Best Food 2012 by LifeSauce

Another year has allowed me more remarkable and unique dining experiences. In myriad ways, culinary adventures in Miami, New York, Chicago, Washington DC and New Orleans standout in my mind. Some restaurants are long-standing local favorites that have endured over the years, serving-up goodness to fill bellies and warm hearts, while others are establishments of trained chefs who have earned prestigious accolades. A couple of restaurants in the list tug hard on the pocket strings, but prove to be worth the cash if possible. A handful are easy on the wallet and out of this world—a little something for everyone.

Chicago
Spiaggia Cafe's polpette, or meatballs, are airy and hearty. In a cooking class hosted in the restaurant's ballroom overlooking Lake Michigan, a special few of us had Chef Tony Montuano walk us through preparing meatballs like his grandmother used to. The cafe is a more casual scene than the award-winning Spiaggia known for it's high-end Italian cuisine.








Miami
Yardbird, just off Lincoln Avenue in South Beach, has been praised by The New York Times and GQ for its exquisite Southern cuisine. Bon Appétit magazine listed it as one of the Fifty Best New Restaurants of 2012. Yardbird Executive Chef Jeff McInnis was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef, South. Surrounded by historical Art Deco architecture, hipsters and trendsetters, it's easy to enjoy the decadent, wholesome menu items.




The deviled eggs with smoked trout roe are extraordinary, not too salty and a soft texture. The fried chicken on a biscuit sandwich has been, clearly, practiced and made to perfection. After the dozen or so biscuits I tried in the South, the lightness of the middle and easy crust on the outside 'takes the cake', if you will. Typically I'm not one for fried chicken. And of course I've tried a few recipes in my time, so I can tell this: the chicken at Yardbird will make you want to dance out of your seat, or run chicken run, as they say at this flourishing hot spot. The breading is thick around the bird, seasoned right with a touch of spicy punch and moist on the inside. It's served with homemade pepper jam, which I think puts the 'cherry on top' of this quality sandwich giving a Southern belle-like sweetness to the entire dish.












New Orleans
Mother's has been around for all of this Southern city's ups and downs, serving blue and white collar clientele regularly. The Ferdi is fantastic. A little much for me, but a great big sandwich of slow cooked pulled beef and sliced ham make this one palate pleaser. The atmosphere of the place is slow and easy, just like The Big Easy. Be prepared to wait at most times of the day. Get there early for the famous black ham.




Chef John Besh offers an innovative take on a traditional étouffée that simply melted me at his restaurant Lüke in New Orleans, his home town. With a touch of saffron and cream served over pasta and shrimp cooked perfectly, the dish is Su-perb. I haven't tried putting this one together at home yet, but will in 2013.




New York City
Vezzo in Midtown proved to make delicious pizzas, so delicious in fact that I returned in my few short days in Manhattan - yes, even with so many other options around the island. Here's why.




Vezzo has a small individual sized pizza on the menu that is just the right size without having much leftover. There's an organic Malbec on the menu that's $8.00 - a bargain in the concrete jungle (I had a hard time finding a Sauvignon Blanc for under thirteen).




The Caesar salad is simple, clean romaine lettuce and cool creamy dressing, not a lot of anchovy or garlic. Pepperoni at Vezzo is big and crisps nicely in the oven. The spot offers all of my favorite toppings—broccoli, feta, jalapeños and sun-dried tomatoes. I think it just might be my favorite pizza in the world now.












San Diego
Slater's 50/50 has fast become a hit in San Diego and its newest location in Pasadena. Started by a duo of UCSD grads, the signature patty is a combination of ground beef and ground bacon. There's a plethora of toppings to choose from including the house bacon ketchup and over one hundred beers on tap.




