Mmmmm, Protein!

-By Jess

It’s not easy to find a healthy meal in the Loop that satisfies both your hunger and your palate. From McDonald’s french fries, to Subway’s faux meat, and even Panera’s supposedly healthy salads that in actuality boast upwards of 700 calories, one could certainly pack on the Chicago winter layers without much effort. That’s why I was thrilled to discover The Protein Bar.

Protein Bar- Interior

Located at 235 S Franklin Ave, on the east side of the Sears (yes, Sears, not Willis) Tower, The Protein Bar offers a welcome break from the grease filled gut bombs offered up by many of it’s neighboring establishments. In fact, their mission "is to be the destination for individuals seeking the quick and filling essential protein they need to live a healthy, active lifestyle.” They even boast that if you consume 20 meals there over the next 20 days there will be a noticeable difference in the way you feel. One might assume that this ‘health food’ joint would serve up bland meals with tiny portions, but that fortunately is not the case.

The fare at The Protein Bar includes many items including smoothies, bowls, wraps, salads, chilies and burritos, of which I have sampled several! Before I get into those, however, I’d like to share a few tips for having a successful trip…

1. If at all possible, avoid the lunch-hour rush (12-1pm). This has become a pretty popular place and the tiny space makes it difficult to accommodate the long winding line. I did just read on their newsletter (yes, I am a nerd and get their newsletter) that they’ve recognized the problem and have made some adjustments to their service to get people through the line more quickly.
2. If you cannot avoid the lunch rush, I suggest one of these time-saving techniques:
• Grab a pre-made wrap or salad! These delicious concoctions are constantly made fresh with the purpose of getting busy ‘loopers’ in and out with a satisfying meal. Just grab it from the cooler and head straight to the register, bypassing that entire line!
• If a drink or bowl is something you desire you will want to grab one of the little menus up front so you can be prepare to order when you get to the counter – please don’t be ‘that person’ who takes forever to order when they’ve already been standing in line forever – PLEASE ☺
• Specifically, if you would like to order a drink be prepared to answer the following questions:
• What protein would you like? (Whey, soy, or egg)
• What type of milk would you like? (Skim, soy, or almond)
• What boost would you like? (Antioxidant, energy, fat-burner, fiber, flu-fighter, green, hangover, libido, mulit-vitamin, or women’s health – PHEW!)

Their website offers up a great deal of advice on which to choose – so click away. My favorites include:

The Bucktown Green Tea or “BGT”

Weighing in at a mere 305 calories the BGT consists of Matcha green tea and bananas with your choice of milk and protein. I prefer almond (half the calories of skim, and quite a bit tastier) and whey (for active/exercising adults). The green color may look a little intimidating, but it has a delightfully smooth and summery taste with just a bit of sweetness. 

The BGT

The Green City Vegan Wrap

A mere 290 calories, this incredibly fresh wheat wrap filled to the brim with spinach, carrots, cucumbers, chickpeas, broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and onions is topped off with a light drizzle of EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar. The first time I ate this wrap I was shocked at how tasty and filling it was. I had just left Women’s Workout World on Monroe after a draining turbo kick class and was both ravenous and needing something that wouldn’t be too heavy. It has been a favorite ever since, at anytime of the day.

The Vegan Bar-rito

This ‘burrito’ is made of hot black beans, diced tomatoes, fresh shredded cheddar cheese and warm quinoa, and amounts to just 290 calories. I had never sampled quinoa before and was pleasantly surprised by how nicely it replaced rice. This is an excellent choice on a day that you are particularly hungry (it REALLY fills you up) and looking for something to warm you up as well.

Crackberry

I ordered this little ditty first of all because I had a sweet tooth that morning, and secondly because I was pretty entertained by the name. This  345 calorie bowl comes with all-natural granola mixed with yogurt, acai berry, and is topped with fresh bananas. I was so please with this as a breakfast because it satisfied my sweet tooth without making me feel icky a couple hours later.

Chili

Similarly to the Vegan Bar-rito, the Quinoa Chili is perfect for a cooler Chicago day. At 310 calories this chili is made up of warm quinoa topped with your choice of house-made chili (veggie, chicken or beef), fresh shredded cheddar cheese, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. I like to have a little crunch with chili so I suggest picking up a packet of multi-grain chips near the checkout counter.

Protein Bar Chili w/Greek Yogurt and Quinoa

Finally, if the delicious food and reasonable prices are not enough for you, then you’ll be pleased to know that this service comes with a genuine smile. I have yet to have a less than totally pleasant encounter with any of the staff members which makes meal-time even more enjoyable. And as one last plug, the manager, Matt Matros, is a finalist in the One Man Chicago Contest, which recognizes area men who represent the best of Chicago through community involvement, personality, intelligence, and fitness. He along with his staff members make the effort to get to know the ‘regulars’ and their orders – including me and my BGT!

