Tangerine - Longmont - Brunch

After Denver, I ran up to Longmont, in Boulder County, to visit some friends.  I met them in the evening and we enjoyed burgers and beer, but decided to see the mountains and The Stanley Hotel (inspiration for The Shining) in Estes Park.  Before we went up, though, I needed a good meal to start things off.  We met at Tangerine, in downtown Longmont, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant.  It had a nice patio in front, but as I was going to be outside all day and it would be hot, I decided to get a little shade and air conditioning.  The space was narrow with the bar on one side, a row of high sided booths in the middle of the space, and a row of two tops against the wall opposite the bar.  The space was largely white with hanging lights with orange globes.  The booths had decorative glass barriers between each other, so the booths, while open on one side, felt pretty private.  While the place had a dineresque feel, there was a design element above the bar that reminded me of either whitewashed industrial equipment or the Death Star from Star Wars.  As it wasn't really prominent unless you actually looked above the bar, it didn't really change the vibe of the space, but it was kind of funny.

 

For drinks, they served Juice, Coffee of all sorts, Beer, Wine, and a variety of Breakfast Cocktails.  As I imagined that I would have enough beer to last me, I decided to hold off on the alcohol and to hydrate and energize myself with some Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice and some Coffee.  The coffee was a medium dark roast, but pretty tasty and the orange juice was very fresh, tart, and sweet.

 

For my main course I had Corned Beef Hash with House Made Corned Beef, Onions, Bacon, Potatoes, House Spice Blend, 2 Sunny Side Up Eggs, House Made Butter Pickles, and Wheat Toast and a Fruit Cup on the side.  This was really good.  The pickles were unusual in that I have never had pickles that came with Corned Beef Hash.  The hash was tasty and filling, the bacon, in addition to the corned beef, was a nice touch and the eggs were perfectly cooked.  I felt really lucky with the Fruit Cup because for the second time I had ordered it recently, it contained no Cantaloupe.  It had Grapes, Pineapple, Strawberries, Blueberries, and Watermelon.  It was fresh, sweet, and juicy, and a nice finish to a great breakfast.

Ivy on 7th - Brunch - Denver

When I travel, the most important meal for me is brunch.  I travel to see a specific area, so I will undoubtedly be doing a lot of exploring, so it's good to start things off with a good meal.  This was especially important in Denver when I planned on doing an all day beer crawl.  I was staying in the Speer neighborhood of Denver and Ivy on 7th was both close, in Capital Hill, and on the way to RINO, where I wanted to go.  When I arrived, I noticed that it looked brand new.  In fact, the temporary banner above the door said NOW OPEN.  When I asked, I found the restaurant had been open for less than 3 months, replacing another wine bar.  It had a nice patio, but I decided to sit inside and learn about the place.  The space was very open  with brick walls, a cement floor, and an unfinished ceiling.  While I could see the dining room from the bar, it was separated by a half wall, I imagine to control traffic around the bar.

 

As I would be drinking, I decided both to stick with coffee with my brunch and to make sure I ate something hearty.  The coffee was a medium roast from a local roaster, Pablo's Coffee, and I really liked it.  For my meal, I had what they called an Ivy Cristo which was a spin on a Monte Cristo, a Ham and Cheese Sandwich served on French Toast.  For their version, it had Local Ham, Apricot Jam, and Brie, on Pressed French Sourdough Toast.  It was both sweet and savory and very gooey.  The fact that it was pressed in a panini press made it compact and crisp and very good.  As a side, I had Seasonal Fruits and Berries.  It included Grapes, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries which were sliced and tasted very fresh.  It also included no Cantaloupe which improved it immensely. 

My brunch was very good.  The place looked nice, it was very relaxed, and the staff was very friendly.  The food was also very fresh and good and if I return to Denver, this will definitely be on my list.       

Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, Hyde Park

 

 

I went to the original Jolly Pumpkin Brew Pub in Ann Arbor, Michigan earlier this year.  I decided recently to check out the recently opened branch in Hyde Park (Chicago), to see how they compare.  Located in 7 places, Jolly Pumpkin is a brewery that specializes in sours.  This is so much the case that when they wanted to make something other than sours, they started another brewery (North Peak) to market the non-sour beers.  They have been popular enough that they have been able to grow to 7 locations.  The Dexter Tap Room, the original original place, is simply a tap room and serves no food.  Every other place has a food menu.  Three of the locations, including the first brew pub in Ann Arbor are sit down locations.  The other three are counter service where you order food and beer, and then find a place to sit with your beer and your food will be delivered to you.  The outside of the Hyde Park location looks like a large modern retail or office location.  It doesn't really look like a brewery or restaurant from the outside, though it does look like a nice building and does have a Jolly Pumpkin sign.  Inside there is a line for the counter where you order your food and drink and then find a place to sit at one of the large picnic tables throughout the very large dining room or at the long two-sided bar.  There is also a round table that sits six inside a very large barrel in the dining room.  The dining room is very large, seating probably 200 people at the picnic tables and the bar.  Two of the walls are floor to ceiling windows looking at the street outside.  The other two sides of the dining room are the bar.  The kitchen is next to the bar one the side opposite the order counter behind a 3/4 wall.  The ceiling is unfinished with barrel lights and there are flat screen TVs throughout the room.  On the afternoon that I went, we were watching the World Cup.  There is a hall off to one side with a continuation of the window wall on one side with framed, poster-sized label art which is very cool and at the end of the hall there was a Game of Thrones-esque Throne of Barrel Staves.  It looked very worn, but it also looked kind of comfortable.

