Chilam Balam

My girlfriends and I have started a tradition of what we like to call "Thursday Night Fun Night," that involves some sort of fun dinner or activity on Thursday. We all love hanging out and trying new things, but it's also something we get to look forward to all week long.  This past week, we decided to try out one of the Top Chef Season 9 contestants' restaurants in Chicago. With 5 chefs' restaurants to choose from, only one had the flair AND the price tag we required for our festivities. Chuy Valencia's Chilam Balam in Lakeview.

This teeny restaurant in the basement level of a building would be easy to walk past without a second look-- But wouldn't that be a shame. Owners Chuy Valencia and Soraya Rendon made their tiny space warm and inviting with Mexican decor and filled their ever-changing, tapas style menu with creative, Mexican-inspired delights.

The six of us ordered 10 small plates to share, with only one earning a poor review. The star dishes of the night for myself were the Grilled Pork Ribs with a sticky, honey-pasilla glaze and the Seared Sea Scallops with a creamy tomatillo sauce. The ribs were the last plate to arrive on the table, but a hefty portion of 6 meaty ribs with a drool-worthy sauce made them a standout dish. I love Sea Scallops and was happy to have my high hopes realized when they came out perfectly cooked and garnished with brussel sprouts, sweet potato and chorizo.

Seared Sea Scallops (photo via Fashion Framboise)

Other table favorites included the Corn Masa Memelas with black beans and goat cheese and the Flautas stuffed with Chipotle Chicken Thigh. These two dishes were both featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and I have to say, I probably never would have tried the Memelas without having first seen them first on the show. I'm usually not one to go for a vegetarian option when meat dishes abound, but this one intrigued me. The memelas had an incredible mix of textures between the crisp, dense masa cake, the hearty, expertly seasoned black beans and the creamy goat cheese on top. All six of us really enjoyed them.

The only plate that left us unenthused was the Endive Salad with honey crisp apple and truffle oil. It was everyone's least favorite with the earthiness of the truffle oil disrupting the lightness of everything else on the plate. One unsuccessful dish was quickly forgotten in the midst of nine other delicious plates though.

We were filled by the ten plates but still couldn't leave without trying the desserts. We ordered three, which were all impressive, but the one that left a lasting impression was the Cajeta Cheesecake with Kahlua ice cream. I would highly recommend it to any cheesecake fan.

Overall, we loved the festive atmosphere and enjoyed a delicious, memorable meal. A few tips to keep in mind... Chilam Balam only takes reservations on weekdays and they do NOT have room for you to wait inside. Think about that-- It's a teeny restaurant with a loyal following, an acclaimed chef and amazing food. There's going to be a wait and you'll be waiting outside. Make reservations. And bring wine or beer as it's BYOB. Lastly, I must insist that you order the Pork Ribs. Enjoy!

Sticky Pork Ribs

Banana Chocolate Chip Goodness

I love my banana bread recipe. It's passed down from my Grandma Jean who was the cooking/baking extraordinaire of comfort food. Not only is it super dense, moist and delicious, it's also one of the simplest baking recipes I know. You throw every thing in a bowl and mix. Literally.

Moist and chunky Banana Bread

3 mashed, overripe bananas
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread, add in:

1/2 cup walnut pieces
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix together and bake at 350 in a greased 9x5 loaf pan for 1 hour.


My Very Best Tips for Banana Bread

1. Whenever you're baking with bananas, you want to use overripe banana. And when I say overripe, I mean brown all around. You want them to basically fall out of the peel into the bowl. That's the key to bringing any banana recipe to its full potential.

2. Some grocery stores sell bunches of overripe bananas. If you see them, grab a bunch and stick it in the freezer till you're ready to bake one day.

3. Or, if you're like me and always seem to have one banana that doesn't get eaten before it goes bad, start collecting them in a certain part of your freezer so you'll be ready to bake at the drop of a hat.

4. Did you know banana bread isn't best right out of the oven? I know it smells amazing, but waiting for it to cool to room temperature will result in a better texture and flavor. To eat it at its prime, let it cool completely, then wrap it plastic wrap and don't try it until the next day. It will be extra moist!

5. For those of you who can't wait a whole day to dig in after smelling the wonderful aroma of banana bread in the oven, here's a tip. Set aside 1/2 to 2/3 cup of batter before pouring it into the loaf pan. While it's baking, you're set to make two incredibly hearty and delicious banana pancakes! 

6. Once you try the pancake trick once, you may even want to downsize the bread to a smaller loaf pan so you have more pancake batter to work with :) This trick applies to any sweet bread recipe. I highly recommend trying it with Pumpkin Bread batter. 

7. For the pancakes, start with a lower temperature in your pan and a longer cook time. The batter has more sugar than a standard pancake recipe and will burn at a high heat.

Happy Baking!

Food Trends Vol. 1

It's always amusing to see trends come and go. Whether it's in the fashion world (hello again flared jeans) or in pop culture (still waiting for vampires to fade out completely), our country seems to have an obsessive and somewhat ADD personality. Since this is a blog about food, I thought I'd focus on some of the more recent food trends. I have a feeling this could be a semi-regular topic.

