The Big Event

The time finally arrived for the big event - The James Beard Awards!  We dressed up in our black tie best and headed out for the show.  As luck would have it, we shared a cab with Nathalie Dupree who was being inducted into the the Who's Who of Food and Beverage tonight.  She's published cookbooks, made multiple television appearances and has had an impact on how southern food is viewed in America.

The awards were held at the Lyric Opera House, a beautiful historic venue that was ready for the masses descending upon it.  We bypassed the red carpet (celebs only) and entered with the others there to watch the show.  Seated on the floor, we had prime viewing for the festivities.  This is the first time in the Beard's 25 year history that the awards have been held outside of NYC.  Chicago has become a foodie city and hosting the awards was proof of this.

Alton Brown was our host for the evening.  He began the show with his rendition of a Sonny and Cher song turned into a foodie ditty.  The Chicago chef presence was felt with three of their best, Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, and Paul Kahan as they kicked things off.
Awards were presented in several categories with winners making heartfelt acceptance speeches, thanking staff and family for their support.  For a complete rundown of the winners see Eater awards recap .

After the awards, the masses were released into the halls of Lyric Opera for tastings from some of the best chefs in America.  The halls were mass chaos, with everyone trying to grab some of the delicious fare while being carried along with the crowds.  The food was excellent, but I have to think there was a more controlled way of dispensing it.  It did add to the excitement of the evening however, and we definitely were able to sample enough to sate our appetite.

With the threat of rain (and crowds) immanent, we ducked out to head to the after party at Frontera Grill.  What a party!  Manned by performers dispensing food and beverage, the party's soundtrack was provided by a DJ accompanied by a skillful horn duo.  The dance floor was packed with revelers.  Some of the evening's winners dropped by to celebrate their awards.  As midnight came, a definite Cinco de Mayo feel was in the air.  What a fantastic way to end the evening!

A big thank you goes out to Frontera Farmers Foundation for making this weekend possible.  I also need to thank Rick Bayless' assistant Kate for answering all my emails and making all of our arrangements for a weekend I won't soon forget.

Eataly

About a year ago, Eataly opened a shop right off Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  The original location is in NYC where the owners, Mario Batali and Joe & Lidia Bastianich, deliver an Italian experience I've not had before now.  Part eating hall part Italian market, Eataly Chicago spans two floors and 13 dining experiences.  I say experiences because each 'station' centers on a type of Italian food, from fish to beef, cheese to Nutella, and has a variety of table options from informal standing high tops to sit down with waitress service. You are meant to wonder and sample to your hearts content.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the variety offered here.  Think of packing an entire Italian culinary vacation into one two story space and you get the idea.  The selection of meat and cheeses may be the largest I've seen in one spot.  An entire section of several aisles is devoted to every possible shape and size of pasta you can imagine.  In addition to the dried pasta, there's a fresh case with house made pasta such as squid ink fettuccine and fresh lasagna sheets.  Dinner gets quite a head start just walking in the door.

Since we have no place to store anything on our fast trip, we chose to sample a couple of the dining options.  The largest and most popular station is the sit-down pizza and pasta restaurant.  I had the best mozzarella I've ever tasted here as an appetizer.  It's almost worth the plane ticket just for this one dish!  We shared the pasta of the day which was a light ravioli in a pesto sauce with bread crumbs and lemon zest.  Fantastico!  I'm kicking myself for not indulging in  a pizza but this will have to wait for a return trip.

A focaccia bar offers various toppings on their light, airy focaccia.  We had a simple tomato and mozzarella slice which was anything but plain.  The tomatoes burst with flavor in my mouth and the in-house made mozzarella made an appearance as a nicely melted topping.  A word about fresh mozzarella.  If you've only experienced the shredded Kraft variety, you are in for quite a treat when you experience the real, fresh made mozzarella which is creamy and soulful.  Topped with a little olive oil and sea salt, this taste of heaven could serve as a lite meal.

