Our foodie group sauntered into Taxim last Wednesday to check out the scene.  The visual is that of a European long hallway type of structure with many archways.  These archways add to the look of expansiveness, even though the restaurant it self is fairly narrow. Byzantine style chandeliers add charm and soft lighting.  A grouping of copper plates hangs on one side of the eatery.

The narrowness leads to seating at long tables – there was a little “Medieval Times” feel to the long tables.. These tables tend to challenge the wait staff a bit – weaving in and out.  Our server seemed to be scattered.  He was clearly not focused on our party enough to see when drinks were empty, for example. There was a significant gap between ordering our first plates and the delivery. I would expect that he would come over to us and explain the wait or let us know when we might expect the food to be delivered.  When he did not, I softly suggested to him that it was best to pay attention to our party…and we would be grateful.  He did and we were.

Prassopita

But there’s so much more to the experience.  Although the cuisine has acquired the label of Greek – it’s much more expansive than that.  And, of course, here in Chicago, we have an ingrained idea of what Greek is and that involves white washed walls and flaming cheese and big beef spits of garlic infused gyro meat.  This is light years away from that.

Owner David Schneider (29 years young) graduated from Northwestern University with a civil engineering degree.  He migrated to the front of the house at Green Zebra and started to witness what it’s like to run a restaurant. He then traveled extensively throughout Greece, Istanbul, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan studying cuisine.  He spent quality time with his grandmother and aunts and infused these recipes into his psyche.  Then he hired Stephanie Izard’s sous chef from Scylla, Jan Rickerl to execute the menu.  Schneider’s a smart man – combining history, study, relatives and a good chef to build this empire.

Taxim serves cold and hot plates or mezethes. What I found was that, in my opinion, the menu described a dish that I could not put together in my little brain and say “oh, that sounds great, let’s try that.”  My brain was saying “really?”  So, I could only pick about three things I wanted to try from the description.  We ordered pretty much everything – which was a great strategy when you can’t put it together and shared it all.

I loved the psiti volvi – oven roasted sunchoke bulbs in a red wine vinaigrette – the texture and smokiness was so satisfying.  Another favorite for me was the Prassopita – wild leek, fresh dill, goat feta in house-made phyllo.  Score!  The tartness of the feta with the comfort of the phyllo was so satisfying.   One more, the Melitzanosalata – wood fire roasted graffiti eggplants, sesame paste, pine nuts and pita.  These dishes are “grounded” – there’s a meatiness to the veggies like the eggplant.  The wood fire oven infuses the smoky flavor and then my teeth become happy to feel those crunchy pine nuts.

Duck gyro

Almost everyone ordered the duck gyro as the main entree: duck rubbed with pastourma spices served with a mint yogurt sauce, and a pomegranate reduction, with a saliva producing cucumber salad on the side.  The duck spices were the key.  They were smokey again (like fire roasted cumin) that wasn’t just applied to the duck – it penetrated the meat.  The light smoothness of the yogurt mint sauce made me want to take it home and take a bath in it!

I tasted the rack of lamb and it was also cooked to perfection and rubbed with a spice that I would use every day if I could.  In face, if I were David, I would consider having a small retail presence to sell the spices and or cook books that have regional cuisine recipes.

If Taxim might fall a bit short – it could be on the dessert entrees. Choices include orchid root ice cream, mastiha – or pastry with pistachios, walnuts and Cretan clotted cream to name a few.  My favorite was the Boughatsa – custard and phyllo pastry, lemon and powdered sugar.  This was more savory – and I think I liked the texture of the pastry best.

David Schneider is now on my “people who make a difference in Chicago’s cuisine list” and if you are looking for flavor carried over from several countries like grandma used to make the trip to Taxim’s.

Taxim
1558 N. Milwaukee Ave.,
773-252-1558
http://www.taximchicago.com/

Brandon Sodikoff (courtesy of Dining Diva)

312DD reports this week of the birth of Brendan Sodikoff’s new place Gilt Bar in the former Aigre Doux space in River North.  They are currently targeting a January 2010 opening.

Sodikoff is an executive chef at Lettuce Entertain You corporate and has had his hand in Hub51. He is a pastry chef by trade and has drawn rave reviews for his tasty creations.

The buzz is that Gilt will be sufficiently downscaled to fit the mid price but good value crowd a notch or two below L2O but still hungry for great culinary creations.

We will keep you posted on an open date.

Chef Paul Virant will be competing on Iron Chef America Sunday, November 1 at 9:00 pm.

Chef Paul, his family, friends, and many of the Vie staff will be at Tap House Grill (6010 South Cass in Westmont) that evening.  The viewing is open to the public.

