New York, New York

Last weekend I skipped town to visit some of my favorite college friends in New York City. Being from the northeast, I've been to the big apple a bunch of times with my family, but I'm only now getting to know the city on my own. As a theater fan and food fan, I had to sample some of the best the city has to offer in my short time there. I got in late Friday, but Saturday it was off to the races. My friend (and self-proclaimed Broadway addict) Elizabeth got up early to snatch us half-price tickets to the matinee show of Equus, the acclaimed revival of Peter Shaffer's 1975 psychological thriller (or as many know it, the play that Harry Potter gets naked in). But before we went to watch a two hour show about a troubled teenager who blinds six horses in a seemingly inexplicable act of violence, we needed to get something to eat.

It was just about lunch time, so I suggested we hunt down a 'wichcraft. Perhaps the "lowest brow" of Top Chef Tom Colicchio's family of New York eateries, wichcraft is a network of quick, in-and-out gourmet sandwich stands and kiosks sprinkled all throughout Manhattan. We ended up at one in Bryant Park, and munched on delish warm sandwiches while we watched the crews set up giant white tents for New York's winter Fashion Week.

It was an unseasonably warm winter's day and the sunshine was bright and crisp. Here's a shot of the 'wichcraft kiosk in Bryant Park:

And here's a shot of my sammie: gruyere and caramelized onions on rye.

After lunch, it was off to the theatre. I haven't been to see a really good play in quite some time, and my laziness is purely to blame - each and every day I slog past one of the country's most prolific theatre companies - The Steppenwolf - on my way to work, yet I rarely get it together to set foot inside. Equus, which we caught on its last weekend, was a total sensory and emotional knockout - the kind of play that really moves you, challenges you, and makes you think.

Daniel Radcliffe, as well as fellow HP actor Richard Griffiths (who you may know as "Uncle Vernon), delivered powerful, expertly nuanced performances as the troubled protagonist and the unconventional psychiatrist attempting to unravel the reasons behind his crime. Also turning in an unexpectedly delightful performance was Kate Mulgrew, who you may remember as Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. From first line through the shocking conclusion, I was rapt. I left the theatre with goosebumps and a promise to myself that I need to go see live plays more often - there really is no match for it.

Here's a shot of Erica, Elizabeth and I outside the theater. Not pictured: the crowd of teenage girls at the stage door hoping to get a glimpse of the wizard himself.

All that emotional catharsis helped us work up an appetite. After wandering about the Broadway / Times Square area for a bit, we hopped a train down to popular East Village eatery Momofuku Noodle Bar. I wanted to try momofuku because it's one of the much-mentioned favorites of my favorite New York food blogger, The Amateur Gourmet. We got in just before the evening rush and were seated quickly. Momofuku, brainchild of celebrated NY restauranteur David Chang, is inspired by the ramen noodle bars of Japan. There's a bar with seating and a number of communal tables, and with a short menu and prompt service, it's designed to get you in and out and on with your night.

We started with 7 spice potato chips:

I then got the chicken ramen, probably the most basic, signature dish of the establishment. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and stir-fried, the noodles were fresh and eggy, and the broth was delightfully saltly. Fresh ingredients DEFINITELY beat the stuff you get at the store any day.

After dinner, we wandered a bit more and ended up cruising over to another David Chang establishment: Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery. This hopping little storefront offers a variety of frozen and baked desserts, as well as different flavors of milk. Following The Amateur Gourmet's advice, I went for the banana cake, and it was just about as good as he said it was. It was too dark to get a good picture, but T.A.G. has a good one here. The cake itself was a little too dense & heavy, but the delicious custard layer, as well as the caramel and peanut accents, made this slice one to remember. Why don't people combine banana and toffee / caramel more often?!? Seriously. One of the best flavor combos EVER!

After that we were stuffed silly and, having spent through a good chunk of change already, we grabbed some cheap wine at Trader Joe's and decided to lay low at my friend's apartment for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, I only had time for brunch before jetting off to the airport (well actually, the 90 minute train to the airport). Well loved Murray Hill brunch spot Penelope. Although it was about a 40 minute wait (we showed up at about 10am), it was well worth it. Unique sweet and savory dishes with delicious fresh ingredients make this a worthwhile place to spend $20 on brunch. I got a bottomless coffee and this dish: eggs scrambled with grilled asparagus and feta cheese, wheat toast and hand cut french fries. Perfect for curing the wine hangover. Elizabeth and Nicole got breakfast sandwiches and also reported rave reviews. I'd like to go back and try some of their "sweet" offerings sometime!

