Category: Chefs/Restaurants

Chicago’s Custom House Restaurant

Sweetbreads
Glazed Bacon/White Polenta
Button Mushrooms
I want to share the experience of dining in Chicago, one of my favorite food towns. It’s not just about the food, but also the big personality of this metropolis and the service, ambiance, architecture, and lights of the Windy City.
Chef Shawn McClain’s Custom House is located at 500 S. Dearborn, on the edge of the Loop. In the 1890s, the area was called the Custom House Levee District, known for its bordellos, saloons and pawnshops; hence the name. With its floor to ceiling windows this restaurant has a sleek cool elegance. It features Regional American fare with locally-sourced seasonal ingredients.

Werp Farms Beets
Crispy Lardo/Pistachio
Blue Cheese/Arugula

Standing at 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, the Sears Tower is the tallest building in North America and the third tallest building in the world: seen here from our table.

Heirloom Beans
Soffrito/Oregano
Homemade Tortelli
Buffalo Milk Ricotta/Green Beans
Parsley Walnut Pesto
Horseradish Cream Puffs

Bone In Short Rib

Pommes Anna
Housemade Bacon

Another Order of Horseradish Cream Puffs

Veal Cheeks
Tomato Anchovy Preserve
Bone Marrow Crostini

Artisanal Cheeses

Enjoying the Evening
As the Sun Goes Down
Black and White Ice Cream Float
Chocolate and Wattleseed Ice Cream
Mini Black and Whites

French Press Coffee
End to Another Fabulous Chicago Meal
A friend of mine is on her way to Chicago for business and asked if I had any recommendations for dining in the city. Another of my favorites is Joe’s Stone Crabs on the corner of Grand & Rush, which I wrote about in April and, of course, Charlie Trotter’s. For an authentic Chicago-Style lunch, don’t miss Hot Doug’s!

We also love Bistrot Margot, in Chicago’s Old Town, a blog post for another time…
Have a great trip, Susan!

Charlie Trotter’s Kitchen


I’m so fortunate. Last Saturday I was The Guest Chef for the Day at Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant in Chicago – a unique opportunity to participate in the creation of Charlie’s world class cuisine. The weekend before, the restaurant celebrated its 21st anniversary. This prestigious restaurant is dedicated to excellence in the culinary arts and I was absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of the team for the day.
I arrived at 2 PM. The plan was to work in his innovative and progressive kitchen until 9 PM then change out of my chef’s whites and join my family and friends in the dining room for dinner.

The Family Meal: The staff and I enjoyed this delicious fish stew, paprika potatoes, fresh Illinois corn and salad before the shift.

Ready to get cooking, but wait, I am first offered a glass of Champagne…they’re spoiling me! Pierre Peters Brut Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru

I’m hoping I can give you a sense of the experience by sharing photographs of the kitchen and some of the finished plates.

The Busy, Dedicated Staff

Garde Manger: the station where cold dishes are prepared.

Chilled Snow Lake Trout with Smoked Salmon Roe
Sorrel & California Crayfish

Pickled Baby Radish with Chives
Charlie Trotter is clearly passionate about vegetables.

Building the Dish:
Michigan Heirloom Tomatoes with Fava Beans
Basil Seeds & Chervil
Italian Summer Truffle 🙂
Ossau Iraty with Truffle
Ossau Iraty cheese from the French Pyrenées is aged for a minimum of ninety days;  its fragrance is reminiscent of toasted hazelnuts, and it tastes of the sweet, buttery flavors from superior sheep’s milk.

Braised Short Ribs are Grilled…

Plated…

Served:
Forty Eight Hour Braised Short Rib
with Chive Blossoms & Fermented Black Garlic

Angelica Ice Cream is made with angelica herb from the restaurant’s abundant garden.

Michigan Raspberries & Blackberries
with Angelica Ice Cream & Angle Food Tuile

I am so grateful to the entire staff at Charlie Trotter’s. Everyone was extremely accommodating, friendly, and professional. And to top it all off, my family, friends, and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner later that night.
Thank you everyone for a most extraordinary and memorable day.

Mignardise: small sweet bites served at the end of a meal…
A sweet experience indeed!

Polish Sausage Chicago Style

Polish Sausage with the Works at Hot Doug’s

UPDATE:

See these three more recent posts on Chicago Hot Dogs and Polish on Taste With The Eyes…
Maxwell Street Polish Sausage here

Polish Sausage Sliders here
Vegan Chicago Hot Dog here

 


“There are no two finer words in the English language than,
‘encased meats,’ my friend.”
-Secret Robbie

Everyone’s got their favorite dog. People who rarely eat hot dogs will cheerfully order up when in Chicago. When I’m in town, my all-time favorite remains the one I’ve been eating for decades: The Chicago Style Polish Sausage with the Works. It is a hickory-smoked mildly spicy beef sausage with all the condiments. Even as a kid, I chose the polish over the hot dog on our regular trips to Fluky’s, another famous hot dog stand that’s been around since 1929. These days, no one does encased meats better than Doug Sohn, owner of Hot Doug’s.
Pictured above is: The Elvis
Polish Sausage: Smoked and Savory – just like the King.
$2.50
The polish, served in a steamed poppy seed bun and dressed with all the traditional Chicago-style condiments:
  • Yellow Mustard
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Bright Green Sweet Relish (also called Piccalilli)
  • Tomatoes
  • Pickle
  • Celery Salt
  • Sport Peppers (optional)

