We’ve had some discussion here this week – prompted by Walmart’s decision to close half its Chicago fleet of stores and Whole Foods’ move to shutter (temporarily?) a San Francisco flagship open only about a year – about the problematic situations in which many American cities find themselves.
Part of this, I’m afraid, was my fault. After all, I used the term “urban decay.” That’s not really fair, since “decay” suggests neglect, and I’m not sure that’s what is happening here. Rather, there have been a set of circumstances that have affected many American cities. Some of these factors have been unexpected and could not be prepared for (like a pandemic that emptied out cities’ office buildings and sent people scurrying for the suburbs). And some have been the result of bad choices (distinct from choices being made for bad reasons).
Now it is up to many of these cities to take seriously the words of Ernest Hemingway, in “A Farewell to Arms:”
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”
There are a lot of broken places in a lot of cities. Now is a time for healing, to make these places stronger and more resilient for the long term. As I said the other day, cities are America’s engines – they drive progress in areas of finance, culture, diversity, and culinary innovation.
It is this last that I want to write about today, since two weekends ago I had the chance to spend a little time in Chicago, and got a first-hand taste of the kinds of food that, to be perfectly honest, we just don’t get in my little corner of Connecticut.
We started out on Friday night with great friends of ours at a wonderful tapas restaurant called Mercat a la Planxa, located in the Blackstone Hotel (which looks like something out of The Untouchables, overlooking Michigan Avenue and Grant Park. The food was extraordinary, featuring things like pan de cristal bread, tomato, arbequina olive oil; potatoes, salsa brava, garlic aioli, chili oil; spinach croquette, tomato jam, saffron aioli; caramelized onion and potato omelet, ensalada, cream; shrimp, bird’s-eye chili, garlic, shrimp jus; scallion, aleppo pepper, piquillo pepper, jerez sherry, coriander. My mouth is watering just as I type these words – the various dishes were spicy and flavorful and perfect for what ended up being a rainy Chicago evening.
The next evening, we ended up at a place called Ramen Wasabi. Now, my son and his girlfriend picked it out, and to be honest I didn’t have high hopes for this “ramen restaurant.” But again, outstanding – I cannot recall ever enjoying ramen as much.
A quick story. When we finally got our table (and there was a long line, always a good sign), I perused the menu. Mrs. Content Guy, my son and his girlfriend all identified the ramen dishes they wanted, but I was hesitant. So when the waiter came over, I said, “My son has been raving about the ramen, and they’re all going to have ramen, but there is this tuna poke rice bowl on the menu that looks really, really good. Would I be making a mistake if I ordered that instead?”
Without missing a beat he said, “Get the ramen.” So I did – I’m not afraid to take guidance from experts. I had the Hakata Red ramen, described on the menu as “Berkshire belly char siu, scallion, marinated bamboo shoots, black mushroom, soft boiled egg, pickled ginger, house numbing spice blend.” It was knock-your-socks off fantastic, and it didn’t even bother me when the waiter – with a smile – brought me a fork. (I can handle a set of chopsticks, but he was having some fun with me.)
The next morning, we went to a Latin American restaurant for brunch – Crio, where I had some of the best chilaquiles I’ve ever had in my life. (And I am a chilaquiles fiend!) They were made with crispy tortillas, green tomatillo Sauce, black beans, chihuahua cheese, lime cream, avocado, sunny side egg, and homemade chorizo. sausage, and we washed them down with bottomless mimosas. (I’m not sure they even allow food this spicy in Connecticut.)
I’m not picking on Connecticut. Not really. But I am suggesting that one of the things that make cities magic are these little restaurants, nestled on a corner here or on a back street there (or sometimes in a hotel that opened more than a century ago). These are restaurants that take us outside ourselves, challenging our taste buds and giving us a sense of the cultures that gave birth to their cuisines.
It is cities, I would argue, that make such culinary innovations possible, at least more than any other place. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky in my life and career, having enjoyed great meals in cities that range from New York to Taipei, Seattle to Sydney, Paris to San Francisco, London to New Orleans, Portland (Oregon) to Portland (Maine) and many more. And while I’m not in denial about the problems that many of these places face, I believe that for many of them, their sense of place, their welcoming of other cultures and peoples, and their ability to communicate values of inclusiveness through their food and drink, all combine to make them places that will heal and be stronger. Especially in the broken places.
I want to recommend three wonderful red wines that we opened for Easter Sunday’s dinner of lamb and artichoke stew (which was requested by my wife and kids and my kids’ significant others):
• The 2018 Megan Anne Pinot Noir, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which is rich, flavorful and ripe.
• The 2017 Concannon Vineyard Captain Joe’s Petit Sirah, from California’s Livermore Valley, which combines plenty of fruit with lots of structure.
• And, the 2017 Hannah Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley Vineyards, a family favorite that was light and crisp.
All in all, great choices. (And the stew I made was pretty good, too.)
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
Sláinte!!
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