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Bret Beall
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Everything posted by Bret Beall
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I definitely have to second Bistro 310 ... have had great meals there since they've reopened, and also in their original location in the Commons. Only ate at Smith's Row once, and it was hugely disappointing. Had a nice meal (basic pub fare) at Power House Brewing Company, http://powerhousebrewingco.com/. And for a throw-back to an old time ice cream parlor, visit Zaharako’s Confectionary, http://zaharakos.com/. Anytime is a great time to visit Columbus, but I especially enjoy the summer time when the gardens are in full bloom. And, the Saarinen-designed Miller House is "supposed" to be open during the summer of 2011. It is now being administered by the Indianapolis Museum of Art; they may have information on their website, http://www.imamuseum.org/, but I haven't checked recently. FYI, some good food in Indianapolis, too.
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I probably shouldn't even be replying, since I haven't been to Minneapolis since 1970, and don't know the food scene. All I do know is that Tim McKee of La Belle Vie, http://www.labellevie.us/ just won "Best Chef, Midwest" at the 2009 James Beard Awards, so I would definately add that to your list. I know I would if I were visiting Minneapolis. Cheers! Bret
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I think one of the very nicest Indian restaurants in Chicago is Tiffin, on Devon. I've only enjoyed their lunch buffet, but that is well done, and the ambience of the restaurant is quite nice; if I remember correctly, they have white tablecloths. I would definitely avoid Hema's. I was there just a month ago with a friend from St. Louis. We were first shocked to walk in and see only Caucasians at the tables, which is not typical when dining along Devon. The food was very average at best; the Rogan Josh, which should be long-simmered, was merely chunks of cooked meat with sauce draped on top. Arya Bhavan used to be exceptional (100% vegetarian), but their quality has gone down over the last 18 months or so to the point that I don't bother returning any more. I can't address the current quality of the downtown venues, having not eaten at any of them recently.
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I was last in Madison on May 4. It was a quick trip to adopt an abandoned Maine Coon Cat, but we had time for brunch. We intended to visit L'Etoile, but they were closed, so we went next door to The Old Fashioned, http://www.theoldfashioned.com/, and had an amazing meal of fried walleye, eggs and potatoes with great coffee. My friend and I both had the same meal, so I can't speak for anything else the restaurant produces, but their philosophy to use local ingredients definitely impressed us. Bret
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First, the restaurants: Drive along Lawrence. Many Korean spots along there, and everyone you ask will have a different opinion regarding which one is best. Secondly, a hotel: Heart O'Chicago is very basic, but affordable. I have not been there personally, but drive by it often, and have seen many people on many different board recommend it, plus it is just north of Andersonville: http://www.heartochicago.com/ Thirdly, Andersonville is still in some ways "Girls' Town," but it is rapidly becoming "Boys' Town North." Great vibe, great people, great "scene." Have fun! Bret
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North Pond is about 2500 North; Hyatt on Wacker is about 400 North; that could be done in a cab within 10 minutes depending on the date and time of day. Another downtown option that may be just slightly over your budget is Shikago, Kevin Shikami's most recent restaurant. I think the address is 190 North LaSalle, which is actually a healthy walk from the Hyatt. The website is http://www.shikagorestaurant.com/. Atwood Cafe, also downtown, has a new chef, and it also may be too loud, though I've had meetings there with friends and have been pleased with the sound level, even being seated in the center of the room. Mercat a La Planxa is another nearby option. I've been twice, dropping $60/person one time, and $72/person the second. It can get loud, but they do have private space that you could investigate. Enjoy! Bret
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St. Louis Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations
Bret Beall replied to a topic in The Heartland: Dining
