Recently in Food Services Category

Once summer's in swing, join Tastybeat's own Mary and Jennifer for a Cooking Fools class on June 26th. We'll take to the rooftop for a special outdoor kitchen cooking class! On the menu: char-roasted cedar-plank salmon, smoky rice and beans, low country shrimp boil, grilled salad, and dessert. If you can't make it to this class, check out Cooking Fools' schedule for other cool offerings throughout the summer including Sushi Making, Girls on the Grill, Mexican Rooftop Party and many more!

Happy Cooking,

Tastybeat

Cooking Fools
1916 W. North Avenue (map)
Chicago IL
773.276.5565
Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am-9:00 pm
Sun 12:00 pm-7:00 pm

Cooking Fools, a gourmet kitchen in Bucktown specializing in fine take-out fare, carries globally influenced food and wine and offers recreational cooking classes (beginners welcome). Cooking Fools is committed to great style, quality ingredients, and common sense. Like their name implies, the Cooking Fools don't take themselves too seriously; they want their customers to have fun with food.

Tastybeat insists you make your way to Cooking Fools to pick up a pint or two of their house-made mango habanero sorbet. Just one spoonful and you'll get it: an intense burst of fresh mango followed by a spicy kick of habanero pepper. Exceptional! Tastybeat recommends pairing this one-of-a-kind sorbet with a delicious Mexican, Asian, or Indian meal...a perfect ending to a full-flavored, spicy feast.

Stop by Cooking Fools and pick up some refreshingly original mango habanero sorbet. In the heart of Bucktown, Cooking Fools is easy to spot. Look for the giant whisk hanging above the door at 1916 W. North Avenue.

Happy eating,

Tastybeat

Cooking Fools
1916 W. North Avenue (map)
Chicago IL
773.276.5565
Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am-9:00 pm
Sun 12:00 pm-7:00 pm

Here's a gem that your eyes, nose, and mouth will love: Sukhadia's, a specialty foods store with an abundant array of Indian sweets and savories. Owner Jayant Sukhadia was born and raised in the Gulf of Khembhat, where his family has been making and selling street snacks for over 130 years. Twelve years ago, Jayant brought this passion and expertise to Devon Avenue in Chicago, where he has made and sold his family's delicious, unique treats ever since. And with his store's success, Sukhadia has recently expanded to Hoffman Estates.

Friend and Indian snack aficionado Kalpana Waiker introduced Tastybeat to Sukhadia's, and she has shared some of her favorite selections with us. Since there are over one hundred snacks and so many compelling flavors to discover, we recommend you bring this shortlist with you on your first visit:

Savory

Pan Poori
Kalpana's fun to eat, all-time favorite snack! This snack consists of crisp fried bread, small and round in shape. It's served with a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas, and cilantro chutney water. How to eat: Gently poke a hole in the crispy bread and fill with potato-chickpea mixture. Next, pour two teaspoons of chutney water into the hole. Now for the fun part--pop the whole thing into your mouth and enjoy the explosion of flavor!

Bhel Poori
An exotic spicy mixture of puffed rice, sev (noodles), crispy poori (fried flatbread), chopped potatoes, onions, and tamarind sauce.

Sweet

Patisa
A delicious flaky treat made with chickpea flour, clarified butter, cardamom, sugar, and topped with almonds.

Suterfeni (threads of cotton)
An unusual sweet treat with hints of saffron, cardamom, and almond. This sweet is made by hand in a three-hour process. A sweet, rice flour dough is smoothed out, stretched, and pulled until it resembles fine threads of cotton.

Happy Snacking,
Tastybeat

Sukhadia's
2559 W. Devon (map)
Chicago, IL 60659
773-338-5400
Hours: Open Daily, hours vary
Please call ahead

Sukhadia's
1016 Strawberry Hill Plaza
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
11am-8pm everyday except Tuesday
Closed Tuesday

Note: The Sukhadia family also has stores in New Jersey and Manhattan under the Sukhadia name.

