renga tei:

As I continue to search for my favorite Japanese spots in the city, I can say, with confidence that I have found one to add to the (very short) list. Renga Tei, in Lincolnwood, is nestled into a random corner of a strip mall. Don't let the looks of the establishment fool you! Everything about this quaint, traditional restaurant was just what I needed to fulfill my craving for Japanese food. No frills, no ambient electro music and certainly no wait!

maude's:

Randolph St. French. American. Casual. BONE marrow. Oysters. Salmon tartare. Chicken Liver. Stirred Drinks. VERY. HAPPY. GIRL.

elizabeth taylor

Elizabeth Taylor and Chicago. I read an article this morning in the Chicago Sun Times that highlights the legends' presence in our city in an article titled Elizabeth Taylor tied to Chicago Through Love, Death and Perfume. Here are the highlights:

-In May 1950, Taylor married Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, an heir to the Chicago-based Hilton hotel chain and would-be great-uncle to future celebutantes/entrepreneurs Paris and Nicky. (Hilton died in 1969, before they were born.)

-In mid-1956 she met Chicago-bred film and theater producer Mike Todd. ... the couple wed in February 1957.

-Returning in the fall of 1987, Taylor stayed at the old Park Hyatt...pumped an upscale fragrance called Passion at the former Marshall Field’s on State (photo above). The first in a line of pricey perfumes that includes White Diamonds and Violet Eyes, Passion’s local premiere caused a frenzy, with fans pouring in from several states to catch a glimpse (and, perhaps, a whiff) of the cinematic goddess.

-During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1988, Taylor was in a less-than-cheery mood. Looking back 20 years later, Winfrey confessed, the conversation was “still painful to watch.” Because she probed Taylor’s relationships — a topic Taylor had tried to nix before the session began — Winfrey got only curt replies. “You’re so revealing — you just tell everything!” the budding talk queen ribbed. “I declare! You’ve got to stop talking so much, Ms. Taylor!”

spring?:

Spring soltice has passed and the groundhog's prediction was for an early start to spring this year. Please tell me why is it still raining [snowing]?

I did get to break out my Marc by Marc Jacobs wellies that I bought at the Wicker Park store and the give-away umbrella that I brought home from the Bulls game a few weeks ago. Oh the simple pleasures.

mon poulet roti:

It would only be fair for Thomas Keller to own a restaurant in Chicago. Between French Laundry and Bouchon(s) on the West Coast and Per Se on the East Coast, it's just not fair that the Mid West doesn't get a little taste of Keller in the flesh. Who am I kidding, not that I could afford to frequent the restaurant, but, nonetheless, it would still be comforting to have him in my city to celebrate special occasions. Lucky for me one of my closest girlfriends just sent me Kellers' Simple Roast Chicken recipe. I thought it was a joke when she told me that the only ingredients involved were chicken, salt and pepper. I had no idea that it was so easy!

Simple Roast Chicken (Thomas Keller via Bouchon)
Ingredients
One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken. (I bought a free range organic chicken at my Whole Foods, which just happened to be on sale this week)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425-450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it VERY well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.Remove the wish bone. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss (click on the video above if you've never done this) the bird.

Salt the chicken (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper. Season with thyme if you wish.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and put the chicken in the oven. Don't baste it, don't add butter. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine.

Now EAT THE MEAT!

I think brussels sprouts go well with anything these days, so I roasted them with olive oil, vinaigrette and garlic. I added some quinoa to the mix and viola! A simple, weekday dinner.

o' chicago:

I woke up the Saturday before St. Patty's around 10am, motivated to go on a run, so I laced up my shoes to venture off for a run on the lake and river. Much to my surprise, the city had been awake [and clearly celebrating] far before I had even left the house. It was pretty amazing to stumble upon the dying of the river, looking into the city from the east, and to watch the city come alive through [green beer] celebration!

hey ya'll:

One of my dearest friends recently got married in Austin, Texas. Yeeehaaa, what an amazing time we had at the wedding! Luckily we missed all of the SXSW traffic, so I truly got to enjoy exploring the city without the [hipster] crowds. The weekend was crazy fun for a few reasons besides the obvious festivities:

1. Coming from Chicago I immediately gained 40+ degrees in temperature. What a tease.

2. Mexican food. All day. Everyday. [and late night].
3. Salt-Lick BBQ and all the sides that come with it. Mmmmm dipping bread in BBQ sauce.

4. College friends who live all over the country, but still party like they're 21 when brought together for special events.

5. The Mardi Gras celebration on Stubbs and 6th St that we stumbled upon. Refer to #4.
6. Food Trucks galore. From your standard truck food that serves tacos to one where you can buy coffee and donuts, you name it, they probably have it.
7. The beds at the Four Seasons Hotel. And L'occitane toiletries [that later mysteriously appeared in a pocket in my suitcase].

