Below is my latest story in the Chicago Sun-Times, a little edited but awesome to see in "print" nonetheless. And awesome to write. There are few things I love more than meeting people who are as passionate as I about food, wine and all the culture/pride in craftsmanship/history/community that goes with it.
Secrets of the food pros
Chicago purveyors answer their most-asked questions
October 13, 2010
BY JULIANNE WILL
Have you ever eaten raw shrimp on accident? Opened a new cheese for a cocktail party only to find it’s the stinky kind? Wound up with too few steaks at your cookout or rubbed them with spices so strong your guests sneezed until they went home?
Some specialty foods and beverages are challenging. There’s a certain level of knowledge required to choose a wine or cheese, meat or seafood, and there’s a certain cost — we really don’t want to mess up those purchases.
Never fear. We’ve sought out the experts and asked some of those never-a-dumb questions for you. Don’t be shy — each pro we talked to has been asked every question in the book. They’ve seen it all . . . including the man who went home and ate his shrimp raw.
Here, a few things to know before you shop, based on the most-asked questions from six Chicago specialty retailers.
Meat
How much do I need?
Buy a pound per person if it’s a bone-in cut; a 1/2 pound per person for boneless cuts.
Those are generous portions — if you’re serving light eaters, figure 14 ounces per person, bone-in; 6 ounces without.
Buy 1½ sausages per person, unless they’re all women or children; in that case, one per person should be enough. With chicken, allow for 4 ounces per person.
Your question for the butchers at Paulina Meat Market, 3501 N. Lincoln, will elicit a whole lot of questions in return: What are you using it for? What else are you serving?
“It’s all about preparing the item from beginning to end,” says Bill Begale, who started at Paulina as a butcher and is now owner of the full-service meat shop and gourmet market in Lake View.
If you’re trying something new, bring in the recipe, Begale says, and the butchers can tell you what you need based on the picture.
Stuck at home with a question? Go to Paulina’s Ask a Butcher service online at paulinameatmarket.com and get a response from a real butcher.
The newest common question at Paulina: Where does your meat come from?
All of the meat at Paulina is humanely treated and locally raised (with the exception of the lamb, which is from Colorado), Begale says. And yes to your next question: Paulina grinds its own meat.
Seafood
How do you cook it?
That depends on what you’re buying. Isaacson and Stein Seafood, 800 W. Fulton Market, has recipe cards at the counters that tell customers how to cook most items they sell.
Customers’ questions about preparation are followed in short order by “When did it come in?” and “Where is it from?,” says operations manager John Poulos.
The shop gets fish in fresh on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. “Wednesday is a good day,” Poulos says, “because we have a big container of seafood come in from the Mediterranean.”
The store also gets shipments from Alaska, Hawaii, Ecuador, shrimp from Nigeria that weigh in at a half-pound each, and salmon from New Brunswick, Canada.
Because of that diversity, the oil spill in the Gulf this summer didn’t affect the store’s supply, he says. Shrimp prices went up a few dollars, but the shop’s oysters are from the East Coast.
Poulos recalls one customer who had purchased a package of brown shrimp from Brownsville, Texas. Soon after, the man brought it back in and said it was no good. The staff asked a few questions about what he did with the shrimp, to which he replied that he took it home and started eating it. He thought it was cooked.
The staff explained that the shrimp was raw and that he did need to peel and de-vein it before cooking, Poulos says. Clearly, there is something to fear more than asking a “dumb” question.
Just wine
What’s a good wine?
The answer? More questions. How the wine is to be enjoyed? Are you having food with the wine or is it an aperitif? The weather also is a factor.
Yes, your visit to Perman Wine Selections, 802 W. Washington, may start with a bunch of questions — not yours, but questions from owner Craig Perman.
“This isn’t a test,” he says. “I just want to get as much information out of them in order to get that right bottle in their hands.”
For the novice wine buyer, one piece of information, however, is key: “Try and remember the name — including producer name and wine name — of one or two favorite wines,” Perman says, and even a few you don’t like.
If you can share this information with a wine expert, he or she can help you find — or steer clear of — something similar.
