Dinner Social Club

A very wise friend recently created Dinner Social Club. What's Dinner Social Club? 

Dinner Social Club: a non-exclusive monthly club for friends to get together, share a great meal and better company.

Details: 
- Dinner will occur on the last Wednesday of every month, around 7:30 p.m.
- Restaurant locations will vary
- Diners are encouraged to make restaurant/cuisine recommendations for upcoming dinners
- All participants will order with 'sharing' in mind and split the bill evenly
- RSVP the week before the dinner
- Friends can bring friends
- No cell phones allowed at the table! (I am the exception, however, and will write a review of each restaurant visited)

Homestead on the Roof was the first location for Dinner Social Club. The farm-to-table restaurant is located above Roots Handmade Pizza at 1924 W. Chicago Avenue and has recently opened its doors to accommodate year-round dining. DSC founder is convinced Homestead is "one of the most underrated restaurants in the city"and I agree. 

Start out with a specialty cocktail, crafted by Beverage Director Benjamin Schiller. If you're a fan of Bourbon, Chicagoist named The Weston (Bourbon, Dark Matter Coffee Essence, Pipe Tobacco) in their "Top 10 Cocktails in Chicago." There's something for everyone, depending on your spirit of choice, so taste one, or try them all. 

Executive Chef, Chris "Chip" Davies, takes advantage of seasonal ingredients, as the menu changes often. He also does an excellent job of combining different flavor profiles to produce stand-out dishes with perfectly paired ingredients. Some of my favorite selections:

From the garden:
- Kale Salad: Local Apples, Burnt Cheddar, Pomegranate, Bacon and Cider Dressing 

From the water:
- Moroccan Spiced Mussels: Sumac Apples, Calvados, Fried Chickpeas, House-made Sour Dough

From the mill (my personal favorite):
- Beef Short Rib Sugo: Pappardelle Pasta, Pecorino, Pickled Chilies, Saba

From the land:
- Chicken Skins: House Sriracha-Honey Mustard, Pickled Mustard Seeds

While we were all stuffed by the time the dessert menu came, we still saved a little bit of room to order two. Not only did Executive Pastry Chef, Chris Teixeira, nail the pastry presentations, but they tasted incredible too. 

We shared a bunch of small plates/desserts and we were pleasantly surprised when the check came that it wasn't more expensive. If you're looking for a truly unique farm-to-table intimate dinner experience, I highly recommend Homestead on the Roof. 

Up next for Dinner Social Club, Oiistar. Check back for a review and follow the hashtag: #DinnerSocialClub on Instagram for a sneak-peek!

Sweet & Spicy Mandarin Beef

Lately, I've loved making homemade sauces and dressings (garlic horseradish aoili, red wine vinaigrette, buffalo sauce, meat sauce, teriyaki sauce)... and now sweet & spicy mandarin orange sauce. 

When deciding what to cook for dinner tonight, I wanted to combine meat with vegetables and rice, but didn't want traditional stir-fry and I was looking for a sweet and spicy sauce with an elevated flavor profile. This stand-out dish is easy to prepare, tasty and has a beautiful presentation. 

Ingredients & Directions:  Sweet & Spicy Mandarin Sauce 

1 teaspoon Garlic

1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar

3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Mandarin Orange juice

1 teaspoon Sake

1/2 teasoon Plum Gekkeikan

1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (add more if you like a lot of spice)

1/2 teaspoon Honey

1/2 teaspoon Brown Sugar (add more if you want a thicker sauce consistency)

Orange Zest & Orange Peel

Ground Ginger

Sesame Seeds

Mandarin Oranges

Servings: 1-2

Combine garlic and rice vinegar in a small sauce pan on low heat. Let the garlic brown a little before adding in soy sauce, mandarin orange juice, sake, Plum Gekkeikan and sesame seed oil. Stir in between adding each ingredient to meld the flavors together. Next, add in the Sriracha and honey. When pouring in the Sriracha, add a little bit at a time, to ensure it is not too spicy for your liking. Finally, add in the brown sugar, followed by a little bit of orange zest, ground ginger, sesame seeds and mandarin oranges before letting the liquid mixture simmer for 15 minutes. Remember to stir the sauce a few times. 

