So I had enough time between dips in the pool in Palm Springs to get my return issue out a week early. Hello everyone!

1. TASTING NOTE

A followup to my essay on tasting menus in the last edition, two weeks ago, from Wilson Bauer (Flour Power/Schwa etc.):

Creating dishes usually prepared in woks and over open flames in street stalls in a standard restaurant space had proved more problematic than anticipated. “The hardest part was a physical figuring out of the kitchen,” says [owner Erling] Wu-Bower. They began to look at menu items as problems to be solved. They learned to parcook the claypot rice and to poach fish fillets skin side down in dashi to recreate the profound flavor of a bones-and-eyes whole steamed fish. They tweaked the menu so the dishes played better together. These days you sense a low-key brilliance afoot as they develop the kinds of techniques and flavor profiles that other chefs will soon enough emulate. One prime example: a helix of stuffed pappardelle filled with leeks and set atop crawfish étouffée.

Interestingly, I looked back at last year’s list, and it was strongly Asian—Kyoten Next Door, Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant, Akahoshi Ramen, Thattu, Tuk Tuk Thai, Itoko. By comparison I count 1-1/2 Asian spots this year—Minyoli (Taiwanese) and the Asian half of Maxwells. What does this mean (other than that Chinatown remains the unknown territory?) Not sure, but it’s interesting that there seemed to be lots of that to find last year, and less this year, I guess.

3. ALSO IN CHICAGO MAG

Amy Cavanaugh is rosy on Cantina Rosa:

For [head bartender Maria] Rodriguez, the program is about “the beauty and tradition of Mexican craftsmanship.” She and her team serve spirits like mezcal, raicilla, and sotol (plus surprises like a Baja California gin) and whip up juicy frozen guava coladas and vibrant Desert Spoon Swizzles with rum, hibiscus, and sotol.

While Anthony Todd salutes Shaw’s on 40 years of dishing up seafood:

A lot has actually changed about Shaw’s since it opened, though it may not seem like it to regulars. “When we change things, they are slow and intentional and logical so they seem like they have always been around,” explains [partner Bill] Nevruz. Sushi wasn’t originally on the Shaw’s menu and is now a staple. Originally, Shaw’s was one of the few restaurants in its area that had absolutely no TVs; then they had a TV covered by a curtain that was only open for Bulls, Bears, and Cubs games (no White Sox!).

And a friend wrote me to praise and agree with John Kessler’s piece on—enough with the sharing!

Today, most independent restaurant meals begin with those seven syllables we know so well: “Our food is meant to be shared.” (Two iambs and an anapest, like the start of a song.) Kitchens prefer this format because they can send dishes to the table as soon as they’re ready, so hot food stays hot and cold food cold. Because of the relative prep times of the items, the shared meal will have an organic progression, from salads and crudo served cold, to pastas and sautés that come together quickly in the pan, to heartier roasts and grilled meats that require more time and TLC.

I don’t disagree—15 years ago I was quoted in Time Out kvetching about a meal at Maude’s Liquor Bar that began with a delivery of fries to the table (what are we, teenagers at the frickin’ malt shop?)—but I have since learned that they can’t actually force you to share food. Only your dining companions can do that, so sell them on ordering more up front.

4. WHISKY TANGO CHARLIE

As the recipient of a great deal of PR email, I might think there’s no way for a restaurant to open without getting a ton of hype. Michael Nagrant found one, though, bearing the generic and vaguely familiar name of Charlie Martin’s:

Billed as a Hollywood supper club, a project from partners Eric Fosse, Audrey Fosse, and Glenn Deutsch.

It’s named after Audrey and Eric’s great uncle Charlie Martin, a Hollywood screenwriter most famous for writing and directing Death of a Scoundrel in 1956, starring George Sanders and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Even if you don’t know of him, Martin worked with Vincent Price, Kirk Douglas and other luminaries you likely do know.

The restaurant lined with tufted oxblood-colored half-moon shaped banquettes and a trove of framed black and whites of bygone stars like Liz Taylor, George Raft, and Martin himself honors that heritage.

Though it’s newish, add in dark wood trim and some handsome classic hand-lettered signage and Charlie Martin’s has that old school ring-a-ding-ding Musso and Frank vibe.

He also went to one I do know, Wurst Behavior:

On the surface, the wide selection of brats, andouilles, hot dogs, and kielbasas topped with things like truffle and yes, pierogi, felt like a menu written by Hot Doug Sohn after accidental ingestion of a particularly potent edible.

