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Warm Up with a Bowl of Hot Pho!
Right now you’re probably thinking, what’s going to thaw me out after two days of steeping out in subzero temperatures? If you’re near Skokie, the answer is a nice bowl of pho at Ben Tre Café.
Pho, in its most basic sense, is beef noodle soup. Pho is traditionally made using rice noodles, large, thin slices of beef, and sliced green onions. At Ben Tre, it’s served with a side dish of bean sprouts, peppers and greens to add at your discretion. You can also order it with meatballs, beef tendon, beef flank, chicken, or seafood. The lazy Susan in the middle of the table offers a few sauces to spice up the soup to your liking, such as fish sauce and sriracha (red chile sauce).
The portions are pretty big at Ben Tre, but if you’re looking for an appetizer, try the Banh Xeo (a crepe stuffed with shrimp and pork that looks like an omelet)…
…or the Nem Nuong Cuon (meatball spring rolls).
There are a few interesting drinks on the menu, including smoothies and sweet Vietnamese coffee, but although it’s better on a hot day, you would be missing out if you didn’t try the salty lemonade. The last time I had it, I finished the entire glass before the meal came. Made with preserved lemons, it’s surprisingly refreshing and delightfully sour, sweet, and salty all at once.
By the way, for those unfamiliar with the Vietnamese language, pho is pronounced like “duh” rather than “no”. Or as I like to call it at Ben’s, “number 25”.
Ben Tre Café
3146 W. Touhy Ave.
Chicago, 60645
(773) 465-3011
Fax: (773) 465-3028
A Little Help for Blue Sky
Occasionally I take my lunch break with some work buddies, and I recently picked a few places that were super tasty (4 Hermanos, for instance). So I wanted to build on this reputation of finding nifty places to eat, but as with all endeavors, there are some hits and there are some misses.
Blue Sky Bakery & Café is unfortunately one of the misses. I really wanted to love this quiet little brown and blue café tucked away on a side street in Albany Park. It’s cozy, uniquely decorated with chandeliers, centerpieces on the table, and collage-style paintings set on high shelves rather than hung on the walls. It’s a nice coffee shop for pondering, writing that new novel, or just chilling out with a book in wonderful silence.
I hate to diss a place that’s doing good in the world—Blue Sky is a non-profit organization set up to give homeless teens job training—but I was quite disappointed in the experience.
There was no menu or display case to order from, and although the young woman at the counter was friendly, she was almost hesitant to tell us what was being offered for lunch. We eventually learned that there were four soups (all pre-packaged in to-go containers) and red pepper goat cheese quiche. She also offered to make us a salad, but there was no prepared dressing, so she could make one on the spot. The fridge was busted, so the prosciutto they planned to use for sandwiches was spoiled. They had plenty of scones, cookies, and a luscious-looking plum tart, though, so we stuck around for a light lunch. I ordered the quiche and a slice of plum tart, and my pals all ordered different soups with scones on the side.
I think the counterperson was the only one in the place, because it took about 30 minutes before we finally saw her digging out forks and napkins, at which point I had to tell her to pack everything up to go (if only our lunch break was longer!). Just before we went to the counter to pick up our meals, she mentioned that one of the soups was “on its last legs.” I appreciate honesty, but I found that a little odd—just how long were these soups sitting around?
Unfortunately, our reports about the food were not favorable. Nothing was terrible, but most things weren’t notably good, either. My quiche was very mediocre, and despite the simple elegance of the plum tart, it too was rather plain and unmemorable. One of my lunch buddies complained that the potato soup “didn’t taste like anything”. However, the scones won rave reviews.
Blue Sky is obviously not a big-budget place, and I always like to see small businesses thrive. One of these days I’d like to give it another go, maybe in summer when fresh produce abounds. When I do, I’ll report back, hopefully with better results.
Blue Sky Bakery & Café
4749 N Albany Ave.
Chicago, 60626
(773) 478-2233
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Obama Soda and Bubu Lubu
January 20th, 2009. A day that will go down in history as the inauguration of America’s first black president.
