Festival Report: CS Magazine Burger Cookoff

Now that Chicago is in full summer swing, Brandy has found herself inundated with requests for her attendance at several fabulous foodie events across the city.  "I haven't been this in demand since I came out as a debutante," Brandy has been known to joke.  Sadly, as she is a very busy woman (her quilting society meetings alone take up 72 hours of her week), she is not always able to attend everything that comes her way, but she made an exception this week.

Brandy was invited to the 4th Annual Burger Cook-off, sponsored by CS Magazine and held at Presidential Towers (a stunningly beautiful and modern luxury building in the heart of River North), which featured five local restaurants and bars all competing for the title of the night's top burger.  All proceeds from the event went to benefit the Garfield Park Conservatory, a thriving community center which also provides a home base for some of the finest burgeoning performance and visual artists in Chicago.  A nobler cause there could not be in Brandy's mind.

As she didn't wish to go by herself, Brandy invited along Hawk from The Cider Press to be her date for the evening so that she wouldn't feel too out of place amongst all the bright young fashionable things.  First stop of the evening was at the Stella Artois bar, where Hawk was delighted to see they were serving their signature cider along side their classic Belgian style beer.  The beverage was light, crisp, and refreshing to Brandy, but of course she was not the stated expert on the subject (we'll leave the full assessment up to our friends at The Cider Press).

The first burger they tried was the Mediterranean Burger from Palace Grill, which had been stuffed with feta cheese and kalamata olives before being topped with a creamy tzatziki sauce and sandwiched between two pita bread slices.  The flavor very much reminded Brandy of the slider Michael Psilakis made at the Buick Food and Wine event a few weeks ago, as it had the same sort of gyro spices mixed into the meat.  This was officially Hawk's favorite burger of the night.

After that was the Chorizo Burger from Municipal Bar & Dining Company, which had spicy sausage at the center of its beef burger and came topped with Manchego cheese, tomato, and crispy onions.  This burger had a rather nice kick from both the chorizo and the chipotle aioli, but Brandy felt the sausage was a little overwhelming, reminding one a little more of a particularly tasty taco rather than a burger.

Another beverage break took Brandy and Hawk to the Grey Goose bar, where three signature cocktails were being featured.  Brandy chose a concoction that featured Grey Goose's Cherry Noir alongside some citrus elements and garnished with a sprig of rosemary.  Brandy felt the cocktail was a little medicinal for her taste, but that definitely didn't stop her from finishing off the whole thing.  "A drink is a drink," she told Hawk.  While enjoying their beverages, Brandy and Hawk managed to snag some of the side dishes being passed around, which included Tandoori potato chips (nicely flavored with Indian BBQ spices) and some tater tots topped with a truffled mayo.

Going back to the burgers, Hawk managed to snag one of the last plates from Grill on the Alley, which featured a Peppered Bacon Burger with cheddar cheese and a little avocado.  Sadly, Brandy didn't manage to sample this burger, but Hawk said she wasn't missing much.  "I'm mostly getting the pepper," he said, "And the rest is pretty greasy and charred."

Moving on to what turned out to be Brandy's favorite burger of the evening, the amazingly creative entry from Protein Bar.  Rather than a bun, Protein Bar placed their burger on a foldable piece of lettuce and covered it in what seemed to be a tangy buffalo sauce, crumbles of blue cheese, and bits of crispy kale.  Though the most untraditional burger for sure, Brandy thought this was the most flavorful by far and she simply loved the combination of flavors and textures.

Last but not least was the all American burger from Bull & Bear (a familiar restaurant to Brandy) which had good old fashioned American cheese, tomato, and a house made pickle all stacked on a sesame seed bun.  This burger, though simple sounding, had some real love and care put into it, especially when it came to crisp slice of pickle, a condiment Brandy is usually want to bull from her burgers.  If there were special awards to be given, the Bull & Bear crew definitely should have won one for having the most fun out of all those working the event.

So all in all, a rather spectacular night was had by all at the CS Magazine Burger Cook-off, with the icing on the cake being the spectacular views from the second floor rooftop of Presidential Towers.  It just goes to show that one can surround one's self with all the splendor and luxury money can buy, but sometimes all you need is some time outside and a good old fashioned hamburger to make you feel truly at home.

