Milk and Honey in the Heartland [Chicago Food]
Last week, I went back to Chicago to visit K. While I <3 SF, a part of me is a bit sad that I won't be spending another summer in Chicago.
I find it always refreshing to be back in the heartland of Chicago, where the portions are.. well.. hearty. I've always wanted to check out Milk and Honey over on Division whiled I lived there. But, every time I walked passed it during the weekend, it was brimming with people.
Given the fact that its cafeteria style, hunting down seating is always rare when the place is full. I got a chance to check it out last week. The weather was a bit brisk, but warm when sitting outside--like San Fransico. K ordered the Crabcake with Chipotle Mayo and Shredded Lettuce. There was a nice kick thanks to the Chipotle mayo. I got the grilled Pastrami and swiss with horseradish-mustard spread on Dark Rye.
All is all, a great place to brunch!
Milk and Honey Cafe
1920 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
773.395.9434
Aged Well in Berkeley [Cheese]
The great thing about being in the bay area is the communal aspect of food. I was reading through Corby Kummer's earlier articles and came across an article on cheeses. There's a sidebar on Artisan cheeses. Lucky me, Corby highlights Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley.
Can't wait!
Image Source: Marxfoods.com
Barefoot Coffee Roasters [Coffee Shops]
Within miles of strip mall deserts, Barefoot Coffee Roasters is an oasis of different between a sleep train and a bed, bath, and beyond.
Barefoot is an "artisan" coffee shop. For a premium you get a dose of fair trade coffee with a dash of creativity.
I visited it over a weekend afternoon and found the staff really helpful in helping me navigate through the unique menu. He readily walked through each item. In the end, I settled with the "whim," which put my taste buds squarely in the hands of the barista.
While I'm not sure it's advisable to take off your shoes and prop 'em on a table, it's definitely a nice place to go with friends and catch-up.
Maybe I'll go back down during another weekend to check out their coffee and tea tasting classes.
Barefoot Coffee Roasters
5237 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 248-4500
Image Source: Bradley Allen
The 2009 Grub List [SF Eats]
If you don't know me already, you should know that I like to eat. Having recently moved from Chicago to the bay area, it's hard to figure out what to check out and where to eat. Currently, I've been following my gut instinct (no pun intended).
I've been seeking comfort food, or food I grew up with. That translates to Japanese food (predominately ramen), Chinese food (Taiwanese and Schezuan), and fried chicken. Having satiated that innate desire, I've recently venture out of my warm, comfortable center. Earlier this week, I went to check out Hog Island Oyster Company. I went for the $1 oyster happy hour. Turns out, it's Monday/Thursday, not Monday-Thursday. Dash, slash... eh... what's the difference? Well, about $1.25.
I've decided to follow the recommendations of the 400+ judges who make up the James Beard Foundation. There are a couple restaurants that have made the semi-final round. Here is a list of a couple categories, with local restaurants highlighted. I've already made reservations for next week at A16. If you're interested for a 6pm seating on Wednesday, let me know!
Outstanding Chef
José Andrés, Minibar, Washington, D.C.
Dan Barber, Blue Hill, NYC
Tom Colicchio, Craft, NYC
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Vincent Guerithault, Vincent on Camelback, Phoenix
Sam Hayward, Fore Street, Portland, ME
Jean Joho, Everest, Chicago
Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
Barbara Lynch, No. 9 Park, Boston
Michael Mina, Michael Mina, San Francisco
Tamara Murphy, Brasa, Seattle
Scott Peacock, Watershed, Decatur, GA
Charles Phan, The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Stephan Pyles, Stephan Pyles, Dallas
Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia
Janos Wilder, Janos, Tucson, AZ
Michael Smith, Restaurant Michael Smith, Kansas City, MO
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT
Alan Wong’s Restaurant, Honolulu
Babbo, NYC
Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL
Blackbird, Chicago
Boulevard, San Francisco
Brigtsen’s, New Orleans
Delfina, San Francisco
Everest, Chicago
Fore Street, Portland, ME
Greens, San Francisco
Hamersley's Bistro, Boston
Higgins Restaurant and Bar, Portland, OR
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Jean Georges, NYC
Kinkead’s, Washington, D.C.
Lucia’s Restaurant, Minneapolis
Magnolia Grill, Durham, NC
Sanford, Milwaukee
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Restaurant
Animal, Los Angeles
The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Bottega, Yountville, CA
Camino, Oakland, CA
Cork, Washington, D.C.
Corton, NYC
Distrito, Philadelphia
Django, Des Moines, IA
Emilitsa, Portland, ME
Feast, Houston
Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta
Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Izakaya at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
L2O, Chicago
Merriman’s Kapalua, Maui, Lahaina, HI
Momofuku Ko, NYC
Noca, Phoenix
Palate Food & Wine, Glendale, CA
Poppy, Seattle
Raku, Las Vegas
Richard Chen Pittsburgh
Scarpetta, NYC
Spinasse, Seattle
Sra. Martinez, Miami
Tei An, Dallas
Trattoria Lucca, Charleston, SC
Volt, Frederick, MD
Zahav, Philadelphia
RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco
Sean Brock, McCrady's, Charleston, SC
Aaron Deal, Tristan, Charleston, SC
Sonja Finn, Dinette, Pittsburgh
Evan Funke, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen, Santa Monica, CA
Vannessa Garcia, Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo, Las Vegas
Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta
Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar, Cambridge, MA
Sarah Kosikowski, Michael Mina at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Jackson Kramer, Interim Restaurant & Bar, Memphis
Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice, CA
Jonathan McDonald, Pub & Kitchen, Philadelphia
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
Dave Racicot, Lautrec at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA
Charles “Chip” Roman, Blackfish, Conshohocken, PA
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, OR
Justin Schoville, Söntés, Rochester, MN
Ryan Skeen, Irving Mill, NYC
Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
Sameh Wadi, Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Minneapolis
Rachel Yang, Joule, Seattle
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau's, New Orleans
BEST CHEF: PACIFIC
Gino Angelini, Angelini Osteria, Los Angeles
James Boyce, Studio at Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, CA
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Josiah Citrin, Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA
Chris Cosentino, Incanto, San Francisco
Jeremy Fox, Ubuntu, Napa, CA
Hiroshi Fukui, Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, Honolulu
Bev Gannon, Joe’s, Wailea, HI
Quinn Hatfield, Hatfield’s, Los Angeles
Douglas Keane, Cyrus, Healdsburg, CA
Loretta Keller, Coco500, San Francisco
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Chris Kobayashi, Artisan, Paso Robles, CA
Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Peter Merriman, Merriman’s, Waimea, HI
David Myers, Sona, Los Angeles
Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
Gayle Pirie and John Clark, Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
Craig Strong, The Dining Room at the Langham, Pasadena, CA
Jason Travi, Fraîche, Culver City, CA
Read the entire list of nominees here.