Unlike Doug’s, Wurst Behavior is full service. When the dining room is full, the friendly staff struggles a little with cocktail-making swiftness, but food delivery is Jimmy John’s level freaky fast.

The andouille has a cayenne and jalapeno bite salved by the cooling sweetness of hot honey. The whole thing, as all the sausages are, is stuffed into a generous buttery hoagie roll so fluffy you could take a nap on it once you enter the inevitable meat coma coming for you after lunch.

5. SPECIALIDAD DE LA INTERNET

Titus Ruscitti mentions my recent mention of him on the subject of undiscovered Mexican spots:

In his weekly newsletter roundup of Chicago food writing, Michael Gebert at Fooditor (sign up HERE) wondered last week if the next great Mexican dining find in Chicago had yet to be uncovered. He wondered if it hasn’t due to the fact the Tribune no longer has much of a food presence. He did give props to me mentioning I’m always on the prowl and I can verify that – but I can also verify that it’s been rather quiet of late. Not bc Nick is no longer on the beat but bc it’s just not an exciting time for Mexican food in Chicago in the way it’s been with South Asian food of late – in part bc Mexican food had its coming out party more than a decade ago during the heyday of LTHforum in the mid 2000’s and beyond.

Nevertheless, he finds five new ones worth checking out.

He also visited a new Thai restaurant, Siam Thai Eatery, in the South Loop.

6. PIZZ’AMARCORD

Grimod at Understanding Hospitality goes to the hot pizza of the moment, Pizz’Amici. First principles:

There can be no slavish devotion to “authenticity” or worship of a hypothesized ideal. The pleasure of pizza is so fundamental that, as with wine, one must make room for endless interpretations (of dough, of sauce, of cheese, of toppings) each approaching a distinct balance.

Boy, he should have been at LTHForum twenty years ago, when there were definitely Pizza Inquisitors who believed there was one Godly way to unite bread, cheese and tomato sauce (and nobody in Chicago knew jack about it). Anyway, Pizz’Amici:

To my palate, PIZZ’AMICI matches the quality of Bungalow by Middle Brow (while not being limited only to Tuesdays), Kim’s Uncle (without requiring a drive to Westmont), and Novel Pizza Cafe (while offering more reliable seating/availability). For some, the restaurant might even surpass them. In terms of sheer quality, the worst slices of any given pizza here (due to variance in crispness and topping distribution) still rank as “good” while the best (i.e., crunchiest, most intense—but still balanced—in flavor) slices really are superlative—a testament to the heights this particular style, or any kind of pizza, or any kind of comfort food (carefully prepared) can reach.

7. BLUE HAWAII

My son’s girlfriend, who partly grew up on Hawaii, was going to visit Kanin on its first day—but then she saw a picture of the line on Instagram. Here’s The Infatuation on the hot new Filipino-Hawaiian market:

“Kanin,” the Tagalog word for rice, is a logical name for this counter-service Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant with tasty egg and tomato jam musubis. But you can’t visit this tiny Ravenswood spot without ordering their ube banana pudding.

Oh yeah, they also reviewed Fire, from a guy named Achatz, in the former Roister location:

Not every course at Fire is a tableside show, but each plate comes with a story about how the food was cooked, broiled, or steamed. Like an excellent beef course with a turnip that’s fired three different ways, and pairs perfectly with a rich cube of meat. Dishes with sizzling stones are common. So is the advice of “Careful, it’s really hot.” You might get one mild honey prawn tail here or an overcooked piece of halibut there, but the built-up anticipation pays off overall.

8. ASTOR PIZZICATO

As I was writing my book (now rumored to be coming out in January!), there was only one restaurant talked about in the earliest part of the book that you could still dine at—Les Nomades. But lately, they seem to be coming back from the dead like it’s a George Romero movie. First there was Next’s version of Charlie Trotter’s, and now, going much further back, the former Maxim’s, now the members-only Astor Club (to put it in context, Maxim’s closed a year before Charlie Trotter’s opened), will open slightly to the public—offering a tasting menu by chef Trevor Teich to ten non-member guests at a time. Crain’s:

The subterranean Gold Coast club announced it will be opening Chef’s Table at the Astor Club, a seasonal 10-course tasting menu led by the club’s Michelin-starred executive chef Trevor Teich. The dining room, which will seat 10 people, is located inside the club and will open in August.

