Douglas Blyde, Masterof Big Words, did me the honor of including my name on the guest list for his Bacchus on a Knife Edge Supper Club at Andaz Studio in The Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street. (If you’re ever looking for an event space, you should consider Andaz Studio.) I returned the favor of his invitation with a dramatically, dramatically delayed blog post. See, I’ve spent the last six weeks, chained to my laptop, imprisoned in my own apartment, as I try to get a lot of work done in a very small window of time so that I can just hang out and relax for the rest of the year. (Right.) It’s been insane to say the least. Sorry Douglas. And sorry too to the lovely Thomas from Sopexa, the PR firm representing the Bourgogne Wine Board.

What did I learn about Chablis? It’s had a terrible year so far. Hail, floods and frost everywhere, significantly damaging yields. I also learned about the “Four Sisters” of Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Crus and Grand Crus.

Our evening started with tiny Norwegian fishcakes and cured cucumber filled with crab and avocado salad. They had been prepared by Martina and Magdelena of the NORDISH supper club. These were tasty little bites, but I wanted more! So I filled up on Chablis instead, quaffing as much as I could of the citrusy Petit Chablis (Pas Si Petit, 2014, La Chablisienne) while we waited to be seated.

Somehow, I ended up at the head of the table, with a fantastic view of the festivities. Douglas and Sopexa had assembled a great group of food and wine loving bloggers. It was great catching up with Tiki Chris, London Unattached, Ms. Food Blogger, Edible Woman, Felicia, and many others.

Shortly after taking our seats, Hana of Pickled Plates delivered a lovely summer vegetable salad with roasted radishes, brown butter dressing, pan-fried whiting and tempura samphire. I could have had two of these, but I couldn’t really because that would have been hedonistically rude of me. (I am a Taurus though.) So I drank more Chablis instead. This time, a clean and fresh  Alain Geoffroy 2014 Chablis, which paired well with the spring-like flavors on our plate. (Even though it was summer.)

I was giddy now with anticipation of the main event…also, possibly giddy with hunger. Chef Rosie must of anticipated this because she presented us all with a hugely huge pork chop and a generous portion of rice. The soy and miso glaze on the pork chop was fantastic. Douglas chose Julien Brocard’s Chablis, La Boissonneuse to accompany our mains (also 2014). La Boissonneuse was the first Chablis of the night to demonstrate a little bit of oakiness, which helped it stand up to the flavors and textures of the pork chop. Now…now…you could roll me out ot Andaz Studio. I was FULL. Full of food, full of Chablis and having one of those “Life is grand!” moments as the conversation swirled around me.

Then something amazing happened. UNPASTEURIZED CHEESE. And BUCKETS of Chablis. I mean, let’s give Douglas some credit here. He knows how to throw a good party. EVERY party needs to end with huge boards of cheese and huge buckets of Chablis. In front of us, there was Stichelton from Nottinghamshire, Bleu d’Auvergne, Baron Bigod from Bungay, Camembert from Normandy, Montgomery Cheddar from North Cadbury, Somerset, and finally, my personal favorite, Comté. In the buckets, we found:

• Domaine William Fevre, Vaulorent, Premier Cru 2012
• Jean Paul et Benoit Valmur Grand Cru 2012
• Clotilde Davenne Les Preuses Grand Cru 2008
• Domaine Laroche Les Blanchots Grand Cru 2007

Given the tough year that Chablis is having, as you’re out there doing you weekly shop and perusing the wine aisle, find yourself some Chablis. Not only will you be enjoying a tremendously versatile wine, you’ll be supporting a region that’s been hard hit by weather lately, which may have knock-on effects in 2017.

Tremendous thanks to Douglas, Thomas from Sopexa, and our supper club hosts who put together a fantastic evening for both the attendees and for Chablis. I know what I will be drinking  a lot more of this year. So should you!

The post Because Everyone Needs a Night of Pure Chablis first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

My expensive wine? a $24 buck GLASS of Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume Chablis, 1er Cru. $24 bucks for a freaking GLASS. I used the very excellent Wine Search app created by my London blogger pal Andy Hayler and learned that this stuff retails for $40 a BOTTLE. Now that’s depressing. (It was a large class though. 250 ml.)

We also split a caesar salad. And a margherita flatbread. There were tomatoes in the caesar salad (???) and the margherita was just okay. Not great. Certainly not worth the exorbitant price tags.

If I ever return — really just because the view is nice — I’ll order the cheap wine ($16 a glass) and just eat the complimentary nuts and the olives.

The Verdict: If you’re a kajillionaire.

P.S. I stole Destri’s photo. This is hers, not mine.

