Humboldt Park, Gold Coast, Andersonville - A little tour.

My friends I’ve had some really good food over the past few weeks.  Nothing over the top or as some people would say, “fancy”.  No, just some really good, simple, delicious food.  Now, I really don’t like everything I eat, like some, but I want to stray away from the negative and focus on the positive.  Although some of my writing will give a good mix, because as you all know, some restaurants can serve complete bombs, while at the same time give you something memorable and delicious.  For example, I visited a small neighborhood that’s surrounded by the Hispanic neighborhood of Pilsen, the Heart of Italy.  This is still a small hold out for Italians, but is slowly being swallowed up by Pilsen because the younger generation just doesn’t want to stick around.The restaurant that I visited was Il Vicinato.  Now, from what I’ve been told, this place used to be out of this world, before it was sold within the last few years.  The atmosphere was great!  The smells were amazing!!  The bolognese sucked!  If there is one thing that an Italian restaurant should have mastered, its the bolognese.  There was not any amount of cheese that could have salvaged that plate of pasta.  However, the Pasta Arrabiata(Angry Pasta), was great, as was the Antipasto salad.  I took photos, but deleted them because I was simply uninspired by the whole experience.  Personally, I don’t think posting negative reviews are a good way of selling the culinary experiences of Chicago, but it’s also not fair for me to not get my opinion out there so you don’t make the same mistake I made.  Now, let’s get on with some good food!!

The first stop on this blog is a place that I learned about from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  Cemitas Pueblahttp://www.cemitaspuebla.com is in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Now, Humboldt Park has a predominantly Puerto Rican population, however on a busy stretch of North Avenue sits a little gem of a Mexican dining spot called Cemitas Puebla.     The restaurants website states that this restaurant brings the best of Poblano food to Chicago, and it certainly delivers because I don’t know anywhere else in Chicago, this sandwich is served. 

A cemita is a sandwich, originating in Puebla, Mexico.  The world cemita refers to both the sandwich as well as the bun it is served on, being covered in sesame seeds and looking similar to brioche.  There are many toppings offered here, but their most famous and popular is the Cemita Atomica, so naturally that is what I went with. 
 

The Cemita Atomica is an amazing sandwich on a sesame seed bun, then layered with avocado, Pork Milanesa(breaded, boneless butterfly pork), Jamon(ham), and Carne enchilada(chile guajillo marinated butterfly pork chop).  This pork orgy is then followed by adobo chipotle peppers, fresh Oaxacan cheese, and papalo(An herb that resembles cilantro).  This was truly one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in my life!!!  I would do some damage for this sandwich.  Also, the Cemita Atomica also made Chicago magazines 50 best sandwiches list.  Go there now, don’t be intimidated by the hood, because once you cross the thresh hold of the restaurant you are warmly welcomed by those who dine there.  By the way, get the Sindral Mundet to drink, you won’t be disappointed!  

Cemita Atomica and all of it's delicious layers!!

How could you not want to put your face in this?

And wash it down with this great apple flavored drink.

Behind this counter is where the magic happens.

On our second stop, a Valentine’s Day dinner at my favorite Italian place, just off of Michigan Ave., Bar Tomahttp://www.bartomachicago.com.  Bar Toma is a pizzeria and bar owned by Chef Tony Mantuano.  Chef Mantuano is a force to be reckoned with, as having the only 4 star Italian restaurant in Chicago, Spiaggia.  He also was one of the Champions on season two of Top Chef Masters, as well as been awarded a 2005 James Beard award for Best Chef Midwest.  Chef Mantuano also has a restaurant in the modern wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, called Terzo Piano, as well as a trattoria in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Dinner this night of Valentine’s Day was simple, salad and pizza.  The salad, such a simple piece of work, but full of flavor and texture.  The salad was their Kale salad which had young kale(also called Lacinato Kale or Dinosaur Kale, which also grows over the Winter), soft boiled egg, garlic bread crumbs, and anchovy vinaigrette.  Now, before you eww and blah about the anchovy vinaigrette, I will say this over and over.  Fresh anchovies have a much different flavor than what you know as anchovies.  They do not sit in a brine, so they are not little bits of salt.  You can even take that fishy, salty taste away from jarred anchovies by simply soaking them in some milk.  The anchovies added a bit of zing to the dressing, nothing to turn your nose up at.  In fact, I’d guarantee that anyone would like it, I’d stake a paycheck on it.

