A half dozen kumamotos at a bowl of clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co. in the San Francisco Ferry Building. The oysters were pretty damn fantastic, but I've never had clam chowder quite like this. A heaping pile of Manilia clams (in the shell) in a broth that was light on cream and heavy on the clam juice. Nice veggies, potatoes, and thick cut bacon rounded out the soup. Perfect.

The Breakfast Salad at Birchwood Kitchen during their weekend brunch was surprisingly awesome. Not only was I not expecting a warm salad, but it was actually really morning-friendly. Everything was seasoned really nicely — truffle oil was a nice touch. I am so in love with this place.

The Farm Egg, Lobster (farm egg, lobster meat gratin, English peas, onions, shellfish emulsion, toasted brioche) at North Pond last week. Although I was hopeful when ordering it, I was in "trust, yet verify" mode--I would not have been terribly surprised if the lobster gratin upon which the egg sat had yielded more "gratin" flavor than "lobster." But no, it was just the reverse--the dish was full of genuine lobster pieces that tasted like lobster. You expect good things of North Pond, but when it comes to shellfish I have been disappointed countless times in Chicago by places I had expected good things of. It was nice to have my hopes fulfilled.

Apple tart with bacon cheddar ice cream at Sweets & Savories. Oh yes.

Homemade hot mango pickle from my coworker's wife.

Burger seasoned with sichuan pepper, and black pepper. Topped with grilled eggplant flavored with smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne; grilled prosciutto; tomato; and kalamata olive aioli on a Challa roll. Made at home and grilled over hot coals.

An "Original Lime" Agua Fresca at the Frontera counter, 7th Floor of Macy's.

The rest of the meal varied from pretty good (cochinita pibil "torta") to miserable (chips and salsa, fresh out of the bag/jar), but the Agua Fresca was a phenomenal, ultra tart limeade absolutely jammed with fresh lime flavor and the bare minimum amount of sugar, just enough to cut the bite. Glorious on a hot summer day.

Breakfast radishes with salt and butter about a month ago at The Bristol,
only topped by Klug Farm blackberries and creme fraiche at Nightwood last week.

Bride was taken to Nightwood last night for a belated birthday dinner by a couple of friends. I popped the top on her take-home and found duck leg, French green beans with a hint of anchovy and roasted shallot.

Sliced frozen Bennison Bakery ciabatta straight into the toaster, rubbed with garlic clove when still warm, roasted shallot worked into the bread, rare(ish) duck sliced thin all topped with teeny tiny tomatoes from the back forty.

Drizzle of olive oil, dusting of Maldon to finish, best thing I've had in a while.

If Nightwood leftovers are this tasty I am really looking forward to eating in the restaurant.

Enjoy,
Gary

Ben & Jerry's Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Good grief... I have depleted my stash (Lost the last pint when the freezer door jammed open on meatballs... I nearly cried...) and, although I may be the least religious person in the world, I have taken to praying that the ice cream gods bring more...

Grilled scallops in a spicy brown sauce with zucchini and rice at Mixteco. Mmm!

Trixie-pea's mac and cheese from Low & Slow, sub in Co-op hot sauce for the tabasco, and add in 2 slices of chopped nueske's bacon + 1 tbsp of bacon fat.

Seedling farms donut peaches & plums. Tomato Mountain's sun gold tomatoes. They taste like candy but are honest to goodness chock full of lycopene & good for you.

I wonder if I can bring myself to combine peaches & tomatoes for Mark Bitterman's (sp) salad.

my dinner last night.

a sandwich on an italian roll

about a pound of fresh sliced deli meat and some cheese(capicola, mortadella from Italy, volpi genoa salami, and thin sliced fresh mozz). so good I had another for breakfast before I mowed the lawn

Corn and zucchini quesadillas that my wife just made for me. They were all about freshness. Unimprovable sweet corn purchased this morning from Three Sisters Farm, El Milagro packaged tortillas that were just off the truck, still warm when I bought them at The Cermak*, Saxon Creamery melting cheese, Nordic Creamery's fantastic fresh butter, great basil from somewhere or other.



*how do so many local restaurants think they can get away with serving crappy, stale tortillas in this town, where it couldn't be easier to purchase cheap, fresh and delicious ones?

Puerto Rican Pernil a friend made for her daughters birthday. Slow roasted pork studded with garlic and sofrito, crisp skin, tender moist flesh, a study in deliciousness.

For breakfast while on vaca in York Beach, Maine...

