Weekend Recap: Ramen, Doughnuts & Little Goats
What a delicious weekend this was. It started out on Friday, at Wicker Park’s brand new Oiistar. “Oii” is Korean for cucumber, and as the Korean-born chef/owner told us, he wants to be a rock star, but when you pronounce it, it should roll off the tongue like “oyster.” Whatever. The four ramens on the menu – all averaging about $14 – were just spot-on. The broths in at least two of them – the Oiimen, featuring pork loin; the Musclemen (pictured, above) housing mussels, fresh scallions and a handful of chili peppers – were heady, oil-slicked vats of unctuousness. The bonito miso in the latter gave it a salty, rich punch, while the spicy oil kept my mouth alive, all the better to appreciate his al dente, homemade noodles. Look out, Slurping Turtle (and from what I gather, Aviary as well; dying to try their ramen).
Just as impressive, and finger-licking worthy, is the fried garlic chicken with slivers of roasted almonds. The Korean influence here is apparent, thanks to the pool of sesame and garlic that the chicken bathes in. It’s not exactly on the Seoul Sassy-level of addictiveness one finds at Crisp, but this was especially hard to put down, since I realized there were more bites coming; we polished it off nonetheless:
Since I live nearby, I was stoked earlier this year when Antique Taco opened just a few blocks from Big Star; my taco needs are satisfied. Now that we have a killer ramen joint though, I expect property values to rise commensurately.
Saturday morning, my son Max felt like doughnuts, so we hiked down to Glazed & Infused HQ in West Town (or is it technically West Loop?) for a few sweet, crunchy bites. Incidentally, their next location, on Armitage, near Sheffield, will open a day or two after Christmas. Being 12, he gravitated to the chocolate mint, but I opted instead for an apple cinnamon doughnut, covered in a thin sheath of salted caramel glaze, engulfed in crunchy peanuts. I needed a strong, bitter Intelligentsia to serve as a bracing balance:
On Sunday, I returned to the neighborhood before running to O’Hare, to check out Stephanie Izard’s new Little Goat Bakery. While the diner is still a few weeks from opening, the bakery is already doing a brisk business. A mini army of bakers works intently behind a large display window, shaping, kneading and baking all manner of brioche, croissant, coffeecake and assorted breads.
It’s good to see more homemade bagels in Chicago. Reno just opened a week or so ago, soaking theirs in warm honey water before baking them off in a wood-fired oven. Izard says she’s boiling hers in honey water before baking them off. They’re not St-Viateur, but who cares; it’s good to see some artisan bagels coming out of Chicago. What was more impressive were the shmears: about a half dozen are offered – each only .75 – and while my Jewish DNA appreciated the Skuna Bay salmon cream cheese, I couldn’t help but embrace the oddly-sounding-yet-surprisingly-good green bean and cashew, a nod to one of her popular veggie dishes across the street at The Girl & the Goat. Izard also has a few shelves up front for merch, like a line of custom-made maple syrups and soon, some of her popular sauces; upstairs, there’s overflow dining, room for more ambitious private dining and a killer display/teaching kitchen brought to you by the KitchenAid folks. By 10 a.m., they start serving a handful of sandwiches. I managed to get a shrimp salad and avocado, with spicy mayo and a thin, crispy masa chip the diameter of the puffy potato buns that held everything together:
I would think that property values near West Randolph would also be due for a bump, now that you’ve got crazy-delicious sandwiches being produced by not only Publican Quality Meats, but Little Goat Bakery as well.
