I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago, a beautiful city bursting with inspiration. Gorgeous architecture lined the streets, modern art installations filled street corners, and innovative restaurants occupied all of downtown. While taking in the beauty of the city, I built up quite an appetite. There were some restaurants I knew I'd plan on trying--restaurants with out of the ordinary menu items, and of course, the chicago staples. I ate my way through the city and enjoyed every minute of it. This was my first (solo) trip to Chicago, and I can't wait to come back to explore more of the city's Avant-Garde food scene.
615 W Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60661
Bacon wrapped chorizo stuffed dates in piquillo pepper tomato sauce
This dish was harmonious, an orchestra of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors intermingling on your palate. I enjoyed the textures--the crisp of the bacon, tender chorizo (made in-house), and the melt in your mouth dates that absorbed all that bacon goodness. The sauce had a pleasurable heat, with the right amount of acidity from the tomatoes to balance out the dish.
Focaccia with Taleggio, Ricotta, herbs, truffle oil
Decadent and straight up delicious. It's a cheese lover's dream in between two crisp layers of focaccia.
The soft, creamy cheeses oozed out in every bite, and the hint of truffle oil provided a silky richness. The focaccia was thin, almost flatbread-like. It was decadent, but felt light, giving me an excuse to have more than my share. ;)
800 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL, 60607
Bloody Mary with a garlic salt rim, garnished with house made bread and butter pickles
Au Cheval makes a flavorful Bloody Mary. This was well-balanced and refreshing. I enjoyed the horseradish and the pickling spices that adhered to the pickles. It paired nicely with the chopped chicken liver.
Chopped chicken liver, salted butter, and toast
Chicken liver on salted butter toast. Oh Yeah. I went heavy on the butter, spread the creamy chopped chicken liver, and placed a briny cornichon on top. Fresh herbs brightened up the dish, adding that necessary component to a such a rich dish.
825 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
Cheese Plate
A perfectly composed cheese plate. The soft brie-like cheese is Cowgirl Creamery's Chimney Rock. I was so excited to see a California cheese. The olive bread was out of this world, filled with Castelvetrano and Kalamatas.
Charcuterie Plate
Excellent house-made charcuterie. The harissa pâté and lamb sausage were ridiculously delicious. If you plan on going to Publican Quality Meats, I highly suggest you order both the cheese and charcuterie plates. I nearly finished both plates. It was that good.
(Several Locations)
Mini Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
No trip to Chicago is complete without a deep dish. The sauce was spot on and the layers of meat and cheese were full of flavor.
Wow, great photos. It all looks delish.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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