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NEXT Restaurant: A Tribute to El Bulli

It’s rare that I take an actual camera with me to a restaurant, but if there ever was a meal that deserved to be photographed from beginning to end, it was this one. NEXT Restaurant’s tribute to El Bulli — Chef Adria’s amazingly innovative restaurant in Spain’s Costa Brava.

I remember the No Reservations episode in which Anthony visits El Bulli during one of its final services. I watched in awe as Chef Adria served course after course after course of the most beautiful and amazing food I’d ever seen. Dishes like these were beyond my realm of imagination and I could hardly believe that such a place existed. Sadly, El Bulli shut its doors a few days after that episode aired.

While it’s impossible to do justice to something so ahead of its time as El Bulli, Chef Achatz and his team at NEXT faithfully recreated 29 of Chef Adria’s courses in an attempt carry on the spirit of a dining experience that was so much more. It was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring things I’ve ever experienced. I’ll never forget it.

The numbers on the left reference the year in which the original course appeared on El Bulli’s menu. The numbers on the right indicate the order in which the dish fell into the entire El Bulli catalogue.

2004 Nitro Caipirinha with Tarragon Concentrate

2000 Hot/Cold Trout Roe Tempura

2005 Spherical Olives

2003 Iberico Sandwich

1991 Coca of Avocado Pear, Anchovies and Green Onion

2001 Golden Egg

2007 Black Sesame Spongecake and Miso

1998 Chicken Liquid Croquettes

1997 Smoke Foam

2003 Carrot Air with Coconut Milk

1997 Cuttlefish and Coconut Ravioli with Soy, Ginger and Mint

1992 Savory Tomato Ice with Oregano and Almond Milk Pudding

2001 Hot Crab Aspic with Mini Corn Cous-Cous

2000 Cauliflower Cous-Cous with Solid Aromatic Herb Sauce

1988 Suquet of Prawns

1998 Potato Tortilla by Marc Singla

1989 Trumpet Carpaccio

1987 Red Mullet Gaudi

2007 Nasturtium with Eel, Bone Marrow and Cucumber

2000 Civet of Rabbit with Hot Apple Jelly

2009 Gorgonzola Balloon

1999 Foie Gras Caramel Custard

1996 Spice Plate

2009 Mint Pond

1997 Chocolate in Textures

2010 Chocolate Donuts

1993 Creme Flute, 1989 Puff Pastry Web

2004 Passionfruit Marshmallow — The Farewell

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Categories Foodie Around Town, Restaurants

Foodie Around Town — Pierrot Gourmet

13 Oct

Pierrot Gourmet (Gold Coast, Chicago — 118 E. Superior)

October in Chicago means Bears football, falling leaves and Oktoberfest. And as someone with a smidge of German in their blood, I never turn down an opportunity to indulge in cold beer and encased meats. So when I was invited* to attend a special Oktoberfest menu tasting at Chicago’s Pierrot Gourmet with a group of fellow writers, I jumped at the chance.

Pierrot Gourmet is an upscale German restaurant tucked into the most unlikely of places — the Peninsula Hotel. Headed up by German chef Kai Lermen (that’s him in the picture above), the food is delicious and authentic. In fact, chef Kai had just returned from Oktoberfest in Germany a mere 12 hours before our meal. Well versed in German history and tradition, he taught us a few things about eating an authentic Oktoberfest meal. For example, you must always tap your glass of beer on the table before taking the first sip, and during prost (the German version of “cheers”), it’s considered bad luck to not make eye contact with those you’re celebrating with. So we all grabbed our mugs of beer (mine full of Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier dunkel, a dark wheat beer), said prost, and off we went.

Once into the meal, we were presented with a wide array of authentic dishes. I really enjoyed everything, but the items indicated in bold were my favorites.

