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November 30, 2010

Eater Chicago: First Look at Longman & Eagle's New Hotel

Well, not a "hotel," exactly. And, as co-owner Peter Toalson told me last night, definitely not a "bed and breakfast." If only whiskey started with a "b," this place might have a more alliterative name. For now, it's the Inn. Stationed one floor above what you might call a gastropub, or a saloon. Or a Michelin-starred restaurant. Anyway, call it what you will, Logan Square's Longman & Eagle restaurant is now just two weeks away from opening its much-anticipated... hostel? Check out my post today for Eater.com for a first, inside look at the pristinely hip(ster) six-room hotel. And a big thanks to Ari Bendersky for some clutch late-night editing and for driving down there today to shoot some great pics.


We occasionally accept sponsors at 750 mL, though they have no influence on the wines we choose to review. Get 1/2 off shipping when you purchase bourbon in quantities of 6 bottles or more with code "750m79".

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November 16, 2010

Michelin, Etc.

The Michelin finally came to Chicago this year, and today they announced the city's first-ever starred restaurants. Molecular gastro-Mecca Alinea won the coveted three stars--as did the exact opposite restaurant, the pristine seafood temple that is L2o. I've been fortunate enough to eat at both. Or, I guess the word is "dine." But at once-a-decade prices, Alinea and L2o are not exactly where I'd go to catch up with a few friends visiting from out of town. (Incidentally, former Alinea chef de cuisine Jeff Pikus and former L2o assistant sommelier Jean Tomaro came together to run River North's Gilt Bar, a Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, and are now collaborating on the soon-to-be-launched Maude's Liquor Bar). The Michelin was designed to be a travel guide, and the more of these swank, reverential restaurants I see on the list, the more I realize it was meant for people who generally travel alone. Or at least like to feel like they're alone, focused completely on the dish in front of them, expecting--at all costs--a new folded napkin at their plate every time they return from the bathroom. Or cough. To be honest with you, I had to look up where the Elysian Hotel was. And that's not to say I wouldn't want to eat at the quarters' two-star Ria--in fact, I've already made a reservation. I just can't normally think of a situation where I would want to visit a hotel--whether it's for Ria, The Peninsula's Avenues (**), Park Hyatt's (brilliant) NoMI (*), Seasons (*) at The Four Seasons, or The Trump's Sixteen (*)--to chow next to a bunch of rich people from New York, or London, and probably not Logan Square. What would we even talk about? Exchange rates? Hertz Gold Club Rewards? The first thing I do when I land in a new town is grab a good drink. Planes make me edgy. But, what's more, I like to know what a city's all about, and the worst spot to do that is in my hotel, a few floors down from my luggage. Cabbing into midtown Manhattan for the first time, I remember accosting some locals for recommendations and found the wonderfully simple Manchester Pub (on 2nd Ave and E. 49th, zero stars). I went there every day I was in town, always finding time in between visits to Apiary (zero stars) and Prune (zero stars), where I got made fun of constantly for my Cubs hat. Which is how it should be. I'm not sure what I would've done if they'd sent me to Per Se (***). If you're going to guide a tourist around Chicago, just coming off the plane into O'Hare or the terrifying black hole that is the street in front of Midway Airport, you might be apt to send them first for a casual housemade beer and bacon popcorn at Revolution Brewing or a calm, crafted cocktail at The Whistler, before whisking them off to some sous-vide trotters at Trotter's (**). Which is to say, the Michelin is by no means wrong. Who in their right mind would argue against restaurants like this? The question is, what is Michelin trying to do? And how exactly is this still a tourist's guide? On a website that tells me I "may also enjoy" a Tailgating Rolling Cooler, how is there not a greater push toward what slightly more common, typical "tourists" would be interested in? Which is where, for all its faults, the Bib Gourmand comes in. Much like Parker's 90-pointers are for wine, Michelin's Bib Gourmand list for me captures all the eloquence and excitement of this city's cuisine. I can only hope it won't be overlooked. The 46 restaurants cruise through our best neighborhoods, ensuring you'll not only get a taste of our food, but our culture as well. From Avondale's Urban Belly to West Lakeview's Mixteco Grill, these are the restaurants we actually eat at. These are the places we take our friends. Not "fine dining," but perfectly fine. Chicago from the outside, looking in.

And Avec rules.

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November 11, 2010

Eat Me, 750 mL Writing for Eater.com

I've wanted to use that headline forever. No, it's not about wine. But Eater Chicago editor Ari Bendersky's been kind enough to let me contribute a few pieces to his mecca food blog. And I said "food," not "foodie." It's what had me eagerly anticipating the launch of this site for the past two years--the timely info and fresh writing without any of that gourmand bullshit that goes along with so many other food sites. You'll see my posts trickle in throughout the day--starting a couple days ago and going on into the afternoon. I won't bore you with constant updates, but I hope you'll check them out. You can keep up by following me on Twitter @750_mL (note the stupid underscore). And, if you're not in Chicago, the rest of the site's got plenty for you, too. Afterall, what's all this wine without a little food? Well, it's a lot of awesome wine, but you get my point.

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November 04, 2010

So This is What Real People Sound Like

Congratulations to Mike P., who you may know from future guest spots on No Reservations or interviews on various foodie blogs, if he ever bothers to turn on a computer again. Mike's essay "Late Nights" recently brought home the motherload of all prizes: personal props from globetrotting savant Anthony Bourdain, who likely read, nodded to, and rubber stamped the piece as winner of the Medium Raw essay contest while boarding up his windows with some 2x4s and singing "Here She Comes Now" in Haiti. It's a short, humbling piece about the point of good food and one--as an entrant in the contest myself--I couldn't be happier won. As I read through the submissions over the past few weeks, they all seemed to fall into one of a handful of buckets: something unintelligibly foodie, the answer "why do anything anything well? because you can/we're blessed/why not?/you deserve it!," and here are some swear words I think Tony Bourdain would like. Late Nights--one of the shortest entries at only 300-some-odd words--was nestled in among those masses and, from reading it, I couldn't help but wonder where the hell Mike found out about this contest in the first place. Which is what made it so wonderfully genuine and, well, Bourdain. For all its sentiment (and, honestly, how can you not be sentimental when trying to answer a question like "why cook well?"), the essay had one thing more than any of the other nearly 2,000 entries did: honesty. In short, he loves his wife and his wife loves him. And so cooking obviously takes on a much larger meaning. Feeding is what Mike was talking about, and you can't help but think of a young Bourdain when reading this. That's why we like things like fried bologna, chicken tikka, pot roast, tamales, or, in Mike's case, rice and chicken. We don't eat these things--we're fed them. So Mike, if your routes ever take you through Chicago, get in touch. I'd love to pour you a beer. Go read his essay here. Or, better yet, wait a few months. It's coming out in paperback soon.

We occasionally accept sponsors at 750 mL, though they have no influence on the wines we choose to review. If it bothers you as a reader, please email me at 750mL.blogspot@gmail.com. I will personally read it and think this over some more. In the meantime: Receive 50% off shipping when you buy wine in quantities of 6 bottles or more with code "750m49"

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