My round-up of dishes in 2010 that were a favourite either aesthetically or gastronomically. Or both. Time to reminisce!
Escaping the brouhaha that was the G20 in Toronto, I ran off with Endy to Chicago for an extended weekend. Though our hotel was located just off the shopping Mecca that is the Magnificent Mile, we, of course, hadn’t chosen Chicago for its shopping, but rather for its food. After some extensive research, the itinerary was set up and like all my trips, sight-seeing was optional and merely a good way to kill time between meals. I had short-listed 7 restaurants, 3 markets, and a pig butchering demo during our stay, with several optional places (mostly of the drinking variety) to hit if we had time.
Unable to make the Maxwell Street Market that morning, I sub-in a quick bite at Big Star instead. I had heard that there were long lines, to be aware that there was an alternate take-out line, that the patio was always packed, etc. Well apparently, noon on a Sunday is a good time to go – the minute it took to be carded was the most trouble we had getting into the place.
On a whim, we changed our plans and decided to have dinner at Mado on our last night in Chicago. Having enjoyed the talk and time spent during a pig butchering demo (more in a later post!) earlier in the afternoon at the restaurant, we thought it would be nice to check the actual dinner service out.
In a nutshell, molecular gastronomy is the application of science principles to food preparation and presentation. We see this in full-effect at moto in Chicago, where food and science meet in a playful frolic across your plate. We went all-out and opted for the GTM (Grand Tour Moto), a 20-course, 5-hour extravaganza. At times, it was a phenomenal mix of fantastic food and showmanship, sometimes less-so. But it definitely resulted in an interesting meal at the end of the night.
I have a sweet-tooth. I know it. So when I heard there was this dessert tasting-menu at TRU in Chicago, I got all excited. Then I read the dress code: gentlemen must wear a jacket in the dining room. We… Continue Reading →
Mercat A La Planxa has some great dishes, and we found everything out of the kitchen to be well-prepared and again, proportioned for more than two people. We ordered eight dishes and that was too many. We could have stopped… Continue Reading →
We continue our Chicago saga with one of Chef Paul Kahan’s popular restaurants and we choose from a short-list of three: Avec, The Publican, and Blackbird. At one point during scheduling this trip, I had all of them in, but… Continue Reading →
Our first night in Chicago brings us to The Purple Pig where charcuterie, cheeses, and tapas-like dishes dominate the menu. Large communal tables run down the centre of each arm of this L-shaped, loud, and boisterous room. It’s about 8:30… Continue Reading →
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