The Michelin Two Star Chef You May Not Know, Plus a Killer Burger Recipe

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that a lot of things we thought should be, are not. We assumed we had a government and an organized healthcare leadership that would keep us safe. We assumed that the inequalities we accept in our society couldn’t get any worse. We assumed all the restaurants would be open and ready for us when we found the time to get there. Then again this should come as no surprise. We also assumed the Cubs would have won three World Series by now. 

You might also assume that a ten-year-old restaurant, and its chef, which holds two Michelin stars would not be underrated. But that’s precisely what has happened with Ryan McCaskey and Acadia restaurant.

There are a lot of reasons for this. Acadia is in the South Loop, not quite the restaurant hot spot like Randolph row. McCaskey did not come up through the Charlie Trotter system which has as many branches as any in the close-knit Chicago chef community. McCaskey actually made a name for himself in the suburbs at the four star-rated Courtright’s. Because Acadia is ten years old, it doesn’t necessarily fit in with the social-media buzzy what’s new culture taking over the earth. This is ironic because Instagram is also ten years old. TikTok, TikTok, old timer app! McCaskey’s also kind of a head down quiet dude who prefers to let his hard work and discipline do the talking.

And boy, does it talk. The thing about this pandemic is we forget the impact and importance of those things we’re used to experiencing when we’re not actually experiencing them. Places like Oriole, Alinea, and Acadia do things no one else does. They introduce you to ingredients you never knew existed. They cook things you thought you knew and put them in a better and more improved context. Restaurants like Acadia teach you that there is a beyond the beyond.

Maybe fine dining is dead, but like vinyl records or hand-written notes, they feed the soul in a way some lesser forms do not. This is kind of a flowery way of saying I don’t want to live in a world or a city where there is only one great restaurant. Competition and benchmarks make everything better. We need places like Acadia to make us dream.

And yet, the existence of high-end restaurants is not a given, especially now that we find ourselves faced with an inability to experience or afford even the simplest pleasures. Especially because of this pandemic, places like Acadia are just as threatened as the mom and pop corner shop. True inventiveness requires capital and investment and people’s attention.

In brighter news, during these times, spots like Acadia have an infrastructure that allows them to bring a taste of the true restaurant into your home in the form of a juicy burger dripping with Duke’s mayo. (You can order this burger from Acadia’s curbside take out, or because Chef McCaskey has graciously shared the recipe below, you can make it at home).  Acadia’s infrastructure has also allowed McCaskey to hold a weekly market for Chicago’s struggling food community.

Though Lori Lightfoot and Governor Pritzker have been displaying solid leadership, even the local government is failing us a bit. Though we can no longer congregate near the shores of Lake Michigan here in Chicago, it seems that tow truck service is still essential in these days of COVID-19. Last week when I first tried to interview McCaskey, he had to reschedule because his legally parked car had been removed by one of Chicago’s pirate towing services from his condo lot. Thankfully, we were able to recover, because McCaskey is a chef you should know.

I don’t mean to minimize the struggle of family-owned small establishments, but in some ways this crisis makes it harder for a high-end restaurant to survive, right?

It does. It’s a big ramp up. I look at the numbers a lot. I’m constantly focusing on being a businessman first and foremost, and it gets tiring to support $2.5 million in overhead to stay open each year. Sometimes you wonder if you have enough left in the tank. Sometimes I think about opening a smaller focused counter place with two turns a night with just 3 or 4 people that really crush it.

I want to keep evolving, pushing, and reinvest. I also wonder if the restaurant I built is a little bit of an antiquated model. Maybe it is time to repackage it.

I don’t know if people in Chicago know this, but you have another seasonal restaurant Acadia Provisions in Maine. That has to be impacted too, right?

The [Maine] locals are not really crazy about outsiders. Now, with this situation, it’s like they really don’t want you out there. There’s going to be a huge impact on tourism. We are possibly looking at opening in August, but then you lose 2.5-3 months of the season. You lose July in Maine and that’s 70% of your business.

I read that one of the dishes that inspired you to become a chef was Fettucine Alfredo? It feels like a good time to be eating lots of Alfredo right now, right?

That’s true. It was a very important dish to me, but I’m not eating many carbs anymore. I’m focusing a lot on being healthy. When I was in my 20s, I’d party all the time. I was an athlete and I thought I’m invincible. We were a pirate kitchen, a bunch of misfits, burning and cutting ourselves, just pushing through it. I’m in my 40s now. I get the appeal of that life, but that’s not a great message to get out there. We can have a better quality as a kitchen culture. After working 16 or 17 hours some days, I just want to relax and maybe do nothing.

So, what’s your healthy comfort food now?

I still eat what I love like a dripping juicy cheeseburger, but with no bun, or I take out one of the sides of the buns. The staff at Acadia laughs at me because I eat the top off pizza. They’re always saying, “Chef’s been in the pizza box again, all the tops are gone.”

That reminds me, you’re still doing the bar menu for pick up right?

We have the burger, and lobster… you can’t have an Acadia menu without lobster. We have a tight curbside pick-up right now.

You’re one of the first chefs I’ve talked to since NYC chef Floyd Cardoz died. Any thoughts?

