This Week In Food Porn: Morel Mania
By Melissa McEwen in Food on May 8, 2015 8:00PM
You can't just plant a patch of morels. You have to venture out into the forest or know someone who is a good mushroom hunter to get your hands on these prized morsels. And the reward is worth it for their delicious meaty texture and flavor. Here's some morels spotted in restaurants and social media around town. The only thing we can't guarantee is that these will be on the menu since morels can be so fleeting— so call ahead if you are seeking them out.
Vera (1023 W. Lake St.), shown above, is offering them cooked up with bacon and ramps, another wild early spring prize.
(Photo by Melissa McEwen)
We celebrated the release of the Big Jones cookbook with these chicken-fried morels with creamy grits and sawmill gravy at Big Jones (5347 N. Clark St.).
Owen & Engine (2700 N. Western Ave.) got a seriously impressive haul.
Spring bruschetta at Charlatan (1329 W. Chicago Ave.) with whipped ricotta, snap peas, crispy Spanish chorizo, sumac, golden beets and pickled morels.
Morels with crispy honeycomb tripe, bacon, turnips, garbanzo beans, sherry vinegar and parmesan cheese at Rootstock (954 N. California Ave.)