Pimm’s is an odd thing, here in the US we don’t really know what a Pimm’s Cup is, and less so, what Pimm’s  itself is.  Well, it’s a full bodied, fruit, spicy liqueur; it is red and it is delicious.  The story goes like this….

Long ago in London, a man named James Pimm owned a famous oyster bar right in the center of town, where men came to slurp down briny deliciousness and toss back a few slugs of gin. But according to Pimm’s legend, that gin was pretty miserable, so James concocted something else. His “House Cup” of fruit infused liqueur and quinine (tonic) was so popular, it soon earned the nickname “Number 1 cup” in London and thus, the Pimm’s Cup was born.

Over the course of nearly 200 years, the Pimm’s people have developed six different flavors. Pimm’s No. 1 is gin based, Pimm’s No. 2 scotch, 3 brandy, 4 rum, 5 rye whiskey and finally, invented in during the psychedelic 60’s, the vodka based Pimm’s No. 6.  Today, only Pimm’s No. 1 enjoys wide spread consumption; 6 is still around in small batches and 3 has been altered for a Pimm’s Winter Cup Cocktail.  The PWC has orange peel somewhere in the mix, and therefore holds no interest for me.

Here in the States, (across the pond from Mr. James Pimm’s establishment) we savor our Pimm’s Cup in the summer months when its fruit and sparkle protects us against the July heat. Careful, these babies go down fast.  This recipe is slightly different than the one found on Pimm’s website, but it sounds way tastier to me. I generally prefer my cocktails without strawberries.

Minnesota Pimm’s Cup (Serves Six)
6 oz Pimm’s No. 1
3 oz Hendricks Gin
Sparking Lemon Soda
Soda Water
2 Cucumbers sliced lengthwise
6 Sprigs of mint
6 Lime wedges
Ice

Now, you can do this individually, or in a jug. Individually, set up each glass with ice, a cucumber slice and a sprig of mint.

Then add one shot of Pimms and half a shot of Hendricks to each cup.  Top with lemon soda and soda water for the level of sweetness you like. Finally, squeeze a good bit of lime over the top and your good to go!

If you want to mix up a batch, just add it all to a jug, reserving the cucumber, mint and lime for each cup.

After my thursday experience with Mr. Pimm, I was quite infatuated and thankfully so was my mother. This weekend, Mom and I sipped our second Pimm’s Cup cruising on the St. Croix River under the hot hot July heat.

A Little Bit About Rhubarb

The sour, stalky rhubarb is actually a vegetable, though I have never heard of a savory recipe using rhubarb that doesn’t make my lips pucker. Reading more about the plant, I was hopping to discover it as a secret nutrition powerhouse, but it only offers a meager amount of vitamins C and A. The addition of  blueberries to the ‘barb boosts both the antioxidant and vitamin C concentration in the pie.

However rhubarb is not totally worthless (besides being delicious of course).  The ancient Chinese commonly used rhubarb to induce vomiting. Centuries later, in Europe during the fifteen and sixteen hundreds rhubarb in dried form sold for similar medicinal purposes for ten times the price of cinnamon and double that of opium. And I only pay a dollar for it at the farmers market. Lucky me!

Photo by SmittenKitchen

Yesterday Marshal brought me a bundle of rhubarb from the farmers market and asked very nicely if I would make him a pie. He also brought sunflowers and a dashing smile, just to sweeten the deal. I happily complied.

Bluebarb Pie (Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine or medium ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons salt
7 tablespoons crisco cut into pieces (I know, I know, but its great)
11 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces
10 tablespoons ice water

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 or 2 bunches rhubarb (1-2 lbs) edges trimmed of gross bits, cut into 1- inch size pieces (5-6 cups)
1 pint blueberries
3/4 cup sugar plus a bit for dusting the top crust
3 tablespoons arrowroot ( a white powder found in the spice section)
Pinch o salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten

Grab a nine inch pie pan and set the oven to 500 (scary, but the temp comes down right away)

1. This dough is very versatile. Keep some in the freezer for a spur-of-the-moment tart, crostata or pie . The addition of the cornmeal adds a welcome counterpoint texture to the smooth fruity insides. Pulse dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, till mixed. Add crisco and pulse until flour mixture looks like sand that’s about ready to make a castle, or about 5 seconds. Next add butter and blend with 12 1-second pulses.  The butter should be cut into the flour in blobs no bigger than small peas. Dump dough into large mixing bowl and sprinkle ice water over top. Press dough together with a spatula or your hands until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts, flatten each into 6 inch discs and refrigerate.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan until very hot, then toss in rhubarb. Get ready! It’s going to sizzle and smoke! Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook until rhubarb has released most of its liquid but is still firm, roughly five minutes. Set in the fridge to cool.

