Gary and I had scheduled a Monday morning meeting in Chicago that required us to go there Sunday. So we decided to make the most of inconvenience and go out for a very good meal that Sunday night. And what a meal we had.
We knew about the meeting a month out so we had time to decide and get a reservation. So we created a list of possibilities and narrowed the list down to Table 52. This is Chef Art Smith’s place in Chicago which features Southern Cooking. I have seen Chef Smith several times on Iron Chef America and Top Chef. He was Oprah’s personal chef, recently cooked for Lady Gaga and President Obama and Michelle ate at Table 52 for Valentine’s Day so there was a really good chance it was going to be memorable. And it was.
Gary started his meal with the Southern Pickles. The dish came with several house-pickled cauliflower, carrots and okra with micro greens, onions, two kinds of salt, baguette, smoked gouda and jelly on the side. The idea was to make your own pickle sandwich out of the ingredients trying the different ingredients. I like participation dishes like this where you can choose your own combination of food so when Gary offered a taste, I went for it. The pickled vegetables were tender and sweetly pickled but not to the point where the taste of the vegetable was lost or the crunch was gone. The rest of elements added interesting tastes of sweet jam and salty salts along with different textures of crusty bread, crunchy pickles and gooey jam. Combining the different elements of the dish was fun but we both agreed that although the gouda cheese was fine on it’s own we couldn’t find a combination that matched well with the cheese.
I went for the Beet Salad for my first course. The salad came with nice portions of two colourful beets, whipped goat cheese, thyme crumble and Myer lemon puree. For what I thought was going to be a simple salad turned out to be a very complex dish by the various combination of items you could put on your fork. The sweetness of the beets matched well against the tartness of the Myer Lemon Puree and the almost metallic flavour of the Thyme Crumble. The textures of the dish also provided a spectrum of densities, firm beets, semi soft Whipped Goat Cheese and thick puree. We wanted wine with the meal and had our waiter match a glass of wine with each course. For this course we had Acustic from Montsant (Catalonia, Spain) named ‘unplugged’ in the same way that you find ‘naked’ (oak free) Chardonnay.
For Gary’s second course, he went for the classic southern dish Fried Green Tomatoes. The two large heirloom tomato slices were lightly battered and then pan-fried giving the tomatoes a light crunch with a soft center. Along with the tomatoes came fresh greens, creme fraise and a light tomato puree. Like an old married couple, Gary and I ended up sharing tastes from each others dishes so I can report this version of the southern classic was great. The sweetness of the fried tomatoes contrasting nicely with the spicy tomato puree. The crisp greens and silky puree matched well also. For this course, our waiter recommended the Eyrie Chardonnay from Oregon. I found the wine to have a light oakiness and a little bit fruity. A nice match for both the Fried Green tomatoes and my dish.
For my second course, I also went for a southern classic in Low-Country Shrimp and Grits. I lived in Florence, South Carolina back in the 80′s so I tried grits many times but never became a big fan but when you are at Art Smith’s restaurant you give them another try. It was great!. These grits were Stone-ground White Corn Grits and so different from my memories of the 80′s. These grits were more like a risotto than the cream of wheat memories. These grits were nice and creamy as a whole but the individual grits still had a bite to them as in “el dente” pasta. A very nice consistency. The Wild-Caught Shrimp were tender, sweet and well-cooked. The Spicy Tomato Sauce contrasted well with the sweet shrimp and creamy grits. Basically a very simple dish but well executed with excellent ingredients.
For Gary’s main course, he went for the Fish of the Day special, which was Halibut. I forgot to bring my recorder to get all the details of the dish but from my memory, the fish was pain fried and topped with a variety of vegetables and greens. I got to taste the fish and it was perfectly cooked with flakes falling off with just the touch of your folk. Halibut is my favourite fish and Table 52 did it right.
For the main course we decided to order the Braised Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey as our side dish. Collard Greens are about as “southern” as you can get but the smoked turkey was different twist I had not seen before. The more common version I had seen when I lived in the south was with ham hocks. The turkey version turned out fine with greens taking on a light sweet taste of the turkey but not the saltness of the ham version. The greens were well-cooked, infusing the turkey into the vegetable but stopping the cooking before turning the veggies into mush. This was the best dish of collard greens I have ever eaten.
