Lincoln Park » Chicago Bites

Floriole - Croissant Quest 2010

Posted by Tammy at 8:00 am

Jul 052010

Ham & Cheese Croissant

I continued Croissant Quest 2010 over the holiday weekend with a stop at Floriole. It’s a lovely spot that still has a shiny, cafeteria newness to it, but has the promise of evolving into a quaint neighborhood staple. I liked the upstairs area with its view onto the exposed beams and counter below. It was charming even though part of me could see it all turning into a two-story Chili’s or McDonald’s if things got rough. There’s a long window in the back that allows you to peek at the worker bees as they turn flour into golden baked goods. Their brightly colored scarves and tats seemed strangely like a company uniform.

If you want organic and local, Floriole is part of the growing number of establishments that are proud to cite the farmers and markets they work with. They also tout their own handiwork, down to the wifi password, which is “croissant.” I happened to get one of these croissants not five minutes after it left the kitchen and counted myself lucky. It was flaky with a light, moist core that did not disappoint. My fellow quester had the ham and cheese version which I could see smeared with grainy mustard and satisfying amounts of meat. It disappeared in short order along with a delicious blueberry-lemon tart that we shared.

With not a complaint between us, it was hard to rank Floriole third among croissant bakeries in Chicago. Some of it comes down to atmosphere, price and location in addition to the quality of the croissant. In order to be fair, I’ve made the hard decision to taste the top three side-by-side in order to be extra sure that I’ve found the tastiest croissants in the city and have them ranked correctly. However, if you find yourself in Lincoln Park, I don’t think you’ll go wrong by trying Floriole’s croissants. When I find myself in the neighborhood next, I’ll probably do the same.

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A view from the upstairs seating area.

Floriole Bakery
1220 West Webster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 883-1313

Croissants are $3.00 for plain and $4.50 for ham and cheese.

Croissant Quest 2010 Establishments (in order of preference):

Chocolate, Cheese & Corzo

Posted by Tammy at 1:00 pm

Apr 142010

Corzo & Chocolate Boxed Set | Vosges Haut Chocolate

Tequila and chocolate in one delightful box set.

Last night we learned that good things happen when you pair tequila with cheese and chocolate. It’s not an obvious pairing, but tequila makers like Corzo have been working to change tequila’s image from something slammed at Spring Break to a refined, quality liquor that brings out the best in food.

We started the evening with Corzo Sliver paired first with a Lyden cheese and then Vosges’ Naga and Creole chocolates. Silver tequilas, we learned, have been aged less than two months and do not spend any time in oak barrels. It’s a clear, peppery tequila that held up well against the cumin, curry and coffee flavors in the pairings. By the way, unlike wine, you should exhale when drinking tequila to avoid the “burn” from the alcohol. It makes a big difference.

Next up was the Reposado, which is aged up to a year in new oak barrels from Kentucky. This was the deemed the most “feminine” tequila because its smooth, fruity profile seems to go over big with the ladies. I don’t know about that, but it did work well with the excellent aged cheddar and the vanilla, banana and milk chocolate in the Funk & Disco truffle. The Reposado was a better match with Vosges’ Mo’s Bacon Bar. The saltiness provided the right counter note to its sweetness.

We finished off the tasting with the Anejo, a tequila that reminded both Bridget and I of a good whiskey. In fact, according to the tequila attache, a tequila that’s been aged one year is equivalent to a 15 year old Scotch. It was paired with an incredible aged Gouda and brought out the best in that cheese — I could have eaten it all night long. We also tried with the Anejo with a dark chocolate and cherry truffle, but enjoyed it more with the Red Fire truffle. Tequila and chillies seem to be made for each other.

Sound good? If you want to try it, there is a public tasting at Vosges tonight between 7pm-9pm for $40. Call (773) 296-9866 to reserve a spot. However, if you can’t make it, drop by the store to buy one of the boxed sets with conveniently matched chocolate and tequila.

Vosges Haut Chocolate
951 W Armitage
Chicago, IL 60614

More pictures from last night’s event on Facebook.

Cheese & Chocolate | Vosges Haut Chocolate

Cheese and chocolate queued up for the pairing.

We were provided samples of chocolate, cheese & Corzo via a press tasting free of charge.

First Look at Kith and Kin

Posted by chicagobites at 8:15 am

Apr 022010

Eggplant puree with almond & raisin relish.

Kith and Kin is an American Bistro nestled among trendy townhouses, boutique shopping, and sports bars just steps from Armitage. We went to check it out Sunday night hoping to take advantage of the $30 Chef’s Week tasting menu.

I liked the atmosphere. The restaurant makes good use of its space, and as it got more crowded during the course of the evening, it didn’t feel jam-packed. Judging from the number of full tables, I’d say Kith and Kin is filling the need for a cozy dining spot in the neighborhood. But is the food all that?

In the end, nothing other than dessert on the Chef’s Week Menu struck our fancy, so we ordered ala carte. The service was prompt, and our waiter was on-the-ball. But he was one of those stick-to-the-script types, launching into detailed explanations of everything even when we said we already knew what was what. His determination to regurgitate the company line made me wonder if he was nervous, oblivious, or simply reconciled to the fact that most of the people he serves want details.

We stated off with the eggplant puree with almond & raisin relish. Served with toasted bread rounds, it was tasty. The predominate flavor in the dish was a pickled taste… a theme that ran through the meal. They do their own pickling at Kith and Kin, and they like it. A lot.

The mussels are served in a curry sauce with naan.

For my main course I had Bar Harbor Mussels served in a green curry sauce with a side of naan. The naan was essential for dipping and was my favorite part of the dish.

Tammy went with the wild mushroom ragout and hand cut pappardelle. The ragout was surprisingly light, and the fresh mushrooms complemented the fat ribbons of pasta perfectly. We also shared a side of rapini. Seasoned with cloves of pickled garlic, it was the most interesting dish on the table.

For dessert we settled on the banana pudding and vanilla wafers. The wafers were perfect for dipping, and the pudding looked so good and fun to eat that we spotted diners at neighboring tables eying it, and later ordering their own.

All in all, Kith and Kin is a solid bet for dinner. If I am in the neighborhood I’ll absolutely eat there again, but I wouldn’t go to the neighborhood just to eat there.