For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.
Savory almond crepe with jarlsberg cheese, sweet potato, lamb pancetta, grilled chicories, anchovy vinaigrette, and sunny side egg
Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: It shouldn’t be too surprising that a dish from Lula has landed on this list for the third year in a row, since I go there more often than nearly any other restaurant. This brunch special stood out for both its striking appearance and its comforting flavors. Crispy lamb, sweet potato, and cheese were ensconced by the fluffiest of crepes, with greens and walnuts to balance out the richness of the egg on top.
For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.
Beer-basted breadsticks with goat cheese marinara sauce for dipping
Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: For some reason, I usually have ended up at Homeslice when I’m not hungry enough for an entire pizza (their specialty), and instead opt for more of a snack on the restaurant’s cheerful back patio. These beer-basted, pleasantly chewy breadsticks always fit the bill, with enough goat cheese–laden marinara sauce for frequent dunking.
The details: Homeslice, 938 W. Webster Ave., Chicago.
For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.
Banana biscoff pocket and Intelligentsia coffee
Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: I thought Chicago had already hit its donut peak, but the idea of stuffing one with biscoff spread (also known as cookie butter or speculoos) proved that Stan’s had reached a new level of genius. Adding in hefty banana slices, two kinds of glaze, and a cup of Intelligentsia coffee on the side made it fried pastry perfection.
The details: Stan’s Donuts, 1560 N. Damen Ave., Chicago.
For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.
Paratha tacos with spicy pork, kimchi, onion, mushroom, cilantro, lettuce, pickled radish, and En Hakkore sauce
Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: Blending flavors of Korean and Indian cuisine, these tacos were fusion at its finest. The pan-fried flatbread served as a pleasantly flaky vehicle for the spicy, crunchy filling. They were easily the best non-traditional tacos I’ve had in Chicago.
For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.
Iced mélange with Meinl espresso and sweetened frothed milk, served over ice and garnished with chocolate powder
Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: This is my go-to order at Julius Meinl, an Austrian-style coffeehouse that’s lovely for lingering at any time of day. There’s just something whimsical about this drink’s appearance, and I love mixing the marshmallowy top layer into the espresso and milk beneath for a perfectly balanced beverage.
The details: Julius Meinl, 3601 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.
Spicy roasted garlic miso ramen with egg noodles, rich pork broth, berkshire pork belly, soft-boiled egg, marinated bamboo shoot, bean sprouts, sesame, scallion, roasted garlic, garlic chips, chili pepper, and sesame oil (plus a background pig to match the ramen!)
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: This steaming bowl of ramen hit me with two primary flavors: lots of roasted garlic and lots of heat – both very welcome on a chilly evening. Together with two forms of pork (broth and belly) and miso, each bite was rich and savory. The very best bites included all the other textures, too: a bit of the beautifully soft-boiled egg, crunch from scallions and garlic chips, and chew from the bamboo shoots and the egg noodles themselves. The garlicky broth was luxurious enough to slurp on its own, a testament to the care that Wasabi’s chefs put into a complicated cooking process that takes 45 hours total. Wasabi also offers sushi and Japanese small plates, but when the ramen is this exceptional, it’s tough to order anything else.
The details:Wasabi, 2115 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: In the past few months, nearly every food critic in Chicago has published a glowing review of Parachute, helmed by Top Chef alum Beverly Kim and her husband Johnny Clark. After dining there, I can only agree that they’ve brought something very special to a quiet block in Avondale – even against financial odds, as covered in this fascinating Chicago Tribune feature. Every dish I tried was imaginative and memorable, which made the whole meal one of my favorites this year.
I was already blown away after sampling the two snacks we ordered: crispy sesame leaves and baked potato bing bread. The leaves were lightly fried in a tempura batter, then ready to plunge in a bourbon-soy dipping sauce. Both components enhanced the sesame flavor brilliantly and make it the kind of snack you’d want to order over and over. The bing bread left a similar impression, packing all the best parts of a loaded baked potato into an even more texturally appealing format. The soft bread was rich without being greasy, and the sour cream butter that came on the side was another subtle hint of genius.
Baked potato bing bread with bacon, scallion, and sour cream butterLocally brewed makgeolli rice wine and oysters with soju granita
I was also impressed by the soju granita that came with an exquisite duo of West Coast oysters; besides being visually stunning, it added a cool, floral complexity unlike a typical mignonette sauce. To pair with the oysters (and the rest of the meal), we ordered makgeolli, a Korean rice wine that was brewed locally by Slow City Brewing. This was my first experience with rice wine, and I was fascinated by how its milky appearance belied a beer-like yeast flavor. One last standout dish was the hand-torn noodles, a toothsome tangle of wide noodles and ground lamb. The dish reminded me of an elevated version of chili mac, especially because of the sweetness in the lamb sofrito balanced by cumin and peppery heat. I’m already looking forward to my next meal.
Hand-torn noodles with spicy lamb sofrito, sichuan peppercorn, and cuminThe charming interior, with polka-dotted glass and colorful parachutes as curtains
The details:Parachute, 3500 N. Elston Ave., Chicago.