Protein Bar - 4 Food Babies

-Jess

Protein Bar 

235 S Franklin St - (312) 346-7300 

Open Monday - Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm 

Fettuccine with Shrimp, Zucchini, and Pine Nut Cream Sauce

-By Bill

So it’s been hot outside (it is ggoing to be one of those ‘remember how hot it was in the summer of 2010?’ kind of years), I was tired and hungry, so I basically wanted to make something in under 20 minutes.  How do you do that?  Pasta!

Equipment: 1 large sauce pan/stock pot (for cooking pasta), 1 small sauce pan, 1 saute pan (12” is best), a colander and a blender.

Ingredients: Fettuccine (sub whatever pasta you like), shrimp (if you like), zucchini (again, sub as you please), chicken stock, cream, pine nuts and basil.  I made this for 2, so measure accordingly (I used approximately ¼ cup pine nuts, ½ cup stock, ½ cup cream, 10 shrimp (about 8oz), and a handful of basil:

Ingriedients

Put your pasta water on a flame to boil while separately bringing the pine nuts and stock to a simmer.  Cover and let cook the nuts for 10 minutes (or until your pasta water comes to a boil).  The idea is to hydrate and soften to nuts so they can be blended into a sauce:

Pine Nuts and Stock

 Meanwhile, put a separate sauté pan on medium heat to preheat. Once heated, add a little cooking oil (I use canola) and add the zucchini (which I’ve previously chopped):

Saute Zucchini

At this point your pasta water should be boiling, so add your pasta to it and cook accordingly.  While that is going, check the zucchini.  Once it starts to develop color (5-7 minutes), add to it the shrimp (which I’ve also chopped up and salted for seasoning, just a small pinch will do):

Add Shrimp

Overcooked shrimp = bad, so only let this go for 4-5 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to cook on all sides and continue to the brown the zucchini.  The 12” pan really helps here as nothing is crowded and has plenty of space to cook on its own.   Once some color has developed on the shrimp, add a pinch of salt to season both the shrimp and zucchini.  Zucchini holds a lot of moisture, so salting it before it gets a good sauté will cause it to steam rather than brown.

Meanwhile, put the pine nuts, stock and cream into a blender and buzz it until it is as smooth as it’ll get (Note: hot liquids require removal of the blender spout (the, failure to do so will result is an enormous mess (and no sauce)):

Blend the Sauce

At this point your pasta should be about done, so when it is, drain it and add to the shrimp and zucchini along with the sauce (use of Miss Jenny apple shaped spoon rest optional):

Combine Sauce with Shrimp/Zucchini

Season the whole mixture (to taste) with salt and let sit for a minute.  This will help allow the pasta to soak up some of the sauce and settle everything to a consistent temperature.  Plate up, topped with some fresh basil and shaved Parmesan:

The Complete Dish

Enjoy!

-Bill

Chilapan

-By Megan

This past week Bobby and I took a gamble – we brought two new friends that we had never met to a restaurant that we had never been to. The reason was Chilapan, a relatively new Mexican spot that has recently garnered many words of praise from the Chicago food community. We had wanted to go for a while, so we threw caution to the wind and went for it. The result in my opinion – just OK.

Chilipan - The Interior

Let me start by saying that part of my lukewarm assessment of this place was our own fault. The restaurant is located on Armitage just west of Western and right next to the blue line. Some of the reviews I had read claimed that the noise from the El is “not a big deal,” so we sat outside. It is a big deal. Every 7 to 10 minutes the El went by and it really disturbed the flow of conversation. Not to mention on this particular night there were a couple of ambulances and some bad ass, leather clad biker chick revving her engine on the corner. But I digress…

How about the food?

Ceviche De Camaron Y Mojarra 

For appetizers, all four of us shared two dishes. One was the Ceviche De Camaron Y Mojarra (shrimp and tilapia ceviche) with red cabbage, olives, and citrus vinaigrette. The second was Pan Seared Scallops served over rice with greens. No complaint here. The combination of a summer evening and ceviche is always enjoyable and they executed it well. The scallops were very tasty, but I wish there were more than two on the plate.

Pan Seared Scallops

Considering that we had literally just met, our new friends Kate and Jim were incredibly open dinner dates as they agreed to order four entrees and split them four ways. We ordered the Rollito De Espinaca, the Budin Azteca, a shrimp and chorizo skewer (official name escapes me), and the beef tenderloin special. After we finished, we discussed which dishes were our favorites and which ones were, in our opinion, off the mark. Our conclusions in aggregate were as follows:

1)Beef Tenderloin special – medium rare pan-seared piece of beef tenderloin in a pineapple/tequila reduction sauce with diced mango salsa on top. Served with fried plantain and potato. We got the last plate of this dish for the night! The meat was well cooked and most everyone liked the sweetness of the mango and pineapple paired with the beef. Personally I thought it was just a tiny bit too sweet, but I was a minority of one.

