Turnip Fries

This morning I stopped by the Wicker Park Farmers Market with my boxers, Stanley "Pup" and Nelle. We arrived at the market around closing time, so we were only able to shop at the Nichols Farm stand. I bought radishes, mizuna, tuscan kale, shelling peas, fingerling potatoes, squash and their blossoms...... and of course TURNIPS! 

Did you know that eating one medium turnip will provide over half of your daily vitamin C needs?

Turnip Fries 

ingredients
2 turnips, washed and peeled
Olive Oil
Fresh ground pepper (season to taste preference) 
Kosher Salt (season to taste preference) 

preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with a split mat, parchment paper or foil. Using a sharp knife, cut the turnips into equally sized fry pieces. Layer the turnips on the lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and seasonings. Mix well. Bake for about 30 minutes, making sure to toss after 12 minutes, so that they bake evenly. Once baked, remove from oven, and serve with some ketchup. I love Red 78  all natural ketchup and it is made here in Chicago! 

Umami Burger Wicker Park is now open!

This past Monday night, I was lucky to preview the highly anticipated Umami Burger for dinner, and I loved it! It is located in Wicker Park, and I anticipate that it will KILL IT as there is no substitution (this is their motto).  Umami Burger, with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and now Chicago, has a devoted cult following.  Each location is designed to the represent the vibe and history of its neighborhood and inhabitants.  The signature "Wicker Park" burger blew my Chicago taste buds away.  It is packed with many classic Windy City flavors like Calabrese sausage patty, truffle cheese fondue and a Chicago-style gardiniera. Umami's menu is burger-centric, but also offers many options for non-carnivores.  At the preview dinner, everything was extremely tastey, and I had nothing to scoff about.  Umami opens today to the public, and lines will be out the door as Chicagoans seek the Umami craze. 


My friend, Kyle, editor of Chicago Food Magazine tagged along with me. We begin in the Umani ride with a signature cocktails the Nomad.

Nomad: old forester signature, benedictine, ancho reyes chili, pent e mes, xocolatl mole bitteres

Truffled Beet Salad 

Truffled ricotta, smoked almonds, wild baby arugula and truffle dressing. 

Buckle your seat belts and umamify your fries. We opted to truffle 'em. The thin fries were topped with truffle cheese fondue and truffle salt.

The dipping sauce line up comprises of jalapeño ranch, diablo sauce, garlic aioli and Umani ketchup.

 Can you keep a secret???  Umami has "off the menu" tater tots. You MUST order them!

The fried pickles are made from artisan-crafted pickles, breaded with panko and served with jalapeño ranch and shaved parmesan.

Let's bring on the burgers! Kyle and I split the original, the manly burger and the exclusive Calabrese burger.

The Original

Parmesan frico, shiitake mushroom, roasted tomato, caramelized onions and Umami house ketchup.

The Manly

beer-cheddar, bacon padrones, smoked salt onion strings, umami house ketchup, mustard spread

Calabrese Burger

Calabrese sausage parry, truffled aioli, house truffle cheese, Chicago style giardiniera

Oh, Henry  and  South of North 

Coolhaus Ice Cream for dessert

Umami Burger 

1480 North Milwaukee Ave

773.423.2005

A bagel shop, BroBagel, opens in Wicker Park

Wicker Park/Bucktown was in desperate need for a bagel shop until one of the Jacobs brothers, Bill (owner of Piece Chicago), brought back some of the original roots of Jacobs Bros. Bagels. 

Just.plain.brillant.Bill! 

BroBagel is located next to Piece with a carryout counter only. The bagel and spread selection will keep you (and me) coming in for all the endless bagel-schmear pairings. The it doesn't stop there as the breakfast and lunch sandwich options ALL sounded delicious. This girl will be a regular at brobagels and I look forward to trying the whole menu including a beer bagel! 

everything bagel with sriracha spread 

poppy seed bagel with scallion spread 

brobagel

1931 West North Ave

773.276.2243 

773.BROBAGEL 

Sunday Brunch at Carriage House in Wicker Park

Where do I begin about my love with Carriage House in Wicker Park? It's my neighborhood joint and I adore how the staff, chefs, and decor exude low-country Southern Charm. You know when Esquire Magazine names CH as one the best new restaurants in Chicago, this place must be really special. Time Out Chicago also awarded Carriage House as the Best Neighborhood Joint.  I was lucky to vote and be at those awards last year and celebrate with CH.

You must start your brunch with a french press and a Bloody Mary with a High Life pony. Sunday Bloody Sunday or Sunday Funday, right? 

