Crepes Et Amis

 

I like to see what there is to eat no matter where I go and that includes when I go to Michigan to visit my family.  My parents live in downtown Midland, Michigan and I noticed a crepe place that I was interested in a few years ago.  It took me a while, but I was finally able to visit Crepes et Amis for brunch the last time I was in Midland.  It's a small counter service space with the kitchen on one side and bench seating on the other.  There are also some tables in the front and a couple of tables in the back, opposite the bench seating and next to the kitchen.  The lights are hanging lights, strung above the bench and chandelier-like over the order counter.  There are also some wall hangings consisting of framed coffee bags and Paris art with a vintage clock in the center.  The entire look is both rustic and very homey.

 

Crepes et Amis specializes in crepes, both sweet and savory, but they also do waffles and pastries (and coffee).  While there were several waffles that looked good, as it was my first time there, I wanted to focus on the crepes.  I got two crepes, one sweet and one savory.  I also had a cup of coffee from a local roaster that was pretty good.  The crepes were thin and easy to cut, but they also held together well enough to hold its fillings.  My sweet crepe was the Banberry, which had Bananas, Strawberries, and Nutella, and was drizzled with Nutella and Powdered Sugar.  It was sweet with a little tartness from the strawberries and the Nutella added a sweet and chocolatey nuttiness that tied everything together.  My second Crepe was called Good Morning Paris, and it was a perfect Breakfast.  Inside the the delicate crepe was Smoked Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Swiss Cheese, Brown Sugar, and served with an Orange on the side.  While I will generally order both sweet and savory dishes for brunch, this was both sweet and savory in one.  The crepes were really good.  The space was very friendly and welcoming, and I will be sure to return. 

etta - Brunch

 

  

 

A recent brunch brought me to a location that I had visited a few times before, though not to this restaurant.  etta is in the former The Southern location, though there was a complete redo of the space.  The Southern had a small, but very open dining room on one floor with the door on the west side and the bar on the east (North Avenue was south of the building).  There was also a large patio with a fireplace.  With etta, the entrance is now on the southeast corner, facing North, the bar is on the south wall, with its back to North, there are two floors, the main dining room is much bigger, and there is no patio.  I was by myself, so I sat at the bar and talked to the bartenders.  I started things off with a cup of coffee because it was a cold and wet morning.  I then followed with a spin on a brunch cocktail classic, a Bloody Mary made with Gin (actually called a Red Snapper, but I will go with Gin Bloody Mary).  It was served with a Miller High Life Side Car and garnished with a variety of bites without going completely overboard.  It was garnished with an Olive, Mozzarella, Ham, Bacon, a Pickled Pepper and a Lime.  Gin plays well with Bloody Mary mix with its botanicals complementing the spices in the mix.  The tomato juice tasted very fresh and the spices and botanicals made for a very refreshing drink with the Miller High Life acting as a palate cleanser for the food.

There were several pastries that looked really good, so it was going to be a bit of a choice to decide what would go on the sweet side of my brunch.  There was a basket available, but I wanted to eat something other than pastries, so I had to make a decision.  I decided on a pastry I discovered earlier in the year that has become a new favorite, a Kouign-Amann.  A Kouign-Amann, literally a butter cake originating in Breton, France, is made with a dough similar to puff pastry and is like a Muffin-Shaped Caramelized Croissant.  Sprinkled with sugar, it was sweet, flaky, buttery, and very good.

 

For the savory side of my brunch I had an Elysian Tart Flambe and a side of Crispy Potatoes.  The crispy potatoes were exactly as described.  They had a nice crispy exterior, but from the texture on the inside, I have to guess that they were boiled first.  They were good in any case.  The Elysian Tart Flambe was essentially a breakfast pizza that had been cooked over an open flame.  It was round with charred and bubbly edges and topped with Uplands Cheese, Bacon, Onion, Creme Fraiche, and Egg.  It was salty, savory, and with everything else made for a filling and satisfying finish.

I ate and drank a lot at etta and really enjoyed what I had.  My bartenders and servers were very friendly and helpful, and I would happily return.      

