Tag Archives: fusion

One In A Milion

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Mark T

Hola and Namaste to a new Mastication Monologues post! I got to apologize for the lack of consistent posts due to a new full time job that has been quite time consuming, but I promise that today’s entry will be all killer and no filler in the form of a great Latin fusion eatery in Chicago known as Vermilion.

Fusion in food is as common as the intermingling of cultures. For example, America is a nation of immigrants, and our food reflects that concept of culinary cross-pollination. Even traditional barbecue draws elements from Spanish, African, and Native American cooking traditions. However, Vermilion focuses on a menu based on mixing Indian and Latin American cuisine. What that means is that the super savory and aromatic Indian dishes get a spicy south of the border kick many are familiar with in Mexican cooking, but that is only part of the picture. Janice and I went for our second to last reservation during Restaurant Week, and it was on a Sunday night after a delicious lunch at Demera. The interior was super hip and sleek with a black, red, and white motif. We were quickly seated in the dining room as a blend of Spanish pop and Bollywood hits bounced out of the speakers overhead. I would also recommend dressing up a bit since Vermilion is a bit more upscale than most Latin and Indian restaurants. We both went with the $33 restaurant week dinner which consisted of a standard three course meal with an appetizer, entree, and dessert. However, our waiter surprised us with a free, little taster plate with a chef’s creation. These petite squares that we were face to face with was a fried plantain chip topped with mango pico de gallo and resting on a sweet, brown tamarind chutney. It was a mini t-bomb (taste bomb) of flavor where the sweet backbone of the canape was supported by the chutney, mango, and plantain, but was then tempered by the sour lime juice and semi-savory aftertaste of the fried plantain. As for the appetizer stage of our meal, I went with a Bombay frankie and Janice got the pumpkin squash curry leaf soup. The frankie was great. It is one of India’s favorite street food snacks, and I can see why. It consisted of a fried flatbread known as a roti that was then filled with chunks of chicken coated in Indian spices like cardamom and curry, but the best part was the shot glass of mint curry on the side. It wasn’t toothpaste minty, but it gave the spicy sauce a cool aftertaste. Janice’s squash soup was just as delicious. It came with an Indian cracker on the side known as a pappad or papadum depending on where you’re at in India. The soup was extremely creamy and rich with a pepper infused oil that gave each curry-filled spoonful a mild kick. These bold flavors warmed us up for our entrees that came soon thereafter. I got the Brazilian feijoada which I was pretty excited to try since it is considered to be the national dish of the South American nation. Contrary to popular preparation which utilizes black beans and a dark, purplish-brown broth which is a mix of the aforementioned beans and various meats stewing in the dish, Vermilion’s take on it was a mix of Indian and Latin flavors. First, the color of the stew was a vibrant red that contained a mound of white rice and a rice cracker in the middle that acted like a nacho with taco dip. As for the rice, it was an element more in touch with its Brazilian roots, but I didn’t see any traditional farofa (manioc flour roasted with butter and bacon) on the side which made me quite sad. As for the contents of the actual dish, there were red beans (supposedly black beans according to the menu), large chunks of succulent chicken, and hunks of spicy Portuguese chorizo sausage. Not only was the meat spicy, but the actual stew had an Indian vindaloo flavor to it which means that it was super spicy with a smoky background. This fiery quality was also a sign of Indian/Latin fusion since a typical Brazilian feijoada isn’t spicy. Even though it wasn’t the most traditional dish, it was innovative, warm, and hearty. Perfect for a cold day like it was when we went. Janice didn’t go down the super spicy route and got the heart of palm Valencia paella. It consisted of large rings of the pulp found in the middle of palm trees, curried Indian rice, and a bit of orange zest. Neither of us found it to be as interesting as the feijoada since it just tasted like curry. However, our meal got more interesting in the wrong way since we found a hair in Janice’s paella. Thankfully, they replaced it for free with a dish of her choice, so she got the feijoada as well. It got even better when our desserts came. I got the mango cardamom flan which was out of this world. The flan had the perfect firm yet gooey texture and was infused with cardamom. It was soaking in a mango escabeche (a word originally from the Persian “al-sikbaj” meaning a meat dish soaking in a sweet and sour sauce) or syrup which imparted an incredibly but not overwhelming sweetness to a mostly neutral tasting dessert. The coconut foam on top tied this entire dish together perfectly since it was both light and sweet. If you wanted to cleanse your palate after all that sweet flan and heavenly foam, you could follow the trail of pitted, juicy lychees covering mini mounds of cranberries to the end of the plate. I jumped from one plate to another to get a taste of Janice’s date chocolate rice pudding that had a little bit of cinnamon and clove to add a savory yin to the semi-sweet yang with the date chocolate. I never was a big fan of rice pudding though, so it didn’t capture my imagination as much as our final dessert. Since Janice didn’t make a big deal about finding the hair in her food, our waiter brought out the most popular dessert to our table for free. It was a flourless chocolate lava cake that was covered in a subtly spicy dark chocolate mole sauce…words can’t describe how satisfying and incredibly rich this dessert was. It was further embellished with an undulating raspberry syrup trail that led to a creamy, small ball of vanilla bean and coconut ice cream that rested on some fresh sliced strawberries. These desserts were by far the best part of the entire meal, and the service was superb.

So, even though things got a little hairy midway through the dinner, Vermilion managed to win us over with its creative food (especially the desserts!) and great service. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are tired of the same old ethnic eateries.

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Posted in Indian, Latin American Cuisine, Southeast/Southern Asia Cuisine and tagged Brazil, cardamom, Chicago, chocolate, coconut, curry, dessert, fusion, Indian, latin, mango, paella, pudding, Restaurant Week, rice. Bookmark the permalink.

Absolute Cero

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Mark T

Hola a todos and welcome to Mastication Monologues! This really has been a post that has been long in the making, but it is not short on quality by any means. Today’s restaurant in question is De Cero on the Near West side of Chicago. It is a modern version of a taqueria or taco shop for y’all who don’t habla espanol. It takes the ingredients from the Pilsen and Little Village Mexican strongholds and presents it in a more Rick Bayless upper echelon Latin cuisine fashion.

Sharing the block with other famous dining establishments like Le Chevre and Girl and the Goat (post coming soon), De Cero is a simple restaurant with open patio dining and indoor dining. It’s simply furnished with wooden chairs and a soft lit interior. When I went with my girlfriend and her party posse, we hung out on the bumpin patio that was occasionally ruined by spontaneous drizzle storms. Being the Midwesterners that we are, we just sat through it and enjoyed the wonderful food and drinks.

First, there were the libations. They have non-alcoholic selections like the classic Jarritos that can be found in every corner store stocked with Latin goods, but we came for the more adult beverages. I started by wetting my whistle with a mango con chile margarita ($9.75). Not only did it come with chile, but our waitress indulged my thirst for spicy food by letting me know I can put habanero chili powder on the edge. When it came out, it checked all the boxes for me for a bebida perfecta (perfect drink). It was the perfect blend of the natural sweetness of the sunny yellow mango with the occasional hint of tequila and a bold punch of smoldering chile with each sip. Later on in the night, I tried the jicama margarita, but it was the blander of the two options.

As for appetizers, we got the chips and salsa entrada ($6.75) where we chose the pico de gallo, red picante, and tomatillo lime verde salsas. A side of guacamole was thrown in there for good measure. Out of the trio of super salsas, my favorite was the pico de gallo. All of the different elements like the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and tangy lime juice were in perfect harmony which I couldn’t say the same for its compadres. The red picante was pedestrian but a bit heavy on the smoky chile element, and the key lime green tomatillo salsa was more sour than savory which didn’t really catch my fancy. However, the guacamole made me think “Holy moly” with each ravenous bite of the tortilla chips. Even though it was the same color as toothpaste, it tread the line between chunky and smooth excellently and the cilantro pepped up this potentially bland side. My girlfriend also tried the spicy goat cheese tamale ($3.75).

