Tarot Cards and Burlesque Sideshows, Make This Bona Fide Speakeasy Stand Out

On this episode of On Foodable Side Dish we meet Liz Pearce, the managing partner at The Drifter, an authentic speakeasy from Chicago’s Prohibition era. The bar is hidden behind a door that poses as a decorated, wooden shelf on a wall inside a restaurant called The Green Door Tavern. Even the restaurant’s name alludes to the fact that there was a functioning bar inside of the establishment during the 1920s and 1930s. Back then, painting a restaurant's door green indicated the presence of an illicit liquor store or nightclub.

Watch the episode to learn about whether or not the rosé and bourbon-barrel aged wine trends are going to stick around and why France’s Loire Valley is rising in popularity!

Izzy’s Fish and Oyster, a Miami Beach staple, is packing up its clams and digging into the west coast.  

Named after Chef and Partner Jamie DeRosa’s daughter, Izzy’s is a little piece of New England right here in the sunshine state. The menu features New England Clam Chowder, Lobster Rolls and handmade Whoopie pies– all of which transport you to the Cape and remind you of when times were more simple. The opening of Izzy’s second location was celebrated with fanfare, but as DeRosa says opening isn’t always as simple as it sounds.

Using his experience from his past restaurant openings, DeRosa has been able to successfully navigate the waters of opening a new location. “Having the concept similar here to Miami is important, but we also have embraced the local market here with the farms and the seafood and the local Gulf shrimp that we’re bringing in and the local Gulf crab meat,” said Chef DeRosa. Knowing the difference between the Miami market and Ft. Meyers market played a big role in how they opened. For example in Miami, restaurants often keep things under wraps until the great unveiling but in Fort Myers the Izzy’s team invited neighbors and friends into see and be a part of the process.

On this episode of On Foodable Side Dish, we learn about Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine a concept that focuses on small batch, high quality, hand-crafted products. There are four stores in Chicago and also two cheese-and-wine-oriented restaurants providing service in intimate settings.

While in the Windy City, the Foodable team had the chance to meet up with Greg O’Neill, the co-founder & CEO of Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine. O’Neill explained to us the role of Pastoral in the Chicago food scene.

On this episode of On Foodable Side Dish we learn about City Winery, a concept that emphasizes pairing culinary and cultural experiences together as imagined by its founder Michael Dorf. The space aims to create the perfect setting for people who are into music, food and wine.

When the Foodable team was in Chicago, we had the chance to meet up with Rachel Speckan, the National Wine Director for City Winery. Speckan gave us the lowdown on the space and how they work to communicate with their guests to tell the brand’s story.

In this episode of "On Foodable Side Dish," we're going to the movies!

And pop corn and hot dogs are no longer the only staples you'll see at the big screens — major movie theater chains have been ramping up the culinary level in cinema, bringing in elements of fine dining for a flavorful food experience as high-definition as the films guests are watching. (In fact, so much so, that reports by the NPD Group Supply Track show that theaters have increased foodservice spending by 20 percent.) Host Agnes Chung heads to one of iPic Theaters' locations in Manhattan and kicks it back with the brains behind the theater's full restaurant experience, complete with chef-driven menus and high-quality cocktails! 

At iPic, film junkies can munch on shrimp tacos, fried chicken, and filet mignon sliders. Who is the woman responsible for this blockbusting menu? James Beard Award-winning Chef Sherry Yard, who serves as chief operating officer of the restaurant division at iPic Entertainment, and who was formerly the executive pastry chef of Wolfgang Puck restaurants for more than two decades.

Opening in 1945 originally as a coffee house, Ray’s Boathouse has been a gathering spot for Seattle families since it was a simple dockside cafe. Seventy years and a couple fires later, Ray's has been rebuilt bigger and better to its current opulence. Overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, Ray’s dining experience is a treat for your eyes as much as it is to your tastebuds.