When I went to the Ann Arbor location, I ordered a flight, mostly of sours, but because they have so many interesting sours, when I came to Hyde Park, I again ordered a flight mostly of sours, with a token North IPA.  Most of the beers for the company are brewed at their production brewery in Traverse City, Michigan, though each place does have a small brewing operation of it's own for that location.  Most of the beers did come from the production facility, but I did get one that was brewed there.  Flights were four 5 ounce beers of your choice served on a barrel stave serving "platter" with space for five beers.  The beers also have an a la carte price for all sizes, so someone could augment their flight, if they so desired, so I guess that explains the extra space.  For my flight, I had the Biere de Mars Biere de Garde, Ale Absurd Sour Rye Tripel, Bath-O-Mat & Washeteria Sour Saison, a collaboration with Tired Hands Brewing of Ardmore, Pa, and my token North Peak Beer, Collaterale IPA.  The three sours were all pretty sour, but they all had different flavors.  The Biere de Mars was richer and had kind of a caramel finish, Ale Absurd was being brewed there though mine came from the production brewery.  All of the beers have some significant barrel aging time, so while they had brewed some Ale Absurd there, it was still barrel aging (in Chardonnay Barrels).  The Bath-O-Mat & Washeteria had a significant lemon flavor and aroma, and the North Peak IPA was an IPA.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't exceptional.

While I had to bring my beer to my seat, I was given a number for my food and it was brought to me.  While there were snacks, salads, and sandwiches, on the menu, what has gotten the most press has been the pizza, so I ordered a pizza.  The pizzas were 12 inches which is a good size for one person, especially when it has more than cheese and spices on it.  For my pizza, I ordered a Korean Short Rib BBQ Pizza with Korean Short Rib, Korean BBQ Sauce, Arugula, Scallions, Mozzarella, Black Sesame Seeds, and Sesame Soy Vinaigrette.  I liked it a lot.  It had a sweet and spicy flavor, with some savory from the soy sauce.  The Short Rib was tender and the arugula added some bitter crispness.  There was also a good sesame finish.  Between the flight and the pizza, I was pretty full when I finished.  While the service was casual, it was very friendly, and the food and drink were very good.  I would be happy to return.    

Midland Brewing Company

 

Friends know that I like to visit local breweries.  Midland Brewing Company is in my hometown of Midland, Michigan and has been in operation since 2010.  When it first opened, it was little more than a taproom that served nothing more than beer, some of which were pretty good.  As it grew, they started canning beers for distribution and needed to employ a contract brewer to maintain demand.  They have undergone an expansion in the last couple of years, temporarily closing their brewpub/taproom, so they could expand brewing capacity and to install a kitchen so they could serve food.  They reopened the brewpub last year and it has been upgraded a lot.  The place has the look of a lodge with wooden furniture, wooden floors, and a wooden bar, referencing Midland's logging past.  There are also many logging tools hung on the walls as decoration and to further emphasize Midland's logging past.  

Having been here a few times, I have tried many of their beers and have developed a few favorites.  When I go in, I will order a flight so I can try something new as well as get back to my favorites.  Their serving tray for flights is pretty cool.  It has a chalk board on the front of the tray so it's easy to keep track of which beer is which.  For my flight, I went with favorites Lime Rock 2.0 IPA, Copper Harbor Ale, Margarita Gose, and a new and weird one I had not tried yet, the Peanut Butter Porter (whose actual name was Lumberjack Brawl Oatmeal Porter even though it also contained Peanut Butter).  All of the beers that I tried were pretty good.  The Lime Rock IPA was crisp with a citrus flavor that moderates the bitter.  The Copper Harbor is malty and has a flavor somewhere between a Red and a Golden Ale.  The Margarita Gose is light and tart with a salty finish, and the Lumberjack Brawl was rich and dark with a nice peanut butter finish.  Of the beers that I tried, my favorite fell between the Lime Rock 2.0 IPA and the Margarita Gose.

While I had been here a few times before, I had never actually eaten here.  I did look at the menu, saw the food coming out of the kitchen, and smelled the smells, and things really looked good, so I decided to stop for lunch one day when I was up there.  It does have the standard bar food: burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and chicken wings, but it also has fish and chips, flatbreads, barbecue, a meat and cheese board, and tacos, among other good stuff.  I decided to start things off with some Fried Pickles that were served in a basket with some Spicy Aioli on the side.  The pickles had a nice crispy breading, but still retained their juicy pickleness.  The Aioli was creamy and had a nice burn to it.  It did provide a nice complement to the pickle flavor, though the pickles were also good on their own.   The basket contained a nice number of slices and even though I did share them, there was plenty for all.

There were many good things on the menu that I considered, though I decided to go light and ordered Fish Tacos.  They were done with Ancho-Rubbed Cod, Shredded Lettuce, Pineapple Pico de Gallo, and Chipotle Cream Sauce, on Flame Grilled Flour Tortillas.  Ancho Chiles are spicy, but they are one of the milder spicy chiles, so while they did add some spice to the fish, it wasn't overwhelming and added a nice burn.  The Chipotle Cream Sauce, made from smoked jalapenos added a warm and smoky spice to it.  The pineapple in the pico de gallo moderated the spice and added a nice citrus finush that went well with the cod.  There were three tacos served, which provided a nice and hearty meal.

I like the beer here at Midland Brewing Company, so I will return just for that to see what's new.  the great food just makes it easier to come here.  I will definitely have to return for the barbecue, the charcuterie, and the flatbreads.   

