Eater Chicago: All Posts by Sarah FreemanThe Chicago Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2016-06-28T09:55:02-05:00https://chicago.eater.com/authors/sarah-freeman/rss2016-06-28T09:55:02-05:002016-06-28T09:55:02-05:00Chicago’s Fanciest Popsicles Help You Beat the Summertime Heat
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<figcaption>Strawberry rhubarb popsicle at TWO</figcaption>
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<p>A childhood treat gets a gourmet makeover</p> <p>Nearly every American has fond childhood memories of cooling down on a hot day by eating a popsicle that may just drip down your arm. You know the ones. Their white wrappers disguised simple flavors such as "red" or "purple" or "yellow," which was also known as banana. Today's popsicles have gotten a bit of an upgrade thanks to savvy chefs combining the childhood classic with fresh fruit, gourmet garnishes, and even a bit of booze.</p>
<p>At <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/two"><b>TWO</b></a>, pastry chef George Kovach uses local strawberries from Seedling Fruit for his strawberry rhubarb popsicle. The pureed fruit is molded, frozen, and garnished with basil powder, fresh and dried strawberries, as well as cardamom-pickled rhubarb. "The popsicle is intended to be eaten like a fun dip," Kovach says about the dessert that offers a double dose of nostalgia. "Who didn't love fun dips growing up?"</p>
<p>Every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/cindy-s" class="sbn-auto-link"><b>Cindy's</b></a> executive pastry chef Jove Hubbard hosts Jove T's Pops Shop in the Michigan Avenue entrance of the <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/chicago-athletic-association" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Athletic Association</a> hotel. These frozen confections, available with or without a dash of booze, are created to reflect the whimsy and light flavors found on Hubbard's dessert menu, from strawberry-rose to pina colada.</p>
<p>Hubbard isn't the only one spiking his ‘sicles. At <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/expat" class="sbn-auto-link"><b>Expat</b></a>, small-batch boozy push pops are the newest addition to the al fresco-only restaurant. "The idea for the boozy freeze pops evolved from taking a simplistic childhood dessert and elevating it to make it appeal to adults," says pastry chef Hannah Mendelson. "You get the childhood nostalgia with the perks of having them boozy." Her flavors include cucumber-ginger gin pop as well as a tequila-based one with grapefruit and lime.</p>
<p>Gourmet popsicles are the clever garnish for a bubbly creation at <b>The Gwen</b> called the "Poptail." Frozen prosecco popsicle acts as the ice cube in a glass of La Marca prosecco. The drink gets boozier as the popsicle melts. At <b>Fremont</b>, liquor-laced popsicles feature frozen takes on classic cocktails such as a daiquiri, mojito, and margarita. The new-ish River North bar also offers a push-pop version with layers shots of sorbet that have been infused with alcohol and fresh fruit.</p>
<p>"Just like with our tacos at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/tallboy-taco"><b>Tallboy</b></a>, we blend the best and boldest flavors of Mexico to create our signature paletas," says executive chef Tim Hockett. "You will find fruits like mango, passionfruit, lime, and peaches combines with spicy chiles, a fresh bouquet of herbs, or paired with a delicious rum to create the tastiest paletas north of the border." They also offer booze-free versions, because whether you are a kid at heart or an actual kid, a gourmet popsicle may be the perfect summertime treat.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/28/12010746/best-popsicles-chicago-gourmet-fancySarah Freeman2016-06-27T11:00:03-05:002016-06-27T11:00:03-05:00Heisler's Bringing A Latin American Spirit Bar to Logan Square on July 7
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<figcaption>Estereo | Heisler Hospitality </figcaption>
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<p>Coffee and cocktails at the latest Heisler Hospitality spot</p> <p>Heisler Hospitality's formula for <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/sportsman" class="sbn-auto-link">Sportsman's Club</a> was a simple one—take an old bar and spruce it up and add a few friendly bartenders. The result was a <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/1/11797882/chicago-dive-bar-rescue-feature">new-school bar with old-school charm</a> that kept people coming back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. <b>Estereo</b> will bring the same welcoming vibe with menu of Latin American spirits (yes, including agave), sprawling concrete bar, plus daytime coffee service.</p>
<p>"Jeff [Donahue] and I, for a long time had wanted to not only do a bar that was the opposite of Sportsman's—had a focus on agave spirits, and brighter, more refreshing cocktails year-round—but also build a really, really amazing all-day bar," says managing partner Wade McElroy. Opening on July 7 at 2450 N. Milwaukee Ave., Estereo brings the feeling of a Cuban cocktail lounge to Logan Square.</p>
<p>Heisler bar veterans Ben Fasman and Michael Rubel developed the drink list and will run the bar. The cocktail slash coffee bar was inspired by several trips to Mexico and Cuba that exposed the team to vibrant bars filled with fresh fruit juice cocktails and live music. "There's sort of a different feel to bars that are in warmer, tropical locations. It's a bit more laid back and loose and fun," Donahue says. Estereo will feature the mid-century aesthetic of brightly colored-tiles, copper and concrete accents, as well as light wood paneling to capture that Old Havana vibe. An extensive vinyl collection with be utilized nightly in a raised DJ booth and natural light will fill the space during the day thanks to retractable windows on two sides of the space.</p>