Duck confit taco and tamale

It was nothing special. The mild masa of the tamale drowned out the flamboyantly tasty goat cheese which left me muy triste. After munching on these appetizers, the main course came out.

I got four different tacos: spicy applewood chorizo, rajas, al pastor, and chicken mole ($3.75 each). Surprisingly, I thought the best one of the four was the rajas. This doesn’t mean that the other ones were huge let downs, but I felt that I tried better versions in cheaper restaurants. Especially with the al pastor that had plenty of spiced pork shoulder but not enough pineapple. The chorizo was not as spicy as I was anticipating which left me crestfallen since I’m used to Mexican sausage bringing the heat. The chicken mole was more of an experiment for me since I’ve never really been a big fan of mole. Even though I love chocolate, this cocoa infused sauce never really jived with my palate. At De Cero, it was no different, but I’m sure many other people love it. The black beans that came with the tacos, however, were a nice change of pace compared to the typical brown refried bean goo they serve at every tex-mex eatery. They were served whole, simmered in a pork based broth with a chunk of pork thrown in for good measure. It was food for the soul.

By the end of the meal, I felt like a stuffed gordita, but the overall quality of the ingredients in the tacos and the zesty margaritas made De Cero a taqueria experience without equal, especially with lovely company.

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Posted in Alcoholic, Beverages, Latin American Cuisine, Mexico, Mixed Drinks and tagged Bar, Chicago, fusion, margaritas, masa, pico de gallo, salsa, tacos, tamale, taqueria, tequila, Tex-Mex, tomatillo. Bookmark the permalink.

My Burger From Tokio

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Mark T

Whew! Finally done with all of my Florida food posts. If you haven’t seen any of them, just scroll further down the page to get caught up in the narrative that is my life as a gourmand. Today’s entry on Mastication Monologues checks off another foodie milestone for me. It’s not something as crazy as when I ate a live octopus or scorpions, but it is an iconic fusion meal that has popped up on menus in areas of the USA with significant Asian populations like Chicagoland in this case. My adventure begins with getting in touch with my good friend Carolyn who suggested Tokio Pub, and after looking over the menu online, I knew it was for me when I saw the dish in question.

So we met up in Schaumburg and were quickly seated at the height of dinner which I appreciated.

Our waitress was a laugh and a half with her saucy personality which contributed to our dining experience. We ordered drinks first, and I got a pint of Fixed Gear Ale ($6). It was an slightly murky but amber colored brew that had a definite bite with woody notes and a hoppy finish. As for the food, the menu goes from various sushi offerings to ramen soups to the mysterious sounding hot rock dishes. That final option left me somewhat intrigued, but Carolyn explained that you can cook your own food at your table utilizing piping hot pieces of stone. While this interactive dining experience was tempting, I saw another limited per diem item: the ramen burger. I’ve been seeing this novelty dish shoot to the top of every foodie’s list, and I’ve even seen recipes in magazines as to how to properly prepare this fusion item. So after a bit of anticipation, I finally was face to face with destiny. As I picked it up, I felt the golden, slippery layers between my fingers and quickly took my first bite. It was a texture fiesta as I crunched through the outer noodles to the more giving secondary ramen layer which was quickly overtaken by a juicy beef patty, average greens, and a soy molasses that made it a divine treat to eat the meat. Within five minutes, I had destroyed this piece of art and quickly turned my sights on the cucumber salad. It was an understated compliment to the savory burger. Not only were the cucumbers fresh and crispy, but the brine had a semi-sweet tang that cut through the greasy noodle taste. Although the burger was slightly hefty, I knew I had to try their fried coconut bao (dumpling in Mandarin) dessert ($5). The presentation alone made me quite fidgety while taking the picture. It was like my own super-fattening version of Treasure Island. The golden-brown dumpling treasure chest opened up to spill out coconut cream onto the caramel sand while the scoop of slowly melting ice cream was like a majestic mountain eroding to once again return to the sea, i.e. my stomach. It was a fitting end to a rich dinner.