And with that, I bid a sunny, unseasonably warm New York a good bye... or rather... a "see ya later". Once I save up a little more change I'm sure I'll be back soon enough.

Top Toast of 2008

Everyone's doing their "best of 2008" lists this time of year, so I thought I'd throw mine in the mix. Also convenient for me, as I haven't been too diligent about updating in the last... mmm... eight months or so. But that doesn't mean I stopped eating and cooking!

Without further ado, here's my Top Toast of 2008:

10. Homemade Pasta

One of my favorite parts of training for the Chicago marathon was the carbs. Basically, running long distances on a regular basis gives you a good excuse to eat carbs, because you need to build up your glycogen stores to fuel you through the miles ahead. Starting in May, I did long runs every Saturday (and sometimes Friday) morning, which I nearly always proceeded with a healthy carb-rich dinner. Lucky for me, pasta is one of my favorite foods, so that was often my choice - I even learned how to make it from scratch! After a couple of months I've gotten kind of good at it too. Here's a recent homemade meal of Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage.

9. Strawberry Shortcake

I was home over the fourth of July this past summer, and my mom made strawberry shortcake. Homemade biscuits. Sweet New Hampshire strawberries, perfectly ripe, in season. Freshly whipped cream - not too sweet. 'Nuff said.

8. Full English Breakfast, Happy Days, London

As far as a full English breakfast goes, it doesn't get more real - or delicious - than this one. Messy scrambled eggs, potatoes, sweet salty beans, grilled mushrooms and tomato, zesty sausages, and buttery toast. No black pudding.

7. Controversial Cupcakes at the Bleeding Heart Cafe

These savory Top Chef inspired creations were quite an experience. While the Wasabi White Chocolate was a kick in the mouth, the Perplexed Green (Curry) Tofu was rather delightful, and the Chicken Stir Fry cupcake was kind of awful but inventive nonetheless.

6. Return to Pataka

My European travels last March took me back through Edinburgh, Scotland, where I enjoyed some of the best Indian food I've ever had at Pataka. Curry is one of the UK's most popular foods - whether sit-down or carry-out (take-away as they say), Indian and Pakistani restaurants easily outnumber all other cuisines in the country. I got my favorite - Chicken Korma. Mmmm.

5. BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've never really been a fan of barbeque sauce - until this year. On a whim, my friend Ian and I picked up the BBQ Chicken Pizza from Homemade Pizza Kitchen (they make it fresh, you bake it), and it was AMAZING. It's essentially a white pizza with mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, and succulent little chunks of chicken, all drizzled with sweet, tangy barbeque sauce. It's all I've purchased from HPK since.

4. Topolobampo

I love it when my parents come to town. First, because since they still live in New Hampshire, I hardly ever see them anymore - it's nice to get some face time. And second, because they take me out to eat. Good places, too. This time around we went to Topolobampo. Mom's always been a fan of Rick Bayless and Frontera Grill, but she'd never been to Topolo, Frontera's fancy sister restaurant. The food was a knockout - wonderfully crafted "dressed up" Mexican, and the tasting menu was a fantastic way to experience it all.

I believe this guacamole served with cucumber and jimica slices may have been inspired by the episode when Rick Bayless guested on Top Chef: Chicago... Richard won the quickfire (thereby getting his dish on the Topolo menu) with a jimica wrapped veggie taco appetizer. The episode aired the night before our meal.

We finished up with Bayless's play on churros - light, crispy Mexican doughnuts served with a rich chocolate dipping sauce.

