Tasting Chicago's Best Dishes

I'm intrigued by this list of 30 dishes to eat while visiting Chicago published by the Red Eye. While I've been to about half of the restaurants featured in the list, I think I have only tasted one of the dishes, #23 Saganaki at Parthenon. But I'm not even sure because I've been to a bunch of restaurants in Greektown, and probably had Saganaki at all of them, but not 100% sure.

So this looks like a good taste challenge for the Spring and Summer!


Love is all around you...

- Rachel

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Dante's Inferno Chili

When I was in junior high school, my step-father often made dinner. He was a fireman and usually did all of the cooking on his shift. So in 1984 when the city held a fireman's chili cookoff, which pinned all the firehouses in the city against each other to determine which one made the best chili, my step-father played around and came up with his own recipe. And he won! But then again, how could anything that starts by cooking green peppers in half a cup of butter now win?

"I went through about five recipes and had feelings about certain spices and ingredients and then added some of my own," Donati said. "I think the wine is the key ingredient. It gives the chili some body and an aroma." Another reason Donati believes he clinched the title is that he cuts the onion and green pepper in large pieces instead of mincing them.

For us it was so exciting! We were dragged downtown to a crowded convention center with a bunch of people tasting chili and the next thing we know, they announced our step-father as the winner and the newspapers were flashing photos of us all giving him hugs. The picture on the front page of the food section that week was my sister getting a hug from him - you could only see the reflection from my glasses in the photo. As part of the prizes he won a few weekend stays at Hyatt hotels and his chili was added to the menu at the a downtown restaurant for a while.

Like myself, my step-father never really made the same thing twice, so we didn't keep eating that chili over and over. It was pretty much just a one time great food related memory. I did dig out the recipe though and made it for myself. My whole family sampled it again and the general consensus was that it needed salt! How the heck did this win and get published in a newspaper and all that without any salt in it? Oh well, if you make it, I suggest adding some of your own. Because if you add some cheese, onions and a little salt, it's really yummy!


Below is the recipe as printed in the Chicago Tribune on October 11, 1984.

Dante's Inferno
10 servings

½ cup butter for frying
1 pound green peppers, seeded, coarsely chopped
3 cups chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds coarsely ground chuck
1 pound coarsely ground pork
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cumin
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons hot chili powder
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped
1 can (10½ ounces) beef broth
1 cup dry red wine, such as burgundy
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2 cans (16 ounces each) dark red kidney beans

Melt butter in a large skillet and saute peppers about 10 minutes. Add onions and garlic; cook 5 more minutes. Add beef and port mixture; increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink, ab out 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in cumin, basil, cayenne, black pepper and chili powder. Stir in tomatoes, beef broth, wine, tomato paste, hot red pepper and salt. Simmer, covered, about 1½ hours.

Add kidney beans; simmer for an additional 45 minutes. Serve with extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese.

Note: For a milder version, use only 3 tablespoons of chili powder and ½ teaspoon cayenne.




See more hearty recipes for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted weekly by Kahakai Kitchen.

Blackbird's Kalamata Olive Cake

I had one of the most unique desserts at Blackbird. Even though it has been around for a while, Blackbird is still a really well known restaurant in Chicago and it is even listed on Food & Wine Magazine's 2008 Go List. With unique food such as the Kalmata Olive Cake I had for dessert, you can see why!

The full name of the dessert is "kalamata olive cake with rhubarb, toffee and buttermilk ice cream". I don't know what was more unique, making cake with kalmata olives or making little balls out of the cake!

Chicago's Sister Cities Festival

The variety of "sister cities" that Chicago has is quite interesting. My lunch today was from 3 of them! The annual Chicago Sister Cities International Festival is going on this week at Daley Plaza. Apparently there are 27 "sister cities" and while they weren't all represented, there was a good selection of different foods.

There were a group of musicians playing while I walked around - it sounded like Spanish or Mexican music. A "savory" turkey and cheese crepe represented Paris, France. A couscous salad representing Petach Tikva, Israel had with really good black and green olives and LARGE Israeli couscous. And a very refreshing (and not too sweet) mango shake represented Lahore, Pakistan.

Sushi Wabi

I have a simple theory when it comes to sushi: if the spicy tuna roll is good, then you can pretty much order anything off the menu and it will be good too. I have tried sushi all over and this rule works very well for me. If the sushi roll is boring and the rice is kind of icky, I order very conservatively because i do not trust the place. If the spicy tuna roll is fresh, unique and well seasoned, then I feel free to order anything the server recommends.

My favorite sushi restaurant in Chicago is Sushi Wabi. In fact, I have probably been to Sushi Wabi more than any other restaurant in the city. This means I go about four times a year since I don't do repeats very often - but for me this is a big thing.

