A reply

It finally happened: The Chicago Burger Project has been officially called out by TOC writer David Tamarkin for "childishly ripping apart assessing" their list while having the audacity to take our time at it.

Apologies are due for insulting the critical autonomy of the second-most prestigious magazine in my dentist's waiting room. As we've made clear, we're not professional food writers, just self-funded burger enthusiasts who conceived of a way to kill some time while grabbing a bite to eat. Sure, we've taken a couple of jabs at your choices, TOC, but some of your choices have been laughable. Would you really take your mother out for a burger at Riverview Tavern, home of both ends of the tomato? Does anyone in your office still maintain that there's no better turkey burger than the pucks served at S.R.O.? (Psst: there is, it's at May Street Market.)

We took our time, took some pictures, and elaborated beyond "perfectly delicious" in our reviews. Childish? Maybe. More responsible than recommending Jury's for the 10,000th time? I think so.

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Night out: Moran or Morris? Tough choice for music fans

Heather Moran Audrey Morris Tomorrow night presents a conundrum for cabaret fans. You can go hear legendary Chicago cabaret diva Audrey Morris in a celebration of “The Great American Songbook.” Morris’s career dates back to the 1950s, when she was a regular performer at places like the Capitol Lounge and Mister Kelly’s. Or you can catch vocalist Heather [...]

Huaraches con Flavorfuckery @ Dona Chio

Pregunta: What the eff is huarache, joe? Respuesta: Masa as fresh as Rappers Delight, stuck into a grimy ass tortilla press, all jammed together by frijoles fritos, cousin. You could easily throw some chimichurri on this flatbread fucker and call it nap time, but go head and select from the dozen+ items that Dona Chio throws your [...]

DeColores - Pilsen's Newest Delicious Restaurant/Gallery

Everywhere A Squash Squash

These days, you can't turn a corner without running into a squash. Their maudlin little autumnal displays seem to be everywhere. Truth be told, they've just never turned me on. They seem to need a lot of foreplay before they give up some love with their impenetrable skins and hour plus roasting times.

I was presented with a reason to try, yet again, to embrace the squash because my friends from Harvest Moon Farms gave me a lovely care package with pasture raised meats, Italian greens, farm-fresh eggs and yes, a box of squash - Acorn and Delicata.

I had to come up with something new because the standard squash-apple soup recipe just leaves me cold. So I searched and tested a few new things to do with roasted squash.

First, Roast The Squash

You need a sharp knife and a good, sturdy cutting board to cut these suckers. Cut the squash in half, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and strings. Put in a roasting pan skin side down, throw some butter, chunky sea salt and fresh ground pepper in the little wells where the seeds used to be and cook at 375 for an hour or more until the flesh is soft and caramelized. Let cool and either scoop out large chunks with a spoon or peel away the skin and cut into square chunks. They don't need to be pretty to taste good.

So, these are my riffs on squash. Feel free to add, subtract and improvise to your taste.

Salad Ideas

Arugula, roasted squash, bacon, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

Arugula, prosciutto, roasted squash, pecorino shavings, good balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper

Rainbow or red chard (I love it as a salad green, cut out the stems and saute them with garlic until soft, let cool and add to the salad), roasted squash, fresh mozzarella, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

Grain Salads

Farro, squash, red onion, walnuts, goat cheese, walnut oil, salt and pepper

Couscous, squash, red onion, harissa, cinammon, sultanas (golden raisins plumped in hot water), toasted slivered almonds, walnut oil, salt and pepper

Panini

Griddle this - thinly slice the squash and toss with a touch of sherry vinegar, add to sturdy sandwich bread with a thick lick of goat cheese, arugula and bacon.

Squash, I hardly knew thee...

