Taste of Chicago 2013

Disclaimer: This is not a review of the official Taste of Chicago.

Since I changed departments, I am now privy to not only education opportunities, but also traveling opportunities. This year, I was lucky enough to go to one of the great food meccas; Chicago. I was there for a two day symposium that was not food-related (i.e. therefore doesn’t matter). Since I spent the majority of my time trapped in a hotel conference room, I tried to make the most of my “freedom.”  Fortunately, my good pal Ms. T had been to Chicago before and had a laundry list of places for me to check out. Not that I had the time, but it definitely helped knowing where I should go within the vicinity of my hotel.

My first night was spent at GT Fish & Oyster Bar. Being in an oyster bar, of course we had to start off with a dozen oysters; half from the East Coast and half from the West Coast. We agreed West Coast oysters had more of a natural sweetness. The East Coast oysters were from New Brunswick brinier. Served on a platter of ice with a house cocktail sauce and mignonette, the cocktail sauce blew the other away. It was the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and tangy.

 

 

The GT Oyster Shooter came next. It was tasty but almost more of a ceviche. I prefer less chewing. And less chunky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I initially told Ms. T I’d be having dinner at one of her favorite spots, she more or less ordered to have the Fried Oyster Kimchi Po’ Boy Sliders.  The woman is never wrong. The rolls were a soft pillow to cushion succulent juicy fried oysters. Lightly coated in cornmeal, it gave the perfect contrast in texture. Authentic baechu (napa cabbage) kimchee diced and stuffed in between it all…I’m honestly salivating reliving the food memory of that slider.

Fish tacos were excellent. Grilled halibut with just the right amount of seasonings. What really stood out to me, were the fresh homemade tortillas. I can honestly say now at the age of 34, I have finally eaten a REAL tortilla. It was thin, but sturdy enough to hold all the fillings. And it was so soft. Oh, the texture of that tortilla. It was like wrapping a warm blanket around my tongue.

 

 

 Octopus and potatoes. A curious combination, which is why I ordered it. But the description itself wasn’t enough to incite my imagination. Let me begin by apologizing for having such a blasphemous thought cross my mind. As my dinner companion chattered away, I distractedly placed a piece into my mouth. I chewed and then confusion quickly set in. I put my hand up to signal silence. I could have sworn I ordered octopus. As I poked around the dish to figure out whether the octopus was hiding, my taste buds were screaming, “THIS IS THE BEST PIECE OF BACON EVER!” I looked across the table and I could see the same thought occur to my dinner companion. THIS was the octopus. We frantically signaled the serving staff to explain themselves. They were patient with us. It’s not the first time someone got so excited about the octopus. The octopus is confit in olive oil for an indeterminable amount of hours, then pan fried in a cast iron skillet. My dinner companion looked at me and said, “You have to figure out how to make this.” I replied, “I have to figure out how to make this.”

 I only hope the next time I make it back to Chicago, GT Fish & Oyster will still have this dish. Everything about this dish was perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Sunchokes were lightly seared. Purple potatoes were diced and added a nice color. The beer mustard wasabi gave the dish just enough kick. Pickled oyster mushrooms provided the perfect balance of acidity and silky contrast in texture to everything else. I realize I am overusing the word quite a bit but this dish was by far, one of THE most PERFECT things I have ever eaten. I am not ashamed to say that when the waitress asked if we were interested in dessert, we told her to give us another plate of octopus instead.

Having stayed up the night before, I was in no mood for breakfast the next day. Not to mention, it being 2 hours ahead of PST. Off to the symposium we go. While they offered to provide lunch at the hotel, I had other plans.

On the cab ride over, I noticed that conveniently across the street was famed Purple Pig. Although they had just opened up for lunch service, a line was already forming. Not knowing better, we asked to sit inside. The only negative I would say about Purple Pig, is their unfortunate ventilation (or lack thereof). The staff is casual and slightly disorganized. But very friendly and obviously proud of the food being served, so I can forgive having to wait 10min to flag down someone.

I didn’t have a chance to order too much unfortunately. I would have loved to spend several meals perusing through their menu. There were highs and middles, but no lows as far as I can tell. Mussels were standard; Penn Cove mussels, beer or wine, bacon, the usual. Good but nothing exciting.

 

 

The eggplant caponata was delicious on top of perfectly buttered grilled bread. There’s that word again, but I am a bread lover. If you do the bread right, I will be loyal to you for life. That was on the “smear” section of the menu. My one criticism is that all the portions under that section were disproportionate with the rest of the menu of small plates. It was practically a platter.

