LTHForum.com

Glad to spread the joy.

But I should probably apologize. The $3.99/10 oz seems like the starter price for a pusher.

the best thing i've eaten lately was... a LAMB CURRY that i made with ground lamb from mint creek farm (one of the green city market vendors). i made it up as i went along, so i make no claims to authenticity. i will just say it was damn good.
in a large saute pan i put 1 lb. of ground lamb; 1 large onion (sliced and cut crosswise); 3 cloves of garlic, sliced; about 1/4 of a green cabbage, julienned. i cooked it all on low heat, stirring often for about 15 minutes. then i added 1/2 a granny smith apple, diced, skin on; some salt and pepper; a couple of teaspoons of a curry powder i got at the spice house (mild blend); a sprinkle of red pepper flakes; 1 T. of poppyseeds; a handful of zante currants (small raisins made from champagne grapes). i cooked it slowly, until the apple had softened. then i added about 1 cup of plain yoghurt ( i used the european style thin yoghurt from blue marble dairy, a green city vendor). it pretty much disappears into the mixture, rather than becoming sauce-y. meanwhile, i cooked 1 cup of jasmine rice in 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (the only one i like is swanson's brand) covered for 15 minutes. i turned off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. then i stirred the rice into the lamb, off heat. that's it. i've been eating it all week, as a serving reheats beautifully in the microwave. i'd say it makes about 4 generous servings. one note- the mint creek lamb is very lean. if i had used a fattier lamb, i probably would have cooked it first, and drained off some of the fat before adding the rest of the ingredients. justjoan

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"the only things money can't buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes" (guy clark)

The best thing I have eaten lately is a green olive that was in the Martini I had last night while sitting in a Center Stage Booth at the Dan concert at the Chicago Theatre. I think it was pimento stuffed.

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Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.
Woody Allen

Mustard tuille at Schwa. Flavor to weight ratio was out of this world.

Black Bean and Sweet Plantain Sandwich at the Brown Sack

Close 2nd- Vanilla Milkshake at the Brown Sack

If you want the details then here is my post:
http://tinyurl.com/6c824z

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

About a pound and a half of cole slaw made fresh by my wife from a giant Green Market cabbage. Nothing fancy; a straight ahead recipe from, I believe, the Weber Grill book: fresh mayo, fresh addit'l lemon juice, some mustard. Just the combo of total freshness, crunch, tart/tang, and creamy was completely wonderful.

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"Strange how potent cheap music is."

Red and golden beets from Henry's Farm (Evanston Farmer's Market on a rainy Saturday morning), roasted with olive oil and rosemary from my back deck, sliced and layered with chevre from one of the cheese stands at the market, accompanied by some beet greens tossed in a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

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-Mary

braised beef short rib over saffron risotto topped with raw horseradish, lemon zest, parsley gremolata from a tavola...

slayer from kuma's yesterday afternoon, i was very hungover and it hit the spot.

OMG! Garbage Pizza( 7 toppings !) at Pizza Metro at Division & Paulina this evening outside with DH & an Arranciata. Artichokes, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed spinach, fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, pickled jalapenos, and fresh basil. I do not believe I have eaten here in about a year and I am still going on about how fantastic the pizza was. The sauce was tasty the crust crispy,and almost pie pastry-like.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

Tomato-goat cheese quiche and vanilla cannele, Floriole Bakery, Green City Market.

They don’t get as much attention as some of the other bakeries that pop up at Green City but I am always very happy with both sweet and savory stuff I get from them. Today it was a gooey custardy scrumptious quiche, about three times as tall as your usual quiche, full of goat cheese and tomatoes. And for a sweet, a thing called a cannele, called that because it’s made in a mold like a candle, a vanilla-flavored batter baked until it has a tough outside and a custardy interior. I heard the woman who was running the stand say that the owner has been working on it for a year, but the recipes were old and rather vague, and only recently has she felt like she reached the point where it worked. She was right, it does. Not bad for $7.50.

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My wife's family has been going to this campground on Lake Geneva for several generations now, and they have various dinner events throughout the summer.

Last night it was their fish fry: Lake Perch, all you can eat $12 (for those who don't eat fish, broiled chicken breasts for $10), with fries, potato pancakes, slaw, iced tea, lemonade, cake.

The fish was fresh, light and crisp with a cornmeal breading. The potato pancakes were thin and more bendable than I make, but tasty and sweet with onion. Fantastic food.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Roast beef hash with poached eggs for brunch today at Smith and Wollensky. Flavorful nuggets of dry aged prime steak sauteed with creamy, crispy potato, served with a delightfully light and lemony hollandaise sauce.

The bread service was outstanding. Who could resist an individual baking pan of freshly baked monkey bread, brushed with melted butter and topped with coarse salt and rosemary, served with whipped butter?

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"Playing the trumpet with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is the most fun that you can have with your clothes on." Adolph "Bud" Herseth

Philly cheesesteak with mozzerella, mushrooms, peppers and onions from Susie's Drive In (off of Montrose) with a split side of cheese fries.

I am curious was this Philly the real deal(thin sliced ribeye, etc)? Or just another Chicago version like Philly's Best that dont stack up in my experience, and I am always disappointed. So much so that I have quit even trying to find a decent Philly in Chicagoland.