SmartKettle vs. Sous Vide Supreme: Soft Cooked Eggs

It's not a fair fight. Let's start by saying that. As I watch the two water heaters battle it out, the SmartKettle, lights blinking, clicking on and off as it regulates the temp to 147... (I look over and it says 149) the Sous Vide Supreme showing me 147.3... lights blinking. The Sous Vide Supreme (SVS) now at 146.8... 147.3... SmartKettle 148. It's like punches are being thrown but is it really? The amount of temp control is the name of the game when you cook sous vide but how relevant is that temp gauge to the body of water, and food, within? 147.3 Smartkettle is back at 147. The SVS still at 147.3. In my mind it's neck and neck. But as I wait my 45 minutes for a verdict I can make other comparisons. They both heat up rather quickly. The SVS easily holds many times the water of the kettle... 147.3/147 still. I would expect the kettle to boil much faster than the SVS... if the SVS boils at all? (I guess not if I'm using it!). I went shopping and rustled up short ribs, lamb shoulder, chicken thigh, duck leg, salmon, trout, pork chop and I realize that I need more bags. No big deal. The problem of note is that while the tank of the SVS (147.3/149) is much larger the downside, the only real downside (there are small issues but I'll get there) is that the water is at one temp only. If you're cooking fish and poultry you need to choose and sous vide only one item. If you're making a roast and poultry you need to choose... granted it's not that big a deal but when you have your assortment of protein on the table, you missed lunch, and you're a glass of wine into your sous vide challenge you wish you could do more! (147.3/147) oops! (as I type 146.8/146). There are many downsides to using a kettle for sous vide. The biggest one is the small opening is not going to fit a large item. Eggs are great and I chose them because they seem to be a fairly sensitive ingredient to test. (I also had four - two in each). The other thing is potential temp fluctuation. There's still a chance that there's a kill switch on the kettle and after a couple hours it snaps into safety mode but I'm not sure. Within the kettle it stands to reason that its base, where the element sits, is hotter than the top... as the egg rests on the bottom that makes me think I'll have hardboiled eggs shortly. As I'm not sure what the arrangement is in the SVS I would hope it would work better. There are specific instructions for the proper way for the SVS to handle eggs. A fair push back would be that the Kettle would work fine if you adjust the temp to maybe 144 to compensate for the element on the bottom... or fluctuation... or ??? Which brings up why this isn't a fair fight. While the SVS tells you how to ballpark pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, veggies, etc. all in detail: legs vs. boneless skinless vs. roasts vs. chops... the Kettle specifies something entirely different: tea. White Tea vs. Green Tea vs. Black Tea. If you know your tea you certainly understand scalded green teas. The bottom line is if you can sous vide an egg in this thing you're fine for tea. I twittered about my scallops from last night. Simply a clove of smashed garlic, a pat of butter and 4 different sized scallops. Finished in the new Calphalon Sear pan (review to come) and a sprinkling of truffle salt. They were perfect. I have ruined many scallops and enjoyed many scallops at restaurants and homes around the country and have to honestly say – I was really impressed with these scallops. I wonder what kind of shock and awe went through the minds of the people who played with the first microwaves. It was all about convenience and as I wait 45 minutes for 4 eggs to slow poach I can mention how remarkable it is that the true point of difference in this new type of oven is not really convenience. The cooking process is made easier but why would you want to wait 24 hours for dinner... ever? The bottom line is that the food is BETTER. It's why restaurants around the world have been paying thousands for scientific equipment to cook chicken! Thomas Keller wrote a book on it (still waiting for it to show!). Every piece of protein Heston Blumenthal cooks is with sous vide. But I'm gushing and I haven't even seen the results from this egg thing. What I found interesting with the Blumenthal demo was less the perfect protein than the revolutionary technique. Without sous vide you could not do this to eggs. (While we mention Blumenthal and Keller, credit Wylie Dufresne for his egg trick). The poached pear where the wine's alcohol doesn't boil off is another one of those dishes where I'd have no idea how I could do it otherwise. I suspect that medium to medium rare short ribs where all the fat and collagen have rendered is another example... fish that's cooked but the texture seems raw or duck that same way is another. I have a bag of protein and this weekend I'm going to use it (147.2/149). 11 minutes left. The kicker 9:13 left the SmartKettle beeps and clicked off... I simply hit the red button and it is back in holding mode. This is a DQ as nearly every sous vide use is in excess of 2 hours. 3 minutes. So the bottom line? I ate my eggs... the SmartKettle eggs were cooked more which I prefer. But they were clumpier and, especially the whites, had a bit of inconsistency to them while the SVS eggs were custard-like and uniform. I suppose the next...

Your Weekend Cupcake Forecast

While it's been in soft open for a while now, Uptown's Cupcake Gallery has its official grand open on Sunday, complete with "free cupcakes from noon until supplies run out," according to Uptown Update. • Though you'll have to pay for your miniature confections at More, there is a bang-for-your-buck factor when it comes to the alcoholic ones: this weekend they're launching winter-cocktail-inspired cupcakes in flavors like White Russian and Brandy Alexander.