For my main course, I went for the Maple Sugar Short Ribs. These were the most tender short ribs I ever had in my life. Just using your fork you could twist the meat and it would flake off into single strands of flavourful meat. The carmelized maple sugar matched well with meaty flavours of the short rib. The dish came with red wine reduction that match well but I was so focused on the tender meat. A potato puree was the matching starch and a carmelized onion accompanied the dish. Our waiter recommended the 2007 Cristom Pinot Noir to go with the dish. I thought this was an interesting recommendation given Gary’s fish and my short rib selection but it ended up being perfect for both of us. Not overcoming the fish and not under powered for the ribs. Nice wine selecting Justin.
I have had the privilege to eat in several celebrity chef restaurants; Emeril’s, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, BLT Prime, Daniel, over the years but one thing was always missing, the celebrity chef. Until this visit. Making several tours of the dining room during our three courses was owner/celebrity chef Art Smith. He stopped at every table checking to see how the meal was progressing. I thought the treat of the evening was going to be this photo of the two of us but it got better when Art joined us at our table as the restaurant thinned out at the end of service. They say that television puts pounds on you but this thinner and fitter version of Chef Smith has been dieting and exercising lately and looked the healthiest I have ever seen him. I wish I could say that about myself but after this great meal, I wouldn’t have much credibility would I.
It gets worse, Gary and I agreed that we were going to pass on dessert as we were both pretty full from the three courses, wine and cocktails we had already consumed. But as we sat there with Chef Smith he had the staff big over some desserts for us to try. First came the Smith Family Twelve-Layer Chocolate Cake. Delicious, light and a great chocolate flavour. The cake came with Vanilla Gelato and Strawberry for contrast.
Next came the Peanut Brittle. I remember peanut brittle as a Christmas treat during my childhood but this was the best brittle I ever had. The thick rich harden caramel sauce was chock full of fresh Georgia peanuts. I was amazed at how thick the brittle was. It was very good and very sweet.
Finally Executive Chef John, formerly of Charlie Trotter’s restaurant, brought over Art’s Hummingbird Cake. I had my share of cake when I lived in the south but never had Hummingbird cake. If I had most likely I would still be in the south cause this is great cake. Art make his version with Banana and Pineapple flavours three layers high all coated in Cream Cheese Frosting. Served on the side is a wonderful Vanilla Gelato. It was delicious with all the different flavours going on and amazingly light.
We had a great chat with Chef Smith during our 30 minute sit-down talking about everything from the making of Iron Chef, his diet and exercise plan, to who’s cooking in Chicago he likes (and who’s he doesn’t) and where he likes to go hear the Blues in Chicago. The evening ending amazingly with Chef taking us to his favourite Blues Club in Chicago and having a couple of cocktails listening happily to the blues.
It was an amazing meal that will, most likely, never happen again. Thanks Gary and Chef Smith for a great meal and a great story.
Read other reviews about Table 52 here, here and here.
Table 52 52 Elm Street, Chicago, IL – 312-573-4000
Donna, Ryan and I spent the weekend with Facebook friends and neighbours Toni, Tony, Stephen and Carolyn up in Sullivan County, PA and had a great time. They were wonderful hosts and guides showing us all kinds of Northern PA attractions. One of the attractions we saw about 5oo yards from our “campground” was this Black Bear munching on some berries near our “camp ground” neighbour’s house. We watched the bear for 5 minutes before he either got tired of us or had his fill of berries. LOL.
The bear wasn’t the only one who got their fill. Saturday afternoon we went to the Tombstone Inn for lunch. Tony’s Step-father Ed had told us stories of the Tombstone the night before and it sounded like to a real treat to go. The Inn is an old school house located beside a cemetery and it’s loaded, pardon the pun, with tons of stuffed animals of many species. Toni and Tony’s boys Joey and Nicky enjoyed looked at the Stuffed Bear, Moose and Deer butt-end of a while we waited for the food order.
