Brunch at Bouchon, Las Vegas

By Lu

Bouchon, Thomas Keller's French Bistro at The Venetian

Did I hear you ask if I liked brunches? I didn't even need to answer that, right? Most of you knew that next to Afternoon Tea, Brunch is way up there on my list. Brunch is special because to me, it's just a really good meal. Brunch offers a variety of sweet and savory dishes, and there's no need to wake up super early to have it. When I think of breakfast, I think more of the cheerios and the cream of wheat. Brunch...it's a different ball game. It's an elevated breakfast mixed with some lunch items or breakfast items you can only get when you go out to eat at a restaurant or for a special occasion.

Jerry, my coworker, once told me pancakes have that special sentimental value for him. I remember his face lit up as he was telling us his childhood story about his mom making pancakes way back when in the weekend and that meant it was not an ordinary day. He said if he was sick and didn't want to go to school, his mom would make pancakes or soup. If he was well enough to eat pancakes, then he would be well enough for school. It would always be a hard dilemma deciding between pancakes and school.

Jerry just celebrated his birthday this month. I asked his teammate, Scott, who traveled together with him a lot, if he took Jerry somewhere special for his birthday dinner since they had to be away from home on his special day. Scott told me Jerry had pancakes for his birthday dinner. LOL.

Don't blame me if I also love eating special breakfast food that I usually can't get or eat every morning. Protein shakes, Greek Yogurts, or Bagels get old real fast. I never refuse a brunch invitation, ever. After a long hiatus of writing, and realizing that my last post was also about brunch, I still stand behind my love for brunch and deliver you another post about the topic. I wouldn't even apologize about it.

The last several months have been hectic and it was truly a whirlwind. If you read my post from Father's Day last year, I wrote about my second Dad, Dale Cook. Click on his name if you would like  to read that post. He loved my egg rolls and I dedicated that post to him and shared my egg roll recipe with all of you. He was really ill came January with lung cancer, and we lost him in May. The past several months have been tough and I couldn't get myself in the mood of writing about food.

However, knowing him, he knew how I love food and cooking. He wouldn't want me to stop writing for this blog and celebrate my love for cooking. In my eulogy for him, I gave him credit for starting me to cook. I said to everyone there that though my last name isn't "Cook", I was a Cook in a different way. I am a Cook.

The past weekend, I had a great trip with my friends to Las Vegas. I wasn't a big Vegas person, but I thought it would be fun to try all the restaurants there. You know all the big chefs have a restaurant or two over there. I wanted to try Jean Georges Steakhouse and L'Atalier of Joel Robuchon, but we ended up eating a lot of $100 Char Kwee Teow fried noodles and other Chinese dishes. We also had great sushi at The Blue Ribbon at The Cosmopolitan as we celebrated my friend, Evi's birthday. The only non Asian food we had in our whirl-wind Vegas weekend trip was brunch at Bouchon.

Thomas Keller is one of my culinary heroes and I know it doesn't need any explanation why he is. I'm still mad at Ri for not writing about her experience dining at The French Laundry last year. Thanks to a meal at Bouchon, I found the drive to write for this blog again. I couldn't possible go to a Thomas Keller's restaurant and not write about it.

I had all kinds of expectations and for the most part, I was happy. I didn't have that high of expectations though, realizing that most of the big chefs' restaurants in Vegas aren't exactly the same as their main flagship place.

Inside of Bouchon

Bouchon is located at The Venetian Hotel and Resorts. We were there the night before to watch "The Phantom of the Opera" and we had sampled some of the goodies from the Bouchons Bakery. We got some Macaroons and some other pastries that were pretty yummy. I thought it was better than Jean Philippe at the Aria, and it looked much better than Payard at Caesar as well. I couldn't wait to sit and eat at Bouchon, the restaurant. We got there early around 8:00 AM, and the place was pretty empty. Everyone was probably either still sleeping or too drunk to eat breakfast at 8:00 AM. It was fine by me. The restaurant had a very bistro look to it, and there were some patio seating facing a fountain. It was pretty and not overly fancy.

CK, Evi, and Nate

We were in a time constraint as my friend, CK, needed to leave for his trade show stat at 9:00 AM, and we needed time to go back and gamble some more. I won $329 the night before playing penny slots, and I was hooked and wanted to go back to the Aria resort and played my machine before leaving town.
Menu wasn't overly big and I found what I wanted to order almost right away.

