Last Days in Chicago…. February 24, 2010

As most of you may know, I left Chicago recently to pursue my next adventure-working with celebrity chef Edward Kwon in Seoul!  I will be posting more entries regarding my stay in Seoul, but I wanted to share a few things I will so miss in Chicago…

water tower and the john hancock building-chicagocoffee at julius meinl-chicago

my favorite at julius meinl-pistachio raspberry mousse with dark chocolate ganache!

pho at tank noodle on argyle and broadway

chicken banh mi sandwich at tank noodle

open face tuna salad sandwich at julius meinl-chicago

the banchan spread (small korean dishes) at cho sun ok-chicago

Cho Sun Ok Korean restaurant is a favorite in Chicago, opened for over 20 plus years-they are known for their chadohlbaeggi (thinly sliced beef) grill that you finish off with kimichi fried rice in the same stone pot! Yum!!!

after the garlic, you cook the beef...

sizzling chadolbaeggi beef with garlic! cooking all the banchan in the stone pot-which is the next step after eating the beef

as the fried rice cooks, the bottom gets perfectly crispy!

alas, this is what was left!

big star is a whisky bar in wicker park, that serve tacos...what a fantastic combo! the lamb tacos were absolutely amazing!

amazing crispy beef tacos-big star

sunhee, scott and me at big star

maggie and i in front of big star-wicker park

dessert window at hot chocolate-chicago

green beans that i made from marigold indian restaurant-these are to die for!!!

inside hot chocolate in wicker park, chicago

 a few things i will miss from my home, that i just couldn’t fit in my suitcase…

marimekko fabric artwork

my francis francis espresso maker, absolutely the best!!!

my apron/bag holder...yes, one of my many fetishes!

Alinea. Perfection. January 25, 2010

Alas, I finally had the amazing opportunity to dine at Alinea on my brithday-America’s leading restaurant, located right here in Lincoln Park Chicago! Chef and owner Grant Achatz is absolutely stunning with his gastronomic explosions! I cannot begin to describe all the emotions that took place in this divine, 3 hour meal. From the service, to the personal sommelier, as well as the pastry chef who presented one of the desserts on the actual tabletop-completed the story. Each course was in perfect order, paired with the perfect wine, and excitement followed every second.

Michael Ruhlman (contributer or Alinea’s book says it best)- “What makes Alinea so distinctive? And what are we to make of it’s controversial food: the outrageous pairings, the extraordinary manipulations of texture, presentations that veer from ingenious to surreal, service pieces that make some diners squirm, ingredients that range from familiar vegetables and meats to Ultra-TEx 3 and xanthum gum, and techniques that include encapsulation and pillows of scented air?”

These photos are not even close to describe my evening at Alinea…

this was our table piece, before we ate it...but we had no idea!

pork belly...curry, cucumber, lime

we assembled the metal pieces that held the spring roll sheet-which had edible flowers

everything fit perfectly in this one roll. it was absolutely amazing!!!

for this course, they cleared our table, and place a silicone sheet...

a chef comes out and creates this beautiful dessert right on the table!!!

the chocolate in the glass viles forms into solid pudding...

frozen dark chocolate crumbles...

the final product-'chocolate, coconut, menthol, hyssop'

it was like a painting-to beautiful to eat!!!

this was my birthday dessert, i missed the photo shot right before this shot. it started with a solid dark chocolate ball, before they poured the hot cream that opened it

our last course-' bubble gum, long pepper, hibiscus, creme fraiche' you had to suck it to get all the flavors immersed in your mouth!

i didn't know what to expect when i saw this juniper in a bowl...

'goose stuffing, prune, juniper aroma all in one bite!'

'duck foie gras, chestnut, mace, orange'

'thai banana, beer, mustard, pecans'

'eggnog, pedro ximenez, benedictine, buffalo trace'

'hay-burnt sugar, coffee, huckleberry on a nutmeg scented pillow'...the pillow deflated, releasing the aromas while you ate this course. unbelievable, who thinks of this???

signed by the whole kitchen staff...