Kale Salad

La pizza that we had was not your traditional pizza.  No, instead, we went with the Pizza Caprino(goat).  Bar Toma serves traditional Neapolitan pizza, baked in a wood burning oven that sits in the middle of the restaurant.  The Caprino consisted of goat cheese, hazelnuts, leeks, Acetaia San Giacomo balsamico(a traditional Balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia), dates, and thyme.  The flavor of this pizza would surprise you with a blend of sweet(goat cheese) and savory(thyme), and everything in between.  The hazelnuts toasted quickly, adding some texture with an awesome flavor that you can only get by roasting a nut.  The leeks quickly caramelized in the hotter than hell oven and the balsamico brought it all together.  Ya know, sometimes you just have to step out of the norm, leave your comfort zone and try something new.  If you come and visit me here, we will go to Bar Toma and you will love it, and that is that.

Pizza Caprino

Next up on my list is Orange Gardenhttp://www.orangegardenchicago.com, the oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago.  The sign speaks for itself and that is what first caught my attention.  There is something soothing about a cook neon sign.  It says to me, this place is a landmark and should be explored!  From the moment you walk in and get that kind of throw back feeling to the time you sit, look around and think to your self, “a group of servers are going to come out, bring a duck, chop the head off, and start singing christmas carols”, you know that what’s going to be placed in front of you will be Americanized Chinese food, but great quality food.  When I see large numbers of Chinese people sitting in a Chinese restaurant, I know I’ve made the right decision, especially a Chinese restaurant so far from Chinatown.  A brief history, as I said, Orange Garden is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago.  It opened in 1924, making it a quarter of a centruy older than the People’s Republic of China.  The neon sign that attracted me here, is the oldest neon sign in Chicago and the clock on the wall has hung there since 1932.  And the owners live by the simple rule of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and that’s pretty refreshing.  The current owner is only the second owner and was friends with the original owner.  Have I sold you on this yet?  Our server, dressed finely in a white button down shirt and black bow tie was certainly to the point, but was not rude.  Service was prompt and warm.  This will be my go to for Chinese, unless I want to submerse myself in the Chinese culture.  

Dinner that night was Sesame Chicken and Szechuan Beef.  Most of us are used to incredibly over breaded and over sauced sesame chicken, but this was a perfect coating.  This is what I’d love to have coating my fried chicken.  I don’t know if they do a simple corn starch coating, but this was amazing!  It was crunchy and sweet and complimented by a protective broccoli fort.  I could’ve eaten the entire plate, however I was also very interested in the Szechuan beef.  Once again, I’ve always had the experience with americanized Chinese food as being over cooked and over sauced.  The beef was tender and full of flavor and the veggies had crunch and you could actually taste what the vegetable was!  I was amazed!  And it certainly has changed my mind on this type of Chinese food.  I still want to try authentic Chinese though.  Sesame Chicken is traditional in most English speaking countries, I can’t find anything to show that it is an authentic Chinese entree.  Sichuan beef on the other hand is very common, however the recipe seems to have been changed to fit the American palate.   Once again, go to Orange Garden for a great experience!!  And call me when you do, I’ll meet you there!!

Sesame Chicken, after breaking through the walls of the broccoli.  

Szechuan Beef

Finally!!  A short talk about The Pecking Orderhttp://www.peckingorderchicago.com, which is a Chickencentric restaurant in Andersonville.  Once again, Time Out Chicago brought me here with one of the 100 best things eaten in 2012, with the City Bird sandwich being highlighted.  All of the chicken, regardless of how it’s prepared, marinades in a sugar, tamari, vinegar marinade that gives the chicken a crispy, juicy, salty, flavorful chicken, which can be sometimes really difficult to pull off.  For those of you that would like to know, the birds used here are free range, antibiotic free.  

