The Taste of Streeterville

Last week I headed to the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue for the Taste of Streeterville, an annual foodie event in Chicago. The event benefitting the Streeterville Chamber of Commerce featured Chicago's finest menu items from 16 Streeterville restaurants. Each restaurant had its own booth with their head chef presenting a variety of menu items. There was even a hosted bar by Goose Island and Terrazas wines!

Silent Auction Items Benefitting the Streeterville Chamber of Commerce

Hosted Bar by Goose Island

The BF and I had a great time bouncing from table to table eating up each restaurant's offerings. There were even a few restaurants I had never heard of including Cape Cod and Viand Bar and Kitchen. It was a great way to meet the local chefs and restaurateurs and it didn't hurt that it was all you can eat! My favorite items were fish tacos from Viand Bar and Kitchen, and breadsticks from Michael Jordan's Steak House. There were quite a few steakhouses represented, so I would have liked a bit more variety of food offerings (where was the dessert?!) but it was a convenient way to find out about the area's restaurants. Check out a full list of this year's participating restaurants after the jump!

Breadsticks from Michael Jordan's Steak House

Beef Tenderloin from Cite

Gnocchi from Filini 

Tenderloin Sliders from Sullivan's Steakhouse

Seasoned Beef & Scalloped Potatoes from Shula's Steakhouse

2013 Taste of Streeterville Restaurants

Cape Cod

Cite

D4 Irish Pub & Cafe

filini bar and restaurant

Markethouse

Michael Jordan's Steak House

Shula's Steak House

The Palm Restaurant

Quay Restaurant & Bar

Ron of Japan

Stestons Modern Steak + Sushi

Su Casa

Sullivan's Steakhouse

Uno's Pizzeria

Viand Bar and Kitchen

Wow Bao

Your New Favorite Belowground Hideout

On a rainy and brisk Monday night, I sought shelter with the BF at a River North sports bar, The Grid. The below-ground space is directly underneath Baume & Brix and the two restaurants share a kitchen and kitchen staff including chefs Elliott Bowman and Ben Roche. The space itself is warm and inviting, especially on the rainy night we visited. Along one side are horseshoe-shaped leather booths, each surrounding a custom-made ethanol fireplace that extends from the ceiling.

Drink Menu

We were seated at one of the long high top tables and perused the creative cocktail list. Several of the Grid's cocktails are appropriately named after Chicago streets and landmarks including LSD, Magnificent Mile and Midway. I chose The State Streeter featuring Grey Goose Noir, lime, hibiscus syrup and Stiegl grapefruit beer while the BF chose the Little Village which included Patron Reposado, Cointreau, lemon, ginger beer and orange bitters. I was warned by our server that the State Streeter was fairly sweet and I should have listened because it was too sweet for my taste. I thought it tasted like a perfectly delicious Hi-C punch, but I just wasn't digging it. Instead, I traded for the Little Village after trying a sip of the BF's. I loved this cocktail. It wasn't too sweet or too bitter and included hints of lemon and just the right amount of "boozyness". I had no problem finishing mine!

The State Streeter & Little Village

At the suggestion of our server, we started our meal with the Arancini appetizer. This little ball of fried risotto heaven was crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and very cheesy. It was perfectly paired with an eggplant caponata which provided a great acidic balance and was my favorite item of the night!

Food Menu

Arancini

After that fried dish, we tried one of The Grid's four salads. The Beets & Goat Cheese salad featured a mix of greens with red and yellow beets, goat cheese, pecans, shaved fennel and grapefruit. The sherry-mustard vinaigrette added a tangy bite to the dish and the grapefruit added an interesting bitter flavor. I loved the crunch from the pecans and fennel!

Beets & Goat Cheese Salad

The Grid's "Eats" section of the menu has a large variety of cuisines, making it quite hard to decide on one dish. The BF and I decided it would be best to try two different sandwiches in order to maximize our tasting experience. The first was a Greek-influenced Souvlaki Pita with grilled chicken, mint yogurt, tomato and cucumber. The chicken cubes were seasoned and grilled to juicy perfection and I loved the yogurt sauce. The sandwich was accompanied by a side feta and olive salad.