*The writers of this blog were invited to this event as members of the media.

Prasino or Green Eggs are Fab

The Slow and Savory Review

Its often hard to convince those of an older generation to lead a "greener" lifestyle.  Brandy, for one, grew up in an age where children were taught that the world was full of endless resources, and that the human race was entitled to said resources.  But as we now know, it is exactly that kind of attitude that causes global climate change, skyrocketing oil prices, and species extinction, among other things.  "In my day, you could pay the same amount for gallon of gas, a cup of coffee, or a loaf of bread, because no one thought we'd ever run out of anything," Brandy often complains, "Granted, that amount was also the wage for a days' work, but that made us more grateful for the coffee, bread, and gas!"  We hesitate to point out to Brandy that even in this day and age, a cup of coffee, a gallon of gas, and a loaf of bread are around the same price (gourmet coffee drinks and sprouted wheat bread can be pretty pricey), but to be fair to her, that price has gone up by about 1000% in the last 100 years.

So it is understandable that when presented with the notion of a "green" restaurant, Brandy often misinterprets the meaning of the phrase.  "Does that mean they use a lot of herbs?" she has been known to ponder.  Once it was explained to her that the term referred to restaurants that were making the turn towards being more environmentally friendly in the use of their facilities and the buying of their ingredients, Brandy's response was, "Well that's just silly.  Those restaurants are obviously doing those things to seem more fashionable to the young kids in their bell bottomed trousers and flowery headbands.  Its probably also an excuse to charge an arm and a leg!"

It was with this rather cynical attitude that Brandy headed off to Prasino in Wicker Park, a Greek inspired eatery that is based in a philosophy of farm to table cooking, all natural, high quality ingredients, and an overall move towards sustainability.  "That's a lot of posh tosh," Brandy was heard to remark as she set foot inside the eatery, "I don't need to know the name of the farm my eggs were hatched at, just show me the cocktail menu."

Prasino boasts an impressively open and sunny interior, with massive tables and booths available to all sizes of parties.  The main dining room was decorated cleanly, but didn't feel oppressively like it was trying to be cool.  Each table boasted a little succulent plant as opposed to a more traditional bud vase, which Brandy almost mistook for an appetizer.  "I thought it was one of those blooming onion type dishes," she said.  Quite honestly, Brandy was surprised to have been seated so quickly, as the restaurant seemed to be buzzing with people, and even more surprised to have been given a cozy booth in which to spread out.

A friendly waitress approached the table, having given Brandy just enough time to browse the menu.  Brandy started off with one of the more intriguing cocktails, a concoction called the Breakfast on the North Shore, which consisted of absinthe, cream, egg whites, and caramelized orange blossom water.  "Oh, you're going to love that one!" the waitress told her, "It's the perfect thing for day drinking."  Brandy found the cocktail very interesting indeed; normally not a big fan of licorice flavored anything, the creaminess of the cocktail seemed to mellow out the absinthe's natural harshness.  "This is definitely a good drink for sipping," Brandy thought.

First up for food was the Caprese Benedict, an Italian inspired twist on the original with a slice of tomato standing in for the ham, a little fresh mozzarella, and a sprinkling of basil.  The muffins that housed the delicious stack of food were better than perfect: toasted and buttery while still being easy to cut through, but also tender without being soggy.  The eggs were also flawless, with firm whites and running yolks.  Brandy thought this version of a Benedict was very well balanced, with the brightness of the tomato slice and the slight herbaceousness from the shredded basil matching well against the richness of the cheese and Hollandaise sauce.  The potatoes served on the side were a little less impressive.  Though cooked very well to a creamy texture, Brandy felt a little underwhelmed by their simplistic flavoring.  "I suppose I've been spoiled by the use of more exciting spices in the past," Brandy mused.

As a sweet ending to her meal, Brandy ordered a plate of the Pretzel Croissant French Toast, which came served with a white chocolate and salted caramel sauce.  Immediatly, Brandy was struck by the texture of the "toast," which truly was the perfect hybrid of  a pretzel and a croissant.  "Its as though the baker was making both, got confused, and mashed the two doughs together!" she said as she chewed.  She loved that the dish had a nice subtle, salty hit and that the decadent sounding sauces weren't' too overwhelming to the palate in either richness or sweetness.