We started with ordering Cappuccino and I couldn't wait for the baguette, butter, and jam. I always expected those goodies if I ate brunch at a French Bistro. Coffee came, but our Cappuccinos came as Lattes. Obviously our server didn't really pay that much attention to detail. However, I was feeling kind and I just let it go. CK, on the other hand, wanted a Cappuccino and demanded his to be changed. Relax, he didn't cause a fight with the restaurant this time.

Mhmh...Cherry Jam..

Evi ordered Salmon Fumé, which was a plate of smoked salmon with toasts, onions, tomatoes, and capers. Evi liked her plate a lot. It tasted great, but there wasn't too much cooking on that plate. Nate ordered the moules or mussels cooked in a mustard and white wine sauce. As usual, it was served with fries. I usually would order moules frites in a heartbeat; yet, since Nate ordered it, I knew I could mooch a couple mussels from him. CK ordered the Croque Madame - which was a ham and cheese in between slices of brioche bread, topped with sunny side up egg and Mornay sauce (Bechamel with added Gruyere/Swiss Cheese). I ordered the corned beef hash. I know right? So not French. However, Thomas Keller is known to be a pioneer in American cookery influenced with French technique. I thought it would be the best damn corned beef hash I would ever have.

The Smoked Salmon Plate

Going back to the bread, it was simple superb. They served the bread with homemade cherry jam, and I simply likey!! I ate the jam like there was no tomorrow. Well, literally, I wouldn't have that cherry jam tomorrow so eat I did that day.

The delicious Croque Madame..

The mussels

The best plate to me hands down was CK's Croque Madame. It tasted French and it tasted great. It was a simple ham and swiss but yum yum yum. The Mornay sauce really added that extra tang from the Swiss cheese. They knew how to make a great Croque Madame. The mussels were great too. Nate didn't like the bitterness from the mustard but I thought it tasted great. However, mussels to me aren't special occasion food. My corned beef hash was definitely delicious; however, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't minced. The corned beef were cubed and it tasted chunky to me. CK liked it though. I did too; except, I felt it could have been better.

The Corned Beef Hash with Over-easy Eggs

I also ordered some bacon and it never came. Our server wasn't the best. I was also surprised that the food came at different time. I wasn't expecting a service where all the dishes would be unveiled at the same time; however, I thought it would be somewhat together at a place that bears Thomas Keller's name.

Other than that, I thought it was a great meal. I loved it and I wanted more of the cherry jam and bread. I also realized that I like Vegas now and I really would love to go back next year and try more restaurants.

If you're in Vegas, do try Bouchon. The prices were so reasonable for a Thomas Keller's restaurant. One suggestion though if you didn't want to gain weight while in Vegas trying all these delicious food - try to walk everywhere! Between the sun and the walking, you surely wouldn't pack up the pounds. You can cool off and burn some more calories at the pool!

More Chicago Brunches - Longman & Eagle, Polo Cafe

By Lu

My Easter Brunch Spread

Sorry..sorry... I know, it's been awhile since my last post. However, It's still sooner than the last time Ri wrote, right? LOL. It's a family tradition to throw the sister under the bus (in good fun, anyway). She probably wonders why she has tire track on her face.

Spring is here in Chicago, and with Easter commenced the brunch season, it sounds just right to write about more brunch places. That way, you can get ready for Mother's Day and take your dear mom for some fancy brunch, or just a plain good one.

I cooked up a storm for Easter by the way. I tried to make a really nice spread for my American family here, especially for my Dad, Dale, who has been sick. You know me, when I started cooking, I couldn't do it small; so, I made it all. I made two different Quiches, Mini Caprese Salad, Chopped Salad with avocado, Egg Rolls (my dad's favorite), Filet Mignon Sliders, Cranberry and Orange Scones, Butterscotch Bread Pudding, and Carrot Cake. I didn't bother baking and glazing my own ham though. I thought, why bother with ham. Everybody seemed to enjoy it. Like my mom, Cherryl, said...if anyone was hungry, it was no fault of mine!

Anyway, enough about me and my brunch. I'd like to share two nice brunch experiences I had lately. My friend, Sandrine, and I have a birthday tradition of taking each other for brunch and movie to celebrate our special days. This year, she took me to a popular Chicago restaurant called Longman & Eagle. Longman & Eagle is located in the Logan Square area and it has been a talk of the town due to its good food! They used to only do Sunday brunch, but since it's so popular, it is available daily now. They don't take reservation usually;  however, they are doing a special Mother's Day tasting for $65 per person with three different seating times.

Inside of Longman & Eagle

The place itself is very unassuming from the outside. The restaurant won their first Michelin star in 2010 if I'm not mistaken, and it didn't look it from the outside. The inside was very clear cut. It exemplified the artsy movement of culinary establishment - quarky looking staff and the bar was in full swing at 11 o'clock in the morning. We were carded to go in. It was the first time ever I got carded for some eggs and bacon. One thing that stood out for me, the host was very very nice and personable. Plus, he was rather cute. He checked my ID, and he wished me happy birthday. It was so sweet. I liked the place instantly. See, I like places like this better than the stuffy three Michelin star ones. I prefer the personable service and still get great food than the stuffy restaurants. It must have been because my blood is red instead of blue. It's okay. I like people talking and smiling at me like a human being a lot better than being treated like a robot.

The menu wasn't overly big nor small. It was enough and we didn't take long to decide. We also didn't have to wait for long for a table though the restaurant appeared so packed! I definitely wasn't complaining about the wait time but I did get worried at the beginning to see the waiting crowd. I ordered a Mimosa plus the Sunny-side up duck eggs with duck confit hash, ramps, Yukon gold potatoes and black truffle vinaigrette. Sandrine went with fried chicken, waffles, served with sweet potato and pork belly hash. I loved the food! My hash was the bomb and the duck eggs were perfectly done! I compared the chicken and waffle to the one at Table Fifty-two and I was confused and couldn't decide which one was better. This one had a little edge by serving it with the sweet potato and pork belly hash which was superb. However, it is really hard to beat Art Smith's fried chicken. I think Jared Wentworth, the chef at Longman & Eagle, and Art Smith should do a fried chicken throw-down! What do you say?!

Fried Chicken, Waffles, and Sweet Potato Pork Belly Hash

Sunny side-up Duck Eggs with Duck Confit Hash

Polo Cafe

Moving on to the next brunch place, Tina suggested Polo Cafe to be our next destination for Renegade Food Club. She saw this restaurant being rated number 1 at Trip Advisor over Alinea even at one time. Well, it's a little absurd as they're obviously in different classes; yet, it's worth a try. We went there just yesterday and Polo Cafe is located in Bridgeport, by Chicago Chinatown. From the outside, the place looked even worse than Longman & Eagle. At least Longman & Eagle just looked unassuming. This place looked run down. The inside definitely had that old Chicago look to it, and it was weird as they had all these dolls for sale. Anyway, after we got passed the dolls, we sat down and ordered a pitcher of Bloody Mary. I didn't have any but my friends that had it said it was pretty good and balanced between the alcohol and the spices. It didn't have that much fixing on it like with the olives, celery, or the side car of beer. It was pretty straight forward Bloody Mary.

Inside of Polo Cafe

One thing that stood out from their reviews was their Crème brûlée French Toast. Almost everybody in our party wanted it. So, we decided to order two of the French Toasts to share amongst the nine of us. That way, we can order other stuff on the menu for us to try. I ended up ordering the sea food omelette though I had a hunch that I wouldn't like it. Two of the girls ordered the breakfast burrito. Tina ordered the Bacon Bun which was french roll or croissant piled high with scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese. Sandrine ordered the Pope Benedicts which was a rendition of Eggs Benedicts served with sausage links (which I  thought was weird), Basil Hollandaise and a picture of the Pope himself. Kelly ordered Chilaquiles - a breakfast nacho piled high with tortilla, avocado, tomato based sauce that was quite spicy and topped with sunny side up eggs.

The Crème brûlée French Toast

The Bacon Bun

Chilaquiles

The French Toast was to die for. It was very very good! Plus, it's definitely huge! It was french bread that was formed and baked in a tin to form a cup. In the cup part, they filled it with fruits and whipped cream. There was a caramel or burnt sugar syrup on the bottom that was definitely the  brûlée part. There was no custard however so some of us protested the name of the Crème brûlée French Toast. However, it was still so good. I want to come back for more!

The Pope Benedicts

The rest of the food were okay and it's comparable to any other breakfast places. I think the Bacon Bun was great and the Benedicts too. The Chilaquiles also had a great balance of flavors. The omelettes I wouldn't order again. They're a tad dry and there was nothing special about it. Also, the potatoes were just meh. BUT - like I said.... and let me say it one more time,  Crème brûlée French Toast!

The chef came out to greet and thank us for coming. He's a middle aged guy with tiny pigtail and he's super personable. He talked to us for a bit and we heard stories on yelp of how nice he was to his patrons. There were people who ate there and late to see a play, he actually drove them to the theater so they wouldn't be late. Wow...talking about the five star service. Then, the table next to us was celebrating a birthday, he came and sang like he was Pavarotti himself. We couldn't help to stop and listen because it was pretty cool!

Despite some of the so so dishes on the menu, I could see why this restaurant got the high star ratings online. Our server was nice too though he didn't do too good of a job taking order. I asked for spinach addition to my omelette and he didn't get that. Matt ordered an omelette with spinach and blue cheese; but, he got goat cheese instead. Rebecca asked for swiss cheese in her burrito and she didn't get that either. However, overall, it was okay. They comped some of what we ordered, which was decent considering the screw-ups. All in all, we had a great brunch to start off Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day.

Well, hope the info here is helpful if you're thinking to take your mom for a brunch in Chicago. I think I covered several brunch places in my blog. Do go back and take a look. After all, Moms deserve the best!

Longman & Eagle
2657 N. Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Phone: 773-276-7110 (no reservations)

Polo Cafe 

3322 South Morgan Street   Chicago, IL  60608

(complimentary lighted parking at 3330 South Morgan Street)

773-927-7656

Magnolia Bakery

By Lu

Magnolia Bakery, Chicago

This will be a short post since I'm not really in any shape to write; however, I need to find a little solace in writing. It has been a tough weekend for my family. However, I knew that when things get tough, I can always find sanctuary in the kitchen or in words. Since, it is 11:00 PM, I chose words.

Eating a delicious dessert is always a fantastic pick-me-up as well. Thus why, all I could think about was writing about Magnolia Bakery. What's not to like about a place so quaint and filled with yummy sweet treats? Exactly!

Magnolia first opened in New York City's Greenwich Village back in 1996 and since then (after being sold to a second owner) it has grown to multiple locations. How happy I was when I heard it has opened a store in my town, Chicago. With the cupcake/donuts craze, all kinds of bake shops are popping out everywhere. Apparently there are enough clienteles to go around as most of these shops have lines out the door. I just passed Sprinkles Cupcakes the other day and I couldn't believe how long was the line. People really like their cupcakes. Even small town like DeKalb/Sycamore, Illinois where I went to school and hometown of Cindy Crawford has their own cupcake shop. My sister, Patti, introduced me to Sweet Dreams Cupcakes today, and they're quite good! It's moist and it has extra filling inside. I thought cupcakes craze is a fad and will be out of trend pretty soon. However, I could be totally wrong.

Cupcakes???

The difference between Magnolia Bakery and the rest of the bake shops are, Magnolia is not only about cupcakes. Their cupcakes are certainly well known, but they have tons of other offerings in the sweet department. They have so many varieties of cupcakes, cakes, icebox desserts, mini cheesecakes, pies, crumbles, and etc etc. In fact, they're known for their banana pudding.

Inside Magnolia Chicago

I really love the soft greenish blue color of Magnolia Bakery. It instantly soothed me when I entered their facility. It gave me that quaint, Southern hospitality impression almost right away. I guess I was thinking South because of the name Magnolia. The little lacy window treatments, and the color scheme did it for me. It's a place you want to be in to hang out and chat with friends or with your significant others. It's definitely a great place for a first date for those of you who meet online and want to meet in a nice quiet public place with sweet ambiance. It exudes warmth, tranquility, and homey quality.

Then I saw the long line of offerings. I started to drool looking at the various cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, sprinkles, and the sort. Behind the bakery cases, I saw mixer buzzing, bakers folding cake batters, flours and eggs, and stacks of cake pans and tins. Nothing gives away freshness than seeing the items being made right then and there. It's out in the open, so you knew they weren't hiding anything.

Mhmh....Cupcakes

Blueberry Crumbles

One thing I love about their cupcakes is the size. They're not big. It's just enough. You didn't have to use a knife to eat it and cut it into smaller piece. It fits in your hand and just right for you to bite into it. Overall I think their cupcakes and desserts taste great. Of course some flavors were better than others. I thought their Red Velvet was moist. I didn't try one with the cream cheese icing, and I have to go back and try one. The chocolate one was very nice. The carrot one however, I thought, my carrot cake was better. It's really awkward saying that what I make is better, but I wouldn't be making such statement if I can't back it up. Yet, for the most part, I think their cupcakes are superior compared to Sprinkles, Crumbs, and the rest of the cupcake shops. However, considering the lines outside Sprinkles, some people might not agree with me. Not sure if it was just hype with Sprinkles since the owner is the Judge of Cupcake Wars or whether it is really good.

However, I'd rather spend my time drinking coffee or tea at Magnolia than waiting in line in front of Sprinkles. Magnolia has the ambiance, the great food you can buy, and I don't have to stand in line outside. I'll stand in line for the DMV, a Pink Floyd's concert, getting into an airplane, and bathroom - but not for a cupcake.

Plus, at Magnolia, if I wanted a bigger piece of cake, I can buy a slice of cake. Back in Asia, there are so many loungy places where people can gather and talk, drinking coffee and eat a dessert. It was so hard to find a place like that in the US. Starbucks perhaps started it a bit; but, not quite. Thus why, I'm so thankful dessert places like Magnolia, Labriola, are now around.

Cakes, one slice each, please!

So, next time you don't want a meal but want to spend time with friends for chit chat and eat a little sumthin' sumthin' - try Magnolia.



For Locations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dubai, click here.
Their excellent baked goods are also available for sale online.

Pecan Butterscotch Bread Pudding Recipe

By Lu

Pecan Butterscotch Bread Pudding

For as long as I could remember, I wasn't a big fan of bread pudding. I just wasn't really into a mushy dessert. However, one day, my friend Tina took me to a restaurant called Markethouse and I fell in love with their Butterscotch Bread Pudding. I wrote about the restaurant and the bread pudding too. Here's the link to that post. It was mushy inside but crunchy outside, and creamy with the addition of ice cream, and richness from the butterscotch. Since then, I am a fan. Nevertheless, time marched on, and I forgot about it.

Until, I was cooking dinner one night and I invited Tina over to join me and the rest of our friends. She told me she would stop at Markethouse to get some bread pudding to bring for dessert. I told her that it sounded good. But then, she texted me to x the plan. Since I was fixated on eating that bread pudding again, I decided to make it myself.

I like to watch this cooking show on Food Network called, "Chopped." I like it because it is less pretentious compared to the other competitive cooking shows filled with celebrity chefs. These are real cooks in Chopped, and they are the people that actually prepare your food if you were to eat at their restaurant. Every time the secret ingredients included bread for the dessert round, they always made either bread pudding or pain perdu (French Toast). I knew then that it was easy to make and can be done in a short period of time since they were only given twenty minutes to make a dessert. Also, from watching Chopped, I knew how to make bread pudding though I have never really attempted to make it before. It's pretty much bread, whipped eggs and milk together. That's it. I looked around a little bit for references, and it was pretty much the same rule of thumbs to make bread pudding.

So, here goes the recipe I came up with:

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Pecan, chopped
1 cup butterscotch chips

For Butterscotch Sauce
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
a pinch of salt

METHODS

Cut up cinnamon bread into cubes and place in a big mixing bowl. Add melted butter and two or three table spoons of sugar from the 1.5 cup sugar allotted for the recipe. Set aside.

Cut cinnamon raisin bread into..

cubes, and place them in a bowl

Add melted butter, and sprinkle sugar on it, set aside

Using an electric mixer, add the remaining of the sugar and the eggs. Whip at high speed for about 3 minutes until eggs are light in color. Reduce speed, and add cream and milk. Whip again for a couple more minutes until eggs and milk are well blended in and frothy. Add salt and vanilla, and blend for a little bit more.

Add eggs and sugar into electric mixing bowl

Mix at high speed until light in color

Add cream and milk

Egg and milk mixture should be light in color and frothy

Pour egg and milk mixture over bread cubes. Set aside for a couple of hours or even overnight if you prefer. We need to let the bread to soak in all the liquid.

Add milk + egg mixture to bread

When ready to bake, heat up oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit or 190 degree Celcius. Add pecans and butterscotch chips to the bread Pour mixture on to an ungreased square pyrex or baking pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is looking golden brown and toasty.

Yummm....

Serve while hot with vanilla ice cream and drizzle the butterscotch sauce on top. To make the butterscotch sauce, all you had to do is cook over medium heat brown sugar, butter, and salt until it became a slurry or thick syrupy liquid. Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk until they blended well together.

I was so proud because the bread pudding turned out really great! I made it a couple of times more after this time, and they're almost fool proof. I made some to bring to my friend, Helen's house for St. Patty's day dinner. I know there's nothing Irish about it but we enjoyed it just the same. If you're looking for a decadent dessert that's super easy to do.....here it is!

The reason I use cinnamon bread was to eliminate two more ingredients to buy: cinnamon and raisins. The flavors of the cinnamon and raisins really come through by using the bread. Some people don't like raisins, but this way, you had a little raisins in the bread pudding, but not a lot. At the same time, you didn't really have to measure the cinnamon to be added to the mixture. The cinnamon in the bread is enough to give that sweet smelling that's so distinctive of cinnamon, yet it won't be overpowering. All and all, I thought it was a good call on my part when I made the decision to buy the cinnamon raisin bread that was on sale to be used for the bread pudding.