<p>When guests enter the space—starting as early as 11 a.m.—they are welcomed by a Modbar espresso machine offering Dark Matter coffee drinks. Food will be limited to freshly baked pastries, but ample outlets and seating will encourage lingering. "Coffee was another thing that was prevalent everywhere during out travels. We definitely are taking that seriously here," McElroy says. "I think when all of the windows are open, it'll be a really incredible place to hang out during the day, even if you are just having a cup of coffee and working on your laptop."</p>
<p>Make no mistake; this is first and foremost a drinking establishment. The triangle-shaped bar that takes up the majority of the 1,700-square foot space screams that. Cocktails displayed on a menu board will mostly be citrus-based cocktails. Each will showcase a different spirit, specifically, pisco, cachaca, mezcal, tequila, rum, and rhum agricole. There will also be a rotating frozen and coffee drinks, plus single-stirred cocktails. The house highball, dubbed "The Breezy," pairs a spirit of choice with Yerba Mate, falernum, soda, and lime. While the house beer will be Victoria—one of the most popular beers in Oaxaca—with four draft beers, four canned beers, and one cider also served.</p>
<p>"At the end of the day, we didn't want to have a single focus," McElroy says. "By creating an all-day bar, a bar that really focused on light pouring though the windows and bright, expressive drinks, we can have that same kind of energy that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/sportsman">Sportsman's Club</a> has, but flip the environment on its head, which is, I think, what we're trying to do here."</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/27/12010272/estereo-heisler-bar-logan-square-july-openingSarah Freeman2016-06-24T13:45:02-05:002016-06-24T13:45:02-05:00Is Whole Vegetable Cooking the Next Culinary Frontier?
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<figcaption>Asparagus soup at Forbidden Root</figcaption>
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<p>Chicago chefs find new ways to cook old vegetables</p> <p>That side of beef isn't the only ingredient getting the nose-to-tail treatment in Chicago restaurants. Chefs are taking a no-waste approach to this season's vegetables, preparing them from stem to stern, root to tip.</p>
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<p class="caption">Travelle's parsley and lemon risotto with grilled head-on prawns and fennel fronds</p>
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<p><span>"I was taught to look at food waste as if it were money," says Ricardo Jarquin, executive chef at Travelle. "I had the pleasure of working with a very strict Italian chef. One of his main rules in the kitchen was that no one was allowed to throw away food scraps without one of his sous chefs or himself looking at it first. I found it to be weird at first until I noticed some of the things he would come up with using the waste. Vegetable scraps would get turned into pasta fillings, tomato cores would be cooked down with sugar, vinegar, and vanilla for the burrata dish we had on the menu, mushroom scraps would get turned into stock for our mushroom polenta—the list went on and on."</span></p>
<p>Today, English pea pods are used with parmesan rinds and onion scraps in stock that is the base of <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/travelle" class="sbn-auto-link">Travelle's</a> mascarpone and pea filled tortellini; celery hearts, celery leaves, and fennel fronds accent the panzanella salad; and parsley pulp adds flavor to parsley and lemon risotto. He's not the only chef taking such a pragmatic approach with produce. See how other kitchens are practicing whole-vegetable cooking.</p>
<p><b>Tomatoes</b></p>
<p><a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/cantina-1910" class="sbn-auto-link">Cantina 1910</a> goes though a lot of tomatoes. Specifically, Mighty Vine tomatoes are featured throughout the summer menu. The remnants of these juicy gems are combined with garlic and jalapeños, processed in a Robot Coupe and hung in cheesecloth overnight. "The tasty goodness that drips from it in the morning is an almost clear liquid that bursts with spicy tomato flavor. We use this liquid as an acid for our scallop ceviche," says executive chef Scott Shulman. After the hanging process, the tomato pulp is dehydrated to create a umami-flavored powder that is used to season mole and crudité.</p>
<p><b>Celery</b></p>
<p>Jeff Mahin, a California-based chef who splits his time between the West Coast and Midwest, has an affinity for fresh produce and making the most of their short-lived seasons. At <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/summer-house-santa-monica" class="sbn-auto-link">Summer House Santa Monica</a>, celery takes center stage in his slow fried celery root with creme fraiche. Mahin uses the celery root because it boasts the same crisp flavor as the stalks with an added earliness. By slow frying it, the final dish has the texture of a baked potato but the flavor of celery.</p>
<p><b>Beets</b></p>
<p>"We're always mindful of waste and we try to eliminate it wherever we can in the kitchen," says Cosmo Goss, chef de cuisine at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/the-publican" class="sbn-auto-link">The Publican</a>. "For example, we'll typically use beet greens to garnish the beet salad or use carrot tops to make pesto. If these parts of the vegetable are still nice and delicious, why waste them?" Those aforementioned beet greens are currently served with roasted Genesis Growers beets, labneh, walnut aillade, red onion, and aged balsamic.</p>
<p><b>Asparagus</b></p>
<p>Those pesky little leaves that stick off the sides of asparagus stalks are put to good use at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/forbidden-root" class="sbn-auto-link">Forbidden Root</a>. After serving the asparagus tops with fried poached egg with kimchi hollandaise, executive chef Dan Weiland turns the scraps into asparagus soup that is served with pork belly, preserved lemon jam, goat cheese, and basil. "The flavor is amazing and it allows me to use up everything I have with minimal waste," he says.</p>