Although the atmosphere was bright, the prices weren't absorbent (Brandy paid around $40 with tax and tip included), the philosophy noble, and the food plenty tasty, it was the friendly and efficient service that really set Prasino apart in Brandy's eyes.  The mere fact that her waitress had actually come back to the table to inquire conversationally (as opposed to a forced professional politeness) about Brandy's liking of the cocktail spoke volumes about the level of care put into the restaurant and turned it from a stop on the trendy foodie's to-do list to a place Brandy would love to visit over and over again.  If anything, Prasino shows that a restaurant can be consciously minded without having to sacrifice anything in price, taste, quality, or service.

The Short and Sweet Review

The Great Buffet Debate: Chicago Walking Tours Edition

The elephant in the room when it comes to brunch is always the buffet.  It's usually cheap.  It has all the classic options.  Its easy.  Its quick.  But what you are getting in time saving, gut busting, penny pinching goodness, you are usually sacrificing in quality.  Dried out bits of pancake, greasy bacon, frozen fruit, and stale bagels are just some of the staples of a typical brunch buffet, but sometimes there are gems amidst the ruble, like carved to order meats, smoothie bars, or even the occasional make your own Bloody Mary station.  As Bunny and Brandy have shown in the past, a buffet can be amazing for the right price, or it can be a disaster for a bargain.

But as Brandy discovered this past weekend, there is a way to make that touchy buffet brunch into something rather enjoyable.  Chicago Riverwalk Tours offer what they call the "Brunch Walking Tour" in the heart of The Loop for about $45, taking guests on an informative and entertaining walk through the city, pointing out various sights of interest and sharing trivia that even natives might not have known, pausing briefly in the middle to enjoy brunch at Houlihan's, just off Michigan Ave and Wacker.  

The first half of the tour is definitely enough to build up an appetite, which is why Brandy was a little sceptical that Houlihan's buffet would be enough to power her through the end.  Though a little overly crowded with out of town tourists, the lines at the buffet tables moved along fairly quickly, and the servers did their best to keep a constant supply of fresh things supplied to the masses.  There was a decent spread provided with all the usual fair, such as yogurt, French Toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, hot and cold cereal, etc.  It was nice that there did seem to be options for every taste in the mix, including a customizable omelet station, but the biggest let down was that drinks were not included in the price of the brunch!  Even a simple cup of coffee was an extra $2.75, which caused Brandy to do such a mighty spit take that patrons all over the restaurant thought a leak in the ceiling had suddenly sprung.

After finishing at Houlihan's, the group once again set off on the rest of their adventure, which ended an hour later at the Macy's (old Marshall Fields building) on State Street.  Brandy learned lots of fun things that day and is officially now obsessed by the Carbide and Carbon Building (current home of the Hard Rock Hotel) after learning it was designed to resemble a giant champagne bottle.  Take that, prohibition!

Postcards from Bunny: Buick Food and Wine Discovery Tour

Yes, it's time for another instalment of Postcards from Bunny, only this time, it involves an actual postcard from Bunny!  You see, Brandy had received a letter from her dear friend (who says she is currently knee deep in pottery fragments on the site of what appears to be an ancient Crate and Barrel somewhere in the vicinity of Rome) inviting her to take part in the Buick Food and Wine Discovery Tour, which stopped off in Chicago (at Kendall College to be specific) last weekend.  Similar events are held in cities all over the country and consist of cooking demos by some really choice chefs, a guided wine tasting, an opportunity to test drive the latest vehicles in Buick's luxury fleet, and many more surprises.




Brandy arrived to find a table laid out with delicious pastries, fruits, coffee, tea, and several demos from Molecule-R, Kitchen Aid, and The Olive Grove to entertain guests as they checked in.  She sampled a few of the artisan olive oils from the The Olive Grove first, favoring the subtle citrus twist of the the orange flavored variety, then watched in amazement as vegetables were sent whirling through various Kitchen Aid appliances, only to emerge perfectly chopped, sliced, diced, and everything in between.  The Molecule-R station was of particular interest as it boasted kits for the at home food scientist who really wants to impress their dinner guests with things like capsuled cocktails and foam sauces.

