A Baby Seal Walks into a Club… Hollandaise on a Baby Moon

Zagat's just listed Les Nomades as the best restaurant in Chicago.

I had the pleasure of dining at Les Nomades* early last Christmas season and it was worth every nickel. The service is attentive and informative, without making . . . well me . . .feel like the Summer School Valedictorian.

Rarely does one find exquisite food served with wit and friendly admonitions regarding cutlery and elbows.

My beautiful table mate and I were dining at Les Nomades with an ever so lightly falling Currier and Ives snow outside and roaring genuine wood fire warming toes and hearts. Every detail of the food, the presentation, and even the fine china serving dishes are exquisite.

Into the main course, we are struck by revulsion as the sauce for the charred asparagus and mushroom ragout arrived; to be served on a distinctly cheap-looking metallic disk, that looked like the Baby Moon on Maury Lanigan's 1964 Pontiac Tempest . Not being a craven sophisticate nor a devotee of Nouveau French cuisine and the byzantine rites that accompany the pre-prandial delights, I mentioned the odd presentation to Brendan our waiter.

With a warm smile Brendan explained, “There’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.”

A couple of fish are put in a tank. One says to the other, "How you drive this mother?"

Souriez et le monde entier sourit avec toi. Fronce les sourcils et vous êtes sur votre propre, Jack!


*

In the pantheon of local restaurants few fly, as the cliche goes, "under the radar" quite like Les Nomades. That should soon change for a couple of reasons.

Zagat named Les Nomades as its top-ranked Chicago restaurant; Alinea can't get the top spot all the time. Zagat calls Les Nomades “one of the last bastions of haute cuisine" while praising the “beautifully prepared" food of chef Chris Nugent.

The ranking may be a tad bittersweet for Les Nomades, as Nugent is leaving to open Goosefoot in Lincoln Square (2656 W. Lawrence Ave.). Named after the edible green that grows freely within Chicago's city limits, Grub Street Chicago's Michael Gebert reports Nugent has no plans on downsizing or making his take on French cuisine less expensive.

[Nugent] plans to offer an 8-course and 12-course tasting menu for an anticipated $90 and $140 in the 36-seat space. But the restaurant will be BYO, putting Goosefoot in the same fast-growing high end-accessible category as places such as Schwa and EL Ideas.
Nugent also told NBC 5's The Talk he plans on opening Goosefoot in November.

Time for Slumgullion

Trendy and very good restaurants make presentation one of the cornerstones of great dining -the old feast for the eyes. Les Nomades* on the near north side of Chicago is one of the truly great restaurants.

The items are presented with all of the grace and dignity of the Three Magi before the Infant Jesus on the Epiphany. The very attentive stewards wait in anticipation of the seated's Oooos and Ahhhs. Succulent portions of fish, foul and hoofed cohabitants of our planet, are presented over a sauce that were it poured over my son Conor's aged Nikes, I would devour with relish.

Vegetables are roasted and or steamed to perfection and align the plate edges like Georgian footmen - attendant to crown roasts of lamb or the imperial lobster.

The elegant and beautiful woman who deigns to be seen in public with me is always appreciative of an evening's diversion at Les Nomades. The portions match her tiny alabaster frame and gustatory instincts.

I, however aesthetically charmed by Les Nomades wizardry, leave the front door with a desire to plunge my face into an Al's on Taylor Italian Beef and Sausage Combo smothered in hot Giardinara.

De Gustibus Non Est Disputandem.

Give me a bucket full of slumgullion any day and I will be as happy as the fabled swine in saga'd slough most noted.

After a day on 79th Street in the service of my God, Country and the heroic young gents of Leo High School, this lad is looking for a rib-sticking, back-to-school, double sessions, and working man's plate full of eats.

My Aunt cooked for the Augustinians at the Old St. Rita High School Monastery at 63rd & Claremont - the monastery actually butted up against Western Ave. She was a brilliant cook. She could satisfy a crowd of thirty or more black cowled priests and brothers with a feast at every meal. One her masterpieces was a variation on the Irish concoction that stands in for Mulligan Stew - Slumgullion.

The word evolved from the Irish word for mud -goilín and it may be prepared with any assortment of meats, pastas and vegetables. It is a rich, wholesome, tasty and satisfying meal.

Here is one such example of Slumgullion with a Polish twist. Prior to dining -put on your eatin' pants ( loose fitting sweats always a splendid idea)

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped almost to the consistency of hamburger
3 cloves of garlic crushed
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch long strips
2 Red Bell Pepper,cut into 1 1/2 inch long strips
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (16 ounce) package Bobak's kielbasa, roughly diced and chopped almost to the consistency of hamburger - that's almost. It goes to kielbasa hamburger you screwed up.
Six pan fried pierogis




Six Sauerkraut Pierogis pan fried in butter
Sour Cream
Chopped chives for garnish

Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, and stir in the onion.

Cook onion until tender and golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place potatoes, salt red and green bell peppers into the skillet with the onion.

Cover and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in ground black pepper.

Place the kielbasa pieces on top of mixture, cover and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic

Stir kielbasa into the mixture and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Allow to sit covered for an additional 15 minutes before serving.

Portion each serving with a topping of pierogi and dollop of sour cream
Garnish with nicely chopped chives.

Eat until you sweat; breathe deeply and if possible take a brisk walk to the couch and channel surf.

*Do get to Les Nomades if not for you, for the woman you love! It will set you back at least Three Yards ( $300) and change if you order wine, but who's counting? You are I know, the economy bites and all, but crack oen the wallet, at least once this year.

Les Nomades
222 E Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60611-3258
(312) 649-9010