Food Markets: December 2007 Archives
Update: Join Rodney Alex of Juicy Wine Company for their $5 brunch. That's right: each menu item is just five smackers! Options include Juicy eggs, Harold's chicken and waffles, the Hippie breakfast (yogurt, fresh fruit and homemade granola), and--of course--Bloodies and Mimosas. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays 11am-3pm.
And when you're looking for a great evening lounge for drinks, dining, and cool tunes, stop in to Juicy Wine Co. (now with a cozy outdoor patio). At Juicy, the wine, sake, and food are several notches above most late night options in Chicago.
Here's a fresh gem for an afternoon or night out with friends!
Partners Rodney Alex and Alex Pearsall have created an inviting, smart hang-out/retail hybrid. The atmosphere downstairs at Juicy is intimate and modern, a great space to hang out with friends. Upstairs the volume turns up a notch. Most nights starting around 9:30, a DJ spins and it's a party.
At Juicy Wine Company, you can enjoy boutique wines typically only available at restaurants where you pay a considerable mark-up. At Juicy, you can enjoy these delicious wines at retail prices plus corkage fee ($15.00) - a real deal. In addition to hand-selected boutique wines, Juicy carries American Artisanal, Spanish, Italian and French cheeses. And after a six-month waitlist, the much in demand cured meats from Armandino Batali are finally available. What a treat!
Be sure to introduce yourself to Rodney when you check out Juicy Wine Co. He's the perfect host with a simple philosophy. Rodney wants you to relax and drink a big glass of wine (which he affectionately calls "the DIVA") and discover for yourself if you like it. This is a soulful experience, he says. And what better way to learn about wine than to drink and enjoy it? Tastybeat could not agree more.
Juicy's offbeat vibe might be just the New Year's Eve destination you've been looking for. They're calling it Juicy's New Year's Eve Revolution. Rodney says it's their revolt against spendy restaurants with over-priced food and wine that have become the New Year's Eve norm.
Two packages are available for the night:
Guerilla Movement ($75.00/person) This gets you unlimited premium wine, open bar, snacks, and all the Harold's fried chicken you can devour.
The Revolutionist ($800/table of eight -only available in upstairs room) This gets you the same as above, plus a bottle of Belvidere, 2 bottles of Dom Pérignon, special desserts created by Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, and party favors.
Cheers!
Juicy Wine Co.
www.juicywine.com
694 N. Milwaukee
Chicago IL 60622
312-492-6620
Hours:
Mon-Thurs. 1pm-1am
Fri.-Sat. 1pm-2am
Closed Sunday
This gem arrives in time for the holidays -a favorite pie eating season of the year! Owners Mike Hines and Mikel Laughlin have created something special - PIE. And when you take your first bite, you'll be thrilled--and so will the lucky family and friends who share in these phenomenal pies with you.
Pastry chef Nancy Puttnam creates delicious pies with only the finest ingredients, including local fruit as the season permits. And Puttnam uses top-quality European butter for a crust that is delectably flaky and buttery. Scrumptious!
This season, select from these three unique holiday pies:
- mocha coffee pecan with an orange zest crust
- pumpkin and spice with a caramelized walnut trim
- pear, apple, cranberry with a crumble-style crust
Other PIE offerings include classic apple, key lime, chocolate cream, coconut cream, banana cream, lemon meringue and peanut butter. You can get your pie large (9-inch; $26) or mini (4-inch; $7). And if you like variety, try a flight of minis ($19). PIE sells the apple pie frozen, if you're hankering that just-baked aroma at home.
PIE will deliver your order within Chicago city limits. But if you pick up, you're in for a treat. PIE just happens to be tucked into the same space as Epoch, an elegant floral design shop. Pie plus flowers. What could be better?
Happy Eating,
Tastybeat
PIE
615 N. State Street (map)
Chicago, IL 60610
312.642.4192
www.piechicago.com
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 10am -5pm
If you haven't experienced Al's Deli in their first 58 years of business, what are you waiting for? Check out this lunch gem immediately.
In a quaint storefront on Noyes Street in Evanston, Francophiles Bob and John Pottinger carry on the tradition their father Al began nearly six decades ago. Al's Deli specializes in made-to-order lunches for one. Bob and John have no interest in sending you home with dinner for the whole family! This philosophy ensures that your meal is fresh and of the highest quality. In a word, FANTASTIQUE!
Al's best-selling sandwich is the smoked turkey. It's served on a delicious Red Hen baguette that Red Hen Bakery makes exclusively for Al's. This baguette has been modeled after one that Bob went crazy for in a small Parisian boulangerie. Couple your sandwich of choice with a bowl of soul-warming soup--always made from scratch, always vegetarian. Tastybeat's favorite is Cream of Tomato, but they are all délicieux. Top it off with an irresistible cookie or two. Your choices include Belgian chocolate brownie, chocolate chip, spice, pumpkin, iced butter, or oatmeal raisin. You'll have to get creative if you want to take more than four cookies with you, because that's the per customer limit. Though John might break this rule; Bob will not.
When you pay Al's a visit, ask them about the stream that runs below the store, the vintage oak refrigerator, their original art deco meat slicer, or the cash register that only tallies up to $3.99!
Bon Appétît,
Tastybeat
Al's Deli
914 Noyes Street
Evanston, Illinois (map)
847.475.9400
www.alsdeli.net
Hours of Operation:
11am-4pm every day except Wednesday (closed Wednesday)