This Chicagoan knows how to eat! January 19, 2010

My love affair with food continues…will I really have time to hit all my favorite spots in Chicago by the time I leave?
I also recently got back from Los Angeles, and I must admit, I have been pleasantly surprised with the great food every time! The photos will speak for themselves…

@ mana food bar-vegetarian hot spot in wicker park

pumpkin ravioli with cream sauce-mana food bar

brown rice and mushroom sliders with spicy mayo at mana-delish!

spicy beef brisket sandwich @ cha'va cafe

trying to figure it out at cha'va

with grace and cindy at cha'va-congrats to my friend eddie hwang for opening up this beautiful cafe!

the ladies of atelier bliss-cindy, grace, sarah, and me!

bacon wrapped dates with chorizo @ avec...this is how chicago does it!

chicago's very best-garrett's popcorn!

the cheese & caramel mix is a must at garretts!

i made homemade pizza and orchiette pasta with sun dried tomatoes, chicken sausage, and cream sauce for my relatives who visited from korea-they were quite content!

i think this pizza turned out better than my first attempt!

live sweet shrimp sushi ike-los angeles...the chef cuts it for women...it was still moving!

this uni melted in my mouth-sushi ike

fried shrimp head that comes with the sweet shrimp-sooo good!

beautiful yellowtail sashimi!

eggplant dish from a persian restaurant in westwood los angeles-attari

@ attari

persian ice cream spot that uses rose water as the base in westwood-this is a must stop!

a mix of rice noodle and cucumber sorbet-you top it off with lemon juice

date ice cream-this was my favorite!!! will have to attempt in making this myself

skirt steak at cobras and matadors in los angeles-spanish tapas

bacon wrapped dates with salami-cobras and matadors

inside cobras and matadors...

spinach salad at urth cafe-los angeles...i thought chicago portions were massive!

just had to add this random photo-this little boy was amazing at venice beach skate park!

went for a ride along venice/santa monica beach!

Chicagoans know how to eat! December 30, 2009

I have a few months left in chicago, and my goal is to check out new restaurants or places I have not been too…and of course some of my favorites as well. Last week, I checked out Rick Bayless’ new restaurant-Xoco. It’s the sister restaurant to his 2 other restaurants (Frontera Grill & Topolobampo), all connected in the same building on Clark St. This spot is somewhat of a fast food/inexpensive restaurant, featuring the ‘street foods’ of mexico. They are known for their bean-to-cup hot chocolates, and their amazing homemade churros!

Ahogada-golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions at xoco

home made churros at xoco-shared one with a friend...but next time, i'm having 3 of my own!

barcelona chocolate with homemade dulce de leche-a bit too sweet for me, but it was great!

Over the weekend, stopped by Saboo-Korean bar that has pretty good Korean food! Known for their ‘tong-dak’ or Korean style fried chicken…although we didn’t get it this time.

i must admit, their dukbokki (spicy korean rice cakes) was better than mine!

kimchi tofu-my favorite at saboo! i actually prefer this over the fried chicken (sorry for the blurry photo!)

sunhee and me...satisfied after a nice meal at saboo!

back in chicago… December 28, 2009

I arrived in Chicago 3 weeks ago, and Chicago has been all about snow and freezing temperatures! I definitely miss the sunny, perfect Sydney weather. So what have I been doing? Well, aside from planning on travel plans in the near future, I have been testing out some fun recipes!

Recently, a good friend and fabulous chef Beverly Kim and I made pizza dough from scratch. Yes, I am embarrassed to admit that I have never tempted to make pizza dough from scratch! Bev’s favorite recipe is from Julia Child’s baking book…and it did take some time. However, it was definitely worth it!

I made extra dough, and made some neopolitan pizza’s for my brother Ray and and his wife Jiye…and Ray said it was the best! A very nice compliment…from a strong food critic.

chicken sausage, butternut squash, mushrooms in red sauce

i burned the crust a little, but it was still delicious!

making of pizza #2

voila! arugula, butternut squash, mozzarella in white sauce!

on christmas day-cod with german mustard, capers, and creme fraiche...

looks nicer on the platter!

risotto with asparagus, peas, lemon, and mascarpone-first time making risotto, and it was pretty darn good!