Read more posts by Helen Rosner

Filed Under: foodievents, cupcake gallery, cupcakes, free stuff, more, uptown

Thanksgiving Breakfast

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm sure you're making a list and checking the refrigerator twice before heading out to the grocery store in preparation for your turkey dinner. But before you run out the door, check and make sure you have the ingredients to this power breakfast treat - Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti along side a cup of Earl Grey tea. Trust me, I get it -- you know you'll be in the kitchen all day, starving, trying to get the potatoes whipped, the gravy unlumped, and the biscuits fluffy and the last thing you want to think about is what to eat come turkey-day morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this easy biscotti and tea combo will leave you satified, energized and with enough room leftover to tackle the all the fixings. CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI 3 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 1 c. granulated sugar ½ c. light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 c. shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped 1 c. dried, sweetened cranberries, coarsely chopped Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat until fully blended. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla and the lemon zest. With the beater on low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until the dough starts to clump together. Mix in the pistachios and cranberries. Gather the dough into a ball, and then divide it in half. With lightly floured hands, place each half of the dough lengthwise on one side of the parchment sheet. Shape the dough into rectangular loaves about 12 inches long and 2 ½ inches wide. Make sure the loaves are at least 3 inches apart on the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back about halfway through baking, or until the loaves are nicely golden and the tops feel mostly firm when gently pressed. Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool for 30 minutes. Remove the loaves from the parchment paper and transfer them, one at a time, to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion, cut the loaves on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Discard the parchment and place the biscotti, cut side down, on the sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the biscotti over to the other side and bake for about 10 minutes longer or until lightly toasted. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Store cooled biscotti in tupperware until ready to serve. A steamy cup of Earl Grey tea compliments these sassy biscotti perfectly. Earl Grey tea is a ceylon tea seasoned with bergamot rind. Bergamots are a small, yellow-green, 'lime-y' fruit grown in Italy, South of France, and other areas around the Mediterranean, though they orginated in Southern Asia. The bergamot is known for having calming properties and is used in homeopathic remedies for anxiety and depression -- uhm, could there be any better way to start of a hectic day? With a nice dose of caffeine to boot, this power-house tea will compliment the tarty sweetness of the biscotti leaving you satiated and ready to go. To brew the perfect cup of tea, be sure to seep the tea bag (or loose tea) for 3-5 minutes. Add milk and sugar to taste. Kick back, relax, eat your biscotti and sip your tea...and have a Happy Thanksgiving. Recipe compliments of Janet Cummins. Janet is the owner of Delish, which offers personal chef services, cooking classes, and catering. You can also find Janet cooking up delish dishes at World Kitchen at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts. You may contact Janet at janet@delishchef.com

NYC Restaurant Owner Snaps!

Times are tough in the restaurant biz, and while we understand restaurateurs need to think outside the box to get people in seats, this one right here takes the (*&%$#@#$%^?! cake:

Vadim Ponorovsky, the owner of Paradou in New York's famed Meatpacking District, fired off a "team-building" email to employees that was so full of expletives it'd make even us blush.

Here's a sample:

"How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails. Everytime (sic) we have a slow night and you make no money and you sit there bitching about how you make no money, remember its (sic) because youre (sic) f**king lazy motherf**kers. YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!"

Oh, honey, it gets much worse! When one of the employees sent his crazy-ass email to Gawker.com, he decided to turn his anger on the New York media outlet to take out further frustrations on editors.

Word to bar and restaurant owners, if you want customers, this is not how you get them!

Thanksgiving in Chicago means different strokes for different folks

By Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman
Original story appeared in StreetWise

Chicago’s restaurant scene is filled with places to dine out on Thanksgiving Day. Most, including those that usually feature ethnic food, offer a traditional Thanksgiving meal, frequently offered in addition to the regular menu. Personally, we tend to be intrigued by restaurants that offer something unusual for Thanksgiving. After all, how many more turkey and sweet potato dinners does one really need to eat? So here is our take on where you might want to go for a taste of Thanksgiving with a different sensibility. Since many of you will be at home on T-Day, we’ve included some suburban spots for your enjoyment.


The Melting Pot Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving from Around the World

Vermilion
11 W. Hubbard, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 527-4060; www.thevermilionrestaurant.com

Vermilion is one of our absolute favorite upscale restaurants in Chicago and has earned high praise among the culinary media around the country. Executive Chef Maneet Chauhan presents a sensory-rich menu using both Indian and Latin American ingredients. For Thanksgiving, Vermilion offers its annual $45-per-person prix fixe “Herb & Spice” six-course Thanksgiving feast from noon to 10 p.m. (the menu is also available throughout the weekend). Dishes include Brazilian Feijoada, black bean stew with meats and a hint of garam masala spice; Indian Black Cardamom Smoked Turkey with Indian Sarson Ka Saag; Bengali Panch Puran (ginger cranberry chutney) with fennel, cumin and mustard seed, and Mexican Pumpkin Pie. The “Herb and Spice” is usually a sellout, so make your reservations early.