3. Its time to roll out the dough! Take one of the discs out of the fridge and flour your work surface.  Now proceed to roll it out, adding as much flour as you go. It helps to rotate and turn the dough over as you work, that way it will be easier to plop in the pan.  Roll until dough is a fourth of an inch thick then place it in the pan, and put the pan in the fridge to keep the dough chilled.

4. Combine remaining sugar (plus more if you want a sweeter inside), arrowroot and salt in a small bowl. Now go fetch the cooled rhubarb and combine with blueberries in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the fruit and gently mix, then pop the whole mess into the pie pan.

5. Proceed to roll out the other piece of dough. Gently slide it over the pie and trim off excess around the  edge, leaving enough to make a tasty crust. Now roll edge dough under and press with a fork to seal. Create 8 slices in the top to allow steam to escape.  Brush pie with beaten egg white and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

6.  If you’re afraid there is just too much goodness inside, place pie on a cookie sheet to catch any spills. Now its time to get this bad boy in the oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 475 and bake for 25 minutes, until crust is lightly golden. Then lower temperature again to 375 and continue to cook until fruit bubbles through the slits.

7. Wait as long as you possibly can to eat it. Shoot for a few hours. Seriously, its better when it doesn’t scald you. Oh, lastly, make sure you have good vanilla ice cream on hand!  Happy eating!

Raw and Roasted Veggie Pasta

Fusilli Pasta
Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Sweet peas or shelling peas
Tomatoes (separated in to two batches)
Basil
Italian Parsley
Olive oil, Salt, Pepper, crushed red pepper

Back in the spring, sitting in Erica’s tiny hot kitchen, we spent a lazy hour speaking in accents, sipping our wine and chopping vegetables. Recounting the story the next day, my mother insisted I pass along the recipe. I think recipes in their original form are fun, and so I included my email via blackberry from aboard the El heading downtown.  The bolded words are ingredients updated for the current season.

I can’t recall the pasta’s name exactly, but I want to say Fusilli, anyway, something short and twisty.

Roast the peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash and tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. While that is happening, boil water for pasta. Shell or chop in pieces and blanch snap peas. Chop up raw tomatoes and reserve. Julliene basil, chop parsley.

When pasta and roast veg are done, toss the veg and the pan juices with the hot pasta. Add peas, fresh tomatoes and herbs. Top with a dash of olive oil, ricotta salata, crushed pepper flakes ( if you want ) and of course, salt and pepper!

Its clearly a throw together meal. But it has some serious health and history value. And on a detox week, whats better than that.

Benefit 1: Taking advantage of the season! The riper the tomato, the higher level antioxidants in its flesh = the more cancer-lickin’, heart helping properties within. And let’s face it, those tomatoes we Minnesotans get in January are simply not ripe nor tasty.

Benefit 2: All these veggies are full of vitamins, especially A, and C. Dig in to fortify your eyesight,  boost your immune system and even keep your babymaking parts healthy.

Benefit 3: You get to experience Ricotta Salata cheese, the more complicated step brother of regular ricotta. Ricotta, meaning “recooked” is made from the left over whey from producing a cheese like provolone. That whey is collected  and recooked to form a smoother, creamier version of American cottage cheese. Ricotta salata, salata meaning “salted” is first salted then compressed to form a drier, firmer cheese. Its similar to feta in texture. Check back with me later this week, I am going to try to make my own!

This spring Evanston has been treated to something great, a long awaited Italian BYOB amidst a slew of mediocre Asian places. Donatella’s on Sherman is the reinvention of her long adored establishment on Howard Street, closed in 2008. I first visited on opening night, then again with my family and friends over Northwestern graduation weekend. By the end, Donatella was teasing me as if I had known her since childhood. Its that Italian way.

