The Chicago Foodie

Single? Love Food? Looking for a Date? Eater’s Got You

chicagofoodie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:14:58 +0000

Love this!

Our friends at Eater have launched a new food-inspired dating site, How About We. If I wasn’t happily married and on the prowl, pretty sure this would be my source for a deliciously perfect match. But it leads me to question: once the food is off the table, will they have things to talk about?

If you’ve used How About We, could you let me know? Would love to hear about successes, miseries and delicious bites in between!

Terrific Tenderloin That’s Easy As Pie

chicagofoodie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:24:58 +0000

Photo from MyRecipe.com

It’s no secret that since Teddy arrived on the scene, going out to eat doesn’t happen as often as it once did. But that’s okay. We love entertaining and cooking, so having people over for dinner parties has been a fun way to still see friends, enjoy delicious food, all while Teddy snoozes away in his bedroom.

Recently, inspired by a delicious Christmas dinner, I decided to reenact the star of the show, a beef tenderloin. Turns out beef tenderloin is a dinner party super star. It’s insanely easy to prepare and cook and everyone loves it. Here’s how I made mine and it was a huge crowd pleaser.

I bought a five pound trimmed tenderloin at Costco. Note: normally when I buy beef, I get Prime grade. It’s the top 2% of been produced and is graded on the marbling (fat). When you’re doing a tenderloin, since it’s a lean cut, you should stick with Choice grade. There’s just not enough fat in a tenderloin to justify paying the amount for Prime.

Take the meat out, pat it down and season with some salt and pepper. Then use some cooking twine to truss it so it cooks evenly. Once it’s trussed, stick cloves of garlic and sprigs of Rosemary between the meat and twine and drizzle with a few tablespoons of EVOO. Let it sit out at room temperature for a few hours before you cook it.

Once it’s time to cook this bad boy, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Then, in a roasting pan, sear the meat so it browns on all sides. It should take about 10 total minutes. This is really key as it locks in the juices and flavor.

After you’re done browning it, pop it into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes. You may have to cook for additional 5-10 minutes, depending on how well done you want it. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature (registers 120°F to 125°F for rare, 125°F to 130°F for medium rare).

Serve with potatoes, a green, some delicious bold red wine and you’ll be the toast of the dinner. Enjoy!

And the Winner of the NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® Piccolo™ is…

chicagofoodie — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:01:50 +0000

Maggie Eaton!

Of everyone who commented, I wrote everyone’s name down, threw them into a hat and selected Maggie’s name. Congrats, Maggie! We will have your new coffee machine shipped to your house. Be sure to let us know what you think of it!

Celebrate The Chinese New Year in Chicago

chicagofoodie — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:21:51 +0000

Hing Kee Restaurant, photo via Yelp

I get a lot of event notices through my inbox, but I thought this one, in honor of the Chinese New Year, looked especially interesting.

Learn how to make Chinese dumplings and eat a family-style meal (featuring menu items such as pumpkin seafood soup, quadruple happiness pork meatball and water chestnut cake) for a reasonable $38. Not too shabby.

It’s on Sunday, January 15^th at 3 p.m. at the Hing Kee Restaurant, 2140 S. Archer Avenue.

Details below. Happy Chinese New Year!

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with Dumpling Making and a Family Style Dinner!

$38.00 (includes gratuity)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

3:00pm – 5:30pm

Hing Kee Restaurant, 2nd Floor

2140 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL 60616

Tea is included. Please bring extra money if you would like other non-alcohol drinks or BYOB. Seats are limited.

Tickets must be purchased in advance at the event website:

PROGRAM

3:00pm Registration

3:15pm

Presentation – Z.J. Tong, President – Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute

Chinese New Year Traditions and Stories

How Chinese Celebrate the New Year at Home

3:45pm Dumpling (Jiao-Zi) Making

4:30pm Dinner Served

MENU

Pumpkin Seafood Soup

Appetizer Platter (cucumber, seaweed, wonton, eggplant)

Jiao-Zi (Seafood Dumpling & Vegetarian Dumpling)

Lemon Chicken

Beef with Garlic and Onion

Quadruple Happiness Pork Meatball

Abalone Mushroom with Bok Choy Tips

Braised Bean Curd with Black Mushroom

Whole Fish in Sweet and Chilly Sauce

Water Chestnut Cake

Tang Yuan (Sticky Rice Balls Soup – Dessert)

And A Merry Fondue To You

chicagofoodie — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:32:22 +0000

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We celebrated with my family in Chicago for Christmas and then headed east to Vermont to have another Christmas and New Years celebration with my husband’s family. All in all, it was very delicious, special and fun to eat amazing food with the people I love most in this world.

