Oak Tree or Gourmet Complacency

The Slow and Savory Review

There is not a person in this world who wouldn't love to get a Christmas present from Brandy.  She is one of those special people that instinctively know not only exactly what to get someone, but how to make it special.  With an eclectic group of friends like the one Brandy has, it's not always the easiest task, but every year, she seems to out do herself.

One of the reasons she is so good at gift giving is that she starts early.  "I leave nothing to chance," Brandy says, "I know there is the perfect gift out there for everyone and I'll be damned if I'm going to let someone else get it first!"  Case in point, recently Brandy was out browsing shops on the Mag Mile when she stumbled across a little antique store where she quickly swooped in and nabbed a rather tarnished looking silver platter that was displayed in the window, thinking of one of her dear friends who is a collector of rare and ancient serving vessels.  "Ah, a true treasure!" the owner declared, studying the piece through a pair of pince nez.  "It looks to be to be from the coronation of King Alfonso the 12th, is that right?" Brandy asked the man.  He winked at her.  "Good eye, you have," he said.  "Such a pity it's so corroded," Brandy sighed, "I'm sure it was a real beauty in its time."  "Nonsense," said the man, "All it needs is a little spit shine and elbow grease and it'll be good as new."  "Even so, I think you should knock a few bob off the price," Brandy argued, "Unless King Alfonso forged the thing himself."

After a long morning of shopping, Brandy decided to stop into the shops at 900 North Michigan, rode all the way to the top to get some brunch.  Oak Tree, a lovely cafe and bakery on the top floor, proclaims itself to be a neighborhood tradition for over 40 years.  "I hope to say the same about myself one day," Brandy grinned.

Oak Tree had a charming swooping dining area with lots of bright colors and a full wall of windows that showcased the beautiful view of Michigan Avenue below.  Brandy had no issue being seated right away, even though the restaurant seemed to fairly busy.  She noticed that the servers were dressed in rather stuffy, old fashioned uniforms; white long sleeved shirts, khaki pants, and ties.  "I would think such a casual eatery that only serves breakfast and lunch would be a bit more relaxed on their employees' dress," Brandy said.  Soon after being seated, she was approached by a tall, soft spoken young man who, while friendly enough, seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to collect her order.

Brandy started off with a lovely cafe mocha and a basket of some of the different breads the bakery had to offer.  The mocha was a pretty decent size, but a bit watered down and sloppily poured, which was a disappointment.  "You'd think a restaurant that makes its servers dress in such nice white shirts and ties would pay a little more attention to messy coffee drinks," Brandy observed.  The basket of soft bread made for a very nice starter, with the French Flute (which was studded with nuts and dried fruit) and the potato cheddar being her particular favorites.

For her first course, Brandy picked the Warm Spinach Salad, with came with bacon lardons, sliced egg, white mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and a sweet wasabi dressing.  Sadly, Brandy found the salad wasn't exactly warm, but she supposed that a "Room Temperature Spinach Salad" just didn't have the same kind of ring.  The greens had been way overdressed, turning the salad from savory delight into awkwardly sweet, though the big chunks of bacon helped to balance that a little, as did the silky slices of hard boiled egg,  "Normally, I enjoy a dish that combines sweet and savory, but this is a bit much," Brandy said, turning to the bread basket to try and rid her palette of some of the dressing's aftertaste.

For her main course, Brandy ordered one of the restaurant's signature grilled cheese sandwiches.  The one she chose had sliced pear, fresh mozzarella, spinach, fig jam, candied pecans, and Roquefort cheese and came with a side of French fries.  The fries had a very nice flavor, though their texture was rather inconsistent, with some being utterly limp and others being so crispy they cut the roof of her mouth.  As for the sandwich, while Brandy did like the flavors, she found it had gone extremely soggy on the bottom, making it rather difficult to hold onto.  She did, however, very much enjoy the sweet and savory balance from the fruit and the cheeses as well and the little bit of crunch from the nuts.  "Granted, this combination of ingredients is a little on the wet side, but the whole point of a grilled cheese sandwich is that the crusty bread contains the innards," Brandy said, studying the floppy sandwich in her hand, "Perhaps this would do better open faced on a sturdier piece of bread."  She was also rather disappointed by the lack of interest in plating her meal, which resulted in two limp leaves of lettuce laid pointlessly on her plate, one of which was nothing more than a bare rib sticking out from underneath her sandwich.  "Why even bother to put it there?" she wondered aloud, "One might as well dress the plate with onion skins and tomato tops!"