On that first visit, Sandeep and I walked in around 8:30 with three bottles of wine, two for us and one for the staff. I mean, how were we to know which we would like more with the food, the red or white? I fell in love with the place right away.  Sponge painted walls, tiled tables and hanging philodendron plants wrapped in a perpetual Tuscan afternoon.  The espresso maker humming away behind the case of buffalo mozzarella, imported artichokes and paper thin prosciutto proudly displays to hungry patrons.

We really wanted to order the whole menu, but settled on the seafood mixed grill, mushroom pasta featuring homemade linguini and five different mushrooms, beef carpaccio with arugula and finally white wine steamed mussels. Yep, we were indulgent.  Tender and well seasoned with fragrant olive oil, oregano and lemon, the octopus in the mixed grill was the stand out for me.  At the end of the meal, the flushed and tired staff shared their champagne with us, and we toasted to their future.  Not a bad introduction to the new Italian eatery.

Following its grand opening however, Donatella’s was bashed by Yelp and Urbanspoon for disorganized and slow service, no bread and butter upon sitting down and subpar food. Didn’t deter me and I dined there twice last week, once with my immediate family, and the following night with a group of 12. I was not disappointed, on the contrary, I wish I could go back and have those artichokes again….

In fact those ‘chokes are special. Unhappy with the quality of the cured veg she could find in Chicago, Donatella phoned home to an Italian producer.  She now imports artichokes and other Italian treats for special plates like this one, featuring burrata cheese (think mozzarella with a creamy center), prosciutto and speck.

The night of the 12 people, we basically ate the whole menu– and the vast majority was delicious. My salmon crudo, and dad’s lamb were stellar.  Of course you can’t bat 1000, and there are flaws. In general, there is a smidge too much oil, the mushroom pasta lacks the lightness that spring weather demands and, to be honest, I do always ask for bread.  The meal might not explode your brain with haut cuisine chemistry, but Donatella’s adorableness and dedication to your enjoyment will surly make you and your tummy smile. Also, each time I visited the service has improved, which bodes well for the coming days.  Its sad that Donatella arrived just as I was leaving. When I visit Evanston, I will have to stop in for a seafood mixed grill and panna cotta which can only be described as manna from heaven.

The Facts
Donatella’s
1512 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
328-7720

Open for Lunch and Dinner

Muah, molto buono!: Seafood mixed grill, mussels, antipasti appetizer (or whatever includes cheese, meat and if you’re lucky an artichoke), panna cotta

Meh: Lobster pasta special with brandy and cream…gross, brandy. Mushroom Pasta.

Extra Reasons I like it: Outdoor dining; Donatella; BYOB (if you forget, Sandeep with deliver wine from Vinic straight to your table. Seriously, he runs it over on foot).

“We are eating duck tonight Ellie,” said Sandeep, my wine guru and dining buddy.  “This is not an option, sleepiness is not an excuse.” And so I was off to Sun Wah, a Chinese BBQ (and deliciously BYO) on North Broadway. Game time.

Peking Duck  is an ancient recipe.  Historically, it calls for an Imperial Peking duck, a special variety of fowl. The birds are force fed and kept in a small cage to make sure their meat is tender…..its basically what the witch did to Gretel and what the French do for foie gras (we Chicagoans like it a lot….)

Heads up, cause the prep is kind of gross, but the result is awesome.  First, all the insides are removed and the tushie sewn shut. Next air is forced inside to stretch and poof the skin so the fat will render properly, producing the crispiest, most delicious and choicest part of the duck– the skin.

When its all set to roast the cooks paint the naked bird with a sugar and garlic sauce then dry it out, suspended in mid air. The preparation at Sun Wah is pretty traditional, though I didn’t spot the cylindrical clay ovens used to roast the duck like in the olden days.  Didn’t seem to matter, the end product was beautiful.

Our bird was carved table side by the daughter of the owner.  “I alternate between duck and barbecued pork for breakfast” said the slender Chinese women wielding the massive knife slicing up the fowl. I was pretty sure she could eat me for breakfast if I wasn’t careful.