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Rootstock, Humboldt Park: I dropped into Rootstock with my friend Amy one drizzly Sunday a couple of weeks ago. I love it here, and I am mad at myself for not biking over more frequently over the summer. It’s a very low-fi place, and they serve brunch til 4 pm on Sundays, which is pretty awesome. My only complaint is that once 4 pm rolls around, they really really want you out.

Having been a Webster Wine Bar fan for many years, I can tell there’s a connection between the two places. The furniture, the wall color and decor…it’s all very similar. All I had here was a bowl of butternut squash soup, but it was very very nice and I would be pleased to go back to try more of the concise menu. I like concise menus.

Cantina Laredo, River North: Popped into here for a big work lunch a few weeks ago. Our group was big enough that we were given their private dining room, which is a very nice space with lots of natural light. My colleague Mark, who is from Texas, thought the food was the best Tex-Mex he’d had in Chicago. I thought my fish tacos were dry and flavorless. This place is HUGE so I’m sure it’s good for convention traffic and large groups on the weekends.

Rudy’s Bar & Grill, The Loop. “Home of the Milkshake Martini.” I don’t want a milkshake martini, and can’t imagine anyone else does either, but the burgers are okay. They toasted the bun, which always gets points in my book. They sat me next to the mop closet though, which subtracts points in my book. I liked the idea of my burger–a Mexican burger, with poblano strips, chorizo, pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, serrano mayo and “avacado spread.” But all I tasted was avocado, and the burger was not medium–it was closer to medium-well. And the fries were soggy. Plenty of people would like it here, and the Christmas decor made for a happy environment. But I don’t know if I’d seek this place out again.

The post Where I’ve Been Eating, Chicago Edition first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Perfection is when your friend Xavi comes to town, someone you haven’t seen since 2004. And you meet up at Eno at the Intercontinental because it’s convenient. And then you drink a lot of wine and reminisce about the past.

And then you order some chocolate.

And it arrives.

And it’s from Ecuador.

And so is Xavi.

Perfect.

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The post Being Mayorly… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Not to fear though because Blue Star was EMPTY. I made the mistake of mentioning that we would have a 6-week old with us and we were relegated to the children’s section. You know…where they only other people in the bloody restaurant happened to be sitting. (With their young boy.) Sigh. Blue Star were just waiting for the crowds to arrive, I suppose.

Lucky for us, the Yelp menu was a supremely good value. $20 for FOUR COURSES. A salad, some fried cheese, some steak, and well for me, some limoncello for dessert. It was such an insanely good value that I FELT GUILTY.

The steak was surprisingly flavorful and pretty perfectly cooked to medium rare, and who doesn’t love salsa verde. I took half of this home and had it for breakfast the next day.

We stuck to the house white and only paid something like $30 a person by the end of the evening when it came to tax and tip. I felt so guilty about how cheap Blue Star was with our 50% off that I’m mentally promised them I’ll return. And next time, I’ll actually check out the wine list.

Blue Star Wine Bar is next to a gas station and the expressway. It doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic, but rumor has it they get busy after 9 pm. If you’re  in the neighborhood, you should stop by.

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Avec
615 W Randoph Street
Chicago

Date of Last Visit:  Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Victim: Dan

The Damage: About $50 each

The Background: I want to like Avec. I really do. EVERYONE likes Avec. So when Dan suggests we meet up at Avec — a place I haven’t been to in ages — I say yes. But in the back of my mind, I’m thinking…”Avec. That place that everyone thought I’d like but I didn’t. And then everyone told me to go to Blackbird. So I did. And I didn’t like that either.” Hmmm. (Granted both my prior visits to these establishments were ages ago. Ages and ages.)

One reason why I don’t like Avec is THE NOISE. There is not a soft surface in this little matchbox of a place, which creates a thundering din as the night goes on. And we were on the end, close to the window. Imagine if we’d been in the MIDDLE.

We ate a lot of vegetables at Avec. I’m cool with that. The brussel sprouts with parmesan were nice. But was it like the best thing I’ve eaten in forever? No. It was just brussel sprots with cheese. And onions. And some green stuff. I know I know. I’m being picky. But when you’re eating in a place that is widely regarded as one of the best casual-dining spots in Chicago, you want more. Or well…at least I do.

We had some soft shell crab, and it was very nice. I could have more of this.

We ordered some of Avec’s “famous” flatbread. (“Everyone” says you have to try the flatbread.) And this is what arrived. Um, I don’t know about you, but I call this pizza. Pizza with beets and olives. But pizza just the same. It was very nice beet and olive pizza. And it was pretty tasty. But it was just pizza.

