Archive for the ‘Cocktails’ Category
Always one to be on the lookout for new restaurants, I found my Beauties a good one this week. A couple of months ago, I heard that Lettuce Entertain You was opening a new restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago, not too far from where I live. I was all over it hounding their PR peeps to get me info. Yesterday, I dined at Tokio Pub for their “friends and family” day. Usually, I can gage a restaurant by how often I think I’ll come back. Let’s just say, there’s a chance I could be a regular, if…I can get in the place. I’m predicting LEYE has done it again and the tiny add-on to Shaw’s Crab House is going to draw a crowd. Opening an izakaya-style restaurant is a first in the burbs with most locals not even knowing what it means. So, are we surprised that LEYE is a trendsetter?
Much like the big city food movement, Tokio Pub is all small plates ranging from $5-$7. Their moniker is “Asian small plates, fusion cocktails and pub style beer,” your basic description of izakaya. The menu layout reads: SEAFOOD, CRISPY RICE, ROBATA GRILL, TACOS, VEGETABLES AND DESSERTS plus their self-proclaimed signature dish, pub wings. I tasted six different items on the menu and took sips of four different cocktails. I promise, I didn’t drink all four! I met the guy behind Tokio Pub, Bill the Brains, who explained this concept table-side.
Within the first week of test runs, Bill is already confident the place will be busy for lunch and dinner and heavy on the cocktails late at night. Easy to see why. The place feels like a cleaned up garage with funky servers and really good bites but still very grown up. I say this with love. Tokio Pub is industrial in design which gives the food and cocktail menu center stage. It’s low-key and an easy place to hang out which is what he was going for. I predict the foodie crowd that lives in the Northwest suburbs will want to be the “in” crowd at this pub. Bill the Brains, I concur. You done good.
Beauty Bites…
- Chicken Meatballs from the Robata Grill
- Braised Pork Tacos
- Crispy Fish Tacos
- Crispy Shrimp Tempura
And Beauty hearts the cocktail menu!
Tokio Pub
900 East Higgins Road, Schaumburg
847-517-2722
How hard do you think someone had to twist my arm to attend the Chelsea Handler Bloody Mary Brunch with Belvedere Vodka? Do you even need to answer that question? There wasn’t a chance I was missing this brunch.
Somehow, by the grace of the PR gods, I was invited to the Belvedere brunch for the launch of their new vodka, The Bloody Mary. The event was being hosted not only by Belvedere but Adam Rappaport, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, and Chelsea Handler, their funny-lady spokeswoman for Belvedere Vodka. I emailed requesting to interview some of the team members from Belvedere and Adam. Seeing that Adam is the editor-in-chief of the biggest food publication, I guess I’m not surprised I didn’t have the opportunity to even rub up against him. Trust me, at the very least, I was hoping to brush past him because our entire table agreed, Important-Food-Guy was pretty handsome. Thus, I left slightly disappointed that I didn’t have the chance to meet Adam nor did he have the chance to fall equally in love with me, Beauty and Her Feast. Eh, my next vodka party.
I did, however, interview Charles Gibb, CEO of Belvedere, and Claire Smith, Head of Spirits and Mixology which was fascinating. For the blog, I was more interested in their maceration process for the new Bloody Mary Vodka. It was like a lovely story time with both Claire and Charles. Charles was very clear that his role as CEO is to encourage a creative process to do things differently and expand their product. He provides a freedom for the team to get there while still staying true to the brand. What I learned from Charles about flavored vodka is that other companies use chemicals or the essence of a flavor to trick your nose. With Belvedere, their maceration process allows for a completely natural flavor to permeate the vodka. As Charles said, “We harm real fruits and vegetables to make our vodka!”