Washington DC
Proof in Washington DC came highly recommended by my hosts who explained the charcuterie boards to be exquisite. Again, I tried the deviled eggs here. They were great with the smoked fish. My favorite discovery though ended up being the side dish of broccoli bagna cauda. Bagna cauda is a sauce made with butter and anchovy paste in northern Italy typically used for dipping raw vegetables. Executive Chef Haidar Karoum of Lebonese descent has created a perfect spin on this old traditional dish by tossing the veggie in the sauce with crisped garlic slices.




Best view: Cape Town's Salt in South Africa, an excellent place for a local, crisp Sauvignon Blanc




Experience(s) of the Year: Chicago's Moto and Tru.






I am truly grateful for each experience listed here. Cheers to a wonderful 2012 and a happy and healthy 2013—and more!

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Tru Delight in Chicago

Stepping inside the unobtrusive vestibule of Tru—in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago between the lake and Michigan Avenue, north of the river—felt more unassuming and quiet than we had expected. From the entrance we eagerly peered into the connecting room of simple white walls enhanced by art with pops of color that lured us further in to explore. It appeared to be like an art museum's latest contemporary exhibit hall more than it did a four-star fine-dining restaurant. I was wholly intrigued.




The collection of art is impressive boasting a matte royal blue statue from French Nouveau Realism great Yves Klein (Venus Bleue, 1961, pigment on plaster). Klein patented International Klein Blue, this pigment mixed with a special agent that maintains the color's intensity across mediums—canvas, paper, wood, plaster, glass. He believed that monochrome 'represents the idea of absolute unity in perfect serenity' and that this vibrant blue hue, specifically, 'awakens spiritual energy'. Klein is often attributed to being a leader of performance art, for example, painting models in his signature color and having them roll their bodies on canvas to one monotone of music—boom, a new creative outlet was born.




Another piece, a mirror-box lined with red neon tube lights, creates an infinite look to the reflection, as if we could reach our arm through and down a never-ending hallway.



For a moment there was no one around us but the walls and the art.




It was serene, and humbling—and for the emotion it withdrew, demanded acknowledgement and respect. The time gave us an Inception second to respond to our surroundings and wishfully anticipate what might come next in our progressive French dining experience.




The main dining room is simple and elegant, with tall walls white as snow lined with floor length flowing curtains. As the room expanded over the course of our experience, the gorgeous, various shaped wine glasses created a frame around an Andy Warhol piece of Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn reversal series, 1979.1986, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen on canvas).

The artistry seamlessly continues throughout the Chef's Collection of nine whimsical courses that delight and inspire. Executive chef Anthony Martin has led the kitchen solely at Tru since 2010, working as chef de cuisine previously and earning stripes at Las Vegas resorts Wynn and MGM. Young at thirty years old, he earned the honor of being named Chef of the Year 2010 by the Chicago Tribune.




Martin created 'caviar' with smoked sturgeon made into a mousse by mixing wine, spices and gelatin. When extracted into a syringe, the mousse easily releases into a cold oil bath turning it into tiny pellets that closely resemble luxurious fish eggs frequently shared with chilled vodka in Russia.

The caviar was light and tasty and combined well with the richness of the avocado spread it rested on in a tin jar. Further, the jar was perched on a pile of coarse sea salt. Unlike real caviar, the mousse pellets lacked the burst when we bite-in. You can watch Martin explain his creative process on YouTube. He initially made the video for a Dinner Party earlier in the year.







Elegantly put together in a large, clean white bowl, stacked atop two layers of plain white plates, the golden yellow of the squash soup brightened the table. The soup was creamed with small cubes of al dente squash drizzled with bright hints of alba white truffle. Beside the cup was a burgundy harvest garnish that foiled the leaf shaped Parmesan crackers resting on a stack of white linens. The terroir of the rich mushroom was emboldened with each sip of the Guiberteau Chenin Blanc with zesty citrus notes.




Foi gras was served beautifully seared, surrounded by a ring of round droplets so that from a distance the dish looks almost planetary in a white abyss. Every bite was buttery, flavorful and light.