“This is very important, because most people use wine terminology differently,” Perman says. “Sweet and fruity is a classic example. People may call a certain Sauvignon Blanc sweet, and then say they don’t like this.
“In reality, while some Sauvignon Blancs technically do contain a bit of residual sugar, the majority are considered dry, but with an overt fruitiness that the consumer terms sweet.”
Wine and cheese
What wine goes with what cheese?
A crisp, dry Spanish rose served alongside fresh goat cheese with herbs de Provence and green Picholine olives is a classic pairing.
Buying the right cheese is challenging enough. Buying cheese and wine together is another thing entirely, says Greg O’Neill, founder and owner of gourmet food shop Pastoral with Ken Miller. For many customers, “putting the two together is the height of uneasiness,” he says.
That’s why Pastoral offers “TLC” service at its three Chicago shops: tasting, learning and converting. They offer a tasting of the week and post it in their stores, on their blog and on their Facebook page so customers can try their recommendations.
As for learning: Staffers describe the family farms and small producers who supply Pastoral. “We want [customers] to understand . . . what goes into making it and what makes it so special,” O’Neill says. The store also offers classes.
Pastoral is a particularly valuable resource for world-be hosts. “We carry things that work well together,” O’Neill says, such as baguettes and olives. “We try to send them home with the whole package.”
Coffee
How should I store it? In the freezer?
The best way to store your coffee is at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and in an airtight container. If your coffee comes in a bag with a one-way valve, you can keep it in that bag on the counter.
For coffee, freshness is imperative.
“That’s the reason we won’t sell coffee at our store that’s over a week past the roast date,” says Seth J.A. Alexander, general manager of Metropolis Coffee Company, 1039 W. Granville.
Even the best bag of coffee will lose something with the passing of time. If it’s more than six months old — or if it’s been stored improperly — the flavors will be compromised or depleted, Alexander says.
And no, you should never store coffee in the freezer. “It’s going to start tasting like whatever you have with it in the freezer, and nobody wants that,” he says.
Rather, you want to taste your coffee in all its bright or bold glory. Each varietal has a unique flavor that can range from a rich earthiness to sparkling citrus. Alexander suggests trying different kinds, especially light roasts.
“You might find certain growing regions that you prefer over others, or certain characteristics that you like,” he says.
Spices
What is good on steak?
The No. 1 seller at the Spice House (five locations in Chicago and Milwaukee) is Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher’s Rub. The coarse-cut seasoning rub has two particle sizes of garlic and two of black pepper; each releases its flavor during different stages of cooking.
Put it on steaks before grilling or broiling, approximately 1 teaspoon per pound. The blend contains black Tellicherry pepper (ground in-house), garlic, kosher flake salt, sugar, red bell peppers, shallots and parsley. It’s $1.89 per ounce, or 4 ounces for $5.29.
The most frequent question at the Spice House might be about steak, but many other questions usually follow (How long does dill last? What’s the difference between these three types of cinnamon?).
Staffers are culinary school grads and foodies eager to help.
“I try to direct my staff to assume every person walking into the shop does not know how it works, and to make them feel at home,” says Patty Erd, who owns the business with her husband, Tom.
Staffers can measure portions as small as an ounce into a plastic bag or, for longer storage, into a glass shaker. Ground spices, blends and seasonings have a one-year shelf life.
“Old spices will not make you sick, they just will not deliver any flavor to your food,” Erd says.
Julianne Will is a local free-lance writer.
JUST GOOGLE IT
Chicken and coffee are on the minds and likely in the kitchens of many Chicago area cooks, according to Google. Here are the search engine’s fastest rising food- and drink-related search terms in 2010.
Food
1. Chicken
2. Zucchini bread
3. Guacamole
4. Pizza
5. Bruschetta
6. Cake
7. Wings
8. Pie
9. Pasta
10. Cookies
Non-alcoholic beverages
1. Acai
2. Frappe
3. Macchiato
4. Smoothie
5. Tea
6. Pepsi
7. Coke
8. Kombucha
9. Frappuccino
10. Pomegranate
Source: Google's Insights for Search
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