BBQ pulled pork hash over crispy collard greens topped with two perfectly poached eggs, accompanied by pea shoots and heirloom tomato slices on the side. With cheddar cheese grits in a crispy potato bird's nest. Washed down with their locally roasted 'Wicked Joe' coffee. Ambitious, sublime, worked perfectly.

The Stolen Menu Cafe
Long Sands Plaza
127 Long Sands Road
York, Maine 03909
Phone 207.363.0298
Fax 207.363.0299

http://www.thestolenmenucafe.com/index.html

Fresh peach donut from The Donut Man in Glendora, CA. Holy crap, was that good.

The salmon carbon and shrimp with garlic were perfectly cooked and both had a striking combination of flavors, but for complexity and interest--and particularly considering the longings engendered by watching Bayless winning the Top Chef Masters competition with similar echt-Mexican specialties --the quesadillas huitlacoche that I had last night at Amelia's (46th & Wabash--plenty of parking) now qualify as the best dish I've had in recent memory.

Frog legs at Brasserie Jo. Tender, juicy, slightly salty and crispy. Finger lickin' delicious. Dinner was excellent but the frog legs stood out. Had to go wash hands and face before the next course.

Pistachio gelato at Pasticceria Natalina: Nick is having it made to PN's exacting standards, which means it's pure pistachio goodness, from the paste in the blend to the chunks of nuts. At $6 for a cup, it ain't cheap--but it's also the best ice cream I've had in Chicago, hands down.

The steak frites at Bistro Campagne with shoestring onion frites substituted for pomme frites. I live close and B.C. is one of my favorite restaurants. But I had never tried their steak 'till last night (I'm generally not a big steak person) and it was unbelievable. Simple preparation with a great piece of meat. Plus it was topped with deep fried onions. Hard to go wrong there.

Cannoli at Pasticceria Natalina.

A can of Flott Sicilian tuna packed in olive oil with an almost perfect Nichols' farm tomato, a sliced Nichols' shallot scattered over the top, big dollop of Hellmans mayo, and plenty of freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper. This brand of tuna is dark and meaty...nothing at all like the domestic brands. I'm trying to remember where we picked it up, either Caputos on Harlem or Bari. Only freshly made mayo would have made this better.

I should have also sliced up a few French breakfast radishes but there's always tomorrow.

Evil Ronnie wrote:A can of Flott Sicilian tuna packed in olive oil with an almost perfect Nichols' farm tomato, a sliced Nichols' shallot scattered over the top, big dollop of Hellmans mayo, and plenty of freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper. This brand of tuna is dark and meaty...nothing at all like the domestic brands. I'm trying to remember where we picked it up, either Caputos on Harlem or Bari. Only freshly made mayo would have made this better.

I should have also sliced up a few French breakfast radishes but there's always tomorrow.

FYI to those seeking it out: I'm pretty sure I saw this brand of tuna at Freddy's in Cicero this afternoon.

chezbrad wrote:Pistachio gelato at Pasticceria Natalina: Nick is having it made to PN's exacting standards, which means it's pure pistachio goodness, from the paste in the blend to the chunks of nuts. At $6 for a cup, it ain't cheap--but it's also the best ice cream I've had in Chicago, hands down.

Unless they changed vendors, PN's gelato is made by Palazzolo's. Not to diminish Nick's "exacting standards," but Palazzolo's gelato makers are no scrubs -- that's good stuff in general and widely available in Western Michigan where it is made.

In fact, I posted here about some Palazzolo's gelato I had as being the "Best Thing [I've] Eaten Lately."

smoked turkey gumbo @ Toons yesterday. So good I am going to try to replicate it today.

jimswside wrote:smoked turkey gumbo @ Toons yesterday. So good I am going to try to replicate it today.

yeah, that is really fantastic stuff. All the soups/ stocks at Toons are homemade from scratch.

Kennyz wrote:

jimswside wrote:smoked turkey gumbo @ Toons yesterday. So good I am going to try to replicate it today.

yeah, that is really fantastic stuff. All the soups/ stocks at Toons are homemade from scratch.

everything I have tried there is great, they really care about what they serve.

aschie30 wrote:Unless they changed vendors, PN's gelato is made by Palazzolo's. Not to diminish Nick's "exacting standards," but Palazzolo's gelato makers are no scrubs -- that's good stuff in general and widely available in Western Michigan where it is made.

Still Palazzolo's, yes--but apparently Nick is sending the gelato makers the ingredients for the pistachio.