Cellar Door Provisions

I have been very interested in Cellar Door Provisions since it opened a couple of years ago.  The problem is that as it a breakfast/lunch place, I can't get there during the week and as it is very popular, I can't get in on the weekend.  Recently though, something happened that gave me a free morning during the week, so I decided to check it out.  Having looked at the menu before hand, I expected a small place with a coffee shop cafe feel.  Located on a corner, it has large windows on two sides and looks like a neighborhood coffee shop with a handwritten menu on paper in the window.  Walking in continued the coffee shop vibe with a small cafe.  There is art on the wall (for sale) and seating is with banquette and tables on both sides of the room.  There is another chalkboard menu at the back of the room on one side.  There is a counter at the back of the room that abuts the open kitchen where yet another menu is available if you hadn't seen the other two. The counter contains a display case showing their available pastries, most of which run to the savory side.  The pastries all looked very good and while I recognized the Caneles and the Croissants, which I ordered, there were several pastries that I did not recognize, but still looked really good.  Caneles are small French pastries about two inches tall that look like mini bundt cakes.  They are made with vanilla and rum and have a crispy outside crust and a firm custard center.  While they do have a sweetness about them,  they are also pretty savory.  For the one that I ordered the crust was very crisp and the inside was like a solid egg custard.  there was some sweetness, but it was also salty and savory.  I liked it so much that I had to buy another one for the road.  The croissant was flaky, buttery, and crisp, and while it was pretty big, it was also very light.  With these, I had an iced coffee.

While the pastries were very good, I wanted to try some of their "real" food.  This is not to say that their pastries were bad, in fact, they were pretty fantastic.  Substantial might have been a better word.  Their cafe menu is pretty veggie friendly although they do have some dishes with meat as well.  I went with something that was not strictly vegetarian, but it was pescatarian.  I got Cured Trout with Whipped Cheese, Ponzu, Bok Choi, Soft Boiled Egg, and Seared Bread.  The trout was very tender and flavorful in a flavorful broth with whipped cheese.  The cheese was a bit tart and kind of tasted like goat cheese (although I am not certain of this) which paired well with the trout.  The ponzu and bok choi were served on top and were very crisp and fresh.  The soft boiled egg was cooked well with a solid white and thick but liquid yolk.  The bread was crisp and tasted like it had just been baked.  It was very good, but it came in very handy to soak up the broth and yolk.  This also was pretty fantastic.

I really enjoyed my breakfast here and now understand why it is so popular.  I will definitely return if I happen to have another free weekday for the pastries if nothing else, but the cafe menu will certainly deserve a look.        

Café Marie Jeanne

While there are a few places that are really good there, I generally don't think of Humboldt Park for dining out.  I happened to be in the neighborhood one morning for other reasons and I hadn't eaten, so I decided to check out a place on a corner that I knew to be blowing up.  From the outside, Café Marie Jeanne looks like one of the many independent coffee shops or small restaurants in the city.  It sits on a corner and has large windows on both sides of the corner.  The sign is nice, although understated, with painted script on the lower part of the windows.  Walking in, the look is of a cafe, with hardwood floors, a painted tin ceiling, several tables laid out cafeteria-style (straight lines), and a few booths.  As you walk in, there is a small display counter with some beer, sodas, and produce, and pastries, which is one end of a long slate topped bar.  While they operate primarily as a restaurant, you can also buy fruit, milk, coffee, some produce, beer, and wine for take out, as in a market.  There seemed to be another dining room in the back, but I was happy in the front at the bar where the beer, wine, coffee, and liquor were.  While I was given a couple of menus consisting of breakfast and drinks to look at, I also noticed that there were several chalkboard menus at different places that emphasized specials, coffee, and beer and liquor.  While I was looking at, and comparing, all of the menus, I decided to start things off with some coffee.  I had not had a Capuccino in a while and they used a good coffee (Metric), so that's where I started.  I was happily surprised that, in addition to good tasting coffee, I also got some nice Latte Art.

The a la carte menu features a lot of meats, cheeses, produce, and pastries, so it potentially could take a little work to put together a composed meal, but a pastry is a good start.  I ordered a Ham & Comte (Cheese) Croissant and from the start, it reminded me of something I might find at a French Patisserie.  The plate, in fact, had a blue design around the edge and a blue farmhouse painting in the center.  It really reminded me of something I bought in France years ago.  The croissant was very light with a crispy and flaky crust and a nice chewy interior.  The ham was thinly sliced in the center and was very tender and flavorful and the Comte, while mostly melted into the croissant , still provided a nice funky cheese flavor.  I would have been happy with this alone, but there was more to come.

While I said that there were a lot of pieces and it could take a little work to create a composed dish, Café Marie Jeanne provided an easy way to do it.  On the menu is a Breakfast Sandwich that you essentially choose yourself.  How it works is that you choose two items from the Breakfast A La Carte Menu which are then placed, with cheese (White Cheddar) and an egg to order, on Country Wheat Bread or an English Muffin.  You could also build your sandwich on a muffin for a premium.  For my sandwich, I chose Smoked Brisket, and Jowl Bacon on an English Muffin with my egg over medium (so I get a little yolk, but it doesn't explode), which with the egg and cheese, made for a seriously hearty sandwich.  Everything about this sandwich was very good (although it was a little work to be able to get a good first bite because it was pretty big).  The brisket and jowl bacon were very flavorful and slightly crispy, but not charcoal, the egg was cooked perfectly and the cheese was melted.  I really enjoyed this, as well as my breakfast in general, and will definitely have to return to try different versions of the sandwich. 