Doug is my hero. In addition to the excellent standard fare, he also offers duck fat fries (only on weekends) and gourmet sausages including Game of the Week, this particular week: Merlot and Blueberry Venison Sausage with Pomegranate-Blueberry Mustard Cream and Finnish Lappi Cheese, oh my!
And other specials such as the one pictured above which I enjoyed on my last visit:
The Celebrity Sausage
Robert Goulet
Uber Garlic Pork Sausage
Chipotle Dijonnaise
Menage Cheese
Roasted Garlic Cloves
$7.00

My nephew, Stone, prefers his hot dog with ketchup only.
How do you like yours?

The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium
3324 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
Phone (773) 279-9550
Hours 10:30 AM – 4 PM
Stone and I recommend that when you visit Chicago, don’t miss out on a trip to Hot Doug’s for lunch, and be prepared to wait for your excellent encased meat, as the line is usually out the door!

Julia Child’s Birthday & Coq au Vin

Chicken in Red Wine with Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon
“In France it is usually accompanied only by parsley potatoes; buttered green peas could be included if you wish a green vegetable.” from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

In honor of Julia’s birthday, Father Adam and I are making the meal as she recommends. Our potatoes are parsleyed and our peas are buttered and tossed with chopped fresh mint.

Montecito, California

Adjacent to the city of Santa Barbara, lies beautiful Montecito. A while back my mother and I had lunch at the charming Montecito Inn.

After lunch, we decided to drive up the road to visit the Casa Dorinda and see where Julia Child spent her last years.

This assisted living facility is a sprawling complex, the former estate of a wealthy nature lover. Julia occupied a cozy one bedroom apartment. She decorated her little kitchen walls with cookware and tools just like she had at her home in Cambridge.

In addition to cooking and camaraderie, another of Julia’s passions was golf. I like to imagine that it gave her pleasure to have this pretty little green at the Casa Dorinda. Perhaps she played there?
Back to the kitchen and her Coq au Vin recipe…

Bacon is simmered in water, then dried and sautéed in hot butter until lightly brown. A whole chicken, cut-up, is then browned in the fat. Cognac is added to the pan.

Another reason to love Julia’s cooking – many of her recipes include lighting them on fire! Tip the pan and ignite the cognac.

After the flames subside, add 3 cups of good red wine and enough beef stock to cover the chicken. Stir in tomato paste, mashed garlic, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. This is another one of those times where I wish you could smell the aromas…Cover and cook 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile make brown-braised pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms.

We thought Julia would be pleased that we sautéed french bread in clarified butter, in her honor, to make croutons for the coq au vin.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a platter then skim the fat from the sauce. Raise the heat and reduce the sauce. Beat beurre manié into the sauce to thicken, adjust seasoning. Add the chicken, bacon, onions and mushrooms back to the pot, heat through and serve.
The complete recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking can be found here. And oh my, the sauce was so flavorful, rich and velvety!
In honor of Julia’s birthday, August 15th, Lisa of Champaign Taste is hosting the third annual Julia Child Birthday Celebration. Lisa’s was the very first food blog I ever read. I was hosting a Julia-style dinner party in my home and was searching the web for some inspiration, and stumbled upon her first Julia event post. I was excited to read it not only for the ideas, but Lisa lives in Champaign Illinois, which is where I attended college. Please visit Champaign Taste for the round-up of Julia Child dishes from around the globe.
I leave you with the last paragraph from My Life in France:
“Such was the case with the Sole Meunière I ate at La Couronne on my first day in France, in November 1948. It was an epiphany. In all the years since that succulent meal, I have yet to lose the feelings of wonder and excitement that it inspired in me. I can still almost taste it. And thinking back on it now reminds me that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appetit!”

Last year, I truly enjoyed recreating that very meal in my kitchen (here).

Happy Birthday and Thank You Julia Child!

More Michael Mina

Tapioca-Crusted Snapper
Dried Fruit Basmati Rice, Chile-Lime Vinaigrette

Ahi Tartare
Pine Nuts, Mint, Ancho Chile, Sesame Oil

Our waiter, Bryan, prepares the Ahi Tartare for us.

Apropos of earlier in the evening when we attended a Red Dress Gala in support of Women’s Cardiac Care, Bryan shapes the tuna into a heart.

Spinach Soufflé, Parmesan Cream

Roasted Marrow Bones

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta
Lemongrass Consommé, Coconut Sorbet

I think I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves.
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is a luxury resort that has come to reflect the dynamic environment that surrounds it — where sun-washed stone and bright green cottonwoods rise up to meet the pale-blue sky and majestic purple mountains. But it tops my list for these reasons:  Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Restaurant and my absolute favorite amenity,  a copy of his cookbook in every suite! Now that’s my kind of bedtime story 🙂
A special thank you to Mandy, Rachel, Jana and Laura for an enchanted evening…
…cheers girls, YAY for Pink Champagne AND a good cause!