Food Trucks
The Food Truck has become the hot spot for accessible and affordable gourmet cuisine. It's often of a gourmet or gastro-pub nature and it's always served up fast. Why have these these trucks become so much more appealing? In my opinion, they definitely made a name for themselves due to their finger-looking-good flavors and unique menues, but a few other things helped drive their popularity. Shows like Diners, Drive-Ins have made finding hidden, unassuming restaurants cool again. The more shtick on the menu the better. I think social media also played a large role. Food Trucks are tailor made for Twitter. Their regularly evolving menus and the fact that most cities' trucks move to new locations every day encouraged devoted social media followers who brought these mobile kitchens to their full potential.

What's the best known truck in your city? As a Minneapolis native, I have to rep the new Turkey-to-Go Truck on the Mall downtown. A taste of the State Fair all year round - need I say more?

Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese has always been a go-to meal in America, but I'm talking about the blue box in the cupboard. Over the past year, the typically pedestrian dish has infiltrated seemingly every gastro-pub and new American menu in the U.S. Why now? I have a few thoughts. One, gourmet cheeses have become much more accessible to consumers today in stores like Trader Joes, Costco and Whole Foods. Consumers are intrigued now, not intimidated, when they see their favorite standby dish made up with Gorgonzola or Smoked Gouda instead of the usual cheddar. Also, I believe most health waves in the U.S. come hand in hand with a dose of over-the-top, food rebellion. We're a society that believes in treating ourselves after a long week of making healthy food decisions. Let's face it, what better way is there to treat yourself than with a bowl of 4-cheese macaroni with bacon lardons and parmesan brioche croutons?

Nominate your favorite restaurant's Mac n' Cheese here. My vote is for Stanley's Kitchen and Tap in Chicago. Macaroni on a brunch buffet is a stroke of pure genius.

Cupcakes
Personally, I'm kind of waiting for this trend to wind down. Two years ago cupcakes were suddenly everywhere. Bakeries specialized in them. Food network created 3 new shows about them. Recipes abounded. Hostess gifts changed from nice bottles of wine to bakery boxes. Why? In my opinion, these tiny versions of real cakes took hold with society because they're a good canvas for pretty designs and the unique flavor combinations offer a wow factor. Oh, and they also make eating dessert seem more dainty. I think that's a big reason for their initial popularity among women. Personally, I'm more into rustic, gooey desserts, but I don't mind getting down and dirty with sweets. That said, I have had a couple cupcake bakeries show me the light with silky buttercream frostings and to-die-for fillings.

Name your favorite bakery or speciality cupcake. I'm a big fan of the Cookies and Creme at Molly's Cupcakes in Chicago, but Magnolia just opened downtown and their recipe takes the cake. (Pun intended).

Review: Everything's Bigger in Texas

Top Chef Season 9 Premiere

Grade: B-

Bravo's Top Chef is finally back! It's my absolute favorite show on TV and it premiered its ninth season Wednesday night. This year's competition is especially noteworthy due to the fact that it's directly following the stellar, much-discussed, All Star season, which was filled to the brim with never-before seen challenges and fan favorite contestants. For weeks, I hoped and I prayed that Tom and Padma would be up to the challenge of topping Season 8. Wednesday night, America and I finally had our first taste of the post-All-Stars version of Top Chef.

Right when the show ended, I'll admit, I was disappointed. It felt like watching an entirely different show. You have Emeril Lagasse and another new judge, 29 contestants, no Quickfire or Elimination challenge, three rounds of cooking to narrow the cast, and the list of changes goes on. Having sat on it for a day however, I can say I may have been too quick to judge. My eager anticipation and high expectations for the premiere were partly to blame for my immediate negative reaction. Digging past my initial disappointment, I've come to agree with the producers' decision to go in a drastically different direction. Using the same formula as Seasons 1-7 would have left the audience extremely underwhelmed. All Stars was just too good.

That said, my main issue with the premiere was that it seemed incredibly anti-climactic. Expected the fiercest competition yet, they gave us a round of auditions, not unlike the first episodes of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Master Chef. With only two groups out of three even cooking in the first episode, I really felt the lack of the drama provided by the Quickfire and Elimination challenge.

On a positive note, the contestants are top notch this season. And I'm not just saying that because of the number of notable Chicagoans. The team they've assembled is younger than ever and they all seem to have famous mentors, esteemed clientele or a James Beard (or equally impressive) award nomination. The favorites of the night for me, and probably many others, were North Carolina, seafood chef, Keith Rhodes, and rustic Italian chef of Spiaggia in Chicago, Sarah Grueneberg. They both across stood out due to their food and personalities. I'm looking forward to seeing the final third cook next week.

Overall, it was an interesting episode and set the tone for a unique ninth season. I'm anxious to see them dig into the real challenges with the final 16 contestants. Stay tuned.