Food Blog

I’m awaiting news on whether Evanston’s new Food and Beverage tax has passed - a new 2% tax on top of sales tax. I’m sorry I wasn’t hanging out at the Knot during this meeting or at the City Council meeting to see the celebrity chefs of Evanston all gathered in one place in an attempt to fight it off.

Fat Tire Beer rolls into Chicago I had one of these back in November while in Arizona, I’m looking foward to seeing it here and trying the other varieties. I had one of their Amber Ales - full of Belgian style yeasty-ness, but lighter and more drinkable.

The Crummy Brothers sent me some cookies. This Chicago organic chocolate chip cookie maker makes several ‘Cookie Varietals’ available as cookie ‘flights’. I must say they’re great cookies, but they are comparing themselves to those “making the finest Bordeaux’ and callng their cookies ‘as refined as an exquisite Cabernet’.

The chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie is loaded with cardamom, and of course, excellent quality chocolate, but all that chocolate combines to make it sweetier than a Chip’s Ahoy. The Lemon Ginger and Saffron Pistachio were really good, and the balance of ingredients worked perfectly.

I must say the real problem isn’t about how good these cookies are - they really are good - it’s that when you start comparing cookies and Bordeaux, and include an insert card with suggestions on eating with special attention to appreciating them - even suggesting wine or port pairings - you have to make a cookie that can stand up to that level of criticism. I fed them to my office mates and overall, they didn’t reach the high expectation level. We stood around critiquing them like a group of sommeliers tearing apart the first bottle from a new vineyard. But of course the cookies dissappeared.

Like the first vintage out of a new vineyard, you can taste the passion here even if the refinement isn’t at it’s peak yet. The potential shown in these early batches may yet yield a great cookie.