Before Sun Wah opened more than two decades ago, the owner Eric Cheng studied in the Guangdong Province to get the hang of Peking Duck from the experts. It shows. The duck is served in three courses- a gut busting and delicious manner which includes the duck itself, an egg drop soup (with duck bones for flavoring of course) and fried rice with lots of peas. I do like peas in all forms.

Our duck came out, skin glistening, sweet smelling steam rising into the air, and my appetite skyrocketed. Based on the smell alone I could have eaten the whole thing– even after a big plate of sautéed baby bok choy with garlic sauce. Yum.

Traditionally, the sliced duck breast are eaten in small wheat pancakes or “lotus buns” like mini sandwiches. Topped with pickled carrots, scallions and jicama and a dab of hoisin sauce, I ate about a zillion. I still had stomach space to crunch through a bit of golden skin.

Photo by Agashi

While I have nothing to compare it to, I think this was damn good Peking Duck. I’m definitely not alone in my tastes either.  When I visited at 9:30pm on Saturday, the place was packed. And as the BYO trend continues to gain force, Sun Wah shows no sign of slowing down. With our meal, we opened a bottle of peppery, and zesty Rioja which cut through the fat of the bird and provided a killer compliment to its earthy taste.

I left a happy and very full person.

5041 N Broadway
(between Winnemac Ave & Carmen Ave)
Chicago, IL 60640
Neighborhood: Uptown

In daytime, light streams into floor-to-ceiling windows, warming the white-walled, 20-seat restaurant with a happy charm. The atmosphere is friendly, the service not oppressive. It’s a perfect lunch spot, ideal for a serene date with a good book.

My first visit was a business meeting of sorts. Over edamame and a steaming plate of crab-eggplant curry, we discussed matters of grave importance, like New York’s latest fashions and the best way to cure a hangover (something I would come to need after my second visit).

I tend to avoid soft shell crab. Something about the texture (or the taste) of eating shell soft enough to bite through rubs me the wrong way. I’m no convert, but this might have been the best soft shell crab I have ever had. The crustacean’s golden flour crust stayed crispy on top. It soon began to soak up the delicate curry sauce on the bottom of the plate, creating a wonderful ménage à trois of texture: crunchy, succulent and smooth. The best part? The eggplant had been generously snuck all around the crab. It should have been cooked just a bit longer, to remove more of the vegetable’s natural starchiness, but the taste meshed well with the brininess of the dish.

(These are Thai eggplants! YUM)

It would be a shame and a travesty to visit a BYO restaurant and not participate in the BYO-ness of the place. In this spirit, I hauled three friends up to Central Street in the middle of a torrential rainstorm to eat some dinner and do a little sipping. Ok, a lot of sipping.

“So you would like wine glasses as well?” our emotionless waiter asked when he spied the three bottles of wine we’d brought for our four person meal. (Yes, yes we would.) The rain poured down. We were not leaving anytime soon. As we were the only guests—it was a Monday night—the nearly silent staff didn’t seem to mind. So eat and drink we did.

Four is the perfect number for dinner. It lets you explore the menu. Unlike most Thai or pan-Asian restaurants in Evanston, Thai Pinto offers sushi. The unagi roll we sampled was an eight-piece log of freshwater eel. Now, you can get much better sushi in Evanston. But Pinto’s trumps what you can get at Norris or Whole Foods, and rivals Sashimi Sashimi.

It has more variety, better ingredients and gutsier options than the usual suspects (I’m looking at you, Cozy) in Evanston.

We’d mowed through our bottle of white with the eel. Which was fine: these girls are red wine drinkers, not a bad choice for spicy food. A light Pinot Noir cuts the spice, calming the tongue. The first bottle gone, my compatriot Sara looked around the table warily and asked, “Family-style, right? I don’t know why you would come to a Thai place and not order family-style.”

I couldn’t agree more. That’s the beauty of Thai: it’s almost always shareable. Order envy? Never. We selected three entrees: coconut chicken, pepper beef and ginger tilapia.

The more we diverged from routine choices, the happier we were. The light tilapia paired well with the fresh ginger, which had been sliced into thin strips and woven in and out of a mix of snow peas, baby corn and big hunks of red pepper. A few mushroom caps were scattered about, surprising in the light dish, but their warm, earthy flavor complemented the sharpness of the ginger.

