Not-so-live from Chicago: Food on the Town!
What you need to understand right off the bat is that Chicago is not only in a different time zone than Virginia, but it is in a completely different weather zone (more on par with the arctic tundra). As such, you will see that we are coated and scarfed, despite the fact that it was 75 and sunny in Virginia. The flowery mound hanging on the front of me in the picture is my blanket-covered infant in carrier. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t think I had developed a large unsightly growth.
Anway, in between hand-warming sessions, I stopped by a local cheese stand and picked up a really cool blue cheese/mascarpone/pistachio nut roll. Now I am not normally a nut roll fan, but OH MY was this delicious. If I were a tackier person, I would have eaten it in the middle of the market like a candy bar. Being that I am dainty and proper, I waited to inhale it till we got home. In my left hand is a bag of super-yummy cheese curds. Mild, tangy, creamy. I was a bit disappointed, however, that the tell-tale squeak of many cheese curds was absent. Probably cause it was SO DARN COLD!
After the farmers’ market we visited Gepperth’s butcher shop, a fine example of butchery if I’ve ever seen it. The gentlemen behind the counter all wear shirts and ties under their aprons, giving the place a really cool old-world feel. Plus, they gave my little girl gummy candies to munch on, so they couldn’t be any cooler in my book.
Next stop was was Little Italy, which is less full of Italian storefronts than I would have liked. However, we did visit Conte di Savoia, which makes the world’s best fresh mozzarella. They keep it on the counter in a large bucket. Not glamorous, but OH SO SUCCULENT. It’s hard to not eat it while driving back. The key: NEVER refrigerate. If you can’t eat it within a few hours, you’re just not doing your job.
Our Chicago trip was wonderful. We ran out of time to do a cheese shop tour (go figure!) but we will be back soon so you can expect another update then!