That’s something that still impresses me, but the first thing I thought of that morning was, “By golly, I need a theme drink to toast the occasion with!” So off I went to the Sev (7-Eleven to the unhip) to find Jones Soda Co.’s “Orange You Glad for Change” Cola, a citrus-spiked cola made just for inauguration day.
Sadly, the Skokie location was out, but they were well stocked with Bubu Lubu, a Mexican candy bar with a spiky-haired ghost as its mascot. The ghost, I have to say, looks a bit loopy on E.
This bar had me at ¡Hola! The description read, “strawberry flavored jelly and marshmallow with chocolate flavored coating”. Despite my unabashed love for honest-to-goodness real chocolate, I’m a sucker for chocolate-flavored things too, like Quik, Charleston Chew, and Tootsie Rolls. Chocolate-covered marshmallow is even better, but when there’s chemically flavored strawberry goo thrown in, oh boy! I figured with a new president officially in charge, I should also buy a lottery ticket for good luck. I had out my wallet, expecting to pay about $35, but the total came to…$1.30? What was this, 1972? I couldn’t remember the last time I was able to buy a full-size candy bar for thirty cents.
I eventually found the soda at another location. It was a little too acidic, as though the Jones people mixed cola with OJ, but it wasn’t bad. It’s better than Lemon Coke. I prefer their Orange & Cream and Root Beer sodas.
I wasted no time getting the wrapper off my Bubu (get your minds out of the gutter). It looked harmless enough—a nice “chocolate” log in a wavy shape, like a well-endowed snake. The jelly inside was bright, neon pink. The marshmallow was so gooey that breaking the bar into chunks was impossible.
How did it taste? I guess you can say I didn’t win the lottery. The bar was somehow devoid of any marshmallow taste and it was so sugary sweet that I felt the grit in my teeth. But kids and the perpetually sleepy would love it.
7-Eleven
4001 Oakton St., Skokie
(847) 679-2580
6200 N. Sayre, Chicago
(773) 775-2063
Warm Up with a Bowl of Hot Pho!
Right now you’re probably thinking, what’s going to thaw me out after days of stepping out in subzero temperatures? If you’re near Skokie, the answer is a nice bowl of pho at Ben Tre Café.
Pho, in its most basic sense, is beef noodle soup. Pho is traditionally made using rice noodles, large, thin slices of beef, and sliced green onions. At Ben Tre, it’s served with a side dish of bean sprouts and greens to add at your discretion. You can also order it with meatballs, beef tendon, beef flank, chicken, or seafood. The lazy Susan in the middle of the table offers a few sauces to spice up the soup to your liking, such as fish sauce and sriracha (red chile sauce).
The portions are pretty big at Ben Tre, but if you’re looking for an appetizer, try the Banh Xeo (a crepe stuffed with shrimp and pork that looks like an omelet)…
…or the Nem Nuong Cuon (meatball spring rolls).
There are a few interesting drinks on the menu, including smoothies and sweet Vietnamese coffee, but although it’s better on a hot day, you would be missing out if you didn’t try the salty lemonade. The last time I had it, I finished the entire glass before the meal came. Made with preserved lemons, it’s surprisingly refreshing and delightfully sour, sweet, and salty all at once.
By the way, for those unfamiliar with the Vietnamese language, pho is pronounced like “duh” rather than “no”. Or as I like to call it at Ben’s, “number 25”.
Ben Tre Café
3146 W Touhy Ave.
Chicago 60645
(773) 465-3011
Fax: (773) 465-3028
Hog Wild: The Bacon Edition
Bacon finally earned its place in the sun last year. Since several establishments served up dishes starring bacon as the main attraction, I decided to take myself on a bacon tour around the city. Here s a list of the top 5 unusual creations.
First Stop: Blackbird, 619 W. Randolph St., Chicago.
