This article is an online exclusive for the May 2009 issue of Chef Magazine.
As you gear up for another year of eating your way across the tradeshow floor at the 2009 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, find an excuse or two to escape for a bit and taste some of what Chicago's restaurant scene has to offer. Whether you're looking for fine dining or a corned beef sandwich, Chef Magazine's annual restaurant roundup offers a range of great restaurants--including one worth a drive to the burbs--for every price level. So grab a fork, and bring your appetite! (Plus, chefs and operators weigh in on how the economy has affected their businesses.)
The Publican, 837 W. Fulton Market, (312) 733-9555 Local restaurant-scene heavy hitters Paul Kahan, Eduard Seitan (Blackbird, Avec); Donnie Madia (Blackbird, Avec, Sonotheque); and Terry Alexander (Sonotheque, Violet Hour, Mia Francesca) are the brains behind The Publican, an upscale public house modeled in the style of European brasseries and beer halls. It's really all about the beer, shellfish and pork at this trendy spot, situated amid wholesale meat, produce and fish providers in the nascent Fulton Market neighborhood just west of the downtown Loop. Chef de cuisine Brian Huston's eclectic menu--ranging from Lake Erie perch fry and Basque Stew to Spicy Pork Rinds and Beef Heart--evokes simple farmhouse fare. Those who prefer quick bites like raw oysters can stand and gab at one of the pub-style, three-tiered cocktail tables. Either way, be sure to choose a beer with your meal from the rotating list of 12 on tap or the list of 100-plus international bottled beers.
Charcuterie plate at the Publican
Quoted--Chef Paul Kahan on the economy's impact on the Publican's business: "The economy hasn't affected us very much, since our strategy from the start was to focus on a lot of offal: Beef heart, duck heart, sweetbreads, tongue--these items are less expensive, and they balance out some of the more expensive items like Dover sole or mussels, which we get from a fisherwoman in Maine. And we haven't hesitated to use seasonal products, like morel mushrooms and ramps. The place has been open about eight months, and we're incredibly busy."
Open Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Open Sunday for brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are encouraged.
Irazu, 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 252-5687 A short trip heading northwest on Milwaukee Avenue brings you to Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood and Irazu, the city's only Costa Rican restaurant, which offers home-cooked meals that celebrate the staple ingredients and flavors of Latin America. Irazu, aptly named for a volcano in Cartago, Costa Rica, offers a range of authentic preparations, including: patacones, double-fried green plantains covered with roasted garlic oil; chicharrón, deep-fried pork rind chunks served with boiled or fried yucca; and ceviche, fresh fish marinated in lime and served with Saltine crackers and chips. No dish is complete without a side of gallo pinto, an authentic blend of black beans cooked with white rice, vegetables and spices. You may find yourself overwhelmed by the selection of milkshakes, which include Tamarind, Guanabana (custard apple) and Corn Meal. Fear not: The Avena (Oatmeal) shake is Costa Rica's trademark, and a must-have.
Open for lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open for dinner Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
SugarToad, 2139 CityGate Lane, Naperville, Ill. (YES, it's worth the drive!), (630) 778-TOAD "Why on Earth would anyone drive from Chicago to Naperville for dinner?" is the opening tag line when you enter the Web site of SugarToad Restaurant at the Hotel Arista. The answer to that question is, to sample the "unadulterated," regional American cuisine from executive chef Jimmy Sneed. Sneed, who studied for years under legendary American chefs Jean-Louis Palladin and Gunther Seeger, uses fresh regional ingredients and straightforward preparation techniques to create dishes like American Kobe Flat-Iron Steak with Stewed Peppers and Anchovy Butter, Grilled Fresh Cobia with Parmesan Butter Sauce and Pan-Seared Fresh Carolina Wreckfish with Eggplant Caviar and Sun-Dried Tomato Butter.
