Fun Playing With Food in Chicago, Last Part

Our time in Chicago was marked by a roller coaster of weather. Ice storm Sunday, followed by seasonally cold Monday, nearly record-breaking warm and soggy Tuesday, falling towards seasonal and wet on Wednesday, then going into the deep freeze as we waited for the bus Wednesday evening after a delicious dinner at Little Goat Diner. We woke early on Thursday to a polar zone, complete with a biting wind that took the breath away. But we were going to make the best of our remaining time here, beginning with a repeat visit to Lou Mitchell's Restaurant, which we'd had to rush through on our last visit. The cold weather deterred me from taking any outside photos (you can see this exterior of this classic place on their website), but once we were inside, it was like coming home. There is something about this place that channels The Catskill Mountains for me, though the olfactory triggers were less pronounced this time (probably owing to the winter season). 

Complimentary fresh-baked donut holes always grace the entryway

Tell me that this glass of iced tea doesn't make you feel like you're at The Nevele or Kutsher's. The size and shape of the glass, the overly generous slice of lemon and the taste of freshly brewed tea just take me right back.

Complimentary Orange and Dried Plum (Prune)

Our last visit was at lunchtime; I assume that this nosh is standard fare at the breakfast hour. Another nice hospitality touch.

I asked our server about the contents of this bottle (and it's siblings scattered throughout the tables) - she said she'd been instructed to say it was all real maple syrup, but admitted than some customers had questioned this. Sadly, the customer is usually right, and it turned out that there was quite a bit of sugar water in this bottle. A shame, because Lou Mitchell's not only prides itself on making almost everything served from scratch, but we noticed on this visit that the menu touted a number of "local" and "organic" items, as well as the real butter served with pancakes, waffles etc. I'd have gladly paid a reasonable upcharge for pure maple syrup to accompany that real butter.

Pecan Bun

Bob was still pretty stuffed from his All American Burger, Smoked Fries and Mac N Cheese from dinner the night before, and so ordered only coffee (which he pronounced very good) and this bun. We could see trays and trays of freshly made-in-house bakery, so I wondered why they toasted it. Still, it was very tasty.

Belgian Malted Bacon Pecan Waffle

Real syrup or no - this was a mighty fine waffle. Bacon and pecans just go together so well, especially with maple flavors. More comfort food to comfort the discomforted.

The Silversmith not only honored our request for a late checkout, they didn't put a time limit on it. Though I can't guarantee you that kind of accommodation "in season," they really do seem to be a very customer-friendly hotel. So, we waited to shower and pack until after breakfast. We debated whether we had enough appetite to share another meal downtown, or whether we should wait and try to find palatable eats at Midway Airport. After some internet research suggested we'd be disappointed with anything we tried to eat at the airport, one last meal downtown seemed in order. But where? The weather was even more bitterly (single digit) cold than it had been earlier in the day, with a nasty wind that would make mass transit impractical. And there were time constraints.

We wound up at the restaurant of Iron Chef Jose Garces, a short cab ride down the street: Mercat a la Planxa. Our EGullet group was supposed to dine here that fateful Sunday in 2008 (later switched to Burt's Pizza). The restaurant offers The Catalan Express for lunch - two courses plus soft drink for $18. As that name implies, the cuisine is Spanish, and particularly focused on Catalonia. The bar is at street level, and the restaurant up either a flight of stairs or  a short elevator ride. It is most beautiful, with an open kitchen, and tantalizing smells enticed us to our table.

Alas, Mercat was the only meal of our trip (other than the water/sugar-maybe some real syrup described above) to not deliver an exquisite experience. Not that it was bad; it just didn't wow as the other places did, with either food or service. The soup course wound up the star of the meal.

ARROZ A LA CAZUELA WITH SHRIMP, CHICKEN, CHORIZO SOUP WITH ARTICHOKE CONFIT & PIQUILLO AIOLI

Neither bowl of soup was piping hot. Bob's soup tasted good to me, but he confirmed that the shrimp had a lingering flavor of sodium tripolyphosphate.

SOPA DE FORTMAGE Y CERVEZA IDIAZABAL AND ESTRELLA DAMM SOUP WITH TRUFFLE AND POTATO

You can see how a skin formed at the top of my cheese soup, from sitting under the heat lamp. Why this happened is a mystery, since it was after 2pm, and there weren't more than 6 tables occupied in the place. Still, the flavors of this soup, which included luscious cheese, speck, potato and truffle, were winners.

THE MERCAT BURGER 8 OZ BLACK ANGUS BURGER WITH LA PERAL, PADRÓN PEPPERS & RED WINE ONION JAM

I don't know what possessed Bob to order a burger after the magnificent patty he'd enjoyed last night. But burger he did. The burger was good, though nothing extraordinary, and the house made chips were cold and a bit salty.

