Timely Tomatoes
There's never been a better day to eat a BLT
Last year, Damien Casten (of Candid Wines) threw a potluck called TomatoFest to celebrate a glut of heirloom tomatoes. This year, he's mobilized tomato lovers across town for the BLT Bonanza, in which 16 restaurants riff on the tomato season's holy trinity.
Each participating chef signed a pledge promising to use only local, heritage-breed tomatoes in a special that will run through September 20.
Carnivale chef Mark Mendez created a BLAT of Becker Lane pork belly, lettuce, avocado and Shooting Star Farm green zebra tomatoes at lunch ($10), and pork belly salad with spicy red-yellow tomato relish and Kinnikinnick Farm greens ($9) at dinner.
Go to The Publican for an STLT salad (smoked trout-lettuce-tomato; $11), and Lockwood for chef Phillip Foss's BLT cannelloni ($12): thinly sliced brioche filled with ricotta and spigarello (wild broccoli), wrapped in Slagel Farm bacon and topped with arrabiata sauce from Leaning Shed Farm tomatoes.
Osteria Via Stato is pairing their BLT with a glass of Seedling's hard apple cider for $16. Green Grocer is selling an old-school BLT by City Provisions to go ($7), made with Heritage Prairie heirlooms and Faith's Farm bacon on sourdough.
Part two of TomatoFest is a tomato love-in at the second annual potluck, benefiting Slow Food Chicago, on September 10.
