Otherwise, see you Wednesday!
-- the Chef editors
Otherwise, see you Wednesday!
-- the Chef editors
This article is an online exclusive for the May 2010 issue of Chef Magazine.
Chef has rounded up a few suggestions of what to eat when you're not eating samples at the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show this weekend.
The Gage, 24 S. Michigan Ave.If you're looking to gather with a few friends for a bustling evening enjoying contemporary American fare and sipping bottled craft beer or small-batch whiskey, grab one of the 300 seats at The Gage (interior pictured, above), a stylish Irish pub on Michigan Avenue across from picturesque Millennium Park. The Gage seamlessly blends inviting and rustic charm with a sophisticated menu to epitomize the definition of the gastropub. Nosh on executive chef Dirk Flanigan's playful take on poutine--French fries smothered in curd cheese and elk ragout--fried chicken livers or Scotch eggs to start. Comforting yet refined entrée choices range from lamb stew vindaloo and Wagyu beef pot roast to locally crafted sausages with brie and crispy potato and a slow-roasted pork sandwich with sweet chile-fried onion, fried kale and mustard on a pretzel roll.
Nightwood Restaurant, 2119 S. Halsted St.A few miles due west of McCormick Place will land you in Chicago's historic Pilsen neighborhood, home to Nightwood restaurant, the contemporary American sequel to 10-year-old Lula Cafe. Co-owner/executive chef Jason Hammel and his wife and fellow owner Amalea Tshilds opened Nightwood last year to a warm welcome of nightly packed seats--and it has remained a hot spot for Lula fans and foodies alike. The menu, handwritten daily as the chefs shop farmers' markets, boasts a laundry list of local products prepared simply to highlight their just-picked freshness. A spring salad of City Farm arugula, wild-foraged fiddlehead greens, radishes, green garlic and sheep's milk cheese is a tribute to early-season produce. Hand-cut pasta is dressed simply with almond, garlic, mint and rapini for a satisfying vegetarian preparation. Entrées showcase the savory flavors of open-flame cooking: wood-grilled Gunthrop Farm duck breast and Three Sisters black beans, charred tomato, almond crème fraîche and cilantro and wood-grilled whole Wisconsin trout with Anson Mills farro, marinated fennel and green garlic are among the choices. With comforting dessert choices like rhubarb crisp with bourbon vanilla gelato, cardamom pot du creme and a changing selection of warm cookies, you're sure to end on a happy note. (Pictured, slow-cooked then squash-grilled pork, courtesy of Jason Little Photography)
Open Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and brunch on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For reservations, visit www.nightwoodrestaurant.com/about_reservations or call (312) 526-3385.
Sable Kitchen & Bar at the Hotel Palomar, 505 N. State St.Flanking the south end of the brand-new Hotel Palomar in the River North is the chic gastro-lounge (bar pictured, right) where your cocktail is sure to be as artful and impeccable as your meal. Master mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout is the mind behind the extensive and whimsical cocktail list that spans several pages of top spirits and liqueurs. Executive chef Heather Terhune recently took the helm at the Sable kitchen from her old spot at Atwood Café in the Hotel Burnham, bringing along her contemporary interpretations of classic dishes. Spring-pea asparagus soup with mint yogurt and ricotta-herb ravioli with roasted wild mushrooms and asparagus welcome the bright bounties of spring. Sweet and savory flavors play off one another in entrées such as pistachio-cherry duck sausage with Parmesan grits and bison short rib sliders with root beer glaze. For a playful yet sophisticated dessert, cinnamon funnel cakes and dark chocolate whoopie pies beckon childhood.
Open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday, for dinner daily and for brunch on Sunday. For reservations, click here or call (312) 755-9704.
Neuvo León, 1515 W. 18th St.