Hope you will try it. I can assure you, you will be making it over and over again!

Brunch at Table Fifty-Two

By Lu

The entrance to Table Fifty-Two

Table Fifty-Two is a restaurant owned by Art Smith, better known as Oprah Winfrey's long time personal chef turned celebrity chef. You know, once you worked for Oprah, doors would just open for you. Well, granted if you're good in what you do, of course.

Art Smith is definitely a great chef in my book. I love watching him doing his things in Top Chef Masters Season 1. Another Chicago Chef (Rick Bayless) beat him; however, he did really well in the whole competition for the most part. Surprised it took me this long to try to eat at his restaurant. It became one of my instant favorites rather easily.

I've been reading this online novel called "South of the Middle Love Story" and the main character of this romance novel loves Table Fifty-Two. In one of the chapters, Sabrina (the protagonist) went there with two of her friends and had an orgasmic experience eating the Pecan Pie. Oh...that was sooo hot! It definitely made me want to keep reading, and made me want to try the damn pie! Oh By the way, if you're into romance, give this online novel a try. It's a cool concept that you are able to follow the story chapter by chapter as soon as the author is done writing it. Yes, at times you have to wait for the next chapter, but that's what makes it interesting! Click here to go to their Facebook fan page, click like, and you will get the news when a new chapter is published. This is the link to the actual novel. Read it - it's light and fun!
 
Anyway... back to Table Fifty-Two, I first came here with Tina, Tina's mom, CK and Sabrina (another one) during Chicago's Restaurant Week last month. They had a special tasting menu for the Restaurant Week and the items were pretty damn spectacular. Tina was the one who chose the place, and I must say I was really glad she chose it. It was a marvelous dinner! First of all, the interior was decorated in a very homey Southern style type of atmosphere. It was mainly sage green color and it exuded a lot of warmth. I felt great walking into the restaurant as I felt welcomed and like I was going to eat dinner at a friend's home.

The interior of the restaurant, very warm and homey!

Oh, before I continued, both time I came here, I wore a skirt. Chicago isn't called the windy city for nothing and both time, my skirt was blown up by the wind and my friends called me "Monroe" since they thought I wanted to impersonate Marilyn. Except, if I did, I didn't do Marilyn's justice. Not at all. It was definitely less interesting under my skirt.

The Cat Fish

For dinner, after we sat down, the chef gave us a  complimentary platter of Deviled Eggs. It was up there on my Deviled Eggs list. It was super creamy and had a touch of acid from tomatoes and olive.  It was delicious! I could eat five more of those!

Then, we had homemade cheesy biscuits that hit the spot right away. For dinner, I ordered the deep fried corn meal breaded cat fish served with cheesy grits, hush puppies, collard greens, and fried okra. I don't eat cat fish usually, but that cat fish was worth eating. We also ordered the jalapeno bacon corn bread that was served with melted honey butter. I loved it. My friends loved it too. Throughout the meal, we kept on looking at the other tables with envy when their orders of fried chicken and mac & cheese were delivered. They looked so good and we all agreed we wanted to come back for those next time.

So, fast forward several weeks, then here came my birthday. I was getting old and I remember I used to love celebrating my birthdays. Now, I just wanted to have a low key meal with close friends. I like to have the one-on-one get together with friends so we could talk and catch up rather than a big hoopla where we couldn't even talk since there would be so many people to talk to. Since we wanted to come back for the fried chicken, thought it would be great to go there again. Found out also they had a brunch menu - perfect! Let's try it!

Well.... CK and Sabrina really wanted to try the fried chicken. Evi and Nate couldn't come the first time we went so they were excited to try. At the last minute, Nicole and Jo wanted to come too. We actually had a pretty good size table now.

The brunch menu was fun! On the menu, we found Chicken and Waffles, Shrimp and Grits, Braised Short Ribs, Crab-cake Benedicts, Short Stacks, to even Oatmeal. I'm sure you guessed that half of the table ordered Chicken and Waffles! Yes, Yes, Yes! Evi, Sab, CK, Jo, and I ordered it. Nate went with the Shrimp and Grits, and Nicole ordered the Crab-cake Benedicts.

When we were waiting for our table downstairs and sitting by the bar, the chef was preparing this scrumptious looking breakfast pizza. It's a flat bread pizza fired up in a brick oven, filled with bacon, and topped with two sunny side up eggs. It looked so good! Too bad, the Chicken and Waffles were too mighty to pass up.