At Ray’s Boathouse, the menu tries to stay true to the Northwest but Chef de Cuisine Paul Duncan has also put his stamp on Ray’s fresh seafood menus. After spending some time in Hawaii and then working in Italian cuisine in Portland, Chef Duncan has intertwined Asian and Italian flavors into his dishes. Not to mention his addition of fresh, housemade pasta to the menu.

At Ray’s, shopping local is a big deal. Not only is it good for the community, but Chef Duncan appreciates the tastes local brings to his dishes.

“On Foodable Side Dish” aims to give you an inside look at the trending concepts, exclusive kitchens, and unique chefs in the restaurant business through the eyes of a local from different cities. The show hit major milestones this year — one of them being the first time we hit the food scene in Canada! But which were the best moments of 2016? Watch this "Best of" and find out! 

Watch each episode individually to learn more:

• Dirt Candy
• Emmy Squared
• Petite Maison

At Morimoto, a downtown restaurant located in Chelsea, New York, sushi chef and Iowa native Robby Cook likes to let the fish do the talking for him.

To those who say they want to see a Japanese chef serve their sushi in order to get the “authentic” sushi experience, Cook says “Go ahead!”

“At this point, I’m in my career where it doesn’t really matter… if they want a different chef, then far be it…” said Cook. “I think my skills prove it and I’ve done my time.”

As he chats with our New York correspondent, Agnes Chung, we learn that Cook started out by working at an organic grocery store back when he was going to college and that’s when he and his friends would start making sushi on their own. (They got really into the show Iron Chef.)

Working for Chef Morimoto has been surreal for Cook. He was working at BondST when Chef Morimoto came in to eat on a Sunday night and called him over to ask him to swing by for an interview.

In this “On Foodable Side Dish,” correspondent Agnes Chung heads over to Williamsburg to chat with Chef Matthew Hyland atEmmy Squared, the second pizza bar named after his wife, who is also the co-owner and front-of-house manager, Emily Hyland. There, Chung learned about an underrepresented style of pizza in New York, the Detroit-style deep dish pizza, and their subterranean burger lounge.

Detroit-Style Pizza

What differentiates this pizza from the famous New York Slice is that, for starters, it is baked in a square pan. Also, two more key features of a Detroit-style pizza are there is a cheesy crust on the outside and sauce is placed on top. The first time Chef Hyland tried this style of pizza, it was actually delivered from the Motor City itself.

“We actually ordered it frozen from Buddy’s, a very famous place in Detroit, so they shipped it across the country for us…. It’s really good! ” said Hyland.

From his perspective, this was an eye-opening experience.

“It was pretty spectacular because growing up eating Sicilian pizza and grandma pizza here...those were really the only exposure to square pizza we had in New York! ” said Hyland. 

The learning curve was not easy. For Chef Hyland, it took months to perfect the Detroit-style pizza. The secret was testing the different types of pans, their distinct shapes and sizes until he found the right one that cooked the best deep dish pizza in his convention oven with a conveyor belt.

Restaurant & Subterranean Burger Lounge

Emmy Squared is a little more casual than its sister restaurant, Emily, in Clinton Hill. However, it still features a similar design color scheme with black and copper accents throughout the space. The husband-and-wife duo wanted to make sure Emmy was not limited to serving only pizza by offering other food that was fun to eat, including small plates, sandwiches, and burgers. Their subterranean burger lounge, which only opens on Friday and Saturday nights, serves the famous Le Big Matt burger, declared a Must-Try by Zagat, along with specially-selected cocktails and beers on separate draft lines chosen just for the downstairs area. Their goal is to open the underground bar seven days a week.

Watch the full episode now to learn the secrets to making the Detroit-style deep dish pizza and Le Big Matt burger!

In this “On Foodable Side Dish,” correspondent Agnes Chung spends the morning with Chef de Cuisine Cedric Vongerichten, learning about his background, the importance he places on seasonality, and finally, his signature dishes for Perry St, his father’s, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, elegant restaurant in West Village, located in the Richard Meier Towers in New York City.