Between Me and Chicago

And a recipe for a pleasing trout omelette

Hello again! Now that I’ve digested the food of Chicago, I wanted to tell you about some of the best bits of our trip, including The Bear’s Deep Dish Pizza and a Puerto Rican breakfast of epic proportions. The recipe this week is a Smoked Trout Omelette which can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner, because I believe omelettes should be enjoyed at any time of day.

2020 was a weird time. One of the things that got Charles and I through was watching 12 or 13 seasons of ER, the first 7 or 8 of which are astonishingly good TV. The result of all this was that we formed an ill-advisedly close bond to Mark Greene and ER fan accounts on Instagram. And, with all those scenes of Carol and Doug on L train platforms in long 90s winter coats, developed a strong desire to visit Chicago. We finally achieved this last month, and even with the discovery that almost none of ER is actually filmed there, the city blew our minds.

I was on a mission to eat a lot of deep dish pizza, but only managed to try out three places simply because there was so much other exciting stuff to consume (and though I adore it that stuff really hits the stomach). We ate what should be described as an ‘unhinged’ amount of food, walked many miles, and took enough photos on L train platforms to get us funny looks. I’ve written about everywhere great we ate in Chicago for delicious. magazine including all the spots we could get to that Richie and Sydney visit in The Bear. We were exceptionally lucky to be given a tour of Ever restaurant’s serene kitchen!!!!!!! Where we learnt the jaw-dropping fact that no one except the head chef speaks unless he has asked them a question… It honestly felt like being in a dream going in and out of that establishment.

Having only ever visited the States at this time of year, I do believe ‘Fall’ is a phenomenally good time to be there. The country does Autumn ridiculously well. Halloween is taken extremely seriously, the weather is still warm, and pumpkin spice lattes make much more sense when they’re on their home soil.

A weird highlight for me was the refreshing, GIANT glasses of water that we were served at most restaurants. These came with so much ice that it never melted. I was particularly taken by them, and felt like I was the headteacher from Sabrina the Teenage Witch when he sups on his ice tea, jangle jangling away with bobbing ice cubes.

It is my aim to try and recreate some of the incredible food we ate in America’s enormous and beautiful third city, but for now, I’ll keep things simple with the Top Five meals of the trip.

1. Beef Sandwich at Al’s #1 Italian Beef

   One thing Chicago taught me is that beef sandwiches are better than hot dogs. Word on the town is that Al’s #1 Italian Beef is the oldest beef sandwich joint in Chicago, and Charles and I were immediately taken with the spicy giardiniera pickle, sumptuously tender meat and alarming instructions to choose for the sandwich to arrive “wet” or “dipped”. All I know is this was one of the most life affirming things you can eat after walking 5 miles.

   

2. Plantain Omelette and Coconut Porridge at Nellie’s Restaurant

   I’ve previously waxed lyrical about my love of plantain at breakfast and so discovering this gigantic Puerto Rican breakfast on a corner in the Humboldt Park neighbourhood, my eyes lit up. The huge omelette was filled with peppers, mozzarella, plantain, and pork, and served with little slices of griddled baguette. I enjoyed the slice of orange on the side, which reminded me of tea rooms in North Yorkshire (who always seem to serve their jacket potatoes with a side of orange and strawberries, which I love). The coconut porridge at Nellie’s was served as a breakfast entrée and was the creamiest treat, and something I will try to recreate at home.

   

3. Nashville Hot Chicken and Shrimp and Grits at Luella’s Southern Kitchen

   Darnell Reed of Luella’s Southern Kitchen is paying homage to his Grandma’s cooking at his Lincoln Square restaurant and we got the privilege to eat it! This was one of the highlights of the trip, and the first time Charles or I had tried grits, a dish that lives up to the hype. Polenta doesn’t come close. Darnell’s Nashville Hot fried chicken was perfectly craggy and so full of flavour, with a kind of humming heat that doesn’t overwhelm but leaves you wanting more.

   

4. Filipino Breakfast at Uncle Mike’s Place

   Before this trip I’m embarrassed to say I had never eaten Filipino food. I will be seeking it out more frequently now in London. We ate at Michelin starred Kasama where the brunch was terrific but you had to wait half an hour. Uncle Mike’s Place offered a very similar menu only with less of a wait and bigger portions, plus you could get your breakfast with fried mackerel (little or large) as well as spicy Filipino sausage or roast pork (tocino). I chose the fish which came with a bowl of neat vinegar – like manna from heaven to me. The lemony soup served on the side was a treat, as was the chocolatey pudding and bottomless coffee. To make certain quite how homey this joint was, at one point the restaurant broke out into a round of Happy Birthday for a staff member, in a heartwarming, E Pellicci-esque scene.

   

5. Deep Dish Pizza at Pequod’s Pizza

   This was the best deep dish pizza we ate by quite some way. Pequod’s is famous for its ‘caramelised crust’ and is the pizza that Richie goes to get for a customer when he’s working his stage at Olivia Colman’s restaurant (Ever) in The Bear. I recommend going here and ordering a personal pizza, which is definitely big enough for two. The house salad comes topped with loads of pepperoni and cheese and peppers and I can imagine that if I lived in this restaurant’s delivery zone my body would both thank me and resent me.

   

   Though it wasn’t strictly a meal, I want to give an honourable shout out to the Apple Cider Ring Donut and Boston Cream Donut at Do-Rite Donuts. Doughnuts are my favourite sweet treat, and these are just completely flawless. And while I’m here I should also mention their Chicken Sandwich served on a brioche bun with cheese and slaw, which is always cooked to order and exceptionally good value at about £6. A humdinger.

Another reminder that you can find more on everything we ate in Chicago here. An incredible city!

Having been reminded at Nellie’s Restaurant of how excellent a simple omelette can be, I wanted to share a recipe with you today for one that I like to enjoy when I’m after something simple, healthy and filling. It’s another riff on something that used to be served at Mixed Business café in Melbourne (RIP).

I recommend buying a diddy non-stick frying pan if you don't have one and are an omelette fan, as they are essential to getting the perfect texture. When is ay diddy I’m talking about a pan with a 20cm diameter, such as this.

Smoked Trout Omelette

4 eggs
A splash of cream or whole milk
1 fillet of hot smoked trout
2-3 baby potatoes, or half a normal potato
100g soft goat’s cheese or cream cheese (I used Goltyri)
A small handful dill or parsley leaves, chopped
A knob of butter
1 lemon
Toast to serve (optional)
Chilli oil (optional)

1. Pierce and then microwave your potatoes for about 7 minutes. Carefully peel them while they’re still warm, then cube them up. In a small bowl, whisk together the 4 eggs with the splash of cream, then season with salt and pepper.

2. Get your small frying pan on a medium heat and gather all your other ingredients close by. Arm yourself with a rubber spatula. Add a knob of butter and brush it around the pan with a piece of kitchen towel, then add a handful of the cubed potato and stir for 1 minute. Pour in half of your egg mixture then move the pan around by making a a gentle circle with your wrist. After 15 seconds, use the spatula to pull the egg into the centre in a clockwise motion at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o c’lock, moving the egg to fill in the gaps at each movement. This will create a ripple effect of egg in the centre. Turn the heat down to low. Put your toast on.

3. While the egg is still runny add flakes of the smoked trout, and the soft cheese, and season with a little more black pepper. Scatter the herbs around now. When the egg is almost all set (after another 60-90 seconds), gently shake the pan to ensure the omelette is not sticking and then roll the side that is furthest away from you over to the middle, then gently shake the pan at an angle onto your plate to allow the rolled omelette to fall onto itself onto your plate, seam side down. Serve with buttered toast, a wedge of lemon and a drizzle of chilli oil on top. Repeat for the second omelette.

   That’s all for now! I’ll be back soon with more recipes. Thanks for being here.