WBEZ | Food

Chicago diners, side of extra crispy stories

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:12:00 -0500

The Slinger. The Jumpball. The Garbage Plate. The Deuces Wild RIP.

If you’re a regular at Chicago-area diners, you may know that these are the names of some legendary signature specials. And if you don’t yet, you’re in for a treat because Curious Citizen Rachel Kimura asked us:

"Where are the area's oldest diners and what are their stories?"

Rachel elaborated: "I love going to diners where it is evident that the waitresses and cooks have been around forever and probably have many stories to tell. I love that diners are a place where families, blue-collar workers, elderly couples, and hung-over twenty somethings can eat together."

Me too, Rachel. When Curious City creator and producer Jennifer Brandel asked if I’d investigate the question, I said (paraphrasing), Heck yeah.

I wrote, “I'm a lifelong fan of diners, thanks to the only grandfather I ever knew, the late, great Frank Hugh. I remember three of his diners vividly. One was an actual old railroad dining car parked just west of my great-grandfather's laundry on Grand Avenue.”

OK, so back to Rachel’s question(s): Old? Check. Thanks to domu’s terrific list of vintage Chicago restaurants.

But how do we define a diner? As I wrote previously, our friends at Chicagoist happened to have listed their favorite diners recently. With all due respect, not all their favorites are diners — at least not in my book.

After a Waffle Combo Meal with two eggs over easy, ham, hash browns and coffee at Cozy Corner Restaurant and Pancake House in Chicago (the Kelvyn Park location, not the 1977 original Logan Square location) I came to a decision. How will we define a diner?

I know it when I see it.

A detour, for the sake of comparison

But first, I had to go off to Asia for work, which actually helped further define our diner parameters.

In Shanghai, I went on a futile search for the Four Heavenly Kings: dabing (Chinese pancake), youtiao (Chinese fry bread), steamed sticky rice ball and soy milk. This was once the most common breakfast order on land first settled in the 5th century, in the most populous city in the world. But, I was told repeatedly, it’s old fashioned street food that they didn’t have. Would I like tea or caffè latte instead?

In Singapore I made my way to the original 1919 location of Killiney Kopitiam, the oldest coffee shop in the Southeast Asian city-state-island country. Their specialty is a thick crust version of the national breakfast: kaya toast with soft cooked eggs, and coffee.

So after a global diner race against a ticking clock, I further refined our diner parameters: They would be diners on an endangered species list. And perhaps they could represent us on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Some are more “endangered” than others, and one is, in fact, extinct.

1920s to 1950s Pullman Rail Journeys

But before we tell some of the stories of the area’s oldest diners, we need to visit the origin story. Luckily history had pulled into the station. At Chicago’s Amtrak yard we visited some of the original Pullman train cars, which date between the ‘20s and ‘50s. There, we spoke with executive chef Daniel Traynor and head steward Jason Makor as they prepared to depart for New Orleans. George Pullman established his eponymous company in 1862. Traynor has researched Pullman culinary history and explained that every line had a signature French toast. Pullman bread, the dense, crumbed white bread still baked in a lidded metal pan, was invented to fit in tight train galleys. Makor to this day recreates the meticulous table settings; in particular, he uses doilies for every compartmentalized dish, as Pullman himself dictated until his death in 1897. Traynor explained that dining cars once connected farmers, local food producers, diners, and chefs. These dining cars also contributed to a long-term trend; the cars were self-contained, meaning they could operate as free-standing restaurants. So when dining cars went out of commission, some became the diners we know today.

1926 Franks Diner in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Husband and wife owners Julie Rittmiller and Kevin Ervin clarified a common misconception about Franks: It is not, in fact, a repurposed railroad diner car. In 1926 Greek immigrant Anthony Franks bought the brand new restaurant from Jerry O'Mahony Inc., "Lunch Car Builders," in Bayonne, N.J. It was shipped on rail flat car (hence its design), and it was filled with dishware and flatware, too. Julie showed us the original bread box which will be refurbished and displayed. She said the diner is haunted by an unknown female ghost who — late one night — blew open a storeroom door. This, it turned out, was helpful, mostly because Julie’s hands happened to be full at the time. Franks special: the Garbage Plate.

1933 Moon’s Sandwich Shop, Chicago

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Moon’s opened in 1933 and was named for its former moonshiner owners. In its current building since 1947, you may notice most everyone in the room — in front of the counter, as well as behind it — is African-American. Except perhaps for a few longtime regulars and owner Jim Radek, who’s a cross between Bruce Willis and Al Pacino. Radek, a former regular due to his work as a neighborhood police officer, told us the harrowing tale of one rough day. Nearly two dozen locals chased a guy into Moon’s, or rather to its threshold. Radek told them they couldn’t continue the pursuit because Moon’s was a sanctuary. Like church. And so it was and remains to this day. Moon’s special: the Jumpball.

1937 Diner Grill, Chicago

Open 24 hours a day since 1937 (“March 15 8AM,” to be precise, according to the original framed black and white photo behind the counter). Managers Ricardo Hernandez (days) and Kenny Coster (nights) have been working the grill for 12 and 11 years, respectively. The restaurant is an old trolley car and sits at the end of its former trolley line. The busiest hours are between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Ricardo once worked the night shift himself and says he doesn’t know how Kenny still does it. Kenny says he’s had to talk would-be pole dancers down during their night of revelry. While passing out is not encouraged, they do let diners sleep it off, presumably if they can stay perched on the stools. Diner Grill’s special: the Slinger.

1960 Ohio House Coffee Shop, Chicago

While the coffee shop dated back 53 years, owner Cathy Roquemore was there about 30. Cathy served the last Deuces Wild on Sunday, April 28, 2013. After more than three decades behind the counter, she was given 30 days to vacate. Cathy started out as an employee — the only employee, actually. The former owner, a drinking buddy of her husband’s, came to her house and said, “Cathy, I need you!” She bought the place herself when her husband died. She said she was going to take a two-week break then decide what to do next. Regulars can find Cathy, former waitress Kim Jurgensen, and each other on their Facebook page, Save the Ohio House Coffee Shop. Ohio House Coffee Shop special: Deuces Wild RIP.

A big thanks to Chicago’s most notable diner owners and managers who also took the time to chat:

1923 Lou Mitchell’s manager Heleen Thanas
1938 Palace Grill owner George Lemperis
1939 White Palace Grill owner George Liakopoulos
1947 Silver Palm owner David Gevercer

When I started investigating Rachel’s diner question, I’d written, “I will be carrying my own personal bottle of real maple syrup, and my own thermally insulated whipped cream.”

I didn’t. Because that wouldn’t have been nice. And one of the rules at diners: Be nice or leave. Pass me the pancake syrup, because I’d like to stay and hear some more stories.

Follow Louisa Chu @louisachu.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the company that Anthony Franks bought his restaurant from. The company's name is Jerry O'Mahony Inc., "Lunch Car Builders," of Bayonne, N.J.

Where was Rick Bayless at 25?

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:47:00 -0500

When you think about Rick Bayless, the things that come to mind likely aren’t Anthropological Linguistics or French food.

That just goes to show how little you know about the 25-year-old Rick Bayless.

At 25, Bayless was at the University of Michigan, knee-deep in the final stages of his dissertation.

He was also teaching cooking classes—mostly pastry or savory French food—and was seriously dating another U of M student.

But it was around this time that he realized that it wasn’t linguistics that he loved, it was food.

So he decided to make a change. A big one.

As he tells WBEZ’s Lauren Chooljian, it was that year that he sat his girlfriend down, and asked her two things: Would she marry him? And would she travel with him to either France or Mexico?

She said yes to both questions, and the two decided to move to Mexico.

Bayless says if not for that dinner table conversation, he might be living out his days as a French chef or pastry chef instead of the James Beard award-winning Mexican chef we know today.

Lauren Chooljian is WBEZ’s morning producer and reporter. Follow her @laurenchooljian.

The Secret Financial Life of Food

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:31:00 -0500

Kara Newman began her career as a financial writer. The inspiration for her new book, The Secret Financial Life of Food, began with two little words in the financial newsweekly Barron’s. Jim Rogers, a noted commodities expert, gave the following advice: “Buy breakfast.” He was talking about pork belly futures (which no longer trade) and frozen orange juice futures. That one little comment snapped into focus the point that agricultural commodities aren’t abstract financial concepts – at heart, they’re about food. Pork bellies become the bacon on your plate; frozen orange juice becomes the OJ in your glass. In the end, it’s all about food.