During my most recent visit, we met friends, Michael and Jahaila, with their daughter Zoe, as Carriage House is kid and stroller-friendly. We started with an order of apple cider donuts as an appetizer, served with spiced sugar and mulled wine caramel, along side a super tasty warm press coffee. They are finger licking good!

Jahaila and Micheal ordered my favorite item on the menu and the BEST shrimp n' grits EVER.  The shrimp is a such a star dish that it is a staple on both the brunch and dinner.

Steve, my husband, and I split the garlic bologna sandwich. Ohhh Myyyy Goddd. It was served on a brioche bun, pimento cheese, bread and butter pickles, mustard aioli, fried egg. You may want to make get a checkup with your cardiologist after this one (wink, wink)! 

Other items I have ordered (and devoured) in the past are the chicken & biscuit, short rib, beignets and fried green tomatoes.  Head over to Carriage House for brunch and you can thank me later. 

chicken & biscuits

short rib

fried green tomatoes

beignets

Carriage House

1700 W Division Street

773.384.9700

Reserve a table 

The Monarch Chicago

Steve and I headed to Monarch Chicago for our date night. It's located blocks away from our home in Bucktown/Wicker Park. It took over the former Uberstein location, with a royal face lift.  I was very excited try Chef Andrew Brochu's, former chef at Graham Elliot and Kith & Kin, upscale bar creations. The menu offerings looked delicious and we wanted to order EVERYTHING! 

 Dinner for two
The bar was set beautifully. Brady was super-friendly and knowledgeable. If you go in, please tell him Kat & Steve sent you! 

We started our evening with a King's tail 

  

I ordered a glass of the 2007 Terra Noble ' Gran Reserva' Cabernet Sauvignon from Colchugua Valley, Chile and Steve had Lagunitas I.P.A

We started with the dill pickle wings with home-made ranch. Steve is a BIG wing guy and he was hooked! Steve thought the wings were a perfect size with a great crisp, and the dill pickle flavoring was unique and worked very well. Furthermore, the home-made ranch was spectacular. Steve has subsequently been back for the classic buffalo flavor (doctored Frank's Red Hot Sauce) and claims them as some of the best wings in the city. Apparently, the wings are steamed the night before to make the meat extra tender.

Drunken Bread

French onion broth, sausage & Gruyere 

Incredible flavor, rich, and never put my spoon down. Think of all the best parts of a French onion soup!

For our entrees we ordered and split: 

Diner Burger, lettuce, tomato, pickle, special sauce, and cheese 
I have heard such great hype on their burgers and couldn't pass it up. It was mouth-watering. 

King Salmon, Potato Puree, Brown Butter and Caper 

Perfectly cooked salmon and would of drank the potato puree-no joke! 

Clean plate club 

Steve has a sweet tooth so he ordered the Ice Cream Truck $2 each. Great concept! 

The Monarch Chicago 

1745 W. North Ave

Chicago 

773.252.6053

how to roast a pumpkin

I bought a pumpkin, this morning, at the Wicker Park Farmers Market. 
Pumpkins are now in season and I love pumpkin dishes, as do my dogs & cats. I roast the pumpkin and I add the healthy goodness to their food.  There is a good reason that pumpkin is often a top ingredient in higher quality dry food, as it has many important benefits to our furry friends as well as to us! It helps them with digestion because it's high in fiber. I have a boxer, Stanley "Pup", and it helps him with indigestion and upset stomach. Pumpkin is an excellent source of Vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, and iron. It can help reduce the likelihood you and your pet will develop cancer. So eat up some pumpkin this Fall.  One more thing, I NEVER throw away the pumpkin seeds, as I roast them for a healthy snack. Pumpkin seeds also are high in essential fatty acids and antioxidants. 

via

Here is a short demo on how to roast your own pumpkin 

via 

(I apologize that the pictures aren't the best quality. It's dark and stormy in Chicago and my camera is with my husband in China)

ingredients 

Choose a firm, pie pumpkin, about 3-4 pounds

preparation 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

Rinse the pumpkin, removing any dirt or debris 

Carefully cut the pumpkin in half on a large cutting board with a sharp knife. 

Scoop out the seeds with a metal spoon, i like to use this scalloped serving spoon for the nice edge.

Lay the pumpkins face down in a large baking dish and cover them with 1/4 inch water.

Place in oven and bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size) or until tender, use a fork to check. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Let it cool down before handling and scoop out the insides and store in a glass jar.

Discard the skin and the pumpkin stored in a air-tight container will keep for five days in the refrigerator.