Cheese and Seafood Fondue at our New Year's Eve dinner in Vermont

My in-laws have a long tradition of breaking out the fondue pots during special events and holidays, and that is exactly what we did on New Year’s Eve. We had three variations, one cheese fondue, a seafood/broth fondue and of course for dessert, a chocolate fondue.

I’ve had cheese fondue before, but cooking seafood in the broth fondue was new to me. It was amazing. Here’s the recipe and tips for throwing your own fondue party. I know, 1970′s, but I think it’s on the rise and will be a dinner party trend in 2012!

Get a fondue pot, a spirit lamp, a few long-stemmed forks. I love this one from Le Cruset!

For the seafood fondue, rub the interior of the pot with a clove of garlic.

Add boiling broth (I recommend vegetable as it won’t interfere with the flavor) and keep a top on until you’re ready to start dipping.

Have enough seafood (I recomend scallops and raw shrimp) for your guests. You may also want to blanch the seafood to ensure it’s cooked in the fondue, or else make sure you leave it in long enough to cook well.

Have some sauces on hand, such as a mustard mayonnaise, cocktail sauce and a Thai sesame sauce) to dip the cooked seafood into.

Voila!

For cheese fondue, add about four cups of diced cheese (of your choice) as well as a cup of dry white wine and about 1/4 cup of Kirsch brandy. Cook in a pot on the stove until it’s all melted. I would also add a teaspoon of sage, a nice aromatic flavor that accompanies the cheese.

Once melted, add to a fondue pot (which, similar to the seafood fondue, should be rubbed with garlic). Have bread, veggies on hand to dip and enjoy!

Make sure you have some nice white wine and Champage. Both go great with these fondue dished.

Enjoy!!

Zagat Chicago Blog Hop: My Best Night Out

chicagofoodie — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:41:36 +0000

Photo from: Daily Gossip

As a restaurant lover who doesn’t always have a ton of time to get out to eat these days, when we go out, I want it to be good. I am a huge fan of Zagat and was thrilled when I received an exciting email from them. In honor of the 2012 Chicago Restaurants and Nightlife Survey, Zagat reached out to me to write a post about a special night out in Chicago. I’m excited to be part of the first ever Zagat Chicago Blog Hop.

Zagat asked me to share with you one of my fondest eating and drinking experiences in Chicago. Well, that’s easy. And then I started to think about it, and actually, it’s hard since there are so many of them. But one rises to the top that I’m quite excited to share.

As you all know, my little guy, Teddy, was born in March of 2010. He was a week late and pretty much that entire week, my husband and I made a concerted effort to eat at our most favorite restaurants while we still could (though, we’ve continued to go out, either with child in tow or with sitter). At the time, we had no idea the meal at Lula Cafe would be the night before Teddy was born. It was an incredible meal and evening.

First of all, Lula Cafe is one of, if not my absolute favorite restaurants in Chicago, or anywhere. Something about the location, the staff, the food, the atmosphere, the fellow-diners, it is always such a treat of a meal. If our son had been a girl, Lula was on our short list of names. Still is for one-day baby number two. I digress. When we were seated, Bob Dylan’s ‘Bring It All Back Home’ started playing, and it lead into my favorite song, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”. Serendipity. The meal was amazing; we had the beet bruschetta, we split a glass of wine (don’t judge) and I had one of their farm-to-fork nightly specials. Then we split their carrot cake.

My husband and I knew it was a special night, and besides the fact that eight hours after we finished our food I went into labor, every time I go back to Lula, I feel that extra special sentimental tug of when we dined there before Teddy joined us.

So that’s one of my absolute favorite experiences eating and drinking (only half a glass of wine- again, don’t judge!) in Chicago. Now, I invite you to do the same. Share your best nights out by voting for your favorite local spots in the the 2012 Chicago Restaurants and Nightlife Survey (open until 1/16/12). By participating in the survey, you will be eligible for either a free copy of the 2012 Chicago Restaurants and Nightlife Guide or an entry into our $500 “Night On The Town” Sweepstakes.

To read some other bloggers’ favorite nights out, please take a look at the Zagat Chicago Blog Hop!

Stay awake! I’m giving away a NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® Piccolo™

chicagofoodie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:41:58 +0000

You may have seen my post about this handy little coffee maker a few months back. Well, I love it. I have it on my desk at work and enjoy the coffee during the week. Well, the nice folks at NESCAFÉ® are giving away a Dolce Gusto Piccolo to one of my readers. To enter, just post a comment about what you’d do if you were more awake during the holidays. I’ll select the winner who could most use the coffee maker and voila! Contest will end January 10th, 2012.

NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® Piccolo™ i

So, get going and tell me why you need this premium caffeine!

Disclosure: I’m not paid by NESCAFÉ®, however, I did receive a free NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® Piccolo™. Thoughts and opinions in this post are mine alone.

What to serve on Christmas night?

chicagofoodie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:35:10 +0000

I need help.

I am over spent, over extended and bloody tired. And the holidays are still moving forward with vigor. I am planning our holiday party for this weekend and trying to strike that ballance of ease and taste. Specifically in regards to appetizers and the likes.

Oh, and then there’s Christmas dinner. We’ll be eating at my parent’s house, but for the sake and sanity of all attending, I’ll be cooking with my sisters. I want something, again, that’s easy and delicious. A roast? A turkey? And what about sides? Celery root and potatoes? Greens?

I need help.

Please let me know what your go-to recipes are this holiday season. The winning submissions will be featured on the blog and be forever in my debt!

The Michelin Guide Chicago 2012 and Michelin Star Restaurants

chicagofoodie — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:47:07 +0000

Grant Achatz remains king as Alinea is awarded the sole dignity of having three Michelin stars in Chicago, while last year’s co-champion, L20, fell down to one star with the transition of their executive chef. There were a few other fluxes in this year’s Michelin star ranking from last year; a total of 21 Chicago restaurants were awarded the honors versus 23 in 2011. Next was not included and it’s unclear if that was a result of not being able to experience the restaurant or due to when it opened.

I am thrilled to see some of the standouts from my year in dining were included, among them Schwa and Tru. With last year’s arrival of Chicago Michelin Guide, it showcased what we in our fair city have known for a long time, we have tasty food and restaurants. I appreciate that the Michelin Guide continues to push and excel our Chefs, but with the Chicago charm I wouldn’t trade for the world. Sappy? Sure. But I’m not wrong.

And now, I present the 2012 Michele star restaurants in Chicago:

Three stars:

Alinea

Two stars:

Charlie Trotter’s
RIA

One star:

Blackbird
Boka
Bonsoiree
Courtright’s (new in 2012)
Everest
Graham Elliot
L2O
Longman & Eagle
Moto (new in 2012)
NAHA
Schwa
Seasons
Sepia
Spiaggia
Takashi
Topolobampo
Tru
Vie

2012 Chicago Bib Gourmand Restaurants

chicagofoodie — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:41:58 +0000

Bib Gourmand

The Bib Gourmand restaurants from Michelin’s 2012 Chicago Guide were just announced. Still can’t believe Hot Doug’s was snubbed (again!), but this is a pretty decent list. A few others I think Michelin overlooked were: Due Lire and Bistro Campagne.

Thrilled to see some of my favorite restaurants were included, such as Lula Café, Ceres’ Table, Hopleaf, Los Nopales and Opart Thai House. And then a bit surprised to see some (in my opinion) under-performers like Ann Sather and Browntrout on here. But to each there own.

So without further adieu, I present the 2011 Bib Gourmand Chicago Award Winners:

Ann Sather
Arami
Avec
Belly Shack
Bistronomic
Bristol (The)
Browntrout
Ceres’ Table
Cumin
De Cero
deca
DeCOLORES
Fogon
Frontera Grill
Gemini Bistro
Gilt Bar
Girl & The Goat
Green Zebra
GT Fish & Oyster
Han 202
Hopleaf
Jaipur
Jin Thai
Kabul House
La Creperie
La Petite Folie
Lao Sze Chuan
Los Nopales
Lula Café
M. Henry
Maude’s Liquor Bar
Mexique
Mixteco Grill
Mundial Cocina Mestiza
Nana
Nightwood
Opart Thai House
Owen & Engine
Paramount Room
Perennial Virant
Publican (The)
Purple Pig (The)
Raj Darbar
Riccardo Trattoria
Sen
Smak-Tak
Smoque BBQ
Sol de Mexico
Spacca Napoli
Taste of Peru
Thai Village
Twin Anchors
Urban Belly
West Town Tavern
Xni-Pec de Yucatan
Yolo