Stuff yourself with the ultimate comfort food – Mac & Cheese Fest

Sat – Oct 4th – UIC Forum – 12-3pm

English: Slices of macaroni and cheese pizza s...
English: Slices of macaroni and cheese pizza served at CiCi’s restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia

Who doesn’t love mac & cheese? It was a go-to choice for my kids growing up. I remember being appalled at the amount of butter called for on the Kraft® box, so I always cut that in half and added some grated cheddar cheese. Amazingly, the dish is still a favorite with them, even though they’re long grown up.

My mom used to make her homemade version for us nine kids on our Catholic meatless Fridays. She boiled some good old elbow macaroni ‘til it was mushy, then laced it with a bit of butter (later, when life took one of its strange twists and my milkman dad stopped bringing home free butter, with margarine) and a little bit of grated government-issued American cheese.

No offense, mom-up-in-heaven, the stuff from the box tasted way better.

But soon you and I will have a chance to taste – all we can eat, really – of chef-created new approaches to this glorious food. The first annual Mac & Cheese Chicago Fest to be held Saturday, October 4 at UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., will feature approximately 60 Chicago chefs bringing us their versions of Mac and Cheese. We’ll find dishes direct their restaurant’s menu and/or inspired by their particular culture or family traditions.

Don’t think you’ll see just Kraft-type straight cylindrical or grandma’s curved-stovepipe shapes. These chefs are invited to build their creations from any kind of pasta with any type of cheese. You and a panel of foodies will vote for your favorites – and the winner will take home “The Golden Noodle” award.

Come on out and sample the huge selection of macaroni and cheese entrees, appetizers and sides and wash ‘em all down with craft beers, wines and soft drinks. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana. Below are some of the participating restaurants:

676 Restaurant and Bar
American Junkie
Bar Pastoral
Big G’s Pizza
Barn & Company
Black Rock Pub & Kitchen
Blackfinn Ameripub
BourBonQue
Carlucci Restaurant & Bar
Carnivale
Chicago Q
Connie’s Pizza
deca Restaurant + Bar
Enolo Wine Bar
ESTATE Ultra Bar
Famous Dave’s
Farmhouse Tavern
Fiesta Mexicana Restaurants
Grange Hall Burger Bar
Halsted’s Bar + Grill
Jake Melnick’s
JP Burkes Patio & Tap
Kitty O’Sheas
Meat
Municipal Bar
Orso’s Restaurant
Park Tavern
Puffs of Doom
Real Comfort American Kitchen
Rockit Bar & Grill
RoSal’s
Rudy’s Bar and Grille
Schubas’ Harmony Grill
South Water Kitchen
Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap
State Restaurant
Table Fifty-Two
The Kerryman Bar & Restaurant
The Southern
Ugly Mug Café
Viand Chicago
and more!

To sponsor, contact Cece Gonzales for information at 312.730.8262 or cece@raymiproductions.com.

 

How’d they make it that color? Provence dry rosé wines

 

Français : Dégustation de Rosé de Provence
Français : Dégustation de Rosé de Provence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you’re a baby boomer like me, you remember the time when the term rosé attached to a wine meant an overly sweet, syrupy libation called white zinfandel. To most of us in the U.S. back then, that’s all the rosé there was – unless you were already a serious wine aficionado, which meant, of course, knowing French wines because France was considered the source of good wines.

Today, the rosé movement across the United States is all about crisp, food-friendly pink wines, most of which come from Provence in the south of France. You can learn more from a new book out called Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living by Viktorija Todorovska, a well-traveled author who writes with love about Provence food and drink and includes recipes she makes at home for her friends.

The book tells about pairing Provence dry rosés with food and tells you where to find these wines outside of Europe. Plus, in case you’re moved to get thee hence, she shares a multitude of tips on where to go and what to do when you’re in that delicious part of the world.

Friends and I recently enjoyed a dinner of Provence wines paired with dishes from Viktorija’s cookbook at the beautifully restored restaurant side (reopened in 2012) of The House of Glunz wine and spirits shop, where they carry a select group of fine wines and spirits. Though many are on the pricier side, you’ll also see baskets of highly rated yet affordable deals. The folks who work there know wines and spirits and can help you pick out just the right bottle to fit your taste and your budget.Description : gamme de couleur de vins rosés d...

Meanwhile, if you’ve tasted many of these beautiful dry rosé wines, you know they’re loaded with character and body and come in a gorgeous variety of pinks and salmons. Ever wonder how they do that?

Well, there’s a whole institute dedicated to it in Provence. Since 1999, experts at the Center for Research and Experimentation on Rosé Wine in Vidauban, Provence, have been studying the question of color. They’ve identified four factors that determine the shade of pink a Provence rosé will exhibit, from light to darker, with more of a purplish hue or one that leans toward coral (i.e., salmon pink). Here they are:  

Grape variety. All Provence rosés are made mainly from red grapes, but some have more pigment in their skins than others. Those yield the darker pinks.

Climatic conditions. Provence is a country of varying terrains, all with distinct differences in temperature, sun, and soil. In a recent five-year experiment, researchers made wines with exactly the same grape varieties and using the same vinification methods. Growing conditions alone produced striking color variations along with variations in acidity, aroma, and flavor. Proof positive that “like great white and red wines, rosé wines are also ‘wines of terroir.’”

Temperature control during winemaking. Temperature control in Provence begins at harvest (conducted at night, when the grapes are their coolest) and includes the use of refrigerated presses, thermo-regulated fermentation tanks, and cold aging facilities — all to preserve the freshness and color of the wine.

→ View video: “The Making of Provence Rosé: Temperature Control

Skin contact time. Finally, what color your finished wine is depends on how long the grape skins are in contact with the clear juices. The shorter the time, the paler the wine. Provence’s palest wines start with pressing grapes right after picking. For deeper-colored rosés, grapes are crushed and then soaked (or macerated) – skins and juice together – for 2 to 20 hours at a specific temperature. Then the pink juice is released into the fermentation tank.

Provence wines are the gold standard for rosé. These winemakers are continually investing in ways to make sure these wines offer beauty, freshness, and balance in a glorious range of colors. For more information visit www.winesofprovence.com and on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

P.S. I like the palest colors the best. ” )

Byron’s – hot dogs at the White House

MrPresident3by5
Byron’s owners Mike & Ann Payne with the POTUS
Only he-men dare!
Only he-men dare!

Did you know the owners of a Chicago legend, Byron’s Hot Dogs, were invited to serve their fare to the President and First Lady at the White House? Yep. Theirs was one of only four restaurants chosen to participate in a picnic-on-the-lawn back in 2011. Byron’s represented the entire Midwest. You go, Chicago Byron’s!

The picture is of the Lord Byron burger – a quadruple burger with cheese on every patty.  Mustard, relish, onion, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, tomato, pickle and celery salt. Hot peppers on request.  Owner Mike Payne said this was the burger featured on Chicago’s Best television show on Channel 9 – where they asked him to eat one on screen. He couldn’t finish it. Mike said they sell a surprising number of these giant concoctions. Are you up for one? Byron’s also offers normal-sized dogs, burgers and a pretty tasty veggie burger, all with fresh veggies to your taste. Good fries, too. Two locations: 1701 W. Lawrence – the bigger store with lots of indoor seating, and 1017 W. Irving Park – limited stool seating plus an outdoor space that’s heated in winter. Order ahead online.