Tiffany Tastes

iScream at iCream

In the trendy Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown, lies a hidden gem where you can be the chef (ice cream chef, anyway). But, I'm not talking a Coldstone or Marble slab, but a place where you can build your very own customized icy treat from the ground up.

iCream allows patrons to pick the flavor (or combination of 2 flavors), mix-ins, toppings and style of their frozen dessert. Then, they watch as their creation is frozen using a computerized system that combines the mixture and emits just the right amount of liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream, yogurt or sorbet in just a few seconds.

iCream employs a 4-step process.

1. Decide whether you want ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet or a milkshake. (The bases used to make these creations can be full-fat, light, fat-free, sugar-free or dairy-free).

2. Pick the flavor of your frozen concoction. You can blend up to two flavors, but since these aren't scoops of ice cream, it will be a combination of the two. iCream has traditional flavors like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, but also utilizes non-traditional options like curry, green tea and burnt sugar.

3. Pick your toppings. There are a variety of fruits to choose from (blueberries, raspberries and bananas, for example), candy (Butterfingers, Snickers and peanut butter cups) and unique mix-ins (cream cheese, Nutella and granola).

4. Wait for your creation to be mixed and frozen, right in front of you.

(Cake batter ice cream with peanut butter cups, Oreos and Nutella, in case you were wondering)

iCream combines creativity with technology and allows customers to make exactly what they want. The best part is the texture. iCream creations are very creamy. Because it is frozen so quickly, there isn't enough time for the ice crystals to form that you'd usually find in typical ice cream.

In the cooler months, iCream also offers hot pudding (traditional or rice), which can be made with any of the ice cream flavors.

iCream
1537 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 342-2834

Average Ice Cream Cost: $5-$7 depending on size. Toppings are extra.

Operating Hours
Sunday-Thursday 2:00pm-10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 2:00pm-12:00am

There's Nothing Like a Good Sandwich

If you check out this post, this post or this one, you'll see that I really, really love a good sandwich. I truly believe that a good sandwich is a much more difficult than slapping a bunch of stuff on some bread. I asked one of my friends where was the best place to get a deli sandwich in Chicago, and she told me Z&H Market Cafe was the way to go. Z&H, which stands for Zaleski and Horvath, features breakfast and lunch and offers diners the ability to shop for specialty goods, produce and groceries.

I to take the bus and the train, but my trek to Z&H was well worth the trip. With over 20 sandwiches to choose from, my decision was tough, but I finally settled on the Jamon, Jamon.

This sandwich was just an amazing combination of flavors - serrano ham, manchego cheese, quince paste, dijon mustard, mixed greens and roasted tomato. It was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every bite.

Z&H carries items like maldon salt, gourmet baking chocolate, and San Marzano tomatoes. They also carry several culinary items made by Chicagoan artisans.

Zaleski and Horvath Market Cafe is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast or lunch. However, the shop closes fairly early in the evening and it's off-the-beaten path location may make it difficult for diners to get there.

Z&H Market Cafe
1126 East 47th Street
Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 538-7372

Average Sandwich Price: $6-$8

Operating Hours
Monday-Friday 7:00am-5:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:00am-6:00pm

Small Plates Sing at Bistronomic

For a fairly new restaurant space, Bistronomic was surely hopping when we arrived at 8:30 p.m. on a brisk fall Thursday evening. Luckily, I had the forethought to make reservations, so a couple minutes before our 8:45 reservation time, we were shown to a table in packed dining room. The restaurant was completely full of Chicago diners waiting to taste Chef Martial Noguier's French bistro fare.

The menu is divded into small, medium and large plates. We decided to start off with soup. I had the Sweet potato puree with toasted almonds and cognac cream, while Tom began his meal with the Bistronomic fish soup with mussels, tarrgon and saffron.

The soup presentation was quite beautiful as it was poured into the crocks tableside. Both soups were delicious in different ways. The sweet potato was velvety with a hint of sweetness, while the fish soup was thick and hearty.

We followed our soup course with a dish of warm goat cheese with oven dried tomatoes and lemon confit and frisee salad.

The cheese was flavorful but the lemon was a bit overpowering. (And, as is always the case, there wasn't enough crostini. A quick word to our waitress remedied this.)

For our meal, we chose two daily specials: butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter and balsamic and glazed pork cheek with fennel puree, arugula and candied orange segments

(Accidentally ate half before I took the picture)

I love butternut squash ravioli, and have enjoyed eating it in almost every instance that I've ordered it. This was no exception. The texture of the pasta was top-notch. I was a little mad at myself for ordering two things with similar flavor profiles (sweet potato, butternut squash) but c'est la vie.

The pork cheeks might have been my favorite dish of the night. The combination of the orange and fennel with the pork was absolutely delicious.

If you know me, you know there was dessert involved. We tried the chocolate hazelnut bars with orange sauce and the baked alaska with toasted meringue and caramelized almonds.

This dish was the one major miss of the night. The orange sauce did not compliment the bittersweet chocolate and it had a strange medicinal taste. It was the one thing we didn't finish.

The baked alaska, on the other hand, was successful in its simplicity - good quality vanilla bean ice cream topped with a wedge of toasted meringue and toasted sliced almonds. It had a great combination of textures with the creamy ice cream, chewy meringue and crunchy nuts.

BIstronomic would be a great place for a girls/guys night out or maybe a birthday celebration with a small group of friends. The small space and close proximity of the tables to each other prevents it from being an ideal location for a romantic date night. Prices are a little on the high side, but that's to be expected. If I lived in Chicago, I'd definitely put Bistronomic on my go-to list.

Bistronomic
840 North Wabash
Chicago, IL 60611
(312)944-8400

Average Small Plate Price: $8-$10
Average Medium Plate Price: $9-$13
Average Large Plate Price: $18-$28
Average Dessert Price: $8

Operating Hours
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11:30am-2:00pm
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:00pm-10:00pm
            Friday & Saturday 5:00pm-11:00pm

 

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Just a brief break from my Chicago adventures to let you all know that this year, I will be participating in the 1st Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap through Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen. (Thanks for the heads up, Princess Aioli). Apparently, some time in the near future, 3 fabulous food bloggers are going to send me cookies! (And I, in turn, will send out cookies to 3 fabulous food bloggers.)

If you are interested in participating in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, registration is open through Tuesday, November 15.

I <3 Trader Joe's

Whenever I visit a city with a Trader Joe's, I have to make a special trip, even if just to look around. During my recent trip to Chicago, I stopped at one of the FIVE Trader Joe's in Chicago. As I was making my rounds, I found...

They may sound disgusting, but chocolate-covered potato chips are amazing. Sweet, creamy, salty and crunchy. It meets all snacking requirements.

Maybe it's better for me that we don't have a Trader Joe's. I feel like I would eat way too many of these.

French Toast...or Cake?

Most people who know me, know that I absolutely love red velvet cake. So, when our friends wanted to do a group breakfast at Yolk, I knew that I absolutely had to try their Red Velvet French Toast.

It was as rich and as decadent as you'd think. It appears as though they made a red velvet jelly roll cake (slathered with cream cheese frosting) and cut slices before battering and grilling it. It was served with butter, syrup, strawberries and whipped cream.

It was so rich that I only ate half, but several people at the table asked to try it and I was grateful for the help.

Yolk is open daily for breakfast and lunch. The menu is extensive and portions are generous.

Yolk
1120 South MIchigan Loop
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 789-9655