Brandy was less than enthused about not only the presentations of the dishes at Oak Tree, but also the lack luster service (her waiter was perfectly polite in the beginning, but after taking her order never came back to check on her or refill her water, and set her check down without so much as a "thank you,").  Overall, she felt there were some good ideas at Oak Tree that maybe just needed to be refined and polished a little, much like the antique silver platter she had just picked up.  "One can see the craftsmanship underneath, but the patina is starting to get out of hand," Brandy said, glancing down at the platter in her shopping bag, then up at the restaurant, "All it needs is some attention to detail and a little love to bring it back to it's former glory."

The Short and Sweet Review

Tea Time with Brandy: Bonfire Wine

It's no secret that Brandy likes a little drink now and then, but while she may sip a cocktail more often than not, there are times she likes to class things up and pour herself a good old glass of wine.  "I'm not so much a wine snob, per say, but I do require my wines to be smooth, bold, and largely made of alcohol," as Brandy likes to say.  

While she may not be picky about her wines, Brandy does appreciate innovation, so when she recently heard about a new brand, marketing itself as the perfect portable wine for things like tailgating, picnics, and outdoor concerts, she was pretty intrigued.  Bonfire Wines, founded by Chicago-based entrepreneur and packaging industry veteran Eric Steigelman, are wines that are not only unique in taste but available in eco-friendly and convenient pouch packaging.  The wines come in two varieties, Ember (a red blend) and Ignite (a white blend), and retail between $15.99 - $16.99 at local Whole Foods and Mariano’s.  The wine in the Bonfire Wine pouches chills in 65 percent less time than a traditional bottle and its built-in spout lets you enjoy wine by the glass while keeping the rest fresh for four weeks.  Each pouch holds 1.5 liters (the equivalent of two bottles of wine). 

"Say what you like about boxed or bagged wines," Brandy said as she triggered the spout to pour out the Ember variety into her extra large glass, "But box, bag, or bottle is certainly no indication of the quality these days."  Brandy found the wine to be pretty smooth, a little acidic, but generally pleasantly drinkable, and she really enjoyed the spout technology, as it was much less unwieldy than a traditional cork.


To pair with the wine ("You're supposed to pair food with wine so you don't look like a total drunk," Brandy says) Brandy pan fried a New York strip steak with simple salt and pepper seasoning, then sauteed some butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and portobello mushroom to make a sort of fall vegetable hash.  The fat in the steak as well as the crisp, earthy fall vegetables were a great match for the full bodied red.  "It may seem like a nice dinner, but I wouldn't be opposed to having this for brunch either," Brandy mused, "Fry up a couple of eggs and call this a steak skillet!"

Brandy has now become a pretty big fan of Bonfire wines, as she especially appreciated their portable nature, which quite possibly means her quilting circle and knitting guild meetings might never be the same.

The writers of this blog were provided with product free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Festival Report: Taste Talks

As if Chicago Gourmet wasn't enough, this year the Windy City had a second indulgent weekend of food to look forward to.  Taste Talks, a three day food festival that premiered in Brooklyn last year, came to Chicago at the beginning of October, bringing with it a slew of events to dazzle even the most casual food fan.  The goal of the festival is not only to introduce people to new and exciting dinning experiences, but also provide a forum for ideas about the future of food to take root and flourish.  Though still recovering from the hedonistic pleasure dome that was Chicago Gourmet, Brandy just knew that she would have to check out the Taste Talks premier Chicago events for herself.  "I am the past, present, and future of food," she told herself as she selected events from the website (tickets for everything could be purchased individually for between $10-$90 per event or via an all in one pass for $100-$385), "So of course I have to go and make sure this thing lives up to Chicago's high standards for food festivals.  Besides, I've never been one to scoff at a room full of celebrity chefs!"