I’m under doctor’s orders not to eat coconut, but I gave the coconut curry chicken a go anyway. Not worth it. Good flavor, not too rich nor thick, but the chicken was bland. And the noodle extravangza—egg noodle in the Khao Soy curry broth and crispy noodles on top—was overkill. Three bites in and I was gastronomically bored. (Also, a little visually grossed out by the noodles.)

It got more disappointing from there. The peppered beef, which did venture away from the usual vegetable pattern with lots of cabbage and asparagus (its only redeeming qualities) was utterly unsurprising. I shouldn’t have been surprised, I suppose. This matched the pattern of my first meal: The soft shell crab had surprised, and the second dish, the Thai standard mysteriously called spicy basil, had fallen flat.

After four years repeatedly trying everything Thai in Evanston—including the old standards—I remain amazed that the most basic dishes don’t blow my mind. They should! A good pad see ewe should rock like a Bobb-McCulloch bed on Mondays and the spicy basil should be really, really spicy.

On that sour note, if your tongue is tempted to step out of your Thai box, do it at Pinto. It has more variety, better ingredients and gutsier options than the usual suspects (I’m looking at you, Cozy) in Evanston.

Dishes to dive into: Softshell Crab, Curry, Tilapia, what the owner suggests when you ask him for a strange recommendation. He knows.

Avoid like MSG in the 1980’s: salt and pepper calamari, mixed vegetable stir fry (boring), cucumber salad (sweet like candy, in a one-dimensional way)

What to drink: If you like red, a light Pinot Noir will go well with the spicy flavor and won’t knock your taste buds out of your head with tannins. If you like white, you can’t go wrong with a bottle from French Alsace or its neighbor, Germany.

But you know what goes really well with Thai food and Asian cuisine in general? Beer. Pilsner. Go nuts.

Pinto Thai Kitchen

1931 Central Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 333-2976

Hours

Monday-Friday: 11:30—9:30
Saturday-Sunday: Noon—9:30

Although it is known more for its ——->

than its food, Egyptian cuisine is along the lines of what we think of as Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food: a lot of tahini, eggplant, falafel and lamb.  But never having spent time in a Middle Eastern country, I was pretty excited to get to the source

For me, the best part of fertile crescent dining is a tradition called Mezze (meze), or small plates that are eaten before the main meal.  Many times a half dozen mezze (hot and cold) are enough to constitute the main course.  Stuffed grape leaves with rice and lamb, pickled aubergine (delicious marinated eggplant with herbs) falafel, ful medamme and kobeba were among the favorites.

Depending which country you visit, kobeba is also known as kibbeh or kobeiba.  It is essentially a fried meatball made with ground lamb kneaded with soft bulgur and onion, and seasoned with pinches of cinnamon, cumin, and allspice. At the center of each torpedo shaped croquette hides two or three pine nuts like little treats for the eater. These were dynamite with a light baba ganoush or tahini.  For my readers in Evanston, go try the Kibbeh at Olive Mountain, $2.25 for two large pieces.

Wandering around the Islamic section of Cairo, near the tent maker’s souk, among small mosques and a few herds of sheep, the smell of ful medamme was ubiquitous.  No matter the environment– next to the sheep, or beside the fez maker’s shop, small stands with pots of the brown fava beans bubbled away wherever we walked.   Often considered commoner food, and eaten for breakfast with Egyptian bread (Aish Baladi), ful is a staple of Egyptian diets. It is made with slow cooked favas, onion, garlic and seasoned with olive oil and parsley.  Like kobeba, ful is also often served as a mezze.

Another favorite small plate was ta’amiya or the Egyptian riff on falafel. This version includes some dill as well as the more traditional parsley. It varies quite a bit from place to place, everyone has their own special version.  Sometimes it was more starchy and breadlike, heavy on the dried favas or more juicy with the delicious, deep fried crust containing a light green center. I ate ate this off the street warped in warm bread with onions and tahini as well as in restaurants with “fancy” dipping sauces.  It was definately my favorite sidewalk snack.   Though I did like the guy cooking that asked me “you know liver?” Yeah I know liver! “You know brains” Yeah I know brains!  That was a strange bit of meat that I tasted after this encounter…..still not entirely sure what I ate.

