Lobster Dumplings, Thai Fried Chicken, Macarons, Meg Galus' Chocolate Cake, and a Beefy Braise
What up, my fellow food-lovin’ quarantati? Quaranteens?
None of these are really good salutations. If you haven’t heard by now, the word quarantine comes from the Italian word quarantina which means 40 days, or the length of time Venetians kept ships which had sailed near plague-stricken countries off their coasts. As with most magic numbers, 3, 7, or in this case 40, the number chosen was basically arbitrary and inspired by the Bible, aka Jesus fasted for 40 days, God made the earth in 7 days, etc…
As you know, we are now almost on legal day 50 or something of quarantine here in Illinois, so really, if you’re keeping score at home, we’re now in the cinquanta.
In better news, there is lots going on in newsletter land. I’ve got an interview coming from the deliciously irreverent Food is Stupid newsletter author and Chicago magazine writer Dennis Lee. I also plan on taking you on a nostalgic tour of Old Joliet Prison and a childhood favorite roast beef stand in the next week. As always, this newsletter is for you, so if there’s someone or something you want to read about, let me know at mike@michaelnagrant.com and I’ll do my best to tell that food story.
I want to thank you again for your generosity. We’ve now donated $2,000 dollars to restaurant and bar folks in need (I’ve screen-shotted a bunch of the donation receipts attached below). We have raised $2,400 total and I’ll be donating the remainder next Tuesday as the payments are processed. I would love to hit $3,000 dollars donated this month.
Hundreds of you are reading this for free right now. I understand if money is tight and you can’t do a paid subscription right now. However, if you just haven’t gotten around to it, please do. It’s only $5 bucks a month. Substack, the platform for this newsletter, has waived their fees for the next month on any paid subscriptions, so your donation goes farther.
If you can’t subscribe, but you know someone who can, or someone who just loves to read meandering pop cultural references mingled with food stuff, please share this newsletter with them.
Alright, here’s your twice weekly takeout and delivery guide:
Pilsen
S.K.Y. – You never thought you’d have Maine lobster dumplings with jade butter at home, did you? Times have changed.
https://www.skyrestaurantchicago.com/menu
Lincoln Park
Grand Trunk Road – Order tonight for Thursday pick-up from one of Chicago’s very best upscale Indian spots. They’re doing beef nehari, which is basically like an Indian or Pakistani beef pot roast glazed in a thick anise-perfumed rich gravy. This is a dish you rarely see outside of Devon Ave.
https://www.instagram.com/grandtrunkroadchicago/?hl=en
Boka – You read about Meg Galus in my Q & A earlier this week. Now try her desserts. Lee Wolen, her savory counterpart is a pretty mean cook too.
Lincoln Square
Rainbow Thai - There are hundreds of noodle joints in Chicago, but only a handful of them serve authentic regional dishes that go beyond your typical pad Thai offering. Rainbow is one of those spots. If you want to start with something familiar, order the beef pad siew, but here’s the twist – ask for the noodles “extra crunchy” – they’ll deep fry them and it will be a revelation. Also you want the E-san sausage, the Thai fried chicken (gai tod), and the crispy rice salad (nam kao tad).
https://rainbowthaichicago.com/7072
Lakeview
Maison Parisienne – croissants, macaron, quiche and baguette sandwiches – all of the good stuff. These people are also like really French. They moved to Chicago from France to do this.’
https://www.maison-parisienne.com/
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DONATIONS
Here’s a selection of recent donation receipts, so you can see which restaurants and bar employees your paid subscription proceeds are supporting. As always if you want to see every single spot we’ve donated to, check my twitter feed…twitter.com/michaelnagrant
Thanks for reading! Shower before 5 pm and you’re winning this quarantine thing!
Best,
Mike