In 2006 the City of Chicago banned foi gras, which is fattened duck liver enhanced by force feeding the animals. The inclusion of foi on menus has been a point of controversy in the culinary world for some time. Tru and Spiaggia mimicked the delicacy in two different ways shortly after the ban (which has since been lifted) impressing the Tribune's food critic Phil Vettel. Even though the dish was tasty, it will probably be my last time for foi.












The grand finale of Tru's culinary performance was a dessert of vanilla parfait, compressed pineapple and banana. The fruits rested on a square mirror clutched in a small white monkey's hands. The delivery was bold. It was fresh—and we shared a wonderful laugh about it. The finale gave us one final dig into a world of food just as unique as our exhibit-like surroundings.
Tru proved to be a wonderful culinary adventure. Each course was paired with wine from all over the world - California, Greece and France to name a few. It was exciting to try wines with varied terroir that boldened every dish. All together the experience was stretching; it expanded my concept of dining, food, art and performance, surely a Warhol-approved evening.








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Chelsea's GastroMarket haven near High Line

Tradeshow food is terribly bad and superbly overpriced. No matter what city you're in – even Manhattan – there's little effort, it seems, in producing something more to serve than a stodgy stomach filler. Sadly the same can be said for the majority of airports.




Therefore we were fortunate for a full hour and a half break for lunch within the conference program at an event held in New York City's Javits Center. After days of rain and cloud covered skies, the city was finally glistening in the summer sun and its people were eager to catch some warming rays and fresh air. We were stuck inside four walls. No windows.




Outside, nearby, good is what we needed to perk up for the afternoon discussions. The expo hall is located just north of Chelsea; walking south from Javits along the Hudson after work the night before, I noticed the sign at Jezalin's GastroMarket offering a 'patio in back'. If it was sunny eventually, the place had potential to be an obscure gem. Mental note.




And wow, indeed it is precious — very. Tall trees lined with green leaves backed by the bright sun cast dancing shadows on the large wooden deck out the back of the building on Tenth. The sun poked happily through the open spaces between the brown branches. A breeze dusted our skin with warmth. This patio immediately welcomes you to relax in the midst of the grind.




GastroMarket's menu is full of sandwiches loaded with a combination of a few of the right things. If we weren't already hungry, our stomachs were growling after a few reviews: The Spaniard, Turkey Petit and Tartufata Melt. The vegetarian options are plenty and sound as incredible as any layering including meat.




This is The Texan sandwich. A whole grain hard roll is stuffed with slow roasted beef brisket and topped with sour pickles and onions. It comes with homemade barbecue sauce, and I also asked for the creamy horseradish sauce to try. The brisket was tender, the pickles crunchy, the bbq sauce sweet and the horseradish had just the right zip.




GastroMarket offers a number of homemade salads as a side item. Since I love beets and enjoy finding new recipes for the root veg, I tried the mix. It was a bit creamy and had some chopped walnuts to add a crunch. The salad was good, but I'd probably try something else next time.




Each table is laden with a GastroMarket pub bottle holding fresh flowers adding to the natural charm outside. Inside the wooden bar and stone walls give an Old World feel.








Entrances to New York City's High Line can be found both North and South of the restaurant, which also makes it a great place to grab a sandwich to take to the park and enjoy. The High Line is a public park built on the defunct elevated Manhattan train line first built in the 1930s.




The owner of the place got started with Jezalin's gifts located inside the Limelight Shops also located nearby in a gorgeous, historical Episcopal church built in the late 1800s. The gift shop specializes in putting together exquisite, unique, quality and exclusive presents for those only interested in luxury.












The Limelight is probably most famously known for housing one of the hottest NYC nightclubs in the 1980s and nineties where debauchery and wild fun occurred nightly.




Needless to say GastroMarket suited our needs completely, and after filling our bellies with well-prepared food while taking-in the enchanting patio atmosphere, we marched back to Javits satisfied. For anyone attending an event at the center, I highly recommend taking the extra steps to this gastronomical spot. You won't be disappointed.
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Ride the Train to Chicago

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