Throughout my wanderings in Egypt and Cairo in particular, I was reading Naguib Mahfouz’s novel Cairo Modern.  His vivid picture of the capital city in the 1930s gave me pause to think of the massive change that Cairo has seen: it’s population now reaches 20 million and the pyramids are surrounded by the expanding suburb of Giza, but on the other hand, bakers still fly past on their bikes during lunch time with huge pans of Aish Baladi (pita) balanced on their heads and donkeys still wander the streets but now among men in business suits. Not to mention it all started about 5000 years ago with the Nile, the Narmer Palatte and some mummies.

I love a restaurant where I can draw on the tablecloth. Even better if the crayons (and toy dinosaurs!) are provided for me. And so it was last Saturday while I dined on casual Greek and American fare at Cross Rhodes, a family-filled bistro near the intersection of Chicago and Main. The south Evanston spot draws an eclectic crowd—from big Evanston families with well dressed kids, to young Rogers Park couples coming for the cheap wine and good food. And far too few Northwestern students.

The fare at Cross Rhodes is exactly what its name implies: cuisine at the intersection of taverna Greek and fast-food American taste. It’s all comfort here: kebabs, pita, and gyros alongside burgers, fries and chicken sandwiches. As Evanston’s only Greek restaurant, it’s a shame that NU kids only know Cross Rhodes as a burger joint. Not that they shouldn’t—the restaurant does serve damn good charburger.

Just $5.75 gets you a half-pound of balanced burger meat, with just enough fat to make it juicy and flavorful. For a few meager quarters, I dressed my burger with two thin slabs of feta. Greek feta has a addictively tangy quality and loud personality that compliments the thickly charred meat perfectly. The thick cut French fries were finished “Greek style” with a white wine sauce and plenty of aromatic oregano. On my first visit, I was one happy 22-year-old kid: crayons, red meat and a $2.50 Miller Lite.

When I go out, I tend to choose companions with big appetites and hearty laughs. We needed the latter when my taramousalata arrived: described as “a Greek caviar spread,” I expected something inky and briny. I didn’t recognize what I got: a bright pink ice cream scoop of fish mousse. Whipped fish, in this case combining lemon juice, olive oil, and breadcrumbs, is a cruel mistress and must be handled with care.

Taramousalata comes from two Greek words, taramos, meaning salt-cured cod eggs, and salata, meaning salad. It is commonly featured in Greek homes and restaurants with raw vegetables or warmed bread. It wasn’t bad, but the olive oil and bread masked any real roe flavor, and its mouth-coating texture sent me searching for pita. Thankfully, piping-hot flatbread sat beside it in copious piles.

Cross Rhodes’ real strength is its meats. The traditional kebabs called souvlaki can be ordered with pork or chicken. Both are good. The exterior of the meat arrives gently seared, creating a crust of herbs that keeps the interior moist and flavorful. I opted for the sandwich version, which is served wrapped in pita and dressed with tomatoes, onions and a Greek yogurt sauce called tzatziki. The roast Greek half chicken is also tasty and might be the best roast chicken I’ve had in Evanston. With the Greek rice along side, this dish is the culinary version of mom tucking you into bed at night when you are little. Talk about comfort food. Unfortunately, the gyros are tough nuggets of ground meat instead of actual pieces of steak.

When sampling a new place, I like to visit twice. The second time I dined at Cross Rhodes, I arrived for a late dinner with the owner of Vinic Wine Company on Chicago Ave. I love it when the wine decision isn’t up to me. My sommelier friend chose a Roditis rosé to complement our spanakopita appetizer, as well as any meat dish the kitchen would throw our way. Roditis is what the Greeks drink in Greece; it’s light, crisp and not at all saccharine. This is no Franzia Sunset Blush (I’m a Franz Chardonnay girl myself). While we sipped our wine, a table of old working men in dirty overalls took shots of some strong, clear alcohol from water glasses. The restaurant owner poured himself a glass too.