The weekend kicked off at Kinmont with the Mother of Pearl dinner.  About 90 diners gathered together at the seafood-centric restaurant for a seven course meal inspired by oysters and champagne, even beginning with live shucking from Island Creek Oysters.  A multitude of chefs collaborated on the meal itself, featuring things like Alfred Norgeira from Analogue delivering a roasted oyster on the half shell with a salted beignet, Jason Vincent (formerly of Nightwood) bringing a smokey shellfish chowder, and Abraham Conlon from Fat Rice with a red wine braised octopus, blood sausage puree, and purple potatoes.  Kinmont, the host restaurant, provided a twist on a shrimp cocktail with a butter poached shrimp, shaved celery, and whole mustard seeds, but also what was probably the highlight of the dinner, a full on seafood boil, complete with whole lobsters, head on shrimps, crawfish, red potatoes, corn on the cob, and mussels.  From the moment the servers began bringing in the giant wood trays laden with the fruits of the sea ("Goodness, those people are going to need a chiropractor in the morning!" Brandy exclaimed as she watched the brave servers enter the room with the heavy trays over their heads), the communal tables of what had been strangers making awkward conversation an hour ago suddenly became grinning, cheering children on Christmas morning as they grabbed for hunks of lobster claws and traded secrets about how to crack into them.  The meal ended on an extremely satisfying note with Sarah Mispagel from Nightwood delivering a sweet corn panna cotta topped with blueberries, sweet kettle corn, and peach tea flavored ice cream.

Saturday was all about the panels: a series of 45 minute sessions that covered topics all over the board, from the popularity of cider to underground dinners and fireside chats with the likes of Rick Bayless and Jeni Britton Bauer from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  Brandy attended three of the sessions at Open Secret Studios (the day's worth of panels were split between Open Secret, Kaiser Tiger, and Soho House, all of which were within a 15 minute walk of each other so that attendees could freely move between the locations in between sessions), which started off with a panel entitled The Greener Path, a discussion about running restaurants that focused on plant based foods.  Following that, Brandy attended a demonstration on food photography and styling, which she greatly enjoyed ("Now I know how to do this Insta-whatsit all the young people are so fond of!" she proudly told anyone who would listen).  Lastly, Brandy attended another panel discussion called The Evolution of the Farm to Table Dinner, which featured the festival's honorary curator, Paul Kahan, along with a group of other James Beard award winning chefs and local farmers.  After the panels ended, the day was capped off with an underground dinner experience created by Pat Sheerin from Trenchermen, but sadly, Brandy was unable to attend the dinner as she was too busy at home trying to create the perfect tablescape to Instagram (even more sadly, Brandy still didn't quite understand what Instagram was and ended up taking several badly lit Polaroid shots, which she placed next to a plate of hashbrowns).

The big event Sunday was the All Star Chef's Barbecue, which featured ten stalls manned by some of the biggest chefs in the region.  The event was seemingly even more organized than Chicago Gourmet; while obviously smaller in scale and not nearly as crowded, none the less Brandy was impressed that attendees were handed a menu that listed what each station was serving and could be checked off so that if one got confused as to which booths they hadn't visited yet, they could easily be pointed in the right direction.  In general, the dishes were pretty adventurous, like the bison heart kielkbasa brought in by John Jackson, Connie Desousa, and Ryan Brosseau, or the grilled goat with an apple slaw from Matty Matheson and Nick Colella.  Paul Kahan was here too, serving up smoked short rib with a drizzle of balsamic syrup, which competed head to head with Edward Kim's distinctly Korean short rib with radish and shiso.  The longest line was unsurprisingly in front of Stephanie Izard's booth, who was presenting a grilled clam bruschetta with pesto, though Brandy suspected that few of the people in line realized that the chef herself (her tradmark wild curls hidden under a ballcap) was the one plating and serving them the dish.  "No one's asking her to pose for an Insta-thingy," Brandy mumbled, "Maybe they're just that excited to try the food!"  One lone cocktail was provided by Three Dots and a Dash, who cleverly served it in a handheld plastic bag, reminiscent of a childhood lunchbox favorite drink.  Three booths boasted desserts with Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate serving up homemade s'mores, Jeni Britton Bauer using her signature ice creams to create a sundae and an affogato with Intelligentsia coffee, and Bang Bang Pie Shop hosting a bake sale of sorts, where they sold slices of pie from restaurants all around the city for $5 a piece, with the proceeds going to benefit No Kid Hungry.  Brandy treated herself to a slice of sugar cream pie from Perennial Virant with raspberries, nectarines, and a drizzle of honey.

