There are some events so over-the-top and out of the ordinary, they come along only once every 20 years.

• Redmoon Theater, a Chicago performance group renowned for their imagination and invention, is throwing a food-filled birthday party that will capture their signature creativity. Tonight at 7 PM, Redmoon celebrates its 20th anniversary with a Spectacle Lunatique, a ‘Mini-Taste’ that will allow guests to experience some of the most diverse and acclaimed food in Chicago. This “Bombastic Birthday Celebration” will feature food from restaurants such as Blackbird, BOKA, Coco Pazzo, Tocco and Urbanbelly. Tickets are $150 for individuals and $625 for couples packages and will be on sale at Redmoon’s website or at the door of the event if tickets remain. Redmoon Central is located at 1463 W. Hubbard. Contact the Box Office for ticket information at (312) 850-8440 extension 111.

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Hey, nice legs (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

In the city, at least, satisfying a crab fix usually entails a trip to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, or cozying up in a giant red pleather booth at Shaw’s.  But in the ‘burbs, the experts will funnel you either to the Shaw’s in Schaumburg, or more likely, to Wheeling, site of the legendary Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse.  I still don’t understand how they get away with charging what they do, considering each time I’ve been there, I feel like a hereford being shuttled through a holding pen, “parties of more than four to the left of the rope, parties less than four to the right! Parties of two to the left!”  Then there’s the interminable waits (probably because there’s no competition within the county); the super-sweet mai tais made with mixer and then of course the pleasure of receiving your fresh catch in wax paper-lined wax baskets.  They tried to duplicate Chinn’s in River North several years ago – upgrading to real plates and all – but that didn’t last long, and the space is now a Fulton’s on the River. Read the rest of this entry →

I’ve been a recreational cocktail enthusiast for the past year or so, and I continue to be drawn to these new compendiums about our cocktail culture. Whereas Dale DeGroff is considered one of the Masters, Tony Abou-Ganim is certainly on par with the best of the best in the U.S. these days.  He’s worked at the Bellagio in Vegas and does a ton of consulting around the country.   Read the rest of this entry →

Arclinea

Usually, when executive chef Frederico Comacchio prepares a dinner at 437 Rush, it’s a behind-closed-kitchen-doors thing. Tomorrow night, the general public will have the opportunity to see this native Italian chef show off his passion for his home country’s regional cuisine. Comacchio will take part in Arclinea’s “Italia in Cucina” worldwide cooking marathon, a day-long celebration of Italian cuisine taking place in 21 Arclinea showrooms around the world. In Chicago, the event will begin at 6 pm as chef Comacchio showcases some of his signature recipes along with discussions of artisanal Italian ingredients. Large televisions screens will also display other live cooking shows from other parts of the world that occurred earlier in the marathon. Arclinea is located at 314 W. Superior Street, and the demonstration will begin at 6:00 PM. Call (312) 335-3855 for more information or to RSVP.

A double M-Burger

I got a press release yesterday from Lettuce Entertain You, about M Burger, the new burger joint going into the back of Tru, just off of Michigan Avenue, which opens tomorrow.  Here is an excerpt:

“M Burger is Michigan Avenue’s newest burger joint. If Midwestern beef burgers are what you crave, try them atop an oven fresh bun and your choice of crisp lettuce, griddled onions, Wisconsin cheddar cheese and savory bacon. The signature “M Burger” is slathered with “secret sauce” making each bite one to savor.  Golden slim fries cooked in an olive oil blend and chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry milkshakes made from local cream are perfect accompaniments to the melt-in-your-mouth burger.”

