We planned a trip to Chicago a month or so ago for a continuing education seminar: Uprooting Anxiety. That was super informative (lavender oil, what?!) and a whole separate blog topic. Because Dr. Lise Alschuler's talk was over dinner on a Thursday evening, we decided to take advantage of the road trip and stay for the weekend. What I loved most about Chicago, besides all of the gorgeous parks, art and greenery in the city, is its vast selection of dining options. Not JUST great restaurants, but a HUGE and growing movement of sustainably and locally sourced food in the restaurants.
I wish I'd had more time to eat! So here's a summary of what we did get to experience:
Loved this place in college for their 24 hour schedule and awesome, fresh breakfast served daily. We ended up stopping here, in Kalamazoo, on the way to Chicago for some brunch. It didn't disappoint. The restaurant uses Fair Trade coffee and bakes their own bread.
I got the Davidstown Freighter: Two fried eggs, prosciutto, goat cheese, sauteed onion, spinach, tomato and
red pepper aioli on Fourth Coast Bakery sourdough and a deeeeeliicous iced mocha.
Continuing on to Chicago!
Haymarket
Our first stop on Friday evening was Haymarket. We caught a perfect parking spot right at about 4:30 p.m. in front of the restaurant and decided to happy hour there, sampling their house-brewed beers. The best thing about Haymarket is that you can buy 4 oz samples of beer, allowing the option of trying more than just a couple without getting totally bombed. We also munched on the Artisnal Cheese Flight, which included apples, crackers and samples of 4 local cheeses (which came with a description and the source of the farm/cheese).
The IPAs at Haymarket were spot-on. I tried a few of them, and didn't take notes, but can say without a doubt that my favorite of the evening was their Fiddlesticks Belgian IPA, brewed with Choffe yeast and Candi syrup. Perfectly balanced, flavorful and just a touch of that Belgian "softness".
The Girl & the Goatee Rhubarb ale (pictured below) was a bit disappointing. I was so excited to see Stephanie Izard's beer on the menu, since we were hitting her restaurant for dinner AND because it used Michigan Rhubarb. It fell pretty flat, with barely any distinguishable rhubarb tartness.
I love their sustainability commitment:
 |
| Yes! All restaurants should have have this motto! :) |
After happy hour at Haymarket, we bounced across the street to meet my Aunt Pam (who I hadn't seen in almost TEN years) at:
Girl and the Goat
 |
| Image from Girl and the Goat website |
Wow. Girl and the Goat met and exceeded expectations. It was created by executive chef Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef Season 3. The restaurant is spacious, rustic-chic and relaxed with a focus on food and drink. Stephanie has a commitment to the local food movement, sourcing from a number of farms in the area: Spence Farm, Kinniknnick and Nichols for product, Kilgus Farm for goat and veal and Prairie Fruits Farm for cheeses. I love that Stephanie likes to visit the farms herself to ensure their practices are in line with her vision.Since the restaurant is super popular, we expected not to get in on a Friday without reservations, but after sipping a cocktail at the bar and catching up with my Aunt Pam for about an hour, we got a table. Honestly, I wish I'd have taken some pictures of the food, but between the conversation, libations and absolutely glorious food, I did not. Here are some of the dishes we ordered:
roasted cauliflower
pickled peppers . pine nuts . mint
squash blossom rangoon
crab . chive yogurt . toasted almonds
pinn oaks lamb tartare
english pea tapenade . tuna aioli . water crackers
duck tongues
tuna and black bean poke . crispy wontons . piri piri
All were exceptional. The cauliflower with mint was delicious (I'll be sure to reproduce it and blog). The lamb tartare with peas and goat liver mousse were so interesting and flavorful. The one thing I would mention about the tongues is that they're served with a few too many fried wontons which were very heavy.
The beer and wine list was extensive & very well put together, featuring lots of local options. I enjoyed a Ommegang 3 Philosophers (Cooperstown, NY) 9.80% I'd come back to Girl and the Goat, or Stephanie's other restaurant, Little Goat, in a heartbeat. What a fun evening!
On Saturday a.m., we ended up having breakfast in the hotel, out of convenience. It wasn't bad. At $15, it was a little pricey for your average breakfast buffet, but this was a step up - including smoked salmon (with accouterments of onion, caper), herbed eggs, lots of fruit options and fresh baked muffins and pastries.
Off to the city where we parked in the new 1 million sq foot parking under Millennium Park ($30 for the day). We spent some time enjoying the paths through Lurie Gardens and walked all the way down Navy Pier and back, which was a first for both of us.
 |
| Lurie Gardens - loved all of the shades of purple. |
Farmhouse
After walking another mile or so from Navy Pier, we met our friends Cassie & Marc at Farmhouse for an early dinner. We almost sat at a small patio table outside; in fact, as soon as we sat down, the rain started. And it POURED. Luckily, it was early and we got our pick of tables indoors.