Dove's Luncheonette

I have talked about Paul Kahan several times and have raved about every restaurant that is under his umbrella that I have been to (Blackbird, The Publican, Nico Osteria, Big Star).  He is a master chef and a great mentor who is able to find and lead talented young chefs with the many concepts that he has undertaken.  There are some restaurant groups in which most of their restaurants have a common theme and are very similar.  The several concepts run by One Off Hospitality, the restaurant group in which Paul Kahan is a partner, are very different.  The one common theme between the various properties are their devotion to local farmers and seasonal food.  I went recently to their most recent restaurant, Dove's Luncheonette, an old style diner that serves mostly Mexican food and is located in Wicker Park, next to Big Star.  The restaurant is kind of inobtrusive, with the sign painted on the window next to the door.  The building in which Dove's is located is a beautiful vintage building with wood framed windows.  The inside looks as an old diner should, with stainless steel counters facing the windows as well as a dining counter looking into the open kitchen.  The walls are paneled on the lower half and covered in numerous old photos on the upper half.  There is an old jukebox in the corner as well as a turntable behind the corner with a great collection of old blues and soul records.  The menu is one page (both sides listing all meals including the all day breakfast).  In addition, there is a board behind the counter, near the ceiling, that lists the daily specials.  While there were several things on the specials list that looked really good (the Pork Milanese Cemita), I decided to stick with the menu and started with the Pepper and Potato Hash which in addition to the Fried Potatoes and the Shishito Peppers, had Aioli, Charred Scallions, and Queso Fresco.  Shishito Peppers are long and green and look similar to Jalapeno peppers, so while they are sweet, it was a little annerving to see all of those peppers among the potatoes.  I did try a pepper before anything else and found it to be fresh, crisp and sweet and went well with the crispy fried potatoes, and the slightly spicy aioli.  The queso fresco added a little salt and texture to an excellent dish.

For my main course, I ordered Enchiladas de Cochinilla, or Suckling Pig which was roasted, shredded and wrapped in Corn Tortillas.  The dish was served in a cast iron pan giving it kind of a homey appearance.  They were served with Mole Verde, Pepitas (fried sunflower seeds), Onions, Queso Fresco, Chicharrones, and Cilantro.  The pork was very tender as would be expected and the dish was a wealth of flavors and textures.  It was so good, that while I try to change what I order when I return to a restaurant, it would be difficult not to return to this.  I liked everything about this place and I will definitely return.        

Marmalade

About once a month, on a Saturday morning, I am in Ravenswood to volunteer.  After we finish we frequently go to Glenn's Diner which has become a favorite for brunch.  I was in the area recently and we were again scheduled to go to Glenn's, but circumstances were such that we had to change our plans, and subsequently, the restaurant that we were going to.  We decided to go to Marmalade which I had seen several times and had heard was pretty good, but I had not yet dined there.  Located on a corner, Marmalade had windows on two sides and the look of the place kind of reminded me of a 1960s style diner.  The dining area was built with two tops and larger parties were served by pushing tables together.  The walls were light and from where we sat, there were two chalkboards, each with a different set of specials.  There were several items that would look right at home at a Greek or Mexican diner.  In any case, everything on the menu, both printed and written on the chalkboard, looked amazingly good and it took a little time to make a decision.  There were many versions of many breakfast standards, Omelettes, French Toast, Pancakes, and Eggs Benedict, I decided to start with a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon.  I was given three thick slices of crispy, bacony goodness.  It was sweet and meaty with just enough smoke and was something that I could eat all day except that I also had one of their signature dishes waiting for me.

For my main course, I had Chef Efrain's Texan Bennie, which I (correctly) took to be a Texan-style Eggs Benedict.  It contained Potato Rosemary Flatbread, Potatoes, Slow-cooked Pork Shoulder, marinated in Marmalade’s own secret-recipe House Brine, topped with Pineapple Chutney and Poached Eggs, drizzled with Pesto Hollandaise, and garnished with a slice of Orange and Pineapple.  Everything about this was very flavorful.  It was both sweet and spicy (as in spice flavored, not hot) and everything was cooked perfectly.  The pork was very tender and pulled apart very easily.  While I did like this, I will say that the rosemary flatbread was a little much on it's own.  The fact that it would have been extremely difficult to eat it on its own because it was buried by everything else was undoubtedly by design because it added a lot of flavor to whatever it was eaten with.  I really enjoyed brunch here.  The food was good, the service was very friendly, and I would be happy to return.    

Siena Tavern - Brunch

While the last time I went to Siena Tavern was during brunch, I did not go for brunch so I decided to make it the location of my brunch together for this month.  The Italian-ish restaurant in river north run by Executive Chef Fabio Viviani is spacious with both modern and vintage elements done in a siena color scheme.  The restaurant is in an office building and the outer walls are tinted glass looking out to the street.  Despite being located in an office building though, the space does look friendly and the waitstaff are very helpful. As far as the food was concerned, I continued my habit of trying both sweet and savory starting with the Monkeybread for the table.  Our jaws dropped when this arrived because it just looked ridiculous.  The sweet sticky bread was topped with Hazelnut Cream, Hazelnuts, and was sitting in a thick, buttery caramel.  It was amazing and despite the size of it, it was pretty big, it disappeared quickly. 