The mouth watering Breakfast Pizza

The service was a little slower at brunch compared to dinner. I think it was because we came later in the day (1 PM) and we had a big table for that tiny restaurant. We were famished and we didn't want to wait so long. They served us a tiny sweet potato bread served with cinnamon butter to start. It was yummy but we wanted Chicken and Waffles! Evi also ordered Olive Oil Cake Donuts that were served with Lemon Curd. That was pretty yummy. It reminded me of a sweet hush puppy. Yet, my friends had Beignets in mind and the donuts definitely weren't close to a Beignet.

Olive Oil Cake Donuts

Finally the food came! Nate devoured his shrimps and grits. He thought it was great! Nicole enjoyed her Crab-cake Benedicts as well. The Chicken and Waffles.... I loved it! I thought the chickens were quite juicy and the seasoning tasted nice. The waffle tasted like waffle and I never really gotten the concept of serving fried chicken and waffle, but they both hit the spot for me. CK, however, had too much expectation of the fried chicken. He thought it was just ok. He was expecting something totally out of this world and he apparently liked super crispy Popeye style chicken. He didn't get that. However, the rest of the party seemed to really enjoyed it.

Shrimps and Grits

Chicken and Waffle

The mac & cheese was another high note for me. It was just so creamy, cheesy, and rich! I love all those burnt cheesy melts that dripped over the sides of the cast-iron pan they served it in. OMG, it was delish! I would come back just for that. I sent the picture of the Mac and Cheese to Tina who couldn't join us and she was mad that we came back without her. I guess I have to go there again with her. Twist my arm!

Mhhhh Mac and Cheese

We didn't have the Pecan Pie this time; however, we did have it last time when we were there for dinner. We didn't really need dessert this time as we had plenty of sweet from the maple syrup and waffle. They gave me the Hummingbird cupcake with a candle so I could make a wish and a great wish I made. Hope it would come true.

The foodgasmic Pecan Pie

I didn't expect to have such a great time on my birthday downtown with my friends. We really didn't plan anything but it turned out to be such a pleasant day. Afterward, we walked around Michigan Avenue and shopped for a little bit. Then the day continued with more eating at my friends' house with Malaysian delicacies I had been craving: Chicken Curry, Sambal Udang (Shrimps cooked in Chili Sauce), and Nasi Lemak. It was just a perfect day.

If you're into trying comfort food or Southern style cuisine, go to Table Fifty-two! You would leave feeling satiated, comfortable, and loved! Yum!

TABLE FIFTY-TWO
52 W. Elm Street Chicago
Reservations 312.573.4000

Monday-Saturday  5pm-9:30pm

Sunday  4pm-8:30pm

Sunday Brunch  10:30am-1.30pm

Beef Stew with Burgundy Reduction

By Lu

My pot of Beef Stew

Slow cook foods have to be my all time favorite things to eat. The wet cooking methods done slowly such as stewing and braising are also my preferred ways to prepare a meal. To me, soups, stews, fricassee, and blanquette de veau are so comforting and packed with flavors. The meats are cooked until fork tender and I can't think of anything better than that other than sex.

Anyway, before I went on a tangent about sex - let's go back to stewing. Beef Stew is definitely a comfort food, so good that they can them in America. But just imagine eating something that's supposed to be hearty and cooked by mom, from a can. Yeah, it doesn't do it for me. I love love eating Beef Stew if it's done right. It is so easy to do really and it doesn't take much efforts. I know a lot of people like making beef stew in a crock pot and they just put everything in, and plug in the pot hoping by the time they come home from work the stew would be ready. However, usually they would get slow cooked beef with overcooked everything else. One rule of cooking - not every ingredients needs the same cooking time. They all cook at different pace. Thus why, I never cook anything in a slow cooker. If I didn't have the time to really cook and give the ingredients the time of day, then I will make something else.

So if you would like to try my recipe, please make sure you  have ample of time to make this. This will be a great dish to make on a lazy Saturday or Sunday and to share it with your friends and family. Make it soon when it is still somewhat cold outside because there's nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot stew in a cold day.

However, of course stewing is not limited for countries with cold climates. Many tropical countries have their own version of stews. One of my favorite Indonesian dishes is a version of beef stew as well; however, this one is cooked in coconut milk and spices. It is called "Rendang." It was so good that it helped the latest Top Chef Master, Floyd Cardoz, to win the title.

So are you ready for some Beef Stew? Yum Yum..Yes!! Oh, this is a "throw-this-throw-that" type of food, so don't expect exact measurements. You can't go wrong. Use your instinct and taste the damn food!