Souvlaki Pita

The second main dish we split was the Big Kahuna Burger, a newer offering on The Grid's menu. Instead of your typical beef patty, this burger included a hand-formed patty of bacon and pork. This was definitely on the heavier side of things and had a nice pineapple-jalapeno chutney that added a strong sweet and spicy flavor. The savory patty was topped with housemade teriyaki mayo and fresh cilantro and cushioned between a pillowy-soft bun. The accompanying fries were great too!

Big Kahuna Burger

While we were stuffed beyond belief, we ended up getting to try not one, not two, but all three of the desserts on the menu. I would have been fine with a bite of a chocolate chip cookie, but we were brought a plate of six piping hot and gooey cookies. Let me just say, they know how to make a mean chocolate chip cookie. It was delicately soft and rich in the middle, but crispy on the outside. To top it off, we were given two baby mason jars of vanilla-flavored milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our next two desserts were interesting takes on traditional sweets. The first was a tiramisu dip served with a side of crunchy ladyfingers. The mini jar was filled with whipped mascarpone cream and dollops of an espresso ganache. We had fun dipping the ladyfingers and especially enjoyed the chocolate richness of the ganache.

Tiramisu Dip

Our final dessert of the night, was another dippable/spreadable concoction. The avocado cheesecake sounds super savory, but it was actually pretty sweet. The base of the dessert was cheesecake topped with a pineapple and avocado "salsa" and what I think were pumpkin seeds. A side of candied tortilla chips were used to scoop up the creamy cheesecake. I loved that the chips were not too sweet and that they provided a nice crunch as a contrast to the creaminess of the dip. Hints of fresh lime throughout also added to the flavor experience.

Avocado Cheesecake

Overall, we really enjoyed our first taste of The Grid! The service we received was fantastic and everyone on staff was very friendly and helpful. I'm giving The Grid 4 stars for their awesome ambiance (especially those beautiful fireplaces), menu with a variety of cuisines (Mexican, French, Italian, etc.) and their educated staff. I can't wait to make my way upstairs to try their sister restaurant Baume & Brix!

The Grid Chicago
www.thegridchicago.com
351 W. Hubbard St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312.321.1351

Cru Kitchen & Bar: Spring Preview

Entrance to Cru

I was recently invited to Cru Kitchen & Bar in the Gold Coast to try some of their tasty dishes off their new spring menu. Cru is located in the former Feast space, directly across from the Talbott Hotel. The ambiance at Cru is very classy, and admittedly, fancier than I expected. I especially enjoyed the intricate ceiling design which was absolutely gorgeous.

Gorgeous Ceiling

During the spring preview event, there was a cocktail and wine station set up, as well as passed bite-size portions of the new spring dishes. One of the featured cocktails was the French 75, a combination of vodka, citrus, rose and mint, topped with citrus slices. I liked the refreshing taste of the citrus and especially recommend it if you're into grapefruit. I didn't get a chance to try the other cocktail, their take on a Pimm's Cup, because it went so quickly, they ran out. I can only assume it was delightful!

The wine station offered both a red and a white option including a New Zealand sauvignon blanc and a Spanish garnacha.

French 75 & Pimm's Cup

As we sipped on spring cocktails and vino, we were treated to a tasting of passed seasonal bites. I managed to snap a few photos as the dishes were presented.  Several bites were served on Asian soup spoons, including the edamame hummus with seaweed, mint, radish and cucumber. The hummus had a similar texture as regular chickpea hummus, but what really sold me was the mint. It made the dish that much more refreshing.

Edamame Hummus

Another bite served on a spoon was the grilled shrimp and octopus with garlic pesto, white beans and tomatoes. I thought the seafood was cooked nicely and I loved the smoky beans, but I felt it was slightly over-salted.

Grilled Shrimp & Octopus

The dish I was most excited to try was the potato gnocchi with ramps, mushrooms, watercress and truffle. I enjoyed the texture of the gnocchi, but just like the shrimp & octopus, this bite was too salty.