Brandy just adored her entire Taste Talks experience.  Not only did it seemingly offer something for every kind of food enthusiast (from industry experts to weekend warriors), the events that made up the weekend were equally entertaining and intriguing.  "I got to try lots of delicious treats, I talked with culinary superstars, I had a dinner unlike anything I'd ever experienced, and I learned to appreciate my food in a whole new way," Brandy gushed, "Though I do have to register my disappointment that nothing about brunch was mentioned all weekend.  Perhaps I could host a panel on my favorite meal if they come back next year!"  Don't forget to check out Facebook page for lots more pictures of all the events!

The writers of this blog were provided with passes to the Taste Talks events at no charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Sweet "Eggs" Benedict with Door to Door Organics

A few weeks ago, Brandy was lucky enough to try out Door to Door Organics food delivery service, and she has been in love with it ever since.  "There is nothing quite so nice as opening up that little box and seeing it chocked full of color and deliciousness," Brandy beams, "It gets my brain working too, because once I see what I've got, ideas start swirling and I have to get to the kitchen before they fly fright out of my brain!"

Brandy decided to take advantage of some of the fresh, seasonal produce, as well as some of the grocery items offered in the Door to Door Organics shop by whipping up a special trick or treat for all of her readers.  This Sweet "Eggs" Benedict may seem at first to be a pretty standard brunch dish, but once dug into, reveals itself to actually be a sweet breakfast pastry with fresh fruit and a sabayon sauce in place of the hollandaise!  Brandy said she was pretty proud of this simple recipe with a dynamic presentation and hoped that it would make some one an easy dish to prepare for a holiday brunch.  Almost everything in the recipe can be purchased directly from Door to Door Organics, so we do hope you try not only the recipe, but the service for yourselves, and if you do, make sure to click here to save $10 off your first order!

The writers of this blog were provided with goods from Door to Door Organics in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Sweet "Eggs" Benedict

4 Cinnamon Rolls (store bought or made from scratch)
2 Apples (crisp red apples work best, like fujis, honeycrisps, or braeburns)
1-2 ripe persimmons (depending on size)
Red fruit jam (Brandy used Autumn Berry preserves, but cranberry or cherry would work well)
1 lemon
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of Sweet Vermouth
pinch of salt

Juice half the lemon into a medium sized bowl and add 1 cup of cold water.  Cut the apples horizontally into 1/2 thick rounds, core and peel, then add the slices to the lemon water for 5 minutes (this will keep the apples from turning brown).

Simmer water in a medium sauce pan and place a medium bowl over it as to form a double boiler.  Add in the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and sweet vermouth to the bowl and begin to whisk.  Make sure to scrape the bowl continuously and adjust the heat level so as to keep the eggs from cooking.  Squeeze the other half of the lemon into the bowl and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes until the mixture triples in volume and turns pale yellow.  Once the sauce is light and airy, remove from the heat and pour into a serving dish.

Cut the top off the cinnamon rolls so that the surface is level and flat.  Spread the red fruit jam on the cinnamon roll, then place an apple ring on top.  Cut the bottom off the persimmon and scoop about a tablespoon's worth of pulp out, placing it in the center of the apple ring to form the yolk of the "egg."  Drizzle the sauce over the top of the apple ring and serve.

mEAT or Brunch on a Stick

The Slow and Savory Review

Usually, when someone says, "I want to make a movie about you," most people would approach the prospect with a certain amount of skepticism, but when Brandy recently heard these very words while attending a screening at the Chicago Film Festival, she was intrigued.  The person saying this to her was a woman by the name of Boxty Ban, an up and coming avant garde director who had gotten into a conversation with Brandy while they were both waiting for the movie to begin and became fascinated by Brandy's tales of her brunching adventures.  "Of course you do, dear," was Brandy's response to this impromptu confession, "Unfortunately, due to my youthful naivety, I am technically still under contract to RKO, so I cannot appear on screen for anyone else."  "My dear lady, RKO has been defunct for quite some time now," said Boxty, tilting down her dark sunglasses and flipping aside a stray lock of hair from her fashionably asymmetrical haircut, "I'm sure that contract is null and void."  "Possibly," Brandy pondered, "But I did make a promise to Howard Hughes, and by God, I don't need his ghost haunting me, so I'm afraid it's simply not possible."  "What if I don't show your face camera?" suggested Boxty.  "A movie where you don't show anyone's face?" Brandy pondered, "I suppose that would put the emphasis on the food, which I can appreciate...Alright, I'll do it!"