Gemischte Salad Platte mit Kräuter Dressing — mixed greens, vegetable salad, herb dressing

Bayerische Linsensuppe mit Knackwurst — Bavarian lentil soup, knack sausage

Vesper Teller — German salami, cold cuts, cheese, deviled egg, pretzel, mustard

Oktoberfest Weißwurst mit Süßem Senf & Bretzel — Oktoberfest veal brats, sweet mustard, pretzel

Bayerische Schlachtplatte — butchers platter with smoked pork loin, nurnberger, Vienna sausage, crispy pork belly, schupfnudel, sauerkraut

Weiner Schnitzel — veal schnitzel, potato salad, lingon berries, mustard

“Rheinischer” Sauerbraten — beef pot roast, raisins, almonds, red cabbage, spätzle

Zitronen Roulade — lemon roulade cake

Apfelstrudel mit Vanille Sauce — apple strudel, vanilla sauce

Black Forest Cake — chocolate sponge cake, sour cherries, whipped cream

Looks pretty good, right? I enjoyed my experience at Pierrot Gourmet and would happily go back. In fact, I plan on bringing my dad sometime soon as I really think he’d enjoy the food (and beer!).

Get your Oktoberfest fix at Pierrot Gourmet now through October 30th. You’ll be glad you did.

*In exchange for the meal, I was asked to Tweet and blog about the event.

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Categories Foodie Around Town, Restaurants

Foodie Around Town — Paris Club

9 Feb

Paris Club (River North, Chicago — 59 W. Hubbard)

Last Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a practice party* at Paris Club, the newest restaurant from the Melman Brothers (Hub 51) and Lettuce Entertain You. Officially opening today in the former Brasserie Jo spot, Paris Club is “a casual and funky French restaurant and bar serving up approachable French fare in an atmosphere that’s fun and unpretentious.” I’d have to agree.

Here’s what we enjoyed, clockwise from upper left. Everything was very good, but the starred items were our favorites.

Paris Club menu, Goose Island Matilda
Steak Tartare a la Jo*
Paris Chopped Salad
Paper Bag Snapper with Fennel and Lemon*
Chocolate Mousse, Ingelligentsia Coffee
Roquefort Crusted Filet Mignon with Frites*
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Golden Raisins
Lamb Meatballs with Harissa Tomato Sauce*

Things worth mentioning:

The house wine is available on tap and includes a Pinot Noir (score!)
Most menu items were reasonably priced at under $20, but there are a few “luxury” items including foie gras and lobster frites
Portion sizes were very generous and could easily be shared by two or more people
The atmosphere is energetic and exciting, but manages to remain relaxed and unpretentious
The service was fantastic and the wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable
I would love to go back and try the mussels with white wine and herbs, the short rib bourguignonne and the fennel gratin

*In exchange for the meal, my guest and I were asked to fill out feedback forms and provide constructive comments on every aspect of our meal, including service and atmosphere. We also were asked to tip our servers.

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Categories Foodie Around Town, Restaurants

Foodie Around Town — Longman & Eagle

2 Feb

Longman & Eagle (Logan Square, Chicago – 2657 N. Kedzie)

Normally, I don’t really pay much attention to restaurant awards and accolades. Sure, I’m follow various food media and am aware of what’s hot and what’s not, but I usually rely on word of mouth when it comes to choosing a restaurant.

However, it’s hard to ignore all the positive buzz surrounding one of Chicago’s hottest new spots – Longman & Eagle. One Michelin star. GQs best new restaurant of the year. Esquire Top 20. The list goes on. Which is why I chose it as the destination for my birthday dinner.

Awesome beer/whiskey/bourbon/scotch selection. Delicious food with a focus on local ingredients. Cool and cozy atmosphere. Nice and helpful wait staff. Reasonable prices. What more could a girl ask for?

Here’s what we ate, clockwise from top left. (Conveniently, this foodie nerd had her point-and-shoot with a 2.0 f-stop on her so she could shoot steath-like photos in low light sans flash.)

Slagel Family Farms meatballs, creamy polenta, parsley pesto, fonduta (beer: Bell’s Hop Slam)
Chanterelle agnolotti, black truffles, veal heart, huckleberries, Brussels sprouts
Seared Maine scallops, braised oxtail, black truffle gnocchi, celery root, fontina fonduta
Maple braised pork, Brussels sprouts, Anson Mills grits, chanterelle mushrooms, braising jus

I was very impressed and my husband and I had a great time. I’ve heard their brunch is great, too — and I can never say no to brunch. Plus, they also have a beautifully designed inn upstairs, which I’d love to see in person one of these days.