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs stewing beef (or any type of beef that are tougher cuts like round or shank)
32 oz good quality beef stock. If don't have any and don't want to make, you can use beef broth (about 2 cans)
1 cup of all purpose flour for dusting
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, medium dice
2 carrots, medium dice
2 medium yellow onions, large dice
1 bottle of good red wine such as Burgundy or Cabernet
1 can of San Marzano canned plum tomatoes
10 to 15 small fingerling potatoes/new potatoes/red potatoes (any small size boiling potatoes)
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 bag of pearl onions, skinned.
a handful of fresh green beans, trim the edges
a bag of fresh or frozen peas
1 packet of cremini or portabella mushroom
bouquet garni of parsley stems, bay leaves, and peppercorn
Salt and Pepper


METHODS

In a bowl, add the cubed meats. Season the meats with salt and pepper thoroughly, then dredge with flour. Make sure to shake excess flour from the meat. Meanwhile, also heat a skillet with some oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Dredge the meat with flour, season with salt and pepper

When the oil is hot, add the meat and sear. Do not overcrowd the skillet. If you have to do it in two batches, do it. We need to get a good color and crust on the meat so they will seal in the juice. Once seared, put them aside.

Once done with searing, increase the heat on the stove, Then, using a wooden spatula, start scraping the leftover brown bits on the bottom of the pan (fond). These bits are yummy and would help flavor your stew. Use some of the wine for deglazing as you scrape.

Sear the meats

In a stew pot that is big enough to contain the stew, add some oil and let it get hot. Once hot, sweat the garlic until it becomes aromatic. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sautee them for a little bit of time until they become somewhat soft. Add the seared meat. Now you have two choices - you can either add the stock and let it reduced before adding wine, or you can reduce the stock separately until half to create demi glace. If you choose to make demi glace, you will have a really fantastic beef flavor that's beyond belief! But, it also takes extra time and effort. If not, add the liquid (stock and wine) and the bouquet garni. Rule of thumbs according to my chef in culinary school, you don't want to submerge the beef while stewing. Just add enough liquid to cover. However, if you are like me, and love a lot of gravy, you want extra sauce. So, really - it is up to you. Nobody will police you if you don't do it according to the book.

Glaze the pan with wine and scrape the brown bits

To make the bouquet garni, you can just tie everything with twine and let peppercorn loose, or you can put all in a cheesecloth. If not, just dump them in. It'll be fine.

The flour on the beef would help as thickening agent; and, as the liquid reduces naturally, it will also get thicker. You want to reduce the heat as well to low and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2  hours. Check periodically and stir so it won't burn on the bottom. Around the 1.5 hour mark, check the tenderness of the beef. Skim the surface for any scums periodically throughout the process. If not tender yet, let it cook. It can take between two to three/four hours depending how slow you cook it. The most important thing is that your meats are cooked until tender and the wine reduces naturally and you can't taste that raw wine flavor.

Let stew cook slowly...

When stew is about 3/4 done, if you don't mind the mire poix (celery, onion, and carrots) flavoring being there, then it's fine. I mind because these veggies would be quite cooked by this time and wouldn't be nice to eat. However, they're necessary to add flavoring. So, I usually transfer them to a new pot, and run the liquid through a strainer. Then, I will get a clean and nice sauce. Once done, then, add tomatoes. It is also up to you how much tomatoes you want to add. If you don't want it to be too acidic, then don't add the whole can. However, adding the acid really helps in balancing the flavor.

Add the tomatoes..see, I just dumped my bay leaves

Next, I can start adding my vegetables. Add the hard vegetables first that will take the longest to cook - like the potatoes and the pearl onions. To skin the pearl onions, just blanch  them in boiling water real quick. Then it will be really easy to peel. You don't have to skin the potatoes, just wash them clean.

Once the potatoes have been cooked for a little bit (about 10 to 15 minutes), add baby carrots. Mushrooms, green beans, and peas can be added the latest as they take almost no time to cook. Cook until meats are tender, and all veggies cooked. Oh, you don't have to use the whole bag of carrots, or peas. Just add however you want. You can't go wrong. Make sure you season them with salt and pepper as needed. Then, serve while hot! You can add some chopped parsley as garnish.

I love eating Beef Stew while hot with some warm bread. Bread is a great vessel for dipping and to soak in the gravy! I also like to eat it with a sunny side up egg. The runny yolk with the tender meat are just a great combo. You can also serve the stew with rice pilaf.

Hope you will try this recipe and let me know if you like it than the stew in a can! If you say can, I'm going to can you!