The Tombstone’s speciality is pizza but they had a busy Friday night and sold out. Good to see that the woe’s of the economy have not hit the Tombstone as hard as other places. LOL
In lieu of their famous pizza I ordered the Seafood Basket. It was a deep fried cornucopia of Haddock, Shrimp, Clams and Scallops with Frieson the side. Given our location in upstate PA and a significant distance from the sea, ordering seafood could have been a bad decision but it worked out. The haddock was well cook, nice and crispy batter on the outside and moist flavourful fish on the inside. The same went for the sweet bay scallops and shrimp. The batter-to-clam ratio was a little high on the fried clam functionally eliminating the clam taste. Fortunately the home-made seafood sauce and lime made even the clam pieces somewhat tasty. The fries were decent and there were a generous portion of them making the basket a filling meal for me.
Donna went for the Chicken Strip- BLT Sandwich. The sandwich came on a Hoagie Roll with Deep Fried Chicken Strips load on. Large slices of Tomato and Bacon were added along with some Lettuce leaves coated in Mayo. Donna thought the sandwich was very good with the mixtures of tastes and textures coming thru. Two hardy Dill Pickles garnished the plate and gave some sour flavours to contrast the sweet tomatoes, mayo and chicken and the salty bacon. A very good sandwich.
I missed taking photos of the Burger and Dog BBQ Buffet back at the “Campground” on Saturday night but they were great. One special treat was a Tomato Blue Cheese Salad that Carolyn created. That was very nice but I forgot to take the photos. I did better the next day as we brunched on the Overnight Egg and Sausage Casserole. The casserole was a nice mixture of savory sausage and sweet baked eggs. With some chopped Onions added for taste and texture the dish was great.
For our Sunday Field Trip we went to Eagles Mere, PA a picturesque town a few miles. In addition to some lovely shops and art galleries it had The Sweet Shop. In addition to a huge variety of candy and ice cream treats, they also had very decent luncheon choices.
Donna went for the Classic Grilled Cheese sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread. The Sandwich came with pickles and potato chips. Thick slices of toasted bread held the warm melted Provolone Cheese. The crunch of the bread contrasted nicely with the smooth creamy cheese. Good basic sandwich well executed.
Toni, Tony and Carolyn ordered the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich. The sandwich came with French Fries and Coleslaw on the side. The pulled pork had the traditional vinegar dressing contrasting nicely with the sweet pork meat but what was unique about the sandwich was that the created a patty out of the pulled pork and actually grilled it to give some additional char to meat mixture. They all liked the sandwich and would recommend it.
I went for one of the special burgers on the lunch menu. I can’t remember the name they gave it but the taste was very memorable. The Mushroom, Onion Cheeseburger was well executed and very flavourful. The mushroom and onions were sauteed together and then the Swiss Cheese was added to create one unit to go on top of my 3 oz patty. Cooked to my medium rare the burger was very juicy. The side of fries were well cooked and the pickle nice and sour. A great burger
The buffet started with some homemade Black Bean, Rice and Salsa. The perfectly cooked rice and beans dish was complemented by the mild salsa. This dish alone was worthly of a solo performance but it played well with the other dishes to kick off the buffet. The crisp White Onion added some crunch and tang to the fajitas and tacos while the Sour Cream cooled the heat of the hot sauce and peppers.
The heat for the fajitas and tacos came from the Chunky Salsa. It was a mild heat that was in turned cooled by the sour cream and shredded Mexican Cheese blend.
For protein, Tony grilled some Chicken Breasts and sliced them into bite size pieces. As he grilled the chicken, he also grilled some Green and Red Peppers to create that authentic fajita experience. The peppers also added some nice crunch to the fajitas.
For dessert Toni made a delicious Mexican Cornbread. The bread was from the oven and still warm when we got it. The bread had a nice crust on top that contrasted nicely to the creamy interior. There were also nice big kernels of sweet corn on the inside making the texture even interesting. It was the perfect ending to the perfect Fajita and Taco bar. It was the start of a great evening up here in the mountains.