 

 

Ms. T and I are much alike. If we know you are going to one of our favorite places, we will order you to get a certain dish. And we are always right. At Purple Pig, I was told to order the fried pig ears served with kale and topped with a fried egg. I had no problem with my marching orders; it had everything I loved- odd animal parts, greens, and breaking an egg yolk. The dish was delicious. Crunchy pig ears, salty almost-kale chips (maybe also fried?), and a velvety sauce from the egg yolk. I might have enjoyed it more, had I not been breathing in so much smoke coming off the grill.

 

 Considering how wonderful it was at GT, I hesitated to order the octopus at Purple Pig. What if it wasn’t nearly as good? What the hell. It was simply yummy. Didn’t blow my mind like GT but very delicious nonetheless. The Purple Pig braises their octopus in red wine for (again) an indeterminable amount of hours, then removes the skin, and then pan sears the suction cupped sides so it gets nice and crisp. Served with grilled yukons, green beens, and just the right touch of acid from the house salsa verde.

 

 

This is not what I had last, but I do like to finish off on high. This is another that goes under the heading of One of the Best Things I’ve Eaten in My Life. Two days in a row- how lucky am I, right? Seared broccoli tossed in anchovy vinaigrette. Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables but this was easily the BEST broccoli I’ve had in my life. The slight char gave it a nice smokiness. The anchovy vinaigrette- how do I begin to describe it? Salty, savory, rich in depth- I am absolutely obsessed with it. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s topped off with buttery breadcrumbs. I loved it so much, I actually went back on my last day for lunch. While everyone else scrambled to get to O’Hare (tornado warnings?), I went across the street to have the broccoli. It was just as perfect. I asked for a side of the charred buttered bread and used the broccoli as a “smear”. Don’t be surprised if you see a post with the recipe. I am determined to recreate this dish.

 

I have never been wined and dined before. If you’ve never done something before, try to make sure you’re with the right people. And I was with absolutely the right people. For dinner on my second night, I was thoroughly wined and dined. The great folks who hosted the symposium arranged to take all the guests out to dinner. I was very fortunate to end up with a host who is an avid foodie. We spent the entire evening marveling at the dishes and discussing what else- food; food experiences, food memories, etc.

Dinner at Les Nomades was an experience. Very French, very rich, lots of technique, lots of wine. Forgive my pictures. The lighting was unfortunately (for me) set at “romantic” with nary a candle on the table.

We started with an amuse bouche. It was Vietnamese inspired, we’re told. I tasted lemongrass, pea puree (?), perhaps crab or shredded shrimp.

 

First course: Escargot braised in a yellow tomato coulis topped with a Roquefort cheese crouton. The snails were soft yet, still retained a slightly chewy texture. The hero of this dish is the coulis. I would have been perfectly happy dipping a baguette into this.

 

Second course: Warm lobster and shrimp salad with mango dressing and pickled mangos. The lobster was gently poached, the shrimp was grilled, and then all tossed with a tangy mango dressing. The portion was substantial enough for me to swap samples with my gracious host who was more than happy to share.

 

 

 

Third course: Dover sole sautéed with asparagus and topped with saffron beurre blanc. The beurre blanc is what caught my eye. Here was my chance to taste a real beurre blanc at a French restaurant. Very subtle, a touch of acid to accompany the delicate sole. 

 

 

 

 

Fourth course: Veal sweetbread, and prime beef rib-eye, blue corn grits, roasted carrot, shallot. Everything on this plate was well seasoned and prepared well. I have to admit that by this time, I was starting to lull into a food coma.

 

 

 

 

 

Fifth course: Citrus panna cotta, tapioca sauce, pineapple sorbet. While everyone else opted for chocolate or a soufflé. I was very happy have a light dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

We won’t even mention the petits fours; chocolate ganache, passionfruit candy, mango macaroons, and mini Madeleines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I waited for my flight, I made one last stop. The best thing about the O'Hare Airport is Tortas Frontera Grill. Rick Bayless has created the perfect sandwich. The Pepito is a griddle bread sandwich stuffed with beer braised shortrib, subtle Chihuahua cheese, spicy black beans, peppery arugula, and a kick of tomatillo salsa verde. I had it last when I sped through O'Hare last September and I've been thinking about this sandwich ever since.  

 

It’s a funny thing about food memories. The feelings and excitement it invokes in individuals. Whether it be a home cooked meal or a meal of a lifetime that blew your mind- those memories of the smell, taste, sensation as it rolled across your tongue. Thank you, Chicago! Can't wait to come back again!