The Boarding House Chicago

I am pleased to share new details about my upcoming wine bar and restaurant. We have finalized the location at 720 North Wells and have named the restaurant The Boarding House. I was drawn to the space because of its history. It was built shortly after the Chicago fire during a time of great economic growth for our city. Like many Chicagoans, I became fascinated with The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 after reading books like Devil in the White City and Sin in the Second City. With characters such as Marshall Field, Potter and Bertha Palmer, John "Bathhouse" Coughlin, Hinky Dink Kenna and the Everleigh Sisters running around, it's easy to see why. During the 19th century, Chicago's central location and proximity to waterways made it an economic powerhouse and central hub for trading, manufacturing, distribution and shipping.

Exterior of The Boarding House at Superior and Wells

For the past few decades, 720 N Wells was home to various nightclubs including the legendary Cairo. I wanted to go back further in time so we paid a visit to the Chicago History Museum to see what secrets we could unearth. By accessing the criss-cross directories, we discovered that the building had functioned as a grocery store, saloon, tobacconist and even a cheese company.

During my research, I was flipping through an 1860's directory that listed Chicago businesses by name and came across hundreds of female names. I found this rather odd as it was rare during this time period for a woman to own a business. I realized that the names were proprietors of boarding houses. The helpful staff at the CHM nformed me that it was very common for women to take in boarders as way to earn extra income or earn an outright living. The boarders were often immigrants who came to Chicago to seek their fortune by working in one of the many factories in the city. A boarding house provided food, lodging and often a sense of familial comfort. Upon further research, I discovered that the building at some point had operated as a boarding house and I knew we had found our name.

The Boarding House speaks of my passion for history, my love for the great City of Chicago and my desire to convey a familial sense of comfort with food and wine as a female proprietor. We will be working with our architect Jeremiah Johnson of Chicago Building Design to stay true to the building's structural integrity and capture the essence and spirit of this very fascinating era of Chicago's history.

The Boarding House will open Summer 2012. Visit our website to sign up for our newsletter or connect with us on Facebook.

San Francisco Tasting Tour

View of the Transamerica Pyramid from Chinatown

San Francisco has a fabulous restaurant culture and you would need far more than the 3 days we allocated ourselves to get a proper sense of what this city has to offer but we did our best to make the most of the time we had.

Here is our dining itinerary:

DAY 1

Left ORD 9 am and arrived at SFO at 1 pm. Hopped on the Pittsburg BART line for $8.10 per person and arrived at our hotel in Union Square 30 minutes later.

Kuleto's -- This San Francisco institution was designed by legendary designer, restauranteur and vintner Pat Kuleto.  Kuleto's projects include Fog City Diner, Farallon, Boulevard, Jardinere and Postrio to name but a few. We stopped in for a glass of wine.

A childhood favorite made in San Francisco since 1928

It's It Fix -- I grew up on these and there's nothing quite like the taste of nostalgia which in this case is vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies, covered in a crisp chocolate shell. 

John's Grill -- This iconic restaurant has about around since 1908. We enjoyed a glass of wine and chatted up the bartender who had worked there for 30 years. He said Jack LaLanne was a regular customer  and they eventually named a salad after him on the menu. John's Grill was also the setting for Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

Zuni's famous Caesar Salad

Zuni Cafe -- Chef and Partner Judy Rodgers was one of the pioneers of California cuisine: clean and simple cooking with seasonal, fresh produce. We ordered their famous Caesar salad and I discovered it was identical to the one I had served at a restaurant back in the 90's. Perhaps the chef at my old restaurant was quite taken by the salad as well and decided to emulate it along with Zuni's famous roast chicken, wood burning oven and elements of their decor. But then again, it was the 90's and Caesar salads, wood burning ovens and open kitchens were quite popular.

Note Pizzeria Delfina's condiment service for pizza

Pizzeria Delfina/Delfina -- After our Caesar salad snack at Zuni Cafe, we wandered down Market Street and made our way to the Mission district to Delfina Pizzeria on 18th St. After enjoying their sausage pizza we went next door to their more "formal" restaurant.

Bi-Rite Ice Cream -- located a few doors down from Delfina is the Bi-Rite Market which was closed but luckily their creamery across the street was still open. The ginger ice cream alone was worth the trip to San Francisco.

State Bird Provision's Cart Service

State Bird Provisions -- the final stop of the night was a 10 pm reservation at this unique new restaurant. They offer dim-sum style service where a waiter brings around a cart of various items for you to choose from. You can also enjoy items from the menu. The state bird for California is the quail (I still remember this from history class - thank you) and they offer it up deep-fried and delicious.

DAY 2

Bags of Blue Bottle Coffee awaiting eager patrons

Blue Bottle Cafe -- we started our second day bright and early with coffee. Blue Bottle has a cult following and when we arrived at the Mint Plaza location, there was already a line out the door. I had some difficulties in deciding how to order my coffee as they offer several brewing methods: drip over, single origin siphon, French Press, espresso, etc. I felt like I was in an episode of Portlandia but the coffee was very tasty.

Venga Empanadas -- We were on our way to visit Tartine Bakery in the Mission District but who can resist an Argentine style emapanada?

Tartine's take on a turkey sandwich

Tartine Bakery and Cafe -- Tartine is located next door to Delfina which we had visited the night before. I had heard so much about Tartine and was pleased to discover that the experience was well worth the hype. The only problem was deciding what to order as they offer everything from pastries, cakes, cookies, confections, sandwiches and all sorts of little things in between. We settled on a croissant that was perfectly laminated and soft and buttery on the inside. I spied a few people enjoying tempting looking sandwiches so I we decided to order the turkey pesto on Acme bread. If you find yourself in SF, I highly recommend you visit Tartine. It's a fantastic experience.

To earn our appetites we then walked through the Castro District, Haight, Hayes Valley, Chinatown and then eventually ending up in North Beach. It was a wet and rainy day so we stopped for a glass of wine and a chance to dry off at Absinthe in between neighborhoods.

Stella's Cannoli - take it and stay

Cannoli -- North Beach for me is synonymous with cannoli and other delicious Italian pastries. I couldn't decide between Stella's and Caffe Roma so we tried them at both locations. Needless to say, all the walking we did was crucial.

Kitchen window between Cotogna and Quince

Cotogna/Quince -- Our next stop was Cotogna, located a few blocks from North Beach in the Financial District. I had read a lot about James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Tusk but unfortunately, Cotogna was closed for a private party. Their much higher-end, sister restaurant Quince was right next door but we were too wet and mangy looking to dine there. We poked our heads in for a quick look and the hosts cheerfully welcomed us in. With hospitality like that, how could we refuse? The wine director for Quince and Cotogna is the uber-awesome David Lynch. I'm a big fan of his wine lists so we decided to enjoy a glass of wine at the bar. David is currently planning his own restaurant, St. Vincent, which I look forward to visiting on my next trip.

Delarosa -- properly bolstered by sugar and wine, we began our long walk to Marina/Cow Hollow to visit A16. Along the way, we happened upon Delarosa (a sister restaurant to Beretta). The atmosphere was alive with communal table buzz so we grabbed a couple seats at the bar and watched the very handsome bartender churn out some serious looking drinks. Delarosa is known for their roman style pizzas but we resisted ordering one since we were on our way to A16. We snacked on crab arancini and meatballs instead.

Chef's table at A16

A16 -- A16 is down the street from Delarosa and I feared we would not be able to get in without a reservation. Twenty minutes after arriving, the friendly hostess placed us at the Chef's table which gives you a bird's eye view of the open kitchen with two wood burning ovens. Talk about dinner theater! We ordered an anchovy, olive and egg pizza and it had the perfect balance between a chewy and light crust with a wet but not watery center. Fantastic! A key component of the A16 experience is the interesting and impressive Italian wine program curated by Owner/Wine Director Shelley Lindgren.

SPQR & NOPA -- I hoped we had the time and energy to visit SPQR (sister restaurant to A16) and NOPA but sadly a long walk in the rain awaited us and we felt that it was best to reserve our energy for the next day.

DAY 3

Blue Bottle Coffee -- once again we began our day with Blue Bottle coffee.

RN74 -- A major reason for going to San Francisco was so we could visit RN74, a wine bar from Michael Mina and star sommelier Rajat Parr. If you are a Burgundy fan, you must visit this restaurant at some point in your life. We opted for a lunch of Toulouse sausage and beans, pate and cheese accompanied by some really addictive Della Fattoria bread (it seems serving good bread is a recurring theme for San Francisco restaurants).