Donna and boys bought me a Weber Grill for Father’s Day a few years back and it has been the best grill I ever had. When I got the grill I also signed up for the Weber Grilling Recipe of the Day email. So earlier this week I saw a recipe for BBQ Meatloaf. Now Donna makes a great meatloaf and I have 
To go along with the BBQ Meatloaf, Donna made Smashed Potatoes and Green Beans. I love Donna’s Smashed Potatoes because they have a nice combination of textures, the creamy mashed potatoes with lumpy pieces still in the mixture and the pieces of potato skin. She adds some milk to the mixture which cause the potatoes to be a little bit sweeter. As for the Meatloaf, it had a nice density to the loaf. The Onions were cooked but sweet and still a little crisp. The tarragone was there but not over powering as it can be in some dishes. There was some mild charing on the bottom of the loaf despite the indirect heat that added nice texture and flavour. The tang of the BBQ Sauce added another deminsion to the dish. I usual have some Ketchup with my meatloaf and my only suggestion would be to increase the ketchup in the sauce to capture that classic ketchup flavour. It was a great dish and keeper of the recipe. We had fun making it and me posting about it so a success all around. We hope you try it or come over here and we can make it for you. LOL
Got the craving for ribs yesterday, so we went to BJ’s and bought three racks of Baby Back Ribs in a ryovac pack for $2.99 a pound. I like to slow cook my ribs with a dry rub and then finish with a sweet BBQ sauce, so we started by making our dry rub by combining Paprika, Black Pepper, Sugar, Salt, Dry Mustard, Cayenne pepper, Cumin and Chili, Garlic and Onion powder.
We then rubbed the ribs and placed in the frig for 3 hours so the rib and rub flavours could mingle.We have a Weber Grilland no smoker so I pre-heated the grill to the lowest settings and placed the ribs on to slow grill for 3 hours. 
I coated the individual ribs with warmed KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce was sweet with a mild tang and a nice match to the sweet rib meat. The crunch of the Dry Rub was a good contrast to the heated BBQ sauce. The Cayenne pepper brought a nice heat to the ribs but did not overwhelm the rib meat taste. Donna thought the ribs were “nice and spicy” with a good rib taste. Not bad for homemade dry rub and a backyard grill. LOL. I can’t wait until we do them again.
For years my co-workers in the Pharma PR group have been holding a Summer Picnic. The PR group dissolved about 3 years ago but the friendships in that group were so strong the picnic continue. This year the picnic returned to Diane’s after being at Laurie and PK’s last year. The highlight of the picnic is getting together with friends and catching up but I am going to write on the food. LOL, you had to be there to get the gossip. Actually, I am just going to write on the salads, cause after the 
Nona brought a great Veggie Pasta Salad. Large Rigatoni pasta, Olives, Tomatoes, Broccoli and Parmesan Cheese were the main ingredients in the salad. The large pasta pieces gave significant body to salad. The “el dente” veggie chunks are a nice contrast to the soft pasta. The light oil dressing helped blend the flavours of the salad creating nice contrast between the sweet Tomatoes and cheese to the salty Olives and slightly bitter broccoli. Great salad, very satisfying.
All the rain this summer (?) got Donna and I hungry for some comfort food. One of our favourite comfort food is Lasagna. We are not Italian but have grown to love Italian food especially the classic casserole, lasagna. 
The resulting dish was good, if I do say so myself and I just did. LOL. I think it was good because of the different flavours and textures in the dish. Although the dish is fork tender, there are different textures within the different layers, the creamy smooth ricotta versus the denser noodles versus the melted mozza and parm cheeses. The tastes of the classic savory Italian spices, the sweet & heat of the red sauce, the tang of the ricotta cheese and the oregano flavoured mozza cheese. A great mixture of flavour and texture differences. A great homemade casserole.
It was Saturday morning and I was up before Donna. I was checking Facebook and I updated my status with “I am going to cook breakfast for Donna, what should I cook?” Within what seemed seconds, Facebook friend and co-worker Stephanie suggested Baked Eggs and provided the link to the NY Times site. Thanks Stephanie. I clicked on the link and it provided a straight forward recipe on a version of Baked Eggs in a video. 
We turned the ramekins over after running a knife around the inside edge to release the Baked Egg goodness. The bright red colour of the Tomato slices came to the top make the dish more appetizing. I thought the dish was a success because of the mix of flavours and textures. The Baked Eggs were still hot from the oven as we bit into them releasing the soft sweet yolk over the tomato and slightly salty bacon. The Basil flakes and parm cheese flavours were there but mild. The addition of Hash Brown pieces into the egg mixture brought interesting textures to the bite. The hash brown also soaked up the egg mixture changing the taste to include a creamy potato flavour with some crispy bits from the outside of the hash brown.
The Nicoise Salad is a classic salad from the 1800′s. I had mine, last night at the Warwick Hotel in NYC as I was in for the MM&M Awards judging.
