Mercat a la planxa

Another great Chicago restaurant find is Mercat a la planxa. The chef, Jose Garces won the second season of The Next Iron Chef competition. Let's just say I envy the eating Jeffrey Steingarten is about to undertake.

First up was the Paella Negra with calamari, octopus and chipirones with black rice and octopus tomato salad. Pesky Pescatarian was quite fond of the grilled octopus, and the waiter recommended a grilled octopus special that she would have considered ordering if it weren't for space constraint concerns. I was obsessed with the black rice. I haven't had sepia pasta or rice often, and I'm starting to believe that this makes my life not so complete.


Arguably the best dish of the night, the Sopa de Pesols, which was fresh English pea soup with Goat's Cheese, Pea Ice Cream and shaved black truffle, this was a wonderful hot-cold soup. Alinea has their famous hot potato, cold potato concoction, but there aren't that many versions of this concept out there. I really loved tasting the freshness of spring, coupled with the hot and cold elements mingling together, all mixed in with the earthy seductiveness of the truffle.

If the soup was the best dish, the Albondigas de Venera was the worst dish of the night. The scallop & shrimp meatballs with marinated grapes and shaved Idizabal were boring. The sauce was almost cloyingly sweet and there was nothing exciting either on a flavor or textural front that saved the meatballs. Only the marinated grapes were fun.

The revuelto de Temporada with roasted seasonal mushrooms with soft scrambled eggs, green pea tendrils and fava bean toast was delicious. Ever since that Bayona omelette experience I keep talking about, I've been seeking perfectly cooked eggs, and these finally fit the bill.

The Gratin de Coliflor came out last, and it was too rich for our taste buds at this point. I really like this dish, but it very heavy on hte cream and cheese flavor, which can overwhelm the flavor of the cauliflower itself. Still, on a cold winter's night this would be a great choice to include.

The Croquetas de Xocolata, which were milk chocolate croquettes with banana marshamallow (that's banana-flavored marshmallow for ya), rosemary caramel, and Arbequina olive oil was fantastic. Amazing. At $10 an order a total steal considering the thought, skill, and execution of the dish. The flavor of every element was perceptible to the Pesky Pescatarian, though I had some difficulty with the rosemary and the olive oil. The marshmallow was lightly bruleed and each little dessert "pod" could be enjoyed in a single bite. Mmm mmm good.

Mercat a la planxa, 638 Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

Niu Sushi

Niu Sushi is in River North, and a decent joint for interesting maki rolls. It's a tad pricey, but it turns out because their rolls have twice as many pieces as any self-respecting sushi joint should rightly serve. I'll forgive them for their faults though because at least they have interesting menu items.

One wouldn't think it would be good as there are the typical warning signs of other Asian dishes on the menu, such as Tom Yum soup. Generally, if you see Pad Thai or wonton soup on the menu of an establishment that purports to serve sushi, one should find a way to extricate oneself from what is likely to be a disappointing experience.

And even so, despite the fact that I've forgiven Niu for its faults, one still needs to tread carefully. We started with a soft shell crab spring roll that was a messy experience. My fried crab got soggy in the dressing and mayonnaise in the roll, and it isn't something that I'd order again. It was a large roll and difficult to get all the flavors together in one bite.

We got suckered into ordering a new roll, which does not yet have a name, that has fried oyster. The Pesky Pescatarian and I love the fried oyster roll at the now defunct Ota-Ya and in the still going strong Tenzan. Niu's roll had too little fried oyster per bite, and the flavor of some broiled eel, seaweed salad, and cream cheese overwhelmed the experience.

There was a roll with uni and ikura that was crazy good, and for that roll alone I remain fond of the joint.

Niu Sushi, 332 East Illinois St., Chicago, IL

Purple Pig

Spring Peas with Farro, Feta & Mint

I am quickly becoming obsessed with Purple Pig. It's really close to my apartment, and the food is so good.

Continuing on the food tour with the hometown gang: Bastard Consultant, Dr. Consultant, and Pesky Pescatarian, we hit up Purple Pig with an intention to try more of its spring-themed and seafood offerings.

Shaved Green Asparagus with Pecorino Noce & Parmigiano Reggiano

Shaved asparagus that had a touch of acidity. I prefer my asparagus more when its been steamed or roasted, but there was nothing wrong with this and PP who lives tart foods enjoyed this a lot.

Braised Baby Artichokes with Fingerling Potatoes, Asiago & Salami Toscana


Mussels with Treviso, Serrano Chiles, Citrus Fruit & Gaeta Olives

I really love this mussels dish. I've never had a salad with fried mussels and citrus before, and I wouldn't mind so much if a small craze took on and it popped up in more restaurants.

Halibut Cheeks with Gaeta Olive Aioli

Fried halibut cheeks. We were really excited about this dish, but it turned out to be fine but certainly not extraordinary.