The Service: Service was a little confusing. Was the girl waiting on us, or was our busboy waiting on us? He certainly seemed knowledgeable enough about the menu. Someone deserves a promotion. And our female server…she did not smile once. Odd. This is America, after all! And stop please stop filling my water glass up every 2.5 minutes. Please.

The Verdict: I think I have this high expectations problem in America. Everyone tells me I will love a place. So I expect to love it. And while I do love Avec’s very comprehensive wine list, and while the food is quite nice and of very high quality, I’m just not totally wowed. You’re probably wondering…”What does it take to wow her?” Good question. It takes things in combinations I don’t normally have. (And it’s probably why I love Ottolenghi in London so much.) Unfamiliarity probably scares off the average diner, and this is maybe why a lot of American restaurants don’t do it all that much. I just want someone to take some goddamn risks.

So…I like Avec. I really do. But would I say you MUST go there? Nah.

The post Avec, West Loop first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The wine? A vinho verde rose from Casal Garcia in Portugal. The place? Avec, on Randolph Street in Chicago.

Hope it’s 5 o’clock where you are. Cheers!

The post It’s that time of year… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit:  Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Victims: Many

The Damage: Unknown as someone else paid, but this was all facilitated by a 30% discount at the awesome VillageVines.com.

The Background: I’ve been going to Bin 36 since it opened. I vaguely remember that in the old days, the bathrooms were quite unusual. I cannot for the life of me remember what was unusual about them, only that they were different.  Something must have changed though because the Bin 36 toilets were very normal this visit, my first in a few years. Either that or I’ve become desensitized to unusual restroom facilities after all my time in the UK.

We’re at Bin 36 for a work dinner, which I’ve booked through VillageVines.com. Who am I to say no to 30% off a decent restaurant in close proximity to my office and our guest’s hotel?

We start with the Grand Platter: Choose three salumi and three cheeses for $24. It comes with cornichon (!!!), olives and two Mustards. I kinda think this is a no-brainer good value. And at 30% off? That’s $16.80 for those of you not counting. That’s pretty awesome.

I leave the salumi and cheese selections to someone else. All I can tell you is that I loved everything and started imagining myself opening up a very small wine bar that serves nothing but plates like this.

For my main, I did something I try not to do in restaurants: I ordered chicken. (Why order chicken when I’ve got a box of Costco chicken breasts at home?) It was billed as Sauteed Amish Chicken Breast with Tuscan kale and Gruyere cheese, bread pudding, and braised chicken and mushroom “gravy.” (I’m not quite sure what they’re all about with the gravy-in-quotation-marks thing.)

And you know what? It was tasty. That’s really the best way to describe it. I was hungry, and I ate Bin 36’s Sauteed Amish Chicken Breast for 30% off $19 (or $13.30) and I became sated. Really, This was very nice.

The Verdict: Bin 36 is always a good option. And I haven’t even talked about the EXCELLENT wine list or the AMAZING cheese selection. Bin 36 always comes through for me. And at 30% off, well–wait for it–it’s a no-brainer.

P.S. I love cornichon. Hate pickles. Love cornichon. Go figure.

P.P.S. If there’s any place that could be doing lots more with social media, it’s Bin 36. So many options! Wine tastings, cheese tastings, salumi tastings…events, events, events.

The post Bin 36, River North first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

After being part of the awesome blog scene in London for so long, it’s a little bit disconcerting to be a nobody again. But really, I am starting completely over from scratch in terms of my blog and traffic and the people I know here and no one knows that better than me.  Trust me.

So I was pretty chuffed–as we say in the UK–when @ThePeninsulaChi invited me out to dinner AND ice skating at the top of the John Hancock Tower. (Yes, seriously. More to come on the 2nd half of the evening in a later post.) How they found me, I don’t know. But I’m glad they did. What follows is a write-up of an invite to review.

I already knew that The Peninsula does one thing I love above all others–and I am not normally a sweets person–macarons. And they do them very very well. So on that basis alone, I had to say yes.

I had been having a pretty tough week…all co-workers all the time. (Note to co-workers: I love you. Really. But I needed an escape.) Monday, dinner at Rockit on Hubbard. Tuesday, dinner at Moe’s Cantina. Wednesday, dinner at 33 Club on Wells. (As two out of the three were corporate buffet-types-of-events, I won’t be writing anything up.) So it was nice to escape into the calm chalet-like surrounds of The Peninsula’s Pierrot Gourmet with a bunch of people I’d never met before.

First up, a lovely green salad, which was just what I needed after three nights in a row of few to no vegetables. Seriously, I was having one of those “My kingdom for a salad” moments. Great dressing.