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<p class="caption">Grilled elk loin with Maitake mushrooms, and mushroom vinaigrette at TWO</p>
<p><b>Mushrooms</b></p>
<p>Morel mushrooms may be long gone for the season, but lucky diners can still find a few lingering on the menu at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/two">TWO</a>. "At TWO, we're using a lot of odd vegetable scraps in our dishes to minimize our waste," says executive chef Kevin Cuddihee. "We dry and grind mushroom all of our stems to make powders out of them." Morel mushroom powder is used to flavor mushroom vinaigrette. This dresses a pea shoot salad that appears alongside grilled elk loin and maitake mushrooms.</p>
<p><b>Broccoli</b></p>
<p>"I've always liked broccoli stems better than the florets. I think they are sweeter and have a great texture, both raw and cooked," says Ryan Sand, executive chef at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/bernie-s-lunch-supper">Bernie's Lunch & Supper</a>. Roasted broccoli florets and stems are dressed with romesco sauce, spring onions, chili poached raisins, and goat cheese. Freshly shaved raw broccoli stems are the finishing touch, to add a bit of crunchy broccoli texture.</p>
<p><b>Carrots</b></p>
<p>Carrot tops are not only the name of a has-been comedian, but also a vibrant addition to summer dishes. Executive chef Shaun Connolly turns the tops into pesto or, as is the case at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/presidio" class="sbn-auto-link">Presidio</a>, carrot-coconut chutney. "Vegetable greens are always great to reserve and use as a flavor enhancer with the final dish," says Connolly. "Carrot greens are herbal and slightly bitter in taste with a subtle carrot flavor which is a perfect way to compliment the ingredients in this dish." The chutney served over whole roasted carrots.</p>
<p><b>Cauliflower</b></p>
<p>The cauliflower spine, as chef Edward Kim likes to call it due to its resemblance of an animal spine, takes center stage at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/ruxbin">Ruxbin</a>. The cored of the plant is often discarded after the florets are removed, however, Kim channels its full flavor potential by searing it and then roasting it in brown butter. It is serve with capers and lemon confit. "It celebrates a part of the vegetable that is usually viewed as scrap and converts it into something highly coveted," he says. This dish appears on the menu as a spacial alongside one of his regular items—tempura cauliflower.</p>
<p><b>Artichokes</b></p>
<p>After artichokes hearts are used in a popular halibut dish at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/north-pond" class="sbn-auto-link">North Pond</a>, chef Bruce Sherman turns his attention to the leaves. With the notoriously tough leaves, he makes pasta. Fresh artichoke shells are served with English peas, herbed goat cheese, basil rye crumb, candied violets, and calendula petals. "It's a great challenge to creatively utilize as much of the products as we can, to get closer to zero food waste in the kitchen while also increasing bottom line," he says.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/24/11990338/whole-vegetable-cooking-chicago-trend-chefsSarah Freeman2016-06-23T15:29:54-05:002016-06-23T15:29:54-05:00Dos Urban Cantina Taps Louisville Bourbon Expert Larry Rice To Overhaul Cocktails
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<figcaption>Larry Rice | <a href='http://elfreakingcamino.com'>El Camino</a></figcaption>
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<p>Stirred margaritas come to the Logan Square hotspot</p> <p>How about some bourbon in that margarita? The suggestion might not be that unusual at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/dos-urban-cantina"><b>Dos Urban Cantina</b></a>. The Logan Square Mexican restaurant recently tapped Louisville bar owner and bourbon expert <b>Larry Rice</b> to overhaul its cocktail program.</p>
<p>In 2015, executive chef Brian Enyart spent a year commuting to Louisville each week to help Rice in the kitchen of <a target="_blank" href="http://elfreakingcamino.com">El Camino</a><b> </b>—a Mexican tiki bar that was the follow-up to Rice's bourbon-fueled <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whiskeybythedrink.com">The Silver Dollar</a>— and returned to Chicago each weekend to scout locations for Dos Urban Cantina: "We had talked about collaborating with me on the bar side," Rice says. "When he hit me up a few months ago asking if I was still interested, and of course I told him I would do anything for him."</p>
<p>Rice will now be the one commuting to Chicago as a cocktail consultant working closely with the Dos Urban Cantina team to create drinks that complement the modern Mexican cuisine. Rice, admittedly, is a wine drinker when it comes to pairing booze and food, but he took on the challenge of creating a cocktail menu that enhances dishes. Take the Golden Mary, a riff on the Bloody Mary. It's made with double-filtered yellow tomato juice, tequila, Suze, Serrano bitters, and a cilantro garnish. Enyart's tomatillo salsa inspired the drink which pairs well with ceviche. Other drinks showcase agave —in addition to a few rum and whiskey drinks— such as a stirred margarita that was originally created in response to the 2014 lime shortage. The Cartel's Revenge features reposado tequila, dry curacao, and Amargo bitters. Other creative takes on agave classics include a twist on the Tequila Sunrise, made with Vida mezcal, crème de cassis, lime juice, and Jarritos tamarind soda that's garnished with melon balls.</p>
<p>Rice's first menu will debut in the coming weeks, with new ones launching seasonally.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/23/12010378/dos-urban-cantina-larry-rice-new-cocktail-menuSarah Freeman2016-06-23T11:06:50-05:002016-06-23T11:06:50-05:00Does Roister Serve the Best Fried Chicken in Chicago?