3. Birthday Dessert at TRU

In celebration of my 25th birthday, Jeanette, Leanne and I decided to check out the dessert tasting menu at TRU, one of Chicago's fanciest, schumanciest restaurants. Dinners here run somewhere around $200 a pop (sans drinks), but the dessert tasting is a slim $35 a person for five courses of pastriatic bliss. The place had a regal, stuffy feel about it, and despite being nearly packed it was surprisingly quiet. The staff were a bit stiff and formal, but our sommelier was really down to earth, and gave us a good deal on a really awesome bottle of dessert wine. The name of course escapes me now, but it was a great pair to all of our courses.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too eager with my camera, but here's a small sample of some of the delights we enjoyed:

A delightful, refreshingly citrusy mini aperitif...

A birthday wish in white chocolate...

And, on your way out the door, they hand you one of these, to "enjoy with your morning coffee". As if to say, "you'll have enough of a food hangover that you'll be needing it". It was a nice bow on a really lovely evening.

2. Stephanie Izard Winning Top Chef: Chicago

Ok, not edible. But still a really exciting moment (and television season) for Chicago foodies - and to top it all off, I got to interview her. Pretty cool. I can't wait until her Wicker Park / West Town restaurant, The Drunken Goat, opens this summer!!

1. Schwa.

I got a lucky seat at the much-sought-after Schwa last spring almost by accident. Considered by many Chicago foodies to be the very best deal for fine dining in all of the city (nine courses for $109 flat - and BYOB), it is nearly impossible to get a reservation. Probably because there are only four guys who work there, plus one helpful girlfriend who occasionally comes in and answers the phone. The brainchild of tortured genius (and Food & Wine Best New Chef) Michael Carlson, Schwa serves eclectic, gastro-molecular creations that challenge the diner just enough, and deliver exciting and unexpected flavors that work. The four chefs do all the cooking, hosting and serving themselves. It's quite an operation to behold, and considering there are only 26 or so seats, it feels like an exclusive dinner party.

Anyway, due to the value and incredible hype, it's incredibly hard to get a reservation. Call the restaurant at any given time, and you'll probably get a message saying that the voicemail box is full. If you're lucky, you'll call at just the right moment and be able to leave a message - which are always returned diligently. And if you're really lucky - like my friend Matt - you'll call at the precise moment when that helpful girlfriend picks up the phone intending to make another call. You'll startle her when you say "hello?" and she's expecting to hear a dial tone instead of a voice. And you'll bite your lip to supress the giant smile when she takes your reservation for just a few weeks away.

But then, what will you do when, just days before your reservation date, the girl you're seeing tells you she doesn't have the time to squeeze you in before starting her residency in Denver? You call me up, of course! And that's how I got my accidental seat at Schwa. But what an excellent twist of fate it was - probably the most etherial and awe-inspiring dining experience I've ever had. Here are a few highlights:

Chimay Beer Cheese Soup with a pretzel puff and mustard rind. Beer + cheese = mmmmm.

Stone crab with banana, celery, and coriander. Sweet, savory, and refreshing.

And finally, pad thai, with jellyfish tentacles subbed for noodles. Surprisingly fantastic.

A delicious 2008, all in all. Let's hope 2009 is even more flavorful.

Springtime for Britain and Italy: Part Two

ITALY!

FLORENCE

One train, one plane, one bus, and most of a day later, Susie and I finally arrived in Florence, Italy, to warm, sunny skies. After checking into our hostel, Susie set off to meet her friend Jill, and I set off to do some touring before dinner. Waited in line to see Michelangelo’s David, which was truly impressive, and generally wandered about the streets before meeting Susie, Jill, and my friend Taylor (from the frisbee team) for the first of many scrumptious Italian dinners. The spot was Donatello’s Ristorante, right in the shadow of the city’s massive cathedral, which is generally referred to simply as “The Duomo”.

Here’s a shot of my fettuccine with tomato cream sauce:

After dinner, Jill took us to one of her favorite gelato spots, Grom – unique for making their gelato fresh daily, according to their own recipes. It was a treat!

The next morning, Susie and I were up early to do some sightseeing before heading to Rimini on the afternoon train. We tried to go over and climb the Duomo, but it was sadly closed for Easter week. Unfortunate. Instead, we wandered over to the Piazza della Signiora, which among it’s sculpture garden of famous art, offers the entrances to the famous Uffuzi Museum and Palazzo Vecchio. The line at the Uffuzi was far too long, so we wandered into the Palazzo Vecchio instead. This building is the old seat of government in Florence and is still used for some political purposes to this day. It’s chock full of exquisite paintings, artifacts, furniture, and more – not a floor, tile, foot of wall or ceiling panel is untouched. This is a view into the map room (note the giant globe that anchors the room): It was then on to the Ponte Vecchio, which was picturesque!

