Kasama

I think this might be my first new post, but wanted to add my 2 cents about Kasama as i don't see a dedicated thread

Had a great takeout meal from here on Sunday morning. Got the filipino breakfast with a combo of longanisa and tocino. The longanisa was easily one of the best things i've eaten recently. Adobo wings and lumpia were also good, but that sausage was excellent. Highly recommend a trip here


Kasama
1001 N. Winchester Ave
Chicago, IL
https://www.kasamachicago.com/

Big fan of the small meal I picked up yesterday.


Mushroom is certainly not the standard main component of adobo, but this vegetarian version of the classic Filipino dish worked really well. The garlic rice that comes with it was also great and the dish is rounded out with a fried egg (I added a homemade one later since I picked up several hours before eating).


The restaurant is a partnership between the husband and wife team of Tim Flores and Genie Kwon. He does the Filipino savory and she does the French and French-inspired pastries.


The ube and huckleberry basque cake was a fantastic pastry with a little crispiness and a lot of light chewiness. Not enough distinctive pasty cream from me to think of it as basque cake, but 1) what do I know and 2) who cares because whatever it's called, it's delicious.

Very much looking forward to going back and exploring the menu a lot more.

The sandwich by Kasama that was available on Sunday at Big Kids is going to be available at Kasama on their day time menu this week. Get the sandwich and get something off the regular menu too. This place is great.

There was another Kasama/Big Kids joint effort last night, but rather than being limited to one outstanding sandwich like last time, this was a full-on joint pop-up. If you missed it, the exact same menu is available again next Thursday.



The mushroom adobo toad in the hole, which combines the expert sandwich making skills of Big Kids and the fantastic mushroom adobo regularly available at Kasama, was just spectacular. Next Thursday is April 1. If you don't order this sandwich, you're a fool.

The NY Times is excited about Kasama.

Kasama is in full rotation as a regular spot for me.

The usuals:
- Cardamom Kouign Amann - I absolutely love this
- Truffle croissant - prior to actually eating this I was not overly excited about it. Last weekend a friend ordered it and I was floored by it. Definitely a big rich savory but I felt like the balance is what was surprising and drew me back to this.
- Breakfast sandwich with the longanisa
- Mushroom adobo

So excited to see them absolutely killing it!

I had been a fan of Kasama when it was just breakfast and lunch service serving Filipino comfort food and Korean pastries.






When I read that Kasama was going to introduce a tasting menu, I jumped on the chance immediately. I was a bit too late and there weren't any reservations available, but I put my name on the waitlist. Luckily for me, someone canceled, and I was able to get a table for me and my wife.





















Now...I'll admit I'm a bit biased. I would like to call Genie and Tim friends of mine, and I've been following their careers for years, but...goddamn, if this wasn't a near perfect meal.


The pancit en su tinta and truffle croissant are the best bites I had in 2021.

This restaurant is a fucking gem and our Louisa Chu can't be faulted for calling it one of the best in the world
https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/reviews/ct-food-review-kasama-20211227-lmi54rbitffs5kphszbhpbtree-story.html

incite wrote:This restaurant is a fucking gem and our Louisa Chu can't be faulted for calling it one of the best in the world

Looks fantastic, and yes, both Kasama and L Chu are gems. Though I'd be remiss if I didn't mention its the quality of your pictures that impressed me the most.

Though I'd be remiss if I didn't mention its the quality of your pictures that impressed me the most.

Gotta agree with G Wiv, those are some of the best food pics I've seen in a long time!

Beautiful images, Nick. Honestly, they have me more interested in how you shot/processed them than in Kasama itself. Iirc, you're a Nikon guy, right? Curious what body, lens(es) you used here. Also wondering if this was all ambient light or if you used anything additional. Just gorgeous work. The team at Kasama is fortunate to have had you document this meal.

=R=

At risk of piling on, and as a dedicated photog myself, those are indeed some great photos!

thanks for the love, friends

ronnie_suburban wrote:Beautiful images, Nick. Honestly, they have me more interested in how you shot/processed them than in Kasama itself. Iirc, you're a Nikon guy, right? Curious what body, lens(es) you used here. Also wondering if this was all ambient light or if you used anything additional. Just gorgeous work. The team at Kasama is fortunate to have had you document this meal.

=R=

I've been shooting on Sony mirrorless for quite some time now (Sony A7r III, Sony A7C). These were shot using the Sony A7R III with the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM (https://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/mc-11-compatible/35mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-a) ; my everyday lens. No additional lighting used.

Here's the image data:

incite wrote:thanks for the love, friends

ronnie_suburban wrote:Beautiful images, Nick. Honestly, they have me more interested in how you shot/processed them than in Kasama itself. Iirc, you're a Nikon guy, right? Curious what body, lens(es) you used here. Also wondering if this was all ambient light or if you used anything additional. Just gorgeous work. The team at Kasama is fortunate to have had you document this meal.