“It will be a boutique offering that is a fun and elegant affair,” Teich said, adding that “it’ll shine a light on the club” and introduce guests to the perks of becoming a member.

Teich said the tasting menu will be similar to Claudia, his Michelin-starred restaurant in Bucktown that closed in 2023.

Not exactly the old Maxim’s, but I’m still very curious to see the posh art nouveau interior.

9. KYOTHANKS

Nice observations about Chicago’s food scene and the cooking life, by Otto Phan of Kyoten, prompted by winning the Jean Banchet award for Chef of the Year:

Heartfelt thank you to all those involved in making the Jean Banchet awards happen. It’s just incredible to have an event that celebrates the Chicago dining scene, and no other city in the US has an equivalent. @photo_muze is always a great MC who never turns it off, and there are a whole host of others that deserve a lot of credit for donating their time and effort just because they love the Chicago dining community so much. Chicago is THE BEST!

Frankly, I feel like I’m too old now to have accolades. I’m very blessed to have full restaurants, and I don’t like to be distracted from the present tasks at hand. But having a bigger team around me so happy for me and for their work place was definitely a big moment. It was great having the boys with me to celebrate as well as celebrating with the women in their lives so we can all dress up and go out as if we were going to prom. It’s a good reminder that we are beloved for the sacrifices we make for our families.

I’m super proud to be in this profession. In an age where finding meaning and fulfillment becomes increasingly difficult, I am tasked with often being the best part of people’s day, month, and perhaps their whole year. I’m not going to have answers to big world issues that trend on socials, but what I do matters. For everyone that works in this industry, understand that what you do matters. It’s a wonderful profession in which the more you put in, the more you will get. I absolutely believe that.

10. KRONG MOVE

Here’s the story as I heard it: Eater published a story saying Khmai had the only Cambodian tasting menu in town. Of course that’s not true, Hermosa has done them for several years and won owner Ethan Lim a Banchet award for rising chef. Eater changed the headline, fine, but then Hermosa is said to have gotten a cease and desist from Khmai for using that term (which kind of just means Cambodian, but with an echo of motherhood, like if an Italian cook referred to “Mama Italy”—in any case, not something a single restaurant should be able to claim). I can think of several short, pithy responses Ethan could have made to the presumption of such a move, but instead he wrote a thoughtful, heartfelt post about his immigrant journey and how it brought him to his beloved restaurant. I highly recommend reading it all—go here at Facebook or here at Instagram.

11. LISTEN UP

Joiners talks with PR maven Heidi Hageman.

The Dining Table talks to David Morton (of those Mortons, DMK, etc.), whose new thing is third places.

WHAT MIKE ATE

First I was confused what Mirra was (since there’s also Miru, located in a skyscraper—and in another socioeconomic class), then I was confused where it was (it started in the Coach House at Wazwan space, then opened in that space on Armitage just east of Pompette, which has been lots of things, few particularly memorable). Then, because it’s a hit, it’s been hard to get into but I snagged a pair of counter seats on a Friday night. (I think they do a tasting menu on a couple of days, but Friday is not one of them, apparently.)

All I really knew was that it’s some kind of Indian-Mexican mashup, from Wazwan owner Zubair Mohajir and chef Rishi Kumar (ex of Bar Sotano, and seen at left in my photo). Plenty of similarities (e.g., cumin) make that a reasonable pair of cuisines to mash up, so I looked forward to seeing how that worked, even as I admit to some private skepticism. Happily, I would say most of it worked well—Mexican dishes zooming into another dimension with a sprinkle of Indian seasoning, and vice versa. Particularly strong was something called “meen moilee,” which the internet tells me is a traditional fish stew with coconut, but in this case was more of a yellowfin crudo with avocado, a dish of roasted farmers vegetables in a mole de calabaza (squash), and an entree of perfectly cooked octopus in a not-too-hot diabla sauce with coconut rice.

A bowl of mussels was the thing I wouldn’t order again—”Gujarati Inspired Khavsa Broth” and “Almond-Vanilla Salsa Macha” sounded promising, inspired, Kumar said, by the Thai dish Khao Soi, but I wanted it to pop more than it did. And dessert, a vegan chocolate mousse with the creaminess coming from avocado rather than dairy, earned a “pretty good for vegan” but I still missed the dairy. But overall, I thought the flavors were fresh and new, and I will be back—when I can get a reservation.