First on the list, the Country Bird.  One bite and you are looking for your Grandmother that always made the best fried chicken, but this is on bread and not just any old fried chicken.  It’s a fried boneless breast, complimented with gouda cheese, pimento mayo, tomato, cilantro, shaved onion salad, dressed with calamansi vinaigrette(a calamansi is a Philippine lime).  The sandwich is served on grilled pandesal bread(a Philippine yeast bread).  This was a mouthful!  Crunchy, full of flavor, juicy.  I’ve never had chicken with this flavor before.  Definitely nothing that came from your favorite Southern kitchen, but man was this tasty.  I can easily see why this made the list.  But, you also have to try the City Bird, because it’s always a competition.

The Country Bird

The City Bird is a juicy, grilled Chicken breast, with pate, Mom’s pickles, and fried egg, served on grilled pandesal bread.  This is similar to a vietnamese bahn mi.  I think with the mere mention of a fried egg, I can stop because you know it’s going to be a kick ass sandwich.  You could eat this for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, and then you have experienced life.  As to whom was the winner, City or Country?  In my opinion, it’s the best of both world’s and a tie.  So, decide for yourself.  What I’m saying is go there, soon!!!!  Or Now!!!

The City Bird

More good eats to come my people!!  Thanks for reading and until next time!

Ciao, ciao!!

Do you Burgoo?

On April 20, 2004, an F3 tornado struck this small town in Illinois, killing ultimately 9 people, injuring 6 people, destroying more than half of the downtown area, and damaging over 100 homes.  Since then, although the mental scars remain, Utica has rebuilt, and seems to have come back with a vengeance.  The downtown area of Utica and up to just North of the Illinois River bridge has built back up with quaint businesses, bars, and restaurants.  It’s quite a scenic area and sees quite a bit of traffic with it’s close proximity to Starved Rockhttp://www.starvedrockstatepark.org, Buffalo Rockhttp://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/east/buffalo/home.htm, LaSalle Speedwayhttp://lasallespeedway.com, and LaSalle/Peru.  Utica also has a few annual celebrations, but is best known for it’s Burgoo Festivalhttp://www.lasallecountymuseum.org/programs/burgooinfo.asp.

Traditional burgoo stew contained whatever meat was donated by hunters and whatever vegetables were donated by farmers.  In Utica, it’s typically lean beef, vegetables, and spices only known by the burgoomeister.  These ingredients are combined in multiple 55 gallon pots, cooked and stirred for 24 hours over an open fire.  The result is a thick and hearty stew.  Of course, there are fables and stories about the burgoo to attempt to scare people away or dare them into eating it.  One popular rumor is that the stew is stirred with bare feet.  I can promise you, that large wooden paddles are used in this process and no one’s bare feet touch the stew.  You will want to get there early though, because the longer the stew cooks, the vegetables will start to get a bit mushy.  Of course, there are other things to do during the festival.  Take a visit to August Hill Winery and Illinois Sparkling Co. for your wine and sparkling wine needs.  Now, I’m not well versed on Illinois wines, I can say that the sparkling wines from Illinois Sparkling was really tasty.  In fact, one of their wines was mentioned in Time Out Chicago’s “100 Best Things We Ate & Drank This Year” for 2012.  Of course, I’m in the process of conquering this list, so I had to snag a bottle.  Also downtown is a great little chocolate shop, Skoog’s Pub and Grill, and Duffy’s Tavern.  And don’t forget to people watch during Burgoo, there is a distinct mix of people and it gets really interesting.

24 hours of stirring.

The end result - Burgoo!

A bit further South of downtown, in a little strip mall type thing, there is a dessert stop, Two Girls and A Cupcakehttp://www.yelp.com/biz/two-girls-and-a-cupcake-inc-utica.  Of course I had to investigate this place, for obvious reasons.  Now, if you are in Utica, I suggest you stop in a try one of their cupcakes.  Me?  Well, I may give it a second chance, but my first experience was very disappointing.  Although their customer service is great, their prices, not too bad, and the interior is fun, the cupcake was dry.  Once I hit a dry cupcake, the flavor is ruined.  As I said, I would be willing to give it a second try.  But one thing I’ve noticed about cupcake shops is the majority of their product is dry.  I’ve made better cupcakes from Betty Crocker.  This makes me sad, because God knows everyone wants a Maple Bacon Cupcake or at least a great Red Velvet cupcake, but to have a dry cupcake, meh, ruins the experience.  

