Skillet Doux

The Beef-Off - Chapter III - Chickie's

	Dominic Armato

UPDATE : This Chickie's location has closed

Third time's a charm. We have our first contender for the crown.

This afternoon's lunch is exactly the reason I set out on my quest to try a dozen beef stands this year. Chickie's is precisely the kind of place I would read about but never actually get around to visiting if it weren't for the strict plan to hit a different establishment every month. Today wasn't too busy, so I decided to take the opportunity to make a little South Side field trip and visit one of the stands at the top of my hit list.

Chickie's is yet another traditional-looking Chicago beef stand. It's a little dilapidated, a little grungy, and full of character. There's counter space for about six standing patrons inside, as well as a few picnic tables outside. The base ingredients are also the most common -- Scala's Beef and Gonnella Bread -- but then Chickie's deviates slightly from the norm. For starters, Chickie's has none of that fancy North Side Coca-Cola or Pepsi (despite the sign on the front of the building, oddly enough). It's an RC establishment. But there's another key component that, while a stark departure from tradition, bears surprisingly good results. Chickie's giardiniera is made with jalapeños. This may seem a small detail, but I assure you, it is not. In reading about Chickie's, I've consistently heard that they're a great establishment that does everything right, and that their choice of giardiniera, while unorthodox, is a unique change of pace. In fact, this is what drew me to Chickie's today. The beef craving was there, but after the respectable yet uninspiring averageness of Roma's, I was ready for something a little more interesting. And it was interesting, but not how I expected.

Dominic Armato

I got the usual... a beef, sweet, hot and dipped with fries and a soda. It was a brisk afternoon, but I was warmly dressed and the picnic tables were in the sun, so I parked out on the sidewalk, unpacked and snapped my photos. As mentioned, upon examination, the beef looks entirely orthodox, with the execption of the giardiniera. It's almost exclusively comprised of japapeños, thinly sliced the long way, with just a touch of celery and cabbage. As such, I was expecting a new twist on the Italian Beef, but the first bite surprised me, in that... well... it didn't seem the least bit unusual. The jalapeños didn't stick out as a particularly welcome or unwelcome new addition to the giardiniera pantheon. Rather, they simply took their place among the myriad of subtle flavors harmoniously coexisting in Chickie's sandwich.

Chickie's is the Italian Beef for beef lovers.

The beef itself was very finely shredded, but extremely moist and flavorful, with a natural sweetness that wasn't overly strong. The seasonings in the juice were beautifully balanced, with no particular herb or spice claiming dominance over the others. Even the jalapeño giardiniera was, much to my surprise, rather mellow. It didn't have the tartness that I generally expect from giardiniera, which I missed for the first bite or two, and then completely forgot about. And despite the fact that it was about 90% comprised of jalapeño slices, it was neither overly spicy nor overly peppery. It had a fresh, mellow, green flavor that complemented the beef rather than asserting itself. But lest I give the wrong impression, Chickie's beef was anything but boring. It was a beef sandwich that was remarkably complex, yet utterly serene, single-minded in purpose, with all of the complementary flavors forming a rich, roundly-flavored base to accentuate their star, the beef. Even the fries, quite tasty, were of the same school. They were mushy and sweet, lightly crisped on the edges and generously salted. Just right to support the beef without stealing the spotlight.

All in all, a superlative beef experience. I'm one who likes strong sweet and sour components in my beef sandwich. I'm a condiment fiend who loves bold toppings. This is not Chickie's thing by a longshot. But Chickie's beef is so well-designed that it has me seriously reconsidering a decade of preference when it comes to Italian Beef style. It's the undisputed leader so far, and while I was planning on saving Mr. Beef for the latter half of the year, I may need to do it next month while the memory of Chickie's is still fresh. There is once again true competition in the Beef-Off.