For lunch, we stopped by a little hole in the wall called I Fratellini for a panini. Lonely Planet calls this place "the best street food in Europe". It's a tall order. But I was impressed. Fresh, warm bread, creamy mozerella cheese, and delightfully salty prosciutto made it an extraordinarily delicious treat.

After lunch we got some mid-afternoon gelato at the Festival del Gelato!

They have over 40 flavors! It was hard to decide which one to get. I landed on nutella and profiterole.

RIMINI

We then dashed to catch the afternoon train to Rimini, just a few hours to the east. We spent the first night at the Paganello opening party on the beach, tossing the disc, eating steaming agilo e olio spagetti and sardines, and copious amounts of Paganello wine. Our first day of games was sunny and somewhat warm. We all got a little sunburned. That night the whole team went to an upscale pizzaria near our hotel. Ok maybe all Italian pizzarias are nice by comparison. Or perhaps its just that they don't have much in between take out shops and formal restaurants. Anyway, here's my pizza - prosciutto e funghi (mushrooms).

Here's Julie and Jim enjoying the house red!

Our second day on the beach was partly cloudy and a little bit more chilly, but still pleasant. After our last game we dashed back to the hotel for a quick scrubdown before heading over to Chi Burlaz for another delicous Italian feast. The owner of this place is a crazy Italian man who randomly serenades diners in broken english karaoke. The food however, was right on pitch. I had pumpkin ravaoli - one of my faves:

And here's table one...

... and table two!

Day three started off a little chilly and cloudy, and rapidly went down hill. But before the cutting 40-degree rain squalls rolled in, we posed for a team photo! That night, we figured out how to order in some pizzas to the hotel (thanks Julie!), and I negotiated a neary tobaccaria for a box of beer. We then headed to the last night party - which had a good & evil theme. We didn't really dress up, but in true fashion, there were some spectacular costumes from the UK teams and many of the European teams. If there is one thing the brits know how to do, its to throw a proper theme party. Gawsh I miss it!

The next day the weather cleared a bit, and we played one game in the morning before settling in to watch the finals in the afternoon. After that, it was off to the train station and on my way to Venice.

VENICE

After arriving to Venice after dark, exhausted, I finally made it to my hostel (by boat), which turned out to be overpriced and exceedingly basic, but delivered the warm, dry comfort of a bed anyhow.

I woke to georgeous blue sunny skies. I only had one full day in the city, so I did my best to make the most of it. Really, I just ended up wandering the streets and alleys, stopping into churches and museums here and there. Here's the grand canal:

In the afternoon I stopped into a little cafe

for an espresso and nutella crepe. I have to say, I have never, EVER, liked espresso before, but this stuff was liquid gold. It was so smooth and aromatic, and not cuttingly bitter like much of the espresso I've had in the past. It was a perfect complement to the crepe!
As the afternoon waned, I picked up a ticket to see a string ensemble perform Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and other selections at this church.After a quick trip back to the hostel to freshen up, I returned to the main island for a delicious dinner-for-one of 1/4 carafe of wine and mushroom risotto. I ended up chatting to an Australian guy and his mother who were sitting next to me - love meeting random people abroad! I was actually impressed by the number of random people who started talking to me when I was travelling alone - it was nice to meet so many friendly people.

After dinner, I dashed off to the concert, which was exquisite. After that, it was straight to bed, to rest up for the next day's travel to London! To be continued...

Springtime for Britain and Italy: Part One

SCOTLAND!
Like many college grads, I started my full-time career straight after graduation. No celebratory trips, no fanfare. Just a straight dive into a 9 to 5 grind (well more like 8 to 7, but you get the point). So when I recently took two WHOLE weeks off of work to travel in Europe, it was the longest legitimate vacation I’d had in quite some time. And I made the most of it.

The reason for the trip was to take a team to Paganello, the legendary ultimate Frisbee tournament in Rimini, Italy, but I made a few other stops along the way. Here’s the story.