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<p>Welcome to <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/the-hot-dish">The Hot Dish</a>, a behind the scenes look at the making of the dishes of the moment</p> <p>Roister is a contradiction. Music plays so loud that you can hardly hear your dining companion compliment the richness of A5 Wagyu smothered in uni butter. $1,000 bottles of wine are poured into what might as well be red Solo cups (they are actually glass tumblers). And <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/maps/best-fried-chicken-chicago-restaurants-map">fried chicken</a> is the most popular dish prepared by a chef whose resume includes <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/aviary" class="sbn-auto-link">The Aviary</a>, <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/graham-elliot" class="sbn-auto-link">Graham Elliot</a>, and Kith & Kin.</p>
<p>Roister is <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/alinea" class="sbn-auto-link">Alinea</a> Group's attempt at going casual. Yeah, those guys who just took the number 15 spot on the <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/14/11928050/alinea-worlds-50-best-list-number-15-2016">World's 50 Bet Restaurants</a> list. In doing so, they created a dining experience that feels like a tug of war between raucous open-fire cooking and the "tweezer food" that earned the group countless accolades. "Having the fried chicken dish on the menu speaks to that," says executive chef <strong>Andrew Brochu</strong>. "We are going casual. We weren't just bluffing. And we weren't just saying it."</p>
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<cite>Nick Murway/Eater Chicago</cite>
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<p>The dish, which quickly distinguished itself as a signature at the three-month-old restaurant, starts with whole chickens from Green Circle Farm. The Hudson Valley farm is famous for feeding its birds scraps from Manhattan's most prestigious restaurants, including Per Se, Daniel, and Gramercy Tavern. Each chicken—the team is going through about 50 per night—is butchered and brined for 24 hours in sweetened chamomile tea. Then, the real fun starts.</p>
<p><a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/roister" class="sbn-auto-link">Roister's</a> play on the classic whole chicken involves serving the bird three ways. The thighs are deboned, brined in buttermilk, and fried. Breasts are seared in a cast iron skillet in the 900-degree hearth until juicy on the inside and charred almost black on the outside. "The first time we did it, it looked burnt," Brochu says. "Then, the more we tasted it, the less we cared, because it tastes good." Legs are sous vide in chicken fat before they are tossed with sunchokes, onions, celery, and sunflower seeds to make chicken salad.</p>
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<p>The star, and what has made the dish a must-try on Roister's menu, is the fried component. Brochu has been making it the same way since his Kith & Kin days. He'll happily share the recipe with anyone who asks for it, but doubts they will be able to replicate it. The secret to his perfectly crispy fried chicken is in the technique. A double dredging in seasoned cornstarch, buttermilk, and flour ends with a deep tissue massage for each thigh. "For me, this stage of the process is what separates ours from other people's," he says. "You have to get the flour in all the crevices, and the buttermilk in all the crevices, so you know you are really adhering it."</p>
<p>The result is a firecracker effect of crispy bits exploding around chicken. Some of which fall off in the frying process and are served as a garnish on pasta or over donut ice cream to special guests. The final touch is a sprinkling of spice blend made with chamomile tea, salt, MSG, sugar, and pepper. It is served alongside the seared breast with a garnish of fresh chamomile flowers. It also comes with a side of sunchoke hot sauce and chicken gravy, for a true Southern fried chicken experience served with fine dining flair.</p>
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<p>Due to the chicken's popularity, Brochu says it will be one of the few dishes on the menu year-round. However, given the group's affinity for innovation, don't expect it to look the same for long. The flowers that adorn each serving will change with the seasons, in conjunction to the tea brine and seasoning. In the fall, oxalis might garnish apple-cranberry rooibos tea-scented chicken, and roses dried in the hearth will accent chicken seasoned with black tea for winter.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/23/12003488/roister-fried-chicken-best-chicago-hot-dishSarah Freeman2016-06-15T10:45:42-05:002016-06-15T10:45:42-05:00What Is Chicago-Style Barbecue, Anyway?