The ups and downs of the commodities market – in Chicago and elsewhere - influence what we eat and what we pay for food. Many farmers study commodities prices to decide what and how much to plant. Chain restaurants use them to manage costs – if the price of beef is expected to spike, does it make sense to raise menu prices, or find an ingredient substitution? Commodities prices set a baseline for prices at supermarkets and greenmarkets alike -- and most people don't even realize it.

Kara Newman is a spirits and cocktail writer based in New York. She is the Spirits Editor for Wine Enthusiast and her work appears in The New York Times, Saveur, The San Francisco Chronicle, Arrive, and Sommelier Journal, among other publications. Previously, she was vice president of Strategic Research at Thomson Reuters.

Recorded live Monday, April 22, 2013 at Kendall College.

Pasta Madness: Crowning the champion

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:56:00 -0500

Well, folks, it’s come down to this. What is Claire Zulkey’s favorite kind of pasta? I know you’ve been waiting weeks to learn the answer to this. Coming down to a decision has been so tough that I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger and pick a favorite last week and put it off until today. However, now that actual tournament basketball is over, it’s time for the carb contest to wrap up as well.

I love all pasta—even the losers who got knocked out in the first round are still preferable to so many other kinds of foods. Quinoa? More like quin-whaa? Wild rice? More like mild rice (actually, this doesn’t even make sense as technically mild rice would be just plain white rice which I’m actually OK with.) The point is, I like noodles.

Let’s just get down to it. Gemelli vs. pappardelle. Neither pasta has ever let me down, neither has an obvious deficit. I can't even decide what’s superior, short vs. long pasta.

So here’s how I’m going to evaluate it. By comparing pasta to vacations (because eating pasta is like a vacation for your mouth.) For our honeymoon, my husband and I went to a private, tropical island. Everything about it was perfect, so perfect that we could only afford to spend half a week there. We often daydream about just blowing an obscene amount of money and going back for a week, but we just can’t bring ourselves to do it. The trip may just live on as a memory.

In contrast, we are crazy about New Orleans. It’s not exactly cheap to get to, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than flying to the British Virgin Islands, plus we have friends who live there so we stay for free and get a few meals for free. Thanks to this convenience, we’re able to get down there once a year. So while Peter Island may be a more special destination, I think New Orleans has got to technically be our favorite because we know for a fact that we love it enough to return to it again and again.

Pappardelle is the island and gemelli is the Big Easy. You can’t find pappardelle in stores, at least not in any stores I frequent. Pappardelle is for fancy out of the way gourmet shops and nice restaurants. I, on the other hand, can walk five minutes to my Jewel and stock up on boxes and boxes of gemelli and then make delicious dishes with it like this and this and this.

So, due to availability and cost effectiveness, I’m going to go with gemelli. Gemelli wins! Cut down the net and throw the Gatorade on, because you win, champ. Enjoy it.

If you missed the previous rounds of pasta madness, you can find them here, here and here.

Follow Claire Zulkey @Zulkey.

List: Recipes my husband has deemed acceptable

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:35:00 -0500

My husband used to be a picky eater, to the point where we'd cumulatively stress out each time we went out to a restaurant that wasn't vetted by him, in case there wasn't something on the menu he liked. Fortunately for our marriage, he's let down his guard a lot. He's learned that eating new things won't kill him, that most food is good and, if not, he can always go to Subway later.

But back before he evolved, I used to note which recipes in my binder met his approval. Now, looking at how long this list is, I think I can stop calling him picky.

Turkey Salad with Manchego

Pea, Feta and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

Pesto Smashed Potatoes

Pasta E Fagioli

Beef & Bean Chile Verde

White Bean Soup with Andouille and Collards

Pork Paprikash

Plaintain Picadillo Pie with Cheese

Pot Roast with Sherry, Onions, Thyme and Sour Cream

Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Israeli Couscous

Chicken Piccata

Southwest Rice and Corn Salad With Lemon Dressing

Creamy Fettuccine with Leeks, Corn and Arugula

Fresh Fettuccine With Butter, Peas and Sage Sauce

Pasta with Spinach and White Bean Sauce

Zucchini Strand Spaghetti

Spaghetti with Kale, Bacon and Brie Cheese

Follow me on Twitter @Zulkey.

Pasta Madness Final Four

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:37:00 -0500

Let's be real: Pasta Madness has been a lot more exciting and fun than actual March Madness. No matter who you are, your bracket has been completely busted to hell by now and your favorite team has probably already long been eliminated. But pasta will always be there for you. Even when your team loses you still win, because, pasta.

Let's look at the latest games:

Linguine vs. Gemelli. Linguine's got a lot going for it and really nothing is wrong with it, per se, but Gemelli just has more. Gemelli is, by definition, twin pastas, and two of something great is always going to have an edge over just one. It's like, would you rather have one beautiful wife or two? Plus, as a short pasta, Gemelli is a more female-friendly pasta because you can just fork it up, as opposed to worrying about splattering one of your top three most embarrassing places on your body, like you would with linguine. I know I'm sort of like the Ken "Hawk" Harrelson when it comes to Gemelli: I've been a fan since day one and am not ashamed of it. Well, deal with it. I'm here to cheer for Gemelli until they fire me. Winner: Gemelli.

Pappardelle vs. Farfalle. This game is a little bit like what happens when the snobby rich kids (pappardelle) play the down-and-out scrappy kids from the other side of the tracks. Only in this case, the rich kids win because they're better in every way. Last week, I fingered farfalle as being guilty of frequently dwelling in second-and-third-tier pasta salads. Pappardelle, on the other hand, is usually a fancy, oft-handmade pasta that rests in beautiful wide ribbons and boasts something rich and earthy like rare mushrooms or unicorn meat. Farfalle, I'm sorry to say but you just couldn't beat those rich kids this time. Winner: Pappardelle

Next week is serious. I may actually have to eat some Gemelli and some Pappardelle to see who wins. This is the type of dedication I show towards this project. You are welcome.

@Zulkey

The Flavor of Africa

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:59:00 -0500

Wilbert Jones takes you on a culinary journey throughout the earth's second largest mass of land, Africa. This enormous continent contains 55 countries, where more than 1,500 languages are spoken. Jones will share his knowledge about the ancient Egyptian's daily diet, national dishes from several countries, traditional use of some unique ingredients as well as cooking techniques, and current food and beverage trends emerging out of Africa. He will also address the lack of African culinary presence in America and offers some solutions to increase visibility.

Wilbert Jones is the president of Chicago-based The Wilbert Jones Company, a 20 year old food/beverage product development and marketing company. He has written several African cuisine articles for both, food trade and consumer magazines. Jones is currently working on hosting a cable-television series, titled: "A Taste of Africa."

Recorded live Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Kendall College.

Eat it: The Nature Museum serves up food for thought

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

The first thing you see upon entering the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s new exhibit on food is a 19^th century hand plow, its modesty a bit disarming as the climax of a walk-up whose walls are splashed with projections of grain nodding majestically in the wind. But that simple tool, which seems downright primitive in a time of genetically modified organisms and concentrated animal feedlots, was revolutionary.

Steve Sullivan, the Nature Museum’s senior curator of urban ecology, said the diverse suite of native species that scientists now see as a hallmark of ecological resilience looked more like a mess to the area’s white settlers.

“Illinois was bulletproof,” he said. “It was an intact ecosystem.” Settlers didn’t know how rich the soil was, in other words, because they couldn’t access it. Once John Deere helped them turn the soil, they changed the landscape rapidly. Less than one one-hundredth of one percent of Illinois’ prairie remains today.

But the bucolic family farm phase that most people picture when they think of homesteaders on the prairie didn’t last long, said exhibit curator Alvaro Ramos. For industrial capitalists, efficiency is the mother of invention — concentrated, mechanized farms quickly took root.

“Now we’ve got a lot of food,” he said, “but how good is it?” Ramos said the point of the exhibit is not to sow nostalgia, but to push visitors to reexamine their own relationship with food — and by extension the Earth — that sustains them.

Placed throughout the exhibit are “human stories” placards holding up local examples of agricultural stewardship from past and present: The Murphy Family maintains a community garden at 65^th and Woodlawn in Chicago; the Fresh Moves truck nourishes food deserts with local produce; the Chiappetti family lost their savings during the Great Depression, received farmland as repayment from their belly-up bank, and turned a subsistence enterprise in lamb-raising into an inter-generational industry.

“We want to empower people,” Sullivan said. “By using your neighbor’s example, you can see how you can have an impact.”

(Sullivan’s impact on the exhibit goes beyond his intellectual input. The taxidermy chicken and rabbit on display? “Leftovers from my dinner,” he said.)

Buying local produce isn’t going to resurrect the vast swaths of prairie that once blanketed the Midwest — the deep-reaching root systems of its native grasses holding fast to black soil, nourishing bison and prairie chickens —but that’s not the point. Ramos, the exhibit’s curator, said Food is not a history exhibit. All he wants is for visitors to leave knowing that every time they lift a fork or shop for groceries, they’re stepping into nature.

“Food: The Nature of Eating” is open March 23 through Sept. 8 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Chris Bentley writes about the environment. Follow him on Twitter at @Cementley.

Pasta Madness: The Elite Eight

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:56:00 -0500

Round One is where the chips start to fall but Round Two is where hearts start to break. Everyone is already a winner and so it's heartbreaking to see starches that have made it this far stricken. But somebody has to lose.

For this round I found myself doing Google image searches on the pastas in question to see which would most likely be eaten, and in mass quantities, by me. Some of them were easy (Fusilli making it this far was a bit of a fluke) but others weren't quite as clear. Linguine seems like a slam dunk...or is it? Read on to see who won this week.

Ditalini vs. Linguine: At first this seemed easy, if unfair, sort of like Duke playing some school you've never heard of but you're rooting for because they're playing Duke. Linguine is a standard. Who ever heard of ditalini anyway? But I love an underdog, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness. Maybe a big bowl of ditalini would be fantastic. Could you use ditalini, perhaps, in lieu of macaroni and make ditalini and cheese? Unfortunately, when I ran a Google image search on ditalini, it confirmed my suspicion that ditalini is really a second-tier pasta, often good in things but never standing alone. Sorry ditalini, I love you but you're no match for linguine. With that said, however, I would like to try this Ditalini & Lentil pasta salad I found whilst Googling. Winner: Linguine.

Gemelli vs. Ziti: This wasn't terribly hard because in many ways, gemelli is just double ziti, so who would win in a game, one Michael Jordan vs. two Michael Jordans? Plus, gemelli is my preferred pasta when making this recipe (one of the most popular and simple things I ever cook), so it was a blowout. I'm placing odds on gemelli to win the whole tournament but as you know it ain't over til the fat, carbohydrate-laden lady sings. Winner: Gemelli.

Orecchiette vs. Pappardelle: This was the most difficult call this week. Orecchiette are just beautiful little darling angels that you can stuff a lot of in your mouth and are typically seen in tandem with butter or cream or peas. They're little ears, like the ears of little babies you just want to eat. If orecchiette were a basketball team it would be one of those teams that's all young underdogs who never thought they'd make it this far and they cry at the end of the game when they lose and you would too and the whole stadium, including the opposing team, would be cheering more for them and how far they've gotten than for the other team's victory. I tried thinking about what's not so great about pappardelle, which is namely that it always seems expensive and comes in portions that don't seem to be as large enough as you'd like. But when I Googled orecchiette and then pappardelle, there was no contest. A bowlful of pappardelle still looks more likely like it'd make it into my mouth than the orecchiette. Sorry kids. Maybe next year. Winner: Pappardelle

Fusilli vs. Farfalle: The battle of the pasta salad pastas. I sort of consider fusilli to be like that one American Idol contestant who isn't that good, who nobody really likes but makes it far due to ironic voting. Although, to be honest, the worst fusilli is still miles better than even just an okay American Idol contestant. The truth is that I just can't separate fusilli from its most base form, which is to say, the over-vinegared, over-oiled, too-salty, too-oniony pasta salad that you usually get for free at some picnic you don't want to be at. But don't be too smug, farfalle: it seems like you appear in your fair share of tacky salads and bland chicken-breast-laden (Oh! How I loathe the plain white chicken breast, which devalues a good pasta more times than it adds to it) dishes as well. Fusilli lost this game just as much as you won it. You better practice really hard before next week's tournament. Winner: Farfalle

This is really exciting, people. Looks like this is coming down to a tight race between short pastas and longs. Who will take the crown?

My stomach is growling. Follow me @Zulkey

Heritage Matters: Food, Fire & Family

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:38:00 -0600

Heritage Matters: Food, Fire, & Family was a cultural demonstration event, where participants learned about German and Japanese traditions. The German demonstration featured a flaming punch with rum, wine, and space. The Japanese demonstration was an interactive mochi-making, a sweet rice cake, served with ozoni soup. After the demonstrations all joined at the table for food tasting from both cultures and a conversation about family meals. During the tasting presenters shared few cultural facts as well.

Recorded live on Mach 9, 2013 at DANK-HAUS.