Fox and Obel / $.12 back from a hundred

Last Wednesday afternoon, on the way home from a nice lunch at Siam Noodle with GWiv and SteveZ, I decided to stop at Fox and Obel. I hadn't yet tried out their new valet parking system.

Although I pride myself on being a good shopper, I have many ongoing episodes of reckless abandon, sort of a split shopping personality if you will. There's the Good Shopper Evil Ronnie , who is proud to present to the Peapod delivery person a $1.00 off coupon for a bag or dried cat food. This Ronnie is beaming all over when he finds his 24 can case of Caffeine Free Diet Cokes on sale for $3.99. Good Shopper Evil Ronnie loves to take a couple packages of turkey wings, some flour and root vegetables to create a pot of turkey and dumplins that'll just about make his and The Lovely Donna's toes curl up, creating an austere yet satisfying feast that even Antonius would be proud of. Today, the good shopper Evil Ronnie bought one of those large dressed whole catfish at Issacson and Stein, for about two bucks a pound, which, after cutting into thin steaks, and breading with a flour/cornmeal mixture, became wonderfully cheap and delicious fried catfish sandwiches (fried in a combination of peanut oil and Bruce Cook's organic lard) with homemade remoulade sauce and squishy, fresh S.Rosen onion rolls. No burnt flour taste here and dirt cheap.

Well, last week at F$O, I was the other Evil Ronnie. At the butcher counter, I picked up a 2 lb. + piece of boneless dry aged prime strip loin at $28.95 per lb., to roast later in the week. I felt a little guilty, but kept moving to the right, over to the seafood counter, where I picked up three beautiful swordfish steaks, about an inch thick each, going for just under twenty a pound.

As I headed over to the cashier, I grabbed a diet coke for the ride home.

$.12 back from a hundred.

Evil Ronnie wrote:...Good Shopper Evil Ronnie loves to take a couple packages of turkey wings, some flour and root vegetables to create a pot of turkey and dumplins that'll just about make his and The Lovely Donna's toes curl up, creating an austere yet satisfying feast that even Antonius would be proud of...

...$.12 back from a hundred. ...

ER,

To put your two shopping personalities into Roman terms, I think of the Good Shopper ER as Republican Evil Ronnie, the one imbued with the old Roman virtues of frugality and austerity that charactised Rome when it was a republic, and of Bad Shopper ER as Imperial Evil Ronnie, the one who does not resist temptation or worry about the morrow but rather embraces willingly all the pleasures of the moment, as did so many members of the upper echelons of Roman society during the imperial period.

Ave Ronnie!



Antonius

P.S. How did you prepare the swordfish steaks?

Evil Ronnie wrote:
As I headed over to the cashier, I grabbed a diet coke for the ride home.

$.12 back from a hundred.

Yep, those diet cokes will get you every time.

Actually, I think you have struck a remarkable balance in your culinary life. It is your rationalization skills that need to be improved. You suffered through endless catfish sandwiches and turkey wings, scrimping and saving, just so you could afford one paltry piece of prime dry-aged beef and a couple of swordfish steaks. You have not only earned that beef through sacrifice and austerity, but you deserve it, and a $50 bottle of Italian wine to wash it down with.

I had a similar experience there. I asked for two steaks, without looking at the "per pound". I notice the total was going to be $60.00. I told the butcher that I had to pass, as I suspect my wife would have carved me up and served me with the steaks.

That being said, it is an interesting place, complete with an entire wall filled with different balsamic vinegars. The meat department is very good, and the fish is great also.

DML wrote:and the fish is great also.

You know, a word on that...

I was to pick up some salmon for dinner last Friday...I pass both a Jewel and a Dominick's on my way home from work and, it being Lent, figured one of the two would have a reasonably good price on salmon. Looking at the website weekly specials, I found salmon on sale at Jewel for $10.99. Nothing at Dominick's. That was quite a bit more than I'd hoped for what I knew would be fish of middling quality at best.

So I go downstairs to Fox and Obel to check their prices. They have a number of salmon options, the cheapest of which was also $10.99/lb. So I buy a couple large filets for $10 (yes, they do usually cut larger than you ask) and bring them home.

I felt like I really botched the cooking process (in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes, then turned it up to 425 or so for maybe five more--I meant to do the whole thing at higher heat), but this still was some of the best salmon I've ever eaten. The cooking turned out fine, but I can't help but believe the quality of the fish was more than a little forgiving of the cook.

Of course Jewel and Dominick's are terribly overpriced for lots of things, but that really comes into focus when you find much better product for comparable prices at Fox and Obel.

The comparison of Jewel/Dominics with Fox & Obel is instructive: at the big chains, there is lots of mark-up but no particularly enticing quality; at F&O, the mark-up is always considerable and sometimes amazing, but -- certainly in my experience -- everything is of very high quality.

I've bought seafood at F&O and, while the prices are high, the quality is there and I find that the ease of mind is worth a great deal: I trust that when I cook up what I've bought there, it will not disappoint.

