Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: The food truck scene continued to explode in Chicago this year, and Ice Cubed is among the most innovative of the bunch. I ate this creative ice pop at Techweek’s Food Truck Face Off, which featured a host of trucks lined up outside Merchandise Mart on a stormy June evening. It captured a PB&J in creamy frozen form, with tart raspberry sorbet as the “J”. I especially loved the nutty snap of the sesame-seed crust.
The details: The Ice Cubed truck will be back on the Chicago streets in Spring 2014.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: I’ve driven by Estrella Negra multiple times a week for years now, but didn’t make it in for breakfast until the middle of this year. The goat cheese chilaquiles were cheesy and filling, with extra-crunchy tortilla strips, hearty beans, and runny egg yolk that blended everything together. I also liked the use of salsa verde and guacamole to brighten up a dish that’s typically dominated by red sauce.
The details: Estrella Negra, 2346 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: It turns out that Pequod’s is a well-kept pizza secret among locals. It doesn’t pop up on most of the standard deep-dish lists (Giordano’s, Gino’s East, Lou Malnati’s – you know the drill), but was definitely the best version I ate all year. The key is the blackened cheese rim around the crust which gives each slice extra caramelized crunch. Huge chunks of fennel-laced Italian sausage and salty olives made excellent toppings; I’m partial to spinach as well. Take out-of-town guests here and you’ll feel like a true Chicago insider.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: My roommate whipped these up using her favorite online source for creative pancake recipes, Joy the Baker. I think the peanut butter-bacon-banana combination speaks for itself – three of the greatest breakfast flavors fused together in a sweet-and-salty griddled disc. It was also one of those blissful spring mornings in Chicago, when the thrill of doing anything outside is still fresh, so it was a no-brainer to devour them out on our balcony alongside red grapes and big mugs of coffee. I’m convinced that everything tastes extra-special when eaten in that sunny spot.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: While this humble breakfast doesn’t attract the same attention as Au Cheval’s legendary burger, I was just as impressed by how flawlessly each component was executed. These aren’t just scrambled eggs, but impeccably fluffy, just-buttery-enough scrambled eggs; not just bacon, but thick-cut, well-peppered bacon with considerable heft. My favorite part was the blistered griddled tomato, which was juicy, salty, and meaty enough to almost act as a protein on its own. Time Out Chicago did a great breakdown of what goes into this dish.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: This sundae was the perfect way to cap off the evening after a wine-and-painting event (and yes, our still-wet paintings sat next to us in the booth, much to the amusement of our server). Sure, it captured all the nostalgic flavors and textures of a childhood Choco Taco treat, but – in typical Stephanie Izard fashion – was also impressively sophisticated. The subtle tang of sour cream gelato together with luscious goat’s milk caramel and chocolate presented in two crunchy ways made it the most satisfying sundae I ate all year.
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Sometimes you just need a really great sandwich, and this past week I found one at a place I hadn’t visited in a while. The Brown Sack is a neighborhood favorite that has managed to stay out of the buzzy Logan Square spotlight, quietly making its superb sandwiches and shakes on a tucked-away residential block. The BLAST sandwich takes a BLT to the next level by throwing in shrimp and avocado – and now that I’ve had it, I don’t think I can ever go back to its three-letter predecessor. This might have to do with my conviction that basically everything is better with avocado; even so, this combination was especially magical. Each bite offered the perfect proportions of cool, creamy, bright, crunchy, and smoky, with nice briny sweetness and texture from the shrimp. And like most great sandwiches, its crucial adhesive was a healthy layer of mayo slathered onto crisp toasted bread. Next time, I might get extravagant and pair it with a shake, but this stacked masterpiece is more than satisfying enough on its own.
The details: The Brown Sack, 3581 W. Belden Ave., Chicago.
This fall was my busiest wedding season ever: in six weeks, I attended four weddings across three states! Here’s a round-up of my favorite tastes from each trip.
Madison, WI
OK, technically this wasn’t at the wedding, but it was falafel that the bride claimed was the best she’d ever had, anywhere, so I made it a priority to try some for lunch. The texture of each sesame-heavy falafel ball was completely perfect, and each of the accompaniments were bright and flavorful. It’s a little off the beaten path, but Banzo is worth a stop if you’re in Madison.