Beef Tenderloin Special

     2)Budin Azteca – almost lasagna-like layers of shredded chicken, tortillas and chihuahua cheese over poblano cream salsa. This dish had the most “homey” feel and was something none of us had seen at a Mexican restaurant. I would categorize this as a solid comfort food dish. It was my personal favorite of the night.

Budin Azteca

    Tie for 3rd! - Rollito De Espinaca and Shrimp/Chorizo skewer:

     Rollito de Espinaca – grilled skirt steak stuffed with spinach and chihuahua cheese with arbol tomato salsa. This dish was satisfying in that the meat was well cooked; however, we agreed that it wasn’t anything special. Kate remarked, and I agree, that this dish could have been served to us just about anywhere. It didn’t make Chilapan stand out from the rest. 

Rollito de Espinaca

·         Shrimp/Chorizo skewers – shrimp, chorizo, and zucchini skewers served over cilantro and spicy rice. On this one we all enjoyed the shrimp and the rice; however, the chorizo was seriously awful. It was some sort of generic and bland encased meat that did not taste anything like the spicy delight that I usually expect. Its inclusion on the plate was a mistake. 

Shrimp/Chorizo Skewers

Other Cons – The quality of the meal was not proportional to how much we paid for it. We spent about $25 a piece for average food. For my money I’d rather go south of the border Cuban style at 90 Miles Café – just a few blocks west, great patio, BYOB, and cheaper for better quality. www.90milescubancafe.com.

Other Pros – BYOB (limited to one bottle or six-pack per every two people, no corkage fee) and very friendly service. Our waiter was both enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the menu. One of the owners even came to our table personally to discuss the special after we had inquired with the waiter about it. 

So, all and all I think that you should try Chilapan if you are in the neighborhood or if you are looking for a Mexican restaurant that strays from the very beaten taco and burrito path. My suggestion would be to sit inside, try the specials, chat with the lovely staff, and avoid the chorizo.

Chilipan - 2.5 Food Babies

- Megan

Chilipan 

2459 W Armitage Ave - (773) 697-4597

Open Sunday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 3:00pm - 12:00am

For more information check out the Chilapan Menu or the thread on LTHForum.

On the Chicago Chocolate Trail

-By Mark 

 The first Food Babies guest contributor, Mark is obsessed with four things: chocolate, bonobos, violence prevention programming, and his wife, Julie. They don't overlap a whole lot, except that eating chocolate is good while doing just about anything. That said, if you do find yourself hanging with some great apes and eating chocolate, please give Mark a call.

Recently, I took a walking tour of chocolate shops provided by Chicago Chocolate Tours. Before I review the tour, and more importantly the chocolate, I need to confess my biases. I am an unapologetic chocolate snob and addict who craves “dark chocolate,” by which I mean chocolate with greater than 70% cocoa content. The words “dark chocolate” aren’t regulated well. Popular American dark chocolate, like Hershey’s Special Dark, is actually just Dutched chocolate (chocolate altered with an alkali to make it less bitter and more smooth). Special Dark however, only contains 45% cocoa! To a chocolate snob, this is like buying sharp cheddar containing only 45% cheddar. 

In addition to taste complexity, there’s the pleasure of cocoa to consider. Chocolate contains many psychoactive ingredients, including caffeine, theobromine (like caffeine), anandamine-like compounds (think THC), tryptophan (which can increase serotonin), and phenylathylamine (think amphetamines and the passion side of love). A higher cocoa content means a higher dose of these chemicals. All these components exist in small doses (except theobromine); so, although chocolate addicts swear they can feel these effects, some scientists are skeptical the compounds could affect anyone but highly sensitive people. All I know is I’ve made some hot cocoa recipes that I certainly wouldn’t drink with women other than my wife.  Now that you know more about chocolate and my personal issues than you probably need to, on to the tour!

Valerie Beck - CCT Founder

Chicago Chocolate Tours (CCT) was started in 2005 by Valerie Beck, a chocoholic Harvard educated lawyer who left the legal biz to lead people around chocolate shops in her hometown Chicago. With a mission of “Uplift through Chocolate;” CCT donates to charity organizations like CARE and supports Chicago-owned chocolate shops and lesser known chains. Our tour guide provided chocolate history along the way and although she was incredulously perky (giving the tour a Willy Wonka-like feel), as your sugar-high grows its easier to empathize. 