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<p>Exploring a meat scene as divided as the city itself</p> <p>Do they have any black eyed peas, beef neck bones, corn bread, and Kool-Aid?” an older Bronzeville gentleman ponders to a younger female in line for Honey 1 on Chicago’s South Side. “No, then why’s this line so long?” The line is for that sweet and smoky scent of ribs wafting past the glass partition, separating customers in a waiting area no bigger than a closet from the aquarium smoker in back. His confusion — although he was half kidding — is warranted. Barbecue in Chicago is as convoluted and divided as the city itself. Granted, Chicago lacks a barbecue identity as deeply rooted as Memphis or Kansas City, but that does not mean it lacks quality and its own trademark spin on the American culinary staple.</p>
<p class="m-entry__floating-toc">Table Of Contents (all h2's added automatically)</p>
<p>The first reported barbecue restaurant in Chicago can be traced back to 1930s, according to food historian Peter Engler. It was one of several that popped up throughout the city's South Side as millions of African Americans migrated from the Mississippi Delta. They brought a style of cooking defined by quickly smoking meats over direct heat and covering it with sweet sauce.</p>
<p>At the same time, Eastern European immigrants found pockets throughout Chicago's North Side to call home, and they brought their affinity for sausages and boiled meats with them. Combine these two immigrant styles and you have the city's signature barbecue items of today: boiled and smoked ribs covered in sauce as well as the classic rib tip combo served with sausage, sauce, french fries, and white bread. But the peaceful exchange between North and South Side barbecue styles stops there.</p>
<p>From the type of meat used to the styles of smoker, wood, and sauce, Chicago is a divided barbecue town. Here, Eater breaks down the often historically rooted different approaches that characterize the North and South Sides.</p>
<h2>The Meat</h2>
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<cite>Nick Murway/Eater Chicago</cite>
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<p class="caption">Meat cooking on the smoker at Lem's.</p> </div>
<p>Chicago, the city that welcomes you with open arms, a shot of Malort, and a pound of pork butt, has been a meat eater's paradise since the 1800s. It was in 1865 that the Union Stockyard became the central distributor for live animals. By the 1920s, the city was a butchery epicenter. Hence, the stockyard palate was born. The affinity for rib tips — a strip of cartilage-rich meat that is often a discarded byproduct from St. Louis-style rib — developed because the cut was the right price (at one point, free) for South Side pitmasters. The meat begged for utilitarian style of cooking catered to this cheap cut of meat that cooked relatively quickly compared to other, more expensive, barbecue cuts such as pork butt or brisket. These pricier cuts have historically been featured at North Side establishments.</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right"><p><q class="pullquote">"In my humble opinion, rib tips are the perfect combination of what people crave in a rib and the fatty richness of bacon."</q></p></div>
<p>However, as adventurous foodies venture down to 75th street to bulletproof-glass-encased <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/lem-s-bbq-house"><strong>Lem's</strong></a>, the lines between North Side and South Side barbecue begin to blur and the price of meat begins to rise. "Over the last five years, [rib tips] have gotten very popular and, the more popular they get, the more the price goes up," says <strong>Robert Adams Sr.</strong>, pitmaster at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/honey-1-bbq"><strong>Honey 1 BBQ</strong></a>. "I used to get them for 60-cents a pound and now they're $1.50 a pound." Last year, he moved his barbecue restaurant from <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2015/1/6/7496137/honey-1-bbq-move-bronzeville">Bucktown to Bronzeville</a> in order to increase business, and brought with it the smoked brisket, a menu item that was also popular at the original location. But the tips still reign supreme. The "meat candy," as it's lovingly nicknamed, creates an incredibly tender piece of 'cue that develops a chewy bark on the outside and juicy meat on the inside that is easily pulled away from the few remaining bones.</p>
<p>"The interesting thing about tips is, in my humble opinion, rib tips are the perfect combination of what people crave in a rib and the fatty richness of bacon," says <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/county-barbeque"><strong>County Barbecue</strong></a> chef <strong>Erick Williams</strong>, who also claims his tips are some of the best in the city. "Because there's a good amount of gelatin and fat in rib tips and when they're cooked slow and long they give you a little bit of a chew. You get the texture and some of that moistness that you get out of bacon, and then, at the same time, you still get that unique flavor that you only get from ribs." County on Taylor Street is the few North Side spot serving tips, in addition to other North Side staples such as brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and racks of ribs.</p>
<h2>The Smoker</h2>
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<p class="caption">[Clockwise from top left] Ribs in the smoker at Smoque, the aquarium smoker at Lem's, and the smokestack at Lem's.</p>
<p>The other most defining characteristic of "traditional" Chicago barbecue is the aquarium smoker, a feisty beast made by Avenue Metal since 1954. You can spot one by looking at the roof of an establishment. A tall smokestack billows meat-scented fumes that can be smelled blocks away. "Where there's no smoke, there's not real ribs," Carmen and Lynn Lemon's father, legendary pitmaster who <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2015/12/15/10232066/james-lemons-lems-bbq-dead">passed away</a> in December, told his daughters, who now run the restaurant. "If you don't see a stack with smoke coming out, not real barbecue," Carmen adds. This smokestack is attached to a tempered glass chamber that looks like a fish tank, hence the name, which sits directly on top of another chamber filled with burning wood or a combination of wood and charcoal. The lower chamber houses a roaring fire that needs to be constantly monitored and regularly sprayed down with a hose to prevent flare-ups as well as burnt meat.</p>
