Monthly Archives: August 2010

August 31, 2010 · 9:29 PM

A New Place for… Thai Groceries

Having just gotten back from Thailand we were eager to try recreating some of our favorite dishes at home. There used to be a store on Argyle appropriately called “Thai Grocery” but it closed semi-recently. Without any other obviously-named choices, we were pleased when we randomly saw a sign on a store on Dempster proclaiming “We now carry Thai Groceries”.

The aptly named Uni-Mart mainly sells Filipino food (both in a restaurant and grocery store), there was a healthy helping of Thai food mixed in. There was a huge selection of canned Thai sauces and bags of cookies, but what most intrigued us was the beverage selection. Happily, we found both of the items (both beverages) that we were looking for – Milo ($3.25), a powdered chocolate malt drink and loose Thai Tea ($1.85).

The Thai Tea was an especially fortuitous find since we like to brew our own Thai iced teas and all of the blends we had tried in America had not been up to snuff (Thai Tea is very fine, full of red dye and contains other spices like Vanilla and cinnamon). We are happy to report that it was worth many times the $1.85 we had paid for it. We are looking forward to visiting the Uni-Mart again to sample some more Thai groceries and hopefully try out some Filipino food too, a regretfully blank spot on our global food quest.

Uni-Mart
7315 Dempster Street
Niles, IL 60714

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August 18, 2010 · 8:19 AM

Malaysia: The Food of Jalan Alor

Jalan Alor is known as Kuala Lumpur’s “eating street.” Much like Singapore’s hawker markets, Jalan Alor is lined with small stalls and some larger restaurants, each boasting a specialty or regional cuisine. By day it looks a little quiet, most of the food stalls are shuttered, and the street is full of parked cars. But by night, Jalan Alor explodes and overflow seating takes over nearly the entire street.

We arrived at Jalan Alor at about 2 PM, and it was just about a ghost town, however we did manage to scrounge up some eats. We ducked into one of the few open stand for some curry. Malaysia and Singapore boast many of the same types of cuisines, so the food was familiar to us. M ordered a bowl of BBQ Pork with noodles and I got the dry curry mee, a gritty curry that is almost more like a marinade than a sauce. BBQ of various types, including BBQ chicken wings is one of the specialties on Jalan Alor, and M enjoyed the sweet and spicy tamarind sauce.

After a foot-busting day of wandering around KL, we arrived back at Jalan Alor at about 11Pm, and it was absolutely packed. This time we didn’t have to search out food – it was everywhere. For our late night dinner we split a large carrot cake. Carrot cake in Malaysia, also called chai tow kway, is not what it seems. Instead of a cakelike texture “carrot cake” is almost like a Spanish frittata, and is an egg dish full of daikon, radishes and green onions,  stir fried in soy sauce. Noshing on our carrot cake under an umbrella on a crowded street was the perfect way to finish our 12-hour tour of KL.

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August 14, 2010 · 9:31 AM

Venezuela via NYC: Caracas Arepas

Caracas Arepas
93 1/2 E 7th St
New York, NY

There is something about carbs with tasty fillings (especially cheese) that get us every time. Pretty much every culture has a national version of this combo – and Venezuela has arepas. In New York one of the hottest places for brunch makes some killer arepas.

On our last trip to NYC we headed to Caracas with a group of NYC-native friends for a Saturday morning brunch. Seems like we were not the only ones with the idea for some mid-morning arepas. There was a wait out the door – so we took ours to go and eat in nearby Tompkins Square Park.

I ordered the A10, the La Del Gato, which was filled with guayanés cheese, fried sweet plantains and avocado slices ($6.25), but they forgot it and gave me a chorizo arepa instead, a bit of a bummer. We didn’t find out til we were well into Tompkins park so I ended up trading for A-14, La Jardinera  ($6.25) vegetarian with our all too accommodating friend Ashley (Thanks Ashley!). Too bad for me though, since I hear the Del gato is amazing.