Rainy day along the Embarcadero

Boulevard -- I was still craving some more cheese after our lunch at RN74 so we decided to stop in at Boulevard restaurant located a few blocks away along the Embarcadero. The Bay Area is home to an impressive lineup of female chefs and food pioneers including Alice Waters, Joyce Goldstein, Traci Des Jardins, Cecilia Chang, Judy Rodgers, and most certainly Nancy Oakes, chef and owner of Boulevard. Her new restaurant, Prospect is also located a few blocks away. 

View from our table at Hog Island Oyster Company

Ferry Building Marketplace -- a perfect place to be on a rainy day! Many of San Francisco's most famous restaurants and food artisans have stalls at The Ferry Building Marketplace making it convenient for one-stop shopping. You can visit Miette Bakery, Acme Baking Company, Blue Bottle Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery, Boccalone Salumeria, Slanted Door and many more merchants here. We stopped by Hog Island Oyster Company to enjoy a dozen local oysters and grilled sardines. Master Sommelier Peter Granoff, Debbie Zachareas and Bo Thompson own and operate The Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant where you can celebrate all things wine: purchase bottles, take a wine class, sign up for the wine club or simply enjoy a glass at the bar with cheese and charcuterie.

Check out that oven

Una Pizza Napoletana -- during our lunch at Tartine Bakery, we ran into Master Sommelier Jesse Becker who said if we wanted the best pizza ever to visit Una Pizza Napoletana. He advised us to get there as soon as they opened at 5 pm as they stop service once the dough runs out, usually around 7 pm. We arrived at 4:50 pm and were seated right away. The pizzeria is located in an old warehouse building and the pizza oven was set center stage in a sparsely decorated room.

Una's Pizza Margherita

The menu began with a list of rules warning customers about no substiutions or exclusions, no slices and a meat pizza was limited to Saturday service only.  There were no side dishes, salads or dessert - just various renditions of tomato and cheese pizza along with a succinct but well-done by the glass selection. Clearly, the pizzaiolo took his craft seriously. The pizza was was superb - light and chewy crust, the burnt edges were nutty but not bitter and similar to the A16 pizza, the center was wet but not watered down. Thank you Jesse for the recommendation!

Leave your name on the wait list posted outside

Mission Chinese Food -- another reason for visiting San Francisco was to dine at Mission Chinese Food after reading The Mission Street Cookbook. What started off as as a once-a-week experiment subleasing a food truck has now morphed into a benevolent business model that operates out of an old Chinese restaurant with a higher-end sister (Commonwealth) restaurant located next door.

Four Barrel Coffee -- After learning of our visit to Blue Bottle, Tony Dreyfuss from Metropolis encouraged us to check out Four Barrel Coffee. Sadly they were closed for a private party but hopefully we can join them on our next trip.

The secret is to use Bourbon and Straus Family Creamery dairy products

Humphry Slocombe Creamery -- Secret Breakfast Ice Cream -- bourbon flavored ice cream with cornflakes, need I say more? Quite tasty but overall, I preferred the ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery.

Mission Cheese -- we hoped to stop in for some cheese but we were too full to indulge. We did peek in and the array of cheese offerings looked impressive so we've added them to the list for next time.

Also For next time -- AQ, Alembic, Tacolicious, Range, Sons and Daughters, Baker and Banker, Swan Oyster Depot, Bar Bambino, Flour and Water, Coi, Benu and I'm sure this list will continue to grow. As I said, too many good places for such a quick trip.

I Aim to Cheese

The ever-tempting cheese case at Pastoral

Pairing wine with cheese is something that any sommelier worth their curd should be able to do quite easily but I must admit that my knowledge of cheese had always quantified as enough to be dangerous. I know how to pair the various styles of cheese with an appropriate wine match but I had always been curious to learn more about the actual producers. My interest was piqued last year on a trip to Israel as well as a trip to Canada when I had the opportunity to visit a couple of goat dairy farms. Aside from the baby goats being as adorable as possible (I wanted to take one home), I was particularly moved by the dedication and artisanship of the people behind the (cheese) wheel.

Shortly after my resignation from Lettuce, I took the opportunity to work at Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine as a holiday associate. The knowledge of the staff at Pastoral is mind boggling. Each monger has the ability to rattle off all kinds of intricate details about each cheese selection.

