Quick Bites
- First it was Spring 2006. Then it was April 2007. Then late summer 2007. We heard rumors of a first-week-in-November opening. And now that date has been pushed back until March. What gives, Jerry Kleiner? We know Hyde Park can be a difficult part of the city to navigate with all the competing interests (neighborhood groups, the U of C, etc), but how hard is it to come up with a compelling name for a restaurant? When we spoke to Kleiner in October, this same issue was holding him up. He says people in the neighborhood don't like "Hyde Park Grill" as the name and want something flashier. We bet they'd also like the restaurant to open up some time this decade.
- Attention, aspiring M. F. K. Fishers: Edible Magazine is coming to town. Edible Chicago is part of a national network of Edible magazines. Unlike, say Gourmet, or Bon Appetit, The Stew tells us the magazine is "dedicated to local eats, locally-grown food, locally-produced food, chefs who use local ingredients – local food scenes, with an emphasis on farmers, sustainable everything, organic everything, rooftop gardens, home-brewed beers, that sort of thing." And they are looking for writers, too, for their debut issue, which comes out this summer. More info at their website.
- Remember when we told you about all that delicious Pata Negra? Not only did people like that, but they also really liked jamon de iberico, which arrived in town a few weeks ago and is already sold out, for the most part. (Don't worry, the distributor is importing some more). If you ever wanted to figure out what makes that jamon taste so delicious, you can find out here.
- Epicureans will be interested to know that Gourmet now has its own website. All the recipes will still be available on Epicurious, but features and archives will now be housed on—you guessed it—Gourmet.com. We've spent some time poking around the site, and while we're still figuring out the navigation, things are looking pretty good. And, we think that Ruth Reichl might be reading Chicagoist: season 1 of Diary of a Foodiecan be watched on the site. Maybe we can get this season, too?