Thursday, June 24, 2010

Let's Do Lunch at the fabulous Chicago French Market

Chicago French Market
131 N. Clinton, Chicago (entrances on Canal St. and Clinton)
http://www.chicagofrenchmarket.com/

Hours: 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday. Closed on Sunday. Vendor opening times vary, but all are open by 10 a.m.

The buzz continues to grow about the new Chicago French Market, located adjacent to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago between Canal and Clinton. This memorable and exciting European style market is home to a diverse collection of specialty food booths. Some vendors offer food to take home and prepare, while others offer freshly prepared gems to be enjoyed right at the market. The spacious dining area offers ample room for market goers to settle in and enjoy their treats. It’s a food lovers’ paradise so take a stroll and enjoy the adventure. If you become a regular, you’ll get to know the vendors and you’ll learn a lot about the foods. How nice to actually know your food seller!

Our suggestion: come to the market, pick up lunch, relax while you eat in the dining area, then take time to browse the aisles and pick out some fresh meat, fish or cheese, organic produce, prepared meats, fresh pasta, some wonderful bakery or chocolates to take home. If this becomes a routine, you’ll have a daily adventure that’s memorable and you’ll have some very happy family members.

When you’re inclined to do lunch at the market, here are some of the stops you should be sure to check out.

Chundy’s Bistro features Indian-fusion cuisine. There are hot meals, delicious soups, salads and sandwiches. Chundy’s offers Indian-fusion dishes, plus a variety of quality grab-and-go meals, salads, snacks and drinks. Menu highlights include cold sandwiches, meat and vegetarian Panini, soups such as green curry coconut, traditional Indian mulligatawny and lentil, salads, side dishes, a selection of chutneys and slaws and a collection of fruit and vegetable sweet breads, flatbreads, plus fresh fruit smoothies, milkshakes and iced fruit teas.

Buen Apetito is a family owned taqueria that specializes in traditional Mexican favorites with a modern flair and a focus on healthy, fresh and flavorful ingredients. The menu features grilled steak, chicken, salmon and vegetarian tacos and tostadas, plus burritos. All dishes are prepared with fresh herbs and distinctive spices. Appetizers include a hot or cold selection such as ceviche, pico de gallo or guacamole as well as tortilla soup, cebollitas or quesadillas. For the sweeter side, Buen Apetito offers Dona Marias signature flan cheesecake, rice pudding or tropical fruit medley.

FliP Crepes serves a delicious variety of savory and sweet crepes, prepared with a master’s touch using healthy ingredients such as wheat flour, buckwheat and wheat germ. FliP gets its name from its distinctive presentation: the crepes arrive on your plate in the shape of a burrito.

Saigon Sisters is an authentic Vietnamese eatery such as one would find in the bustling markets of Vietnam. This popular stop offers a more modern environment but is operated under the same principle: offer fresh delicious food and products sourced from local suppliers. Choose from the delicious Pho (noodle and broth dishes), spring rolls, herb noodle salads, and Banh mi (sandwiches). The ingredients focus on healthful, flavorful and aromatic herbs, spices, vegetables, seasoned meats and seafood from locally sourced farmers and purveyors.

RAW is the very popular stop at the Chicago French Market for raw foods. The raw food diet continues to grow in popularity, in part due to the fact that it is delicious and very satisfying. The food items are made from 100% organic raw vegan ingredients and the delicious foods taste as fresh as can be. Choices include sandwiches, salads, pizza, pastas, muffins and granola. smoothies, desserts, drinks and snack items, all made on-site.

Bowl Square serves healthy, traditional Korean fare. Korean food is also growing in popularity and here you’ll find approachable Korean food in nicely-sized portions. The menu focuses largely on simplified versions of popular Korean food with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and fast service.

Pastoral is a European-inspired, authentic neighborhood cheese shop, offering fine artisan cheeses, small production wines and freshly baked breads along with a full complement of related items such as charcuterie, olives, tapenades, honeys, jams, olive oils and artisan sweets. For lunch check out the prepared gourmet sandwiches, salads and side dishes.

Fumare Meats: You won’t find any more passionate or knowledgeable people about cured and smoked meats than these folks. Working with the finest purveyors, Fumare offers traditionally cured and smoked meats from local producers, including prosciutto, hams, smoked sausages, and bacons. You’ll find a nice selection of prepared sandwiches and side dishes. Make sure to try the old-fashioned Montreal-style smoked meat, cured and naturally smoked, peppered and slow-cooked to a well-marbled tenderness.

Frietkoten: If you love fries, you’ll have to stop here to enjoy Amsterdam’s traditional ‘fry shack’ experience: hand cut Belgian fries served in a paper cone. They’re crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, the way fries should be. Keeping with the Amsterdam tradition, there are nearly 20 different dipping sauces to choose from every day.

Espression by Lavazza raises the bar for coffee stops with a wide range of creative espresso beverages made with world-famous Lavazza coffee. This Italian company has taken Chicago by storm and the Chicago French Market location is the perfect setting. You’ll also love the gelato. Better yet, get a scoop of gelato topped with a shot of espresso.

Juice Bar is the place to go to round out your meal with fresh, squeezed-to-order fruit and vegetable juices, plus homemade smoothies made with seasonal fruits. All juices are 100% juice, with zero added sugar or concentrates.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Yelp Eats Offering $25 Dining Deals at 33 Chicago Area Restaurants June 21-27

Yelp.com, the website that connects people with great local businesses, presents Yelp Eats, June 21-27, a week-long promotion dedicated to giving consumers the chance to try local restaurants at discounted prices.

Prix fixe dinner menus are being offered at 33 restaurants throughout Chicagoland for $25. 