Before Boxty could begin filming her vision of a brunch feature film, she asked Brandy to take her out to one of her typical brunches, so Boxty could get an idea of what eating with Brandy would be like.  Brandy chose to take her to mEAT in Streeterville, thinking the fashionable neighborhood, exciting presentations of the food, and the unusual concept of the restaurant (it concentrates on communal and interactive dishes like fondue, meat skewers, and shared side dishes) would appeal to Boxty's artistic temperament.  Though a little off the beaten path, mEAT's Streeterville location was a fairly dimly lit, atmospheric tavern like space with elevated booths and high tables.  Though Brandy felt the lighting was a little on the dark side for brunch, especially as the back part of the space didn't even have any windows for natural illumination, she did like the cozy feeling it created.

The meal began with a choice of brunch cocktail classics: bloody marys and mimosas.  Both were done well, if fairly traditional, but Brandy noticed that the menu featured some more elaborate versions of the drinks and she simply couldn't help but ask about them.  One of the kindly managers obliged her curiosity by bringing over one of the Orange Sherbet Mimosas and a Peach Sherbet Bellini, both of which were rather delightful in their presentations and constructions, being prepared with melted sherbet in place of the juices and topped with fizzy citrus foams.  "I like that they're thinking about the cocktail in a different way here," said Boxty Ban, studying the glasses carefully, "I've always felt that you are what you eat, so if you're eating creatively, you're thinking creatively."  "I find I think creatively while consuming any alcohol in general," Brandy replied.

The first course was decidedly decedent, as the two brunch companions were presented with the Breakfast Fondu, which included a pot of luscious melty cheese sauce and a platter of various goodies to dip into it.  The cheese itself had a surprising sweetness to it, as it consisted of not only fontina and gruyere, but also white wine and honey, both of with made it a great match for almost all of the dippers (while Brandy loved dipping the pieces of sausage, bacon, waffle, and bagels into the mixture, wasn't entirely convinced about dipping things like pineapple and strawberry into the cheese, but Boxty very much liked dipping the green apple slices).

Next was the Bacon and Egg Salad, which consisted of a bed of frisee topped with bacon lardons, an extremely soft poached egg, and a tangy dressing of shallots, mustard, and more bacon.  Always appreciative of sweet and savory combinations in her brunch dishes, Brandy was particularly fond of the vinaigrette that dressed the salad, while Boxty marveled at the nice combination of textures from the chewy bacon, the silky egg, and the frilly greens.

One of the main features of the mEAT menu is unsurprisingly the meaty skewers, and for this particular meal, Brandy and Boxty were treated to the Cinnamon Glazed Bacon Skewer, which was hung on a special stand at their table, so as to show off all of the glossy, bacony goodness.  The large chunks of meat were easy to slide off the skewer with the use of some tongs and had nicely crisp edges to them.  They weren't overwhelmingly sweet, but the cinnamon kick was definitely there.

A second skewer they sampled was the Cinnamon Roll Skewer, which sadly could not be hung like the bacon one, as the kitchen had yet to devise a way to keep the pastries from sliding off.  The rolls had a nice sweet icing to compliment their spicy interior swirl.  "These are the perfect size," Brandy raved, "Sometimes restaurants will give you humongous cinnamon rolls, and even though they might be tasty, they're just too bloody big to finish.  These are a couple of bites a best.  Brilliant."

Three different "sides" were then brought to the table, though both Boxty and Brandy agreed that these could have easily been entrees on their own.  The first was the Salmon Hash, with was a skillet with some flaked fish, potatoes, and leeks in a creamy sauce.  While Brandy liked the flavor of this one, she found herself wishing for a bit of a crunch to break up the similar texture of the tender salmon and the potatoes.  The second side was the Almond French Toast, which was a pretty standard dish but with a nice bit of nuttiness from the sliced almonds on top.  Lastly was the Quinoa with Baked Eggs, which both Brandy and Boxty felt was one of the standouts from the morning.  "It reminds me of the polenta I used to eat every morning during my shoot in Spain," Boxty said, "Rich, but not overly aggressive."  Brandy agreed with her sentiment, but added that she felt that once the egg yolk had been broken and mixed in with the quinoa and veggies that the dish pushed into a more decedent category.