I used all of my saved up United miles to book a round trip flight in and out of London – which is where my trip began. Briefly. I spent several hours on the morning of March 17th traveling on various trains between Heathrow airport, central London, and Gatwick airport, where I caught an EasyJet flight to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Edinburgh is a lovely, ancient city – and it has a special place in my heart because I lived there for a number of months during college, studying at the university, working, and yep, playing ultimate. My little sister is currently doing a semester abroad there, which gave me legitimate reason to visit.

When the airport bus finally put me out on a bridge overlooking the city’s central gardens, the massive castle hulking on a crag above, Susie was waiting for me. We quickly decided that it would be Indian for dinner – I wanted to take her to a place I had gone when I had lived there, if we could find it! Luckily we did.

Pataka is a little Indian treasure tucked away on the city’s north side, somewhat near the meadows. When most people think of traditional Great Britain cuisine, it’s usually pub food, bangers and mash, or haggis that come to mind. But because of the region’s significant Indian and Sri Lankan population, it is one of the best places in the world (outside the far east) to get an excellent curry. And the British LOVE their curries. I’m just fascinated by the way that the cuisine has become such an accepted and adored part of the British diet – in these countries, Indian take-out places are just as popular as pizza or Chinese food in America. Perhaps more so.

Anyway, back to our story. So Susie and I go creeping along the streets of the causewayside neighborhood in Edinburgh and find Pataka, at long last. Here’s a shot of our delicious curries:

I got Chicken Korma, and I believe Susie has the Chicken Bhuna. They were served with hot naan bread and basmati rice, and it was just as good as I remembered.

It was Susie’s 21st birthday at midnight, so to celebrate, we went out with Susie’s roommates to one of Edinburgh’s most infamous student-dominated clubs: Why Not? The club was also as I remembered it from my time in the city, although most of the people there were younger than me this time. Well I guess that’s to be expected. Either way, when I bought a round of drinks for everyone I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were far cheaper there than in Chicago – ten pounds (about $20) bought me five “double” drinks. And thus, alcohol would stand as the only thing cheaper in Europe than in America for the length of my trip.

The morning after our big night out, Susie and I nursed our hangovers with a proper fry-up breakfast at the City Restaurant, nearby Susie’s flat. Here’s a shot:

Eggs, beans, toast, and bacon made up this meal, but “full” fry ups usually include a grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms, sausages, and sometimes black pudding (which I usually skip on account that it is gross. I forget why, but I know it is).

We spent much of the day tooling around Edinburgh, admiring the shops, and even checking out an excellent Ansel Adams exhibit. For lunch we grabbed sandwiches from Gregg's (my fave cheap sandwich & pastry shop) and chips (fries) with vinegar, salt & brown sauce. Yum.For Susie’s birthday dinner, we went to a restaurant called Garfunkel’s on the Royal Mile. Although admittedly a chain (which I generally try to avoid when traveling!), Garfunkel’s offers delicious, hearty fare and big, sweet, messy desserts. That was really what we were there for. Here’s Susie with her Profiterole birthday sundae.
We got to bed at a reasonable hour, and the next day it was up and out at dawn to begin our trek to Italy. To be continued...

Well, they lost, but at least they gave us a good time!

Yesterday was the Super Bowl... and especially considering that the city's own BEARS were playing, I made it a point to celebrate in style. The day began at 10:45 AM, when I met my friend Ian. We grabbed a quick coffee, spiced it up with a little "special" (read: Bailey's) to keep us warm, and headed over to Take Five on Southport to wait in line for the bar to open. Ian's friend Amanda had been there since 9 AM (she's a REAL fan!), and we couldn't believe it because we nearly froze all of our appendages off waiting the 15 minutes until we got in.

Take Five is a charming little sports bar on the north end of the Southport strip, just past the Music Box theater. It's called Take Five because all the food on the menu costs $5 -- a novel, yet totally successful concept, as the food's quality and portion size truly deliver. I found it to be kind of like a mini-Joe's -- boasting "an appliance store's worth of TVs", and coming through with way more than a (reportedly) 150-person-capacity's worth of energy and fun. The square bar in the middle of the place kept the beer flowing on four sides all day, and the kitchen kept serving up freshly fried bar fare all day long.

So we rolled in when the place opened at 11am, and threw down a cool $20 for three hours of buffet and open bar. Mmm, nothing like a cold beer and a burger at 11:15 am!
As the day wore on, we passed the time playing cards and trying to pace ourselves on the cheap beer vessled by these 32oz "Big Game Big Cup" cups.









After the buffet was over, we moved on to more traditional bar fare: wings, fries, and tater tots, with cheese on the side. Mmmm.

Two minutes later:

The bar kept us entertained by showing a GREAT selection of alt rock & random 80s music videos all day, interspersed with rowdy versions of the Bears' fight song and the 1985 Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle, which these guys were attempting to re-enact:

Once kickoff finally came around, we were READY... and after Devin Hester's historic kickoff return (which was greeted with cacaphonous mayhem and a small beer shower), it seemed the Bears could do no wrong. Of course they would go on to give the game away... but not due to a lack of love and support from those in attendance at Take Five Sunday night. We left a little sad, but thankful for the good time we had, both that day, and through the Bear's stellar season. Truth be told, it was a great ride. And when next season rolls around... we'll be waiting patiently, READY ... to do it all over again.

The Single Girl's Guide To Wine Tasting

Last night I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Kate to a wine tasting at Just Grapes, a fun, upbeat wine shop in River North. The event was the shop's "Second Annual Holiday Extravaganza", and featured appetizers by Michael Taus (executive chef of super-trendy Zealous restaurant), as well as over 50 wines for tasting.

Wine is something I'm trying to learn more about, while developing a more discerning palate. When I finally taught myself to like dry white and red wine, I discovered just how much a good wine/food pairing can enhance the flavor of the food, and really the whole dining experience. [Sidenote: Zealous apparently has AMAZING five-and-seven course menus complete with wine pairings for each... something I'll have to try the next time I get a healthy raise or a rich boyfriend!] And yet, a good wine can also be tasty all on its own-- the trick is to learn which varieties of wine you like, and build out from there.

I don’t know much about wine, but what I do is derived from the following. Kate and I took a wine tasting class last spring, taught by a portly and quick-witted man named Mark Gruber. Kate took a lot better notes than I did though, so I ended up buying a book after the class was over, called Windows on The World: Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. I'm still working my way through it, but it's been VERY helpful in teaching me the basics of wine so far. Another good book Mark Gruber recommended, which I purchased, was Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book -- it gives information about the quality of the vintages for the past several years in different wine growing regions. So for instance, if I was at a store looking at a 2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay, I could look in the Pocket Wine Book to see if 2003 was a good year for Chardonnay in Napa Valley. Pretty helpful if you don't keep up on the annual wine harvest news!

So, from these meager learnings, here are the basics of what I know about wine:

First, old wine does not necessarily mean better wine. Mark Gruber's rule of thumb was for whites, drink them as "young" as you can-- the closer the date is to the present, the better they'll be. As for reds, they often need the time to "mature" that whites don't. Reds have these things called "tannins" in them that give them a bitter, even sour taste that wine aficionados will call "full bodied", but that make many of us lower beings crinkle our noses. But while a red wine ages, its tannins break down, so after a few years you get a smoother, more complex taste than you would otherwise. So in short: Whites: Drink 'em Young. Reds: A Few Years Older Won't Hurt Ya.

Second, getting back to the first book (Windows on the World: Complete Wine Course) Kevin Zraly gives us a very helpful chart of the basics of light-to-dark bodied wines, via the major white and red grape varieties:

Whites (in order of lightest to heaviest in body and color)

Riesling

Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay

Champagne / Sparkling Wine

Reds (again, in order of lightest to darkest)

Pinot Noir

Sangiovese
Merlot

Zinfandel
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah/Shiraz

Port

Of course, with these scales comes the disclaimer that there are exceptions to every rule, considering the vast differences between different geographic wine-producing regions, between vintages year-to-year, and given the fact that many wines use a blend of different grapes rather than just one alone. That said, this scale is a pretty good indicator of how light or full bodied a wine made from each grape variety will be.