While the sauce is simmering, you can get started on preparing the rest of the dish. After about 15 minutes, taste and add in any additional sweetness or spice, then reduce heat.  

Steak:

In this particular dish, I used sirloin, but flank steak is also a good option. You want the steak to be at room temperature prior to cooking (take out of the refrigerator approx 30-40 minutes before cooking), season with salt and pepper and brush with wok oil. Cook the steak on one side for 2 minutes and then flip and sear for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on the other side. Then, let the steak cool for about 10 minutes and slice into pieces. 

Vegetable:

Pour a small amount of oil in a skillet and pan-sear rinsed asparagus for approximately 10 minutes. 

Rice:

Next, cook your brown or white rice - I used Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, which cooks in the microwave for 3 minutes. 

Now that all of your ingredients are prepared, it's time to plate your dish. 

Presentation:

Place the asparagus on the bottom of your plate or bowl. Take one large orange peel and place in the center of the dish and put the steak on top forming an "x". On both sides, scoop brown rice and top with mandarin oranges. 

Drizzle the mandarin sauce over the steak and rice, then enjoy!

Garlic & Basil Pasta w/ Mixed Veggies

Photo Credit - (Instagram & Twitter: @ChiJayhawk)

When I am looking for a home cooked meal but don't want to slave away in the kitchen for hours, I create a flavorful and easy dish, much like this one. I select two key ingredients I want to highlight - in this case, basil and garlic. While these are usually staples, I make them stand out by combining these flavors in all aspects of the dish. And what I absolutely love about this, is that you can use similar herbs and vegetables to make a customized meal for you and your guests. 

Ingredients:

1/2 box of your favorite noodles

Olive Oil

Mixed Veggies (1/4- 1/2 of each - I used onions, green and red peppers)

1 cup chicken stock

5-6 garlic cloves (less if you aren't a garlic lover)

5-6 tsp of basil

Pecorino cheese 

Salt & Pepper to taste

1-2 Servings

Directions:

Chop up your veggies then sauté with a dash of olive oil and 1 garlic clove and 1 tsp of basil.

In another pot, bring 1 cup chicken stock to a boil then add in 4 garlic cloves and 4 tsp of basil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

In the meantime, bring water to a boil and add your noodles. Drop your noodles in and cook to your liking.

After about 5 minutes, go back to your simmering pot and add the vegetables to your liquid mixture. Be sure to stir the mixture. Continue to simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors together. After about 7 minutes, taste the sauce and add the finishing touches (add more garlic, basil, herbs, salt and pepper). 

Take your bowl and begin plating- take the veggies from the sauce and place on the bottom, drizzle with some sauce, top with your noodles, drizzle more sauce over the noodles and top with Pecorino cheese. 

Thymeless Openings: Kinmont Restaurant

Kinmont Restaurant,  419 W. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60654. 312-915-0011
Photo Credit: (Instagram & Twitter) - @ChiJayhawk

Known for their sustainable fish and seafood, recommended for their oysters (and Alaskan King Crab), Kinmont Restaurant is the perfect location to catch-up with friends while sipping handcrafted cocktails or for a romantic dinner date. 

Nestled within the River North neighborhood of Chicago, in the former Zealous space, the cozy & intimate Kinmont, has an ambiance that exudes confidence, bringing in blended styles from Element Collective sister restaurants. Chandeliers that resemble Nellcote, textured damask walls like Old Town Social, exposed brick with intricate details from RM Champagne Salon, and my personal favorites...oriental rugs on the dining room ceiling and the copper bar, now representing Kinmont.

Kinmont: Dining Room Ceiling

Kinmont: Dining Room

Kinmont: Copper Bar

Kinmont: Fresh Crab Gratin (Aged Cheddar, Chives, Crispy Potatoes)

Kinmont: Grilled Hen of Woods Mushrooms (Smoked Buttermilk Ricotta, Lemon)

Kinmont: Smoked Carrots (Hazelnuts, Cumin, Carrot Top Gremolata)

Kinmont: Steak Tartare (Egg Yolk, Caper Berry, Pickled Onion, Grilled Bread) 

Kinmont: Seafood Platter (Raw Oysters, Chilled Shrimp, Alaskan King Crab, Bay Scallop Crudo)

Kinmont opens to the public tomorrow, Saturday, February 1st. Check out the menu featured on Eater Chicago and book your reservations on OpenTable today! 