I love that all of their food is sourced locally (IN, MI, IL), and all condiments and breads, etc. are made in house. The server was super knowledgeable about where everything came from. Most of the decor and furniture (85%) was sourced and refurbished locally.
Matt and I started with a pot of French Press for two (local cream on the side) and the the house-made jerky and roasted candied almonds. The jerky was moist and the marinade was sweet & spicy. Perfection. The roasted almonds were crunchy and still warm. Here's something funny: looking out the window from this quaint and high-quality Midwest Craft Tavern, and what do you see? HA! The antithesis of sustainability.
The menu was really tough to pick from. I had several options that I could have been very happy with. One of our dining companions got chicken & herbed dumpling soup and chopped salad, and the other got the Braised Short Ribs (served with a blue cheese potato salad), which weren't even served with the bones; slipped right out, I'd imagine. I had a taste of the short ribs, which melted in my mouth.
Here's what Matt got: Roasted Duck Leg with Spinach fettuccine and peas. And a duck yolk. The duck was fall-off the bone. Pasta was tender and perfect. I think he was a happy camper.
And...here's what I ordered. Pork loin, collard greens done country style with onions and more pork. All with a very light maple glaze. I had to go with the pork for three reasons:
1) The server raved about it and recommended over the other two options I had in mind.
2) I love greens.
3) I NEVER eat pork. When I saw that not only was it local and crap-hormone-antibiotic free, but an heirloom variety, I had to try it.
I got it cooked medium rare, which was perfect. The maple glaze was sweet but not too much. My one critique was that the collards were just a wee bit salty.
I love that all of their food is sourced locally (IN, MI, IL), and all condiments and breads, etc. are made in house. The server was super knowledgeable about where everything came from. Most of the decor and furniture (85%) was sourced and refurbished locally.
Matt and I started with a pot of French Press for two (local cream on the side) and the the house-made jerky and roasted candied almonds. The jerky was moist and the marinade was sweet & spicy. Perfection. The roasted almonds were crunchy and still warm. Here's something funny: looking out the window from this quaint and high-quality Midwest Craft Tavern, and what do you see? HA! The antithesis of sustainability.
 |
| Tables, decor, chairs, art and even a 1930's fridge are all re-purposed. . |
The menu was really tough to pick from. I had several options that I could have been very happy with. One of our dining companions got chicken & herbed dumpling soup and chopped salad, and the other got the Braised Short Ribs (served with a blue cheese potato salad), which weren't even served with the bones; slipped right out, I'd imagine. I had a taste of the short ribs, which melted in my mouth.
Here's what Matt got: Roasted Duck Leg with Spinach fettuccine and peas. And a duck yolk. The duck was fall-off the bone. Pasta was tender and perfect. I think he was a happy camper.
And...here's what I ordered. Pork loin, collard greens done country style with onions and more pork. All with a very light maple glaze. I had to go with the pork for three reasons:
1) The server raved about it and recommended over the other two options I had in mind.
2) I love greens.
3) I NEVER eat pork. When I saw that not only was it local and crap-hormone-antibiotic free, but an heirloom variety, I had to try it.
I got it cooked medium rare, which was perfect. The maple glaze was sweet but not too much. My one critique was that the collards were just a wee bit salty.
 |
| Heirloom piggie, done to perfection.
I'll definitely be back to Farmhouse and would highly recommend! I didn't have any beers there, but there were 28 local ones on tap. Between the food, wine and spirits (and desserts which looked fantastic as well), I guarantee anyone who spends a rainy afternoon here will be a very happy camper.
After dinner at Farmhouse, the four of us shared a pitcher of Margaritas (fresh made) at Cesar's Authentic Mexican Cuisine and Killer Margaritas before catching a comedy show (improv). Yes, they were killer and came in over a dozen flavors! They even had fresh tamarindo in the back, but we opted for plain to suit everyone's palate. The restaurant was absolutely packed and the food looked authentic, fresh & smelled delicious, specifically the sizzling fajitas.
After a night out at ComedySportz (Hilarious! Definitely go if you're considering it.) we had to stop at Cassie's new favorite: Forever Yogurt. As far as create your own frozen yogurt places, this was top notch. There were 10 flavors of frozen yogurt from caramel popcorn to coconut, and a whole buffet line of toppings (chocolate covered strawberries to sour patch kids). I had the European Tangy (plain) frozen yogurt with fresh fruit.
Let's just say that Chicago fed me well! I'll be back for more, and have plenty of leftover restaurant suggestions to cross off my bucket list:
Frontera Grill
Karyn's on Green
May Street Cafe
Native Foods
Grange Hall Burger Bar
Handlebar
Tapas Valencia
If you have any suggestions for my next Chicago adventure, please be so kind as to let me know in the comments.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment