The National Restaurant Associations annual convention visited Chicago last week. Hundreds of chefs, restaurant owners, managers and bartenders flocked to the city to see and talk about the latest products happening in the industry.

Tavernita was crazy busy filled with people in the industry, while our whole staff worked their fingers to the (veal) bone. It’s great seeing our diners response to our server Rachel talk about the beverage program, or Joe getting so emotional when he suggests the pork belly bocadillo.

Jordan, Erin, Stephanie, and JC all worked doubles the entire week, flipping the dining room from lunch to dinner flawlessly, not to mention the whole management team who practically slept here! Juan and I almost engaged in fisticuffs with each other one night, then laughed about it an hour later. Miguel had Barcito on lock down making sure everyone left happy, and full of pintxos.

It was a lot of work but we pulled it of somehow. Thanks to the entire Tavernita Team, you all really are an extended part of my family.

My brother Matthew and I have bonded for years over our love of music.
So for his birthday Friday- a group of us went to The Mid to hear
James Murphy’s dj set. Our crew was made up of Matthew’s buddies and a
few of the waitstaff from Tavernita; Colby, Erin, Rachel, Dustin and
Linzi- just the right amount for a perfect dance party.

If you’re not familiar with James- you may know him as one of the
front men of LCD Soundsystem. We had a table with an amazing vantage
point of the stage and didn’t stop dancing from the time he went on at
1:30am.

The hilite was his remix of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”…the entire
place went insane when he played it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Z3Ikwj1xk
 
It was the most fun I have had in a long time. Just listening to great
music and being able to unwind.

I think Matthew said it the best “great times with greater people!  

Since Tavernita opened, like any chef – I’ve had a grand total of no days off.

Ok…that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. And the last thing I want to do I cook when I have a night off from the kitchen.

Thankfully some of my friends have taken care of me in style with some amazing food.

On Monday night I went to my friend Doug Psaltis’s new place RPM. I’ve known Doug for a few years now and knew of him when he was a chef in NYC.

After hearing amazing buzz about the opening, I couldn’t wait to try his food. I went with Juan Florez who is my friend and a manager at Tavernita, and let’s just say we didn’t leave hungry.

 

From the crudos to the pastas and squid ink pasta and the artichoke flowers – it was all amazing and we were treated like kings by the staff.

Last night I got to go to Balena- and I’m still stuffed the next morning. Chris Pandel has been a friend since back in the day and The Bristol is one of my favorite spots.

Not to mention, it was crazy seeing the space’s transition from Landmark having worked for the Boka guys for years.

I went with some of my partners in Tavernita; Paul and Alfredo and we literally must have tried every dish on the menu, including the desserts.

Normally I don’t like to feel full, but Pandel and Amanda Rockman’s food and desserts were so amazing that we couldn’t stop eating. Highlights were definitely the duck liver pasta, huge pizzas and white bean bruschetta.

And Amanda really should have won Top Chef Just Desserts- her mini sundaes alone blew our minds.

When the Trencherman opens, I’ll add that to my list of favorite new spots. I know Pat and Mikey Sheerin will turn it out like no other.

Plus, Chris Curran is opening Stout Barrel House  right around the coner from us. Could definitely be my new watering hole after a long service at Barcito!

Damn it’s a good time to be a chef in Chicago. Nice work guys I am happy for all of you.

When a chef or restaurateur hasn’t been tweeting/blogging and on Face Book it’s mostly likely because they are in the shits with a new project.

How do I know? Because I’ve been pretty silent myself on social media in the past few weeks that have all led up to this one.

This morning, after a sleepless night- I to took a moment to stand back and look at Tavernita and the busy staff in the kitchen and throughout the restaurant getting ready for tonight’s first practice dinner.

After months of delayed openings, inspections, and issues- I realized that none of those things I stressed about mattered because now the doors to Tavernita are finally ready to open. No matter how many times we ran into minor set backs- one thing remained constant- the amazing team we’ve assembled.

I am so proud to work with these people and I can’t wait to share my food. And while the first few weeks of opening are going to be chaotic as hell- I can’t wait to lose sleep over this dream that’s now a reality.

Growing up, I remember eating what my mom made me for lunch.

Usually it was a sandwich, chips and always a piece of fruit. Once a month she let me indulge in pizza day at school and that always felt like such a treat.

As someone who dedicates extra time in my day to help the fight against child obesity- this makes me sick.

Congress- you have let us down once again. 

And it’s out again. The Michelin list of Bib Gourmands.

Now we can all debate who should have made the list, or who deserved a star instead.

I’m not trying to sound biased- but where was Mercadito?

At Aspen’s Food and Wine festival almost everyone agreed that Patricio’s shrimp tacos were the hit of the event.

And it’s easy to walk out of Mercadito full, with a bill under 40 dollars. That is if you go easy on the tequila.

If anyone from the guide is reading, I ask you to sit down for a meal there, and try the shrimp taco.

It’s bib worthy.

This time of the year almost all of us are carving pumpkins- but are you wasting or devouring the seeds?

As a chef, I see pumpkin guts and think of how I can turn them into something I can eat. I’ve been making seeds the same way since I was a kid fighting over pumpkins with my two brothers- and while this recipe is simple- it will bring you right back to your childhood.

Poli’s Perfect Pumpkin Seeds:

Remove all of the pulp and seeds from your pumpkin. Once you’ve got the seeds out, put them in a large bowl and let them rinse.

Strain the seeds and add 2 cups of water 1tbps salt to about 1 cup of seeds.
Let them soak for about 12 hours. This will help season the pumpkin seeds.
Strain off the water and pat dry when ready.
Then-

Melt 3 tbsp of butter and pour into a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.

Mix in the seeds and stir the seasoning all over. Place on to a non stick baking sheet, in a single, even layer, roast in a 350 degree oven, for 45 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Let them cool before eating and enjoy.

Trick or Treat!

I admit it, i have an addiction to foreign oil. Not the kind in the middle east that we use to fuel our cars though, a kind that comes from olives. Spanish olive oil to be exact.
I was first turned on to Spanish olive oil when I lived in Spain in 2003. It was different cooking with oil instead of
butter like I had been trained in the past. The wide variety of olives offer so many different flavors of oils. 

The Arbequina olive has an exquisite flavor with traces of tomato and the aroma of fresh artichoke. It is also fruity with an exotic aroma. The scent of fresh apple accompanied by a mild sweetness identifies the oil that finishes with an aftertaste of green almonds.

The Cornicabra olive is fruity yet has a delicate balance between sweet & bitter. The bitterness is reminiscent of green leaves with a medium-intense peppery flavor. Its texture is smooth and velvety.

The Picual olive is a strong flavor of  green olive & green peach (also a stone fruit). A slight bitterness, delayed & lingering pepper on the back best describes its flavor profile.

Whichever the type of oil you use, check out the flavor profile to pair well with what you are cooking. Picual pairs well with more robust products like gazpachos and grilled meats, or artichokes. Arbequina is more delicate and will work with fish and seafood, tomato salads even chocolate. With all these different kinds of olive oils, you can see how easy it is to get hooked.