Blue Ocean

Blue Ocean

4650 N. Clark

Chicago IL, 60640

What lies behind the entry doors of Blue Ocean is unimaginable. The abundance of space is striking; endless turns of brightly colored walls and a whimsical glow that adds to the illusory atmosphere.  Everything from the coral like light fixtures and the submerged seating style to the intricate seaweed pattern repeated throughout, create a dreamlike feel of dining in the ocean.

Hard to miss is the impressive wine selection that encompasses the entire entryway wall.  Led to our private table by the manager herself, both of the sushi chefs took an interest in immediately greeting us.  Our server Da was incredibly professional and personable, gracefully highlighting the specialties page by page. 

The carefully crafted beverage menu includes an extensive wine and martini list and up to 15 different flavors of sake available both by the glass and by the bottle.  The 2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is a favorite, especially when paired with sushi. This smooth citrusy wine is not very sweet neither too dry; holding a pleasantly bitter aftertaste with a lingering affect that almost begs for a re-up when it fades away.

Blue Ocean requires at least three more visits to adequately describe its capacities.  This past trip included a sampling of the seemingly succulent Filet Tataki as an appetizer; alternating layers of lightly flash fried filet mignon served over a bed of ponzu marinated cucumbers and lettuce.  

Octo Roll was the heartiest of the bunch, including a mass amount of spicy salmon placed atop tender octopus bits intertwined in the center of the roll.  

The blue ocean roll holds a combination of lightly battered spicy tuna, cream cheese, avocado, asparagus, shrimp, wasabi tobiko, and tempura crunch encompassed by a soybean sheet and drizzled with creamy wasabi and unagi sauce of a like consistency as condensed milk.

Refreshingly contemporary was the Ocean Drive signature roll; multiple triangular wedges including tuna, yellowtail, avocado, green bell peppers, cilantro, and spicy masago mayo, drizzled with chili oil and fresh lime juice.

Daily Blue Ocean’s Specials

Monday- buy 2 signature rolls get one half roll for free

Tuesday- All day happy hour 4 dollar maki

Wednesday- Buy 1 get 1 on any appetizer

Thursday- ½ off kitchen appetizer and ½ off

Friday- $2 dollar domestic beers

Saturday- ½ of bottles of beer

Sunday- Free edamame

Blue Ocean does offer a $5 dollar corkage fee if you prefer to bring your own beverage.

The following reviews are in pending...

• Sherry Wine Seminar
• Hiro's Cafe- Japanese and Korean
• Cozy's Rice and Noodle
• Chicago's Pizza
• Baladoche- Belgian Gelato
• Ponzu Sushi
• Kyozo Sushi
• Caro Mio
• Melanthios

Love Wine? But You Dont Know Why!

If you're anything like me, you've probably pondered down the wine aisle of a Binny's or a Trader Joe's and wondered to yourself, "Where the hell do I start? or Which do I put back?"  Because the wine industry is so vast, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the options.  The best thing for you to do next time you find yourself in this situation is to give the wine experts an opportunity to shine a little light on you. I have yet to encounter a condescending "wine snob" and I'm even starting to question where the wine industry even fell victim to such a bad rep.  You may know nothing about wine, but the more exposure you get tasting and talking about it, the more likely you are to differentiate good wines from excellent ones.

From wineloverspage.com, I found some very very helpful information for criteria used to evaluate wine.

Look At The Wine

• Is the wine clear?
• Is it hazy? 
• Is the color appropriate? 
• Color should be consistent (deduction if discoloration around the edges of the glass). 
• Are there bubbles? 
• Is sediment present at bottom of glass?

 Smell The Wine

• Is it pleasant or unappetizing?  
• Put your nose close into the glass to better identify the smells

• Fruity: Citrus - grapefruit, lemon; berry - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, black currant (cassis); tree fruit - cherry, apricot, peach, apple; tropical fruit - pineapple, melon, banana; dried fruit - strawberry jam, raisins, prune, fig.
• Vegetative: fresh - stemmy, cut green grass, bell pepper, eucalyptus, mint; canned-cooked - green beans, asparagus, green olive, black olive, artichoke; dried - haw-straw, tea, tobacco.
• Nutty: walnut, hazelnut, almond.
• Caramelized: honey, butterscotch, butter, soy sauce, chocolate, molasses.
• Woody: vanilla, cedar, oak, smoky, burnt toast, charred, coffee.
• Earthy: dusty, mushroom, musty (mildew), moldy cork.
• Chemical: petroleum - tar, plastic, kerosene, diesel; sulfur - rubbery, garlic, skunk, cabbage, burnt match, wet wool, wet dog; papery - wet cardboard; pungent - acetic acid (vinegar); other - soapy, fishy.
• Pungent: hot - alcohol; cool - menthol.
• Microbiological: yeast, sauerkraut, sweaty, horsey, "mousey."
• Floral: orange blossom, rose, violet, geranium.
• Spicy: cloves, black pepper, licorice, anise.

Taste The Wine

• Take a sip, swishing the wine around the mouth before swallowing
• Different flavors will be concentrated on different parts of the tongue, bitter in the back, sweet towards the front and acidic (or sour) along the sides
• Ask yourself if the flavor is consistent with the aromas
• Is there a lingering aftertaste? or does it cut off..
• Is the wine smooth, sour, sweet, or astringent?

