum")
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
* celery sticks
* blue cheese dressing (I love Marie's)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. If necessary, cut whole wings into two pieces. In a bowl toss the wings with the oil, and salt. Place into a large plastic shopping bag, and add the flour. Shake to coat evenly. Remove wings from the bag, shaking off excess flour, and spread out evenly on oiled foil-lined baking pan(s). Do not crowd. Bake for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through and browned.

2. While the wings are baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, and over low heat bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off.

3. After the wings are cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot wings and toss with a spoon or spatula to completely coat.

These are always served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on the side.

GameDay Buffalo Wings

Saganaki

Most of my food cravings usually include cheese. Even though San Francisco is a great town for ethnic foods, I miss Chicago's Greek Town. A dinner at the Parthenon can't be beat and they actually claim fame to the dish I love so much- Saganaki.

Saganaki is Greek fried cheese. When you order it, the waiter brings it to the table, flambes it and then squeezes fresh lemon juice all over it just before serving. It's freakin' awesome. Dip your bread in all the goodness and sip a glass of crisp white wine. Heaven.

I've never made Saganaki at home but I have these great Calphalon tapas dishes that are perfect for it so I figured to give it a shot. I tried flambeing the dish table side but it was a bust. Second time around I flambed it on the stove and it turned out perfect.

Saganaki

• 8 (1/2-inch) slices Kasseri cheese
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups brandy
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 8 rounds of pita bread, brushed with olive oil, grilled and quartered
• 1 cup Kalamata olives

Season both sides of the cheese with salt and pepper. Place the cheese in a shallow dish and cover with brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Remove the cheese from the pan, reserving 1/4 cup of the brandy and dredge in the seasoned flour, coating completely. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Pan-fry the cheese for 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved brandy and carefully flame the liquor, shaking the pan back and forth several times. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the pan and serve with the pita bread and olives.

Saganaki

Chicago's Stephanie Izard

There is no question that Stephanie Izard is one of the best contenders in this season’s Top Chef. Unlike Casey from last season that got better as the challenges wore on, Stephanie’s been consistent from the very beginning and kept a great attitude. (Can someone please tell me why the Hell Lisa is still on the show? Ugh.)

Watch Top Chef tonight on Bravo and root for Chi-town’s Stephanie. Could this be the year that a female chef finally wins?

Chicago's Stephanie Izard

My Beloved Big Bowl

My time in Chicago is coming to an end and I am expecting to gain about 20 pounds in the next 10 days trying to squeeze in every restaurant, dish and cocktail that I love before I go. Avec will surely be a stop, as will Shaw's, the Crepe Palace, my dive Mexican joint Angelas, and today's stop, Big Bowl. Ahh, Big Bowl. How I love their peanut sauce.

I have been a loyal patron of Big Bowl since it opened it's doors. I even waited tables there for a summer when I was still in college. Over the years, many of my favorite dishes have come and gone but the peanut sauce has always remained. Thank goodness!

There is no question that I love Thai food and that eventually I will travel that part of the globe and eat my way through it. According to the definition in Wikipedia, Thai Cuisine is known for its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter. The flavors are there indeed, but what I love about the food is its textures and its lightness. Much like sushi, you can pound a huge Thai dinner but still walk away without having to unbuckle your belt.

Bruce Cost and Matt McMillin wrote the restaurant's cookbook and I highly suggest you get your hands on it. The recipes are complex but worth a shot. If you dine there, don't miss out on the summer rolls. They are my favorite.

My Beloved Big Bowl

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 3

Chocolate-coffee-banana mousse cake, caramelized bananas, chocolate tuile, chocolate sorbet White chocolate cheesecake, shortbread crust, early season cherry compote
THE GRADUATE!!!

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 3

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 2

Grilled black pepper hanger steak, roasted farro, asparagus, balsamic glaze, crisp shallots
Prosciutto-comte cheese panini sandwich, fingerling potato chips, watercress-apple salad ( I had this and it was good but the bread was tough. You could recreate this easily at home. Much like a croque monsieur)

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 2

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 1

We had a wonderful celebration brunch for my boyfriend's law school graduation this weekend. We love North Pond and the food and view of the city did not disappoint. Here are photos of the first course menu items...
Poached farm egg, crisp taragna polenta, stout bratwurst medallions, mustard cream, mizuna (both my dad and I had this and LOVED it)
Creamless sweet onion veloute soup, warm peekytoe crab salad, english peas
Cirtus french toast, glazed baby back rib, strawberry-rhubard compote, spiced pecans, cream

Celebration @ North Pond- Part 1

Chicago's 'Best' Rotisserie Chicken

One of the great things about starting this blog has been some of the people that I have met. People that are just as passionate (if not more) as I am about food, wine, cooking, dining and entertaining. Two of my favorite new friends are brothers and we email each other all the time. I have begged them both to post but email is easier to send along and faster. So, I thought I'd post a recent recommendation for Chicago's 'Best' Rotisserie Chicken so you can get a little taste of our foodie friendship...

"did i send you the info on semiramis? if not, get the rotisserie chicken to go. honestly, i know it is a blah dish, but it came highly recommended from a wine distributor friend of mine. i finally went there, and it was something special. little, byob spot with insane rotisserie and keftah. rotisserie chicken: Semiramis on 4639 N. Kedzie. seriously, this was one of the best rotisserie chickens ever. if you get it to go they wrap it up in a huge piece of pita (lavash) like a little chicken in a blanket. if you get it there then it's on a bed of hummus. keftah sandwich's are insane. restaurant is byob, and a nice little place. if you order the chicken after 7:30ish they will be out of it!!"

> http://chicago.metromix.com/restaurants/lebanese/semiramis-albany-park/133130/content <http://chicago.metromix.com/restaurants/lebanese/semiramis-albany-park/133130/content>

Chicago's 'Best' Rotisserie Chicken

Oh my god, I'm back.

I know, it's been a long time. I've been hiding out post break-up. You know how it goes. But I have now found myself a new dinner partner, and have resumed eating my way through the city, and I wanted to tell you guys about these two tasty restaurants we've been to lately. We'll go with the better one first.

First off is Sola, of "dale from top chef used to work here" fame. It's technically on Byron, just west of Lincoln. It's contemporary american with an asian/hawaiian tilt, and they have a really great beer list. Our waitress might have been the cutest thing ever, too. We started with the Tuna poke, which was hawaiian big eye with avocado, sushi rice, soy syrup, and wasabi oil. It was ridiculously good, it's very reminiscent of the tuna tartare at Naha, if you've been there. But watch out for the stripes of wasabi oil on the plate if you don't like spice, I thought S. was going to die. I had the fish special, which for the life of me i can't remember what it was, most likely halibut, since that's my favorite. I do remember I basically inhaled it. S. had the flatiron steak with grilled asparagus, baked mushrooms, leeks, and sake miso bordelaise. It was fantastic, too. Overall, the place is adorable, the service and the food was great, and I'd totally go back. You should too.

Up next is Chalkboard in Lincoln Square. I'm having a bit of a Lincoln Square fetish lately, and I actually wanted to go to Tallulah, which is new up there, but they were booked. Luckily Chalkboard had a cancellation. It's a tiny little space, with a rotating seasonal menu which our server literally read word for word to us. Um, dude? It's all written on those big ass chalkboards on the wall. Get me a glass of wine and shut the hell up. (To be fair, he was really nice. Just a little over-exuberent.) We started with psycho-server's reccomendation of the seared dry pack scallops with sugar cured kalamata olives, vanilla bean "mayo", pumpkin oil, sage and roasted walnuts. Oh, my god. Maybe he was excited about the menu for a reason, cause these were insane. For dinner, I had the duck cassoulet. The confit of thigh, chorizo, white bean, and mushroom on the bottom was so, so, so good. The roasted breast on the top was tasty but it was a little rare for me, and I usually like things barely dead. S. had the special of Kobe London Broil with shiitake purée and baby vegetables, which was really good, but he was still hungry afterwards. But this is someone who could most likely eat a small horse, so that's not really a judge of portion size. I was perfectly full. All in all, it was a really tasty meal, and a super cute space. I hear they have a really good brunch, too, which I'd like to try, but I'm probably not dying to go back for dinner. It's only okay.

Off to Avec tomorrow night, which you've already heard of from Liz. See you all later.

Oh my god, I'm back.

L.20 Meyer Lemon Salt & Codfish Over Sun Dried Fennel

Lettuce Entertain You's much anticipated L.20 is now taking reservations for its May 14th opening. Chef Laurent Gras has been blogging the play-by-play for months leading to the opening. Check out his blog for recipes, learn more about his gadgets and more.

Here are sample recipes from his blog:

Meyer Lemon Salt
Ingredients:

500 gr Meyer lemon
100 gr lemon juice
100 gr sea salt
10 gr sugar

Method: Squeeze the lemon juice and pass through a fine chinois. Combine the salt with the sugar.Wash the Meyer lemon and cut into quarters. Place into a jar with a lid that can be sealed air-tight. Pour the lemon juice and the sugar/salt over the quarters.Seal the jar and let set for 4 weeks in the refrigerator before using. It will keep for 6 months stored in a cool place.