For my main course, I went with a hash, as I frequently do, but this was a major variation on the standard hash.  It was a Lobster Hash with Poached Eggs, Lobster (obviously), Caramelized Vegetables (Asparagus, Onions, and Carrots), House Cured Pancetta, and Truffled Hollandaise Sauce.  The entire dish was very flavorful.  The lobster was sweet and tender and came in large pieces.  The eggs were poached perfectly with solid and firm whites and liquid yolks.  The vegetables were tender and had a caramelized sweetness.  The pancetta was firm and flavorful with a sweet pork flavor and the hollandaise sauce was great.  It was creamy and buttery with a significant amount of pepper and enough truffle to give it a good truffle funk without overwhelming it.

This brunch was a favorite of mine and I will probably repeat it in the future because many of the people that expressed interest had to cancel at the last minute and this is a place that deserves wide acclaim.

Smalls Smoke Shack and More

The size of a restaurant has little to do with the quality of food that comes out of it's kitchen.  I have been to some small places that put out some good food, but I think I may have recently found a definite competitor for the smallest restaurant in town.  The place has a very apt name, that being Smalls. Smoke Shack and More.  Located in Albany Park, it is a counter service restaurant with six counter seats (which are different counters than the order counter).  The room is a light brown with the counter, the seats, an order window (where orders come out), a drink refrigerator, and that's about all.  There was a sign written on a brown paper bag by the counter that listed the specials in addition to the menu above the order window.  I went there thinking that I wanted some barbecue and making my standard barbecue order so I could compare it (half-rack of baby back ribs) but then I saw the Brisket Bibimbap.  I really like bibimbap and I thought if I ordered it, I could get an idea about both their barbecue and their Asian food so it would be a win-win.  With the bibimbap, I ordered one of the vegetables on special, the Long Beans.  While I had heard of long beans, I had never tried them, so that's what the order would be.  The order came out on a metal try like what you might expect at a barbecue place with the long beans in a Chinese takeout box.  The bibimbap was separated into it's component parts, as bibimbap is generally served, with the fried egg on top of the rice.  With this Bibimbap, it included, in addition to the Soy Maple Sesame Glazed Brisket (which was also sprinkled with Sesame Seeds), Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Garlic Fried Rice, the obligatory Fried Egg, and Korean Chile Paste.  It was also served with a small side of kimchi.  I am used to seeing a little green and Daikon Radishes in Bibimbap, but I suppose it depends on what's available.  I did taste everything separately before combining it all and everything did taste fine on it's own, if a little plain.  Eaten together as it's supposed to be though, it was very good.  The brisket was shredded and was sweet and tender with soy, maple and sesame flavors, that played well with the garlic flavor of the fried rice.  The carrots and bean sprouts were very fresh and crisp, and the egg was well fried.  The chile paste was thick and spicy and had what I thought was a peanuty flavor, but after a little research think that it may have been the fermented soybeans.  While it was pretty spicy, mixed with everything else, it was toned down.  It provided a spicy finish to a flavorful dish without being overwhelming.  The Kimchi that was served on the side was fairly standard kimchi composed mostly of cabbage.  It was sour and spicy, but still pretty good.  For the Long Beans that I had ordered on the side, I had never had them before, so I didn't really know what to expect.  I had heard of them, and I knew that they were eaten in Asian cuisines, but as far as texture and taste, I was clueless.  I had read that like their name implies, they are very long.  Wikipedia states that they grow to about eighteen inches.  When served, they looked like haricot verts (French green beans that are slightly more slender than regular green beans).  They were cut into more manageable size pieces and not served long which was fine because I don't know that it would have been that fun to try and eat a whole long bean.  Texturally, they were like also similar to green beans, but they had a flavor more similar to asparagus.  They were very good and a good complement to the bibimbap.  I really liked my lunch here.  The food was an interesting combination and I will definitely return or at least stop for take out to try more of the menu.  

Fountainhead - Blunch

About once a month, I find myself in the Ravenswood area of Chicago around brunch time.  The goto place when I am there is generally Glenn's Diner.  When I was in the area recently though, Glenn's was very busy.  While we could have gotten in eventually, it would have been an extended wait.  While we do like Glenn's, it didn't make sense to wait for an extended period when there were other choices in the area.  We decided to go to Fountainhead, a place just down the street from Glenn's that is known as one of the great beer bars in Chicago.  They have always had food of a sort, but the emphasis of the place had been on the beer until relatively recently.  They recently (within the last year) employed talented chef, Cleetus Friedman, who upped their food game.  I had had Chef Cleetus's food before and I was excited to see what he had done at Fountainhead.  Located on a corner, Fountainhead is in a single story white brick building with brown awnings and a fountain head symbol for a sign above the door, which is at the corner of the building.  The interior of the restaurant is large and open with a high unfinished ceiling.  The interior features a lot of heavy, dark wood which kind of reminded me of what a trading post in the mountains of Canada might look like.  At the same time, there were several vintage French liquor posters framed and hanging on the wall.  The bar and the shelf behind it were also done in dark, heavy wood, but they also had a vintage look to them.  There were a couple of large tables and several smaller tables on the floor with about 10 - 6 person booths lining the exterior of the dining room.  The beer list, which could be found at every table, was in a large leather-bound book which matched the size of many wine lists at fine restaurants known for their wine.  The beers were broken down by style and there was a slight description for most of the beers they were serving.  Admittedly, the beer list was augmented in size with the addition of the wine and cocktail list, but it would have been impressive, even without them.  Fountainhead doesn't actually call their brunch "brunch", they call it blunch instead which is supposed to be lunch with breakfast.  As such, their menu falls on the savory and more hearty side of things.  They do however, have a pretty good selection of vegetarian items which was good because I was dining with a couple of vegetarians.  I started things off with what was called a Jar of Pickled Things.  I like pickled things so I was interested to see what was contained in this jar.  As one might expect, there were Pickles (pickled cucumbers) which were crisp, and sour, and very good, but there were also Brussels Sprouts, Radishes, and Potatoes.  Of these, I liked the radish best.  It was crisp, fresh tasting and sour with the spicy finish that radishes have.  The potato, while it wasn't bad, was a little odd and unusual.  It was also slightly sour as a pickled potato might be expected to be and had a light earthy flavor as a potato.  It was also crisp (although not as crisp as the radish) and had the mildly gritty texture of a raw potato.  I prefer my potatoes cooked and with a softer texture.  The only reason a potato should be crisp is if the outside was fried crisp.  It didn't taste bad, it was just a little odd, and I would probably prefer not to have it again.  The brussels sprouts were sour and tasted fresh and good, but they were a bit tough and it took a bit of effort to stab it with a fork.  The dish was good and it was interesting to try vegetables other than the standard cucumber, beet, and carrot, but I don't know if I would pick any of these vegetables (other than the pickled cucumbers) on their own.