I just returned from a trip to St. Louis, and identified three restaurants I wanted to try based on their goal to offer regional, seasonal food: Terrene, Niche and Balaban's. Due to constraints of my host, I only dined at one, Balaban's. It was a very nice setting, we were promptly seated at the time of our reservation on a Friday night, and the service was excellent. We ordered four dishes to share, and the quality was quite mixed. The beet salad suffered from poor seasoning and poor conceptualization; it earned a B. The crispy sweetbread with ham cubes was an interesting presentation and flavor combination; probably a B+ or A-. The duck confit ravioli in mushroom cream sauce was the best dish, but still suffered from some poor seasoning; A-. The disaster of the night was the "special," a shrimp linguine with sun dried tomatoes with a wine sauce and roasted garlic ... a C or C-. However, the restaurant did receive several excellent reviews online, so perhaps we just made poor choices. I'm still curious about Terrene and Niche. Enjoy St. Louis, and I echo the suggestion to visit the Missouri Botanic Garden (world class) and the St. Louis Art Museum, if you have the time and inclination. -
I tried Brown's fried chicken livers for the first time a couple of weeks ago, from their location on Devon Avenue. They also offer fried gizzards. Both are passable, but I found I needed to add some garlic salt to make them tasty (and I hate using garlic salt). Bret
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Nookies Tree, in Chicago's Boystown, 3334 N. Halsted, is known for their fried chicken livers and onions. Haven't enjoyed them for several years, so my info may be outdated. They have a location in Lincoln Park as well. I don't like them as well as my own fried chicken livers, but they are a very nice treat. Bret
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Heartland Meats produces local grass-fed beef. They will presumably be at the opening day of the Chicago Green City Market on Wednesday, May 16, which starts at 7am. Their contact information (and please forgive any formatting problems): patsondgeroth@softfarm.com 815-538-5326 Sondgeroth, John & Pat 204 East U.S. Route 52 Mendota, Illinois 60643 John and Pat Sondgeroth's farm has been in the family for 100 years. As fourth generation farmers, the Sondgeroths have continued the tradition of raising cattle on their fully integrated livestock farm. The special Piedmontese breed of cattle found at Heartland Meats is known for its distinct combination of leanness and tenderness, which exceeds the nutritional recommendations of the American Heart Association. The Sondgeroths raise their cattle without hormones and feed them with all-natural, non-GMO corn that they also grow on their farm. With their own federally inspected processing plant, John and Pat are able to directly control their product and hope to produce healthy and delicious beef for another 100 years. www.heartlandmeats.com The Chicago Green City Market is at the south end of Lincoln Park, just north of LaSalle. http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/ Enjoy! Bret
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These are standard options, but good ones: 1. Indian/Pakistani/Orthodox Jewish along Devon: great (and affordable) restaurants, food markets and other stores. I'm heading this way on Saturday myself. 2. Little Saigon: area near Argyle and Broadway; amazing array of pho shops, other restaurants (Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, Chinese [Furama for dim sum, for example]), stores (for food goods and related tableware; this is where I buy the portable gas stoves that I use in cooking demonstrations). Just one block of this this intersection is the World Market, an "interesting" experience. I usually buy malanga/yautia here for planting on my porch over the summer. 3. Pilsen: Around 18th and (I forget the relevant cross streets): tremendous selection of Mexican restaurants and shops, plus the National Mexican Fine Arts Museum (newly renamed). 4. Arlington Heights: not sure if your friend will have a vehicle, but there is a Japanese shopping center in Arlington Heights that is very fun to visit. 5. Irazu: one of the city's only Costa Rican restaurants; thanks to nr706 below for mentioning Palmito as another Costa Rican venue. 6. Chinatown: Wentworth/26th: if your friend has never been to a Chinatown, it's worth a visit, but unless a group wants to get together for dim sum at Phoenix House, I don't usually head there. I know there are lots of other places to send your friend, but these should keep him busy for a few days. Bret S. Beall www.god-dess.com
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I was going to suggest Debbie Gold and Michael Smith of 40 Sardines (Overland Park, KS), but I just visited their website, and it seems Michael is no longer involved; do I remember correctly that they divorced a while back? In Chicago, I HAVE to cite Susan and Drew Goss, formerly of Zinfandel, currently of West Town Tavern. Susan does the amazing cooking, and Drew does the wonderful wine pairing ... a great team. www.westtowntavern.com And while not in the Heartland, I want to mention the talented team of Mary Hinds and Stu Stein, formerly of Peerless in Ashland, OR, and soon to open their own restaurant, Terroir, in Portland. They have a cool website of work in progress at the restaurant; I don't have the link right now, but it's an easy google.