Codfish Over Sun Dried Fennel
Serves 4

1 pound codfish filets, skinless
1 Meyer lemon, finely sliced
6 ounces fresh fennel, finely sliced
Juice from 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
3 ounces sun dried fennel stalks
1 ounce olive oil, plus to taste

Season the codfish with sea salt on both sides and lay the Meyer lemon slices on top to cover it.

Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, season the sliced fresh fennel with salt and lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate.
In a baking pan, arrange the sun dried fennel in a single layer. Place the codfish on top and drizzle 1 ounce olive oil over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes for medium rare and 20 minutes for medium.

To serve, divide the fresh fennel amongst 4 plates. Place a piece of codfish on top of the fennel and drizzle with fresh olive oil to taste.

L.20 Meyer Lemon Salt & Codfish Over Sun Dried Fennel

Goose Island closing Clybourn brew pub

From the Chicago Tribune

Goose Island closing Clybourn brew pub

It’s a sad day for Chicago beer lovers.

Goose Island has announced it’s closing the Clybourn Avenue brew pub where founder John Hall launched the business 20 years ago. Hall said the company was unable to negotiate a new lease and will close the brew pub, 1800 N. Clybourn Ave., at the end of the year. The award winning brewery will continue making its bottled beers at Fulton Street Brewery, 1800 W. Fulton St., and pub brewer Wil Turner will continue to make his array of beers at the Wrigleyville location, 3535 N. Clark St.

“But we’ve got eight months,” Hall said. “We’ve got a list of things we want to do. We’ll celebrate some of our past beers.” Those will include pub only favorites such as Hop Scotch, Aviator Dopplebock and Lincoln Park Lager. The Clybourn pub will also host special dinners and bring back some past brewers to help celebrate. Hall also said the company has been looking at spaces over the past couple years, but it will take some time to find a new space and open another brew pub. Don’t espect anything before next year.

As for the Siebel Institute of Technology & World Brewing Academy target="new" classes taught at the Clybourn location, president Lyn Kruger says they will continue through the end of the year as well. In the meantime, Siebel, which has taught the intricacies of the craft to many local homebrewers and professionals alike, will look for space to relocate in 2009, she said.

Goose Island closing Clybourn brew pub

OTOM

My culinary partner in crime was visiting from NYC this weekend and one restaurant on our 'tour' was Moto's sister restaurant, Otom. Ex-sous chef at Moto, Daryl Nash, offers more affordable dishes but with very little influence from his molecular gastronomy experience from his famous neighbor.

Overall, the food is forgettable. And we were bummed about it.

We were off to a good start; we loved our server, my citron on the rocks with a splash of soda with lemon dangerously hit the spot and the staff was very attentive and on-point. Our server pushed the salmon civiche with citrus bubbles, chili, cucumber and wonton chips and the butter poached shrimp, black beans & chili with puffed rice & jalapeno noodle. We went for the shrimp and Simone ordered the soup of the day which was a smoked vegetable. Sounds good, right? Wrong.

Things came to a halt after I got my shrimp. They weren't clean. They made the incision to devain them but didn't actually devain them. Whoops. I immediately pointed this out to our server who was so-so-so apologetic but I had lost my appetite by then. I just told them I would wait for my entree, try Simone's soup and keep to my tasty cocktail. The soup was not a puree which we kind of expected/wished. Rather it was a hearty soup with lots of beans and the 'smokey' flavor in the title on the menu hardly came through.

The star of the night was Simone's vegetarian entree; roasted butternut squash & hon-shemedji mushrooms with seared tofu and freeze-dried peas. The peas added a whole new dimension to the dish and the dish itself was delicious. My order of the short rib ravioli with shallot & sage goat cheese & candied sweet potato and brown butter fell short but was still good.

Dessert was inventive, playful and fun. Cheers to the pastry chef. They also comped them to make nice for the shrimp dish. Overall, Simone and I had a blast. Good company will never ruin a dinner. But would we go back? Don't think so.

OTOM

All Food All The Time

A couple random things to get the week started:

Check out this link that my friend shared with me: http://food.alltop.com/ Not only does Alltop aggregate all the top food blogs, it also tracks other topics like fashion, politics, technology and much more!

In other news, my best friend Simone comes on Friday (hooray!) and I will be cooking a nice dinner for 4 at home that will highlight some seasonal vegetables. Saturday night, we have reservations at OTOM (Moto's sister restaurant) so look for the review and posts from the dinner.

Lastly, we went to Avec (again) last night and they have added some new menu items (Do I dare say that spring is upon us in Chicago...?) Make sure to try the duck sausage with fresh basil...it's a home run!

All Food All The Time