Chicago Restaurant Week

Restaurant: Embeya, 10-course #CRW menu with wine pairings
Photo Credit: (Instagram & Twitter) - @ChiJayhawk

Chicago Restaurant Week is well on its way! Who doesn’t love amazing food, great wine and even better company?

With over 300 restaurants to choose from, where do you begin? Which restaurants are the best deals? Take a look at my tips for making the most of your 2014 Chicago Restaurant Week.

First, visit the Choose Chicago website and take a peek at the participating restaurants and get acquainted with the menus, then test your luck on OpenTable to reserve your table. Prix fixe lunch ($22) and dinner ($33 & $44) menus are available from January 24 – February 6, 2014. You might even get lucky; some restaurants extend the dates to accommodate their diners.

Need a head start? Here’s where I’m dining: Embeya, Green Zebra, Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab and Kendall College Dining Room.

Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab is my go-to restaurant every year with my girlfriends. We get all dressed up and have a sophisticated dinner, while stuffing our faces with Stone Crab Bisque, Filet Mignon or Alaskan King Crab, sides and desserts galore! You can never go wrong there – the lunch is $22 and the dinner is $44/person.

Next, I always try to make reservations at the upscale restaurants, which are usually more expensive to dine at. These restaurants may be more difficult to snag a table because most people are thinking the same way. Call and search for reservations at off-peak hours, so hopefully you can beat the rush.

Crowd pleasers: Blackbird, Embeya, Naha, Henri, Mexique, Table 52, Terzo Piano, Topolobampo, etc.

Or just go to the newer restaurants that have all the foodies tweeting about: Cicchetti, The Dawson, Summer House Santa Monica, Tanta, Travelle Restaurant at The Langham Chicago, etc.

This is the time to explore flavors, chefs and cuisine in Chicago – so, start crossing restaurants off your dining list…I dare you, ready go!

Italian-Inspired Guacamole

Photo Credit: (Instagram & Twitter) - @ChiJayhawk

When in the kitchen, reinventing old classics is one of my favorite things to do. There's something about bringing your own creativity to the table and putting your signature on a dish to make it unique and unlike anything others have made or tasted before. 

Guacamole is one of my trademark dishes. Traditional guacamole includes: avocado, tomato, Serrano peppers, red onion, cilantro, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. I add fresh garlic and pomegranate seeds to give it that extra flair. After making my version of "traditional" guacamole over and over again, one day, I became inspired to try something new and "keep things interesting". I thought, why not make an Italian-inspired version of this classic dip? What would it taste like with basil, instead of cilantro? Let's find out. 

It's very important to follow the instructions and measure out exact amounts of each ingredient when baking. However, when cooking, I typically go by taste, rather than recipe. I make what I want to in that moment, so, when you create your work of food art from my blog, I encourage you to make it your own and add your own personal touch.

Ingredients:

2 Small Avocados

2-3 Tablespoons of Fresh Garlic/Onion/Shallot Mixture

Small Dash of White Horseradish

1-2 Roma Tomatoes

5 Basil Leaves

5 Drops of White Truffle Oil

1/4 Cup Creamy Toscano Cheese (can substitute for cheese of choice)

1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Package Parmesan Crisps (can substitute for croutons)

1/2 Lemon

Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

Balsamic Glaze

Servings: 2

Directions: 

Mash up the avocados to a consistency that's chunky, rather than smooth. 

In a separate dish, after dicing up the garlic, onion and shallots, combine the three ingredients, along with a small dash of white horseradish and 5 drops of white truffle oil. 

Mix together with the avocados, then add diced up tomatoes, 4 finely chopped basil leaves, diced cheese, red pepper flakes and squeeze some of the lemon. 

Take 1-2 crisps and mash up into the dip. Remember that the Parmesan crisps are to add a crunchy texture to the creamy dip, so you won't want to make breadcrumbs out of them. 

At this point, taste and season to your liking. Plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze and 1 basil leaf. 

Enjoy!