The crowd was then divided into three groups, each heading off to a different adventure to begin the day.  Brandy's group were taken to their first cooking demo, lead by Chef Ben Roche.  As we all know, Brandy has a special place in her heart for Moto and all their alumni, so she particularly loved seeing Chef Roche preparing his Sweet and Spicy Coconut Rice Pudding, which included puffed rice noodles, ice cream made with unconventional spices like caraway, and a strange concoction known as a chiboust (a combination of a meringue and a pastry cream) flavored with yuzu.  The textures in the dish were certainly something to behold, and although the ice cream was oddly enticing, the bright and fluffy chiboust was the definite winner on the plate.  Brandy couldn't resist quizzing Chef Roche after the demo about his newest venture, Baume & Brix,  a restaurant whose entire concept is based on the combination of sweet and savory which he started with fellow Moto alumnus Nate Park and Thomas Bowman.  "How in the world are you not serving brunch with a concept like that?!" Brandy berated him.  "We did just start serving lunch, if that helps," Chef Roche responded, which seemed to get Brandy off his back for the time being.

Next Brandy was taken downstairs for a brief introduction to the Buick family of luxury vehicles and the chance to test drive a few of them.  She was immediately drawn to the sportier Verano and Regal, the later of which she had the chance to take for a spin around the college.  The Regal ran very quietly, handling the torn up road incredibly smoothly and maintaining a firm holding on sharp turns.  Brandy expressed an interest in testing the full capabilities of the "Sport Mode," much to the horror of the poor representative trapped in the car with her.  "Don't worry, dear, I won't go much over 70," Brandy reassured her unsuccessfully (luckily, Chicago traffic didn't allow for such extreme speeds).  Brandy was quite fascinated by all of the bells and whistles the car had to offer, like heated seats, digital displays, and the OnStar feature (which the representative had to explain to Brandy was not to be used for having brunch delivered straight to the car).

Once the vehicles had been returned safely, the group was escorted to their next demo with Chef Gale Gand.  It can be no surprise that this demo was also rather exciting for Brandy, as Chef Gand is a well known thrower of brunch parties and has even written a book of brunch recipes.  "I like the flexibility of brunch," she told Brandy, "Its the only meal where you can make anything work, from hot and cold to sweet and savory, and even interchanging adult and kid dishes, like making a fun cocktail for the grownups and giving the same thing to the kids, but with soda instead."  Chef Gand spent most of her time chatting with the crowd, telling delightful tales about how she wins arguments with her husband ("I'm sorry honey, where did we put your James Beard Award?  Because mine is hanging in the kitchen.") to encouraging members of the audience to book seats at her restaurant so that, "Work will know I wasn't just taking the day off to go to Navy Pier."  Eventually she did demo a quick English Pea Hummus, which she spread on slices of toasted baguette and topped with homemade olive tapenade and smoked salmon.

All the groups were then joined together to participate in a wine tasting guided by the effervescent Michael Greene, who referred to himself as a "Sneaker and t-shirt wearing wine snob."  He first had the crowd try a crisp Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc, which Brandy felt was rather acidic for her taste.  "Try it with a slice of lemon," he urged the crowd, and instantly the acid in the wine was subdued.  The change was so extreme that it reminded of Brandy of her adventures with miracle berries.  Next was a medium bodied Tempranillo from Tapena Winery in Spain, which Michael advised serving with a bit of salted dark chocolate to really bring out its fruitiness.

Finally the day ended with a demo from the extraordinary Michael Psilakis, who shared some beautiful stories about how his father inspired him to start cooking, and especially his decision to focus on his Greek heritage.  His dish was a Gyro Spiced Slider with Tzatziki Sauce, which had a brilliant flavor that really enhanced his custom mix of beef in the patty.  Even the tiny cornichon that topped the burger helped to add a bit of crispness and bite.