But in the end, I really enjoyed my trade-in. The Jardinera had grilled eggplants, sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions and guayanés cheese.   The arepa was near-faultless except for the fact that all of the cheese was concentrated at the bottom M ordered the A-20 La Sureña  ($7.50) grilled chicken and chorizo, with avocado slices and chimichurri sauce. M loved the chorizo arepa, which had a bit of a kick.

As we noshed in the park we also split an order of fried plaintains. In the end we did not miss eating in the cramped space and enjoyed the warm weather outside. Other than the mix – up on our order. Guess it gives me an excuse to go back and order the De La Gato someday.

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August 12, 2010 · 8:05 AM

Singapore: Nonya Cuisine

Another cuisine unique to the culinary playground that is Singapore is Nonya (or Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine) a mix of Chinese techniques and Malaysian spaces a product of marriages between Chinese workers and local Malays in the early days of Singapore’s history.

Possibly the most famous Peranakan dish is Laksa Lemak, which we sampled in a hawker market in Chinatown. Hawker Markets are basically giant food courts (either open-air or inside) with tons of stalls specializing in different cuisines and sometimes different foods. We enjoyed our Laksa in a hawker market in Singapore’s Chinatown, which was also the site of our first Durian encounter.

Laksa is quintessentially Singaporean and Malaysian and is a spicy seafood curry, and one of the most popular Nonya dishes. The primary ingredients are coconut milk, chili paste and shrimp, though depending on where you get your laksa you might get a dish with the addition of blood or cuttlefish. Rasa Malaysia has a recipe for Laska, as does Top Hat, a famous KL eatery.

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August 10, 2010 · 8:56 AM

A New Place for… Brazilian Groceries in Chicago

Well it may not be new, per se, it is new for us. Pepe’s Supermercado is a combo liquor and food store, with a Brazilian Grocery selection about equal to Brasil Legal, the Brazilian general store just down the street on Western, but with a much larger alcohol selection.

Pepe’s had a selection of Brazilian cookies, sodas and snacks as well as a refrigerator full of chouriço and caipury cheese. Needless to say, everything is a tad pricy, but is comparatively good. We found a bag of tapioca flour for 2 dollars cheaper than we found at Whole Foods. Forget about the Pao de Quiejo mixes – now we make our own from scratch.

Supermercado Pepe’s
2335 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL

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August 8, 2010 · 1:54 PM

Korean Tacos sweep the nation

koreaMexico FlagSpeaking of world cuisines, a type of fusion that we had never seen before – Asian-influenced tacos – is making its way across the nation. Originating in California, the New York Times describes the arrival of Korean-Style Tacos across the nation. One restaurant, Taco Chino, is even located in Chicago. LTH Forum describes the Taco Chino experience here.

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August 6, 2010 · 9:40 AM

The Rise and Fall of French Cuisine

The London Review of Books has a great review of a new book, Au Revoir to All That: The Rise and Fall of French Cuisine by Michael Steinberger about the role of French Cuisine in tastemaking over time. The book argues that in the past few decades French cuisine has lost its grip on the culinary imagination – but why? Simply put – failure to innovate. While France does its version of haute cuisine well, it does not do innovation as well as the US or Spain (among other locations). This, coupled with changing attitudes about food both inside and outside of France were the death-knell to France’s hold on world cuisine. I’d definitely be interested in this read.

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August 5, 2010 · 9:15 AM

Dosa paradise on Devon: Udupi Palace

Udupi Palace
2543 W. Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL

Forget the decor, forget the service (both of which were fine) this place is all about dosa. Outrageous, gigantic, gut-busting dosas. We knew we were in the right place when we walked into a restaurant on a Wednesday night and it was absolutely packed. Udupi Palace is a vegetarian restaurant, but there were enough options to please us carnivores just fine. The menu offers a wide range of South Indian dishes including dosas (giant crepes stuffed with filling).

To start out with we had the Udupi Special Assortment with medhu vada (Fried lentil donuts), vegetable samosa,  aloo bonda (potato dumplings), chilly pakora (deep fried chili peppers) (all this for $7). L ordered the  Paper Masala Dosai, filled with potatoes and onions ($6.50). Always on the hunt for spicy foods M ordered the Mysore Masala Dosai ($7.50) filled with hot chutney, potato and onion.