My spanakopita starter was lovely. But how can you go wrong with buttery yet airy phyllo dough enveloping slow-cooked spinach? You simply can’t. The spinach-to-feta proportion was a perfect balance of tart, creamy and earthy. I was much less impressed with my moussaka. Moussaka is a generic name for a Mediterranean dish that combines meat, vegetables and a full-bodied tomato sauce in a baking dish. Traditionally topped with béchamel sauce, it’s essentially Greek lasagna, sans pasta. For the Greeks, lamb and eggplant are the stars. Cross Rhodes uses spiced beef instead of lamb and ups the cheesiness to tempt the American palate. They also offer a vegetarian form with zucchini, potato, and eggplant. The egg custard topping on both versions was little rich for me; half-a-dozen bites and I was all done.

The meal ended pleasantly tipsy and chewing on baklava…opa! This is the way any Greek meal should be. The flavor of honey and walnuts still lingering, I returned my crayons. Throughout my visits, I was impressed by the hospitality, the homey atmosphere, but not particularly by the food. Considering the bargain, I might venture back. I will order one spanakopita, one bottle of Roditis ($11 dollars) and the Greek half chicken. It’s fun, it’s cheap, and it’s decent food. And you get to play with dinosaur toys, if you’re feeling so inclined.

Down and Dirty Details

Cross Rhodes
913 Chicago Ave. • Evanston, IL 60202
Telephone (847) 475 4475
http://www.crossrhodes.biz/

Hours
Mon-Sat: 11:30 a.m.—10:00 p.m.
Sun: 4:00-9:00 p.m.

Gotta Try: charburger with feta, spanikopita, Greek half chicken with rice, and pita, pita, pita

Meh, lets skip it: taramoussalata, king size gyros (just the same everywhere else), mousakka

Booze? limited beer and wine list, but very cheap at that!

FYI: cash only

On Saturday night the Walker Art Center’s hosted a discussion with cinematographer/filmmaker Ellen Kuras, whose impressive body of work ranges from documentaries to dramas and even reaches into the commercial world with her recent target ad. Some of her most recognizable films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swoon, and the academy award nominated film, Betrayal.

After much talking, it was time for much eating.  This arts-oriented Minneapolitans needs to eat (and eat well) so after the event,  Chez Barczak hosted a truly scrumptious reception, catered by yours truly.

It was a tasty success. For nibblies we had almonds, pistachios and olives from Bill’s Imported Foods, one of the best spots for weird international fare in town. Shopping for this meal was very possibly the best part. From Coastal Sea Food (where I fall in love with a new fish monger every time) we purchased a beautiful smoked salmon fillet and 5lbs of Texas brown shrimp. I love Coastal, they are dedicated to quality, taste and sustainability, and of course they are never without that lovely fishy smell brings me back time and time again.  Not to mention the studs handling my halibut steaks.

On top of the thinly sliced salmon sat a few handfuls of arugula dressed with a light olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette. The combination of deep, aquatic orange and bright green looked stunning on a simple peasant breadboard. I also make herbed goat cheese sandwiches with cucumbers on grainy bread. The combination of the salmon and sandwiches was like a little piece of Irish whimsy in my mouth.  God this was fun to do!

The shrimp were treated to a homemade cocktail sauce with plenty of horseradish and lemon juice. It is really worth making your own sauce if you have time and are so inclined. Everyone’s proportions differ but this is a rough estimate of what I did

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

1- 1.5 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons bottled horseradish
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon Worchester sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy…

For the more meat centered folk, 6 lbs of pork tenderloin with cumin and coriander spice rub hit the spot with good grainy mustard and a big scoop of orzo on the side. Far and away the orzo was the most labor intensive, but only because there was SO much. I’ve toned down the proportions for this recipe. I have made this several social gatherings; it works at any size, and any level of formality.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

1 green zucchini cut length-wise and into half moons
1 red bell, 1 inch diced
1 orange bell pepper, 1 inch dice
1 small red onion diced in ½ pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ pounds orzo
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup basil, julienned
1/3 cup Italian parsley chopped
½ - ¾ pounds good, crisp feta
4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped.

Preheat oven to 425º. Toss all the vegetables with the garlic, olive oil, salt and spread on a baking pan with sides. Roast for 35 minutes. If you are using two pans, make sure to switch their location in the oven halfway through the cooking time to roast evenly.