I’m pretty sure Longman is in it for the long haul. Fab-u-lous.

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Categories Foodie Around Town, Restaurants

The Best Things I Ate in 2010

31 Dec

I’ve never been one to pick favorites. I don’t have a favorite food, a favorite restaurant, or a favorite recipe. Choosing one just seems too hard.

However, over the past 365 days, among all the meals, snacks, desserts and drinks I’ve enjoyed, a few rose to the top. What separates these few from the rest is that they did more than just satisfy a craving — they became memories. Each a unique culinary experience that left a thumbprint on my mind.

Below, in no particular order, are the best things I ate in 2010.

Chef’s Collection — Tru, Chicago

My husband and I dined at Tru to celebrate my 29th birthday. We each enjoyed the Chef’s Collection — 9 courses of pure heaven. It’s difficult to summarize a restaurant that has been so widely praised in the culinary world, but if I had to choose one word to summarize my experience at Tru it would be inspirational. Truly a life-changing culinary adventure that I’m so grateful to have experienced. To view my photoset from Tru, click here.

Grilled Cheese — Sprout, Chicago

Who would have thought that my favorite dish from Top Chef Dale Levitski would be a sandwich? But don’t get it twisted — this is no ordinary sandwich. Aged cheddar, granny smith apples and carmelized onions on a super thin bread, grilled in such a way that the edges of the cheese become crispy. And oddly enough, it’s not even on the menu — it’s the surprise cheese course that accompanies their prix fixe.

Momofuku Signature Ramen — Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC

There’s ramen and then there’s RAMEN. This is the latter. No other ramen even comes close to David Chang’s Momofuku Signature, complete with pork shoulder, pork belly and a poached egg. Without a doubt, one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The worst part? Momofuku is in NYC and I’m in Chicago. Sigh…

Vanilla Soft Serve with Bariani Olive Oil and Sea Salt — Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, NYC

Who doesn’t love a food truck? Especially one run by two of the nicest guys around who are serving some of the best ice cream around. Thick, creamy, vanilla bean soft serve topped with a healthy glug of olive oil (not extra virgin, mind you) and flakes of sea salt. Sounds so wrong, but it’s so, so right. The perfect blend of sweet and savory, and one of my fondest memories of New York City.

Honorable mentions:

Not the best of the best, but pretty darn close.

Blackout Doughnut — Doughnut Plant, NYC
Part and Parcel (drink) — Violet Hour, Chicago
Pesacdo Tostada — Big Star, Chicago
Goat Cheese Caramel Cashew Gelato — Black Dog Gelato, Chicago
Grilled Pork Banh Mi — Nhu-Lan Bakery, Chicago

And just for fun, here’s a list — as pulled from my former blog — of the best things I ate in 2009:

Short Ribs — Sprout, Chicago
Smoked Pork Shank Pappardelle with Pears and Mascarpone — Niche, St. Louis
Entire meal — Burma Superstar, San Francisco
Burger and Frites — The Girl and the Fig, Sonoma

Here’s to more good eatin’ in 2011! What are some of the best things you ate this year?

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Foodie Randomness, Restaurants

Foodie Around Town – Cipollina

6 Dec

Cipollina (Wicker Park, Chicago — 1543 N. Damen)

Come Friday, after a long week, I highly recommend meeting a friend for breakfast before heading into work. It’s quite therapeutic.

Jasmin — my extra fabulous friend, coworker, and designer (she did my blog header) — always raves about Cipollina, a coffee shop/bakery/deli/market in her ‘hood. And after hearing her rave about their vanilla fig black pepper lattes (yes, really) a million times, I knew I had to try it out.

It’s wonderful.

To drink: Soy steamers — vanilla fig black pepper for me; pumpkin coconut for her — accompanied by Intelligentsia espressos.

To eat: What can only be described as the best oatmeal ever, topped with toasted walnut halves and dried cherries.