    

Marisol - Brunch

 

There is a restaurant in Logan Square, Lula Cafe, that has been enormously influential in the Farm-to-Table movement, and has produced a significant number of good chefs that have moved on and opened other cool and important restaurants.  Through all of this, Chef Jason Hamel has been the owner/chef/restauranteur at Lula Cafe.  While his proteges have expanded his influence, he has remained at Lula Cafe.  He opened another notable restaurant for one of his notable former chefs, Jason Hamel, about 10 years ago, the late lamented Nightwood, and has now opened a new place in coordination with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Marisol.  While you do have to enter the museum building to enter the restaurant, it is independent of the restaurant and can be entered from the ground level theater entrance.  There is a sign on the building for Marisol, but entering on the ground level puts you in an entry hall for the theater.  There is a coat check and a ticket booth near the entrance, Marisol is located toward the rear of the hall on the left side.  There is a coffee bar, running parallel to the length of the hall, that acts as a divider between the hall and the restaurant.  There are a few tables and benches for waiting for a table or for simply enjoying a coffee.  The coffee bar also serves a variety of fresh pastries.  Entering the restaurant, it is fairly narrow with a bar opposite the coffee bar in the front and a few marble communal tables in the middle of the room.  There are also two and four tops on the sides of the room.  There is a very colorful and abstract mural on one side of the room and a mirror on the wall opposite the mural.  We sat at one of the communal tables near the mirror, which had a design etched into it.  The design looked cool, but it was tough to see the overarching design.

When we were seated, I started things off with a cocktail.  I don't remember what it was called, but it had Cocchi Americano, Vermouth, Lime, and Soda.  Served on ice, it was more clear than most cocktails that I typically drink.  It was lightly sparkling from the soda and otherwise had a tart and slightly bitter flavor.  While it wasn't something that I might drink regularly, it was pretty good and I might order it again if I new what it was called.

There was a small selection of pastries offered, with my habit of ordering something sweet and savory for brunch, I ordered a Doughnut for the table.  It was a Cardamom and Ginger Doughnut with Candied Walnuts.  The doughnut was a fry cake style and had a nice icing that seemed to have ginger in it that went well with the ginger and cardamom.  The doughnut was sweet and lightly spicy and the cardamom went well with the candied walnuts.

My main course was labeled a Grilled Ham and Comte with Garlic Aioli, Date Honey and Petite Greens.  While that title is technically correct, it would be more commonly known as a Croque Monsieur with a side salad.  The bread was nicely crisp and the cheese (Comte) was melted just the right amount.  The greens were very fresh and crispand added a crisp and bitter counterpoint to the sweetness of the sandwich.

Brunch was good and fun and the space was beautiful.  It's a nice place for a timeout at the museum, but it is also good enough that it can easily stand on it's own.  I will definitely return whether during a museum visit or even for a visit just on it's own. 

 

Hopewell Brewing - Monday Night Dinner with Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits

Before Christmas I had come across a notice for a beer and pizza dinner with partners I was very interested in.  I could not at the time however, commit to it and thought I would come back to it after Christmas.  When I did try to come back to it though, I could find no note of it anywhere.  I did however come across a beer dinner hosted by a brewery in my neighborhood, Hopewell Brewing, with food provided by Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits.  Most beer dinners are done by a restaurant to feature a brewery and Hopewell Brewery doesn't have a kitchen, so this was a little unusual.  Hopewell is planning on doing a dinner series, inviting different restaurants to work with them, so that should be a lot of fun.  The taproom at Hopewell Brewing is big and open with a high ceiling and communal tables (in addition to the bar which was not used for the dinner).  The front of the space has floor to ceiling windows which were covered with shades for the evening and the brewing tanks are in the back and can be seen trough a window in the taproom wall. Things started out immediately after we checked in.  there was a plate of Pastry Crust with a Champagne Foam on top.  It was a one bite wonder with a very tender and flaky crust and a light tangy foam.  With the pastry square we were served our first beer.  Called Clover Club, it was a Wild Raspberry Beer made with Gin Botanicals.  It was sour with a nice raspberry flavor and bitter from the botanicals.  It was very red and also very clear, and it wasn't something that you might want to drink quickly.

After we had our beginning bite and our first beer, we found a spot to sit at one of the communal tables, our choice.  The food was going to come out family style and we were to serve ourselves.  I found a spot near some interesting people and we had some good conversations throughout the evening, although because one couple were parents to triplets and another was a brother to triplets, the conversation kept on coming back to triplets.  Our first course started with a Farmer's Salad with Arugula, Granny Smith Apples, Walnuts, Pomegranate, Goat Cheese, and a Champagne Vinaigrette.  With that came a Mini Scratch Biscuit, the full size for which Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits is known, and Dijon Chive Butter.  The salad was fresh, crisp and very flavorful with nicely peppery arugula, sour and crisp apples, tart goat cheese, bittersweet pomegranate and nutty walnuts.  The beer, the Friends and Family Saison, had a nice funk and evoked the farmhouse as well.

Our next course was simple, but still a classic that is a favorite at Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits, Mac and Cheese.  Done with Elbow Macaroni, it was very cheesy and also included Maple Glazed Country Ham.  The salad took a couple of passes for it to be reduced to the dregs, but the mac and cheese disappeared quickly.  Served with the Mac and Cheese was the Swift IPA which is crisp with a sweet bitterness and a malty backbone.

Our main course was very much a standard in midwestern homes, Meatloaf, but this Meatloaf was ridiculous.  It was enormous and topped with Oyster Mushroom Gravy (although it tasted also as if it used Barbecue Sauce in the loaf).  As sides, we were served Country Style Green Beans with Bacon and Onions and Whipped Potatoes with more Oyster Mushroom Gravy.  The meatloaf was cooked very well, was a lot less greasy than many meatloafs that I have had in the past, had a slightly crisp exterior, and a great flavor.  It was also pretty heavy so many people (including me) brought some home.  The beans were fresh and crisp and the bacon and onions provided a nice added flavor.  The potatoes were chunky and flavorful and the gravy added a nice mushroom flavor.  The beer that was paired with the meatloaf was Thick and Thin Stout.  It had a nice and strong stout flavor that went well with the meatloaf.

Last came dessert and while many of us were approaching full, Bang Bang does some great fruit pies so we were very excited for dessert.  We, surprisingly, were not served pie, but it was similar.  We got a Cast Iron Cherry Crisp with Spiced Tart Cherries and Brown Sugar Crumble.  It wasn't a pie, but it was like a pie with out the crust and it was still fantastic.  It also disappeared pretty quickly.  Our final beer was the Very Nice Belgian Strong Ale and it was very nice.  It was rich and sweet and went well with the cherry crisp.

This dinner was a lot of fun.  The food wasn't incredibly elaborate and was in fact pretty common in kitchens around the Midwest, it was done very well and went well with the good, but simple beers served by Hopewell.  I made sure to add myself to their email list so I know when they do another dinner.

      

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.

Vanille Patisserie

I have said before that I have a bias toward French food.  Many of the techniques found in fine dining originated with the French and French Pastries are things of art and beauty (as well as tasting good).  There are actually two types of French bakeries, boulangeries where breads, croissants, and other baked goods like cakes are made and sold, and patisseries, bakeries that make pastries and sweets.  In France, patisserie is a controlled term and can only be used by bakeries that employ a master baker or patissier.  I went recently to Vanille Patisserie recently which is owned by 2008 World Pastry Champion, Dimitri Fayard, so it seems to follow that rule.  Walking into the shop reminded me of the patisseries in France.  There was a wide assortment of very beautiful pastries.  There were tarts, petits fours, entremets (mousse cakes), and brownies, but I was there for the Macarons.  Macarons are essentially meringue sandwich cookies that are brightly colored and come in a wide variety of flavors.  They are very light and delicate and it amazes me how much flavor they can contain.  I bought a dozen macarons, all of different flavors (and colors).  We had Strawberry Lemongrass (yellow airbrushed with red), Rose (light pink), Raspberry (dark pink), Earl Grey (blue), Lavender (purple), Chocolate Banana (yellow dusted with cocoa powder), Caramel (dark tan), Coffee (tan), and Nutella, Stout, Chocolate, and another that I don't remember that were all brown.  While they were all light, sweet, and delicate, they all had distinct flavors.  My favorites were Caramel, Coffee, Earl Grey, and Lavender.