Nuevo León, a Pilsen institution, has been serving traditional and affordable Mexican food for the past 48 years. Stop in early for a Mexican hot chocolate or horchata (rice water) and chilaquiles, a Mexican breakfast favorite of scrambled eggs with fried tortilla bits, chopped tomato, onion and chiles. Lunch and dinner include staples like whole red snapper (huachinango) in red pimiento sauce; tortas, tacos (pictured, below) and tostadas with a selection of meats and toppings; or enchiladas suizas filled with meat, rolled and dipped in mole or red chile ancho sauce with a pile of melty cheese on top. Whatever you opt for, nothing will cost you more than $15.
Open Sunday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight. Reservations are not accepted. When you come in, do as the Web site tells you and ask for a table in the back, which is "brighter and more festive." Call (312) 421-1517 or visit www.nuevoleonrestaurant.com for more information.Benny's Chop House, 444 N. Wabash
If you find yourself craving dry-aged beef when you come to Chicago, you're not alone. Benny's Chop House, which just opened in April in the River North, is very much a classic steak house with soft, deep booths; aged prime Allen Brothers steaks; jumbo crispy hash browns and creamed spinach; and a piano lounge for sipping martinis and slurping up fresh oysters before the meal. Still, a few surprises like the liver and onions foie gras, Wagyu beef carpaccio, wiener schnitzel and Maine lobster ravioli make this a compelling dinner choice even for those who'd rather not feast on a ribeye.
Open for lunch Monday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and for dinner Monday through Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 4:00 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 3:00 to 10:30 p.m. To make a reservation, click here or call 312-626-2444.
Quick-serve goes high-endLet's face it: Americans are street food-crazy. Fine-dining chefs all over Chicago have thrown their hats into the quick-serve ring, opening their own burger and taco joints with a few of their signature touches. Michael Kornick, best known for MK, has partnered with David Morton on DMK Burger Bar (2954 N. Sheffield Ave., [773] 360-8686), a Lakeview burger joint with grass-fed beef and lamb patties as well as turkey, veggie and portobello mushroom options. An array of original handcrafted toppings round out the offering. And don't forget to add a basket of ultra-crispy fries, cooked in beef fat--a Kornick original he brought over from MK. The 400 block of North Clark Street may as well be named Bayless Ave., as celebrity chef/restaurateur Rick Bayless has opened his third restaurant on the block, Xoco (449 N. Clark St., [312] 334-3688), which is appropriately the Mexican slang for "little sister." Here Bayless pays homage to the beloved street food and snacks of Mexico with breakfast pastries, hot-from-the-fryer churros and empanadas, Mexican hot chocolate, crusty tortas (Mexican sandwiches) and made-to-order caldos (meal-worthy soups). Housed in what used to be the private dining room at Tru, M Burger (161 East Huron St., [312] 254-8500) offers a simple menu that includes a few burgers (M Burger double cheeseburger pictured, above left), shakes and fries. The house special--The M Burger--with bacon, cheese and secret sauce, will require extra napkins, but it's worth it. The crew behind Blackbird, Avec, The Violet Hour and the Publican continue to outdo themselves in cool with their latest venture, Big Star (1531 N. Damen Ave., [773] 235-4039). This no-frills, honky-tonk taqueria offers up simply made tacos and tostadas and a selection of whiskeys, tequilas and cheap beer, while old-school country warbles on the record player in the background. If you aren't in the mood to linger, grab your order from the pickup window.
The International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) committee is launching an initiative to recognize suppliers that have made a commitment to sustainability through innovative products, services, technologies and programs. The Becoming Environmentally Sustainable Together (BEST) in Baking program will evaluate and acknowledge companies that work to be more sustainability by fostering energy conservation, reducing water usage, decreasing landfill waste, promoting healthy living and/or reducing their overall environmental impact.Interested suppliers can fill out an entry form discussing how their entries are helping the baking industry become more environmentally sustainable. A panel of expert judges--made up of experts in sustainability and/or baking best practices--will evaluate the environmental impact, feasibility, return on investment, innovation and practical application to the baking industry of each submission. Those who demonstrate significant environmental sustainability will be recognized on www.ibie2010.com, in future press releases, on IBIE's social media channels and in an onsite display area at IBIE 2010 Sept. 26 to 29 in Las Vegas. An entry form and complete list of criteria can be found at www.ibie2010.com/bestinbaking.php.
Alaska is home to five species of wild salmon: king, coho, keta, pink and sockeye (pictured, below). Alaska supplies more than 90 percent of the wild salmon harvested in North America. All salmon in Alaska are wild, which allows them to mature at a natural pace and swim off of Alaska's 34,000-mile coastline. The flavor and color characteristics of wild Alaska salmon come from feeding on their natural diet of marine organisms and the texture from annual migrations in the cold North Pacific.
For more information about the five species of Alaska salmon including cooking tips, detailed nutritional profiles, harvest methods and recipes, visit www.alaskaseafood.org.
king salmon
coho salmon
keta salmon
pink salmon
sockeye salmonAcclaimed chefs from across the United States, as well as France and the British Virgin Islands (pictured, below) participated in this year's brunch.
Participating chefs included: Michael White of Alto, Convivio and Marea in New York City; Davide Pugliese of Brandywine Bay Restaurant in Tortola, BVI; Kurt Boucher of The Butcher's Table in Salida, Colo.; Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon in New Orleans; Brock Johnson of Tom Douglas--Dahlia Lounge in Seattle; Rick Gresh of David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago; Matt Crist of Deep Blue Bar & Grill in Wilmington, Del.; Jay Caputo of Espuma and The Porcini House Bistro & Treetop Lounge in Rehoboth Beach, Del.; Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat in Chicago; Keith Miller of The Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Del.; James Lauser of the Hilton Christiana in Newark, Del.; T.J. Delle Donne and Gil Stansfield of Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.; Paul Tinaglia of Kendall College in Chicago; Clif Holt of Little Savannah in Birmingham, Ala.; Alain Ivaldi of Lycee Hoteliers in Marseilles, France; Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami; Donald Drake of Magnolias in Charleston, S.C.; Cathy Whims of Nostrana in Portland, Ore.; Julio Lazzarini of Orillas Tapas Bar in Wilmington, Del.; Roger Herring of Socca in Chicago; Chazz Alberti of Sodexo in Wilmington, Del.; Tucker Yoder of The Red Hen in Lexington, Va.; Pierino Jermonti of Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Mark Levy of The Point Resort in Saranac Lake, N.Y.; Dan Butler and Robbie Jester of Toscana Kitchen + Bar in Wilmington, Del.; Sam McGann of Vintage Tavern, The Blue Point, and River Stone Chophouse in Suffolk, Va.; Jeanette Behrens-Quintana of The Chelsea Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J.; Robert LLulier and Matthew Curtis of Union City Grille in Wilmington, Del.; and Lee Anne Wong of New York City.
Since its inception, Meals from the Masters in conjunction with affiliated events including Evening with the Masters, Cellar Masters' Wine Auction and Celebrity Chefs' Beach Brunch have collectively raised more than $5 million for Meals On Wheels Delaware. To learn more about the Meals from the Masters or other events, visit www.mealsonwheelsde.org.
Editors' note: This story was mentioned in "An urban locavore," the Chef Insights article in the May 2010 issue of Chef Magazine.
It is rainy in downtown Chicago as I hop on the Metra train early Friday morning on April 16, bound for the north suburbs of Chicago, where high rises, skyscrapers and condos give way to neat two-story houses and sprawling front lawns. This morning I'll play assistant to Sarah Stegner, co-chef/owner of Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook, Ill., and Prairie Fire in Chicago, and Jeanne Pinsof Nolan--better known as The Organic Gardener--as they sow the first round of organic vegetables, herbs and flowers of the season. Pinsof Nolan picks me up from the train in her station wagon with a car top carrier strapped to the roof filled with gardening tools. "Sorry for the smell," she says as soon as I climb in, blaming a sackful of her granular organic fertilizer in the backseat.
She explains how she launched The Organic Gardener six years ago, a business that helps mainly families plant and maintain edible organic gardens. She started in 1987 apprenticing at an organic vegetable farm in California. Seventeen years later, after stints working in southern California; outside Austin, Texas; and south of Asheville, N.C., she returned to Chicago where she partnered with Green City Market to establish The Edible Gardens for kids at the Lincoln Park Zoo. As The Organic Gardener, she not only helps families, but also Chicago-area restaurants such as Uncommon Ground and North Pond as well as schools install organic vegetable gardens. "It's kind of been my dream job," she confesses.
We pull up to the ranch-style house and are instantly greeted by chef Stegner; her husband, co-owner and wine director of Stegner's restaurants Rohit Nambiar; and their six-year-old daughter, clad in purple leggings and a pink and purple floral top. I peruse the sunny 25- by 75-foot plot in the backyard, which was tilled in the weeks before our arrival. Stegner rakes several bags of organic soil over the plot, and I follow, sprinkling scoopsful of Pinsof Nolan's granulated fertilizer--her own organic blend of dehydrated manure, bone meal, bloodmeal, kelp and green sand.
The Organic Gardener digs shallow furrows for basil and greensThen Stegner, her daughter, Pinsof Nolan and I sit down cross-legged on the walkway and pore over the vast selection of seeds to choose from. This is Stegner's second straight year of planting a backyard garden at her home, a tradition she started "to show that if I can do it, anyone can," she says. The size of the plot is just large enough to supply her family and a few friends with vegetables and herbs this summer--Stegner won't serve any of the product in her restaurants, adding that the garden primarily serves as a way to encourage people to grow their own food. She set up a Gardencam overlooking her backyard, which has an online feed on Prairie Grass Café's Web site, so viewers can track the plants' growth until harvest.
Chef Sarah Stegner plants carrots and dragon carrotsSince we aren't entirely safe from another frost or two in mid-April, we will stick to the plants that can withstand a few more chilly nights--hearty root vegetables like beets, fennel, carrots and dragon carrots; greens and lettuces including mizuna, broccoli rapini, cress, red Swiss chard, speckled lettuce, Grandma's lettuce and red grand rapids lettuce; snow peas and shelling peas; sturdy herbs like heirloom parsley, basil and rosemary; as well as five varieties of sunflowers. In the warmer months to come, Stegner will plant Matt's Wild Tomatoes from Nichol's Farm, sweet peppers, jalapeños, squash and several species of heirloom beans.
Lettuce seeds coated in seed pellets for better uniformity and improved performance held by Stegner, with the help of little hands"I think we'll do all sorts of peas along the fence this time," Pinsof Nolan says, plucking packets of snow peas and shelling peas from her large basket. Stegner had just confessed to less than great luck last year with lettuce in that same location. Meanwhile, Stegner's daughter pulls on a pair heavy-bottomed pink boots as she prepares to plant snow pea seeds. "These are my winter boots, but I also use them for planting," she announces.
After Pinsof Nolan creates a few shallow furrows parallel to the fence with a diamond head hoe, we squat and begin dropping the tiny dried peas into the ground with about 3 inches between each seed. We cover them loosely with dirt. "You can help me plant snow peas over here," Stegner's daughter says. She carefully drops exactly six peas into my hands, "because I just turned six," she adds.
Shelling peas go into the ground"Last year, the basil plants were all in a row and just took over," Stegner says. To prevent another basil coup, we nestle each plant at the head of the rows, keeping them separate from one another this time. Stegner later told me she thought we planted them a bit early in the season. "They'll come back," she assured me. "They just won't be as prolific as usual."
It's been nearly two hours, and the empty plot is now dotted all over with small wooden stakes to mark where each vegetable or herb starts. We pack up Pinsof Nolan's car and get ready to leave. It feels good to have hands covered in dirt as I board the CTA to head back into the city. And I've already started mentally planning my own little "garden"--rather, assorted pots and plant boxes filled with herbs, tomatoes and peppers on the south-facing porch at my city condo. It is encouraging to see the wide array of vegetation that can thrive in this finicky, Midwestern climate. Not only that, but Stegner's dedication to encouraging everyone--chef or consumer--to learn how to grow has won me over enough to try my hand at growing some food of my own, even though I don't have a sunny backyard.