My first few days were a bit overwhelming as I learned the ropes of being a cheesemonger. There are certain things you need to keep in mind when handling cheese. First and foremost - do not cross contaminate a blue cheese knife with a non-blue cheese product otherwise you risk spreading the mold inducing spores.  Always wrap cheese shortly after slicing it otherwise it will dry out but also keep in mind cheese needs to breathe as well - some once a day, others once a week. Wrapping cheese in plastic is an artform. It has to be really tight and you have to make sure that the side facing the customer is presentable. I will never take a beautifully presented cheese case for granted ever again. I did learn a tip for home: you can make cheese in your refrigerator last longer if you take the time to rewrap it tightly in fresh plastic. Don't reuse plastic - always fresh!

With each shift, I became more and more familiar with all the items in the cheese case as I learned about the producer and the production method. I also supplemented my education with Mastering Cheese. The best part about working at Pastoral is they encourage you to taste everything and I took them up on the offer! I often volunteered to split whole wheels as it was really awesome to be able to taste the cheese right after you slice it when the paste is extra creamy and soft. When dining out, I am more excited than ever to recognize my favorite cheeses at restaurants. I now have the ability to enjoy them knowing a lot more about what went into making them.

My time at Pastoral came to an end earlier this month and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work there. The owners, Greg and Ken, have a created a wondeful environment to share the goodness of cheese and I can't thank them enough for including me. The entire staff was very patient with all my questions and I learned a great deal from them as they shared their knowledge. When it comes to cheese, I could not have asked for a better education. 

Ad Hoc at Home Buttermilk Biscuits

The Ad Hoc at Home cookbook - the perfect holiday gift for any culinary enthusiast

Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook was published in 2009 and has since become one of my favorite go-to cookbooks. It is filled with gorgeous food photography and the recipes are accompanied by Chef Keller's precision laced instructions to ensure complete success with each dish.

Included in this book is my favorite recipe for fluffy buttermilk biscuits. If you are sensitive to salt, you may want to cut back on the amount called for here but otherwise this recipe is perfect.

 Ad Hoc Buttermilk Biscuits (Makes 12 Biscuits)

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, plus 1-2 tablespoons for brushing
• 2-3 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the pieces of butter are no bigger than the size of small peas. Do not over process, the dough should not come together.

Transfer dough to large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk. Stir and lift the mixture with a sturdy spoon, gently working the flour into the buttermilk. The dough should begin to come together but not form a solid mass or the biscuits may be tough.

Dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-rectangle. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out the biscuits. Dust the cutter with flour if the dough sticks to it. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet. The dough trimmings can be gently pushed together, patted out, and cut one more time; do not overwork the dough.

Brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with buttermilk. Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a rich golden brown. As soon as you remove the biscuits from the oven, brush the tops with melted butter. Serve warm.

New Adventures on the Horizon

It’s hard to believe that my time at Lettuce Entertain You is coming to an end. I joined the company after moving to Chicago to join the team at Everest as their sommelier. I will forever be grateful to Chef J. Joho for taking a chance and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. He taught me a tremendous amount about the art of service and the culture of food and wine. Chef Joho and the staff at Everest could not have been more supportive of my endeavors, both on the floor and off, and to that end, in 2003, I completed my goal of becoming a Master Sommelier.

After five years on the floor, I joined the corporate office in 2005 as the Director of Wine and Spirits and found new challenges extending well beyond the restaurant. I have had the great privilege to work with some of the most dynamic, thoughtful, and creative entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry. The volume of talent within this organization never ceased, or ceases, to amaze me. I have made lifelong friends, and though I will miss working with them, I look forward to our continued friendship.

Wine is not a spectator sport, and seeking new ways to develop my skills is a reoccurring theme in my professional life. Ever since my earliest days as a waitress in Monterey, California, I’ve strived to learn as much as I can every day, to grow, and, with any luck, be able to inspire the same in others. Earlier this year, that familiar desire to grow returned, in the form of an opportunity outside of the organization, and just as when I took the call from Chef Joho that winter afternoon in 2000, I knew I had to answer. It was not an easy decision to make, just as it had been in ways difficult to leave my West Coast life in my twenties, but I knew the time had come, and so today is my last day at Lettuce.

I am very excited for my new adventures and will announce the details shortly. My plans will keep me in Chicago, as I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else again.