All of this knowledge in mind, Kate and I strutted into Just Grapes last night poised and ready to swirl, sniff, and swig. We hit the appetizers first (rule three: never drink on an empty stomach!), and my favorite by far was the Sweet Potato, Duck & Exotic Mushroom Risotto. Of the 25+ wines I tasted, here are the ones that came out on top:

Whites:
*Henschke, Sauvingnon Blanc, Adelaide Hills, Australia (2005)
*Ferrari-Carano, Fume Blanc, Sonoma County, California, USA (2005)

Reds:
*Catena, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina (2004)
*Ottimino, Rancho Bello, Russian River Valley, California, USA (2002 Zinfandel)
*Folie a Deux, Menage a Trois, California, USA (2005)
*Guenoc, Petite Syrah, Lake County, California, USA (2003)
*Donausonne, Blaufrankisch, Hungary (2005)
*Foley, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California, USA (2005)
*Carlo Rossi, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, USA (just kidding. gross.)


Hope this entry has been moderately helpful to anyone who’s just about as clueless about wine as me. Well, a little less now. Hopefully.

A pork chop, a play, a hot spot

So I have a sort of a weekly dinner club with my friend Ted, and this week we met on Thursday and made what turned out to be a really great meal of:

Salad Greens with Blue Cheese Crumble, Pine Nuts, Capers, and Garlic-Infused Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing
Potato Pancakes with Applesauce
Pork Chops (in a white wine reduction)
and Chinese Broccoli

We enjoyed the meal with a tasty Sauvignon Blanc... I don't remember the vinter... but it wasn't too heavy and it complemented the flavors of the pork nicely. Ted did the Potato Pancakes, and I forgot to snag the recipe from him, but from what I remember he used shredded (not mashed) potatoes, minced onion, and chives in his "batter". Shredding the potatoes, rather than using mashed ones, makes a more textured and better-tasting potato pancake in my opinion. The sweetness of the applesausce was also a great complement to the savory pancakes.

As I've been wanting to try cooking pork chops for a while, that was my choice this week. Mom used to make them all the time when I was younger, but I hoped to update my version for my now more "grown up" palate. Because pork chops are so lean, they are really easy to overcook, so I knew it would be a challenge. To help, I primarily used Mark Bittman's basic pork chops recipe (can be found in his book "How to Cook Everything" -- a WONDERFUL cookbook, especially for the beginning chef). I started by seasoning the chops with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder, then quickly browning them in olive oil over high heat. I then reduced the heat a bit and added some minced garlic and about a half cup of the Sav Blanc. After about half the wine had bubbled away, I added a half cup of beef stock, covered the skillet, and let it all simmer for about 15 minutes, turning the chops twice. Bittman says that this is the best way to it -- by letting the chops cook through slowly, while soaking in the flavors of the sauce. Luckily, I did everything right and the chops came out very nicely!

Ted and I were satisfied with our meal... but the evening was far from over. After dinner we headed over to the Lookingglass Theatre (located interestingly enough in the Chicago Water Works building, right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile) to see the play CLAY, a one man hip-hop musical. The show stars Matt Sax, a Northwestern Alum and an amazing beat boxer, incredible stage presence, and generally awesome performer. The show was truly phenomenal-- catch it if you can before it ends its run this week!

After the play, Ted and I set out to find some liquid dessert in downtown Chicago. Our quest led us to Rockit Bar & Grill, one of Chicago's trendiest eateries & night spots. We totally didn't think we'd get in (Ted in his sneakers and track jacket, and me in my flip flops), but we figured it was worth a shot... and lo and behold, we were granted sacred entry!! The place is definiely hip, but without being over-the-top-decadent... a combination of warm dark wood and ambient lighting give the place a homey but sophistocated feel. At 11pm, the upstairs lounge was filled with suited young professionals (likely JUST getting off work... from that I Banking job) and women dressed in their designer best, looking ready for a night at the club. Needless to say, we didn't reeeeeeally fit in, but we didn't care. Finding a little spot by the bar, I ordered a Chocolate Martini (complete with a cherry) and Ted ordered a Mojito (complete with oodles of crushed mint leaves). I've got to say, after getting through college on Skol and other bottom-shelf varieties, it is VERY nice to enjoy good liquor every now and then. Even if it does cost $10 for a Martini.

Needless to say, it was a pleasant end to a delectable evening of food and culture. Yum.