December 22, 2006 | Comments
I've never published a year-end, best-of list. This year I'm a bit inspired by the lists by The Reader's food writers (and the multiple addenda at their blog, The Food Chain), so I'm publishing my own list.
This is a list, in no special order, of the most memorable foods I tasted in Chicago restaurants this year. These are foods that, months after eating them, still pop into my head from time to time. When you're sitting on the blue line in the dead of winter thinking about the cold bowl of vichyssoise you had in the dead of summer, you know for sure that was one good bowl of soup.- Broiled Mackerel at Sunshine Cafe: There are few more perfect plates of food in the city. A healthy fillet piece of mackerel, salted and broiled until the skin is crisp, served with rice and grated daikon. Simple, hearty, and delicious. 5449 N. Clark St., Chicago, 773-334-6214 (Currently closed on a seemingly extended winter vacation)
- Quail Egg Ravioli at Schwa: Rich, silky, and sexy, this dish barely needed to be gilded with shaved truffles, but it didn't hurt one bit. Read the full Schwa review here.
- Tagliatelle bolognese at Terragusto: I wasn't crazy about Terragusto as a whole, but the house-made tagliatelle was excellent and the rich bolognese was the perfect marriage for the fresh noodles. I think about this dish a lot. Read more about Terragusto here.
- Crispy En Choy at TAC Quick: This is a salad of fried "water spinach" with shrimp and was a recent chalkboard special at TAC. There was so much happening in concert on this plate that I'm surprised it all worked together so well--crispy, bright, spicy, tangy, and sweet--all of the best features of authentic Thai food. You can read an old post about TAC here.
- Curried vichyssoise with creme fraiche and citrus caviar at Sweets and Savories: A silky, cool bowl of expertly seasoned soup with just a taste of mild citrus caviar for some texture. More about Sweets and Savories here.
- Pickled Beef Tongue at Schwa: Schwa took what was once a staple meat of jewish delis and turned it into a tender flavor bomb as part of a beef course on a recent tasting menu.
- Nam Prik Ong at Sticky Rice: This is a northern Thai dish, actually a dip, made of ground pork, tomatoes, and chilies and served with fresh raw veggies for dipping. It has the perfect heat level and is, in itself, worth a visit to Sticky Rice (get a northern Thai sausage while you're there). Sticky Rice is at 4018 N Western, Chicago, (773) 588-0120
- Semolina Cakes from Nazareth Sweets: One of the best sweet pastries in town, these little cakes are nutty and honey sweet and the edge pieces fresh from the oven are bliss. There's a mention and a photo in this post.
- Cold Szechuan Noodles at Katy's Dumplings: I wouldn't be lying if I told you that my most memorable meal of the year was on the hottest day of the year, eating spicy hand-made noodles in a strip mall in Westmont. It doesn't sound glamorous, but it's true. Katy's (or K's) is at 665 N. Cass Ave, Westmont, 630-323-9393
- Borrego en Mole Negro at Sol de Mexico: The deep, dark, spicy black mole at Sol de Mexico is aggressive and complex and barely beats out the other fantastic moles at this terrific restaurant. Sol de Mexico is at 3018 N Cicero, Chicago, (773) 282-1349
Special thanks to the extraordinary community of culinary enthusiasts at LTHForum.com. Without their help, I may not have discovered many of these tastes.
I hope you had as delicious a year as I did and I wish you a happy and healty new year.
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