There was something for every budget at mEAT (most of the dishes, including the bigger plates, sides, and skewers came in well under $15), which Boxty very much appreciated, as she was so inspired by her brunch with Brandy that she immediately began budgeting for her brunch feature film.  "I'm going to call it, 'The Rise and Fall of Sweet and Savory,'" Boxty said, making a gesture as if to showcase the title on an invisible marquee.  "I'd go see that," Brandy smiled to herself (she'd had several mimosas at this point), "But can we get Olivier and Gielgud to play Sweet and Savory?"

The Short and Sweet Review

Postcards from Bunny: Rick Bayless at Macy's

It's no secret that one of Bunny and Brandy's favorite things to do in Chicago is checking out the Culinary Council demos that happen every few months at Macy's on State Street.  Bunny tries to attend them when ever she can make a quick jot into Chicago, but failing that, she will often send Brandy to watch the stars of the culinary world as they cook live and offer the crowd samples of their dishes so that she can take copious notes and report back to Bunny with the results.

Recently, when Bunny heard that Chicago icon Rick Bayless was going to be doing a demo, she nearly burst into tears as she realized there would be no way for her to attend.  "I've been waiting for them to do a Rick Bayless demo for years!" she cried into the phone.  "Well, I'll go for you and take notes like we've done before," Brandy sighed.  "It won't be the same!" Bunny whined.  Then suddenly, Brandy remembered something.  "He's the one you go all squishy for, isn't he?" she asked Bunny with a smirk.  "I do not go all squishy!" Bunny shrieked.  "I can practically hear you blushing over the phone," Brandy said, "Look, why don't I try that new fangled video chatting thingy while I'm at the demo?  Then you can watch the whole thing from your seat in... where are you now?"  "I'm not entirely sure, but everything smells of curry, so I'm guessing either India or Thailand."

So Brandy trotted down to Macy's on State Street early enough to grab a seat with a good view, and then enlisted the help of a nice young woman beside her to get Bunny on to the screen so she could watch as Rick Bayless entered the kitchen space.  "Oh, it's just like watching his PBS show!" Bunny exclaimed, and Brandy hushed her, wondering briefly how she was going to keep her arm from getting tired holding up the phone the entire time.

Chef Bayless began by making a simple guacamole in the same sort of rustic Mexican cooking with a twist that he is famous for.  "People often add too much lemon or lime juice to their guacamole because they think it will keep the avocado from going brown, and it will, but it also overwhelms the taste," Chef Bayless told the crowd.  He also suggested serving the guacamole as cold as possible, even utilizing a thermionic container like a terracotta flower pot with an ice pack under it when leaving the dip out at a party.  This particular guacamole he spiced up, so to speak, with serrano peppers, as he felt that jalapenos were inconstant in their heat levels, due to genetic manipulation.  He also added a bit of sweetness and crunch with some fennel and green apple, which sounded odd, but as Brandy assured Bunny, actually tasted quite good.

Then Chef Bayless took his guacamole mix and used it to coat some pre-cooked shrimp, plating the dish in a martini glass as he told the crowd how much he liked this kind of thing as an appetizer at parties.  "In America, we're more chippers and dippers," he said, "But in Mexico, this is how you would serve a guacamole, as a sort of dressing."  He also gave the crowd tips on how to cook authentically Mexican by keeping dried chilies in their pantries, buying avocados at Mexican markets (because they cost less and are more ripe), never buying tomatoes out of season (he prefers to use sun dried tomatoes when he can't get fresh), and making sure to rinse your sliced onions to rid them of their natural sulpherous compounds, which not only cause eyes to water, but make digestion difficult and cause food to rot faster.