VIEIRES I ALBERGÍNIA DIVER SCALLOPS A LA PLANXA, ROASTED EGGPLANT PUREE, ARTICHOKE SALAD

My entree was the only outright disappointing dish of the trip. I judge all scallops against those prepared by Cleveland's Brandt Evans, and these simply didn't cut it. A day or two older than they wanted to be and a little cold, the scallops sat atop an artichoke relish that I found inedibly sour. The off-green roasted eggplant puree added nothing to the visual appeal of the dish, though it tasted ok. However, between the waffle breakfast and the cheesy soup course at Mercat, I did not feel unsatisfied as we hailed a cab back to the hotel for our final departure.

The weather cooperated enough that we were only a bit late returning to Cleveland, but we weren't hungry enough to eat - a compliment to the many chefs whose food we'd played with in Chicago over the past week.

As much as I enjoyed Chicago's food scene, I can't help but appreciate a moment we had at Girl and The Goat. While perusing the menu, we noted how we were still a little sated from lunch at The Gage, and our server exclaimed, "but you have to have room for pig's face!" Smilingly, we ordered the goat belly instead, explaining that we can get pig face in Cleveland (at The Greenhouse Tavern). So, win lose or draw - it is a wonderful life, isn't it? Filled with fun playing with food, this time in Chicago.

Fun Playing With Food in Chicago Part 5: Little Goat Diner

The Chicago jury rendered its verdict in the middle of a soggy/snowy Wednesday afternoon and it wasn't pretty. Still, life would go on, and we'd need to eat some dinner. A fancy, celebratory place wouldn't fit. And we had no reservations, anyway. I'd already considered Little Goat Diner as a place to try on this trip; a nasty, losing day seemed the perfect excuse to hop aboard the bus to drown my sorrows with more of Chef Stephanie Izard's innovative cuisine (and a couple of cocktails for me, and more of that fabulous Blenheim Ginger Ale for Bob).

Little Goat Diner is located across Randolph Street from Girl and The Goat, but it is a completely different dining experience - a diner yes, but with a touch of whimsy and lots of original spins on some of the classics, while still offering many of the classics for those who prefer them, well, classic. We arrived just before the wait line formed (Little Goat doesn't take reservations) and snagged an immediate table. As we perused the menu, the few remaining empty tables filled in, as well as a large communal table and a seating counter. Tables turned with enthusiastic alacrity, so the wait line didn't seem to ever get too long.

We both opted for burgers. That section of the menu allows the diner three choices of patty: Slagel Beef, which touts its sustainably raised product, locally raised Kilgus Goat (supplier of all of that Girlie Goat for Izard), or a Veggie version.

ALL AMERICAN BURGER (KILGUS GOAT PATTY): pickles . onion . american cheese . special sauce . lettuce & tomato . sesame seed bun

Bob went for the classic, with the goaty twist, and he was not disappointed. I don't know how he ate the whole thing.

Side of  Smoked Fries

In hindsight, I wished Bob had chosen a different potato option, since there were four other house-made potato items, and my burger came with the smoked fries piled on top. Oh well. These fries will make you happy and you really can't have too many (though we weren't able to finish them).

MAC N' CHEESE

Owing to my general unhappy mood, a side of pure comfort food was also in order. I normally prefer the more pudding-like mac n cheese style to this looser type, but today, this version hit the spot magnificently with toothy, creamy goodness, owing to the high quality cheeses in the sauce, expert preparation, and perfectly al dente pasta, with just a modest crunchy counterpoint in the topping. This side is recommended regardless of the state of your disposition, and don't hesitate to use a spoon!

HORSESHOE BURGER (KILGUS GOAT PATTY): smoked fries . chili . cheese sauce, house made toast slice

My entree managed to completely erase the frown from my face and my heart - how many burgers can do that? The Horseshoe Burger is up there with the offerings of Cleveland's own B Spot as a truly satisfying burger experience - the Kilgus Goat patty is gently grilled, placed over a slice of house made toast from Little Goat Bread, then smothered with smoked fries, house-simmered Goat Chili, and cheese sauce. The distrinctive flavor of the goat came through in a pleasant stereo from both the goat chili topping and the goat burger patty. I was only able to eat about half of this portion, and less than half of the mac n cheese before I was at "Uncle!" But I felt sooooo much better! We were a little surprised when our server informed us that they'd been open less than a month - I sort of knew that from my internet research, but the seamless quality delivery of food and service belied the venue's young age. You will eat in good hands at the Little Goat Diner.

Little Goat Bread is attached to the diner, and is where Chef Izard sources all of the breads for her restaurants. Little Goat also offers bread for retail sale (and some specialty beverages and food products) - but get there early! Though even at evening time when I snapped Bob's photo next to the window (about 7:15pm CST), Chef Izard's minions were hard at work, making the proverbial donuts. None for us, however; we'd be traveling back to Cleveland on Thursday, so it was back to the bus stop. But there would be two final meals in Chicago before we'd wing away - so more Fun Playing With Chicago Food is yet to come!