For my main dish, I stuck with a vegetarian dish, not because I was trying to eat vegetarian, but simply because it sounded really good.  I went with a Breakfast Burrito because I really like breakfast burritos and this sounded really good despite not having any meat.  It was a soft Corn Tortilla filled with Eggs, Potatoes, Cheese, and Onions served with a spicy Aioli on top, and more Fried Potatoes, Arugula,  Potatoes, Arugula, and Cleetus Heatus Salsa on the side.  This was a very good burrito and one that was so good that the meat was not missed.

Blunch at Fountainhead was very good.  The space was both rustic and vintage and had a homey feel to it.  The service was good as was the food.  It was a very good change of pace from Glenn's and I will keep it in mind when I am up in the area again around brunch time.  

Sable

Several years ago, my brother, when visiting Chicago, had lunch at the Atwood Cafe and loved it.  At the time, the Executive Chef was Heather Terhune.  She was one of the first chefs in Chicago to promote local and seasonal cuisine in Chicago and she was on my radar.  Shortly after my brother dined at the Atwood, she went to open Sable which immediately went on my to dine on list.  It has been now open for several years and while several friends have been there and really liked it, I had not yet made it.  Admittedly, Chef Terhune's stint on Top Chef, where she was portrayed as a bit of a bully, did not help.  The restaurant remained on my list, but was pushed back for other places.  Finally, after seeing them on lists as one of the best cocktail bars in the country in addition to having good food, I decided it was time to go.  Sable is located in The Loop and operates as the restaurant/cocktail lounge for boutique hotel, Hotel Palomar.  The main entrance is on State St. and Illinois St., a very high traffic area.  The hosts station is in the center of the space dividing the lounge and dining areas.  This can be a little confusing for diners entering directly into the Sable space because the entrance is directly into the bar which you then have to walk through to get to the host's station.  There is a second entrance across from the host's station but you have to walk through the hotel to enter from there.  The space is long and narrow, with with one wall a window looking out onto State St.  The colors are black, gray, and silver, similar to the animal sable.  I don't know that the restaurant was named for the animal, but it does seem to fit.  The bar, which is long and classic looking, parallels the window.  The host station is on the outer wall and sits across from the hotel entrance and is flanked by a leather bench sitting in front of a televised fireplace and a decorative table containing what looks like specialized scientific glassware.  I am going to guess the glassware is there as a reference to their high-end cocktail lounge.  The dining area is flanked on one side by the window and on the other by the open kitchen.  The space is divided by a half-wall with banquette seating on either side.  I entered through the bar and was a little confused because I didn't immediately see the host station to check in.  I did find it soon enough and was quickly seated at a two top next to the window.  As this place is noted for it's cocktails and the cocktail menu is several pages long, I felt obligated to try one.  Their cocktail menu is very creative and covers everything from the classics to new and different.  It is divided by the main liquor used and their were two pages of whiskey drinks.  I decided to go with something using an old spirit similar to gin.  The drink was called Damn the Torpedoes.  It contained Bols Genever, a Pumpkin Cordial, Lemon, and Egg White.  It also seemed to have Pumpkin Spice in it (Allspice, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg).  This was both floral and spicy and kind of reminded me of pumpkin pie (with whipped cream).  It was light and I really liked it.  I ordered my dinner when my drink arrived and began enjoying my drink while waiting for my appetizer.

 I was a little unsure of what I wanted for an appetizer when I ordered (there were several things that looked good) so I went with my waiter's recommendation.  I ordered Veal Meatballs with a Gorgonzola-Walnut Cream Sauce.  The waiter told me that it was very good and rich.  I believed him on the good, but I was a little skeptical on the rich part.  While veal is fattier than most beef, I wouldn't really consider it that rich.  What I didn't consider was that cheese sauce (like Gorgonzola) can be very rich.  The meatballs were tender and flavorful, the sauce was flavorful and very rich, and it all went together well.

 My next course was a salad and while it was largely green, it contained no lettuce and was kind of savory.  It was a Brussels Sprout and Farm Apple Salad with Pecorino Romano Cheese, Smoked Almonds, Pork Belly Croutons, and a Brown Butter Vinaigrette.  This was much lighter than the appetizer and actually helped revive me somewhat.  The brussels sprouts and apples were fresh and crisp, there was a lot of Pecorino Romano and the Pork Belly Croutons were a bonus.  They were crispy and bacon flavored and reminded me of  what you might get if you combined bacon bits and croutons.

