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Best Bites Chicago

This week’s Best Bite: Everything wings, stuffed cabbage, and ice cold noodles, Mott St.

Everything wings glazed with soy, jaggery and dried chilis, tossed with sesame, poppy seed, fried shallots, and served with tzatziki
Everything wings glazed with soy, jaggery and dried chilis, tossed with sesame, poppy seed, fried shallots, and served with tzatziki

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Mott St. is the second venture from Chef Edward Kim and his team, whose first restaurant, Ruxbin, earned a nod from Bon Appétit as one of the 10 best new restaurants in the country (I had a killer clambake there two years ago). When I heard that Mott St. would have more of a night market vibe, I was definitely in – and our meal delivered, one dish after another in a parade of intriguing, unexpected flavors. The everything wings had drawn comparison to the huge, sticky ones at Pok Pok, which I tasted in February, but I found them to be entirely different. These chicken wings seriously tasted like an everything bagel (hence the name), with a slightly sweet glaze and generous dusting of sesame and poppy seeds, plus subtle heat from the chilis. The bagel comparison drew even stronger when you added the creamy, dill-heavy tzatziki dipping sauce. As with most good wings: messy to eat, but worth it.

The theme continued with the stuffed cabbage, which surprisingly recalled comforting lasagna from the very first bite – just lasagna that was layered with zingy kimchi, crispy rice, and pork instead of ricotta and red sauce. The flavors married especially well in this dish, everything extra-seasoned by the kimchi broth at the bottom. And as our server enthusiastically promised, the ice cold noodles made a lovely palate cleanser after the rest of the savory dishes. Between the chilly temperature and mellow flavors, it was an incredibly clean dish, with the tender beef and quail egg adding just enough richness.

Napa kimchi cabbage rolls stuffed with pork butt and sticky rice, pan-seared and boiled in kimchi broth
Napa kimchi cabbage rolls stuffed with pork butt and sticky rice, pan-seared and boiled in kimchi broth
Ice cold noodles, with buckwheat noodles, beef brisket, and turnip top kimchi broth
Ice cold noodles, with buckwheat noodles, beef brisket, and turnip top kimchi broth

The details: Mott St., 1401 N Ashland Ave., Chicago.

Categories
Best Bites Chicago

This week’s Best Bite: Southern pizza and rosé, Reno

Southern pizza with
Southern pizza with Edward’s ham, kimchi, spinach, mozzarella, and fried garlic

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: It’s high time I blogged about Reno, where I’ve been a frequent customer since they opened in the neighborhood last November. I could wax poetic about the glory (and daily temptation) of grabbing a wood-fired bagel and a large cup of Stumptown coffee on my way to the train in the morning, but this week marked my first time dining in for dinner. My friend opted for pasta, but I had to skip over that section because there were just too many appealing pizzas. I had to go with the Southern, a Korean-Italian collision with southern ham thrown in. The sour kimchi, salty ham, gooey mozzarella, crispy spinach, and some serious garlic: it all worked, but still didn’t weigh down the blistered thin crust.

Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of experience with rosé, but since it’s ubiquitous in articles about springtime beverages, I’d been on the lookout for an opportunity to try a glass. This particular wine was ultra-refreshing, a blend of merlot and cabernets sauvignon and franc with juicy berry flavors. Rosé is also typically known as a food-friendly wine, and it proved to pair well with the punchy pizza toppings.

2012 rosé
Haut-Sarthes 2012 Rosé (Bordeaux)

The details: Reno, 2607 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago.