Archive for the ‘Gold Coast’ Category
Let me preface this post with, I don’t eat burgers very often. Not because I don’t love them but the obvious…they aren’t the healthiest thing on the menu. Yes, they are a guilty pleasure for everyone. So, when I was invited to Mity Nice for a burger tasting in honor of National Burger Month (yes, that’s for real), I requested mini versions and made sure to work out longer that day.
It’s true, the month of May is National Burger Month. I couldn’t make this stuff up even if I wanted to. Check out any food blog, (mine first of course) and they are all stammering on about burgers. I’m confident I got an exceptional head start on the meat-eating month thanks to Chef Larry Donahue at the newly renovated Mity Nice.
Chef Larry obliged my mini request and sent out four of the seven burgers he will debut for May. Each day of the week a different burger will be featured and rotated throughout the month. So, the message here…plan accordingly if you want to taste a specific burger! And they won’t be mini, they will be big, juicy, gourmet 8 oz. prime ground beef burgers with lots of fixings!
Your May burger calendar provided by Mity Nice located in Water Tower Place:
Sunday - The Hangover Burger: topped with American cheese served with grilled onions, pickles and chipotle mayo between two bacon grilled cheese sandwiches.
Monday - The California Burger: topped with goat cheese, avocado and pico de gallo.
Tuesday - Green Chili Burger: topped with cheddar and pepper jack cheese served with Mity’s homemade green chili sauce.
Wednesday - B.B.Q. Burger: stuffed with Tillamook cheddar, glazed with BBQ sauce and topped with applewood smoked bacon and crispy onions.
Thursday - Philly Cheese Burger: topped with griddled peppers and Mity’s special cheese sauce.
Friday - Tuna Burger: Sushi grade tuna lightly chopped and mixed with Mity’s spicy mayo and green onions, glazed with ginger tamari sauce and topped with avocado.
Saturday - Buttery Kobe Beef Burger: American Kobe Beef served with caramelized sweet onions on a brioche bun.
Wondering which burger was my favorite? Hands down, I inhaled the Hangover. How could you not love a burger bookended by grilled cheese sandwiches smothered in grilled onions with a dose of bacon? I think I heard angels singing.
Make sure to check out your favorite restaurants around town for their burger specials. Even some unexpected places are adding them to the menu for fun. But definitley, stop in at Mity Nice and let me know which burger you taste!
835 N. Michigan Ave, Mezzanine Level, located inside Food Life
I have a secret. I don’t want to tell you but I HAVE to share it because the people I dined with yesterday told me so. It would be selfish to hide such a gem from my Beauties. It’s a restaurant in Chicago that is flying way under the radar and I can’t figure out why. I passed it months ago on my way to another place nearby. At the time, I tried to peak in or find a menu posted on the door and vowed to investigate another time. That time was yesterday after I was invited to meet with an Italian importer for lunch.
Pelago Ristorante is tucked behind the lobby of the Hotel Raffaello on Delaware and Mies Vander Rohe Way. (Figure behind the John Hancock building) It’s been there for over a year but evaded the hyped-up “new restaurant” scene in favor of building a strong clientele through solid Italian food. Yet, people still haven’t heard about it hidden away in the Gold Coast. Chef Mauro Mafrici is from Italy and came to Chicago by way of New York. He and his architect-wife gave up the Big Apple to start their family business in our Windy City. Lucky us. His speciality is the homemade pasta and seafood. I was able to sample four pastas and three fish specials that were delicious. Having studied in Florence long ago, I couldn’t help but mention to my fellow diners that Pelago is the closest thing to Italy I’ve tasted in Chicago. I was excited to be introduced to a new place off the grid yet right under my nose. This upscale, elegant restaurant is the real thing. It’s about very few ingredients, a true indicator of classic Italian cuisine. Take for example, the Gemelli Pesto. You don’t get more simple than pesto but Chef Marfici had an exquisite balance of the components that go into this dish. Too often, food is inflated with flavors taking away from the origin of an uncomplicated dish. I really had to pace myself otherwise, I would have inhaled my meal in front of the other guests, not pretty. The space itself is beautiful, designed with modern details and classic still-life artwork. I left knowing I would be back often. And I look forward to cooking with the chef soon.
Dine for yourself:
Pelago Ristorante
201 E. Delaware, Chicago
312.280.0700