The Dining Room at Kendall College

Chicken Piccata at Kendall College

We dined here for the first time for Restaurant Week and were so glad we did! Interestingly, we had dined at Naha the night before and Kendal blew them away in terms of flavor pairings and portion size.

We started with Mushroom Risotto / Parmesan Tuile / Huile d'Persil and the Wok Seared Scallop / Pumpkin Ravioli / Dashi Broth / Bonito / Togarashi Sichimi. They were both wonderful, but my scallop in dashi broth was the real standout - perfectly cooked, lovely broth, and the pumpkin ravioli was the best counterpoint. It was served with a tangy olive bread and sage-infused butter. An amuse-bouche of two veggie sushi bite kept us eager for more.

My Roast Chicken Piccata / Chives / Chives / Whipped Ricotta Sesame Grits / Capers / Yellow Squash Provençal / Chicken Jus entree was amazing. Chicken Piccata sounds a little boring but this portion of breast and wing was tender, juicy, and alive with flavor. The grits were nice and creamy, but the yellow squash was a real surprise. It was in a sort of tomatoey agro-dolce sauce that I can't wait to recreate.

My husband has the Grilled Strip Loin / Chimmichurri / Curried Jasmine Rice / Pickled Ginger Salad / Romesco Sauce which was like a rave party of flavor! So much going on in the dish, but the tastes cooperated in making the dish exceptional.

Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Mousse at Kendall College

For dessert, I was going to have Bingsu but the Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Mousse / Dark Chocolate Mousse / Hazelnut Crunch / Orange Anglaise / Hazelnut Whipped Cream / Chocolate Cake won out. It was lovely as well as delicious. Joe had a peanut butter/bacon cheesecake with bananas and it was amazing.

I can't believe we waited so long to visit this place. The dining room is comfortable and tranquil, with enormous windows showcasing the skyline to the south, and the windows into the kitchen let us enjoy watching the students hard at work. Service was impeccable and prompt. Around the dining room and some adjoining halls are displays of antique kitchen equipment which you really shouldn't miss seeing. On top of all that - free plentiful parking! We're big fans.

Kendall College is at 900 N North Branch St., Chicago, IL 60642.

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Edamame and Grilled Corn Salad

This quick salad is fresh and full of healthy ingredients. It's perfect with Veracruz-style Tilapia grilled in foil packets - one of our favorite ways to cook fish.

We like to use the edamame without pods in the frozen vegetable section of the grocery store. I made the vinaigrette with a Mexican lime-infused olive oil that my sister gave me for Christmas. Beth and my mom visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill in Phoenix, AZ in December, and also brought me feta-stuffed green olives. I think I'm going to raid the olive jar when I'm done with this post!

If you don't have any Mexican lime-infused olive oil handy, try 1 tbsp of lime juice and plain olive oil - or mix in whatever flavor you do have. This salad recipe is very flexible.

Ingredients

3 ears corn
12 oz. frozen edamame
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper

For the Vinaigrette

1/4 cup lime olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp salt

Directions

Heat the grill to medium. Shuck the corn and brush with a little oil. Grill on all sides, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the corn is barely cooked and lightly browned. Allow to cool, then cut the kernels from the cob.

Steam the edamame in the microwave or on the stove until tender, about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water to chill, then let it drain thoroughly. Stir in the corn, pepper, and onion. Shake together the vinagrette ingredients and pour over the salad. Let it chill for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors blend together well.

Serves 4-6.

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Braised Fava Beans with Pancetta (Stufato di Fave, Stufato di Baccelli)

If we were in Italy right now, chances are we'd find a dish of fresh young fava beans braised with pancetta, broth, and tomato on our dinner table. This is a classic early summer dish that's just popping with flavor. It also works well with butter beans or limas.

For a few weeks now, I have been seeing fresh fava beans in the pod at our local grocery store but didn't have a craving or a specific recipe in mind. Then the other day, I saw a large heel of cured pancetta (half a pound!) in the reduced section of our deli. The price was irresistible, and I began thinking of braised fava beans.

But when I went back to the store with the beans, not a single fresh fava was found. I bought a frozen package, finally, since I wasn't going to give up my stewed bean craving that easily. The shelled frozen beans tend to be more mature, so I blanched them and slipped them out of their skins so they'd be tender. Fantastic.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh shelled fava beans, or 20 oz. frozen favas
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, finely chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water

Directions

If using frozen fava beans, boil a small pot of water. When it reaches a boil, put in the beans and cook for 1 minute. Soak the beans in ice water for one minute, then peel off the outer skins. I found it easiest to pull off the dark stripe at the top; the rest of the skin comes right off with that strip.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, then cook the pancetta and onion until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main meal.

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Blanquette de Veau (French veal stew with white sauce)

We first had this classic French veal stew at Froggy’s Café – you know, that French place we rhapsodize about. We consulted with Julia Child on the recipe and experimented a little on our own to come up with the recipe here.

While this is technically a basic stew, it's upscale enough for a fancy dinner party. The lovely creamy sauce and tender, buttery veal are a treat for special friends. 

We’ve noticed that some classic French recipes can be rather one-note. For example, the original recipe called for cooking the veal with a carrot, celery stalk and onion, but then discarding everything. The result is the stew contains just meat, mushrooms, and the very flavorful gravy. We switched it up a bit so that we keep all the vegetables in the stew. You might want to play around with this too – but perhaps experiment on something cheaper than veal!

Ingredients

For the Bouquet Garni (Herb bundle)

3” cheesecloth square

Kitchen Twine

1 tbsp parsley leaves

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tsp fresh thyme

6 black peppercorns

For the Stew

2 lbs. boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1″ chunks

2 stalks of celery cut into 1″ pieces

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup pearl onions

1.5 cups baby carrots cut in half

10 oz. of mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, white, crimini, and oyster, sliced

¼ cup sherry

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. flour

½ cup heavy cream

Salt and white pepper to taste

Cooked white rice, for serving

Parsley leaves, to garnish

Instructions

Wrap the herbs in the cheese cloth and tie with the twine. In a large pot, place the veal, onions, carrot, celery, broth and enough water to partially cover the food. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, and simmer one hour. Skim off the scum as it forms. Be careful not to overcook the veal as it will turn to mush!

Add the mushrooms and sherry and cook until the vegetables are tender. Remove the meat and vegetables to a platter and keep warm; return the broth to the pot.

 In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and stir in one cup of the veal broth, stirring until smooth. Slowly stir the white sauce into the large pot, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer gently until it is thickened. Stir in the cream. Return the meat and vegetables to the pot and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley after plating.

Serve over white rice, noodles, or alone with crusty bread.

Serves 4.

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Bulerias Tapas Restaurant, Chicago

We've been to Bulerias twice, once for a birthday celebration and once for Mother's Day lunch. I really want to love this place - it has so much going for it - but I'm not in love.

First, it's hard to tell online whether the dancing shows are ticketed/paid or free. Luckily for us, the first time we reserved the downstairs area and got to see the show, which is really spectacular. Unluckily, we were so close to the stage that the dancer's fringed costume swept through my food a couple of times. Blech.

On our recent visit, our group of seven made reservations ahead of time and then confirmed it in a later phone call, but they didn't have our reservation. They sat us anyway, though, so it's all good.I would note though that the tables are small and close together; if our server hadn't been on top of our used plates, we would have had trouble!

The food is wonderful. My favorites are the bacon-wrapped dates, mild grilled octopus, and flank steak on crostini with blue cheese. Oh, and the potatoes alli olio! Good sized portions, well-prepared, and all the tapas came quickly after we ordered. They have a nice wine list and good sangria. One of our guests is on a restrictive no-cholesterol diet, and while he wasn't able to share some of the tapas us fat-lovin' people ate, he found some satisfying items to order.

We spent a long time at lunch and it would have been much more enjoyable if we could hear each other talk. We really wanted to catch up with each other but it was difficult. We were in an alcove and the music was extremely loud; even the waiter had trouble hearing us and made some ordering mistakes because of it. We asked him to turn down the noise but he said he couldn't do anything about it. That seemed strange, since he said he could turn the TV to any game we wanted...but couldn't adjust the volume of the music.

There are many tapas places in Chicago so once they have the food nailed down, it's the extra touches of service and atmosphere that determine where people will dine. Bulerias has some problems that could easily be fixed.  I hope they get on it!

Bulerias Tapas Bar is at 3656 N Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60613 
buleriastapas.com 

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