Restaurants participating in the promotion include:

Chicago

1492 Tapas Bar, River North 
Bin Wine Cafe, Wicker Park
Bin 36, Near North Side
Blue 13, River North
Branch 27, Noble Square
Broadway Cellars, Edgewater
Corner 41, North Center
Duchamp, Bucktown
Eve, Gold Coast
Fontana Grill, Uptown
Green Zebra, Noble Square
Kinzie Chop House, River North
La Madia, Near North Side
LM Le Restaurant, Lincoln Square
LOKal, Wicker Park
Nacional 27, River North
Sapori, Lincoln Park
Scoozi, River North
Spring, Wicker Park
State & Lake, The Loop
Thalia Spice, River West
The Drawing Room, Gold Coast
Treat, Humboldt Park

Chicago Suburbs

Birch River Grill, Arlington Heights
Bluegrass, Highland Park
Glen Prairie, Glen Ellyn
Kama Bistro, La Grange
Karma Asian Food & Wine, Mundelein
Marion Street Cheese Market, Oak Park
Meson Sabika, Naperville
Oceanique, Evanston
The Stained Glass, Evanston
Vie, Western Springs
Zak's Place, Hinsdale

These special menus are open to the public. Reservations should be made in advance by calling the business and mentioning Yelp Eats. For more information about the special menus, visit www.yelp.com/events/chicago-yelp-eats-3.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Deleece: this restaurant was always good, but now it’s approaching amazing

Deleece
4004 N. Southport, Chicago
(773) 325-1710; www.deleece.com

Hours: 5:30-10 p.m., Mon.; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m., Tues., Wed., Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-11 p.m., Fri.; 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-11 p.m., Sat.; 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Sun.

Prices: most entrees are under than $20 and every Monday and Tuesday, Deleece features a three course special for $20!

It’s always a pleasure to write about a neighborhood spot that’s so good it’s worth a drive or L-ride, no matter where you live. So we’re happy to report that Deleece, a favorite among Lakeview residents since 1995, is better than ever and definitely worth the journey. A casual and beautifully artistic restaurant, owned by husband and wife team Lynne Wallack and John Handler, Deleece specializes in good contemporary American cuisine. With a foundation in American comforts, the restaurant brings a creative, global sensibility to its menu. The quality of the food has always set it apart from the bulk of even good neighborhood restaurants and these days, it has raised the bar even further. And topping off the good news, the menu continues to be very reasonably priced.

Four months ago, Deleece brought in a new chef, Brandon Canfield, who was recently at mk in Chicago but has also cooked in New York and San Francisco. His food is exceptional and we hope he has found a long term home at Deleece. We dined there very recently and we were very, very pleased, indeed. Canfield’s seasonal menu emphasizes fresh, local ingredients and he continues the tradition of presenting a wide assortment of flavors to please everyone.

Reading the menu, the dishes sound interesting, but not necessarily out of this world. In truth, the food is marvelous and brings the menu to life in a way we couldn’t have anticipated. We started our meal with an appetizer and salad. The Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi, with fava beans, maitake mushrooms, in white wine butter, was delicious. The gnocchi were perfectly done (not an easy feat) and the flavors were complex and fresh. The Arugula Salad was a culinary composition that was even better than the sum of its delicious parts. The honey-champagne dressing had a tantalizing sweet tartness, the honey glazed figs were a treat and, topped with a rich Stilton blue cheese, the salad was one of the best we’ve had in a long time.

We both ordered the Caramelized Salmon, a nicely-sized fillet, pan roasted with a somewhat sweet, teriyaki-like glaze, served with herbed black Chinese rice and a tasty sauté of fresh spinach and leeks in a pear ginger sauce. We were very, very happy. We asked for medium rare salmon and that’s what we got. We savored every bite, for this was one of the best salmon preparations we have ever had.

So, without dwelling on the many superlatives at Deleece, let’s run down other menu items, but keep in mind that the menu will change frequently and there are daily specials. Other current appetizer choices include Crab Risotto Cakes with truffle aioli; Chicken and Vegetable Potstickers with ginger, coriander, mustard seeds and honey; Rosemary Scented Polenta layered with sun-dried tomato and garlic pesto, wilted spinach and Ancho chili oil; Veggie spring rolls in butter lettuce salsa verde and nuoc cham.

Salad selections also include California Butter Lettuce with spiced walnuts, goat cheese, roasted peppers in a sherry vinaigrette; a Caesar salad with polenta croutons, and an entrée-sized Szechwan Salad with New York strip, napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, red peppers, peanuts, fried rice noodles in a basil-cilantro-mint dressing.

Additional entrées include Boneless Half Amish Chicken with a salad of fingerling potato, caramelized onion, bacon and celery, in a fig mostarda sauce; Grilled Pork Tenderloin stuffed with spinach and bacon, garlic green beans, savory apple bread pudding and champagne-caramel demi glace; Grilled New York Strip with sautéed spinach, truffle mashed potatoes and port wine demi glace. Fish lovers should also try the Grilled Halibut Steak with peas, baby carrots, chickpea fries and arugula-mint pesto. Note also that many of the sides which come with the entrées are available ala carte as well.

Deleece also presents a special $20 three-course prix fixe dinner menu on Mondays and Tuesdays and bottles of wine are half-priced on Wednesdays. There is a kids menu and the restaurant is family-friendly, without a nice outdoor seating area.

Also keep in mind that there is a second Deleece restaurant: Deleece Grill Pub, at 3313 N. Clark in Wrigleyville, which focuses more on high-quality burgers, mac-and-cheese other comfort fare.

Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie are the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. Please visit their blog at www.gotbuzzatkurman.com and check out all DineWise articles at www.dinewisechicago.blogspot.com. You can follow us on Twitter @DineWise.