Why do you think it's important for everyone to learn how to grow? Does your restaurant have a vegetable garden, or do you grow a personal chef's garden? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
The 2010 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, is about to descend on Chicago for the 91st year. From May 22 to 25, chefs, operators and restaurateurs can gain inspiration for success in the coming year through compelling education sessions, chef demonstrations, design consultations, information booths and networking opportunities galore. The third annual International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB), taking place during the NRA Show May 23 and 24, will show you how a great bar program is sure to improve your margins.Among the highlights
Delivering this year's keynote address on Sunday, May 23, is famed PBS interviewer and newscaster Charlie Rose, who will discuss important world issues and current events. As executive editor and anchor of "Charlie Rose," PBS' nightly interview program, Rose has had the chance to interview such international personalities as Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hosni Mubarak. He also is a contributing correspondent for the CBS News program "60 Minutes."
Whether you'd like to learn more about menu labeling, "greening" your restaurant, preparing Halal meals, social media, planting restaurant gardens or food safety, the NRA Show offers more than 70 free education sessions to choose from that can help boost your bottom line. Click here to learn more.
Learn how to build a better bar program from trendsetting chefs, mixologists and restaurant operators with IWSB, the only forum focusing exclusively on restaurant and hospitality industry beverage alcohol sales. Chefs will work side-by-side with sommeliers, mixologists and brew masters to create an innovative lineup of menu pairings at on-floor pairing stations and at participating restaurants at night throughout the event. Click here to see the list of participating restaurants.
Wired and dialed in
Tapping into the growing social media craze, the NRA Show will host the first-ever Foodie Flashmob at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 25, on the Grand Concourse. Chefs, restaurateurs, culinary students and industry suppliers will gather for a few minutes to bust a move before parting ways at the show's end. You can learn the steps by watching the video here.
To track other up-to-the-minute show updates and highlights, be sure to visit Floored!, the official blog of the NRA Show and IWSB event. Or you can join the conversation with @nrashow2010 on Twitter by using hashtags #NRAShow and #IWSB in all your tweets to let tweeps easily find you.
Don't forget to visit Chef's booth!
You'll likely see the editors of Chef Magazine motoring around the show floor and at many of the special events, but also be sure to stop by booth #7828 to grab a copy of our May show issue. You can also sign up to receive the digital edition of Chef and its sister publication Chef Educator Today, or sign up for our monthly e-newsletters, which contain the latest chef and educator news and trends to keep you informed. See you at the show!
The new ambassadors will cook with Wisconsin Cheese and develop new menu applications, some of which will be featured in their restaurants. They will also spread the word about Wisconsin's specialty and artisan cheesemakers to peers and patrons through various activities.
(front row, l to r): Benjamin Ford, Adam Siegal, Julian Alonzo and Dean Maupin; (middle row, l to r) Bart Black, Jorge de la Torre, Judy Gilliard and Scott Anderson; (back row, l to r) Eric Wadlund, Brandt Evans and Tim TeschThe new ambassadors are:
- Julian Alonzo, Brasserie 8 1/2, New York City
- Scott Anderson, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, W.Va.
- Bart Black, Redstone Golf Club, Humble, Texas
- Brandt Evans, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern, Twinsburg, Ohio; Rockwall, Texas; Missoula, Mont.; and Kalispell, Mont.
- Benjamin Ford, Ford's Filling Station, Culver City, Calif.
- Judy Gilliard, host of the "Judy a la carte" show and author, Lincoln, Neb.
- Dean Maupin, The Clifton Inn, Charlottesville, Va.
- Adam Siegal, Lake Park Bistro and Bacchus, Milwaukee
- Tim Tesch, Lund Food Holdings Inc., Minneapolis
- Jorge de la Torre, Johnson & Wales University, Denver
- Eric Wadlund, Spencer's Restaurant, Palm Springs, Calif.