Mixed Greens with Feta, Watermelon Radishes & Fed Wine Mint Vinaigrette

Watermelon radish is an unappreciated root vegetable.

Deviled Egg with Arugula & Caper Berries

Bastard Consultant doesn't like hard boiled egg as it reminds him of foot. BC also can't go to bed if he hasn't showered first. I love sleep, and that seems highly inconvenient.


We drank Rocca "Copertino" with our meal.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs

Seeing BC's longing looks, I acquiesced to the Roasted Bone Marrow Order. I didn't approve of the salt choice. It looked like kosher, when clearly sea salt or Maldon salt was called for, and it really made a difference. Of course, the marrow was still good, but I think you need a salt with more texture for a dish like this. I'm not sure why, but I've noticed with other salts, it can really help bring out the unctuousness of the warm marrow.

Sepia with Snap Peas & Toasted Almonds

This was an amazing dish. It's no longer on the menu, so your life sort of sucks until spring rolls back around, but the combination of snow peas and squid was perfect.

Wagyu Sirloin Tip with Charred Green & White Asparagus, Spring Onions & Piquillo Peppers

I don't normally think of ordering Wagyu at small plates joints, but I'm really glad my classmate convinced me to order it at the last visit because I knew Dr. Consultant would really enjoy it. It's meltingly rich and a fine fine plate of meat.

Pig's Tails Braised in Balsamic

Bastard Consultant and I forgot about ordering this dish, but we are happy that we didn't think to cancel it, as the pork tails braised in balsamic topped with some chopped hard boiled egg was really a delicious surprise. The acidity of the balsamic helped cut the fattiness of the tail and the sweetness of the vinegar augmented the flavor of the pork.

Eating this dish made me understand why Laura Ingalls of Little House in the Big Woods so looked forward to eating the pig's tail during butchering time. I have had pig's tail once before at Au Pied de Cochon, where it was deep fried and didn't much like it. I think that restaurant is sort of tacky.

Charred Ramps & Scallions with Romesco Sauce

More grilled ramps. I've decided that I need to order ramps whenever I can because last year I thought they weren't so exciting before and didn't get my season's fill. Never again will I neglect you my beloved ramps.

The Sicilian Iris. As a reminder, it's ricotta and chocolate chip in a fried brioche.

Sinful.

A new devilishly delicious find is the Butterscotch Budino. I wish they would have taken a torch over the pudding after they pulled it out of the fridge because the sight of condensation on the dessert was unappetizing. That aside, however, this was a rich, satisfying, salty-sweet conclusion to a meal filled with a lot of laughter and general feelings of happiness.

Purple Pig, 500 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

Urban Belly and a Detour

After Hot Doug's, we made our way back to the el stop via a path that would take us by Urban Belly. But then we came upon Carniceria Guanajuato and had to swing in. Why, by the way, is there a big Mexican community in Chicago? One would think that somewhere warmer would be a whole lot more comfortable?

Bastard Consultant and I immediately gravitated towards the aquarium displays of crispy fried chicharrone. But what really made us swoon was something that I don't have a picture for. It is pig's skin that has been slowly cooked until the tough ingredient has become gelatinous, sticky, and infused with the cooking broth.

It is: God Crack. Seriously. Every time a bit of the heavenly substance touched my lips, my eyes widened in wonder. God. How can something taste so amazing before one has even started chewing. Just from the moment it hits your tongue. God Crack.

God Crack that we ate huddled in the doorway of a closed real estate agent's office. Because it was cold. 40 degrees cold. Even though it was May. I swear, if it weren't some of these recent food finds, I'd be seriously depressed about this town.

After we had had our fill of surprise Mexican market delights, we made our way to Urban Belly, where we got the Asian Squash & Bacon dumplings, which though a touch too sweet, are pretty good overall.

The real reason why I wanted to come was to check out the Rice Noodle with hominy, kimchee and spicy pork broth. I had previously tried the Urbanbelly Ramen and been none too impressed. But Art Smith had gone on and one about the Rice Noodles in The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Okay, this is a lot better than the Urbanbelly Ramen. The broth is fantastic, though the need for the hominy was debated amongst the Bastard Consultant and the Pesky Pescatarian. I like it well enough, though I guess it's not utterly critical.

Carniceria Guanajuato, 3140 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL

Urban Belly, 3053 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL

Hot Doug's

My NYC friends descended upon the Windy City to do some serious chowing down. Hello, Bastard Consultant, Dr. Consultant, and Pesky Pescatarian.

Pesky Pescatarian, I'll call her PP for now, was mildly useless at Hot Doug's. Luckily the two C's can pull their weight, and we allocated 2 dogs a person plus one to serve as ballast for our food-crawling ship.

Wow, what a supremely crap sentence that was.

I got pretty gosh darn excited looking at the piles of links behind the counter.

BTW, I recently found out that one of my classmates thought I was attracted to him when we first met because there was always a sparkle in my eye and excitement in my voice when we spoke. It stood out because he generally perceived my energy levels to be on the low side of things. (What can I say, we usually saw each other at big sports bars, which I do not dig.)

Well, needless to say, over time, he realized that said flutter in my voice was due to the fact that we were always talking about food. And much as I think the fellow is a decent dude. Let me just say now that I think it was best for both of us that said fellow was able to come to the proper interpretation of our social interactions before he decided that it would be worthy of further inquiry. Because that could have made for some supremely awkward moments!

Anyways, back to more important matters at hand. Doesn't a site such as this put a dimple of joy in your heart?

The foie dog. The dog that helped Hot Doug's wage the foie wars. A dog to be handled with respect, anticipation, and general efforts to not drool and make more of a fool of oneself than usual.

Us three meat eaters cut the dogs into three pieces each, so all go to sample everything. I think this is the Corned Beef Sausage with Horseradish Mustard, Chicken Liver Mousse and Hickory Smoked Sweet Swiss Cheese.

It was 40 degrees in May while we waited outside, and I was feeling pretty curmudgeonly by the time we rolled in. It helps to have a table covered with dogs to make the bitterness go away.

Bacon and Jalapeno Duck Sausage with Blood Orange Dijonnaise and Goat Cheese. This dog could use some further tweaking, as I couldn't pick up the blood orange flavor nor much of the Jalapeno.

Saussicon Alsacienne.

We made the mistake of arriving 15 minutes after opening on a Saturday morning for our dogs. By then, the line already snaked down the block. Who knew that on a 40 degree Saturday morning, that there would be a line snacking down the block for hot dogs?

A standard Chicago dog. Remember, this was our ballast.

Okay. Hot Doug's uses different buns for different dogs , and the bun on this one was nice and soft. PP got the vegetarian version and she had one of the thicker buns, which really did not sit well with her. What is up with that? Slap a soft bun on that dog!

Duck fat fries, that the Bastard Consultant claims he has waited years to order. These are tasty fries, but not so redolent of ducky goodness that one needs to wait an hour in the bloody cold in freaking May for them. I think Sam had it right when he took me on a regular weekday to go. Oh yes, milk that grad student status to bypass the hungry hoards!

I think this is the Swiss Cheese Smoked Knockwurst with Chili-Garlic Mustard and Smoked Gouda. Good job on the Smoked Gouda, it had a really strong punch.

This. This was easily the best dog of the day. Alligator Sausage with Shrimp Remoulade and Irish Whisky Cheese. Very juicy, it was an incredible incredible experience.

Hot Doug's, 3324 North California, Chicago, IL

Duck Confit Part 2

The Duck Confit Collective met again a few weeks later, after the duck legs had had sufficient time to cure. We met on a snowy day that was perfect cassoulet weather.

Once again Sam did a better job of posting about this event. I went pickle-crazy and pickled several types, as I anticipated it would be nice to have something with a sour note to cut what would otherwise be an extremely gluttonous spread.

A soy-based jalapeno pickle.

Threw in a few coriander seeds for this carrot radish pickle with rice vinegar and white vinegar.

This daikon pickle tasted bitter to me. I love these daikon pickles at Korean restaurants, so I really want to learn how to get the recipe right.

Homemade sausage for the cassoulet. I want a KitchenAid with a meat grinder attachment too.

Duck prosciutto - traditional blend. For more on the making, go here at Sam and Abby's blog.

This is the one with the five spice blend. I could not get enough of this. Super fatty and salty, I revisted the prosciutto spread again and again.

Duck cassoulet ready to simmer.

Shredded duck confit for a pizza and for some Chines-style buns.

Prepped pizza with fig spread, shredded duck confit, and slices of Morbier cheese.

All burners on Sam's stove were going full force.

The finished pizza. Ain't it beeeeautiful?

Accompaniments for the Chinese buns. I sliced these. Aren't I a good slicer?

Beets and beet greens. Someone wanted these beets to go in the duck confit frisee salad. I am very very glad that he lost that battle. Beets are all very fine and well, but one need not meld all great things in life.

The finished cassoulet. This is a stick to your ribs, heavy-hitter of a dish.

Duck confit risotto. A lot of it. One easily forgets how much rice expands in liquid. I know I do every single time I make risotto.

The whole spread. Ah, the joy to sit down and see the following sight. It's usually at this point that I make a note of how much of my belly is straining against my jeans and make a not-so-subtle fit adjustment: stand up, grab waistband, shimmy bottom, sit back down.

And the first thing I got to try was this duck confit frisee salad with duck fat croutons and poached duck egg. The fantastic thing about poaching duck eggs instead of chicken eggs, is the significantly larger yolk. Gotta love the runny yolk!