=R=

I've been shooting on Sony mirrorless for quite some time now (Sony A7r III, Sony A7C). These were shot using the Sony A7R III with the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM (https://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/mc-11-compatible/35mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-a) ; my everyday lens. No additional lighting used.

Here's the image data:

Really nice. Cool to see the third-party lens perform so admirably. Of course, the real credit goes to you. The compositions themselves are striking and that has nothing to do with the hardware.

=R=

We were lucky enough to snag a 9pm reservation a couple of weeks ago for last night. After only 4 courses (same menu as posted above), Kasama bumped Boka off as our favorite restaurant in Chicago. While the presentation and imagination of all the dishes were excellent, it was really the flavors of them that sets Kasama apart from others.

Calling anything "the best" is difficult since de gustibus non erat disputandum. However, I would not dispute anyone calling this the best restaurant in Chicago.

just FYI: the dinner tasting menu costs a cool $185, plus $95 for matching wines. i love kasama, but i'll have to take comfort from the delicious daytime food. yesterday, i had the croissant filled with apple butter and gooey raclette. it was exceptional.
and as of last wednesday, kasama is open again for breakfast and lunch.
Wednesday – Sunday
Breakfast and Lunch
9am – 2pm
Pastry and Coffee Takeout
2pm – 4pm

We’ve been getting weekend breakfast takeout from Kasama about every month in 2023. Always very satisfying each time. While the foie gras danish is always a hit, I find myself enjoying the cardamom kouign amann and Boston creme brioche (it looks like a donut) more these days. Still a line down the sidewalk on weekend mornings, but the wait time this morning between online ordering and pickup was only 20min.

It’s by far our favorite breakfast pastry shop in Chicago … and beyond.

WhyBeeSea wrote:The longanisa was easily one of the best things i've eaten recently.

Agree, joined a friend recently for breakfast and we both had the longanisa breakfast sandwich which at first glance looked like an enlarged White Castle breakfast sandwich but as soon as I tasted the it, especially the longanisa, wowza, just delicious.

Looking forward to trying other items.

So I finally got around to trying the play on an IBeef/Sausage combo that Danny pictured and raved about a couple years ago upthread. Holy shit is that a great sandwich. Just about perfect in fact - terrific balance of sweet salty and umami in the meats and a nice roll and great giardiniara to boot. Only add could be a little more gravy from the adobo pork - no “dipped” option here. This sandwich is a good enough reason to go to Kasama but of course the pastries (and other stuff) are great also. Run don’t walk.

One downside of enjoying this sandwich is, by comparison, my combo from Al’s for lunch today tasted a little flat. Plenty of gravy though.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

samosa57 wrote:https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-james-beard-awards-print-20230606-kbml5nowkzhulkr5f4z6ihei5m-story.html

Including a paragraph or two of content from the linked piece in your post would be a great way for those of us who don't subscribe to know what it was about.

Thanks,

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

samosa57 wrote:https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-james-beard-awards-print-20230606-kbml5nowkzhulkr5f4z6ihei5m-story.html

Including a paragraph or two of content from the linked piece in your post would be a great way for those of us who don't subscribe to know what it was about.

Thanks,

=R=

Or at least the headline.

“Virtue, Kasama take home big wins at James Beard Awards in Chicago”

scottsol wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

samosa57 wrote:https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-james-beard-awards-print-20230606-kbml5nowkzhulkr5f4z6ihei5m-story.html

Including a paragraph or two of content from the linked piece in your post would be a great way for those of us who don't subscribe to know what it was about.

Thanks,

=R=

Or at least the headline.

“Virtue, Kasama take home big wins at James Beard Awards in Chicago”

Chicago took home two James Beard Awards on Monday, with Virtue chef de cuisine Damarr Brown and Kasama chefs Genie Kwon and Tim Flores winning in the city that once again played host to what many consider the Oscars of the culinary industry.
Brown won the first award of the night, as the 2023 Emerging Chef, competing against chefs from Bridgetown Roti in Los Angeles, Dakar NOLA in New Orleans, Brooklyn’s Clover Hill and Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia.

A nice piece on All Things Considered tonight about the James Beard awards including quite a bit about Kasama including a short comment from the chef.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

samosa57 wrote:https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-james-beard-awards-print-20230606-kbml5nowkzhulkr5f4z6ihei5m-story.html

Including a paragraph or two of content from the linked piece in your post would be a great way for those of us who don't subscribe to know what it was about.

Thanks,

=R=

Will do - so sorry! I should know better.

I still haven't been to Kasama, and was planning to go this weekend for a birthday brunch treat. But now that they received these awards, I hope I can get close to the place!