[Portions of this entry became an article for the Isthmus. Read it here.]
The great prolonged blast of warm air toasting the Upper Midwest has culinary life here in turmoil. It’s spring weather, summer even, yet nothing is growing. Cocktail programs are shifting gears quickly to respond to the higher temperature, but in kitchens chefs are scratching their heads. What produce is local and organic right now? Unfortunately, only root vegetables and some hothouse greens.
Last night I opened the menu at L’Etoile only to realize that I had already nearly missed sturgeon season. It is normally a greatly anticipated bright spot in early March– for years I’ve enjoyed grilling it outside while freezing– and here it is going off menus already. I missed it because instead of the usual order of things, I’ve been prematurely gorging myself on the light and bright foodstuffs I crave when cold gives way to warmth.
The heatwave has me eating like it is June.
A surprise hit dish at Rising Sons Deli was the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon that reached nearly 80 degrees. Yum Neua is a beef salad with bright yellow peppers, onion, carrots, cilantro, lemongrass and mint. The sauce is sweet and sour, spicy from chilis and pungent from fish sauce. In short, tropical and glorious.
Red Sushi has been running special rolls with thinly shaved strawberries on the outside. Typically, this kind of roll doesn’t appeal to me in the least— but with the door kicked open on a sweltering evening, it was the right time to try one. It worked, the strawberry was delicious with the crab, avocado, and tuna. It added a sweet and sticky highlight to the fats and sesame.
Sal, who works the counter there, also passed over some high grade uni. Great uni sucks the heat right out of the surrounding air just like ferns do. Alien edible gossamer pudding, it is one of the planet’s strangest textures— with the subtle flavor of the sea lingering as a slightly acrid aftertaste.
In Chicago, a trip to Pho 777 brought lotus root salad, a broken rice dish, and a huge plate of items to roll in rice wrapper by hand. There is nothing quite like stuffing fistfuls of fragrant green leaves into mouth.
The Tastee Freez on Armitage had a line out the door. The entire gamut of Chicagoans stood waiting for dogs and and malts.
Since there was a wait anyway, I snuck over to Brand BBQ across the street for their famous Burnt Ends Mac & Cheese. The caramelized overcooked pieces at the edge of barbecued meat that we all like to sample and savor first before it even hits the plate? The schnibbles? Yes, those—in thick, rich, creamy, dreamy, mac and cheese. It’s so good it hits your brainstem first, short-circuiting any sense of decorum, and you just gobble while awkwardly mouthing “OMFG.”
Floriole, the bakery in Lincoln Park, was ready — all doors sprawled open into the sun and rows of awaiting fruit tarts . Grapefruit, passion fruit, and mango. Mango, with little flecks of mint.
Yusho, the new yakitori venture by Chef Matthias — Charlie Trotter’s former chef de cuisine– amazed with a bowl of miatake mushroom, egg viniagrette and dashi gelee. It tasted like both the forest floor and cool ocean breeze. Textures contrasted, flavors delightfully confused.
A jaunt over to the very new Scofflaw delivered the best cocktail of the year so far– a St. George’s Terroir gin and Dolin Vermouth martini, slightly dirty, with three olives. It was fall on the floor good. Accompanying it was a refreshing grapefruit, avocado, chicory, and sea salt salad with a white wine vinaigrette. Run, don’t walk, to Scofflaw.
At Whistler they were doing a Verdita— a shot of tequila alongside a bright green shot of cilantro, mint, pineapple, jalapeno, and habanero. One made me elated, two made me dance the night away.
Back in Madison, the first shandy of the year arrived on the Argus patio. Three Floyd’s GumballHead and fresh squeezed lemonade.
Out at Stalzy’s Deli, the first picnic-ready and bike friendly snack of the year appeared with their new Piragi (not to be confused with pierogi). Lighter than you would suspect, it has brioche-like bread but a little crunchier— with bacon inside. It tastes like the old country, if your old country is Latvia.
At L’Etoile, Reuben Mendez’s One Way Street tasted like the essence of tangerine. Tangerine Shrub, korean chili pinch.
Graze has a new calamari plate that is as tasty as it is beautiful.
Merchant’s Pork Belly Dog is already famous, and deservedly so. This thing is a force of nature, and one of those menu items that is born iconic. I like to take it a step further, as Scott Meskan (UNeedToEatThis) does, and add a Nami Moon Farms duck egg on top. It screams summer fun. Or maybe it just screams, period.
At Nostrano there was a beautiful celery salad—heirloom apple, chicory, pistachio. It is cooling, tart, and lemony.
The most memorable bite of this entire heatwave, however, has to be the first taste of homemade Camembert (made in a cheese class) with Baker’s Window bread while hiking at Gibralter Rock. Magnifique.