Open every day for lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Open for dinner Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, 5:30 to 9 p.m. L20 Restaurant, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, in the Belden-Stratford Hotel, (773) 868-0002 French chef Laurent Gras teamed up with Lettuce Entertain You chairman Richard Melman last year to open L20, offering modern seafood that incorporates global ingredients such as hirame from the Hokkaido and Kinki prefectures in Japan, Spanish octopus from the Galicia region of Spain and codfish from Maine. L20 offers a four-course prix fixe menu and a 12-course tasting menu.
Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Reservations are "essential" on weekends.
Eleven City Diner, 1112 S. Wabash Ave., (312) 212-1112 Eleven City Diner, a friendly Chicago diner and delicatessen that encourages clean plates, serves staples like Matzoh Ball Soup and a Pastrami Sandwich that's "as good as [radio personality] Steve Dahl says it is." If it's an omelet or French toast you're craving after a long day of work, breakfast is served all day. And in case you haven't had quite enough nostalgia, an in-house soda jerk serves up chocolate or cherry phosphates, shakes, malts and floats in nearly every color. Open seven days a week and serving fresh pies baked daily in-house.
Quoted--Brad Rubin, Eleven City Diner founder, on the economy's impact on his business: "A lot of independent diners have share charges or split charges for people who come in just for coffee or to split a sandwich. We made the conscious decision to waive that charge--these are tough times, and our customers were unhappy with those charges. We also dropped the charge for extra dressing, and we started offering delivery around the neighborhood from 5 to 9 p.m. We were faced with the decision of changing the quality of our product to keep prices lower, but we couldn't do that. We choose to stay competitive by keeping the quality and portions the same and instead making small changes. Being a single-unit operator allows us to break the rules, think outside the corporate box and act a little quicker."
Open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Epic Burger, 517 S. State St., (312) 913-1373 How does a professionally trained chef do quick-service-style burgers and fries? Epic Burger founder David Friedman does them using all-natural beef cooked to order on a freshly baked bun with a side of hand-cut, unprocessed fries. Epic Burger's straightforward menu also caters to those who may not be craving a burger: patrons can opt for a turkey, chicken or portabello mushroom sandwich instead. All sandwiches come with topping choices that include nitrate-free bacon, Wisconsin cheese (including yummy aged cheddar) or a fried egg--organic and cage-free, of course.
Open Monday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sikia, 740 W. 63rd St. at Washburne Culinary Institute, (773) 602-5200 In Swahili, the word sikia describes how a person's concrete and abstract senses work together to make up total knowledge. This idea shapes the concept behind the African-inspired, on-site restaurant at Washburne Culinary Institute of Kennedy-King College in Englewood. A short cruise down Lakeshore Drive will take you to the restaurant, which showcases the diversity of African cultures with cuisine from across the continent. West African Goat and Ground Nut Stew, Vegetarian Tagine in the style of Morocco and North African Tilapia with Mango and Cilantro are among regular menu items.
Open for dinner, Thursday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Open for Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hannah's Bretzel, 233 N. Michigan Ave., (312) 856-1111; and 180 W. Washington St., (312) 621-1111 Citing his own longing for the handcrafted bretzels (Alsatian-style pretzels popular in Bavaria) of his native Stuttgart, Germany, Florian Pfahler opened Hannah's Bretzel--named after his daughter, who also serves as his chief quality control officer--in the summer of 2005. Since then, the shop has become a favorite lunch spot for Chicagoans living and working in the downtown Loop. Billed as "the first organic carry-out eatery" in the city, Hannah's Bretzel serves tasty soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as coffee, espresso, tea and gourmet chocolates. Of course, no trip to Hannah's is complete without a bretzel; choose either a Traditional Swabian Bretzel or a Whole Grain Bretzel, and pair it with organic butter, Nutella or slices of Gruyere Swiss cheese and organic cucumbers.
Open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; delivery available. Closed Saturday and Sunday.0
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Simplot Foods has partnered with 16 culinary and research/development foodservice professionals to form the Top of House Culinary Board, a group that will meet twice a year to gain real-world feedback on foodservice product needs through sharing industry, culinary and operational knowledge.