Truffle Selection at Tuescher's

The first stop was Tuescher’s, a Swiss owned, internationally-renowned chocolate maker. Their signature chocolate is a Champagne truffle - a milk chocolate truffle dusted with confectioners sugar, filled with dark chocolate ganache and a Dom Perignon Champagne-buttercream center. Happily, this was our sample. The first bite of any truffle is always a surprise, but not always a delight. With some truffles, the outside is so distinct from the inside that the taste becomes as confusing as trying to make out two names said at the same time. Considering it contained milk chocolate, dark chocolate and a laced buttercream, the Champagne truffle was surprisingly blended. No astringency, very creamy, and a low enough sweetness to taste the chocolate. That said, the taste was too blended to have much chocolate complexity, though I could make out some vanilla or rose. The Don Perignon tasted like a good dry white but without any acidity or bubbles. The finish was creamy and with a champagne flavor. Although I normally prefer more complexity in my chocolate, the flavors perfectly complimented each other. How they managed this combination without too much sweetness or acidity is a mystery to me, but the truffle certainly is one of the best I’ve tasted. 

After sampling the milk chocolate Champagne truffle, I quickly bought the dark chocolate version, which is the same except confectioners sugar is substituted with chocolate powder and the milk chocolate with dark. Despite my obsession with dark, I preferred the milk. The dark chocolate was even less sweet, which should be good, but I didn’t find the earthy notes complimented or blended well with the Champagne buttercream. Also, I didn’t get much more complexity out of the dark chocolate which leads me to assume the chocolate is from mid-range, but not high-end beans. So, it didn’t live up to my dark chocolate expectations. I then tried the dark chocolate hazelnut gianduja. Gianduja is an Italian blend of ground nut paste and chocolate (Nutella is a variation on the theme). Again, I was happy it wasn’t too sweet and allowed the hazelnut flavor to mix well with the coffee and floral notes of the dark chocolate. There was no bitterness at all and it had a great long finish. However, it still tasted creamy, which is odd for dark, but as milk chocolate was invented by the Swiss, this isn’t too surprising. Although they have a wide variety of dipped nuts and fruit, pralines and marzipan, this tour was all about chocolate for me; so, I didn’t indulge. Overall Teuscher may not have the most complex chocolates, but they are sure to please everyone but the most ardent chocosnobs.

Cupcakes at More

The next stop was More, a cupcake boutique in the Gold Coast that looks like an art museum with cupcakes lining lit shelves. More is Chicago-owned, won Best of Chicago 2010 cupcake and has received a number of other accolades. More has unique ingredients such as bacon, crème cheese and foie gras. They gave us the Chocolate Chocolate cupcake — a Belgian dark chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream and a tiny chocolate dot. I don’t know how to judge cupcakes but it had a rich chocolate taste without being too sweet and was moist but not overly so. It made me desperately crave more, meaning there was some serious chocolate in there. It wasn’t a complex taste but Belgian chocolate is known for being more bold than complex. More’s signature piece is their Valrhona cupcake with a chocolate ganache topping and crème filled center. Though the cupcake I had was very good, not having the Valrhona was a bit of a tease. Like a true addict, I will return later and let you know how it is.  

Peanut Butter Bar at Sarah's

The third stop was Sarah’s Pastries and Candies. For many on the tour, Sarah’s was a delight. Sarah is a Chicago native and educated pastry specialist who grew her shop to Martha Stewart-loving proportions. The shop serves numerous treats and baked goods, and we tasted both a chocolate delight (cluster) and a piece of chocolate peanut butter bar. Both were delicious, and we were treated to a kitchen tour. If you love chocolate-covered sweets, Sarah’s is definitely the place to go. As I am more of a chocolate bar sort of person, Sarah’s wasn’t as exciting for me. The chocolate was sweet (but not obnoxiously so) with little complexity. My guess is a forastero bean, which is fine, but the chocosnob part of me wanted more. 

The Offerings at Leonidas

Our fourth stop was Leonidas, the Belgian company famous for quality. Like other Belgian chocolate, Leondias is not a bean-to-bar company; the ingredients come from non-Belgian sources. So, despite having high cacao content, there is considerable chocolate variability. I had three tastes - a dark chocolate, an orange chocolate and a milk chocolate caramelized with coffee cream. Despite Belgian chocolate’s reputation for low sweetness, all these pieces were overly sweet for my tastes. The dark chocolate was less sweet of course, but had little complexity. Leonidas is also known for their pralines, which I’ve heard are quite different than the sugary pralines Americans consume. However, I decided if I already had three pieces and not been satisfied, I’d had enough. If you want to take the jump into fancier chocolate, but fear bitterness or being overwhelmed with complexity, Leondias is probably a safe bet. The cacao content is high and it’s sufficiently sweet and creamy enough to seem familiar. It’s not my priority to try their chocolate again, but they do have some chocolate-coated waffles that sound delicious. 

