ML - Michigan Avenue

2014 - Issue 4 - Summer

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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photography by galdones photography (cider); old town social (charcuterie) 84 michiganavemag.com so many dinners an apple a day FORGET ROSÉ. FOR WINDY CITY IMBIBERS, HARD CIDER IS THE OFFICIAL DRINK OF SUMMER. by sofia carlson U ntil recently, hard cider was dismissed as overly sweet and unrefined, but these days the beverage is all the rage in Chicago, among producers and bar owners a like. T he recent second a nnua l CiderCon at Nav y Pier d rew 3,0 0 0 at tendees (double last year's total), with brands from Stella Artois to Michigan's Virtue Cider eager to showcase how varied hard ciders can be. "English ciders tend to be fruit-forward and have a lot of tannin in the finish," says former Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall, who founded Virtue in 2011. "French ciders tend to be a little softer and sweeter, and Spanish ciders are very refreshing and food-friendly." Cider can be an ideal complement to the lighter foods of the season, says Prima Cider founder R ichard Bertsche, who enjoys pairing the libation with items like cheese and grilled pork chops. And for bartender Cristiana DeLucca of Bangers & Lace (1670 W. Division St., 773-252-6499; bangersandlacechicago.com), cider's f lavor profile makes it an excel- lent cocktail ingredient. "It can create the acidity you need or help balance sweetness," she says, "so you can play around with that in your cocktail and create balance and texture." Few Ch icagoa ns a re count ing on cider's new found popula r it y more t ha n Cleet us Friedman of Fountainhead (1970 W. Montrose Ave., 773-697-8204; fountainheadchicago.com). He is so taken with the stuff that it inspired his forthcoming cider pub, The Northman (4337 N. Lincoln Ave.), slated to open this summer. Centered on the cider regions of England and Normandy, the menu will feature more than 100 ciders on tap, as well as craft beers and whiskeys. "I'm really going to be focusing on creating an amazing menu, hands down, regardless of what you like to drink," Friedman says. "I'm excited to be part of another movement, to really educate people and teach them [cider] is not what they think it is." MA locally produced ciders from Virtue and Prima. SAUSAGE KINGS two chicago charcuterie masters reveal the craft behind the latest food frenzy. Jared Van camp began his culinary career as a baker, but it wasn't until he pursued his curiosity about sausage-making that he found his true calling as a chef. "charcuterie is what got me into cooking… before it was cool," says the executive chef and partner in the restaurant group Element collective, the team behind old Town social, nellcôte, and Kinmont. When no one could answer his questions about making the stuff, he did the research and started creating charcuterie himself, eventually initiating a foodie frenzy over his homemade Toscano salami and spicy soppressata at Old Town Social (455 W. North Ave., 312-266-2277; oldtown social.com). another early adopter was chef John coletta, executive chef and cofounder of Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar (626 N. State St., 312-698-5000; quartinochicago.com), a chicago restau- rant veteran who has been serving house-made salumi since day one. a dedicated ambassador of old-world traditions, he is the only chef in chicago making artisanal meats cut by hand, like his spianata romana, a blend of red wine– and italian spice–cured pork shoulder and pork belly and fresh italian sausage. coletta argues that hand-cutting lends flavor and texture to the final product. "a good analogy," he says, "is to think of steak tartare cut by hand versus one that has been ground." Van camp believes that handcrafted artisanal foods provide comfort during a time of head-spinning technological development, and coletta agrees: "People crave those feelings of home that an artisan product provides." below: a charcuterie board at old Town social. right: John coletta

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