Most recently my friend and I came here after an I/T seminar and since we didn't have reservations (and we didn't want to be rushed) we sat at the sushi bar. Tables at Sushi Wabi are well desired! We had a great time sitting at the sushi bar because lots of singles were coming in for a quick bite and we end up making conversation with them. Of course we were right next to the sushi chefs and they were all very friendly. After we picked a few things off the menu we asked them for some suggestions. I ended up eating sea urchin with a raw quail egg!

Chicago Turkish Festival

Chicago's Turkish Festival is being held in Daley Plaza this week. After last week's Asian American Festival I have started paying a lot more attention to the things going on at Daley Plaza.

I actually like the Turkish Festival much better because there are many more "Turkish" elements to it. People dress up in costume and beautiful Turkish tables are set up for people to eat at. There is also a good amount of shopping including a whole bunch of authentic Turkish food items. So the attending the festival for lunch was a great way to break up the day.

Although I originally headed over to the festival for a keebob, I ended up having a Turkish Pizza and some amazing Eggplant Salad. I had never heard of a "Turkish" pizza before and it is basically some spiced meat folded in a large wrap topped with seasoned veggies. The eggplant salad was AMAZING and I'd love to recreate it. It had a great consistency and it was nice and garlicky, but not too overbearing.

Lunch from the Asian American Fesival

Chicago's Asian American Festival is being held at Daley Center this year. When my co-worker came back with Indian food for lunch today I was intrigued. I headed over there to see what I would discover. There were about 40 booths in total, half food and half stuff you could purchase (everything from purses to jewelry to bamboo). At the time I went there were belly dancers performing. There was at least one booth with every kind of Asian food you could think of: Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.

For my lunch I decided to try the Bibimbabh from one of the Korean booths. Bibimbabh is mixed vegetables and beef served over white rice with a side of spicy sauce so you can make it as spicy as you like. I got this at their recommendation and because the vegetables looked so fresh. While this would be enough for a normal person, I just didn't feel right leaving with only one type of cuisine. So I stopped by Amarit's "Thai and Panasian" booth and ordered a Spring roll and a Thai Iced Coffee.

This kind of lunch beats anything you can get in The Loop on a normal day! I may just have to go back tomorrow!

Little Foodie Things from Chicago

I signed up for Dispensing Happiness's Blogging By Mail several months ago. The subject this time is "Little Things". I decided to compile a package of "little things" from Chicago. While Chicago is probably best know for Deep Dish Pizza, hot dogs, cheesecake and Italian beef sandwiches, none of these things could be shipped internationally to my partner. Instead, I took a look back into Chicago's history and discovered that Chicago was once the "Candy Capital" of America. So I hope the recipient of my package has a sweet tooth! I have chosen items from companies based in Chicago or the Chicagoland area.

Wrigley - When I was growing up Wrigley was some of the only gum we could get. When I became a "tween" things like Hubba Bubba started coming out, but for a long time Wrigley was the only gum around. I have included traditional gums such as Juicy Fruit, Big Red and Wrigley's Spearmint. The company is still going strong and I have also included two of their newest gums, 5 Flame and 5 Rain. I think 5 Flame is the modern Big Red and 5 Rain is one of the modern mint gums. But they are all still good!

Tootsie Roll Industries - All little kids love tootsie rolls, mostly because they are small, sweet and individually wrapped. Tootsie has been a Chicago company since the 60's. In addition to Tootsie Rolls, I have included other classic candies from this company such as Junior Mints and Charleston Chews.

Crate and Barrel - In the 80's people used to come from all over the United States to shop at Crate and Barrel. Nowadays there are locations spread out throughout the US, but their headquarters and flagship store are still located in Chicago. While there are many household items available at Crate and Barrel, I included some cute cupcake papers, decorative stencils and some colored sugar.

Frontera Grill - Started by Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill is still one of the best restaurants in the city. In addition to hosting Mexico - One Plate at a Time, Rick Bayless has spread out and started selling products from his famous restaurant. I have included a salsa and a simmer sauce.

Ferrera Pan - Makers of classic "pan" candy, I have included boxes of Lemonheads, Red Hots, Boston Baked Beans.

Jays Foods - Jay's became famous for their potato chips. The interesting part is that the potato chips were actually the idea of Al Capone! The story goes that Capone tried them while betting on the ponies in New York. He liked them so much that and asked his supplier to start making them for his speakeasies. Jay's closed in December of 2007, but some of their classic chips are still around.

In addition to the foods listed above, I also included a little book on Chicago. It has pictures of Chicago "then and now" and really shows the growth of the city. There are also some other candies such as sugar babies and a candy bar from a chocolate factory in Chicago that I bought at the famous Chicago Theater.

Dinner at Sixteen

Sixteen has one of the best view's in the City of Chicago. While you are in the dining room you are right next to the top of the Wrigley Building and all it's fabulous architecture. The restaurant recently opened and is on the 16th floor of the new Trump Tower which is still under construction in Chicago.

We did the 10-course blind tasting (with drinks) and it was $180! But we decided to do the major-splurge and taste everything the chef had to provide. A few of the courses we the same that were listed on the 6-course tasting so we were a bit disappointed that the blind tasting wasn't complete unique. One of the wines we LOVED on its own but felt that it really did not go with the food at all. In general the food was good but we were only blown away by about three of the ten courses. That being said - it was still good and everything served to the tables around us off of the regular menu looked good as well.

The wait staff is excellent and made sure we were well attended to. They said they were going to email us a list of the food and wines we had with the dinner (since they were not listed at they are with the 6-course menu) but I have not received it yet.

I would definitely consider this for a romantic or special date and even when taking people to dinner when coming from out of town. The hostess told me that in 2009 they are planning on opening the outside patio as a bar and serving tapas. I'll definitely go back to check that out.

Dinner at Table Fifty-Two

Last night I went to dinner with my friend at Table Fifty-Two. I first heard about the restaurant while reading an article in Food & Wine Magazine and then noticed that recommendations for this restaurant kept popping up in other magazines and websites as well. I had been trying to go there since last fall - but every time I called they were booked. So in January I finally called and got the next available reservation - March 26th. I took it and added it to my calendar. Two days ago they called me to confirm the reservation and told me if I did not call back to confirm then they would assume I was not coming and I would loose the reservation. I was so glad I checked my voice mail!

So after all this I was really wondering what all the hype was about. This restaurant is owned by Chef Art Smith who is best know for being Oprah's chef. The restaurant is small and probably only has about thirty tables. But we had a great experience here. The restaurant is in what used to be a coach house - behind the old Chez Paul. It is very cutely decorated - homey and intimate. There are candles all over the place, flowers on each table, and you can see the wood-burning oven behind the bar.

At the beginning of our meal we received a deviled egg topped with pickled okra and some cheesy biscuits. For starters we ordered a salad and flat bread. The duck flat bread was SO GOOD and it was a perfect combo of salty, sweet, greasy and crunchy. For dinner my friend ordered the sea bass special of the day and I ordered the chicken which the waiter informed me was their most popular dish. We were happy with it all.

Chef Art Smith popped out of the kitchen a few times during the evening to greet guests. He checked on us only one time but I saw him giving copies of his cookbooks to a few special visitors.

After dinner we each had tea and the teapot and matching cups was the perfect touch to the homey atmosphere.

It was pretty pricey for good old southern food. But this type of food is unique to a city like Chicago. I not sure if I would bring my friends from out of town here - especially if they live in the South. But if they are from another country, I would definitely bring them here to give them a taste of good (and healthy) American food!

The "most fun" $12 in Chicago

Tonight we went to Brasserie Jo for dinner. They had a special menu for Valentine's Day and they also had a few drink specials. I ordered the "champagne flight" which was to be prepared table side. I assumed this champagne would be like other wine or champagne flights - 4 half-glasses of 4 different types of champagne. I only got 3 different drinks but they were the most amazing creations I have ever seen!

The sommelier wheeled a huge brown cart over to our table. It had candles all over it, a silver wine bucket and a silver tray with three class bottles on it. This is where it got fun! 3 different champagne cocktails were made, each using some very special ingredients. The sommelier explained each ingredient and let us sniff and taste the alcohols separately before mixing together. One was had an apple flavor, one was more orange tasting, and the third one was made with cognac. It truly was a unique experience and I think one of the best values for $12 in all of the city!

#29: A Chicago Power Meal at Aigre Doux

Yes, this photo is from my cell phone. My new cellphone which I forgot to take the little plastic thing of the lens! Oh well, you get the idea.

I tried to go to Aigre Doux back in July and had a hard time. I was on a mission to go for lunch at this particular restaurant because it is listed as #29 A Chicago Power Meal on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. I was on the North-side so I called and found out they were open for lunch until 2pm. They told me that as long as I got there by 1:45pm they would be able to seat me. We got there at 1:20 and I was informed that the kitchen had just closed! I was REALLY pissed.

Luckily, I was in Chicago this past weekend for Lollapalooza and Tiffany and I decided to try Aigre Doux for lunch again before she dropped me off at the airport. Aside from our frustrating experience trying to get a meal here, the food is great! For an appetizer we had Ahi Tuna which was a bit different because they served it with Jicama - yum! For lunch I had the Roasted Lobster Bucatini ($18) which was SUPER good but was heavy enough to eat for dinner. Of course we had to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert and that is one thing I want to learn to make. It was SO GOOD! Thank God I was getting on a plane so I could take a nap after that filling meal! I will definitely go to this restaurant again, however I think most of my friends will think I is way to expensive for lunch.

#32: The Whole Tree

Okay, attempting to "taste" #32 The Whole Tree on Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 was impossible for me. AND it cost me a fortune.

32 The Whole Tree

It’s the herbivore’s version of head-to-tail eating. Consider how three Chicago restaurants are using various parts of the peach tree:

Peach Leaves MK the Restaurant infuses ice cream with peach leaves.

Unripe Fruit It flavors a salsa for smoked trout and a vinaigrette at HotChocolate.

Wood Osteria di Tramonto smokes pork shanks over peach wood.

When I went to HotChocolate the restaurantaurs had no idea what I was talking about. I went for brunch on a weekend and we still had an amazing brunch, but I didn't get to taste any part of a peach tree. I will say that their tea was amazing even though that they must be know for their Hot Chocolate, based on the name. We were asking so many questions I think they knew we were going to write something about them because they offered my friend and I each complimentary hot chocolates. They were the BEST we ever had. Homemade marshmallows! I had the mexican version and she had the traditional version. We will definitely be headed back there when it turns cold.


We later went to MK which is a very expensive restaurant. Unfortunately, the menu changes seasonally and there was no peach ice cream anywhere on the menu. So I did attempt it, and we did end up with an AMAZING dinner, but didn't accomplish my goal.

Over all, I spent over $200 and never got to taste any part of a peach tree :(

Food Destinations: Bari Foods

Food Destinations is a food blogging event that occurs every few weeks. My entry for Food Destinations #4: My Favorite Gourmet Gift Shopping Spot is quite obvious to anyone who grew up with me in Chicago.

Bari Foods in Chicago, IL is the place my family has been shopping for special foodie treats for as long as I can remember. Located in "the old neighborhood", as my grandma would say, you can not beat Bari for fresh Italian meats and cheeses. Even though we live a half an hour away, my mom would drive down to get some goodies for every special occasion or party that we had when I was growing up. And she still does! We all do even though we have moved to various places. You wouldn't expect anything special when walking in the store for the first time. I think it only has three isles. But keep walking because all the magic happens in the back - at the meat counter.

They are an original butcher shop. Not like the butchers at a regular supermarket or Whole Foods. They are the real thing. And in America, this is a novelty. They have a wide varitey of fresh meats, including their own homemade sausages and meatballs. Their meat is so good that my grandmother, even though she was financially restricted because she lived off her social security checks, would treat herself to their lamb chops a few times a month. She could get lamb chops someplace else much cheaper, but that were never near the quality of Bari's lamb chops.

Our family's normal order from Bari includes a big container of their olive salad, hot pepperoni which they slice for us, soppresatta, salami and sometimes prosciutto. We spread these out in an antipasti arrangement with some additional cheese and crackers. And of course my mom buys all her parmigiano-reggiano in a chunk right off the wheel which we shred ourselves. Actually, my sister is the one who is still usually tasked with the shredding - hee hee.


In addition to their amazing meats, Bari Foods offers interesting imported Italian groceries that YOU CANNOT FIND anywhere else. They have a variety of olive oils and pastas. They sell some of their own foods like homemade marinara sauce, meatballs, and ready to go meals in the refrigerated section. For the gourmet food lover, you can find things like Cipriani's egg noodles, anchovy-stuffed olives, and all sorts of Italian and Mediterranean food items.

I didn't discover it until I was an adult, but Bari also makes and sells fresh Italian sandwiches in the back. Don't even try to go there at lunchtime without expecting to wait. You can get the obligatory Italian "sub" and hot meatball sandwiches, their own special sandwich creations or anything you want since they will custom make something for you. They offer a 9-inch and a 12-inch in version of every sandwich and the prices are much cheaper than chain sandwich shops.

Oh yeah, and next door is D'Amatos Bakery. Fresh Italian bread, pizza, cookies, canolli, tomato bread . . . You can smell the bread baking blocks away! They supply most of the Chicago restuarants with fresh bread. I have had a feast many-a-night by making a quick stop at these two shops.

Bari Foods
Neighborhood: Near West Side
1120 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 666-0730



To read about other bloggers’ favorite gourmet gift shopping spots check out mango&lime for the round-up of posts shortly after the January 6th deadline for submissions. There are usually entries from all around the world.