The inaugural meeting of the board was held in January in Sun Valley, Idaho. The meeting featured guest speaker Grant Achatz, famed chef of Alinea in Chicago. Achatz shared his inspiring story and provided tips for staying successful in economically challenging times. He also spoke about the need to create a personal dining experience for each customer and to connect with each one on an emotional level.
Future meetings will also consist of roundtable discussions, brainstorming sessions and presentations of industry trends where foodservice operators can identify opportunities for growth. For more information, visit www.simplotfoods.com.
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Linda Hundt, owner of the Sweetie-licious Pie Pantry in DeWitt, Mich., won the Professional division with Tom's Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie. The winner of the Amateur division was Phyllis Szymanek from Toledo, Ohio, with her Category Five Peanut Butter Pie. Carmela Crutcher of Orlando, Fla., won the Junior Chef division with her Tropical Italian Pie.
Bakers of all ages and skill levels from the United States and Canada participated in the bake-off. See a complete list of the winners here. 0
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Peter Liam, senior correspondent and critic for Wine & Spirits magazine, launched Champagneguide.net, an online guide to the wines and wine producers of the Champagne region in France.
The Web site features more than 100 Champagne houses and estates and tasting notes for more than 600 champagnes--non-vintage bruts up to expensive cuvees--on the market. Producers ranging from well-known brands to small estates are included. For those new to the language of champagne, the site offers a glossary of terms that includes familiar wine industry vocabulary and some words specific to champagne and champagne production.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced Kristina Vänni as the winner of the NRA Show Hot Chef Grilling Challenge. Vänni is a contributing writer and community host for Better Homes and Gardens' Web sites betterrecipes.com and mixingbowl.com. In Vänni's winning video submitted on YouTube (shown below), she prepares maple-Dijon glazed grilled Arctic char with cucumber, fennel and radish salad, grilled bread cheese with cloudberry preserves and a lingonberry-cardamom martini. Vänni will receive a trip to upcoming NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, May 16 to 19 at McCormick Place in Chicago where she will demonstrate her recipe during the Culinary Scene showcase. Her demonstration is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.
This article was mentioned in People & Place (page 9) of the May 2009 issue of Chef Magazine.
The public has fully embraced chefs as celebrity figures. They eat it up--every morning news food demo, every cookbook signing, every cooking class. To say "image is everything" would be an understatement.
The foundation of that image--long after the stage lights are dimmed and the Sharpie markers are capped--is your restaurant's Web site. Intrigued potential customers are visiting your Web site to be further enticed to dine at your restaurant. So, what better way to wow them than with mouthwatering images of your signature dishes?
Here, Chef Magazine speaks with Comet on tips for working with a food photographer so that the images on your restaurant's Web site and other publicity materials can capture the essence of your cuisine--and capture some more customers, too.
Chef Magazine: When it comes to photographing food, how do you approach the subject, and what is your philosophy? Comet: I first think, I want to make something that people will look at and say, "I want to eat that. I want to be there." It's exciting. In this one photo, you're trying to convey this feeling of relaxing, family ... friends, delicious. It's a lot of emotion that's wrapped up into one photo. I think that I have a particular style typically that I do that's pretty simple and calm and refreshing. You want your photo to look like something that you can taste and feel and smell. It's a lot to wrap up into a shot. You can't taste it. You can't smell it. So you have to do it with lighting to bring out all the emotion.
Chef Magazine: Do you find that it's challenging to work with food because it can be changing? If it's something that's hot, as it cools, it may lose some of its natural color and its original shape. What sorts of considerations along those lines do you look at? Comet: Yes, it does change. And especially with digital, you can see from frame to frame that it's changing. A lot of times, we work with stand-in food to get everything right first. If it's changed so much, you have to start over with it. You have to replate the dish because the last thing you want it for it to look tired or old. That's not very appealing. But a lot of times, once you do all the preliminary [work], it is pretty stable. The thing that really makes it sing is, first off, the lighting. And also, right before we do our final shot, we're adding water and juices or sauces--something that really makes it appealing.