8. The artsy fartsy boutique stores on Southern Congress.

View of downtown from Zilker Park

The first dance

My wedding gear: Akira Black label maxi dress from local Chicago Akira shop, Michael Kors clutch, F21 costume earrings

Shops on South Congress

Loved the themed decor in the lobby of the Four Seasons!

Treat from a food truck

Mardi Gras!

soup:

I could eat soup, all day everyday. And that's pretty much what I've been doing for the last few weeks. Sodium consumption is at an all time high, but oh well, I must survive through this Chicago winter somehow. My favorite soups that I have made this season are Split Pea, Minestrone and Japanese Ramen. Enjoy the recipes!

Split Pea and Ham Hock Soup (Food Network/Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

4 ounces bacon (or more if you love bacon like I do), diced small
1 cup small diced onions
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup carrots diced small
1/2 cup celery diced small
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 quarts chicken stock or broth
1 pound spilt peas
1 ham hock (6 ounces)
Heavy cream (you can skip this if you want it to be "healthy"
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cooked split peas
Fresh black pepper

In a stock pot cook bacon then remove the bacon leaving the fat. Saute the onions, shallots, carrots, celery and garlic, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock, peas and ham hock. Bring to a fast boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until the peas are tender. Remove the ham hock and dice the meat. Set aside. Whisk in small amounts of the heavy cream to prevent from breaking and simmer for 2 minutes. With a hand held blender puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the diced ham hocks and garnish with the whole split peas and fresh black pepper.

Hearty Minestrone Soup (Food & Wine Magazine) and Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups dried white beans (8 ounces), soaked overnight and drained
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
2 medium shallots, minced
2 large celery ribs, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1/2 fennel bulb, cored and diced (I left this out because I am not a fan of fennel)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
One 14-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup baby arugula
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a pot, cover the beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until tender, about 2 hours; add water to keep the beans covered. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, in another pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until crisp, 4 minutes. Add the shallots, celery, onion, carrot and fennel, and cook until softened. Add the garlic, crushed pepper and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Add the beans and enough cooking liquid to thin out the soup. Discard the bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, toss the arugula and parsley with the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in bowls; top with the salad.

Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients

(I use my hands because I don't have a dough paddle on my mixer)

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Stir together 1 2/3 cups lukewarm (105 to 115°F) water and yeast in bowl of mixer and let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups flour, 1/4 cup oil, and 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt and beat with paddle attachment at medium speed until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour. Knead dough 1 minute (it will still be slightly sticky), then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and turn dough to coat with oil. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, at warm room temperature, until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Press dough evenly into a generously oiled 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Let dough rise, covered completely with a kitchen towel, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425°F.

Stir together rosemary and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Make shallow indentations all over dough with your fingertips, then brush with rosemary oil, letting it pool in indentations. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over focaccia and bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately invert a rack over pan and flip focaccia onto rack, then turn right side up. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ramen Hodge Podge (Abridged Momofuku recipe)

Ingredients

Ramen Noodles
Ramen Broth
Pork Belly (see below for cooking instructions)
Pork Shoulder (see below for cooking instructions)
Poached Egg
Kamaboko (Fish cake)
Cabbage
Green Onion
Salt (listed last, use sparingly!)

Pork Belly
8 oz Pork Belly
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup kosher salt

Mix the sugar and salt and spread it all over the pork belly (if it comes with skin, remove it first). Let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse well, pat dry, place in a roasting dish. Roast for 1 hour, basting several times. Drop oven temp to 250 degrees and roast for 1 more hour, basting as needed. Let cool then wrap in plastic and refrigerate. When the belly is totally cool, slice in thin slices.

Pork Belly
8 oz Pork Shoulder
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup kosher salt

Mix the sugar and salt and spread it all over the shoulder. Let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse well, pat dry, place in a roasting dish. Roast for 1 hour, basting several times. Drop oven temp to 250 degrees and roast for several more hours, basting as needed until the shoulder is falling apart. Let rest then shred into pieces using two forks. Reserve until needed.

After you have cooked the meat, cook your ramen, poach your eggs and put together in a pretty little aesthetic package. And slurrrrp!

royal wedding

I know that this has NOTHING to do with Chicago.....However, I just got a sneak peek at Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter line and I am officially in lala land far far away from Chicago. Sarah Burton, the new creative director, who is rumored to be the designer that will create Ms. Kate Middleton's wedding gown, has really put in some fantastic work with the feminine, but standard McQueen avant garde aesthetic. British Vogue editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman, has formally recommended the house of McQueen to Ms. Middleton. The British are stickin' together for this wedding! Is it April 29th yet?