The last place I had a great Philly Steak in Chicagoland closed about 15 years ago. Donti's Deli in Naperville had the real deal.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

I've spent sometime in Philly for work, and to me this was the closest that I've had outside of Philly. It looked, texture, etc. like rib eye, though I couldn't completely vouge for this. The bread it's served on is a little different, it has sesame seeds on it and is pressed. The only thing I would change, the next time I go, is asking them for the cheese whiz they stick on the fries, on the sandwich.

Give it a try, it's a really small place, a few tables outside, drive thru, they cook everything as ordered, so it's a little wait but it was the perfect Sunday fatty meal. They also have over 50 different milk shake flavors. I passed on this as my sandwich and fries was more than enough.

Susie's Drive In
4126 W Montrose Ave
Chi, IL

thanks for the tip, I will be heading there soon, I really love a good Philly Steak.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Fresh Burrata last night at Merlo on Maple. An appetizer special, flown in from Puglia and served with a small salad of arugula and heirloom tomatoes lightly dressed with olive oil and 27 yo balsamic. Insanely creamy, tangy, rich and just a perfect shared app for a summer evening. Not to mention the taglioline with veal ragu and quail egg I had for my main was rediculously good, as always.

the best thing i've eaten lately is sitting in a bowl next to me, steaming away. i wanted to use up last weeks green city market veggies before i shop for more on wednesday. so, without a recipe, i made a PAN ASIAN STIR FRY that turned out so well, i thought i'd share it. in a non-stick pan i cooked 1/2 of a vidalia onion in a little canola oil for 5 minutes. then i added a thinly sliced japanese eggplant. stirred it briefly and then added a big splash of tamari sauce, a medium splash of chinese vinegar and a large splash of pineapple juice (for moistness and to use less oil). i stirred well till the eggplant had cooked, then added a large tablespoon of cashew butter and a teaspoon of honey. stirred that up. then added a 1/2 teaspoon of very hot, fragrant green curry paste (thai kitchen jar). last in went some sliced garlic and 4 baby bok choy, sliced thinly, and a 1/2 cup of previously steamed broccoli florets. i cooked it a minute or two to heat and then ate it over jasmine rice. really delicious and IMO worth doing again. justjoan

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"the only things money can't buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes" (guy clark)

I was fortunate enough to enjoy the kitchen table at TRU on 7-26-08 and had two of the best courses I've experienced. Chef de Cuisine Tim Graham did a superb job.


Pan-seared foie gras (on the right under the zucchini and squash slivers), morel (dark, on the left), pecan and caramelized sugar "sheet", raspberry, and purslane (under the morel). It was so delicious the first bite was followed by a string of profanities.



28-day dry aged Kobe beef with squash flower tempura and garnishes for the Kobe.




The garnishes included Japanese limes, Florida sea salt, a chili powder (left), and a horseradish powder. Chef Graham suggested we just try each of these separately with a bite of Kobe. Amazing.

Sorry, forgot to add for conformity:

TRU
676 N. St. Claire Street
Chicago, IL
312-202-0001
http://www.trurestaurant.com/welcome.html

Great pix. Welcome to LTH.

Previous comments withdrawn.

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Chicago Craft Beer Week!

A moderator PM has already been sent. Though as its his/her 4th post lets give them both the benefit of the doubt and a warm welcome.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Sorry about the newbie mistake. Pics have been formatted correctly now.

Much to my surprise, the best thing I've eaten (lately) was a vegan sandwich. A tofu bacon ranch sandwich, to be precise, from the Balanced Kitchen. While the pizza my husband ordered was so small and light as to qualify as an appetizer (albeit one that cost as much as an entree) my sandwich was delicious and very filling, especially with the side of potato salad. The cupcake we shared to end the meal was not so much, but I prefer to forget about that slab of paper mache and just think fondly of that fantastic sandwich.

The Balanced Kitchen
6263 N McCormick Rd
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 463-1085

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As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett

Water and butter(?) poached Jumbo shrimp, avocado, butter lettuce and a champagne vinagrette. I was skeptical because the addition of champagne to a dish seems a bit flashy, but man was this good. The shrimp was served warm, which I was not expecting. As this was a special, I don't know how often they'll have it, but if they do, I would venture to say it's a must-get.

Aigre Doux
230 W Kinzie Street, Chicago
Phone: 312 329 9400

The Oaxacan pork sandwich I had for lunch today at Pane's Bread Cafe (near the corner of Wellington and Sheffield) really hit the spot. Marinated spicy pork tenderloin, carmelized onions, roasted red peppers on fresh, baked-in-house bread---not sure how Oaxacan it is, but mmmm...it was good. Unfortunately the accompanying Monster cookie didn't make it into the picture--I polished it off too fast.

Sometimes the Best Thing Lately is simply a pleasant surprise. I made sausage gravy for the visiting family on Sunday morning (for the first time ever!), and it turned out far better than I could have even hoped.

It was so damn good that it haunts me, and it makes me mad that nowhere in Chicago has really good sausage gravy (that I've yet found, that is). Of course, now that I can make it on my own, I have no need to search it out elsewhere.

Maybe now I should try hollandaise.

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Tweetyspacing @karlklockars.
Writing about craft beer at GuysDrinkingBeer.com
"You don't realize it, but we're at dinner right now." ~Ebert

Whiskeybent,

A little success is very inspiring, isn't it?

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Whiskey,

What is your recipe if you don't mind sharing it?

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Fettuccine alfredo is mac and cheese for adults.