SUSHISAMBA Rio
504 N. Wells, Chicago, IL
(312) 595-2300; www.sushisamba.com

SUSHISAMBA Rio is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. The décor is gloriously colorful and the menu includes both Japanese and Brazilian dishes, with some combining elements of both. For Thanksgiving, enjoy special dishes in addition to the regular menu: Braised Short Rib Gyozas, with kabocha pumpkin purée, red shiso leaf, smoked ginger soy; Plainville Farms Turkey T-Bone, with sweet potato-brown sugar fries, bacon escarole, cranberry teriyaki glaze, and for dessert, Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread Pudding, maple syrup ice cream, roast pecans, candied shiso leaf.

The Not-Your-Meat-&-Potatoes Thanksgiving Feast

3411 N. Halsted, Chicago IL
(773) 935-6696; www.veggiediner.com


Birch River Grill
75 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL
(847) 427-4242; www.birchrivergrill.com

For Thanksgiving (from noon to 5 p.m.), this contemporary regional American restaurant is featuring such delectable items as Acorn Squash and Kentucky Bourbon Bisque, Autumn Salad with Mulled Wine Poached Pear Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Toasted Pecans and Kiln Dried Cherry Dressing; Maple Glazed Free Range Turkey Breast with Granny Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing, Sage Pan Gravy, Buttermilk Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Brown Butter Green Beans, Rustic Cranberry-Orange Relish, Spiced Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. The Thanksgiving menu is $24.95 per person; kids age 12 and under are $13.95.


Fast Food Thanksgiving

Kuma’s Corner
2900 W Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL
(773) 604-8769; www.kumascorner.com

For those of you with a case of the Thanksgiving munchies, you’ll not want to miss this Thanksgiving heart attack on a bun: Kuma’s famous “Sleep Burger” is a monster sandwich featuring turkey and gravy topped with deep-fried stuffing and cranberry sauce. The Sleep Burger will keep you wide awake while you eagerly gobble it down, but you may fall soundly asleep while digesting it. You were forewarned.

The To-Die-For-Dessert-to-Bring-Home Thanksgiving

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
921 Pasquinelli Dr. Westmont, IL; (630) 455-9846
798 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL; (847) 228-9551
http://www.pappadeaux.com/

Even if you’re not going out for Thanksgiving you can still wow your friends and family with Pappadeaux’s luscious signature Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, which is available for purchase just in time for your at-home holiday feast. Pie pre-order began November 2, and pick-up runs November 20-25. The price for one pie is $14.94 and you can buy a second pie for just $9.95. You won’t be disappointed. Call either restaurant location to order.

Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you'd like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact DineWise@kurman.com.

Barnaby’s Of Northbrook – Northbrook, IL

I’ve always loved the food at two of the Barnaby's locations in particular; the first is in Niles on Caldwell Ave, and the other is in Northbrook on Skokie Valley. And even though I call out these two locations in particular, there's always been something just a bit more special about the Northbrook Barnaby's.

Walking in the bright brass railing trimmed interior and framed pictures on the walls along with other little touches grab you as this Barnaby's is different. Which really speaks to the fact that Northbrook Barnaby's really tries to be more dressed up, more... well, Northshore. It only mildly resembles its other Barnaby brethren who still sport that 1960/70’s Bavarian themed pizza pub interior look.

But food-wise, is always where the Northbrook’s Barnaby's really separated itself, it’s simply excellent. The pizza obviously is always made fresh upon order, and served up piping hot. But to really try to out a description to this pizza is tough; I think it falls somewhere in-between a regular Chicago style thin crust, and the ultra thin Tavern style cracker crust pizza like Wells Brothers, Marie’s or Candlelight.

The bottom of the pizza is cornmeal dusted for maximum crispiness, and the outside edge crust is hand pinched, forming one best tasting crusts found anywhere on the planet.

The sauce is a tomato rich, but with a slightly sweet tone, well balanced with seasonings that aren’t too oregano dominated.

Anywhere I go, I always try to order the sausage & pepperoni as a rule, it's my benchmark pizza. And this is one of the places that has always made it perfectly, starting out with a great Italian pork sausage that has just enough spiciness to still have a taste, but also has a nice fennel finish. The pepperoni is always fresh and crisps in the oven, and is never greasy.

Barnaby's of Northbrook is easily one of my top 10 pizzas in the US.

I really can’t think of much negative to say about Barnaby's, but you’d think that after all these years the bar and the food counters which are run separately at two separate counters, would combine and the two line thing would go away; its a pain to have to wait in two lines, which many times are not very short lines due to its popularity.

Taste: 9.5
Experience: 8
Value: 7
Score: 8.16

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Hub 51

Location – 51 W. Hubbard (Dearborn and Hubbard) In one word – Manic Food – By going at lunch, I ensured that I could focus on the food and that there was not a wait.  I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to approach the menu:  They have sushi and tacos and sandwiches.  It was [...]