Overall Impression

• Stop think and draw conclusions
• Is the aroma, appearance, flavor and total impression consistent?
• How does it compare with other wines?

 Detailed Tasting Forms Found @
http://www.wineloverspage.com/tastfrm2.htm

Six Ways Customers Tick Off Chefs

Atlanta Chef Ron Eyester Rants

Let me just tell you what a relief it was to find that I'm not the only rage-aholic in the hospitality industry! I've never read a more accurate depiction the attitude most industry workers share regarding ignorant diners!!! It's highly entertaining, and I'm sure none of you fit that stereotype! Hilarious! I promise!

Homemade Vindaloo Red Curry

For whatever reason, no matter how late or how last minute the circumstances are, curry is the one dish I never seem to dread to make. Tonight I decided at 8:00 pm while still in the grocery store that I would make curry for dinner! You're probably thinking, who even eats dinner that late... this is coming from an insomniac people!

Getting back to the point, in the hour and a half it took me to walk my groceries a quarter of a mile home from my ridiculously far parking spot, to the actual plating of the meal, not once did I feel it was taking too much time or effort. Below I've attached my very own recipe for you to test out in case you ever decide you're in the mood to make an elaborate ethnic meal!

Ingredients
1 handful of dried red chili peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 green or orange pepper
1 small onion
1 potato
1 can of lite coconut milk
2 fresh chicken breasts
4 or 5 tablespoons of whatever flavored curry paste you prefer (I like tandoori or vindaloo)
2 tablespoons of actual curry powder

Preparation

• Peel potato, cut into cubes
• In a small saucepan, bring water to boil
• Place potatoes in saucepan to boil until tender

• In another saucepan, bring water to boil and submerge both chicken breasts in
• Remove once chicken is cooked all the way through

• Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a separate large saucepan
• Chop both bell peppers and onion
• Place in large saucepan with boiling water
• Let boil 15 minutes, while stirring periodically
• Add boiled potatoes to mix
• Season with 2 tablespoons of curry powder
• Add a quarter can of lite coconut milk when water starts to reduce
• Add 2 tablespoons of curry paste
• Let vegetables reduce for 30 min, stirring periodically
• Once chicken is fulled cooked, remove from boiled water
• Using 2 forks, shred chicken in thin pieces
• Add 2 more tablespoons of curry paste, and another fourth of the coconut milk, stirring very fast to prevent curdling
• Let vegetables reduce another 10 minutes before emptying the rest of the can of coconut milk in the mix and adding a final tablespoon of curry paste.

The mixture is complete when most of the vegetables are reduced, and the mixture has thickened. Serve with store bought, or homemade nan bread. (Because I am kind of a health nut, Ironic I know considering I run a food blog, I usually substitute the nan for no preservative tortillas, corn or flour work. Store bought nan runs upwards 220 calories and over 40 carbohydrates... I'd rather have dessert or wine)

Chilean Syrah is a fabulous pairing wine for curry; the well balanced red wine tends to enhance the spices from the chilies and the curry paste.

Cassava **

Cassava
3338 N. Clark
Chicago IL, 60601

I baked these at home

Cassava will change your life, and quite possibly your waist line too. It's undoubtedly one of THE best kept secrets!  This newly opened South American specialty cafe on Clark features four different types of freshly baked, bite size cassava bread balls.  At first, the "sun-dried tomato and basil" was my favorite, then I sampled the "jalapeno and white cheddar" which had a pleasant little kick, but in the end, the original took first place.  Cassava uses a gluten-free flour free of preservatives, trans fats, and artificial coloring but the bread bites taste so good, you almost immediately feel guilty for eating them.  Expect a flaky outside and a warm, moist and stretchy consistency on the inside.

Since Cassava is found all over South America, it's often referred to as Pao de Queijio in Brazil, Pan de Yuca in Ecuador and Pan de Bono in Columbia. I didn't realize it then, but I had cassava bread for the first time when dining at Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian Steakhouse downtown, and I immediately fell in love with the doughy texture. For months I tried to figure out how to make this infamous bread but failed miserably in my attempt to emulate it using all sorts of flours. Thanks to Cassava, now I can have my bread without having to spend $50 at a steakhouse to get it.

Cassava bread is the perfect mid day snack; four bread bites go for 75 cents.  Also available now at 55 cents for four bread bites, is the bake at home option. I was so grateful to come across this place, I bought 12 cassava bites to share with my friends. Though many people took their bread and coffee to go, the peaceful atmosphere and free wifi available at Cassava make it very appropriate place to catch up on work.  Coffee lovers can quench their thirst on coffee and European style hot chocolate, while the whole fruit smoothies and cassava muffins are sure to satisfy anybody's sweet tooth. Cassava is a must in Wrigleyville; Jorge the owner was beyond hospitable and more than willing to explain the benefits of Cassava to those curious enough to wander in.

Lush Wine Bar

Lush Wine Bar
University Village
1257 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312.738.1900

For any curious baby winos out there, Lush Wine Bar may be the perfect place for you to establish a foundation, learn a thing or two about tasting basics, and get in touch with your inner Robert Parker (the leading wine critic in the United States).  This unpretentious bar encourages discussion and is more than willing to dish out historical facts about producers, farmers, and the vines themselves! Lush agrees that the best way to learn about wine is to taste as much as possible so why not come in on Sunday between 2pm and 5pm for complimentary wine tastings and the opportunity to mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts???