Homemade No. 4: Sausage, Peppers and Pasta

I know it's been awhile since I've posted about something I made but it hasn't been because I haven't been cooking. I have. I also have about five restaurant posts to write too, so I better get my act in gear. I had all these mini red, yellow and orange peppers and didn't want them to go to waste. I made a play on sausage and peppers and made a nice little pasta dish. I started by browning some Italian sausage and later sauteed the yellow, red and orange peppers along with garlic and red onion in some extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil. I eventually tossed in some bow tie pasta and added some store bought cheese and made a mighty fine dish.

Restaurant 7: 312 Chicago

I went to 312 Chicago after a closing with some business associates that I like. The restaurant is a bit more formal but it fit the bill for the group.

Restaurant: 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle St., Chicago. A bit more expensive than I like or than it should have been. On the plus side, they have a great wine selection. Appetizers $8-$15, entrees from $17-$25.

We started out with a group of appetizers: the frito misto ( fried calamari, scallops, salmon), prosciutto plate (Salumi, Prosciutto di Parma, Cacciatore Salami, Sopressata, Marinated Olives) and seared scallops in a saffron leek broth with wild mushrooms and truffle oil. The frito misto was good but forgettable. The prosciutto plate was nice. The seared scallops rocked. The scallop was perfectly cooked and the saffron leek sauce was so good, you wanted more bread to soak up every drop of sauce. The scallops were by far the star of the entire meal.

I ordered the risotto of the day which was a goat cheese, sausage with fresh heirloom tomatoes. When I ordered it, I was somewhat reluctant. Risotto is tricky to do for many restaurants. I figured if you have a risotto of the day, then you must know what you are doing. Well, not exactly. As you can seem it was runny. Who wants runny risotto. Certainly not me. The goat cheese and sausage was nice but the best part of the dish was the heirloom tomatoes which were really fresh and sweet (which is rare in January). I also tasted the Ravioli Filled with Duck Confit, Caramelized Michigan Cherries, Red Wine Reduction and it was average. With these ingredients, I think I could have done better.

On the plus side, they have a nice wine list and a comfortable environment in which to talk without others being in your space. On the whole, the restaurant was overpriced and just lacking. I would not go back.

Restaurant 6: Nana

It was my friend Aaron's birthday. He really wanted everyone to come out to his favorite breakfast place for brunch near his place on the South side. So we headed out to Nana's restaurant in Bridgeport.

Restaurant: Nana, 3267 S. Halsted St. Chicago, IL. Neighborhood: Bridgeport. Pricewise, more expensive than your typical breakfast joint but organic food costs more, so for an organic restaurant is was reasonably priced. Bonus points as the restaurant is BYOB.

Who went: Aaron, Frank, Loiusee, Roy and myself.

All I really knew about the place before I went was that Aaron loves the place and it's an organic restaurant. Everything. I was a bit skeptical as the closest I had ever been to an organic restaurant was the Chicago Diner. Let's say it I was pleasantly surprised.

When you walk in, you know it's not going to be like other breakfast places. The restaurant is nice and bright, with lots of sunshine. You can also see that they paid attention to detail in the design. The kitchen is open so you can see them cooking but just enough that you feel confident about the food. The details in the design, from the subway tiles in the kitchen, the wainscoating and the copper lighting hanging above the juice bar let you know that they were serious about what they do.

The food was very good. I had the AM burger which is an organic beef, applewood smoked bacon, home-made mayo and a fried egg on a hearty bun. I've never had an organic burger before but it was really good. It tasted better than a regular hamburger plus the bacon rocked. Seriously, I had never had a burger with an egg on it and I enjoyed it. I had the egg cook over easy but it had enough juice, so to speak, so that the burger was perfect without any condiments. It was also served with home fries which were just ok.