<div class="float-left hang-left"><p><q class="pullquote">"If you don't see a stack with smoke coming out, not real barbecue."</q></p></div>
<p>To see one in action, head down to 75th Street. The aquarium smoker at Lem's is the largest in the city, according to Carmen. All 64-square-feet of it are continuously stuffed with piles of ribs of all cuts and sizes as well as housemade sausages. At Lem's, these smokers need to be replaced every decade or so. Their current one will be retired after the Fourth of July and replaced with a new model. "We go through a pit quite fast," Carmen says. "This is like your car, this is the driving force of your business."</p>
<p>These aquarium smokers are only seen on the South Side and far West Side for three reasons: It's expensive, inconsistent, and labor-intensive. "It's an expensive piece of equipment, just as expensive as any other smoker," Williams says. "They're custom-made, like many smokers are, and you cannot, no matter how hard you try, cook something like brisket in it and get a really consistent product." That's why, on the North Side, a very different smoker is king. Rotisserie smokers such as the Southern Pride and Ole Hickory are the workhorses at County, <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/smoque-bbq">Smoque</a>, and <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/blackwood-bbq">Blackwood BBQ</a>. These feature a large chamber where spinning racks are exposed to low, indirect heat as well as smoke produced by burning wood in an adjacent chamber. However, its use of gas as the primary heating mechanism causes South Side purists to turn up their noses.</p>
<h2>The Wood</h2>
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<p class="caption">Red oak logs are continuously fed, flamed and hosed down to produce the ideal amount of smoke and heat at Honey 1.</p>
<p>Another divide between the North and South Side is the use of wood. Of course, barbecue is nothing without that deep smoke flavor — achieved with charcoal or even a bottle of liquid smoke if you are a total blasphemer. But how much wood is used, the type of wood, and its proximity to the meat is what may give South Side barbecue the advantage. "The difference is it's authentic," Adams says. "The new model is gas. Wood is harder to cook with, because it flames and you have to watch and control the fire at all time. For me, it's better, more tender, and you get a good smoke ring from wood. Gas is just like if your mother is cooking it — she just goes in there, turns the dial up, sets it and walks away — you can't do that here."</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right"><p><q class="pullquote">"Gas is just like if your mother is cooking it — she just goes in there, turns the dial up, sets it, and walks away — you can't do that here."</q></p></div>
<p>Adams fuels the Honey 1 smoker with red oak, because it holds heat well as well as water. At Lem's, a combination of charcoal under hickory woods allows for more consistent heat and a heavy smoke that infused into the meat. On the North Side it's a whole different story, where chefs use mostly local woods to feed smoke into the the rotisserie smokers. Blackwood fires up its Southern Pride with hickory and apple wood mixed with some Michigan cherry tree wood.</p>
<p>"When you think about the flavors from the smoke, every tree has different characteristics, not only physically, but when you burn as fuel to cook with," says Blackwood's pitmaster <strong>Dylan Lipe</strong>. "To me, the sugars and stuff that are naturally in apple trees, once they are burned, they develop a very subtle sweetness, and add buttery-ness to the meat. They attach really well to the fat, and I get a nice velvety, buttery flavor from the meat when we use apple. And for me, hickory is like the salt and pepper. It's that umami effect — you can't quite put your finger on it, but it balances out your spices — it's a layer of flavor underneath there that brings out the richness in pork."</p>
<h2>The Sauce</h2>
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<p class="caption">Rib tip combo getting sauced at Lem's.</p> </div>
<p>"I don't think barbecue is really barbecue without a sauce," Adams preaches. It's true that a generous ladleful of sauce is essential to any order of rib tips. Honey 1's is sweeter — although recently they made the switch from sugar to honey to decrease the sweetness — while Lem's takes on a vinegary tang. Both are tomato-based, like their North-side cousins, but considerably thinner and more glaze-like. Pitmasters across the city agree that sauce is the supporting actor, not the star. An overly sweet sauce easily masks over-cooked barbecue, while properly balanced sauces — the recipes to which are often guarded secrets passed down from generation to generation — accentuate the meats smoky flavor and assorted spices.</p>
<div class="float-left hang-left"><p><q class="pullquote">"I don't think barbecue is really barbecue without a sauce."</q></p></div>
<p>"Sauce should compliment the meat, not make the meat," Williams says recalling one of his ultimate professional pleasures at County of watching customers debate whether or not to dip his tips in sauce. First, enjoying the meat naked to savor its smoke and spice flavors, and then dipping it in the tangy condiment for an entirely different yet equally enjoyable culinary experience. "When you put your sweat and tears into something, it's just cool to see somebody be as thoughtful about the dining process as you were about the cooking process. That's why we do what we do, and that's part of why we set out to be different. [Prior to opening,] we ate some really good barbecue in Chicago. There isn't a lack thereof. At the same time, we thought that we could add something that was a little unique to what was out there. We felt like we accomplished that."</p>
<p>That desire to define itself outside of the classic barbecue canon, maybe more than all the meat, and smoke, and sauce in the city, is the definition of Chicago-style barbecue. "Chicago certainly has its barbecue traditions, but it's more a culinary city that loves barbecue," says <strong>Barry Sorkin</strong>, owner of Smoque. "You've got all these great cooks in Chicago that aren't bound to any traditions, but love food and have mad culinary skills." Whether it's eating a plate of tips in the parking lot of Lem's with sauce-soaked fries getting stuck between the seats or pulling apart slow smoked ribs at the patio of Smoque, the city may be divided when it comes to barbecue, but it is united by a relentless love of smoked meat.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/15/11923078/chicago-style-barbecue-historySarah Freeman2016-06-09T13:30:03-05:002016-06-09T13:30:03-05:00Formento's Continues Revamp, Names Cristiana DeLucca as First-Ever Bar Director
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<p>There's a trio of new names at B. Hospitality's West Loop Italian spot</p> <p>A trifecta of talent completes what could be called a total transformation at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/formento-s"><b>Formento's</b></a>. The red-sauce Italian spot recently welcomed <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/3/17/11254296/formentos-dixie-chef-shuffles-tony-quartaro-stephen-wambach">new executive chef Stephen Wambach</a>, followed by <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/3/11852236/chef-staff-shuffles-perennial-virant-formentos-circa">wine director Jen Schmitt</a>. Now, B. Hospitality Co. (<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/the-bristol">The Bristol</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/balena">Balena</a>) has named <b>Cristiana DeLucca </b>as Formento's first-ever bar director.</p>
<p>DeLucca comes to Formento's after creating the opening cocktail menu at Gold Coast steakhouse behemoth Maple & Ash. Previously, she could be found behind the stick at since-shuttered Drawing Room. Her latest move allows her to tap her Italian roots for a cocktail menu that mirrors an Italian feast. "It bookends the wine program with a before dinner section, after dinner section, and then classic cocktails," DeLucca says.</p>
<p>"Cocktail Per Iniziari" start the meal with an assortment of aperitif-style drinks, such as the spritz-esque Sweet Flower of Mine (Fiorente elderflower, Peychaud's aperitivo, Carpano dry vermouth, lemon, and Prosecco) and 2Maro (Fernet Branca, Veccio Amaro del Capo, lime, mint, and Season's honey-mint soda). The "Cocktail Per Finire" are designed to be enjoyed after a meal.</p>
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<p class="caption">Lemon My Cello at Formento's [Photo by Kailey Lindman]</p>
<p>"There are so many different ways to drink after dinner," DeLucca says. "Some people like really bright, some people like really boozy, some people like really sweet — it's kind of all over the place." The drinks reflect those notions with the sweet Lemon My Cello (Caffo Limoncello dell'Isola, Bols yogurt, lemon sour, and soda) to a cold take on Irish coffee called Alphonse 3.0 (Atlantico Reserva rum, Giffard Cassis de Bourgogne, Borghetti coffee, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters, and whipped cream).</p>
<p>A quartet of classics rounds out her menu, from a French 75 to Old Fashioned. Each of the three groupings of cocktails are also arranged in order of complexity, with a shaded sphere indicating the level of complexity. A lighter dots means a cocktail is lower in ABV and refreshing, while a darker dot marks boozy and complicated cocktails. Above all, they are designed to be fun, according to DeLucca, and evoke a memorable drinking experience at the bar.</p>
<p>Check out Formento's new cocktail list, which debuts on Monday, below.</p>
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https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/9/11894482/cristiana-delucca-formentos-bar-directorSarah Freeman2016-06-08T16:16:30-05:002016-06-08T16:16:30-05:00Finch Beer, Chef Matthias Merges Unveil New Brewpub In Breakroom Space Tomorrow
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<p>The Finch Kitchen brings sausages galore and exclusive brews to Albany Park</p> <p>The brewery formerly known as Finch's Beer Co. made that beer you occasionally saw on the cans list at your corner bar or perched on the shelf of your local grocery store with its familiar bird logo. It's been around Chicago since 2011, but has been a quiet player in the city's booming craft beer scene. The February sale of the brewery, from the founding Finch family to a team made up of its original investors, will bring a lot of changes to the fledgling company, now named <strong>Finch Beer Co.</strong></p>
<p>The most visible upgrade is an 8,000-square-foot brewery and restaurant that opens Thursday at 2925 W. Montrose Ave., the former <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/breakroom-brewery">Breakroom Brewery</a> space. <strong>The Finch Kitchen</strong> will serve an assortment of beers exclusive to the Albany Park brewpub alongside bar food by chef <strong>Matthias Merges</strong>. "We're definitely taking some notes from the brewers, working together, and using interesting ingredients," Merges says. "But more so we like the idea of a place where people can come every single day, and have a great beer and food that is recognizable with some interesting twists."</p>
<p><a style="line-height: 1.24;" href="http://www.thefinchkitchen.com/menus/food-menu">The menu</a> is made up of encased meats infused with global flavors. These range from plated sausages such as a classic thuringer with red cabbage, buttered new potatoes, and Finch mustard to sausages on a bun including an Indian-style curried chicken sausage with housemade punjabi pickles, yogurt, and cilantro. Other elevated beer-friendly fare is divided between bar snacks; dishes for the table, like farmstand flatbread and mussels steamed in wheat ale; and sandwiches.</p>
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<p><a style="line-height: 1.24;" href="http://www.thefinchkitchen.com/menus/drinks-menu">The opening beer lineup</a> is an impressive one with eight new beers served exclusively at The Finch Kitchen. There is something for almost any beer drinker, from the Plumage pilsner to the Western Exposure Belgian witbier, Drive Thru Mexican lager, and even and non-alcoholic ginger beer. The bar also offers several guest brews — including two from Hypothesis Brewing, which Finch also recently acquired and took over production — in addition to draft and classic cocktails.</p>