When I heard that two of my favorite things in all the world, bacon and ice cream, were combined in one heady concoction, I rushed over to try it. A quenelle of bacon-infused ice cream was served atop a row of mini beignets (one stuffed with fig jam), figs, and raspberries and drizzled with butterscotch. The ice cream was a smoky, creamy delight that was made even more decadent when swirled with the sauce and figs. However, the “beignets” were not beignets but average sugar donuts, and they were so small that all I tasted was a shot of sugar.
Second Stop: Osteria via Stato, 620 N. State St., Chicago.
Bacon ice cream is unusual, I admit, but not nearly as crazy as a bacon-infused cocktail. The drink was made by infusing vodka with apple slices and raw bacon for 72 hours, then straining it into a martini glass and garnishing with a wheel of pancetta. In short, it was the most dreadful thing I ever put into my mouth. It was how you’d expect cold bacon grease and a shot of vodka to taste: like something you’d only try on a dare or if you were told it cured hangovers. Worse yet, the bartender forgot my wheel, and some drunks accidentally threw pizza at me!
Third Stop: Coco Rouge, 1940 W. Division St., Chicago and
Vosges Haut Chocolat, 520 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago.
Chocolate is tied with ice cream at number one on my list of favorite sweets, and at the ultra-trendy chocolate shop known as Coco Rouge, you can get the Carnassier bar: rich bittersweet chocolate dusted with edible gold and stuffed with maple-caramelized bacon. Upon opening the wrapper, I got a nice whiff of smokiness, and the chocolate was exquisitely robust and smooth. However, it overpowered the finely chopped bacon, though it lent a nice crunchy texture to the bar. Mo’s Bacon Bar from Vosges blows Coco Rouge’s out of the salty, meaty water. This milk chocolate bar was considerably more bacony, with palatable smokiness and a nice salty finish. Instead of overpowering the bacon, the chocolate worked with it, as though the pairing was written in the stars. The complementary flavors were especially enjoyable when the chocolate sat on my tongue and was allowed to melt as the package instructed (yes, this candy comes with instructions), making the crunchy bacon tidbits stand out even more. No matter what your first instincts are about mixing meats and sweets, you must try this confection. You won’t be disappointed.
Final Stop: Wiener…and Still Champion, 802 Dempster St., Evanston.
The rumors are true; they do serve deep-fried bacon here. And not just some little bites, either! No sir! One order of these artery-clogging treats contains about 7 full-size strips of bacon, dipped in batter and fried to a golden brown. They also come with a dipping sauce of your choice. I really wanted to love these, and I think I would have if the bacon was cooked a little longer, but they were very fatty and chewy, even by my standards. An unusual treat to be sure, but you should probably eat them as a side with a nice green salad. And certainly not last on a bacon buffet.
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Chinese New Year 2009
Chinese New Year is almost over, so I decided it was high time I busted out the package of Lotus Paste Buns that have been sitting in my freezer for months. I tasted these puffy little dumplings once as an appetizer at China Town Express in Morton Grove, and loved them so much I went out and bought a package to make at home. I found these at the now defunct Grand Mart in Niles, but they’re found at many Asian groceries, including the huge Korean markets Super H-Mart and Assi.
The sticky, slightly sweet lotus paste filling is tucked inside stark-white balls of dough that can be devoured in three bites or less. The taste is not unlike white bread stuffed with apple butter, but these are more fun to eat. All you need to do is steam them on the stovetop or nuke ‘em in the microwave for a tasty nibble any time of day.
China Town Express
6121 Dempster St.
Morton Grove, 60053
(847) 967-8822
Super H-Mart
801 Civic Center Drive
Niles, 60714
(847) 581-1212
Assi International Plaza
8901 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles, 60714
(847) 470-9450
Hog Wild: The Rest of the Pig
Homer: Are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal!
It’s only fitting that I begin this entry with a bit of dialogue between Homer Simpson, the greatest porkonnoisseur in TV history, and his daughter. I love beef and poultry as much as the next carnivore, but each critter’s respective parts taste kinda the same. The pig, on the other hand, has so many different flavors packed into one carcass that you wonder if the very first one on earth wasn’t put together like a patchwork quilt.
It’s a well-known fact that almost all things are made better with bacon, including chocolate, and last year’s bacon explosion proved that to everybody. And though bacon may be so 2008 to some people (not me), pork as a whole lives on. So I was quick so sign up for the Snout to Tail event at Green City Market last month. Not only were there some prominent local chefs and gourmets alike serving up different preparations of Green City Market pork, but the event was free.
Green City Market sets up inside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in the colder months, in a smallish room on the second floor. Over 400 pork lovers attended the event, creating quite a madhouse. But I didn’t care, there was free pork to be had!
First stop: Gary Wiviott’s mini Pulled Pork sandwiches and Lexington Slaw. The pulled pork was tender and flavorful, topped with a sprinkling of chopped red onion. It was quite a mouthful, and the half-bun it was served on was puffy and bready without being too filling or stealing the show from the meat.
Second: The best sample of the day, Carnivale’s stew of chickpeas, crispy pork, chorizo and greens, was a robust treat that unfortunately is not always on the menu.
Third: A humble but thoroughly satisfying dish of black beans topped with house-made Italian sausage from Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook.
Last but not least: From the newly opened Publican in the River West neighborhood came a new twist on the classic bouillabaisse. This hearty, briny stew brimmed with mussels, pork confit, lamb chorizo and touch of vermouth.
Although I enjoyed all these, the stew from Carnivale remains on my mind after all this time. Click on the links for locations and hours of all the participants mentioned above. Try to clear some time on your schedule to visit the Green City Market, which operates every first and third Saturday of the month (the bi-weekly outdoor market returns April 22), and check out vendors selling fresh meat, eggs, dairy and cheeses, honey, and fruit. Don’t miss it!
What Would Nietzsche Snarf?
I guess he’d eat one of these:
That is his picture after all, about to take a whopping chomp out of the “Will to Power” bar, a chocolate-covered treat that is supposedly the “official nutritional supplement of the ‘superman.’” Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and high fructose corn syrup, this does not just provide physical strength but philosophical wisdom; two of Nietzsche’s famous quotes are on the back.
As nutritional supplements go, this one’s actually pretty tasty. The outside is a chocolate-flavored coating, but the inside is made with cocoa and honey and it’s stuffed with marshmallows, crisped rice and chocolate chips among other, less tasty-sounding ingredients like soy fiber and chicory root extract. So while it wouldn’t replace a nice Snickers or 3 Musketeers, it’s a decent chocolatey nosh that’s somewhat better for you. Despite the addition of all the sugary ingredients, it’s actually significantly lower in sugar and saturated fat than either of them.
Find your sustenance and enlightenment, as well as some pretty nifty homespun kitsch, at:
Eclecticity
4718 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
or check out The Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild.
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Devon-a-Thon
Recently I had the pleasure of joining some friends of mine on a culinary exploration of Devon Avenue, home to dozens of Indian and Pakistani boutiques, restaurants, and groceries with Israeli restaurants, Georgian bakeries, Russian bookstores, and the occasional Latin American bodega peppered in between. I knew little about this area but it always interested me, so I was rarin’ to go, my little two-wheeled shopping cart in tow, ready to collect unusual products between stops to nibble freshly prepared ethnic cuisine.
1. Argo Georgian Bakery – 2812 W. Devon Ave.
The group met at Argo to begin the journey, and I stepped in for my first treat: shoti, a long loaf of bread that looked a little like French bread but tasted more doughy and reminiscent of pita. Also, don’t miss the hatchapuri, a fat square of dough stuffed with cheese and baked to flaky perfection.
2. Sabri Nihari (Pakistani) – 2511 W. Devon Ave.
We decided to order a number of dishes to share, beginning with Vegetable Samosas: huge, triangular, deep-fried pastries stuffed with a mélange of veggies and potatoes; Vegetable Pakoras, which are similar to Japanese tempura; and Paratha, a pita-type bread. All these were outstanding, especially the samosas. After much deliberation over the entrée selections, we ended up with Dal: creamy, lightly spiced yellow lentils that I could have eaten all by myself (sharing is for the birds!); Saag, a milky spinach dish that was better than I expected and even more so when scooped up with Onion Naan; Sabri Nihari, their impossibly tender signature beef dish served in a rich, spicy sauce; and Chicken Charga, a deep fried whole chicken that arrived tucked in a foil bag. It was some of the tastiest fried chicken I’ve ever eaten—moist, crispy, and heavenly.
3. King Sweets (primarily Indian) – 2308 W. Devon Ave.
After seeing the film Water and remembering an elderly character’s lament over her beloved ladoos, I decided I would try exactly that—a motichur ladoo to be precise; a sticky yellow ball of ground almonds and cardamom deep fried in ghee and doused with sugar syrup. This was chased by pistachio burfi, a yummy little confection with a texture similar to fudge. They were both good, but incredibly sugary and decadent. What I like most about King Sweets is their clever marketing strategy—their sweets come in a rainbow of colors and are all beautifully displayed, making you want to taste everything!
4. La Unica (Cuban) – 1515 W. Devon Ave.
This cute little grocery has a cafeteria tucked way in the back. I was so stuffed from my last meals that I only had room for a bite of flan. I’m not the biggest fan of flan, and although the giant wedge on my friend’s plate looked like a chunk of Brie, it was the best flan I ever tasted—creamy, lightly sweet, and dripping with caramel.
5. Khan B.B.Q. Restaurant (Indian & Pakistani) – 2401 W. Devon Ave.
Thinking that BBQ always translates to “slathered in ketchup-based sauce”, I was pleasantly surprised and a bit embarrassed to find that here it means “grilled”. We again ordered a number of dishes to share, the first being Chicken Boti, grilled strips of spiced chicken that was a little on the fatty side; Bihari Kabob Roll, fantastic spiced beef grilled on a skewer and wrapped in pita that was akin to a burrito; Frontier Chicken, a spicy, tomato based stew that is a Pakistani favorite and delicious with Sesame Naan; and Milk Lassi, a simple drink made with yogurt that really puts out the flame on your tongue. It was creamy and refreshing with a pleasantly sour tang. If you’re a first timer to Khan’s, ask the staff to take a peek at their neato tandoori oven. If you’re as lucky as I was, you’ll get a demonstration of how naan is made.
*Sadly, most of these places don’t have websites. If you decide to go (you won’t be sorry!), remember that on Tuesdays, many Little India businesses are closed.
Sweety Pies Bakery
Pink Lemonade Angel Food Cake! What a tasty treat for the office Valentine’s Day party! What a shame that my attempt at this was a failure of epic proportions…or was it…???
Had I made a decent cake, I wouldn’t have had to run over to a bakery to pick up a replacement cake to save face, and I never would have known what a gem Sweety Pies is.
This is the cake that I went with because it sounded Valentiney: yellow cake with vanilla bean buttercream filled with strawberry mousse. The cake was moist, the mousse delicate, and the frosting incredibly rich. It was pretty reasonable too; only $20 for a 6-inch, three-layer cake that was decorated simply but beautifully with pearl-sized dots in a pinwheel pattern.
I couldn’t resist the pricey milk chocolate covered cardamom spiced pistachios ($6 per bag). It was tough not to eat the whole bag in one sitting. The taste was exotic and all of the flavors complemented each other perfectly. Cardamom and pistachios are underrated, and it was nice to see these flavors paired with chocolate for an intoxicating treat. The company that makes these, Diva, also makes other tasty items like truffles and jams, sold in the antique curio by the door.
Sweety Pies also makes a quiche of the day and sandwiches, so next time you’re in the mood for lunch, you may want to stop by. You’ll love the comfy seating area complete with couches and throw pillows, perfect for chilling out with one of their various coffee drinks and a piece of pie.