So all in all, quite a nice day was had at the Buick and Food and Wine Tour.  The best part about the event is that it is free for all!  Simply visit the Buick Discovery Tour website to register for their next event in your city!  And make sure to check out the recipes for all the dishes featured below:

Bel 50 or Waffles are the New Bread

The Slow and Savory Review

Spring time in Chicago usually mean flowers, sunshine, and a chance for the mole people who have spent the winter months huddled under several layers of coats and blankets to finally emerge into the open, don their exercise clothing, and go running or biking in the park.  But for Brandy, spring means an itchy face, watery eyes, and constant sneezing.  It is inevitable every year that when people say to her, "Isn't it gorgeous outside?" Brandy's only response is a succinct, "Not for me," making her seem to be the grumpiest person in the city.  In reality, Brandy doesn't hate the spring, she would just rather be under the cover of air conditioning, appreciating the beautiful flowers from through a thick plate glass window.  "If it wasn't for my head feeling like its about to explode in a mass of sticky-ACHOO!" she says with a sniffle, "I'd be more than happy to join the young in frollicking through the woods and whatnot."

It was while wandering down the sidewalks of River North in a haze of sniffles and watery eyes that Brandy found herself outside of one of the newest gourmet fast food stops, Bel 50, whose main innovation seemed to be replacing the bread in traditional sandwiches with a homemade Belgian waffle.  Brandy eyed up the rather extensive and promising menu for a few moments before deciding to go in.  "Hopefully the flavors are bold enough that I'll be able to taste the food," she said through her swelled nasal passages. 

The inside of Bel 50 was interesting, to say the least; the main dining area was dominated by long wooden tables, meant to accommodate all sizes of parties (but in reality probably just serve to cause frustration when smaller parties spread out across them and take up an excessive amount of seats) with square, orange ottomans for seating.  "I usually prefer something with a back," Brandy said, "Hunching forward over the table is bad for digestion.  It's also horrible manners."  The decor was nice enough, with high ceilings making the room feel open and spacious, and the little pops of orange and tan against the wood of the tables created a happy atmosphere without being too oppressive or trendy feeling.

Rather quickly, Brandy was brought her entree and side.  She started off with the Truffled Tater Tots, a novelty she'd surprisingly never seen before.  She felt that the truffle flavor was subtle, but definitely there, and the tots themselves were perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  Her only complaint, if one can call it a complaint, was that she had been given so many of them in her order than eating them became a tad monotonous.  She did consider reaching for the ketchup bottle to shake things up a bit, but didn't want to mar the earthy truffle oil flavoring.  "These could use some sort of dipping sauce, though," she mused.

For her entree, Brandy had chosen the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich with Apple Slaw.  The sight of the sandwich was a little hard to get over, as it appeared to be taco that had been made with a very thick tortilla, but the first bite put all her fears to rest.  The waffle was surprisingly light and crisp and much to Brandy's surprise and delight, actually held together through the eating of the meal.  "I expected it to spew its innards all over the place, but its actually working quite well to contain them," Brandy muttered as she turned the sandwich over in her hands, "I only wish my nose could to the same!"  The chicken was plenty tender, if a little thin, and didn't stay particularly crisp under the weight of the othering fillings, but the honey mustard sauce had a nice tangy and kick to it, and the slaw provided a lovely crispness.

Lastly was the Creme Brulee Waffle, filled with custard and assorted berries.  Again, Brandy was amazed that the waffle held the fillings in rather nicely, and upon taking a bite she detected an unexpected crunch.  "There's bits of caramelized sugar in here!" she exclaimed.  The sugar provided a nice bit of texture and made each bite a little different, as some pieces had a more pleasantly burnt flavor to them than others.  The berries though seemed a little less than fresh and had gone quite soggy in the sandwich.  Brandy couldn't decide it is was due to them being slightly cooked, previously frozen, or if they had been stored in some sort of syrup that robbed them of their freshness, but either way they were a bit of a let down.  The custard too was a bit disappointing, as it seemed a little thin and bland.  "Its more like a zabayon really," Brandy thought aloud, "But we British know a thing or two about custard, and this is not a custard."

All in all, Brandy ended up thinking that Bel 50 could be onto something with this whole waffle idea.  The food was fast, better than what one would expect from say a corner deli, and decently priced (Brandy paid about $20 in all), but in the end little more than an interesting novelty and not a culinary innovation.  "But perhaps I should try replacing all my bread with waffles," Brandy wondered as she sneezed her way out the door, "It would certainly make for more interesting croutons in my salad."

The Short and Sweet Review