Last on the tour we went to Argo Tea, though I don’t really understand why. Argo is Chicago owned and we had both a chai chocolate tea and a piece of chocolate brownie; however, Argo is not a chocolate specialty shop. I love tea, but chocolate tea is out of the realm of my experiences and I’m also not a chai person. So, all I can tell you is that several people said the chai chocolate tea was their favorite chocolate on the whole tour, so, I refrain judgment and recommend you try it for yourself.

 The price of the tour was $40. However, had you bought all the samples separately, you’d have still spent $20, know nothing about the chocolate you were eating, and wouldn’t have supported the CARE charity. I enjoyed Chicago Chocolate Tours and think it’s worth it to go.  Every tour is a little different, so, do your homework to decide which tour you want. But if I were you, I’d stop by Teuscher’s afterward and have more Champagne truffles.

-Mark

The Great Eggsperiment

 -By Bobby (Pictures by Meg)

Organic. Local. Seasonal. Environmentally Sustainable. These words are ubiquitous, admirable, cliché, self-congratulatory and almost guaranteed to be recited to you by the waiter at whatever “Contemporary American” restaurant you have visited recently. While I think that some restaurants are a little too self-righteous about the fact that my $32 entrée is not an out of season, overly processed food-like-substance that killed several species of fish on its journey to my table from North Korea…I am, for the most part, on board with the movement.

I like knowing that my roast beef comes from a bone-in- rib roast and was not formed from a meat slurry mold. I like knowing the origin of the food and that real care and thought were put into procurement and preparation of said food. However, the reason we like it is not because we are all consumed with being good stewards of the earth, its because we hear “Seasonal” “Local” “Organic” and we believe it is “Fresh” and “Better.”

This assumption that “Fresh,” “Local,” and "Organic” is better than “Hormone Induced” and “Factory Farmed” was put to the test in a Washington Post article by Tamar Haspel, where she used eggs as the subject of the experiment. I learned of this experiment while listening to NPR on my drive through the uninhabited stretch of highway between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh known as central Pennsylvania. The show was quite good, even though the women had an uncanny resemblance to the cast of Saturday Night Live’s Delicious Dish. You can listen here: Eggs on the radio (Splendid Table).

Both of the above links will tell you a simple story. There is no difference. Factory farmed, eggs that come from hormone induced super chickens TASTE the same as the eggs that come from the organically fed hen that lives in your backyard. Poultry scientists confirm that any differentiation is psychological, as chemically and structurally they are the same. After I told Meg (my girlfriend) about this experiment, she ran out to our local farmers market and bought some organic, sustainable, locally farmed eggs so we could recreate and independently verify the results. Here are our findings for your consumption:

Visual Inspection - Factory Farmed Egg vs. Organic Egg

The main way that our experiment differentiates itself from the others listed above is that we prepared our eggs over easy and not soft boiled. Oh… and we only had a very small sample size of four eggs, two participants, and did not control for a number of other variables that would likely be controlled for in a real experiment. Anecdotal as it may be, our results more or less confirmed the research listed above, with two large caveats: 1) Although we both took the taste test blindfolded, we could distinguish which was the farmers market egg and which was the factory farmed egg. 2) We both enjoyed the texture of the farmers market egg over the factory-farmed egg. In eating the farmer’s market egg, the word that came to both or minds was creamy.

Cooking - Organic Egg (Top) vs Factory Egg (Bottom)

 Both eggs were cracked, flipped and served at the same time. In both cases we determined that the farmer’s market egg had a more substantial texture, comprised of a creamy yolk and airy white that made the factory-farmed counterpart feel rubbery in comparison. For us the experiment begged the question; If you are deciding which one tastes better can you separate taste and texture? 

Eating - Organic Egg (Top) vs Factory Egg (Bottom)

 In my opinion you cannot. Ultimately, the one that tasted better was the one we preferred to eat and that was a function of flavor and texture. And the winner was clearly the farmer’s market egg. Whether it was good enough to spend an extra $5.00 per week is a question for another time. Until then, (it pains me to say this) poultry scientist be damned, the local, organic, family farmed, environmentally sustainable egg was better, even if they tasted the same.

-Bobby 

J.P. Graziano Grocery Co.

 -By Keith

Although they share the same title as "grocery" stores, Jewel and J.P. Graziano don't have much else in common. There are no aisles, no racks of gossip magazines at the check out counter, and no familiar beeping of a bar code scanner ringing up your purchases. In fact, J.P. Graziano doesn't look like a normal grocery store because it was never designed to be one.

Entrance to J.P Graziano Grocery Co.