Upon arrival, our outrageous dosai that completely dwarfed the plate. Both wre delicious, though M could have handled a little more spice. But that was quickly fixed with the addition of the array of sauces provided on the table including hot pepper and Matt’s favorite – raita.  Though M and I were wolfing down on dosai, one of our party even veered from the dosai and got some mattar paneer, which also got the thumbs up.

Udupi Palace provided a huge amount of the food for the price – which lasted us 2 meals apiece – and they even packed the sauces to bring home with us. You’ll never look at the simple crepe the same way again.

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August 4, 2010 · 8:23 AM

Thailand: Enjoying Chaa Yen in Bangkok

We love Thai iced teas stateside and were pleased to learn that they actually are popular in Thailand as well (unlike some other of our favorite Thai dishes). Thai Iced teas are called “Chaa Yen” in Thai which literally means “Tea Iced.” Haphazardly we found out that by ordering a cha yen flavored smoothie at an Au Bon Pain outside the Grand Palace (not our finest culinary moment).

A typical Chaa Yen is an uber-sweet, red, spiced Thai tea with condensed milk. The best Thai iced tea we had was in Chinatown in Bangkok from a mobile coffee stand called Coffee Cop on Rachawongse. The proprietor could not be nicer and the Chaa Yen was amazing! Back home, we have tried to recreate the recipe, with varying success. Thai tea is somewhat difficult to get in the US, so we have had some luck using Vanilla-flavored Rooibos instead.

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August 3, 2010 · 9:05 PM

Australia via NYC: Tuck Shop

Tuck Shop
115 St. Marks Place
New York

We thought we would never get a restaurant from Australia, until we went there, that is. Suffice to say that when M and I learned about Tuck Shop, an Australian restaurant in Manhattan, we had to go. Lest we question the authenticity of the joint,  it was full of Australian tourists to New York and an Australian server manning the counter. The restaurant itself was tiny, with only room for about 8 to sit, and some counter space, with just enough room for an Australian flag.

The menu was rather limited and the majority of the entrees were savory pies (with a small assortment of soups and salads). Being assured that it was the traditional Aussie way to go, we decided to try a range of pies: from Macaroni and cheese ($6) to Green Thai curry ($5.50) and Vegetarian chili ($5.50). Perhaps the carb-bomb that is a Mac N cheese pie would be lost on most people, but L loved it. The Thai curry pie was more well balanced, and the vegetarian chili had us asking if he was sure it was vegetarian. It was that convincing.

For dessert, we tried to order the famous Aussie cookies, Tim Tams, but they had run out. Even without the added sugar rush of the Tim Tams, dinner at the Tuck Shop was a hearty carb-bomb that filled us right up, though it probably speaks to the mixed culinary legacy left by the Brits.

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August 1, 2010 · 9:09 PM

Southeast Asia: The Mighty Durian

Until this trip we had never tasted Durian before. Its reputation as a horrendously stinky yet somehow delectable fruit, along with its spiky appearance, intrigued us. I mean, Durians are banned on the subway in Singapore, how could we not be intrigued?

Our first real experience with a Durian was at a hawker market in Singapore’s Chinatown. The whole bottom floor of the hawker market was dedicated to produce. At one stall there was a woman carefully cutting and slicing bits of a Durian, with its signature spiky skin and yellow fruit. Curiously, there was no smell as we approached. We steeled ourselves and bought a small section of Durian for a few cents. The flavor itself was nutty, creamy and papaya-like (almost). We were surprised to say we pretty much liked Durian!

Our second experience with a Durian was in Malaysia – we were at a big glossy mall in Kuala Lumpur and Durian gelato was for sale at a stand. However, we did not have the same experience as in Singapore – and this second Durian product had a knock-out aftertaste and a garlicky flavor. So our experience with the Durian was mixed, don’t know if we’ll be up for a third round – maybe the next time we are in SE Asia.

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