Lastly, Chef Bayless presented a simple, yet delicious shortbread cookie, which was a combination of a pecan sandy and what people often call Mexican Wedding Cookies (Chef Bayless said the cookies are actually more traditional for things like Christmas than weddings).  Indeed, the crumbly little cookies were so delicious that the chef himself couldn't keep his hands off them, munching away as he took questions from the crowd.  "I'm quite pleasantly surprised," he told everyone, "When I saw we were doing a demo at noon on a Monday, I thought four people would show up and I'd just cook us all a nice lunch!"  "I wouldn't mind that," came Bunny's dreamy voice from the phone screen.  He also spoke about his devotion to yoga, which he practices every day.  "I always make all my difficult decisions while I'm doing yoga," he said, "I find that it puts me in touch with my body, so I'm more aware of when I'm hungry, when I'm tired, I smell things more clearly, and even taste things more clearly."  "No wonder the man is so zen all the time," Brandy whispered to Bunny.

After the demo, Chef Bayless stayed and signed copies of his newest cookbook, Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles, and Snacks (or "The three major food groups," as he put it), so Brandy dutifully joined the line after much begging from the tiny woman in her phone, but by the time she reached the front, Bunny seemed frozen with nerves and couldn't even manage to squeak a "hello" to her hero.  "Don't mind her," Brandy said to a befuddled Chef Bayless, "I think all that talk of yoga gave her a mental picture her senses weren't quite ready for.  She'll be fine in a bit."

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Food News: Pret a Manger's Fall Menu and Chicago Exclusives

There are many reasons Brandy has grown fond of Pret a Manger over the last few years.  Everything they offer is freshly made, the ingredients are local and top notch, the service is always amazingly friendly, and the menus are ever changing to keep things exciting.  "Places like Pret have spoiled me a little when it comes to fast, casual dining," as Brandy likes to say, "Even on the days I'm not going to some elaborate brunch, I know I can pop into one their shops and find something to satisfy any craving I've got."

Though she couldn't be more pleased with Pret a Manger as it is, Brandy was pleasantly surprised to learn that new items were starting to appear in locations across the city which are Chicago exclusive items.  Feeling as though she is some sort of super hero guardian over Chicago's food scene, Brandy felt compelled to try some of these items out for the good of the city's citizens.

The first Chicago exclusive item she tried was the Angus Beef Melt Toastie, which consisted of thick slices of roast beef, red onions, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, and mustard mayo on a hearty artisan bread.  Brandy loved this combination of flavors, but thought the sandwich was a touch on the dry side on the whole after it had been toasted.  A little cup of beef broth to accompany it would not only have solved this problem, but added a nice little touch of Chicago to the beef.

Next, she sampled the Chicago Meatball Hot Wrap with pork and beef meatballs smothered in marinara sauce and loaded with lots of melty cheese.  The packaging on the wrap was pretty ingenious, as it opened in such a way that one could hold the wrap without getting one's hands messy.  The wrap itself was pretty typical for a meatball sandwich, but done well, and the substitution of the tortilla for the bread meant there was nothing to interfere with the meaty goodness.  Brandy couldn't quite decide what was so Chicago about this Chicago Meatball Hot Wrap, but she liked it just the same.

Deciding to stick with the cheese theme, Brandy then went for the brand new Mac and Cheese, which came in a vegetarian variety with spinach and tomato, and a carnivore variety with bacon (of course, she decided on the bacon one).  The normally rich dish had been cut with cauliflower to make it a little healthier without sacrificing the creaminess, which Brandy surprisingly liked, as it added a bit of crunchy texture as well.  The bacon was nice and smokey and in big enough chunks that any true bacon fan wouldn't be left wondering where it was.

Lastly, Brandy sampled the Sweet Potato Falafel Flatbread, which is a new item in locations all across the country.  The wrap consisted of lots of Middle Eastern flavors with not only the falafel, but a drizzle of tzatziki sauce, pickled cabbage, and fresh herbs.  Though expecting the falafel to be a bit crunchier, Brandy found this version to be soft and sweet, but still with a good amount of texture to it.  The fresh veggies and herbs ensured that every bite was bright and exciting.

There were many more new dishes on the Pret a Manger menu, like the BBQ Pork Hot Wrap, the Spicy Chicken Toastie, and the Chicken Caesar and Bacon Baguette, but Brandy had to put those off for another day.  With what she had sampled so far, she felt she had done her duty and protected the masses from bland, wasteful food for another day, so she was off to another exciting adventure (in other words, she was full, so she went to her knitting circle meeting).

The writers of this blog were invited to dine free of charge in exchange for an honest review.