Chef Magazine: How can a restaurant benefit from working with a professional food photographer? Comet: Just like a chef, I think that a food photographer can take the food to another level. It's kind of like a shared vision. In the long run, it ends up saving time and money. A food photographer brings a certain set of expertise with lighting and angles. I have had a lot of restaurants or chefs do their own photos--and then after a while, they realize they're not that good. Everybody has a digital camera, but they're lacking. I mean, I can't cook like they can.
Chef Magazine: When a chef sits down with a food photographer for the first time, what points should they discuss? Comet: First, I have them tell me about their business and their philosophy, what their goal is. I have them show me some of the food and dishes. What kind of style do they like? Even if they describe it, sometimes I have them show me different printed pieces they like because people interpret words differently. Then you can get really down to the specifics. I ask them how they're going to use the photos. Something for the Web site, you'd want to keep it simple and light and airy, as opposed to if it is going into a special format in their menu. This might be the first meeting, but always I ask, if I have the job, to set up a "pre-pro"--pre-production--meeting before the shoot, so we can really go over each shot specifically.
Chef Magazine: What should a restaurant client do before first meeting with a food photographer? Comet: I think that they should do their homework. They should look at the photographer's portfolio and the Web site. I think they should ask the photographer, have they worked with a chef before, and do they work with a food stylist? They want to figure out if the food photographer has some styling skills and has a couple of tools in [his or her] tool box. It is a big savings not to work with a food stylist if the chef is capable. ... They should look at the list of clients that the photographer has worked for. If they can, talk to some of the clients to see what the experience was like. If they've never gone to a photo shoot before, ask to sit in on one or come by the studio for an hour. I actually do that a lot with clients because it's a good education for them. Have a pre-pro meeting, and get a precise estimate on the number of shots, the usage for the shots, etc.
Chef Magazine: What is a typical day like on a restaurant job site? Comet: First off, it depends on the restaurant. Some aren't open for lunch, so if you can go in and shoot all day, that's great. We can always go in and shoot from 9 to 11 [a.m.], take a break [for lunch service], and then go back to shoot at 2 [p.m.]. Sometimes, they have an extra banquet room we can shoot in. We might set up a studio-type setting and bang out a lot of the close-up food shots. Typically, I like to shoot with a larger format camera. If there are some restaurant shots or atmospheric shots or people working or some details they want me to grab, we do that with 35-millimeter [film], and it's much more casual. We might be using natural light or a mixture of natural and some strobe. I like to get in and spend the day there and really feel the rhythm of the restaurant.
Chef Magazine: What camera do you use? Comet: My main camera that I shoot close-ups of food with is a digital-back Phase One, on a 4-by-5 camera. The reason being, it gives me swings and tilts so you can throw stuff out of focus and have a lot of control.
Chef Magazine: Any closing remarks? Comet: It's a real special relationship between a food photographer and a chef. It's very different than working with a food stylist. It's sort of like a shared vision: You're really working as a team. It's his or her food, and the photographer is bringing that vision alive. It doesn't get any better than that.
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The National Restaurant Association will host a one-hour Webinar on Thursday, May 7, at 3 p.m. EDT, to discuss some common questions surrounding the H1N1 flu virus. The Webinar, developed in partnership with cleaning and food safety products and services provider Ecolab, will provide tips on how to prevent the spread of the virus among employees and restaurant guests and on how to properly educate employees and patrons about the possible risks of the virus.
Chef's Stirrings is the official blog of Chef Magazine, the industry publication for restaurant and foodservice professionals. The blog offers culinary news and online exclusives from the editors ofChef.
Charcuterie plate at the Publican
Irazu, 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 252-5687
SugarToad, 2139 CityGate Lane, Naperville, Ill. (YES, it's worth the drive!), (630) 778-TOAD
L20 Restaurant, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, in the Belden-Stratford Hotel, (773) 868-0002
Epic Burger, 517 S. State St., (312) 913-1373
Sikia, 740 W. 63rd St. at Washburne Culinary Institute, (773) 602-5200
dining room at Café des Architectes