I would highly recommend bringing an extra suitcase and planning a half-day stop at Eataly next time you find yourself in Chicago (or NYC).  You won't regret it!

Dinner at The Best Mexican Restaurant in the US

Any one who knows me knows I frequent three (plus two at O'Hare) Mexican Restaurants owned by Oklahoma native , Rick Bayless, whenever I'm in Chicago.  Xoco cooks Mexican street food and serves amazing hot chocolate (not the watered down Nestle Quik kind, but luscious , thick Mexican hot chocolate worthy of churro dipping).  Frontera Grill (winner of The James Beard Best Restaurant in America) serves food you would recognize as Mexican (not Taco Bell tacos, but mole enchiladas and carne assada).  His third restaurant, Topolobampo, his modern Mexican cuisine fine dining establishment was our destination this evening.

Being Beard weekend in Chicago, many restaurants opened for special Sunday night service.  Frontera and Topolo were both packed with industry insiders plus more common folk like us looking for a great meal.  And what a great meal we had! We decided we had to go with the seven course tasting menu with wine (yes, wine does go marvelously with modern Mexican) pairings.  This is not an hour and you're out dining experience but a 3 1/2 hour evening of fine dining like you might find in countries where a meal is more than just the food served but a reason to gather family and friends for an evening of sharing.

The tasting menu rotates on roughly a six week schedule and features a different region of Mexico.  The one we sampled was their Chiapas menu which is from the Mexico's southernmost state. I won't describe each course here but highlight some of our favorites.  Probably tops on our list was Sopa de pan, a savory bread pudding consisting of bacon roasted brioche with ripe tomatos and raisins in a rich broth.  The Angels sang when I took my first bite.  Wild caught prawns with a tamal roll, black beans, hoja santa and guaje-tomato sauce was another stand out.  And the black cod practically melted in my mouth and was accompanied by a slightly spicy green chili sauce.  The wine pairings by Jill Gubesch, sommelier, were creative, playful and surprising which only enhanced an already fantastic dining experience.

Speaking of fantastic dining experiences, did I mention that Topolo is up for the Outstanding Service Award at Monday night's ceremony.  I can't imagine a more deserving restaurant.  Our waiter took time to describe each course in intricate, loving terms that added to the anticipation of the first bite.  This is what makes a good restaurant into a great one.  You can just feel the love of the food from those preparing and serving it.  I hope you get to have this experience at least once in your life because it is rare and becoming rarer.

Rick and company were on the floor talking to patrons and making sure everything was perfect for their guests.  This kind of perfection doesn't happen by accident.  A whole team, most of whom you never see, combine to make every meal an unforgettable experience.  Besides those mentioned above, Deann Bayless (Rick's partner and wife), Carlos Alferez(Managing Partner), Andres Padilla (Chef de Cuisine), and Joel Ramirez(Sous Chef) were out among the patrons ensuring a perfect evening for all their diners.  Tomorrow is going to have to be pretty spectacular to top this!

First Stop - Kendall College

While the Beard Award activities have been on all weekend, our first dive in was at a panel discussion and brunch at Kendell College, the top culinary school in Chicago.  The co-hosts for the panel discussion were Rick Bayless and his fellow The Feed podcast host, Steve Dolinsky.  The panel was manned (and womaned) by an esteemed crew of chefs , all Beard nominated, in for the weekend.

The audience was mostly students from the school all starry eyed and ready to be the next chef sensation.  The questions ran from 'when did you know you were destined for a career in food' to  'what mistakes have you made and what did you learn'.  They all chuckled at the second question presumably because they had too many to choose from.

After the panel presentation, we were treated to brunch.  Stations were set up around the hall and award winning chefs presented brunch offerings.  Quail eggs were quite popular, making an appearance on hash, biscuits and gravy and an Asian offering that was darn tasty. What a wonderful way to start our food coma  weekend.