Peanut butter and banana-stuffed Hong Kong-style French toast with jam and fruit; pan-fried radish cake with stir-fried seasonal vegetables; minchi hash with stir-fried minced pork and beef, sunny egg, coconut rice, and bok choi
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Since opening in Logan Square just under two years ago, Fat Rice has quickly become a darling of the Chicago restaurant scene and has even earned national attention for its Macanese cuisine, a distinctive fusion of Chinese and Portuguese flavors. Even though I’ve blogged about Fat Rice before, the Cha Gordo (or “Fat Tea,” a spin on Macanese high tea) brunch was a unique enough experience to merit its own post. The dim sum menu made it easy to try more dishes than at an average morning meal, so we ordered a little of everything.
I have to begin with the Hong Kong–style French toast, a decadent study in contrasts. The peanut butter-banana filling and peach-berry compote were comforting and familiar, but otherwise, the toast was out of the box: it was deep-fried in a batter spiked with lime zest, then scattered with slivers of young coconut and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. It was what might result if a school lunch PB&J went on an exotic vacation. I couldn’t get enough. The minchi hash, reminiscent of Korean bibimbap, and the unexpectedly smoky pan-fried radish cake were both excellent as well.
Sweet and sour stuffed eggplant with shrimp and pork
This brunch also strengthened my conviction that the eggplant at Fat Rice is just better than the eggplant anywhere else. The texture of each slice was soft without being mushy, soaking up an irresistible sweet-and-sour sauce, and the shrimp and pork stuffing added a richer dimension that felt very brunch-appropriate. We also wanted to make sure to partake in the “tea” portion of the Cha Gordo, so we shared a boozy carafe of black tea mixed with spiced whiskey, sweet vermouth, tea shrub, and mint. While I’d gladly drink it year-round, it really set the mood for a laid-back feast amidst flowers, string lights, and fresh air on the charming side patio.
Carafe of boozy bourbon tea with spiced whiskey, sweet vermouth, black tea, tea shrub, and mint
The details:Fat Rice, 2957 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago.
House-blend beef burger with Grandma’s Onion Soup spice blend, lettuce, tomato, goat cheese, caramelized onions, avocado, and sriracha mayo, on a split-top roll
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: I don’t usually blog about burgers, but this one was memorable enough to merit an exception. A friend treated me to a belated birthday dinner at Butcher & the Burger, which she had always raved about but I’d never visited – and let’s just say that being introduced to this place was a birthday gift in itself. The menu allows you to customize your entire burger, all the way down to the spice blend in your patty, so I had several tough decisions to make. I ended up choosing the house blend of natural, local beef with Grandma’s Onion Soup spices on a classic split-top bun. The patty itself was everything I could have wanted: well-seasoned, cooked to picture-perfect medium, and terrifically juicy (though it was the liquid from the caramelized onions that sent the burger into extra-messy territory). The spongy bun did its best to soak everything up, concealing layers of creamy goat cheese and sriracha-spiked mayo. Lettuce, tomato, and avocado rounded out the contrasting textures. The burger evoked backyard grilling and gourmet gastropub fare in equal measure, which made it one of the best I’ve had in Chicago. And I couldn’t resist stealing a couple sips of the thick chocolate milkshake across the table, a tried-and-true combination of velvety frozen custard and chocolate syrup.
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: I’m happy to finally be writing about The Publican, one of the first restaurants I learned was something special when I started getting into the Chicago food scene. It was where I celebrated with family and friends right after my culinary school graduation, and it also happened to be this month’s pick for the “brunch club” organized among several of my friends. I hadn’t been back for brunch in years, so I was excited to try the Saturday menu.
Whenever I recommend The Publican to anyone, I always add that they have to order the pork rinds. To be honest, I never thought I’d have a favorite pork rind, but anyone who’s tried The Publican’s version knows they’re like none other. The first bite is the loudest, most satisfying snap-crackle-pop you can imagine, and then the spicy, porky flavor just melts away in your mouth. The rinds are dusted with cheddar, malt vinegar, and espelette pepper powder, a bright orange combination that you’d notice was getting all over your hands if you weren’t so absorbed in all the crunching. Chicago magazine made a great step-by-step video of how Chef Brian Huston puts them together.
Custard french toast with grilled peach, spiced granola, and whipped ricotta
I’d heard the french toast was not to be missed, and the fact that it involved fleeting summer peaches made it an even easier sell. The custard-soaked bread was creamy on the inside and deeply caramelized on the outside, with more toasty aromas from the grilled peaches (I would have loved even more slices) and an especially nutty, seedy granola. Even after adding syrup, the slathering of mellow ricotta kept the dish from being overly sweet.
The Smokin’ Mary was another hit – I really loved the smoky depth of the stout and chipotle mix, and the white whiskey by Evanston-based Few Spirits is always a no-brainer in cocktails. Simple garnishes and a pilsner sidecar made it a balanced, manageable Mary.
Smokin’ Mary with Few white whiskey, chipotle house mix, stout, and Krombacher Pils sidecarThe Publican’s now-iconic globe lighting
The details:The Publican, 837 W. Fulton Market, Chicago.