It’s Political Sushi [Oddities]
I guess it's suppose to be an homage, but seems a bit weird to me... Its interesting what they choose to highlight as MyBO's key features...
First Time Angler [Fishing in Austin]
I'm living through my second Chicago winter and I think two is more than enough. By next week, I'll be out in California.
In the process of moving out, I've started to clean out my e-files. So because of that, I'm going to telling you about a fishing guide by the name of Allen Christensen. Back in March of 2008, I visited my friend Bryant out in Texas. With original plans to check out SXSW, we ended up camping, hiking, and fishing in the area.
On one of the days, we decided to go fishing along lake Travis. Bryant had heard that Allen was pretty familiar with the lake. It was a day of firsts. First time fishing, first time with kettle chips. With a six-pack of beer, thai-flavored kettle chips, and a light tackle rod, I felt instantly like an old chinese man. Loved it.
With my beginners luck, I started to catch fish left and right which left Bryant a bit miffed. But suddenly I realized that my line had snagged on something big. My line was meant to catch 3-5 pound bass. This was a lot bigger. 5 minutes pass by, I'm trying to reel in the fish but at times my line looks like its going to snap. 11 minutes pass by, like spotting the loch ness, we shout as we see a flicker of the fish. It's huge.
My arms are screaming as after 15 minutes the fish gets close enough to the boat for Allen to shovel the fish on board. Turns out it was a 36 pound buffalo.
The stretched line fell back into the water, whereby we felt another tug. By hand, we reeled it in to discover that I caught a bass in the process.
Let me tell you, when we got back to the campsite, we had too much fish with us. Good thing we found people to share in on the food.
This post is a bit of promotion [Gallery 400 Exhibit]
This Shadow is a Bit of Ideology, gathers a group of artists working against the darkness cast by a long, drawn-out war, a rancorous spirit in politics, a social landscape obscured by rampant information retrieval, and a crumbling economy. The artists in the exhibition do not turn their backs on current socio-political issues, but neither do they embrace propaganda. Rather, they harness anxieties—political, economic, personal—as productive generators for form. Introspection, reflective criticism, oblique commentary and cohabitation of past with present are just a few of the tactics by which these artists navigate progressively through the twilight.
Hope springs eternal
As I was walking home today, I happened to glance into the window of an open retail space and saw floor plans for a dunkin donuts. What else could someone ask for than a dunkin' donuts across the street from the office.
Beantown-style coffee with double sugar and double cream galore!
In Boston, three times a charm
View Larger Map
It's Sunday and I'm back in Massachusetts. This will be K and my third trip back to Boston since we've started dated. We came to visit when we first started dating, returned to attend my friend's wedding, and now we are planning our own wedding.
We've secured the venue, a manor just outside of Connecticut, so it's finally time to check out what we've purchased.
I spent the day with K's familly exploring Boston. It was an eating tour of key boston places:
- Coffee from Dunkin Donuts (It tastes better when you're in Massachusetts),
- Dim Sum from China Pearl
- Cannoli's from Mike's Pastries
- Clam Chowder from Joe's
- Oysters and Lobsters from Union Oyster House
I think we hit all the bases. There were definitely digs from my old Jumbos that we didn't get a chance to check out.
- Quesadeilla from Anna's Taqueria
- Ramen at Porter Exchange
- Dac Biet Large from Pho Pasteur (Allston location)
Inside scoop on the Underground at Bonsoirée
Last weekend I finally got a chance to check out Bonsoirée. Located in Bucktown, its one of the best BYOB places I've been to (so far) in Chicago. Every Saturday, they hold an "underground" event--an invite only 5 course tasting menu (menu attached below).
I got there a bit earlier than my friends and decided to pick up a bottle of wine. The server quickly gave me directions to the nearest store with their recommendation. (tip: skip the 7-11 and go to the Food Smart). As Ask the server, they know what's in stock at the Bonsoiree what pairs with the dishes of the evening.
Shin, the chef, first amused us with foie gras with a blueberry sauce. It's a big deal for Chicago who recently made foie gras legal after a prohibition stint.
The chef had just returned from an "eating tour" in Japan so a lot of the meal was Asian-inspired. I loved the Fennel and Edamame salad--delicate and crunchy--great for a warm summer night.
The course climaxed with a a couple juicy Kobe Beef cubes that melted in my mouth.
Next time I go, I'm going to try to catch the early seating and sit in their back patio.
Tips:
- The place only serves 20 or so seats, so make sure you make your reservation.
- On Sundays, the five- and seven-course tasting menus are discounted.
Bonsoirée
2728 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-7511