I just returned from the Windy City, where I ate very, very well. Evidence is provided here in the form of snapshots taken at a fantabulous dinner at Galit, an award-winning Israeli spot that seriously delivered. (Had no doubt, since my gourmet rambling pal Tatiana had secured the reservation!)
Above, spy the cloud-like Hummus with bits of brisket braised with carrots and cinnamon. Because that couldn't be nearly enough to start us off, a series of small plates followed, including a bowl of mouth puckering Pickled Vegetables...
Heirloom Tomatoes with wood-roasted okra, amba, and Persian lime...
A bowl of creamy Labneh topped with hyssop, sumac, and sesame, alongside bowl of ethereal Baba Ganoush, sprinkled with a torrent of chives...
Gloriously hot, puffy Pita arrived to help us sop it all up...
Next up, a plate of Roasted Beets with Black Garlic Tehina, showered with crispy bits of pumpernickel and dill fronds...
And, we also swooned over Iraqui Kubbeh Halab, which were similar to Italian Arancini rice balls -- in this case, bright saffron rice encasing stewed lamb with a sauce made of blitzed golden raisins and almonds...
Then, this gobsmacking dish arrived...
That flower-strewn beauty was half a Wood-Roasted Cabbage, stuffed with oyster mushrooms and saffron mujadara, surrounded by a deep green chermoula sauce. And, lest we forgot we were meat eaters, there was Smoked Turkey Shwarma with peach amba and carrots...
To finish it all off, White Chocolate and Pistachio Baklava with raspberries and orange water.
Yeah. I ate very, very well in Chicago.