<p>The start of the bar might not be the beer at all, but rather a tilled yellow bird that overlooks the space designed by Merges' wife Rachel Crowl of the architecture and interior design firm fcStudio. The bird theme continues throughout the brewpub, from a neon bird in the front window to a painted bird overlooking wood tables with red hightop stools and beige booths. Exposed timber beams and reclaimed wood walls give the room a rustic yet industrial feel thanks to window that offer a peek at the brewhouse.</p>
<p>This isn't the only beer-focused project in the works for Merges' Folk Art Restaurant Management. Construction is underway at <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/tags/old-irving-brewing">Old Irving Brewing Co.</a>, which will open in mid-August at the site of late Homaro Cantu's planned <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/tags/crooked-fork-brewery">Crooked Fork Brewing</a>.</p>
<p><em>The Finch Kitchen is open Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight.</em></p>
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https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/8/11887780/finch-kitchen-beer-co-matthias-merges-open-avondaleSarah Freeman2016-06-07T15:06:34-05:002016-06-07T15:06:34-05:00Sarah Jordan's Burgers and Superfood Bowls Coming to Revival Food Hall
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<p>The National in the Loop snags another star chef</p> <p>The slow parade of vendors at forthcoming <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/tags/revival-food-hall"><b>Revival Food Hall</b></a> comes to a crescendo with <b>Graze Kitchenette</b>, a "burgers and bowls" concept by chefs <b>Sarah Jordan</b> and <b>Mason Edelson</b>. <span>Jordan and Edelson — a yin gang yang duo of sorts — met while working at GT Fish & Oyster. They combine to present two health conscious — yet contrasting — menus offering superfood smoothie bowls starting at 7 a.m. and grass-fed, antibiotic-free burgers until 7 p.m.</span></p>
<p>The burgers will be similar to the now-famous ones served at Jordan's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/johnny-s-grill">Johnny's Grill</a>, with a health-conscious twist. Each features 100-percent grass-fed, antibiotic-free, non-GMO beef served on a brioche bun with customizable toppings and a side of fries. Bowls range from an energizing acai bowl with berries, coconut, cacao nibs and granola to a filling banana-cashew bowl with maca, goji berry, coconut, hemp seeds, lime and granola. Graze will also offer egg sandwiches served on biscuits with pickled shallots and tomato jam as well as a local drink selection including Middle Brow Beer, cold-brew La Colombe coffee, and SPIRIT sparkling iced tea.</p>
<p>Graze is the latest to join the likes of <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/11/11659018/revival-food-hall-antique-taco">Antique Taco</a>, <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/18/11705126/revival-food-hall-furious-spoon">Furious Spoon</a>, and <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/20/11720360/three-greens-brunch-table-donkey-stick-revival-food-hall-intel">Danke</a> at the food hall that's opening this summer.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/7/11878192/sarah-jordan-graze-kitchenette-revival-food-hall-loopSarah Freeman2016-06-06T11:51:40-05:002016-06-06T11:51:40-05:00Honey's Brings Swagger and Sophistication to Lake Street With Tomorrow's Opening
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<p>Will first-time owners make it near Fulton Market?</p> <p>One of the hottest new restaurants in Chicago may indeed be <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/tags/honey's"><b>Honey's</b></a>, debuting Tuesday night at 1111 W. Lake Street. While the <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2016/3/14/11216580/virgil-abloh-honeys-west-loop-chicago-restaurant-bar">five industry veterans</a> behind the project might have more swagger than your average restaurateur, their contemporary American restaurant shows more sophistication than showmanship.</p>
<p>Guests enter into what co-founder Andrew Miller calls a "decompression area" — black and white tiles and gold light fixtures acts as a transition from the developing strip of Lake Street into the bar and lounge area. "You have to find us," says Miller. "But once you've been here, you always know how to get back." Inside, one of two skylights acts as the focal point in addition to an ached wood bar accented with antique mirrors that spans from the stone floor to the 17-foot-high ceiling.</p>
<p>The dining room plays on the combo of leather and lace with black leather booths and lace curtains. White tablecloths nod to fine dining — general manager Tyrone Redic (<a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/acadia" class="sbn-auto-link">Acadia</a>) helps solidify this sentiment — while oak hitches filled with stemware and freshly cut flowers feel apartment-like. Here, executive chef and partner Charles Welch (<a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/sepia" class="sbn-auto-link">Sepia</a>) offers his take on local flavors, with an emphasis on rotisserie cooking, such as chermoula marinated swordfish with spring vegetable panzanella as well as fava bean and English pea falafel with preserved lemon yogurt, marinated eggplant, and mint.</p>
<p>Welch also has a hand in the cocktail program, which features just five rotating drinks, from the "Smoke Up Your Glass" with reposado tequila, mezcal, rosemary, lavender, and Luxardo to the "Angel In Disguise" with Rhine Hall plum brandy, blackberry mure, Earl Grey tea, and lemon. These are complimented by a 50-bottle wine list, with an emphasis on new and old world wines in addition to champagne and rosé.</p>
<p><i><a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/honey-s" class="sbn-auto-link">Honey's</a> is open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight, with food served until 10 p.m. on Monday though Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday</i></p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/6/11866960/honeys-opening-west-loop-fulton-market-restaurantSarah Freeman