I thought I had heard it all. But after my g.e.b. incident, and what just happened to me a half hour ago, I’m starting to think hospitality is under siege in Chicago. I knew I had hit the jackpot last week, after I called Schwa on a whim. I was trying to get a … Continued
This week, Michael Roper is turning to a lager, but not just any lager, mind you. This one contains rye, which isn’t seen as often as you’d think. It gives this beer – Hoss – from the Great Divide Brewery in Colorado, a hint of spiciness and keeps the alcohol level relatively low. Hope you … Continued
When you think of St. Louis beers, your mind probably wanders instantly to the behemoth, Anheuser Busch. But this baseball-obsessed city also has a great little brewery called Perennial Artisan Ales, where they’re producing a Belgian-style beer that The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper is really fond of this week. It’s only 5.9% alcohol and features … Continued
It felt, for just a moment, as if I’d been back on the water near Kittery, Maine, chowing on fresh seafood, barely dressed with mayo and stuffed into lightly-toasted hot dog buns. Or was it simply a Northeastern version of skägen, the prized appetizer in Stockholm, Sweden, which marries slender, cold water shrimp with … Continued
I realize that anytime you include the words “hot dog” in a sentence about Chicago, there will be disagreement. People have talked until they’re blue in the face about the merits and pleasures of Gene & Jude’s, yet the fact they still use pencil-thin size 10s (10 to a pound) has always annoyed me. To … Continued
This week, The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper is fond of a “table beer” from Belgium. Brasserie Dupont’s Biére de Table is a refreshing sipper for this time of year, when the weather tends to leave you parched. Cheers!
Although the Fourth of July may be over, Independence Day festivities for other countries are still in full swing. This week (July 17-21), Leopold is offering a special menu to commemorate Belgian Independence Day. The Belgian restaurant is featuring a five-course menu with different beer pairings for each day of the celebration. The … Continued
I’ve been to Aspen a number of times for the Food & Wine Magazine event, but every time I go, I think to myself, there has to be more than just the Little Nell and the Jerome. I’ve seen more private jets at the Pitkin Co. Airport than I have farmer’s markets, so I … Continued
HOTCHKISS, CO – Winding along Highway 133, on the way to Paonia, a giant road sign beckons with “apricots, cherries and peaches.” It is Delicious Orchards, a must-stop for fruit savvy tourists here; a beacon for U-Pickers as well as hungry travelers. The cafe inside the tiny market has a compact menu of items that … Continued
Publican Quality Meats will be putting their products to good use this summer by rolling out a series of Sunday barbeques with two large grills in the parking lot of their restaurant/butchery. There will be full table service for a four-dish menu consisting of two meats and two vegetables, as well as a dessert, … Continued
As Chicagoans, most of us do not get many chances to experience the farming lifestyle that built the Midwest. For those wanting to explore firsthand how local foods are cultivated, Chicago Gourmets hosts Paul Grosso and Don Newcomb will lead a luxury bus tour to several Indiana farms on July 14. “A Day … Continued