These are a great treat and there were still some flavors that I haven not yet tried so I will definitely have to go back.  Luckily, they are pretty close to where I live.      

Bleeding Heart Bakery

There have been many words written about Bleeding Heart Bakery, the punk rock organic bakery located in Roscoe Village. The bakery is very colorful as are many of their wares using a lot of graffiti and tattoo designs like the owner/proprietors Vinny and Michelle Garcia. The bakers are well known, having been featured on Food Network Challenge several times. They are also fiercely defensive of their creations. While they have some great looking cakes and cupcakes, I came specifically for their lemon bars and their cake balls and ended up buying much more than that. Unfortunately, because of the road trip that I made with them, they did get a little mushed but luckily the flavor wasn't degraded. I ended up buying two lemon bars, two key lime bars, a peanut butter bar, an espresso bar, an espresso brownie (eaten before the picture was taken), and some chocolate covered bacon (also eaten), as well as four cake balls: blueberry lavender, berry almond, peanut butter, and chocolate. Everything was very good, but some things were better than others. I will always go back for a cake ball and the lemon bars are fantastic but I probably should have gone for a little more variety and not gotten two espresso flavored items. Next time will be more cake balls, another brownie, and a great looking cupcake if I'm not going anywhere.

Mindy's Hot Chocolate

Mindy's Hot Chocolate has been on my list for a while but the fact that a friend gave me a Restaurants.com gift certificate for Christmas pushed me to go. Unfortunately, the date that I picked was a day that I couldn't use it so I definitely have to go back (I did know this before I went so it wasn't a surprise or a really big deal). I loved my dinner there so it doesn't bother me a bit that I have to return. The building is brown and the name on the window is kind of stretched as if it were dripping. The entrance is on the right side of the building as is the bar which stretches toward the back. There is a lounge/waiting area in the front and the kitchen is in the back. The room is done in various shades of brown and was lit in candle light. The two top tables were set along the wall opposite the bar and the tables for four were angled and in the center of the room. Hot Chocolate is listed in several places as a dessert bar and with a five time James Beard nominated pastry chef running the operation (Mindy Segal) it very definitely is that, but it is much more than that. While there is no question about having dessert when you come here, you shouldn't neglect the savories as they are very good as well. I came here on February 12 so it was pretty cold so I started things off with one of the six hot chocolates, which was served with a house made marshmallow. I had a Medium which had a touch of dark chocolate and a hint of caramel. For my appetizer, I had shrimp and grits and it was savory beyond belief. I like shrimp and I like grits but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. The grits were very creamy, the shrimp were Tiger Shrimp but it also contained Cremini Mushrooms, Red Onions, bacon and smoked tomatoes. For my entreem while there was duck on the menu (I always order duck if it's on the menu), I went with the pork chop. It was breaded, brined and grilled with housemade pork sausage with sauerkraut, apples and fennel. I don't think I have to repeat that it was very good but I will anyway. If I hadn't been at Hot Chocolate, I might have said that I had a very good meal and skipped dessert. As this place is known for it's dessert though, it wasn't an option. I ordered a box of cookies to go because I had heard they were very good. I did consider saving some to share but after seeing and trying them, this wasn't an option either. The box came with about a dozen cookies of several different varieties. All of the cookies were different so I couldn't try one and save another, I had to try them all and because I had to try them all, there was none to share. All of this though happened in the next couple of days after I went there. My dessert that I had there was called Thoughts on a Peanut Butter Cup and I wish I had thought about taking a picture of it because it was something to see. I did find a picture on the web of it so here it is. It contains peanut butter mousse and "peanut butter cup", milk chocolate hot fudge, Concord grape syrup, with peanut butter cookie dough truffles. After that meal, I have to say that I am glad that I was unable to use my discount coupon because it gives me an excuse to go back.