 For my entree, I went with something that I didn't really expect to see on the menu of a restaurant that specializes in American comfort food.  Having said that, American cuisine takes elements from all over the world and twists and combines them into something that is both convenient and works.  I got a Rojo Pozole with Pork Belly, Hominy, Cilantro, and an Ancho Chili-Pork Broth.

It was accompanied by a tray of add-ins which included Red Onions, Crispy Tortilla Strips, and Avocado and Lime.  I didn't consider why they would have made the diner build their own pozole but not everyone likes raw onions, if the tortilla strips were added to the pozole in the kitchen they might be soggy by the time they reached the diner, as would the avocado.  It also allowed diners to less of an item if that is what they desired.  I liked it all so it all went in.  The pozole was spicy and porky with crunchy bits with some richness provided by the avocado.  It tasted very good and the only thing I might have wished for was more hominy.

While Sable has a pretty good dessert menu, when looking over it, I knew immediately what I wanted.  I ordered the Dark Chocolate Souffle Cake with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sauce, Peanuts, and Salted Caramel Ice Cream.  This was very good.  The cake was moist and rich and with the different flavors in the dish it was like a deconstructed Snickers Bar.  I really enjoyed it and it was a filling finish to a very good meal.  While I can't say that I like the layout of the space.  The wait staff was friendly and professional and were happy to answer my questions and the food and drink were very good.  I may very well consider returning.

Little Goat Diner

What is your next step after opening and running a highly successful restaurant that pushes the boundaries using relatively common dishes and varying them by changing flavor of texture?  If you're Stephanie Izard, Executive Chef of Girl & the Goat, Winner of Top Chef, Season 4, and the 2013 Winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Great Lakes, you decide to open a diner.  While the food at a diner is generally simpler than that served at a fine dining restaurant, I would think that this may be even more difficult in some aspects.  The menu in a typical diner will be larger than that in a typical fine dining restaurant.  They are open longer and the entire menu is frequently available for the entire time that it is open.  A meal typically moves faster in a diner than in a fine dining restaurant.  All of these are on top of the fact that the menu at all diners are pretty typical, so much so, that you could call several items archetypes.  You may run into a problem with the clientele if you vary a standard diner dish too much.  While the dishes served here were spins on diner classics, they retain their essences.  Located on Randolph Street across the street from it's big sister, the Little Goat Diner (and adjoining bakery, Little Goat Bread) is a large space with a high ceiling and a skylight.  While it's look is dineresque, it is very definitely not a greasy spoon.  It does have some vintage wallpaper on the back wall but for the most part, the walls and counter are white.  The room is divided by two half-walls with a row of booths outside of each.  There are some two tops on the inside of the half-wall and a large communal table under the skylight in the middle of the room.  There is also a row of booths beside the wallpapered back wall and side window, and a row of tables at the front.  The counter runs from front to back along the side of the room opposite the side window behind which is the server station and the narrow kitchen.  The expediter has a very cool computerized tablet system mounted on the wall to keep track of orders.  With the large skylight, I am sure that in the daytime, the lighting in the dining room is bright enough but at night the lighting in the dining room is fairly dim except at the counter where I sat.  The extra light comes from the well-lighted kitchen.  The regular lighting is provided by dim hanging lights.  

There were several directions I could have gone for dinner.  I was not really interested in breakfast for dinner and while there were several things on the supper menu that sounded good, there were also some very good sounding burgers and sammiches so that is how I went.  I ordered a Tonkatsu Sandwich.  While a Tonkatsu sounds unlike anything you might find at a diner, it wasn't that much of a stretch from something standard you might find at a diner.  It was actually a Breaded Pork Cutlet with Asian BBQ Sauce, House Mayo, and Shredded Cabbage on White Bread.  It was Served with some pickled vegetables, Carrots, Onions, a Radish slice, and Hot Peppers on the side.  While I did eat the pickled vegetables on the side, they might have gone quite well on the sandwich.  I am generally not a fan of plain white bread but I do understand the logic of using it as this is what a diner might use.  The breading on the cutlet was crisp and held the juiciness of the pork which was also pretty tender.  The Asian BBQ Sauce was soy based so was fairly salty.  It also had a slight bite and some sweetness at the end.  The mayo took the edge off the salt and spice of the BBQ sauce and the cabbage provided a little crispness and slight vegetable flavor.  As a side for my sandwich, I ordered some Smoked Fries (which came a la carte).  I did think that the price for the fries was a little high, until I saw the order.  It was enormous.  The fries came in (and overflowed) what was essentially a cereal bowl.  The fries were crispy, salty, and like their name implied, had a smoky flavor on top of the good potato flavor that came from the potatoes.  I will frequently use ketchup on my fries and I did try some on these but I only used a little ketchup because they really didn't need it.

When you think of dessert at a diner, three things come to mind: pies, shakes, and sundaes.  The Little Goat had selections on their dessert menu that covered all three.  The dessert menu was also where the most creativity was found.  On the menu (among other things) was a Cookie Pie, a Smoked Pork and Toffee Crunch Shake, and a Cheez-It Sundae.  I was torn, but I finally decided to go with the Cheez-It Sundae.  This was built around a scoop of Peanut Butter Ice Cream surrounded by two scoops of Strawberry Ice Cream.  This was then topped with Caramel Sauce, Whipped Cream, and a large number of Chocolate-Covered Cheez-Its.  A Maraschino Cherry Cherry topped everything else off.  Without the Cheez-Its, this sundae wasn't too bad.  The ice cream and caramel were creamy, sweet, and flavorful and who doesn't like whipped cream with a cherry on top.  The chocolate-covered Cheez-Its added crunch, chocolate (what's not to like so far?) and a sweet-salty flavor along with the slightly cheesy flavor that Cheez-Its provides.