Meanwhile, get a big pot of water boiling, toss in a teaspoon of salt and a dash of olive oil. Add the pasta and cook per the instruction on the box. It is usually between seven and nine minutes, then drain.

When the vegetables are done, and slightly cooled, add them and all their delicious juices to the orzo. This should provide enough olive oil to loosen the pasta and start to create the dressing.

Squeeze lemon juice over the pasta and toss to combine. Add herbs, scallions, feta and freshly ground pepper. Taste, check the flavors, and then eat it all!

The dessert of Port, pears and Stilton was to the Minneapolis arts crowd as a birthday cake is to little kids—a special event. I had never had the combo myself, but I will now seek it out with a homing device. The  complexities in the sweetness of the port are complimented and intensified by the Stilton, a fragrant British blue cheese. With four different kinds of pears and walnut-dried fruit bread from Rustica Bakery, this was the perfect meal closer. Ok, the dark chocolate and chewy ginger cookies were a nice addition as well.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, we made WAY to much food, as Barczaks are wont to do. Lots of pork sandwiches and breakfast eggs with salmon were consumed in the next few days. not to mention the 8 containers of orzo left over. I’m back in Chicago again, and contemplating a get together of my own. Orzo will most definitely be on the menu.

To make reservations at Frontera, you have to call weeks in advance.  But to eat there on a Saturday night, you just have to be patient. At 6:00 pm Justin, Marshal and I put our name on the waiting list.  “Ok, you’re going to want to check back in about three hours,” said the friendly hostess.  To be expected; time enough to recover from the bottle of red wine at lunch, have a nap and a shower and get ready to hit the town.  At 8:00ish we arrived back at the restaurant, grabbed a beeper and posted up in the bar.  Let the margaritas begin.

Previously, I would have told you that I hate margaritas.  Truth be told, I do hate bad ones. But these were powerful potions of crisp agave, teasing my lips with just enough salt to cut into the limey sweetness of cointreau and blanco tequila.  The boys favored the Mescal Margarita, with intense an spicy, the Oaxaca based liquor flowed all night.  Before he had had three sips on his first, Justin flagged the waiter for another, and a round of house made (obviously) guacamole. Let the debauchery begin. After three rounds  we had successfully tried the entire margarita menu– including El Vampiro, The Gold and the Champagne–and settled comfortably on our favorites as we sat down to dinner.

Oysters and a trio of ceviches started the meal, and to be perfectly honest, they were the highlight.  Trio! Trio! Trio!, is the best ceviche sampler I have ever had.  Changing seasonally they range from very traditional with fish marinated in serrano chili, lime and cilantro to a rich pumpkin broth with Pepita seed garnish. Each one hit home, singing unique, yet complimentary tunes.

Next came enchiladas with mole (my choice and I was very pleased) and two entrees that were fine, but forgettable, one stake and one pork. Understand what when I say fine, I simply mean not as freakin’ unbelievable as the ceviche.  The meat was still tender, the sauce creamy and intense and the tamale expertly wrapped in banana leaves.

Stepping into Frontera out of the slushy, gray Chicago day was like being teleported to Mexico.  Everyone speaks Spanish (and the more tipsy I got the more I spoke it too), the colors are vibrant and the scents of cumin and lime hang in the air. At the end of the night, we had a special treat.  Mr. Bayless himself showed up at the bar.  Are we stalkers for taking a clandestine photo? Nope, its just that for me, he is a celebrity.

The night was a complete success….far too much food, far far too many margaritas, but I wouldn’t un-drink a single sip. Did we end the night playing ding dong ditch between our hotel rooms? Yes. Are we all in our 20s? Yes.

Advice to the Undergrad:  This is the way to do Frontera, and I do hope you take me up on it.  Save up a little cash and get yourself to the bar.  Order a margarita.  Then the guacamole, then another margarita. Then a few appetizers and ask for the check.  You won’t break the bank, your stomach will thank you, and you’ll impress the pants of your date, your dad or your boss. Expect a bill of $55 for 2-3 appetizers and 2-3 drinks.

Salud, Amigos.