VittlesVamp

Windy City Ramble - Part 2

Meat is good.

No. Strike that! Meat is great.

Happily my Chicago pal Gourmet Rambler more than agrees. In fact, I think it's fair to say that she is actually a meat snob.

Last Friday, after a challenging morning of boutique-browsing (and buying) in Bucktown, she insisted that we head over to meet her friend Rob. Rob is her butcher. And, let's just say that Rob isn't just a meat snob; he's a meat guru. His shop is called The Butcher & Larder, but eyeing the huge cuts of beef and lamb, mammoth trays of offal and heaping platters of housemade sausages strewn about the open kitchen and carving area, it definitely seemed more "butcher" than "larder."

Gourmet Rambler explained that this store is a go-to destination for the Windy City's barbecue and grilling cognoscenti. I wasn't a bit surprised. Then one of Rob's other regulars came in -- to get a bucket of bones. Was he making stock? Nope. This gent has two gargantuan slobbering, lovable dogs who couldn't dream of going a week without chomping on some of Butcher & Larder's finest Flintstone-sized beauties.

Well, if it was good enough for the pooches!

We decided to forgo picking up the raw stuff and went straight for the sandwiches. My fave is pictured above -- a crackerjack Homemade Ham Sandwich with Honey Mustard and Pickled Onions. This gem was piled high with lightly smoked, thinly sliced pork, which I would have gladly eaten one paper-thin sliver at a time. It was just plain perfect.

Now, we may have genius butchers back home in NYC, but I'm hard-pressed to find a ham sandwich that will make me swoon the way that succulent specimen did. Makes my heart race just thinking about it!

Hate to say it, but I might just have to go back to Chicago for another.

No. Strike that! I must just say it: I have to back to Chicago for another.

Gourmet Rambler best let Rob know I'm coming back and make sure he has plenty of ham at the ready.

Windy City Ramble - Part 1

This weekend I grabbed a plane from LaGuardia to O'Hare to see my boisterous gal pal Gourmet Rambler and experience Chicago from her singular point-of-view.

No sooner did I land when the tour began. Straight off the plane I was ushered into a Chi-Town cult favorite -- Hot Doug's, a one-stop shop for all things involving encased, tubular meat. There was no way I wasn't paying call on this visit. The hot dog holds a special place in Chicagoans' hearts and Hot Doug's is the ultimate top "dog" when it comes to their wiener and sausage obsession.

With only a couple of patrons ahead of us on the lunchtime line, we quickly settled on three specimens from the extensive menu: a bayou-inspired Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Creole Mustard, Hominy Grits and Goat Cheese; the infamous Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel; and the traditional Chicago-Style Hot Dog.

No contest. Pictured above, the Chicago-Style, topped with yellow mustard, chopped onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices and a dash of celery salt was the winner. There's a reason it's a classic. Absolutely delicious!

Sated, we rolled my suitcase down the block and onto the bus towards Roscoe Village, where Gourmet Rambler's apartment waited with a fridge full of bubbly and a list of "must-do" spots for the rest of the weekend.

Curious if she led me to one of the city's celebrated deep-dish pizza joints for dinner? No. Not her thing and not mine either. But, do stay tuned for more on my tasty Chicago adventures, because the Windy City offers a lot more than hot dogs and deep-dish...

Skipped GoogaMooga For Kick-Ass Fruit Salad At Talde

In truth, I had no intention of going to the Great GoogaMooga Festival this past weekend. Too many people. Too many lines. Hall & Oates? Not so much.

I just said "no."

Instead, I said "yes" to Talde with my pal Margo. Figured we might be able to score a coveted brunch table with all the foodie fah-fah over at Prospect Park. We were right. Huzzah!

And let's just start by saying that the food was darn right killer. The Shrimp Toast with Fried Egg and Chinese Sausage Gravy is all it's cracked up to be and more. (Next time, we're definitely going to take Chef Dale's recommendation and order it up uncut, split it down the middle to let the yolk start to ooze and gobble it up sandwich-style!)

But there was one dish that stopped us in our tracks -- Fruit Salad. That's right! Fruit Salad.

The picture above doesn't give this dish its due. Gorgeous ripe fruit glossed in honey with star anise, five spice powder and lime. Then it's all piled high atop a rich blend of roasted bananas and tofu whip.

Oh my freakin' goodness! Sheer Asian-inspired fruity-tooty brilliance!

So, yes, you'll find me camped out early evenings at Talde's bar with a cocktail and an order of that genius Shrimp Toast, but also expect to see me weekend mornings grinning like the Cheshire Cat in front of an order of glorious Fruit Salad -- especially when the GoogaMooga is in full-swing.

Having A Ball - And Not Of The Meat Variety

Promise that this will be my last spherical-theme post for a while, but these babies warrant a shout out.

Crisp on the outside, tender and creamy within, Arancini Bros. knows their balls -- their rice balls, that is. A tempting treat at Brooklyn's DeKalb Market, the one at the back was infused with pesto, sporting a center of bright cherry tomato and an oozing of Mozzarella. Up front, the soft arborio rice had been cooked with deep yellow saffron and its middle was graced with a zesty meat ragu with peas.

So, I guess the headline isn't completely accurate.

Accurate, schmaccurate.

These lovelies were divine! My recommendation: Run out and get a pair!

New Orleans -- A Few More Morsels

Apparently, some of my friends and readers feel like they've been short-changed when it comes to my trip to New Orleans. Who am I to short-change anyone when it comes to the Big Easy?

And so, we'll start with a New Orleans tradition: Friday lunch. It's a monumental multi-course, multi-drink extravaganza, that is meant to last for the better part of the afternoon.

My Friday lunch was spent with my good pal Anne, a native of New Orleans, who picked out one of the city's hottest spots for our get together -- MiLa. Modern, yet warm, I knew that we were in for a treat the second I sunk my teeth into their homemade Sweet Potato Biscuits, but it was the kitchen's Venison Pâté with Creole Mustard, Cornichon and Toasted Baguette that made me audibly moan. My entree of Fried Rabbit Tenders, Bok Choy, Roasted Mushrooms, Onion Puree and Mustard Jus was jim-dandy as well, but it was the Pâté that made the meal.

Not wanting our time together to be over -- and craving a bit more by way of the hard stuff -- Anne and I sauntered over to Mr. B's for one of the city's infamous boozy milkshakes, known as a Brandy Milk Punch. Unsurprisingly, it packed a wallop and went down easy alongside a slab of rich Bread Pudding drizzled with Irish Whiskey Sauce.

Now, that was a lunch!

You'd think I would be too full from that meal to ever eat again. Well, not so much. In fact, not at all!

A few more of my favorite morsels in the Big Easy...

*Listening to live jazz the Windsor Court Hotel's Cocktail Bar, while enjoying a Sazerac or two (or three) made by their ever-gracious mixologist Christine Jeanine Nielsen.

* A Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich that rivaled Van Horn's, downed gleefully at the French Quarter's Sylvain.

* Watching "Master Oyster Shucker" Leo Price do his thing at Bourbon House, as I slurp back half a dozen plump Louisiana Oysters on the Half-Shell with Mignonette and Caviar.

* Reveling in a flute or two (or three) of Nicolas Feuillatte N/V at the civilized Vieux Carre wine bar known as Patrick's Bar Vin.

* Splitting a "fully-dressed" Catfish Po' Boy at neighborhood joint Franky & Johnny's in Uptown.

* Swooning with every bite of dessert at Chef John Besh's August -- a Creole Cream Cheese Tartlet with Ponchatoula Strawberries, Elderflower, and deep green Pistachio Butter.

OK. Now I'm too full to ever eat again. (Maybe.)

Overstuffed In New Orleans

Those of you who follow my Twitter feed, know that I recently went to the Big Easy and are waiting for several overstuffed posts recounting decadent tales of drink, food and music aplenty. I could do that, but I don't think it would do this last trip justice

Instead, I wish to offer a simple snapshot that perfectly encapsulates my time in New Orleans -- a photo taken at Arnaud's French 75 of a gorgeous cocktail, luscious oysters and a bit of candlelight.

But what bar experience would be complete without the company of fellow bar patrons?

First off, nice guess, but nope -- he wasn't a Brand Ambassador from Captain Morgan Rum.

Second of all -- God bless New Orleans and everything it is overstuffed with -- from Sazeracs to Po' Boys to a cast of characters.