I have a hard time thinking of few gastronomic pleasures better than bacon, but duck fat has to be up in the stratosphere for pure frying pleasure. With that in mind this is my story: last month I’m driving through rainy, misty New England on my way to Maine and my mind is wrapped in warm thoughts of woodfire stoves, Irish sweaters and mugs of steamy soup to counterbalance the wet, cold, gray rain and patches of slowly melting snow. The drive seems longer than usual and state troopers are pulling drivers over every 10 miles or so. The traffic is moving at a modest 65mph (I know if you are in California you are thinking to your self, isn’t the speed limit a minimum, not a maximum?). I pull into the gorgeous seaside town, Portland, and begin searching for food. I pull hard to the right when I see a small sign in yellow painted on a window that says DUCKFAT. What? Are they duck fat renderers/producers, a cold storage operation for the North East’s confit lovers, or someone who just has a great sense of humor? They are a restaurant. And their slogan is, “Why duck fat fries? Because DUCK FAT makes fries taste good!”
I stroll into the lovely smelling, tiny restaurant where you order at the counter and they bring directly to you amazing home cooked, from scratch meal and french fries of course cooked in duck fat. So I order an Allagash White (a delicious Belgian style wheat beer with hints of spice and a textured and smooth body), fries and a hot, crispy duck confit panini.
There is seriously nothing better than to enjoy homemade gourmet food in an authentic small restaurant and to be warmed not only by the food but by the spirit of the place and the honest care in preparation and execution. DUCKFAT, I will be back!
My lovely wife and I were so happy that a new wine bar opened in Chicago this last weekend that we ran out of the house to check it out. It is the brain child of Shane and Jill Kissack in Andersonville - Chicago, owners of a great bottle shop called In Fine Spirits that houses not only excellent wines at all price points (that are hard to find or off the grocery store radar) but they have killer micro brew beers and premium sake! So they do it again and bring to sleepy and adorable Andersonville a brave new wine bar. But guess what? At a wine bar I was lured into COCKTAILS. And they were unbelievably good. I try not to discriminate in my drinking (I drink any and all types of beverages, someone needs to keep up with those mixologists) so I was convinced by an extremely enthusiastic and adept bartender, Carlo, to try his signature, old school Manhattan. This was, without a doubt the best Manhattan that I’ve ever had. Perfectly balanced, perfectly chilled and flavors and aromas that were seamless with one another. Here is Carlo’s recipe:
2oz. Benchmark Bourbon
1oz. Sweet Vermouth
Tiny, tiny splash of marasca liqueur and two skewered dark/black cherries. Shake and stir!
So, the unexpected amazing intoxicologist at a Chicago wine bar blows my mind, not with deft and savvy wine stories or poetic and romantic histories of European wines, but with a classic American cocktail that left a sweet memory. It was so good I had to post it. Go figure, or better yet, go get a cocktail!
