cleaning crab isn't for the light of stomach... you were warned! but for those of you who don't know, this is how to clean a blue crab!
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goat wonders what life would be like as a blue crab during soft shell season... unsure if it is a dream or nightmare

let the soft shell games begin. chefs and diners alike await spring when the sweet blue crabs shed their old exoskeleton (i've always wanted to use that word in a sentence) and become entirely edible.

(illustration by loc hong)

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i have never been a big fan of salmon. the only kind I will eat these days is copper river salmon which is just coming in to season! this works great with trout or arctic char as well if you just can't get into the salmon (though i have to tell you that copper river tastes different than any salmon you have had before, so i f you can find it, give it a try!)
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(illustration by loc hong)


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a couple weeks ago, my friend dan fox, executive chef of the madison club in madison, wi, came by to drop off two half pigs!! he just started raising pigs last year on a farm outside of madison, and is now offering them to restaurants in chicago.

rather than getting one whole pig, i thought it would be fun to get a half each of two different breeds, and do a little taste testing (one of my favorite past times). we have a swabian hall and an ossabaw/mieshan crossbreed.

so here it is...

food. drinks. fun. tasting. indulging. maybe overindulging. all the pork you can eat. and all the while learning about and tasting the difference between two breeds of pig. what a better way to celebrate the night before memorial day... and what a great monday to not have to go to work hungover:)

call (312) 492-6262 for tickets beginning 1:30pm May 17th
only 16 tickets available, so call fast!

WHAT: Dueling Pig Dinner
DATE: Sunday, May 29th
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: The Underground Goat at 809 W. Randolph (it's just the bottom floor of the restaurant)
PRICE: $200/person



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