Meat and Coffee in Chicago

Last Tuesday we went to Chicago. It was a last-minute decision. Total whim. Chicago is it's own thing. It lacks pretense and is full of purposeful architecture. The river running through the city creates such a wonderful travel experience for the pedestrian and biker. Luckily, the city started it's own public bike system last year, so we got to see the city by bike. Riding around in perfect Summer weather, stopping to check out a couple of art exhibitions, wandering into restaurants that were recommended. 

The two stand-out restaurants that I went to were The Publican and Au Cheval. I received a tip from a friend (and chef) back in LA, Lydia Burkhalter. She suggested I try the homemade bologna sandwich at Au Cheval, in the meat packing district. It was unreal. The soft, thin, slightly-sauteed slices of the delicately-spiced mortadella were velvety and sweet. Layered high on a soft, eggy brioche bun, with oozy cheddar and a bit of mornay sauce, it was not the bologna you think of from that sad sack lunch from 5th grade. It was a delicacy. It was an honest sandwich, mirroring what Chicago feels like, honest and meat-loving. 

I tried the roasted chicken & sausage on fries at The Publican and, in the words from fellow TofC contributor Sam Grawe, this had the best juices. Don't miss this place! The thinly sliced Benton's country ham (Tennessee) with goat butter on housemade German-style bread, was pure joy. Salty and sweet, melting on my tongue, on par with the Iberican hams in Spain. The avocado, kale, carrot, and toasted peanut with tahini dressing was better than the kale salads back in California. They nailed it. Chicago nailed it. Skip a white table cloth table for lunch and hit these spots instead. You won't regret it.

Cornmeal & Masa Waffles with Old Buds

During a recent December visit to San Francisco, we visited some of our dear friends who just moved into their Eichler designed home in Marin County. After our sleepover, we woke up to the sounds of sweet crackling vinyl from Sam's vast record collection playing on the speakers, and to the smell of... toasting masa flour? Yes. Sam Grawe, who spends most of his time as editor-in-chief of Dwell Magazine as well as playing and writing music, improvised a waffle recipe incorporating gluten free ingredients to create an earthy and scrumptious take on waffles. Sam and his wife Anissa tag team a super crazy good meal. I wish I could photographically report on the dinner they made the night before, but I'll just say it involved a cut of meat that was Japanese inspired sweet, salty and grilled to fall apart perfection. It was serious.

After our morning waffle hour, we took a hike in the foothills behind their house, where Sam took field recordings of the babbling brook for potential tracking in his music room. Eero, their mystical looking cat, was waiting for us by the door when we got home with owl like eyes.

The colors in the nearby hills are seamlessly integrated with the color choice on their living room walls. Eichler houses use tons of glass which brings the outside in.  Nature reflected in any interior will always be cool.

When coming up with the waffle recipe, Sam busted out a classic recipe to get the job started... It's fun to riff off basic recipes, especially when you like to cook off the cuff.

Sam decided to toast the masa flour before adding it to the cornmeal and the other dry ingredients.

 

Instead of regular milk, Sam used almond milk. At this stage he also added a few egg yolks and mixed it until all ingredients were fully combined and smooth.

Adrian on Coffee Patrol

Sam then added some whipped egg whites and slowly folded them in. No over mixing allowed here or else they will have no fluff!

Et Voilà. There it is. Serve with whatever you fancy. Next time we will turn it savory by incorporating some green poblano peppers and jack cheese to make it sort of Mexican style. Or perhaps with honey and make it kind of sopapilla-esque and New-Mexican.