Potato Gnocchi

The steak tartare was served atop a crouton with fried capers, aioli, and cured egg yolk. I enjoyed this bite more than some of the others and managed to sneak in a few extras as they were passed around.

Steak Tartare

Probably my favorite bite of the night was the duck liver mousse with strawberry, soy and celery, served on brioche. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo but it was quite tasty. The savory liver paired nicely with the sweetness of the strawberry. Another un-photographed fave were the ham & cheese croquettes served with a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. I've never been one to turn down a piece of fried, cheesy, deliciousness! There was also an escolar poke with ponzu, strawberry, avocado and jalapeno but I didn't get the chance to try it.  

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere at Cru; it would be a great place for a glass of wine or small plates after work, or a night out with girlfriends. The small sampling of food I did get to try was quite tasty, although I think I would have been more blown away if I had seen the full-size portions and presentation. I give Cru Kitchen & Bar 3.5 stars for their warm environment and varied menu-- just lay off the salt shaker!

Cru Kitchen & Bar
http://crukitchen.com/
25 E. Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611
312. 337.4001

Frontera Grill: Fresh & Flavorful

On an ordinary Wednesday night, I was pleasantly surprised by the BF with a date at a restaurant I was embarrassed to have never tried. You see, this was a true surprise date. I had no idea where we were headed and I let the BF decide. Trying to pick a restaurant for a date with a super foodie? Yea, the pressure was on him. Good thing he hit it out of the park!

After meeting in River North, he let me know we were headed to Chef Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill. If you know anything about Frontera Grill, it's that a) it's owned by celebri-chef Rick and b) it can be difficult to grab a table. Since they only take limited reservations, the BF stopped by right at 5pm when they opened to put our name in. This minimized our wait time immensely and allowed us to grab a cocktail at the gorgeous bar before we were seated. We both started off with cocktails made from mezcal, an alcohol made from the maguey plant. The mezcal provided a smoky and spicy flavor to each of our citrus-y options. I went with the Paloma Oaxaquena with grapefruit, lime, honey and grapefruit bitters while the BF chose the Mezcal Margarita with brandy, bitters and lemonade.  I was quite pleased the BF's drink was as pink as mine :) I also tried the Blue Agave margarita, which was probably the best margarita I have ever tasted!

Paloma Oaxaquena & Mezcal Margarita

After grabbing drinks, we were seated in the rather small and casual dining room. (Frontera is also connected to Bayless's more upscale restaurant, Topolobampo.) We kicked things off with the Frontera Guacamole made with the traditional ingredients and accompanied with house-made tortilla chips. I loved the amount of lime juice in the guacamole, and the chips were clearly fresh.

Frontera Guacamole

Luckily for us, we were also served two of Frontera's famous salsas. I love buying these salsas at the store, but it was nice to try them in a restaurant setting. We tried the Three Chile and Tomatillo salsas which were great when combined with the guacamole.

Three Chile & Tomatillo Salsas

It was rather difficult to decide on an entree, but after asking our server a million questions, I decided to order a steak. Steak is not something I tend to make myself, so that's what ultimately swayed me away from the fresh fish special that was also offered. The Carne Asada Brava was marinated in spicy habanero and was served with a side of even spicier habanero and tomato salsa. On the side were grilled and bound knob onions and probably the best part of the dish, sweet corn tamals. The steak was pretty tender and amazingly flavorful and I didn't even need the salsa because it already packed intense heat. The real stars of the show were the tamals. These little masa pockets were filled with sweet corn and were as soft as pillows. I had to ration out each bite just to savor them that much more. We were also given a plate of fresh corn tortillas to eat with our meal. If I thought the tamals were delicious, they didn't even compare to the tortillas! O.M.G. I can't even explain how delicious they were. You might be saying, how good can a tortilla be? Good enough that I wanted to eat it plain. WOW.

Carne Asada Brava

The BF selected the Chicken Milanesa which included several crispy chicken breasts with avocado tomato salsa, refried beans, cabbage and pickled red onion. The chicken was extra crispy and light, and not too greasy. I was a bit surprised that he ordered this instead of his usual favorite, chicken tacos, but he was happy he went with a more refined choice.

Chicken Milanesa

Overall, we had an awesome meal from mezcal to milanesa and it was a pleasant surprise from the BF! I was impressed with the quality of ingredients and presentation of food. It was clear a lot of thought went into the flavor combinations of each dish and cocktail. I give Frontera Grill 4.5 stars for their delicious cocktails, the best corn tortillas I have ever had in my entire life and their flavorful salsas. The only blip in the evening was our lackluster server, but other than that, I would definitely go back or try out Topolobampo, the only Frontera restaurant I still have yet to try!

Frontera Grill
www.rickbayless.com
445 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
312.661.1434

Caramel Matzoh Crunch for Passover

When the Jewish holiday of Passover rolled around this year, I knew I had to make a couple batches of a Passover dessert staple, Caramel Matzoh Crunch. This sugary concoction is a simple-yet-addicting dessert combining matzoh, chocolate and caramel. The process of making it can get a bit messy, but it's definitely one of those treats you never regret making.

I learned some tricks after failing at making a batch last year so I was excited to tackle this sweet Passover dessert. For example, when making the caramel, make sure you never stop stirring the pot because the caramel can easily burn if it sits still. Also, ensure you are checking on the baking caramel matzoh in the oven. Ovens can vary but it's a good idea to keep checking on it as it bakes, to ensure it does not burn. My last tip is to use a rubber spatula for spreading the caramel and chocolate. I felt this tool did the best job of evenly covering the matzoh with caramel and chocolate.

Feel free to top your matzoh with any variety of items. I made a batch sprinkled with sea salt and a batch sprinkled with chopped almonds but the possibilities are endless! Check out the photos and recipe below and let me know what your favorite Passover desserts are!

Making the caramel

Spread a baking sheet with matzoh boards

Cover the matzoh with your caramel

Sprinkle chocolate chips and allow to melt

Spread the melted chocolate evenly across the matzoh and add your favorite topping, like chopped almonds

Matzoh crunch sprinkled with sea salt

Caramel Matzoh Crunch
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

4-6 unsalted matzoh boards

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the foil with parchment paper. Don't use wax paper--I made that mistake last year!

2) Line the cookie sheet evenly with the matzoh boards, breaking pieces if necessary to fill spaces.

3) In a saucepan, combine the butter and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 4 to 6 minutes). Make sure you are constantly stirring or else the mixture will burn.  Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

4) Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 325°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning. Mine cooked nicely at 325°.

5) Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chocolate chips. Let the chocolate chips melt on the caramel for a few minutes, then spread the chocolate on the matzoh. I used a rubber spatula and it worked perfectly.

6) While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle with toppings, if desired. I used sea salt and chopped almonds but you could add anything! Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the chocolate sets.

7) After the chocolate has set, cut into squares and enjoy! 

Tortas, Tacos & Tequilas!

The newest addition to Chicago's Rockit Ranch restaurant group recently opened in River North. Taking over the former Martini Ranch space is ¡Ay Chiwowa!, a tequila bar/taqueria/dance party hot spot. The concept for ¡Ay Chiwowa! has an interesting story behind it. When the Martini Ranch space was up for grabs, the folks at Rockit Ranch swooped in and asked the public to vote on the concept for the space. The winning concept was a dive bar theme with Mexican food and drink offerings.

Rockit Ranch President, Arturo Gomez, whose family is from Mexico, played a large role in developing the concept. Arturo kindly walked us through the menu when we stopped by on a Friday night. The space is narrow but divided into three separate rooms. The after-work crowd filled up the dive bar and created a lively and energetic atmosphere.

¡Ay Chiwowa! offers more than 80 different types of tequilas, as well as kegged cocktails and margaritas. We sampled two of the kegged cocktails, Chupacabra (cazadores reposado, passion fruit tea, grand marnier, pineapple, lemon grass syrup, lavender spice) which was my absolute favorite, and Copa de Nada (disaronno, bacardi coco, bacardi oakheart, cazadores añejo, bacardi 8-year, pineapple juice, fruit salsa topper). We also tried the famous beerita, a margarita with a Coronita on top, as well as the Strawberry Jalapeno Margarita, White Chocolate Pina Colada, and of course, some tequila. It was hard work, but someone had to do it. Tequila is offered straight up or on the rocks and you can add a sangrita shot on the side. The sangrita is a housemade concoction of tomato juice, shrimp stock, habanero and spices that is traditionally sipped with tequila. Unfortunately, I forgot my fancy camera the night we went, so my mediocre iPhone photos will have to suffice.

Chupacabra & Copa de Nada

Tequila & Sangrita

Tackling Billy's Beerita

I'll take the $4,000 bottle of tequila, please!

We started out snacking on some mango guacamole which was tasty but could have used a bit more spice. Luckily ¡Ay Chiwowa! offers three homemade sauces, so I was able to add some spice to the guacamole. We also tried the queso fundido topped with crumbled chorizo and served with warm homemade corn tortillas. I loved the gooey chihuahua cheese and made a little quesadilla with the corn tortillas.

Mango Guacamole

Queso Fundido with Chorizo

Continuing on our food tour, we landed on an order of al pastor tacos with marinated pork, pineapple and pickled onions. The tacos were tiny but tasty.

After hearing great things about the bread on the tortas, we tried the chicken version. This savory sandwich was by far the best food item of the night because of the juicy chicken coated in adobo seasoning. The bread was perfectly crispy on the outside and doughy in the middle. I thought it was interesting they topped the sandwich with refried beans, but I totally dug it. Definitely a must-try.

Chicken Torta

The Gomez Shrimp was also recommended to us since it was Arturo Gomez's family recipe. Three jumbo shrimp were coated in mustard, fried onion and a family marinade. These weren't my favorite item we had, but they still had an interesting combination of flavors.

Gomez Shrimp

We ended the night on a sweet note with a pair of warm, fresh churros paired with a hot cajeta dipping sauce. The churros were perfectly fried and were amazing when dipped in the cajeta sauce which tasted similar to a gooey caramel.

Overall, ¡Ay Chiwowa! was a great place to kick back with a few cocktails while noshing on tasty tortas and tacos. The prices are a bit steep for the size of the menu items, but hey, it's River North. I definitely recommend heading over for one of their kegged cocktails or grabbing a late night bite after hitting their dance floor that's open until 4 am! ¡Ay Chiwowa! gets 3.5 stars for their funky dive bar atmosphere, killer cocktails and knowledgeable servers.


¡Ay Chiwowa!
www.aychiwowa.com
311 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL
312.643.3200

Oscars Viewing Party at Rockit Bar & Grill

This year on Oscars Sunday I traded in my pajamas and pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food for a sparkly dress and hors d'oeuvres. What was the occasion? Rockit Bar & Grill's third annual Oscar's party co-hosted by film critic Richard Roeper and Chicago restaurateur Billy Dec.

Richard Roeper & Billy Dec Kicking Off the Evening

The evening was held at Rockit Bar & Grill in River North and featured cocktails and Prosecco from Santa Margherita, as well as a selection of Rockit's amazing appetizers. In addition to being a great atmosphere for watching Hollywood's biggest night, the viewing party was also a fundraiser for After School Matters, a Chicago-based non-profit organization focused on creating after-school opportunities for local public high school students. An impressive raffle featured prizes including a team-signed Chicago Blackhawks hockey stick, two round-trip tickets on American Airlines, a personal fitting session and merchandise from Lululemon and even an icing class at Magnolia Bakery. I was lucky enough to win a pizza package with gift certificates to Sono Wood Fired and Homemade Pizza Company! Viewing party guests even had the chance to submit their own Oscar picks before the show started! Overall, it was a great way to take in the most exciting night in movies.

A Selection of Raffle Prizes

Winner, Winner, Pizza Dinner!

Oscars Viewing Party at Rockit Bar & Grill

Sipping on Santa Margherita Prosecco