Peking Duck in Beijing (PRI’s The World)
Here’s a Geo Quiz I did live from Beijing, at the Made in China restaurant in the Grand Hyatt, on the city’s beloved Peking duck: Click here to listen
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WhiskeyFest Hits Town
Tickets to Chicago’s WhiskeyFest may be sold out tonight, but there’s still a lot in store for whiskey fans around Chicago this weekend. Delilah’s has had whiskey specials each night of the week, but the big event is the official WhiskeyFest after-party tonight at 10 p.m., no tickets necessary. The party features many guest distillers and guest … Continued
Top 5 Reasons For Not Posting Today
I have a very good reason, (actually, reasons) for not posting my usual Top 5 list today. The main one is because as you read this, I’m already at O’Hare. But more important, the time and effort it takes to produce the list was just not high enough up on the priority list this week. … Continued
Beer of the Week: Houblon Chouffe
After a few weeks of featuring American beers, it seems like Michael is now really getting in touch with his Belgian groove (The Hopleaf does, afterall, carry more than 100 Belgian beers). This week’s pick is a hoppy Belgian ale – kind of a cross between an American/English IPA and a Belgian Trappist Tripel. … Continued
Chicago Represented Well in James Beard Foundation Award Nominees
I’m hoping 13 is my lucky number… The 2012 James Beard Award nominees were announced yesterday, and while yours truly will be seeking the elusive 13, many of my colleagues and local chefs were also honored to see their hard work recognized. Here, in no particular order, are the local nominees:
Basque Cake at The Bristol
While Chicago’s Italian community slowly recovers from a zeppole-laced St. Joseph’s Day yesterday, there could be cause for lament, now that the window for pastry cream-filled fried dough stuffed with amaro-soaked cherries has passed. But fear not, because there’s another cream-filled cake with fruit I have my eye on, and its inspiration is clearly … Continued
Chicago Chef Week
In case you missed Chicago’s Restaurant Week, you’ve got another (albeit shorter) chance to get a taste of some of Chicago’s best restaurants at Chicago Chef Week, running March 18-23. More than 50 eateries will be featuring special prix fixe menus, with lunch set at $22 and dinner at $39, plus tax and tip. … Continued
How To Make A Ganache
Any pastry chef worth their Plugra will tell you how crucial it is to learn to make a proper ganache. Essentially chocolate and heavy cream, this versatile and rich, dark topping can be used as a filling, an icing or just poured over cakes for a decadent blanket. Cindy Schuman, the Pastry Chef at Sepia, … Continued
Top 5 Cocktail Lounges in Chicago
Just about every new restaurant (of note) opening in Chicago has an all-star cocktail list. Sometimes, they’ll employ a guy like Adam Seger or Paul McGee to create or consult; one thing is for sure, they stock names like Luxardo and St. Germain with regularity, make their own simple syrup, squeeze their own citrus and … Continued
Beer of the Week: Le Merle
Belgian Saisons are as popular as Pinterest these days (at least among beer geeks), so it’s no surprise that Le Merle – a product of the North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg, CA – is top-of-mind lately. It won a Gold Medal at the 2010 World Beer Championships, and it’s been popular at … Continued
Win Two Tickets To Baconfest
Tickets to Chicago’s 2012 Baconfest sold out in less than four hours, but you still have a few chances to snag some tickets for the April 14th event. You could write a poem about bacon, or just keep reading here for details on another cool contest.