CHICAGO CHEF WEEK: MARCH 17 – 22, 2013

CHICAGO CHEF WEEK: MARCH 17 – 22, 2013
Chicagoans have long enjoyed a torrid love affair with great cuisine. With so many new and well-reviewed culinary emporiums in one city, the toughest daily challenge a foodie faces is where to dine that day. Sprinkle in a few pesky limitations, such as time restraints (seriously, another lunch-hour conference call?) and budgetary restrictions (pay AMEX or splurge on that lovely, vintage dress in French Vogue?), and the list of choices grow a smidge shorter.

Whether time-starved, fiscally unstable (or both!), gourmands will soon be able to indulge their passion for a bustling food scene, without compromising time or their checking accounts. Starting Sunday, March 17th, seventy-nine of the city’s top chefs join forces to bring you Chicago Chef Week – six delicious days of creatively-prepared courses served up at a price tag you’re sure to savor.

Select from a three-course dinner menu for $44; or for lunch, a three-course menu for $22. Some exceptions to note: Avec offers a three-course dinner menu for $27; Slurping Turtle features a $44 four-course dinner menu. Prices exclude beverage, gratuity and tax. Click HERE  for the full list of participating restaurants and offerings.

But get hustling, once Chicago Chef Week is over, it’s back to feasting-on-the-fly and paying off last season’s “It” dress. (Not that we think that’s a bad thing!)

Here, “24/7” catches up with seven chefs – some celebrated, others new but notable – who dish on which restaurants they are jonesin’ to try, deity-worthy dishes, and why it’s cool to be a culinaire.

Homaro Cantu

iNG
951 W. Fulton Market
855-834-6464

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try:
Korean Beef Short Rib with Cucumber Kimchi and Ginger

Favorite kitchen utensil?
Japanese vegetable cleaver. It’s light and can accurately perform a lot of the same tasks that chefs’ knives and pairing knives can perform.

God, Yahweh, Allah and Buddha all come to dine at your restaurant and ask for your best dish. What do you make them?
This dish that our Pastry Chef, Claire Crenshaw, from Moto developed. It always pleases our guests and is a unanimous favorite. It looks, smells, and tastes like paradise. Click HERE  to see why we think it’s amazing.

Ingredient you’re currently obsessed with?
Black garlic. I love the earthy overtones; it is more complex than regular garlic and offers more versatile uses

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?
An inventor. My goal is to take some of the inventions I have created over the years and commercialize them.

What’s the one thing nobody knows about you?
I like to answer phones and take reservations in my restaurants so I can get to know my guests.

Best part of being a chef?
I never starve! There is always something to eat in a restaurant and I really do enjoy cooking something up for myself whenever I like. It’s one of the job perks.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago?
Burt’s Place (8541 Ferris Avenue, Morton Grove; 847-965-7997). Burt Katz is in his eighties and perhaps the creator of Chicago Deep Dish pizza. He makes the dough from scratch every day and you can taste the fresh, yeasty notes in it. It’s a true experience.

Favorite non-restaurant destination?
I love going down to Millennium Park with a picnic basket, some cheese, a baguette and a bottle of wine with our neighbors.

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)?
GMO labeling. This is a good food trend because I think all foods should have complete ingredient labels. We should have the right to know exactly what is in the foods we purchase.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying? 
Paris Club (59 W. Hubbard Street; 312-595-0800). My wife and I love Paris and we are always looking for a great way to recreate our honeymoon there.

Sean Collins

Japonais
600 W. Chicago Avenue
312-822-9600

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try: Pan Roasted Wild Barramundi with Curry Spiced Octopus, Maitake Mushrooms and Sweet Miso Hollandaise

What ingredient are you currently obsessed with?
Kumquats. They are sweet, citrusy, and almost savory and creamy. They have a great texture and look and can be used with almost anything. Most people are not that familiar with them, so it gives people a chance to be adventurous without going overboard.

What is your favorite kitchen utensil?
My knives. They can create or destroy. They are with you every day from start to finish. I wouldn’t be who I am without my knives.

What is your favorite part about being a chef?
Honestly, the hard work, stress, and sacrifice. While these things may not seem all that wonderful, they make the respect and appreciation you get as a chef that much more worthwhile.

What is currently your favorite place to eat?
Yusho (2853 N. Kedzie Avenue; 773-904-8558). It has a fun, casual atmosphere that delivers great food. Chef Matthias and his team have really paid attention to every painstaking detail to create a great experience from start to finish. I think the best part of it is the amount of fun the entire staff has, and it really shows and rubs off on the customers.

Craig Couper

Michael Jordan’s Steak House
505 N. Michigan Avenue
312-321-8823

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try:
Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom Confit and Black Garlic Puree

Favorite kitchen utensil? 
My scimitar knife. It has a long, curved blade that is great for cutting meat and fish. It looks quite menacing when in use.

God, Yahweh, Allah and Buddha all come to dine at your restaurant and ask for your best dish. What do you make them?
Michael Jordan’s Maple Glazed Bacon. It is a simple dish with just a few great ingredients but it is the one people stop me on the street to say they love.

An ingredient you’re currently obsessed with? 
Black Garlic. Chef James O’Donnell introduced it to me. It is a great way to add depth and background to a dish.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do? 
I would write cookbooks. I’m obsessed with food and couldn’t imagine not working with or around food in some way.