To truly understand what Belvedere does, I sat down with Claire Smith who walked me through the birth of a flavor (watch her video by clicking on her name). First, I had to ask her, “Do you not love what you do? You get to drink on the job and get paid? How cool is that?” With a full out laugh she said, “Pretty cool for sure.” So, let’s get down to business, how the heck does she figure out what flavors to macerate and why the Bloody Mary? First, she works with the marketing team on what they think the consumer will get excited about. Because her background is in mixology, she knows how to translate one side of the bar to the other. The Bloody Mary is an iconic vodka cocktail so it made perfect sense to create a product that the consumer could work with as a simple neat vodka or a mixed beverage. Claire then works backwards by taking the ingredients to expose the cocktail. For the Bloody Mary, she ended up macerating 7 individual ingredients in separate vats. They then distill them four times and blend each vat dialing up or down based on the depth of each to balance the final product. What worked was: horseradish, black pepper, red pepper, chili pepper, tomato, lemon and vinegar. I was surprised by the vinegar but Claire informed me that it has the same flavor profile as tabasco, a common ingredient of the mixed Bloody Mary. What thoroughly amazed me was the complexity of flavors you could taste. Somehow, we all tasted celery, yet there was none in the vodka.
The Bloody Mary vodka is a game changer for the industry as it allows the consumer to have a consistent base. Also, you don’t need complicated ingredients for a finished product. Belvedere managed to develop a savory vodka which really hasn’t been done. By creating such an expressive foundation, it also allows for a continued artistic process by experimenting with additional flavors. During the brunch, we tasted four very different cocktails using the Bloody Mary vodka. Belvedere has provided Beauty and Her Feast with the recipe for my favorite one which also seems to be the “star with both consumer and press at each launch party,” says Tenten Wu, Global Director of PR for Belvedere.
Belvedere Pineapple Mary
· 1.5 oz Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka
· 3 oz Fresh Pineapple juice
· .75 oz Fresh Lime juice
· 2 bar spoon Simple syrup
· 2 dashes Orange bitters
· 1/8 bar spoon Smoked paprika (hot)
Shake and strain all ingredients into a rocks glass filled with cubed ice.
Garnish with a pineapple chunk
Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka is available in most liquor stores including Binny's.
Part of what I love about this job is…well, everything. I get to hang out with cool people, eat great food and drink fabulous cocktails. Last week, I was asked to come in for a margarita tasting. Um, YES. And I like them on the rocks with salt, please. Could I be any more accommodating?
I zipped down to May St. Cafe in the trendy Pilson neighborhood to hang with the chef for lunch. Trying to appear professional for the tasting, I popped open my laptop to take notes. Yeah, OK…slide the Mac to the end of the bar and replace it with some tumblers. I drink tequila but how much do I really know about it? Not much other than I like to consume it…on the rocks as some type of “rita”, most any will do. I’m not a picky margarita drinker.
Before getting to the drinks, I learned a little background info on distilled vs. aged. Most importantly, by Mexican law, tequila must be at least 51% agave to be labeled TEQUILA. The stuff we were drinking was 100% agave from 3 Garcias, distilled and aged. The distilled tequila is clear. The longer it ages, the more expensive tequila is and you will taste notes of honey from the oak barrels. Then, Chef Mario Santiago pulled out his new list he concocted for the month of May specials in honor of their 9 year anniversary. Not only are the drinks good, really good, but for the entire month of May, the margaritas are only $5! These are the real thing. NO mixes. Each margarita is made with 3G tequila, fresh squeezed lime juice and simple syrup along with some special flavors:
Pineapple and Mango, a blend of fresh pineapple and mango purée mix
Guava Rita, pureed guava and mint
Coco Rita, coconut milk and coconut salted rim and flakes
Besame Mucho "Rita", a blend of cranberry and raspberry garnished witha cherry and lime
Jalapeno and Cilantro Margo, muddled fresh jalapeno and garden fresh cilantro
Cucumber, muddled cucumber
I am just putting this out there, Beauty and Her Feast strongly endorses the Coco Rita! Just saying. And as soon as our crazy Chicago weather decides to give us a break, Chef Santiago is opening his patio for some new small plates and cocktails. While the entire menu will be available, May St. Cafe has decided to offer some smaller dishes for tasting. So, for all those summer fairs and hot days you need a place to hang with your friends, May St. Cafe has a great patio in Pilsen away from the crowds.
May St. Cafe is located at
1146 W. Cermak, Chicago
312.421.4442