The Little Goat is loud but the staff is friendly and prompt and they do a good job of putting an interesting spin on standard diner fare while still maintaining the essence of diner food.  As the menu is huge, it will take several trips to explore the menu more thoroughly.

Eleven City Diner

There are a lot of diners in Chicago and while there aren't as many as there used to be, there are still many Jewish delis around town.  There aren't many Jewish diners around town, however.  In the South Loop, near 11th and Wabash is the Eleven City Diner, a very good Jewish Diner.  Located in what looks like an old warehouse, it has very high ceilings and cement columns.  The decor is classic diner with a checkered tile floor and large half-round booths.  The menu was a large wall hanging on the wall in addition to the menus that were provided to us at our table.  The cuisine is classic diner fare with all-day breakfast, burgers, meatloaf, and mac and cheese.  They also have a classic soda fountain (with a soda jerk), and cold deli sandwiches.  On top of all of this, they also have a full bar.  I came during the early afternoon and while it is perfectly acceptable at a diner to have breakfast at any time, when I saw the Reuben on the menu, I knew what I had to have.  A Reuben is a classic sandwich made with Corned Beef (or pastrami here), Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, and 1000 Island Dressing.  They serve the sandwich here open-faced and garnished with paprika.  There are still two pieces of bread, but they are on top of each other.  Even if it was served in regular sandwich style though, I am pretty sure that I still would have needed a knife and fork because it was enormous.  It was served with a pickle spear and spicy fries.

Eleven City Diner is a very good diner that does very good versions of classic diner fare with a Jewish twist.  I really liked my visit here.  The service was very friendly and the food was good.  I will definitely be an option if I happen to be in the South Loop and am in the mood for diner food.  

2 Sparrows

I cannot talk about the restaurant where I went to brunch this month without first talking about Charlie Trotter's.  No matter what anyone may have thought of Charlie Trotter, the person, it cannot be denied that his restaurant was, for many years, the pinnacle of fine dining in Chicago.  Despite the fact that his restaurant is gone, his influence remains; not only in the food that is presented in area restaurants, but in the chefs themselves, who had worked in Trotter's restaurants.  There is an expectation among area diners that a chef that advertises his time with Charlie Trotter will be a talented chef.  The name applies even if the chefs are not doing the same level of fine dining that could be found at Charlie Trotter's.  The restaurant that I went to, 2 Sparrows, is almost entirely a brunch place, although they are open in the evening for some special occasions.  Located close to the heart of Lincoln Park, it's in an urban strip mall (street parking only) and is not exceptionally obvious.  The front glass window wall blends in with the businesses on either side.  The sign for the restaurant is on the window near the door.  Inside, the restaurant has high unfinished ceilings, hardwood floor, pillars, and furniture, and a small bar near the entrance that serves both liquor and coffee.  There are also cartoon style drawings of animals on the walls.  The restaurant does not take reservations so there can be a wait at times, especially with larger parties (which mine was).  When we were seated, we started out with a variety of pastries which combined sweet and savory elements.  The first pastry that we were presented was what we thought was a cinnamon roll.  It was listed on the menu as a cinnamon roll.  It looked like a very nice cinnamon roll with the requisite cinnamon and glaze and the dough was rolled but it was very dense.  It was texturally very much like a muffin.  While it did taste good, I have to say that the density made it a fail.

The next pastry however, was a definite win.  It was a Maple Bacon Doughnut.  The doughnut was of the light fluffy variety that you might find at Krispy Kreme.  It was covered in maple syrup and topped with chopped bacon.  The doughnut was light and fluffy, the syrup was sweet, and the bacon was cooked to done but not crispy so it had a nice chew to it.  This was very messy to eat and obviously required a knife and fork but it was very good.

The last pastry before we got to our main courses might be considered an acquired taste and was one of those things that sounded so weird that we had to try it. It was a Foie Gras and Cherry Pop Tart.  It looked very nice when it came out.  The pastry shell looked like a good pie crust, flaky and slightly crisp with fork sealed edges.  There was a nice, slightly tart cherry sauce spread over it and when we cut it open, it oozed more cherry sauce.  The filling was a mixture of foie gras and cherries which was very good.  It tasted primarily of cherries being sweet and tart  but the foie gras provided a depth of flavor and texture to the dish that put it over the top.  All of the pastries were very good and got us ready for our main dishes.

For my main course, I went with a spin on hash, something I have been hitting on frequently lately.  This hash was a Sweet Potato and Duck Hash which was made with cubed sweet potatoes, duck confit, and caramelized onions.  It was topped with a poached egg and served with a fresh green salad that was served with a light vinaigrette.  The hash was tender and slightly sweet from the sweet potatoes, duck confit, and caramelized onions.  The egg was poached medium.  The white was solid but the yolk was still fairly liquid.  And the salad was crisp and sour from the vinaigrette.  It was a very good dish.

There is a reason that there is a wait for 2 Sparrows.  The place looks rustic and friendly, the service is excellent, as is the food.  I would be happy to return here.