So long, Chicago: Some Sugar Bliss to see me off

My final post from Chicago, fittingly, ends on a sweet note. My last day in the city had culminated in a stroll downtown on a brisk but bright day. And lo and behold, where should I find myself (completely coincidentally, of course...) but in front of Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique on Wabash. Well, I had to get something, right? Right?

So get something I did. They had a tempting away of cupcakes, both full-size and mini-size, and I almost went for an assortment of the minis. However, the one flavor I really did want to try was the chocolate cake with white frosting, and sadly, they were out of that mini version. Guess I'd just have to man up and get a full-sized cupcake.

After carting the precious thing around all day, trying desperately (and largely successfully) not to crush it, I got the little bugger back to my hotel room and tucked in. And boy, was it good.

Only a bit worse for wear!

The chocolate cake was fudgy and moist while still being light-- not sticky but not fluffy, occupying that hallowed middle ground in between. It was incredibly, incredibly satisfying. The frosting, piped in an attractive daisy pattern crowned with a small chocolate button, was smooth and creamy; while it wasn't greasy, it had a bit of a shortening mouthfeel and aftertaste to it, which prevented it from being truly stellar. Regardless, the combination of cake and frosting certainly got the job done.

Mmm, devil's food chocolate cake

Yes, Sugar Bliss is currently over a thousand miles away from me, but next time I'm in town you can bet I'll stop by. And if you're anywhere closer to Chicago than I am, I encourage you to do the same.

Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique
115 N. Wabash, Chicago
312-845-9669

More Chicago: To the Firehouse!

I've blogged about my adventures at Bin 36 in Chicago, but that wasn't the only restaurant that got some love while I was in town. One evening, I was looking for a quick dinner relatively near our hotel, and so I made my way to the Chicago Firehouse.

I first wanted to sit at the bar, but the bar was completely full, so the hostesses sat me at a very, very awkward table-for-two located pretty much in the vestibule of the restaurant. It was constantly buffeted by cross-winds and was thus pretty chilly, meaning I spent dinner in my scarf and hat. And it was right in the pathway of passing traffic and speeding waiters, which meant I felt I was in the way the whole time. I know I'm only a single diner, but c'mon, Firehouse, don't make it obvious that you don't want me there...

Anyway, to the food. There was fresh bread, which I had a bit of; it was appealing in texture but a bit off in flavor. Huh.

Warm but not too tasty

But the real win here was the salad. I chose the house salad, with baby spinach, green apple, spiced pecans, and sherry vinaigrette. I requested a replacement for the usual blue cheese, and they gladly substituted parmesan. May I say right here that despite all the other issues going on at the Firehouse, this salad was incredible. Truly top-notch. It was incredibly tasty, with all the ingredients melding together yet still asserting themselves in the way that truly characterizes a good salad. I could have eaten a trough-load of this.

Stellar salad

After gorging on salad, I checked out the dessert menu, but nothing really appealed. So after paying the check (a process that apparently required two false-starts before the waiter actually delivered the check-holder with my appropriate bill in it), I skipped on down the street to Marble Slab creamery, where I got a cup of their cinnamon-apple flavor ice cream. It pretty much defined "nothing special"-- it tasted like apple pie and was cool and creamy, but it was slightly gummy in texture and was unremarkable in every other way. Oh well.

Meh.

Oh, and ice cream in November in Chicago? It makes you cold. Fun fact.

While I'd like to dock the Firehouse for service lapses, that salad was so damn good that I still have to give the restaurant three Offset Spatulas. If I'm ever in the area again, I would actually return to have that dish again; I'd just be sure to bring a dining companion. Maybe that was the Firehouse's goal all along?

The Chicago Firehouse
1401 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
312-786-1401

More Chicago: Tavern at the Park

While Bossman and I were in Chicago for our conference, we set out one night in search of a nice dinner. Our first choice, Gage, was insanely packed, so we left and wandered up Michigan Avenue to see what we could find. Unfortunately, what we found was driving sleet, so we dashed into the first welcoming restaurant we could find: Tavern at the Park.

There was a lengthy wait here, too, but we hovered by the bar and grabbed two bar seats relatively quickly. Two drinks-- a beer for Bossman; a glass of Valpolicella for me (yum)-- and we were set. Then the food arrived.

Bossman went with a chopped steak cheeseburger with American cheese and a side of delicious, delicious fries. This burger was huge and was pronounced delicious.

Burger dwarfs bun

An extra side of garlic parmesan broccoli was unimaginably rich-- swimming in a bath of melted something (garlic butter?) and covered in cheese, this was broccoli at its most sinful.

Looks virtuous, but...

My choice was the goat cheese and beet salad. I'd say this was ah-kay; it was an enormous portion, but the beets were a tiny bit overcooked and over-coated with dressing. The candied walnuts were delicious, though.

Bigger than it appears

And such was our dinner. We both left stuffed and headed back to the hotel for some sleep before another full day of conferencing. Overall, Tavern at the Park was one of Chicago's entrants in the three Offset Spatula market: decent food, a comfortable ambiance-- it gets the job done.

Tavern at the Park
130 E. Randolph Street, Chicago
312-552-0070

Bin 36: My wine bar away from home

Last week, I was in Chicago for a work conference. Upon the recommendation of the hotel's concierge, I ventured out of our conference-center surroundings and made it up to Bin 36 twice during my stay. And let me say-- if I lived in Chicago, Bin 36 would be one of my most-visited, regular spots.

It's a huge, cavernous, airy space, filled with tables laden with cheese boards and happy people drinking wine. As a huge bonus to my wine century quest, they offer half-glasses of wine, so you can try lots of different types of wine as you nibble on some delicious food. Over the course of my two visits there, I tried a Sauvignon blanc/Semillon/Muscadelle blend, a Grenache blanc/Marsanne/Rousanne blend, a Cortese/Gavi blend, and a delightful sparkling rose. It was great to get so many unusual wine options on one by-the-glass list.

Wines with explanation cards

Sparkling rose!

But what about the food? They offer small, wine-friendly bites with a huge selection of cheese. My first time there, I started with the Bin 36 Market Salad, with organic greens, dates, pistachios, pecorino cheese, and honey-champagne vinaigrette. It was incredibly fresh and light and tasty, each ingredient zinging against the mouthwatering wine.

YUM!

Afterwards, I was still a bit hungry, so I ordered a dish of olives. This $5 starter was a veritable trough of olives, all mixed with thyme, anise, garlic, and orange zest. This was salty and tender and spicy all at once. And did I mention it was an enormous portion?

More olives than could be consumed by one table

To cap off the meal, I ordered a dish of house-made ice creams. There was chocolate and pistachio and a honey-rum (I think) concoction-- three tiny scoops. Surprisingly, I liked the pistachio best; I tend not to like pistachio-flavored desserts, but this ice cream had some good texture and some extra creaminess from the nuts.

Tiny ice cream boules

On my next visit, I ordered the endive, watercress, and pear salad, with goat cheese rather than blue cheese. This was another fresh, tasty, flavorful mixture, all capped off with a handful of roasted spiced seeds (I think they were pumpkin seeds). Unfortunately, it seemed that the chef had grabbed the bottom handful of the seed bin, so along with the seeds themselves was a handful of almost pure-salt spice dust. The bites that were laden with dust were chokingly salty, which made parts of the salad almost inedible. Other than that, though, this was another memorable concoction.

Minus the nuts... delish

I cannot recommend Bin 36 highly enough-- it's a friendly, welcoming place for some great wine and some good food. Next time I'm in Chicago, you can bet I'll be back.

Bin 36
336 North Dearborn, Chicago, IL
312-755-9463