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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #9: Soft-boiled egg biscuit sandwich, endgrain

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.

Soft-boiled egg biscuit sandwich with shaved vegetables, whipped herb butter, black garlic vinaigrette, chips, and pickles
Soft-boiled egg biscuit sandwich with shaved vegetables, whipped herb butter, black garlic vinaigrette, chips, and pickles

Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: Opened earlier this year, endgrain is masterminded by Enoch Simpson, who spent time at Girl & the Goat and whose bacon-butterscotch doughnuts are still a menu mainstay at Nightwood. Food & Wine counted his biscuits among the best in the U.S., and called this particular sandwich “ethereal.” I would have to agree – it was a dreamy (and pretty!) intermingling of soft-boiled egg, crunchy shaved vegetables, and buttery biscuit. The aromatic duo of herb butter and garlic vinaigrette made the veggies pop even more.

The details: endgrain, 1851 W Addison St, Chicago.

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Best Bites

2013 Best Bite #8: Basil + Cream + Roasted Strawberries from Middlewest

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.

Cake with basil, cream, roasted strawberries, ladyfingers, and pistachios
Cake with basil, cream, roasted strawberries, ladyfingers, and pistachios

Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: I made this icebox cake out of Middlewest magazine for the Fourth of July and it was a hit. While the whole process was a bit time-consuming, the intense flavors were completely worth it. Layers of basil-infused whipped cream and soft, caramelized strawberries soaked into the spongy ladyfingers, with sweet and crunchy pistachios to top everything off.

Here is an awesome step-by-step video – made by Middlewest, not me! – if you want to see how the cake is assembled.

View another post about Middlewest.

The details: Purchase Middlewest here.

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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #7: Hush puppies and shrimp toast, Parson’s Chicken and Fish

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.

Hush puppies with ham hock, cream cheese, scallion, and harissa aioli; and shrimp toast with shrimp salad, creme fraiche, butter lettuce, and avocado
Hush puppies with ham hock, cream cheese, scallion, and harissa aioli; and shrimp toast with shrimp salad, creme fraiche, butter lettuce, and avocado

Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: It seems like half of Chicago spent their summer lounging on the patio at Parson’s Chicken and Fish, sipping a negroni slushy under the shade of striped umbrellas. While its namesake proteins certainly don’t disappoint, I wanted to spotlight two appetizers that I would go back for again and again: the hush puppies and the shrimp toast. The shrimp salad screamed fresh, with a subtle drizzle of creme fraiche and avocado atop butter lettuce and golden Texas toast. And dunking those perfectly fried, ham hock-and-scallion-studded cornmeal balls into a spicy harissa aioli was nothing short of bar snack heaven.

View another Best Bite from Parson’s.

The details: Parson’s Chicken and Fish, 2952 W Armitage Ave., Chicago.

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Best Bites

2013 Best Bite #6: PB&J ice pop, Ice Cubed truck

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.

PB&J ice pop with peanut butter frozen yogurt, raspberry, and sesame seeds
PB&J ice pop with peanut butter frozen yogurt, raspberry, and sesame seeds

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.

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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #5: Goat cheese chilaquiles, Estrella Negra

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.

La Jaras goat cheese chilaquiles with over-easy eggs, bean dip, salsa verde, guacamole, and sour cream
La Jaras goat cheese chilaquiles with over-easy eggs, chicken, bean dip, salsa verde, guacamole, and sour cream

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.

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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #4: Pan pizza, Pequod’s

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.

Pequod's deep-dish pizza with sausage and black olive
Pequod’s deep-dish pizza with sausage and black olive

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.

I also recommend reading my friend’s great account of our meal for Groupon.

The details: Pequod’s Pizza, 2207 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago.

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Best Bites

2013 Best Bite #3: Peanut butter, bacon, and banana pancakes from Joy the Baker

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.

Peanut-butter-bacon pancakes with bananas
Peanut-butter-bacon pancakes with bananas

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.

The details: View the original blog recipe on Joy the Baker.

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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #2: English breakfast, Au Cheval

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.

English breakfast
English breakfast with bacon, eggs, baked beans, griddled tomatoes, and toast

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.

View a past Best Bite from Au Cheval.

The details: Au Cheval, 800 W Randolph St., Chicago.

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Best Bites Chicago

2013 Best Bite #1: Choco Taco sundae, Little Goat Diner

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.

Choco Taco sundae
Choco Taco sundae with sour cream ice cream, quick hardening chocolate sauce, goat’s milk caramel, candied pepitas, whipped cream, and chocolate-sauce-dipped tortilla chips

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.

View a past Best Bite from Little Goat Diner: Fat Elvis waffles.

The details: Little Goat Diner, 820 W. Randolph St., Chicago.

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Best Bites

This week’s Best Bite: BLAST sandwich, The Brown Sack

BLAST sandwich, a classic BLT with shrimp and avocado on wheat bread
BLAST sandwich, a classic BLT with shrimp and avocado on wheat bread

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.