Tastybeat's good friend, Betsy Nathan owner of Pagoda Red in Chicago and Winnetka, has shared her favorite Chinese gems to help us celebrate The Year of the Rat! Betsy lived in China for several years and has traveled there extensively ever since. She loves exploring her home city of Chicago to find authentic, delicious tastes of China.

First, Betsy recommends Lao Sze Chuan, a wonderful restaurant at Archer and Cermak in China Town. Betsy suggests trying the Xin Jiang Lamb specialty, a marinated and stir-fried lamb dish flavored with Xin Jiang cumin, ginger, garlic, onion, scallions, red pepper, fresh jalapeño, chili sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese cooking wine. This is a traditional dish of the Uigher people from the far northwest province of Xin Jiang. Because of its central location between the Middle East and China, Xin Jiang produces food and culture that melds aspects of both. We think you will agree that Lao Sze Chuan is a welcome alternative to your typical Americanized Chinese fare.

Next, Betsy shares a Chinese tip for good fortune. Start your new year with a meal of long, UNCUT noodles. This tradition promises you a long and prosperous life. Wish to partake? Start by visiting one of several grocers (see list) who carry two to four-foot long noodles. As you prepare your noodles, the Chinese kitchen god Chang Kung will watch over and protect you. And according to custom, serve your long noodles in individual bowls to each person around the table. Next, eat and believe!

To round out your Chinese New Year, Tastybeat insists you make your way to Betsy Nathan's, Pagoda Red. Visiting this gem that specializes in fine 18th and 19th Century Chinese artifacts is a special treat. Among the many rare and unusual antiques, here you will find Ba Bao Cha, an exquisite Eight Treasures tea. This tea is colorful, fruity, and a bit sweet, leaving you with the gentle sweetness of chrysanthemum. Brew in a clear pot so you can watch the Eight Treasures (chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, Chinese wolfberries, red dates, jasmine leaves, sesame, rock sugar, and tangerine and lemon peel) come alive as they flavor the water. You can take home Ba Bao Cha packaged with two blue and white 19th century teacups. What a beautiful way to celebrate.

Happy Chinese New Year,

Tastybeat

Lao Sze Chuan
2172 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: 312.326.5040
Hours: Open 7 days a week
Lunch 11:30am -3:00pm
Dinner 3:00pm -12:00am

Pagoda Red
1714 North Damen
Chicago, IL
Phone: 773.235.1188

902 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, IL
Phone: 847.784.8881

Hours:
Monday--Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday by appointment only

Where to find long, uncut noodles:
City Olive - 5408 North Clark Street - (773) 878-5406
Ask for Mafalde Lunghe

Sunset foods:
Highland Park - 1812 Green Bay Road - (847) 432-5500
Northbrook - 1127 Church Street - (847) 272-7700
Lake Forest - 825 S. Waukegan Road - (847) 234-8380
Libertyville - 1451 West Peterson - (847) 573-9570
Ask for the Maestri Pastai brand of long pasta

Or, for really, really long pasta consider:
De Cecco Spaghetti, imported from Italy
Each noodle is nearly 4 feet long
Can be ordered at Amazon.com

On the cold, crisp days this winter, Tastybeat has sampled many a hot cocoa beverage in the city's ever-growing hot chocolate scene. Our conclusion? Angel Food Bakery serves up one delicious cup!

Their supremely delicious hot chocolate sensation, the Barthelona, is rich, creamy, and not-too-sweet. You'll find it is just the remedy for those chilled winter bones. Served in an espresso cup for the daintier among us (and a regular mug for most) and topped with a dollop of the bakery's homemade whipped cream, this drink is guaranteed to make you smile.