Fun Playing With Food in Chicago Part 4: Slurping Turtle

Our Chicago food odyssey sloshes to Tuesday. It rained mercilessly all day and into the night, which would be our first opportunity to seek out blog-worthy eats. After a long day at court, then office time working on materials for Wednesday, we returned to the Silversmith to change and consider dinner. My friend Linda had suggested on Tuesday that we look up the restaurant(s) of Takashi Yagihashi, and it turns out that in 2011, he opened a Japanese noodle house with the irresistible name Slurping Turtle less than a mile from our hotel!

A quick cab ride (it was too miserable outside for mass transit) brought us to the quirky space on West Hubbard Street. Though it was after 8pm, there was a modest waiting list. We were then seated at the long communal table that runs down the center of the main room. Even though we knew that the $14 bowl of ramen would be a complete meal all by itself, we couldn't resist beginning with a couple of small plates. We were weary from the long day, and the whimsy of the place really was just what we needed!

Duck Fat Fried Chicken

Finger licking good, and accompanied by a richly dressed slaw. 

Bincho Grill Foie Gras with Pickles

Since we'd only try one item cooked on the bincho grill, we went for the most decadent and were rewarded with a couple of heavenly bites. For more on what a bincho grill is and how Takashi uses it, click here.

Tan Tan Men Ramen: homemade ramen noodle, ramen stock, pork meatball, pork miso, bok choy, bean sprouts (spicy)

Bob's ramen bowl delivered bold flavors, toothy noodles, and a triple play of porky goodness. My bite of meatball melted in the mouth.

Shoyu Wonton Ramen: homemade thin ramen noodle, classic tokyo style soy broth, chicken wonton, grilled chicken, marinated egg

My ramen noodles were a little thinner, but joined by several toothy chicken-stuffed dumplings in the succulent broth. I don't know if the egg was supposed to be more runny/creamy, or was served this way deliberately, but that was the only potential flaw in everything we had. Another meal most worthy of our journey, and very wallet friendly. Our only regret was that we could not finish it, and even though we had a fridge, we had no way to re-heat it. 

After a soggy return to the hotel, we prepared for the conclusion of business on Wednesday. And more playing with Chicago food.

Fun Playing With Food in Chicago Part 3: Girl & The Goat

Our Monday dinner reservation at Girl & the Goat wasn't until 9:30pm, plenty of time to recover some appetite after our marvelous lunch at The Gage. We hopped a bus across town and arrived a little early, and so waited at the bar until our table was ready. There, we enjoyed two interesting beverages - mine a take on the classic Dark N Stormy, containing a local rum, house-made falernum, and Blenheim Ginger Ale, while Bob sipped a full bottle of the boldly flavored Blenheim Ginger Ale.

Girl & the Goat is one of Chicago's hottest reservations right now, and with good reason. Chef/owner Stephanie Izard and her team are cranking out small plates of creative food emphasizing local and sustainable ingredients, though I haven't found anything that explains the goat connection. Izard is doing for goat what The Purple Pig is doing for pork; there were some stylistic similarities between the two restaurants, though the food itself was rather different. The Girl & the Goat menu is divided into three categories: Vegetable, Fish, and Meat, however, while vegetable, fish, or meat are respectively the main stars of their categories, there are crossovers. Goat gets its own category, as do oysters and breads/spreads. There is also a separate dessert and cheese menu. Sadly, we hadn't emptied out enough to taste something from each menu, but we sampled a nice variety. The delicious food was matched, again, by outstanding service. 

Busta Rye, Smoked Salmon Cream, Pickled Relish

Breads are baked across the street from the restaurant, at Little Goat Bread. The bread, salmon spread, and relish (which thankfully included some veggies other than cucumber) were delicious, and well worth $4. The other bread varieties available that evening were beet and stecca (also known as baguette), and each was offered with a different spread, walnut vinaigrette and sweet garlic oil, respectively, also at $4.

Grilled Sepia, Smoked Tomato and Pipara Relish, Mighty Goat Sausage

Sepia is similar to squid. This version was tender to chew and the delicate smokiness it picked up from the grill was enhanced by the smoked tomato and piparra peppers, which are of Basque origin. The goat sausage finished off the dish without overpowering the more delicate elements.

pan fried shishito peppers   parmesan . sesame . miso

An interesting take on these zesty peppers successfully combined dairy with sesame and miso, which normally to my palate don't "go" together.

tempura loup de mer filet  . bacon  . sweet n' sour . tuna crema

Loup der mer is a type of seabass also known as branzino. This dish offered a strangely harmonious combination of bacon and tuna flavors under the fried fish, and again didn't allow the more assertive accompaniments to dim the star.

Confit Goat Belly, Bourbon Butter, Lobster & Crab, Fennel

Our favorite two bites of the evening - perfectly braised goat belly (who knew that there was such a thing, or that it could, in its own way, be as savory as pork?) enrobed with bourbony butter and plated with pristine chunks of lobster and crab meat. A pity that we reached capacity before licking up every drop.

It became apparent very quickly why Girl & The Goat is such a hot ticket in Chicago, and you don't even have to like goat to enjoy it! We, however, came away from dinner with a new appreciation for the versatility and flavor of goat - though a little lobster and bourbon don't hurt. Our fun playing with Chicago food would continue Tuesday night.