Sadly, we’re going to lose more. I knew his work. He was a generous person, a pillar of the community. He had a good sense of community values. He was humble.  I feel a little old saying this, but chefs should be humble, not focused on making a ton of money or crushing your competitors. We had amazing support from a lot of New York chefs, but unfortunately here in Chicago it felt like a lot of people wanted to see us fail. Floyd stood above that kind of stuff, lifting us up. I never wanted to be better than Grant Achatz or Paul Kahan as a cook. I want greatness for everyone. Floyd emulated that.

People forgot a little about him too, right?

It’s disturbing to me. We did the same thing with Trotter, and Jean Banchet of Le Francais, and Michael Foley of Printer’s Row. Foley was the guy. Now I hear chefs de cuisine say, “Who’s this guy?”. John Hogan and Tony Mantuano are others we should celebrate. I remember Hogie would come into a restaurant I worked in when he was at Kiki Bistro and just talk shop. I remember him talking about these hot new kids on the block Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand (of Tru). We have to respect our past.

I agree. I love reading about Chicago restaurant history, places like Gordon, and Louis Szathmary of The Bakery restaurant.

Gordon Sinclair was amazing. I was working up in Wisconsin, and we traveled to Gordon’s and we were so excited that we ordered almost the entire menu. He came to our table and said, you guys must be in the industry. He sent out every dessert. So in the end, we had eaten his entire menu. His generosity was one of the first times I felt true hospitality. That’s how I want to do it. It’s not about being on the cover of magazine and flexing about how badass we are.

Henry Adaniya (of Trio) taught me that it’s all about setting the culture, being excited, and believing in what you’re talking about. Between him and my father, who ran Blue Cross Blue Shield, I learned it’s important to be humble. I remember when my dad was named President and CEO of Blue Cross, I said, you must be excited because you got your own parking spot. He said, no, I park wherever is available, I’m not better than anybody. That’s always stuck with me.

That’s why we’re doing the market for hospitality folks. I want to give back.  We put out 1,000 pounds of food. I bought an extra $1,500 dollars of pork chops to give away.  We’re only doing the carryout business to pay staff because we want to avoid layoffs. We’re not paying rent and utilities and we’re having to negotiate lead times with some purveyors. 

Speaking of Henry Adaniya, the legendary owner of Trio in Evanston, what was it like being friends with him?

Henry once told me, you know, in 13 years, Ryan, I didn’t make any money, I live in an apartment in Ravenswood. That was a huge wake up call. The public’s perception is so far from reality about what really happens. Restaurants are brutal, the amount of taxes we have to pay. 

I was never an employee at Trio, but I saw how that kitchen worked. The first part of my career, restaurants were all about dudes smoking cigarettes, slamming screwdrivers, throwing pans and screaming. Seeing the quietness, the respect and the attention to detail in those Trio kitchens set the tone for the next ten years of my career.

Acadia is located at 1639 S. Wabash in Chicago. You can order takeout from: https://acadiachicago.com/the-restaurant/

Recipe: The Acadia Burger

Bacon onion jam

Yield: enough for approx. 6-8 8oz burgers

4 C. ground bacon

4 C. diced yellow onions

1/3 C. chopped garlic

2 C. apple cider

1 C. dark brown sugar

1 C. brewed coffee

½ C. whole grain mustard

3 T. smoked paprika

Salt

Sweat onions and garlic in a little oil. Add bacon. As the bacon releases some fat, skim off excess fat. After 15 or 20 minutes of cooking, add rest of ingredients. Cook on a low simmer until almost all of the liquid is cooked off and gone. It should be damp to the touch, but not overly wet or greasy. Reserve and keep warm.

Bread and butter pickles

Per 10# of pickles

10# Kirby cucumbers, sliced

1 gal distilled vinegar

1 gal white wine vinegar

4 C. sugar

6 sliced yellow onions

2# dark brown sugar

2 T. chili flakes

3 T. whole allspice

1 C. celery seed

3 whole sliced yellow peppers

Put all liquids, spices, and sugar into a pot. Boil and simmer for 15 min. Cool. Pour over rest of ingredients. Let sit at least 3 days in the refrigerator. Jar to keep longer. Or store in refrigerator up to a month.

Truffle cheese mornay

1 gal of whole milk

2 qts of shredded truffle fontina

1 T. truffle oil

1 # roux (equal parts flour and butter by weight)

½# melted butter

Salt

1/2 onion

1 bay leaf

3 pieces cloves

Cut onion in half and char one side. Stick cloves in it. Make a slit in the onion and add bay leaf. Bring milk just to boil with onion pique. Once boiled, turn down to low simmer and add ½ of roux. Whisk in and cook till thickened. If still loose, add more roux. Add grated cheese. Melt. Add butter, truffle oil and salt to taste. Once emulsified, pass through a sieve or chinoise. Keep warm.

To assemble:

Cook your favorite 6-8 oz burger with a couple slices of gruyere cheese. Toast buttered brioche bun. On the bottom add warmed bacon jam, then pickles. Then burger with the cheese. Then a tablespoon or so of warmed mornay. Add top bun. Slice and eat!