The key to shopping at F&O (assuming you haven't won first prize at Power Ball) is to avoid buying ANYTHING that can be gotten elsewhere at the same quality, esp. packaged goods. I've mentioned before the case of the bottle of passata di pomodoro which I saw at F&O for more than $7, when the same quality product is available elsewhere for less than $1.50. Of course, F&O carry brands of pasta and oils and vinegars etc etc etc that one can't find readily elsewhere, but for the ones that can be found, their mark-up is probably always considerable and best avoided.

Antonius

Well stated - I go to F&O for specialty items exclusively, and to window shop the cheese (note to cheese experience collectors: F&O may have the last known example of Bingham Hill's Harvest Moon Cheese, a washed rind pleasure, now that the company is defunct. I noticed it there on Thursday). In my days before the fight against gluten, I would have sold my soul for one of their orange cream danishes, a Plugra-buttery piece of heaven filled with orange zest and orange pastry cream. Simply the best breakfast pastry I've eaten in the US in years...better even than City Bakery's Baker's Muffins.

Am I the only person who thinks the bakery is overrated? The breads (including croissaints) are very good, and the apple pie is incredible, but they have some of the most tasteless tarts and mousses that I've ever had. The stuff sure looks good, but the taste is a big disappointment.

I would add the wine department to the overpriced list. There are two good places with a block -- Kensington for fine wines, and a place directly across McClurg for the routine stuff.

I've sampled pastry on several occasions and have never felt like returning for a repeat. Simply not the same caliber as the bread or breakfast pastry. But tell me...where would you recommend the pastry?

DML wrote:Am I the only person who thinks the bakery is overrated? The breads (including croissaints) are very good, and the apple pie is incredible, but they have some of the most tasteless tarts and mousses that I've ever had. The stuff sure looks good, but the taste is a big disappointment.

Haven't tried the tarts or mousses, but I've never been disappointed by the cakes, especially carrot. The red velvet cupcakes are also fantastic.

DML, I agree on the wine prices/selection. I buy the occasional bottle to go with dinner simply because I don't feel like making another stop. I think F&O is counting on just that sort of purchase, not only with wine, but with a lot of the other products that are available much cheaper elsewhere.

F&O has the only cinnamon rolls I consider worth eating in this town. Can't speak to the rest of the pastry there, but I'm not leaving without one of those puppies on the occasions I can get there.

Bob S. wrote:F&O has the only cinnamon rolls I consider worth eating in this town.

At the risk of thread hijack, Bob S., have you tried the cinnamon rolls at the Medici Bakery in Hyde Park? They're made with a croissant-type dough, studded with raisins, and they are absolutely fantastic.

The Medici Bakery
1331 E. 57th
773.667.7394

kl5 wrote:

Bob S. wrote:F&O has the only cinnamon rolls I consider worth eating in this town.

At the risk of thread hijack, Bob S., have you tried the cinnamon rolls at the Medici Bakery in Hyde Park? They're made with a croissant-type dough, studded with raisins, and they are absolutely fantastic.

The Medici Bakery
1331 E. 57th
773.667.7394

Whoa, that sounds worth a trip. Thanks for the word, and in the spirit of not hijacking, we now return the thread to its originally scheduled point.

Bob S. wrote:

kl5 wrote:The Medici Bakery
1331 E. 57th
773.667.7394

Whoa, that sounds worth a trip. Thanks for the word, and in the spirit of not hijacking, we now return the thread to its originally scheduled point.

Bob,

If you go all the way down there, be sure to get some bread too -- it's quite good.

Antonius

Queijo wrote:F&O may have the last known example of Bingham Hill's Harvest Moon Cheese

Shhh....

Queijo wrote:In my days before the fight against gluten, I would have sold my soul for one of their orange cream danishes, a Plugra-buttery piece of heaven filled with orange zest and orange pastry cream. Simply the best breakfast pastry I've eaten in the US in years

I agree with this too...those things are fantastic. I don't think their tarts stand up to their breads and breakfast pastries, but the apple sour cream (I think) is quite good. I also really, really like--and some day will very sorely miss--their chocolate chip cookies. Absolutely delightful.

I find their wine department more expensive than Binny's or Sam's certainly, but I've done quite a bit of lunch break comparison over the year, and find that it compares pretty favorably to UnCorkit or Kensington. It seems pretty well thought out, and there is one girl who really knows her stuff and is enjoyable to talk to about wine. Certainly not the case at UnCorkit, and I'm not convinced that's the case at Kensington's either. Not a destination wine source, Fox and Obel, but certainly not too bad.

At risk of going off topic, does anybody else have concerns about quality at Kensington Fine Wines?

When I deal with Hart Davis Hart I am pretty confident that the wine was stored and handled properly. I don't have that same confidence in Kensington.

I also prefer Hart Davis because my German Shepherd likes playing with their Doberman, but that is a different matter altogether.

DML wrote:At risk of going off topic, does anybody else have concerns about quality at Kensington Fine Wines?

Funny you should ask that...I'm not really in the market for the kinds of wine where I'm really concerned about their handling of it, but I've always thought that, if I were, I'm not sure how I'd feel about buying there. I think this is mostly because I'm not convinced of the expertise of the sales staff. Is your concern, DML, intuitive or based on something more substantial?

Antonius wrote:Bob,

If you go all the way down there, be sure to get some bread too -- it's quite good.

Antonius

Thanks for that tip, Antonius. The question bread lovers love to hate: Does it freeze well? I can go months without a slice of bread (the thing that's stopped me from trying to bake my own) -- sandwiches really only happen during the dog days of summer in my kitchen. I don't even own a toaster or toaster oven. And as much as I love to make french toast, again, I'd still need to freeze the rest of the loaf. (Or make croutons or bread crumbs and store those.)

On the other hand, if they have brat, sausage, or sub rolls worthy of my business, I can use everything I can carry back -- advice on that possibility is welcome.

Re Kensington: It is a combination of intuitive and something more. It reminds me of the old Daley saying: "Don't send me nobody nobody knows." I don't know those people, while I know that Hart and Davis have roots here. I also once asked Kensington about where an older wine came from (over 20 years old) and they really didn't have an answer. For wines over $500.00 or so, they should know immediately (or be able to check it out immediately).

Bob S. wrote:...On the other hand, if they have brat, sausage, or sub rolls worthy of my business, I can use everything I can carry back -- advice on that possibility is welcome.

Bob,

I'm sure most freeze well enough. For your brat/sausage/sub desires, I think their demi-baguettes would work really well.

I think I might stop by there myself today...

Antonius

I bought 6 dry aged filets from F&O last week (I mentioned these on another thread and some questioned whether they would actually be dry aged) and they were the best steaks I've ever had. My guests all felt the same. They did come to about $112 but were over 8-10 ounces apiece and about two inches thick. I would buy them again in a heartbeat for another special occasion dinner. I have been extremely happy with all of my purchases at F&O--it exceeds my expectations on every count. However, I shop there once every few months as a treat. I used shop regularly at the Treasure Island on Clybourn but moved out of the neighborhood awhile back so it isn't convenient anymore. I now split my time between Whole Foods on Ashland and Trader Joe's on Lincoln (with occasional desperation trips to the Jewel on Clark and Bryn Mawr and the awful Dominick's on Ridge). Given that, I feel I deserve my occasional treats at F&O as well!

Rudy wrote:the awful Dominick's on Ridge

Isn't awful Dominick's redundant?

It is redundant but for the fact that they don't run out of Diet IBC as often as the Jewel on Bryn Mawr. And they make surprisingly good mexican wedding cakes. :)

Evil Ronnie wrote:$.12 back from a hundred.

Evil,

Thought of this post the other day at Marketplace on Oakton. We have house guests, including kids, and I really loaded up the cart. Everything from sliced deli meat and cheese to soda, cereal, chips, vegetables, fruit, bread, couple of chickens, and extra wings, for the smoker. All the important food groups, including ice cream.

The shopping cart was, literally, overflowing, the clerk ringing up item after item -daikon, dijon, dill, donuts, dates, and that was just the D's. Total $100.16, about $100 less than I expected. No change back from a hundred, but it still put me in mind of Evil Ronnie's Fox and Obel post.

Enjoy,
Gary

MarketPlace on Oakton
4817 W Oakton
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-9330

Hi,

Has there been any changes in product selection since Fox & Obel changed hands? I was there the other night to look around to find less remarkably interesting than prior visits. It may be I've gotten jaded and overlooked something marvelous. I'm hoping someone can comment on their experience, because I am hardly a regular shopper.

Regards,

I haven't noticed anything different.

just walked over, and I actually find the product selection more interesting than it used to be. The cured/ smoked meat department has several interesting and new items, including stuff from La Quercia, Nueske, Gunthorp, and at least one other artisinal midwest producer. They also now carry fresh fois gras and fois gras terrines. The produce section has seen a huge transformation for the better as well. After price, the wretched, not-fresh produce trucked in from afar was the biggest reason I never frequented this store. Finally, the produce manager has been replaced by someone who cares, and the section is filled with gorgeous local products: peaches, radishes, 5 kinds of peppers, fingerling potatoes, sweet corn, the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes you'll ever see, and much more.

I thought I would pass along a note about upcoming parking changes.

Upon checking out yesterday, there were flyers touting "FREE PARKING" starting September 1st, presumably in the underground lot in the building caddy corner which houses the AMC River East theater. At the bottom of the flyer was "Valet Parking $8." Valet parking has been (and is still currently) free, and for someone who travels from north to south side to north side everyday, it allows for a very convenient and quick stop on the way home from work. Unfortunately, parking in the underground garage is much less convenient , and will likely deter spontaneous drop-ins, especially when in a rush. That being said, free parking is still free parking. There are also minimum purchase requirements and time limits for the parking, which I believe have always existed.

gus wrote: Unfortunately, parking in the underground garage is much less convenient , and will likely deter spontaneous drop-ins, especially when in a rush. That being said, free parking is still free parking. There are also minimum purchase requirements and time limits for the parking, which I believe have always existed.

Didn't we have this exact conversation in reverse when the free parking in the lot on the NE corner was discontinued because of construction and people complained because they had to valet park?