And while you're at it, enjoy bakery owner Stephanie Samuel's fun nod to decades past. Her retro creations include:

The Airstream: A Twinkie-like creation made of yellow cake with a marshmallow butter cream filling

The R.V.: Yellow cake with marshmallow butter cream filling, topped with a raspberry glaze and rolled in coconut

The Marshmallow Igloo: Samuel's take on the Hostess snowball, a chocolate dome cake with cream filling surrounded by a marshmallow igloo

And Angel Food also makes cupcakes. Boston cream pie, mud pie, and Day-Glo frosted are a few of the whimsical varieties. And last but not least, don't leave without checking out Stephanie's cake designs. They are gorgeous. Whatever your selection at Angel Food, it's sure to be delicious.

Happy Indulging!
Tastybeat

Angel Food Bakery
1636 W. Montrose (map)

773-728-1512
www.angelfoodltd.com
Chicago, IL 60613

Hours
Tuesday-Friday 7am-5pm
Saturday 8am-5pm
Sunday 9am-5pm
Closed Monday

Here's a hot way to rebel against the cold Chicago winter that looms. Throw a party, Latin style!

Tastybeat wants you to meet Venezuelan-Chicagoan Maritza Castillo. When you talk with Maritza, you find she is the embodiment of the cuisine she loves: a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Fifteen years ago, Maritza came to Chicago from Portuguesa, Venezuela, and she has been cooking up a storm for discerning customers ever since. Indeed, she is the caterer of choice for many in-the-know Chicagoans who crave authentic Latin-American cuisine. And when you want to turn up the heat even more on your fiesta, Maritza can hook you up with her friends, the group Araguaney. Araguaney plays upbeat, traditional Venezuelan music for parties small and large.

When you're ready to plan your menu, keep these specialties in mind:

• Pan de Jamon - Maritza's favorite, a Venezuelan treat traditionally served on Christmas Eve; a combination of plump raisins, pimento-stuffed olives, and juicy ham rolled together in a lightly sweetened dough; both sweet and savory


• Tostones - fried green plantains paired with a variety of Maritza's special salsas, including her outstanding garlic and cilantro blend


• Empanadas - small corn pockets filled with tasty black beans or your choice of chicken, beef or pork


• Hallacas - Venezuelan-style tamales filled with an assortment of meats or vegetables


• Tres Leches - a traditional yellow cake soaked in a trio of creamy milks; rich in flavor


• Quesillo - Tastybeat's top pick, a Venezuelan flan; a touch of rum takes this flan to another level: out of this world!

You can contact Maritza Castillo at 773-744-7341 or maritzacast1@sbcglobal.net

Buen Probecho!

Tastybeat

Get ready for the ultimate cookie fix. Today Tastybeat brings to you an exclusive gem. Jori Witt makes fabulous, made to order, melt in your mouth, home-made cookies. These scrumptious treats -Grandma Rose's Rocks - are chock full of milk chocolate, dried cranberries, and walnuts: all natural ingredients. Tastybeat can't stop eating them.

Jori's family has enjoyed Grandma Rose's recipe for three generations. Her father loved the days when his childhood home smelled of these freshly baking cookies. He and his friends eagerly anticipated devouring these special treats. When Grandma Rose passed away, Jori was the recipient of her tattered and well used recipe book. Using three variations of the cookie recipe, Jori embarked on a journey to come up with the unique flavor and taste of Grandma Rose's cookies. Jori tweaked the ingredients until one day her father tasted and immediately knew she had recreated the special taste of Grandma's cookie. Since that day, Jori has shared the recipe and flavor of Grandma Rose's original cookies. Now you can enjoy these cookies too! You will find these chunky, moist, flavorful cookies irresistible.

Grandma Rose's Rocks can be ordered via email or phone by the one dozen for $25.00 or two dozen for $35.00. These are perfect for entertaining and as gifts. Jori will deliver locally, or she will ship them for you.

You must try these sweet gems! Give Jori a call today.

Jori Witt
(847) 212-6065
j.witt@comcast.net