Opened in 1933 on Grand Ave. by Jim Graziano after immigrating from Sicily, the store originally operated solely as a wholesaler of hard to find Italian specialties for restaurants all over the city. A few years later, the store moved to its current location on Randolph and is now surrounded  by other wholesale food stores and restaurants. Currently operated by Jim's grandson, Jim Jr., J.P. Graziano is now open to the general public. Evidence of their new focus on individual customers is the recently remodeled interior that has retained the open, warehouse feel of the original layout, but is now more organized and functional.

J.P. Graziano's New Interior

As you can see from the above picture, much of the store's interior  is taken up by large barrels. Whats inside you ask? Large quantities of dried and fresh spices and herbs, as well as a variety of legumes including split peas, beans, chick peas, and lentils. I have sampled a few of the spices and beans available, including whole black peppercorns and lentils, both of which were incredibly flavorful and much cheaper than a typical grocery store. I am probably the last person to give vegetarians advice on where to shop, but J.P. Graziano definitely has an unusually large selection of options for you non-meat eaters out there.

Wall of Pasta

J.P. Grazziano also has a large selection of other Italian groceries, including a number of pastas, canned tomatoes, and olive oils, as well as other harder to find ingredients. No chemically engineered plastic pasta here, J.P. Graziano primarily stocks products imported directly from Italy at the fraction of the cost you might find them at a larger retailer like Whole Foods. In particular, the Salvati olive oil ($11 a Liter), LaSquisita Italian tomatoes ($2.50 for 35-oz can) and the Divella pasta ($2 a bag) are great values.

Jim Jr. with Cheese Knife/Sword

If that wasn't enough, possibly the best reason to make a trip to J.P Graziano is the cheese selection. The difference in quality between the cheese offered at J.P. Graziano and the stuff that has been sitting at the bottom of a refrigerator at Jewel is massive. Each order is literally cut by hand, using a cheese wire or massive knife/sword expertly welded by Jim Jr. (see above picture). Italian standbys, Parmigiano Reggiano (the real deal, from Parma), Pecorino Romano, and fresh mozzarella are typically available. Of course you can find these cheeses at other stores, but as a wholesaler J.P. Graziano is able to sell them at peak freshness for cheaper prices.

In addition to the classics, J.P. Graziano also offers a number of other specialty cheeses including Tallegio (a rich spreadable cheese - think the Italian brie) and Pecorino Tartufo (a sheep's milk cheese with shavings of black truffle mixed in). Having trouble making up your mind? Ask Jim Jr. for some advice and he will happily help you out, or even offer a sample. Although its hard to keep up with J.P. Graziano's current offerings (sometimes they sell out of an item quickly), a quick call ahead of time to check availability and price is all that's needed.

The "Mr. G." - Sandwich Nirvana

Ok, I lied. The best reason to visit J.P Graziano isn't the pasta, the spices, or even the cheese. Its the made to order Italian subs. As many of you are aware, Chicago is home to a number of well known establishments serving Italian subs, including Bari, Fontano's, and Conte di Savoia. However, the Italian subs at J.P. Graziano are the best I have ever eaten, hands down. What makes them so delicious? First, its the freshly baked bread from D'amato's, an old school bakery with a coal fired oven, located a few blocks away on Grand Ave. The bread has a nice crunch on the outside that gives way to a soft, pillowy inside. Second, the meats and cheese are cut fresh for every sandwich and are of the highest quality. Lastly, the subs are perfectly constructed. Anyone who has eaten a poorly made Italian sub has experienced the horror of watching half of your sandwich spill out of the bread. Not at Graziano's. These subs are made with care, a perfect balance of bread, to meat, to cheese, to the accompaniments.

While all of the subs are delicious, including the Caprese, Artichoke and Italian, the "Mr. G" (pictured above) is sandwich nirvana. Named after Jim Jr.'s father, Jim Sr., this work of art is comprised of "sharp imported provolone, hot sopresatta, Prosciutto di Parma, Volpi genoa salami, truffle mustard balsamic vinaigrette, hot oil, roman style artichokes, fresh basil, lettuce w/red wine vinegar and oregano." After a few attempts and subsequent deletions I have admitted to myself that I can't do this sandwich justice with a simple description. The only thing I can do is implore you to get in your car immediately and go try one yourself, it is absurdly delicious.

Jim Jr. and Jim Sr.

Is it more convenient to buy your pasta, olive oil, cheese, etc. at a store where you can also buy a plunger and some dog food? Sure, but J.P Graziano's focus isn't on convenience, it's on family tradition, quality products and unbelievable service. Jim Jr. is hands down one of the nicest people I have met anywhere. Seriously, sometimes I just want to call him just to chat but I'm worried he might be a little creeped out. Jim Jr. clearly loves his job and is more than happy to help you pick out the right ingredient and even give recipe suggestions. If you aren't ready to make J.P. Graziano part of your grocery shopping rotation, at the very least stop by on a Saturday afternoon for the best Italian subs in the city and check out the rest of the store, I guarantee it won't be your last visit.