If you’ve ever watched the show salivating and wishing you could try the dishes solely reserved for the Chairman and the three judges, (Not even Alton Brown gets a taste!) here’s your chance.  Vie will be featuring the menu prepared on the show November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

(Monday through Wednesday after the broadcast.)

$85.00 for six courses from the show

$35 for matching wines

Reservations will be limited and can be made at 708 246 2082.  Due to a strict confidentiality agreement with the Food Network, we cannot disclose the menu or the secret ingredient in advance.

Vie
4471 Lawn Avenue
Western Springs, IL 60558
Phone: 708.246.2082

To quote the book inside cover “Sarah Levy has been making great-tasting treats her whole life – and since 2005 when she opened her first shop in Chicago, she’s been sharing her love for great baked goodies, candies and other sweets with the world.” So now Sarah has migrated successfully into the publishing of her first book, “Sweetness – Delicious Baked Treats for Every Occasion.”

I like the fact that Sarah is a 28 year old entrepreneur, with locations of Sarah’s Pastries and Candies on Oak Street and inside Macy’s in the loop.  She started in the business at 22, so she already has six years of running a very competitive business under her belt.  Sarah is a graduate of Northwestern and then attended the French Pastry School in Chicago I also like the book.  In general, pastry chef’s tend to intimidate me (right up there with IT people).  As a passionate cook, I know my “zone” so to speak.  The language and rules of pastry are quite different. I don’t feel studied in them.

Along comes Sarah Levy to demystify it all for me.  The first section of the book breaks down things like tools of the trade, methods and techniques.  I respect people who “open their kimono” so to speak about their passion.  There is some degree of wizardry in cooking; I know there is some in creating desserts and candy.

The actual recipes in the book are broken down by categories such as “Social Gatherings, Hostess Gifts and Matters of Love.”  Sarah choose fairly simple recipes and then was kind enough to break them down for the non-chef.  In each recipe she has a section called “Breaking it down which gives the reader some alternative ingredients, or some “hook” from the recipe.  On the left side of each recipe you’ll find “all you need” for prep and execution of the recipe. For example, in order to make Amy’s Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting on page 58, you’ll need a sifter and a stand mixer.  On this side, she will also tell you how many servings the recipe makes and information about storage life.

So, if you’d like this process to be demystified or if you have a passion for serving people delicious sweets made by you, here’s a link to buy Amy’s book on Amazon.

Photo courtesy of www.bravotv.com

Top Chef is now casting for Season 7.  The casting director will be here to interview Chicago’s culinary talent on Monday October 26th.  Nick Gihool, head casting director for Top Chef in LA, answers questions below.  Perhaps this might help Chicago’s new Top Cheftestant wanna be’s to shape or refine their pitch.

• What are the most important personal characteristics you look for in choosing chef candidates?

Natural confidence, maybe bordering on swagger; passion about what they do and how they do it; a unique perspective on the world and the means to express it.

• What are the professional qualifications that are most important?

Experience, innovation, risk-taking and a breadth of knowledge of the field and its history to know where their own voice fits in.  A strong sense of competition coupled with undeniable chops always attracts us.

• Are there any particular cities that tend to breed more candidates than others?

We have some cities that we go back to – obviously New York, Chicago, San Francisco – but then we really like to reach out to new places every season – Boston, Portland are great towns with talented chefs and where we haven’t been yet. . .

• Is it important for the chef candidates to have a specific cultural or culinary perspective…or is it better for them to be more well rounded?

Both for sure.  Having a distinct perspective gets you noticed – it’s YOUR voice we’re looking for . . . that’s when you can tell someone is having fun and pursuing their passion. . . They are following their own path.  At the same time, to stand out, you have to know what you’re standing out from; a sense of history and technique seems essential given what we’ve experienced.

Chefs with a passion for food, creativity, a thorough knowledge of cooking techniques and trends and oodles of charisma are what we’re looking for. We want talented, experienced chefs with that flare that puts you over the top.

Please go to HERE for complete casting information. Download and fill out an application and follow the guidelines for your video submission. Please send to Top Chef ASAP. The sooner you get the application and video (and other required materials) to TC, the better!

Or better yet, bring that filled out app and video (and other required materials) down to one of their nationwide open calls. No need to bring your knives, just check required elements on the application and show up with those in hand to meet our casting producers.

TC7 OPEN CASTING CALLS

CHICAGO
Monday, October 26th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
WELLS ON WELLS
1617 North Wells
Chicago, IL 60614
www.wellsonwells.com