Best part of being a chef? 
Working in kitchens has allowed me to spend time with people from different countries and all walks of life. I may not have had the opportunity to travel a great deal, but I feel like I’ve seen the world through the stories of the chefs and cooks I have worked with.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago? 
Publican. They cook the type of food chefs love to eat

Favorite non-restaurant destination? 
My house. When I am not working I love nothing more than spending time with my wife Amy and my children, Madeline and Logan.

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)? 
I don’t put a lot of mind towards trends. I am more impressed by timeless things and great ingredients.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying? 
I really want to try Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf (218 W. Kinzie Street; 312-624-8154).

Aaron Cuschieri

Slurping Turtle
116 W. Hubbard Street
312-464-0466

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try:
Tonkotsu with Tofu and Mushroom, Chahan Rib, and Chiyan Pon

Favorite kitchen utensil?
Japanese mandolin.

God, Yahweh, Allah and Buddha all come to dine at your restaurant and ask for your best dish. What do you make them?
Duck fat fried chicken and Tan Tan Men Rame.

An ingredient you’re currently obsessed with?
Cilantro. I’ve been adding it to a lot of specials and dishes.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?
Organized crime.

What’s the one thing nobody knows about you?
I used to play drums in a punk band and toured the county.

Best part of being a chef?
Creative expression and sense of family within your kitchen.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago?
Au Cheval (800 W. Randolph Street; 312-929-4580).

Favorite non-restaurant destination?
Local used bookstores.

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)?
Faux caviar needs to stop being used. It’s overdone, misused, and passé.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying? 
Grace (652 W. Randolph Street; 312-234-9494).

Chris Macchia

The Florentine
151 W. Adams Street
312-660-8866

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try:
Raviolo with Parmesan Broth, Black Cabbage, Buffalo Ricotta and Egg

Favorite kitchen utensil?
The smoking gun (a handheld smoker) is my favorite new kitchen toy.

God, Yahweh, Allah and Buddha all come to dine at your restaurant and ask for your best dish. What do you make them?
A whole roasted salt crusted branzino. This simple and elegant dish is a beautiful way to feature seafood while accommodating dietary and/or religious concerns. Filleting the fish tableside to add some wow factor to the meal.

An ingredient you’re currently obsessed with?
Baby artichokes are one of my favorite spring vegetables. We recently prepared them as a side dish grilled with chilis, mint, lemon, and tomini cheese.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?
Game show host. Wouldn’t that be fun?!

Best part of being a chef?
I get paid to cook everyday. No two days are ever the same in our business.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago?
Spacca Napoli (1769 W. Sunnyside Avenue; 773-878-2420).

Favorite non-restaurant destination?
Geneva, Illinois.

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)?  
Flavored vodkas. Gross.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying?
Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf (218 W. Kinzie Street, 312-624-8154).

Matthias Merges

Yusho
2853 N. Kedzie Avenue
773-904-8558

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try: Chawan Mushi with Shellfish, Kale and Sesame

Favorite kitchen utensil?
A creative mind is indispensable! If not that, then a handmade Japanese knife made by the legendary artisan, Doi-san.

God, Yahweh, Allah and Buddha all come to dine at your restaurant and ask for your best dish. What do you make them?
I would make them steamed koshi-hikari rice because they would accept nothing more.

What ingredient you’re currently obsessed with?
Lately I have been fascinated by the art of fermenting and using non-traditional methods such as Inoculated Koji, sake lees, and lactic acid. Using these mediums, not only to preserve but enhance and concentrate flavor, change texture without the use of heat and meld different ingredients.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?
I would be in the visual arts, preferably a photographer or fine art sculptor. Using different edible materials has many similarities to that of an artist.

What’s the one thing nobody knows about you?
I am a NPR and documentary junkie. A great evening with my wife Rachel consists of great food and wine and watching Independent Lens, Frontline, Nature, and Nova.
Best part of being a chef? One of the greatest pleasures of my job is being able to share the graces of the table and the joy of providing nourishment to others.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago?
Katsu (2651 W. Peterson Avenue; 773-784-3383). I enjoy the amazing quality of product and their technique combines respect and humility.

Chicago Chef Week is all about spotlighting the town’s best dishes and culinary talent. How would you define your cooking style?
Inspired by Japanese sensibility, Yusho incorporates seasonal Midwestern ingredients to produce provocative and diverse cuisine.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying?
Curtis Duffy’s restaurant, Grace (652 W. Randolph Street; 312-234-9494).

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)?
Horse meat meatballs!

Michael Shrader

Urban Union
1421 W. Taylor Street
312-929-4302

CCW Course We’re Most Excited To Try:
Ricotta Gnocchi with Braised Lamb, Homemade Tomato Sauce, Pecorino Cheese and Thyme.

Favorite kitchen utensil?
Microplane. It grates citrus zest and garlic really well – two ingredients I use a lot.

An ingredient you’re currently obsessed with?
Obsessed is a strong word, but I really like working with lamb breast.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?
I would be a winemaker, no doubt about it. I love wine.

What’s the one thing nobody knows about you?
I love symphony and opera music. Helps me think and feel creative.

Best part of being a chef?
I can make people really enjoy themselves through my creations and pairings.

Favorite place to eat in Chicago? 
Avec (615 W. Randolph Street; 312-377-2002). Earling Woo Bowser is the best young chef in Chicago. He get’s it. Simple and well executed European-inspired cuisine.

Which Chicago restaurant are you looking forward to trying?
Ruxbin (851 N. Ashland Avenue; 312-624-8509). Heard it’s really good and BYOB.

Favorite food trend (or one you wish would go away)?
I don’t understand molecular cuisine. I really love simple and rustic dishes paired with great wine.

– Kerry Shorr, Contributing Writer