Next up a plate of pickled veg–which dare I say it–cried out for some vodka. Although I don’t love pickles themselves (although I do love those tiny gherkins), I do love any sort of pickled veg. Vinegar…yum.

Next up, a plate of juniper berry-smoked speck. Regular readers might recall that I was an exchange student in Innsbruck, Austria for a year back when I was in university in the 90s. This plate brought back happy memories, as Speck (pronounced Schpeck in Tirol) is very much a part of the regular diet. This version leaned more towards berry than smoke.

Next up was a pot of amazing three-cheese fondue, made with Gruyere, Appenzeller, and Fontina cheeses. I will admitting to losing my bread more than a few times in the cheese, but it was a fun and social way of dining. I would highly recommend this for a girls’ night out.

Next up, my favorite shot of the night. Macarons–again, only one of my most favorite things in the world–and social media. Combined. See the iPhone? See the dSLR? Awesome. As were the macarons.

The Verdict: An absolutely lovely way to spend an evening, and an evening I highly recommend. Chalet Nights at Pierrot Gourmet at The Peninsula run every Thursday evening through March 31st, 2011. Get a group of your friends together and go. Pierrot Gourmet is offering a special menu for $19 per person, for a minimum of two people; dinner includes the fondue with mountain bread, the speck, the pickled vegetables, the green salad, and a glass of eau-de-vie (pear brandy). This is, in this blogger’s opinion, an EXCELLENT value. Thank you to Chef de Cuisine and the PR team behind The Peninsula Chicago for such an amazingly lovely evening.

This was an “invite to review.” I roughly estimate the value of this evening to be $50, including the little bag of macarons I got to take home at the end of the evening.

The post Pierrot Gourmet, Michigan Avenue first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

My local Lush is at 1412 W Chicago, but they have other locations in Roscoe Village and University Village. They also have cool chandeliers made out of wine glasses.

The post My New Favorite Place: Lush first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Victim: Me

The Damage: About $35

The Background: Another Saturday, another day of Retail Therapy. I have missed shopping in America.

Making my way down Michigan Ave in search of lunch, I debated my options. The Purple Pig was where I really wanted to go, but I did not want to wait or be strangled by too many Chicagoans in Michelin Man coats in too small of a space. So while I was debating The Purple Pig–and the protest in front of the Egyptian Consulate–I turned around and there it was. Eno, the wine bar in the Intercontinental.

The Entrance: The space has potential and probably looked great when it opened. Now it looks a bit dated and tired, and there are a few too many knick knacks on display in the center of the bar. Someone needs to come in and tidy this place up.

I take a seat at a high long table and proceed to wait. And wait some more. And wait. Until finally, a nice man–but very softly spoken–brings me a wine list and a food menu. You know I’m much more the sort to put myself in the hands of a knowledgeable server, so I wait for him to return so we can discuss the menu.

And I wait. And I wait some more. And even some more. And I notice that the ladies by the window have been waiting even longer than me. WTF is this guy doing? I watch him pick a few bottles up and smell them. I watch him walk into the back room and take a drink from something sitting on a shelf. I watch him walk around the bar area. I watch him avoid eye contact with pretty much everyone sitting in Eno. (Not many at this point. Me, the two ladies by the window, and a man by the other window.) We are all waiting.

Finally, he comes to take my order and I take all of his suggestions. I think you can see where this is going.

EONS later, and my food arrives. It’s very prettily arranged and for that I am grateful. I have to make him repeat the names of the two small dishes on the left side of the plate like 20 times because he is so soft spoken. I finally figure out that he is saying “moutarde” over and over again. “Ah, MUSTARD,” I announce. He looks at me funny. He is not French, as far as I can tell. Nor, I hope it is obvious, am I.

The cheese on my plate is Ocooch Mountain, and its nuttiness reminds me of my beloved Borough Cheese Company. (Although the Ocooch is a sheep’s cheese and the comte from Borough is a cow’s cheese.) I enjoyed this.

I did take notes somewhere about the meats but I seem to have misplaced them so I honestly I have no idea what they were. I can tell you I liked the little gherkins and the baguette was very competent. The olives were a nice touch too.

This was all washed down by a lovely sweet but spicy glass of Pinot Meunier from Domaine Chandon.

The Verdict: So I’m a sucker for an empty place with decent food. I hate crowds. So in that sense, there’s something nice about Eno. But the glacially slow service really bothered me, and the decor needs some fine-tuning. So in THAT sense, I can understand why they’re not packing them in. But I’d go back if I needed a break from Michigan Avenue. Great wine list, nice charcuterie. And sometimes, that’s all I need.

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