From the wedding reception at Nakoma Golf Club, I adored the creative desserts. Several tempting varieties of pie were available alongside towers of petite donuts from Chicago’s own Glazed and Infused. Miniature versions of apple fritters and old-fashioneds? Yes, please.
Chapel Hill, NC
This wedding was held at Top of the Hill, a brewpub in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill. Out of several tasty appetizers, my favorite were the crispy fried green tomato wedges topped with sour cream and a bit of caviar – and they also felt fitting for my first time in the area!
I also couldn’t get enough of my dessert duo: Southern-style sweet potato cake paired with a Black and Blue that the bartender made with equal parts of Lewis Black Imperial Stout and the Blueridge Blueberry Wheat, both brewed on-site. The beer combination alone was outrageously good, but the fruit and chocolate flavors were enhanced even further by the spiced cake.
Chicago, IL
I was grateful that this wedding was only a cab ride away! I filled up on hefty ham and cheese empanadas during cocktail hour, their flaky crusts worth risking stray crumbs on my dress (sadly, my hands were too full to snap a photo). Both the appetizers and family-style main courses stayed in line with the Argentine and Venezuelan influences of the venue, Ravenswood’s ARTango. The sweetest part, though, was the array of sizable Molly’s Cupcakes that appeared as we hit the dance floor.
Lake Geneva, WI
Held at the Riviera, with gorgeous lake views as its backdrop, the reception’s highlight was hearty pulled pork sandwiches on pretzel buns with a tangy barbecue sauce. The mashed potatoes on the side (topped with cheese – it’s Wisconsin, after all) upped the comfort quotient, and dainty root-beer and orange-soda floats rounded out the meal as drinkable dessert.
Congratulations to all four newlywed couples! And yes, I’m done with weddings until 2014.
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Nearly three-month-old Tanta is carving a new place in the Chicago culinary landscape for its upscale take on Peruvian food, a type of cuisine that I consistently enjoy. I was immediately refreshed by the Lima Llama (think Moscow mule, but with Peruvian pisco and lots of lime), one of the two cocktails on draft. It was the perfect precursor to one of the best octopus dishes I’ve ever had, right up there with Taxim’s Greek version from earlier this year. Cooked in the style of street-food skewers, the plump tentacles were draped with roasted red pepper, which added its own complementary char and spice. The extra-garlicky chimichurri potatoes underneath were like a more exotic version of hashbrowns, brought together by a briny, brilliantly purple olive sauce. The bright colors were what really made the plate – which seems to be Tanta’s strategy across its vibrant menu.
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: As soon as I knew I’d be stopping in Charleston on my way between North Carolina and Georgia, I knew exactly where I wanted to make a reservation. I’d been reading about Chef Sean Brock for years – Sam Sifton of The New York Times called him “a son of Dixie sounding a locavore’s horn” – and knew Husk was the exemplar of contemporary Southern cuisine, even named by Bon Appetit as the best new restaurant in America when it opened two years ago.
When I walked up to the door, I was taken aback by the elegance and grandeur of the restored 1893 mansion, with picture-perfect shutters and columns. I was thrilled to be seated out on the second-story porch, where I could be swept up in the historic beauty of Charleston everywhere I looked. However, the real magic began as soon as glasses and plates started hitting the table.
My impossibly friendly server promised that the pimento cheese would be the best I’d ever had, and it was certainly a knock-out rendition. With salty crunch from the ham on top, the spread was sharp and tangy, especially from the addition of pickled ramps, and its creaminess melted into the grilled bread in a decadent way. Meanwhile, the large cube of cinnamon ice added more kick to my lemony house-made soda with each passing minute, solidifying my belief that boldly flavored ice is the best, most practical drink trend. And finally, there was the quail, a tender, smoke-kissed bird that happily harmonized with the cheesy grits, vinegar-spiked collard greens, and the rich egg and hollandaise sauce. Together, it was the enchanting taste of the South that I’d eagerly awaited.