Comments on: Boozy Cranberry Chutney

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:48:48 +0000

Hey Carroll, thanks for stopping by! I would probably be swimming in the cranberry bog, mouth open and full of jaggery, if I lived near one!

By: Carroll

Carroll — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:43:20 +0000

Yowza! Port with cranberries? That’s simply inspired!! I grew up a stone’s throw away from a cranberry bog in Massachusetts and you had me at “there’s not much that’s intuitive about fresh cranberries”. I’ve got the remains of my own fresh cranberry sauce sitting in the fridge right now just begging for some experimentation. Chile, port, ginger and who knows what else, here I come!

Found you just now from Food Gal, and bookmarked you’ve been

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:06:43 +0000

Acht — never did make it to Metropolis, alas — Delia’s work schedule had some changes, and just couldn’t make it. Next time, for sure!

By: Karena

Karena — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:03:48 +0000

Eric, that sounds like so much fun (and what are the odds that you would run into the owner of Metropolis)! How was the tasting tour of the coffees and roasting process?

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:42:20 +0000

(oops, I’m logged in with Delia’s computer, that was really Eric posting that!)

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:15:45 +0000

You certainly may, Scott! And many thanks to Kelly for typing that in — it sounds almost too good to be true!

Karena: a million thanks for the Chicago tips. I was in Intelligentsia yesterday when a friendly man asked if the chair next to me was free. We began chatting, and it turned out that he’s the owner of Metropolis! A linguist who teaches many languages, Bahasa Indonesian being the primary one. He’s going to give me a full tasting tour of his coffees/roasting process tomorrow. He was THRILLED with your Blue Bottle/Ritual comparison! He even said that Ritual carries his beans, and vice versa.

By: lmc

lmc — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:51:39 +0000

sounds wonderful, eric! have a great time in chicago.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:26:09 +0000

Kelly’s recipe is one we’ve been using for years. I, too, got it from the CH list.

The WELL “chutney” is good, and I applaud your use of the rocoto/manzana. But, learning from the CH recipe, may I suggest using chipotle in adobo?

By: Victor Ortiz

Victor Ortiz — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:03:22 +0000

Wow! I have been looking for something with fresh cranberries (I see all those bags in the store this time of year). Friend of mine, his mother, makes something similar with orange juice. A lot of experimenting here. I like the chile touch.

Safe trip in Chicago. Happy Holidays to all.

By: Karena

Karena — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:08:03 +0000

I usually dine solo in Chicago because I’m there for work. Here are some spots I like:

For coffee, check out both Intelligentsia and Metropolis Coffee Company. Intelligentsia is more convenient because they have several locations (to Metropolis’ one location near Loyola University), but IMHO, I think Metropolis is better. It’s akin to the Ritual versus Blue Bottle debate in San Francisco (both are micro-roasters).

Avec doesn’t take rezzies, so it’s my “walk-in” place; I usually sit at the bar. They’re known for their chorizo-stuffed medjool dates in a pequillo sauce. They’re good, but I think people focus on them too much and ignore the creative salads and flatbreads. When I was there in March, I had a flatbread that was topped with sausage and fried lemon slices–oh my.

If you’re in the mood to spend, try Takashi. I loved their clay pot chicken with shimeji mushrooms. I also had a tofu salad with avocado and tomatoes in a yuzu-onion dressing that was divine.

Lastly, if you’re interested in checking out the local food movement, try North Pond. I think of it as Chicago’s Chez Panisse (down to the earthy wood aesthetic). I thought it was good, but a bit pricey.

Let us know how your trip goes!