For those keeping score:

1) Chickie's
2) Roma's
3) Al's

Chickie's
2839 S. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago, IL 60623

Addendum: The final Beef-Off results and wrapup can be found in The Year In Beef.

As Promised...

...brunch recipes. Or one of them, anyway. It started as something I found on Epicurious, but it wasn't nearly interesting enough for a special occasion brunch, so I jazzed it up a bit. Being a savory breakfast person, I was concerned that the sweet would be overly abusive, but it turned out quite nicely. There are a number of components involved, but they're all fairly simple to prepare.

	Dominic Armato

Vanilla Pain Perdu with
Apricot Syrup and
Maple Mascarpone
Serves 4

1/2 C. sugar
2/3 C. water
4 star anise
1 Tbsp. Cointreau
3/4 C. diced dried apricots
4 thick slices challah, or other egg bread
6 eggs
1/2 C. whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. mascarpone cheese
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
powdered sugar

First, prep the apricot syrup. Combine the sugar, water and star anise in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, add the Cointreau, and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. After a minute, add the apricots, and simmer gently until the apricots have softened and the mixture has reached a syrup consistency. If the apricots need more time to soften but the syrup is getting too thick, add a touch of warm water and continue cooking. Keep warm over very low heat, or cool and reheat before assembling the dish.

In a large dish, beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Place the slices of bread in the dish, and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes to soak up the egg mixture. Then, flip the slices of bread and allow them to soak for another 4-5 minutes.

While the bread is soaking, prepare the maple mascarpone. Whisk together the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup and chill.

Once the bread is done soaking, melt one tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, swirl it around the pan and add two slices of the bread. Cook the bread until it is browned. Add another tablespoon of the butter and flip the bread to brown the other side. When the bread is finished cooking, remove it and hold it in a warm oven. Wipe the skillet clean, and repeat the process with the remaining two slices of bread.

To assemble the dish, plate the bread in some interesting fashion, drizzle it with the maple mascarpone and apricot syrup, dust with a bit of powdered sugar, and strategically place the star anise to make it look all fancy-schmancy. Then snarf it like the gussied-up french toast it is.

Midnight Pasta

	Dominic Armato

There's something very freeing about throwing together an impromptu late-night meal.

We're not a household that cooks every night. We'll do simple preparation regularly, but I only really cook once or twice a week. As such, while our dry pantry is fairly well-stocked, we rarely have much if anything in the way of meats or produce on hand. It's a challenge. A limited palette of ingredients forces a cook to be creative, and it ends up being a great exercise. Sometimes, some rather unorthodox and enjoyable combinations result. Tonight's late-night meal wasn't the least bit unorthodox, but it was tasty.

Midnight Tuna Pasta

...so named because it's easy to throw together with items that can usually be found lying around my kitchen. As always, be sure to refer to the Ten Commandments of Dried Pasta.

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 C. tomato sauce
1 can tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Salt, to taste
1 Lb. penne (or Spaghetti, or Fusilli, or whatever you have lying around... this is midnight pasta)

Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet or small pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, and saute until the onions turn translucent. Add the tomato sauce, tuna and salt, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes while your pasta cooks. When the pasta is ready, drain and add it to the sauce with a splash of the pasta water, then continue cooking for another minute or so until the sauce comes together.

Eat up. Pasta waits for no one. And you should be in bed.

Birthday Brunch Photos

We take a momentary break from the wedding preparation madness to bring you this weekend's drool photos.

My sweetheart's birthday is today, and since she's feeling a bit under the weather, a surprise birthday brunch seemed to be the ticket. Everything turned out fairly well, and I even managed to conquer a couple of old nemeses in the process (poached eggs and hollandaise). Recipes will follow over the next few days, but here are some photos to (hopefully) get the drool on:

Grapefruit with Zinfandel Reduction

Vanilla Pain Perdu with Apricot Syrup and Maple Mascarpone

Poached Egg and Salmon with Crispy Potato Goat Cheese Pancake and Choron