The Best Of Chicago - October Edition | Tasting Table Leftovers
What to eat, cook and drink next month
What a month: We crossed two borders, cooked like a Top Chef, sampled sophisticated candy, discovered a new bread–and that was just the beginning. Below, October's best to keep you eating, drinking, cooking and exploring well into November.
Goat Guru: The debut cookbook from Stephanie Izard, of Girl & the Goat, isn't coffee-table fodder. Keep it in the kitchen, where its unexpected flavor combinations can be sources of dinnertime inspiration.
Iran Rising: We've long loved Persian cuisine, but in our zeal for stews and tahdig rice, we overlooked barbari. An excellent example of the traditional Iranian bread is made daily at a new Ukrainian Village café of the same name.
Psycho Sweets: Sugary cashew and almond brittles, Sichuan peanuts, smoked-paprika almonds and meringue-covered pecans from the new line of Mama's Nuts sweets are–dare we say–crazy good. Want them for Halloween? Pick them up at Green Grocer over the weekend.
Michigan's Motherload: Southwestern Michigan's most popular summer destination has plenty of fodder for a fall weekend trip, too. On a recent Saturday, we stocked up on bacon jam, small-batch spirits, local produce and more.
Flour Power: Locally grown wheat berries from Breslin Farms have been a staple in our kitchen this month. The farm recently milled its wheat into bread flour, and offers an array of heirloom beans, too.