- Keith

J.P. Graziano Grocery Co. (Cash and Credit)
901 West Randolph Street - (312) 666-4587
Open Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 3:30pm. Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm.
For more information check out the J.P. Graziano website and the thread on LTHForum.

Blackbird

-By Bill

A few weeks ago, my wife Jenny and I went to Blackbird for an indulgent 11 course tasting birthday dinner.  Located at the east end of "Restaurant Row" on Randolph, Blackbird opened in 1997 and is the fine dining centerpiece of Paul Kahan's family of restaurants (Publican & Avec). The restaurant itself is extremely minimalist, no real décor so to speak, just some white-clothed tables, a small bar and an open kitchen at the rear of the restaurant.  They seat 66 and it is a tight 66 (if you’re anti-social and don’t want to speak to the people either side of you, do not go here).  Despite the space issues, the service at Blackbird is extremely professional and they have a very reasonable and varied wine list; priced fairly for the quality of choices available. But mostly the focus at Blackbird is on the food.  And so, to the food: 

Course 1, Amuse: Ahi, buttermilk, olive, wild rice

Super fresh tuna, the buttermilk and wild rice gave it a nice, creamy crunch (almost like a little fish stick in ranch dip).  The olive gave it a nice saltiness (Jenny says it was better sans-olive, but she’s not an olive lover), but I thought the mint was overpowering.  I think mint overpowers everything it touches, but this dish seemed especially lost in "mintiness."

Course 2: Zucchini gazpacho, charred onion, shrimp, churro, white sesame

Cool and refreshing (particularly appreciated on the 90 degree day as I was sweating through my shirt.  To the aforementioned close table neighbors, I apologize).  The shrimp was perfectly cooked, the onions were nice and sweet while still holding some body, and the little churro was amazing.  They should sell these in bulk; think zucchini muffin meets funnel cake.

Course 3: Coffee scented fluke tartar, cucumber, saffron crisp

Not particularly coffee-like, but a nice clean, fresh tartar none the less.  The saffron crisp was a little chewy, and given the raw ahi amuse, this was just kind of ‘meh.’

Course 4: Foie gras torchon with charred green garlic, black garlic, green strawberries and shrimp salt

This is the fist torchon I’ve tasted, so I have no basis for comparison, but it was a very dense, creamy, rich mouthful of Foie.  The shrimp salt gave it a nice salty crunch (shrimp salt is a crushed dried shrimp, very Mexican), and the black garlic was pungent and delicious.  I don’t get the green strawberry, it’s just an unripe strawberry, I prefer them red and juicy.

Course 5: Slow-cooked halibut and brandade with Chinese broccoli, angelica and pickled cherries

The halibut was perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.  The brandade was a nice salty addition and the Chinese broccoli was creamy and delicious.  The cherries were a nice bright fruity component

Course 6: Sautéed skate wing with peach molasses, eggplant confit and chamomile

I’m unsure of this course given the halibut we just had, and in general to this point we’ve had 3 white fishes, plus a tuna amuse, so I’m a little fished out.  The skate was again perfectly cooked, and the peach molasses an incredible smear on the plate.  The eggplant confit was the first eggplant Jenny’s ever enjoyed, so it must’ve been really good.  The chamomile gave this dish a very tea-like scent and taste

Course 7: Roasted Berkshire pork loin with caramelized white chocolate, beets, plums and sea beans (MEAT!)

The pork was a nice hue of pink, cooked to a perfect medium (thank goodness the fear of trichinosis has passed, nothing is worse than dry, overcooked pork).  The white chocolate was a great accompaniment, almost mole like.  The sea beans gave a great salty crispness the dish, while the plums and beets provided nice fruitiness and earthiness (both of which are always great with pork).  There was a little sprig of dill, which to me much like mint can be overwhelming.

Course 8: Grilled wagyu tri tip with artichoke, figs, sprouting granola and cassia bud (MORE MEAT!)

The beef was possibly the best I’ve ever had, and the granola was a great crunchy pair.  The cinnamon really came through the cassia bud (I’ve never had such a thing), and the fig gave a good deep fruitiness to the plate.

Course 9: Brown butter cake with black raspberries, borage and goat’s milk caramel ice cream

This was a nice dessert, not too sweet or heavy but with a real deep nutty richness.  The brown butter cake was moist and the goat’s milk caramel (Cajeta in Spanish) ice cream was great, like a combined vanilla-caramel sundae.

Course 10: Cherry sorbet, blis maple syrup, candied pecan

A mistake!  This was meant to be the 9^th course, which when we brought to attention of our server, they brought us each a glass of sparkling rose, so we let it slide.  This was the best of the desserts, IMO.  The sorbet was candy coated so you really had to crack into it, which when you did, out poured a deliciously silky treat.  The blis maple syrup was nice and bourbony (Blis syrup is aged in bourbon barrels) and the candied pecan may have been my favorite bite of the evening.  I’d take these along with the churros to go if offered.

Course 11: Criollo chocolate with cupuacu, milk meringue and tonka bean ice cream

Final dessert, and after the 10 prior courses, bottle of wine (in addition to the wine at Pops pre-dinner) and 3 hours of eating, I was happy it was about to end.  I can’t really say if criollo chocolate is better than others as I’m not much of a chocolate person, but this really reminded me of a dipped cone from Dairy Queen (in a good way).

In all, a great experience.  Everything on our plates was perfectly (and I mean PERFECTLY) cooked.  Although there were a few too many white fish dishes (I would’ve loved some duck or lamb, or even some plain old chicken), overall the meal was a treat.  At $100 per person, the tasting menu at Blackbird is appropriately priced as a special occasion dinner, but it is great opportunity to sample a variety of dishes at one of the city's best and most consistent restaurants. If you are looking for a less expensive way to experience Blackbird, I recommend trying the surprisingly affordable 3 course lunch tasting menu for $22 (see Food Babies' recommended Mega Bites review here).

-Bill

Blackbird
619 West Randolph Street - (312) 715-0708
Open for Lunch Monday - Friday: 11:30am-2:00pm. 

Open for dinner Monday -Thursday 5:30-10:30, Friday - Saturday 5:30pm-11:30pm.
For more info check out the Blackbird website and the Blackbird thread on LTH Forum.

Baking for Boys

-By Jess

When Keith let me know we’d be hosting two of his buddies, Dave and Peter, for 4 nights in our little apartment, I knew it was time to don my apron and pearls and start whipping up some tasty treats. What better way to entertain a few former frat boys than with cookies and brownies? Thomas Keller of“French Laundry” and "Top Chef" fame has always served us well with his “Ad Hoc” cookbook when it comes to the more savory dishes, so I figured I’d give his sweets a whirl. This was my third time making his brownies, but my first with his recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Brownies (for the full recipe, click here):

I have to say, and not just because I made them, but these are truly the most delicious brownies I’ve ever had (editor's note - This is in fact true). What makes these brownies so special? Gobs of butter, biting into a melted chocolate chunk in the middle, and the sprinkling of powered sugar over the top (which he marks as optional) is a must!

Cookies (for the full recipe, click here):

As for the cookies, mine unfortunately did not turn out looking like the picture in “Ad Hoc” (sad). However, after they sat for a couple days and had the chance to ‘toughen up’ a bit, they were quite tasty. I’m certainly going to take another crack at these, and be quite a bit more meticulous when it comes to measurement, and the size of the dough I plop on the tray (admittedly, I got a little lazy after the brownies..).
  
Oreo Truffles:
In addition to my own concoctions, Dave came armed with a surprise from his girlfriend, Molly. In the spirit of honesty here, I do confess that I felt a little threatened by the ‘intrusion’ of another woman’s baked goods in my apartment – admit it ladies, you know you’d feel the same way. However, the moment I bit into one of Molly’s refrigerator-chilled Oreo truffles, all my ill feelings drifted away, and I was on chocolate cloud nine. These homemade candies have a surprising amount of flavor, and really toy with your emotions because they may look like a grown-up treat, but they sure do taste like those childhood favorites! Thank you, Molly, for sharing this delight with us.

RECIPE FOR OREO TRUFFLES:

Ingredients

1 package of classic Oreo’s

80z cream cheese

Two bags of milk chocolate chips

12oz of white chocolate chips

(There will be leftover chocolate, but who wants to run short?!)

Steps

1)      Blend entire bag of Oreo’s in food processor until you can no longer see the white cream filling – use the sharpest blade

2)      Add cream cheese and blend together – use a plastic blade if you own one

3)      Using a melon scooper, roll the mixture into balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Store in freezer for 1-2 hours

4)      Using a double boiler (or a makeshift one, i.e. glass bowl over a pot of boiling water) melt the milk chocolate chips.

5)      Taking only a few rolled balls out of the freezer at a time (so they don’t get mushy) begin to dip in the chocolate. (Molly suggests using a fork so the excess can easily drip off)

6)      Once all rolled balls have been dipped in milk chocolate, replace in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden.

7)      Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

8)      After the chocolate dipped balls have hardened, use a chop stick to drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top. Store in the refrigerator, and let harden before serving.

9)      ENJOY!

All in all, I’d say that the desserts were a success – measured by the near empty platters in just a few days time. However, when it comes to baking for boys, I’m pretty sure they’d eat just about anything ;)

-Jess