Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Ensalada Azteca
Why it’s a Best Bite: This is my idea of a salad: a bowl packed with bright, healthy ingredients – jicama, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, currants, and avocado, to name a few – that add diverse textures in addition to their flavors, and a punchy dressing – mango-lime vinaigrette – that brings it all together. The second time I ate this salad over the summer was after a beach volleyball game, and it was just the right way to refuel. View the recipe on the restaurant’s blog.
The details: Native Foods Café, 1484 N Milwaukee Ave. and 1023 W Belmont Ave., Chicago.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Smokey violet smash
Why it’s a Best Bite (Sip): When it comes to cocktails, I have a soft spot for muddled mint and fruit, so I was looking forward to trying one of the smashes at Maude’s. This one featured gin, Crème de Violet, and bitters in a scotch-rinsed glass, “smashed” with sugar and loads of citrus and mint. Sipping this smooth, complex, outstandingly balanced drink on a summer evening was pure bliss. Plus, I’m a little partial to purple, thanks to my alma mater.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Chicken tacos
Why it’s a Best Bite: When I heard Antique Taco described as “a taco stand meets farmers market meets Anthropologie,” I had no doubt that the atmosphere would be delightful. My first visit was for a close friend’s birthday, and we were immediately impressed by all the artistic details (such as the intricate china pictured above). Of all the tacos we ordered, I didn’t expect these to be my favorite, but I appreciated the subtle, sweet-and-sour balance of marinated chicken, honey yogurt, pickled red onions, and cucumbers. The market-fresh ingredients and generous fillings make the tacos here a contender for the city’s best.
The details: Antique Taco, 1360 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Kentucky-fried quail
Why it’s a Best Bite: It’s tough to pick just one dish from Longman & Eagle, one of my very favorite restaurants, but this one especially wowed me. The Kentucky-fried quail was nicely battered and juicy, covered with just the right amount of peppery country gravy, but it was really the crumbles of foie gras-enriched corn bread that put the dish over the edge. That unlikely union of two of my favorite flavors made every bite sing. And let’s face it: everything tastes even better at an outdoor table on a perfect early-summer evening.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Baby octopus gyro
Why it’s a Best Bite: I was eager to try The Peasantry as soon as it opened, as I adored the upscale street food concept and already was impressed by its sister restaurant, Franks ‘n’ Dawgs. While our whole meal was enjoyable, I particularly loved each of the components of this gyro: meaty grilled octopus, luscious roti, and especially the added touch of the grapes. I savored this dish’s uniqueness, and concluded that it successfully evoked the essence of street food.
The details: The Peasantry, 2723 N. Clark St., Chicago.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Mozzarella sticks
Why it’s a Best Bite: These earn the distinction of being the first memorable cheese sticks I’ve ever had. It’s largely due to the mozzarella, which is hand-stretched in-house (as seen in this video), plus expertly seasoned breadcrumbs. Dunking these into marinara was a fantastic way to begin a meal outside on Roots’ patio with a few of my closest girlfriends.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Garlic bread
Why it’s a Best Bite: Forgive me, for the photo doesn’t do this dish justice (and was taken after devouring a lot of it), but I had to include it among my Best Bites, as it was unlike any garlic bread I’d ever tasted. Michael Jordan’s seems to eschew the idea that a stack of buttery, garlicky bread slices is enough of a luxury on its own. Instead, the server brings the tower of bread to the table, then pours a silky Maytag bleu cheese fondue all over it. All I can say is that soaking up every last bit of that sauce was beyond heavenly. Since then, it’s been tough to walk down Michigan Avenue with friends and not find an excuse to duck in for a drink and this bread.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Ceviche
Why it’s a Best Bite: I’ve recommended Tavernita over and over for its lively atmosphere, killer kegged cocktails, and array of creative tapas dishes. This clean, citrus-packed ceviche was a pleasant complement to richer offerings (don’t miss their pork belly bocadillos), and seemed to capture the colorful spirit of the restaurant.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Ricotta and honeycomb vasi
Why it’s a Best Bite: I love Davanti’s Italian small-plates concept, and it’s appetizers like these that make it so successful. The restaurant devotes a section of its menu to vasi, toast and spreads served in miniature mason jars. The dish is a lesson in simplicity: just impossibly creamy ricotta, delicate honey, and crusty bread.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Why it’s a Best Bite: This one requires a little more explanation. It was the last course of an exhilarating three-course Restaurant Week dinner with several of my coworkers. iNG is known for experimenting with wild, scientific techniques, and has been among the first to integrate “flavor-tripping” into its menu. Inducing that “trip” are miracle berries, whose properties tend to make sour or bitter foods taste sweet, among other taste-bud effects. So, before dessert arrived, our group was presented spoons that were filled to the brim with a pinkish powder. We were instructed to swallow the contents of the spoon, then taste the lemon and lime wedges served alongside it.
Miracle berry powder
After downing the powder – about a third of which I blew onto my sleeve instead, in the heat of the moment – I tasted the lemon and lime, which indeed weren’t tart at all. It was surreal to know what a lemon wedge was supposed to taste like, and yet experience what seemed more like sugary lemonade. Soon after, dessert appeared: red velvet cake with a cheesecake nitrogen sphere and freeze-dried blood orange on top. The first few bites were delicious, but the real excitement was seeing the sphere slowly deflate, completely changing the texture and bringing the flavors together in a different way.
Red velvet cake
The photo doesn’t really do it justice, so definitely check out this video of the dessert in action.