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I had been hearing fantastic, amazing things about Sanford for years, not the least of which was the chef's Beard Award nomination. So, this past June a friend and I went to Milwaukee for a long, fun weekend. We had 6pm reservations at Sanford, and were greeted warmly (by name!) when we arrived and were seated promptly ... and abandoned. My friend doesn't eat meat, so we bypassed the tasting menu, and once we flagged down our server, explained that we wanted to create our own tasting menu off of the regular menu (which TOTALLY confused her), and asked for advice on wine-by-the-glass pairings (one needs to know how the foods are prepared to do this properly). Mrs. D'Amato came over, made some bizarre (to our ears) suggestions, but we went with her recommendations. First course was a "spring vegetable hash" with ramps, fiddleheads, yukon gold potatoes and chile oil. It was a disgusting brown mess (any fry cook could have done a better job), accompanied by a Sanford (northern CA) pinot noir that overpowered the mess and fought with the flavors (and happened to be the most expensive wine by the glass). The evening's meal and pairings went downhill from this initial travesty. I'm not inclined to ever write anything negative about restaurants or chefs on my website or others (though I will share experiences in private consultations), but felt that it was important to add another perspective on D'Amato. It could have been a bad night, but it was bad enough that they would have to pay me to ever return. Be Happy! Be Well! Bret S. Beall, MS, PhD (Cand) www.god-dess.com
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Heritage Foods USA (http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/) is a great source for all variety of heritage and heirloom breeds/varieties, including turkeys and other poultry. They helped with a Slow Food event I planned this past spring, and I can really vouch for their first class customer service, and the quality of a variety of their products. You can reach them at the website above or Todd Wickstrom, Co-Founder Heritage Foods USA The Source for Authentic American Heritage Foods 1342 North Main Street Suite 4 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 734.213.7653 office www.heritagefoodsusa.com Tell them Bret Beall sent you, and happy dining! Be Happy! Be Well! Bret S. Beall, MS, PhD (Cand) www.god-dess.com
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You can get one of the best turkeys you have ever tasted by visiting www.chicagocooks.com, specifically http://www.chicagocooks.com/default.asp?sectionID=697, to obtain one of Caveny's spectacular turkeys. I can't emphasize how flavorful these turkeys are (as are his ducks and geese). John Bubala of Thyme roasted a bunch of these for an event I co-chaired for Slow Food this spring, and they were mouthwatering delicious! Bret S. Beall www.god-dess.com
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Having lived in various parts of the midwest for almost 40 years, and having had parents who enjoyed (and made) wine, I've been inclined to sample just about anything I come across during my travels. At one point, midwestern wines were synonymous with relatively sweet beverages. However, about a decade ago, it seemed that the demand for dryer wines inspired some local winemakers to start reducing the residual sugar. About three years ago, Geja's Cafe hosted a Midwestern Wine Festival, where representatives of wineries from throughout the Midwest, including Illinois, were invited to sample. Some definite losers (depending on your palate), but some real winners (especially if one considers food pairings). I was really impressed overall; I think the Illinois red wine that impressed me the most was made by Owl Creek Winery, but my memory could be failing (too much wine?). I've been inspired to systematically visit wineries whenever I travel. I think Lynfred is certainly one the best wineries in Illinois; they produce some very good wines (their Big City Red is offered at Randolph Wine Cellars, or at least it was a few months ago). The real issue with Illinois wines (and those around the Midwest) is that they tend to be relatively poor values. Even when the wines are "good," they tend to be somewhat expensive, compared to wines of similar quality from California, Australia and South America. I believe that the main reasons for drinking "local" or "regional" wines is not only to try new "things," but also to support local artisans and economies, which is consistent with both my own personal philosophy, and the philosophy of Slow Food. To that end, when I visit a tasting room, a lot of my purchasing decision is based on ambience and customer service. There's one winery in NW suburburban Chicago that was so unpleasant (and overpriced) that it was fun to cross them off my list of wines to consider in the future. Since everyone's palate is different, I would encourage experimentation. I have a client who doesn't "get" wine-tasting as entertainment, but I think of it like a treasure hunt. Elfin, pop those bottles for a casual backyard BBQ or other informal event where it won't really matter if the quality of the wines is not up to your standards; or serve them as part of a cheese-tasting event (all wines tend to enhance cheeses, but cheeses tend to obscure wine's subtleties). Good luck with your "hunt"! Bret S. Beall Global Organic Designs Lifestyle Services www.god-dess.com