Really sounds delicious, actually.  But I was wondering about the “fries cooked in an olive oil blend” and where, exactly, the “local cream” was from.  I was also curious about the “savory bacon.”  When I emailed the press contact, I got some answers: Read the rest of this entry →

Lobster mac & cheese from Deleece Grill Pub (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

Everybody’s got a gussied-up mac & cheese on their menu these days.  It’s either a side dish or a full-blown entree.  All of these chefs are tapping into our childhood, of course: that famous blue box from Kraft, with the mac that looks nothing like real macaroni and the cheese that is more akin to yellow sawdust than it is real cheese.  But oh, the memories.  At Deleece Grill Pub in Wrigleyville, they’re taking it one step further.   Read the rest of this entry →

The best baba gannoush in Chicago (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

I’ve seen it spelled a number of different ways: baba gannoush/ganoush/ganouj, etc., but no matter how you spell it, the dish is pretty much always the same – roasted, chopped eggplant, combined with garlic, tahini and spices, whipped or finely-chopped into a spread that is ripe for wedges of warm pita bread.  The reason we’re homing in on Taboun today, is because, quite simply, they make the best baba-g in town. Read the rest of this entry →

2009 was technically the year of the ox, but with all the pork belly and bacon buzz, it sure seemed like the year of the pig. Adventurous pork fanatics can take this obsession one step further in 2010 with Mado restaurant’s Pig Butchering series. For $50, participants can join chef and co-owner Rob Levitt as he breaks down an entire pig, explaining how the restaurant uses every part of the animal on their menu. Guests will also get to take home a sampling of the different cuts. Classes start at 12:30 on March 14 and 21 at Mado Restaurant, 1647 North Milwaukee, (773) 342-2340.

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Pamela Fitzpatrick

Some of the most creative forces in the food world have had previous lives.  Most people don’t realize Alice Waters was a Montessori teacher before she led the revolution toward seasonal, organic produce in California.  As for Pamela Fitzpatrick, let’s just be thankful she lost her job in film advertising in the 1980s.  If she hadn’t, we might never have had the pleasure of eating her bread.

Fitzpatrick has been in charge of the bakery at Fox & Obel since the store opened, almost ten years ago.  Since then, names like Red Hen and Labriola have come to dominate the local, artisanal bread scene.  But over the last few years, regular shoppers in the River East gourmet store haven’t been the only beneficiaries of her skills.  Some of the best restaurants in Chicago have discovered her as well.

“When I was 16, I went to France with my family.  I was staying with my mother’s friends.  I ate whole baguettes every day, afraid to try much more than that,” said Jason Hammel, the co-owner of Lula Cafe in Logan Square and Nightwood in Pilsen. “Every time I hold one of Pamela’s baguettes and feel that perfect Old World crust, and taste the tangy dough, I’m reminded of that discovery.  There is no one who is as dedicated and as geeked-out about baking; no one as hard-working, and no one quite as nice as Pamela. Her whole team expresses that same craftsmanship and ambition.” Read the rest of this entry →

It’s red carpet season, which means you’re probably going to be getting invited to your fair share of award show-themed parties. While the concept of an Academy Award-themed party could be construed as corny, it’s still a great time to relax and unwind before the start of another work week. This Sunday, March 7, consider celebrating the 82^nd Oscars at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, where they’re stretching the connections between movie titles and menu items as much as they possibly can.

Guests can watch all the Hollywood hoopla on Rock Bottom’s 25 flatscreen TV’s and participate in an Oscar ballot contest featuring a grand prize of dinner for two at Rock Bottom and growlers of beer for the first and second runners up.

Rock Bottom will also unveil their Academy Award-themed food and drink menu featuring:

• “Up in the Air” Wings – Buffalo or honey-chipotle chicken wings, $4.95-$9.95
• “The Blind Side” Ball Park Pretzels - A giant pretzel brushed with Brown Ale and sprinkled with fresh garlic and Kosher salt, oven baked and served with Stadium Cheese Dip, $3.95-$7.95
• “District 9” Firecracker Shrimp – Crispy salt-and-pepper shrimp tossed with sweet Thai chili sauce and cilantro and served with ginger-citrus sauce for dipping, $9.95

Drink Specials:

• “Crazy Heart-tini” – Pama pomegranate liqueur and Absolut Citron served up with a lemon twist, $10
• “A Single Man” –  The original Rob Roy with Dewar’s White Label scotch whiskey, a splash of sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters, $8
• “Inglorious Basterds” Brew - Hand-crafted pint of the day, $3