Before you leave Utica, make sure you still have an appetite, because there is one place that needs to be on your list of stops, Ron’s Cajun Connectionhttp://www.ronscajunconnection.com.  Don’t be fooled by the location, this place is the real deal.  The Chef/Owner Ron McFarlain, born in Lake Charles, Louisiana and established the Cajun Connection in Utica in 1995.  Why he came here?  I don’t know, I don’t care, I just want to eat his food!  The Cajun Connection is only open Thursday - Sunday.  And you want to be here when the doors unlock, or you will be standing in line.  No reservation accepted here, because he doesn’t have to.  And if you have to stand in line, it moves fast and it’s worth the wait.  The staff is welcoming and friendly and Ron will be sure to visit your table.  The food is fast, fresh, and authentic.  On the most recent visit, we did some damage to the boudin balls.  The boudin balls are a Cajun variation on boudin blanc, which is a white sausage made of pork, including the heart and liver.  With the boudin balls, it’s left loose rolled into a ball, breaded and friend.  You can get them mild or hot, we got both and were not disappointed.  We also ordered some hushpuppies, which were small and forgettable.  For my entree, I ordered the Bubba Shrimp, Blackened Alligator, and Red Beans and Rice with Sausage.  The shrimp were perfectly fried and tasty.  The gator, was tender and spicy.  It was my first gator experience and I would definitely order it again.  Reminded me of perfectly cooked calamari.  The red beans and rice with sausage wasn’t too bad either.  If you are wanting to steer away from the sausage, you have that option as well.  Of course, we wanted to save room for dessert, and on special that night was the Banana’s Foster Bread Pudding.  Which Ron brought out to the table, poured a bit of liquor over it and lit it up.  As we sat and watched the flame work it’s caramelizing magic on the bread pudding, we nibbled on the house made, almost world famous pecan pie.  You can never go wrong with Pecan Pie, especially when it has  a hint of cayenne pepper added to it.  And the bread pudding?  Well, I’d drive from Chicago just for that dessert alone.  And to add to the meal, I had a little Abita Pecan Harvest Ale, naturally.

Red Beans and Rice, Bubba Shrimp, and Blackened Gator

Banana's Foster Bread Pudding

Abita Pecan Harvest Ale

Overall, Utica is a nice little road trip from Chicago, or anywhere.  It’s a nice day trip from Chicago.  And Burgoo, well, you need to experience this at least once in your life.  You might get hooked on Illinois Sparkling and Cajun Ron’s, but I guarantee you won’t regret it.  

A new beginning.

I'm here, I'm here!!  Between illness, travel and a death in the family, I dropped off of the face of the blogosphere, but I'm back and I'm on a mission.  I've put a lot on my plate and I hope I can pull it all off.

First, I'm committing myself to running the Chicago Marathon this year.  Next month is registration, so I'll have plenty of time to train.  That shouldn't be a problem.  That also means I'll have to dedicate more time to running, balanced with time for fun, food, drink, travel, and perfecting my Italian.

Second, I still have a list of sandwiches that I need to tackle.  I thought for sure I'd have at least half of the 50 knocked back, but so many things going on, I've neglected this task, which also lead to neglecting my readers.

Third, Time Out Chicago put out their annual 100 Best Things We Ate and Drank This year, for 2012. So if Bacon Steak, Thai Style Fried Chicken, Gateau Breton, Peanut Butter and Jelly Donuts, Moqueca, Baccala Frittole, and Kimchee Mortadella bun, sound intriguing, stay tuned.

And finally, for Christmas, I received some new cookbooks, so I'll be doing some more home cooking as well.  I'm still looking for recipes from my readers, so please feel free to share.

One last note, this coming Friday I will be taking a cooking class.  This is no ordinary cooking class, no.  This class will be held at iNG restaurant (http://www.ingrestaurant.com) and we will be using the Miracle Berry, which Chef Homaro Cantu is really making headway in bringing this magic berry to the publics attention.  We will be making a few things from his new Miracle Berry Diet Cookbook, followed by a 6 course meal.  Every experience here has been amazing, and just keeps getting better.  So, stay tuned for results, and photos.  I still have photos to post from my last iNG flavor tripping experience.

So, I thank you all for following my blog, for your comments, emails, gifts, etc, and I hope to continue to keep your attention through the following year.

Ciao, ciao

Sean