When I was a kid, my dad sometimes went to Los Angeles on business, to make TV commercials. My mom kept me and my sister busy at home. One night, my sister and I were seated at the pink-and-gray-boomerang-patterned Formica kitchen counter, and we were served bowls of red Jell-O. As a special treat, my mom had bought a can of whipped cream in the aerosol can. After she topped each of our bowls, however, the nozzle got stuck, and the whipped cream kept coming out. We had no choice but to eat it all.
In New Zealand, Tatua Foods has launched Crazy Creams, flavored and colored aerosol whipped creams, targeted at children. The cream comes in two varieties: Lime Zinga (Green) and Bubblegum Burst (Blue). The product is ideal as a fun topping on ice cream, milk shakes, smoothies and waffles. Imagine that you were living 100 years ago. No flavored whipped cream, no aerosol cans of whipped cream at the supermarket. No supermarkets.
It's easy to forget how much of the food we consume is the product of scientific breakthroughs that make our everyday lives that much easier. Convenience is the name of the game.
Now, we don't have to wait for that stick of butter to soften, but, instead, can open up our tub of soft spreadable—what? Not butter, that's for sure. Now, in the U.S., GFA Brands has reformulated its buttery spread to include natural phytosterols. The company claims the spread can reduce cholesterol levels by utilizing no hydrogenated oil or trans fatty acids, including free (non-chemically modified) plant sterols and stanols, and its patented balance of fats. The product retails in supermarkets. And, yes, it's more expensive than the regular stuff. The healthy ones always are.
Most would agree that cholesterol-reducing margarine is a sensible product. But, some of the convenience foods hitting store shelves seem awfully unnecessary, like the 'slices' of peanut butter and jelly now on sale at a grocery near you. Moms short on time can take advantage of the new frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Really. Or, how about all those breakfast 'wiches with a whole breakfast—eggs, sausage, potatoes rolled into something like a pancake? As a fellow shopper recently remarked, 'I'm surprised they don't have a tube of oj in there too.' She also fights against the idea of oatmeal in a cup. 'It's like a cup of soup in an individual serving paper cup. Is it that much harder to buy a box of oatmeal and take out a packet and put it in your own cup? Maybe I'm being a penny pincher here but I just think it's mental to pay extra for that convenience.'
Mental or Convenient?
General Mills is expanding its Betty Crocker brand with additional varieties from familiar brands to compete in today's meal kit market. Let's face it, the market is already saturated with meal kits from Campbell's Soup, with its Supper Bakes brand (new varieties are being added as you read this) and Lipton's Sizzle & Stir (with its market share shrinking, this may be DOA as you read this), Betty Crocker is modifying its familiar offerings.
Imagine the challenge facing the ad agency that has to market Hamburger Helper as upscale. But, that's the goal of Betty Crocker's Hamburger Helper Oven Favorites, an oxymoronic upscale Hamburger Helper. For example, their Lasagna comes with that supposedly upscale no-boil pasta, sauce mix and grated Parmesan cheese as a topping. Less discriminating diners can choose from Betty Crocker's other varieties, which include Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes, Italian Parmesan Bake, and Homestyle Chicken and Biscuit Bake. The result of terrifying marketing synergy, you can also look for Betty Crocker's new Complete Meals line, where Betty Crocker items are matched up with Progresso canned meats and sauces, also manufactured by General Mills. Who knows what the future holds, but how can manufacturers possibly make it any more convenient? What will they do—chew it for us? Pre-masticated burgers brought to you by Betty Crocker. Whatever is invented, it's a pretty safe bet that there will be plenty of consumers ready to line up to buy them.
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Remember Kelly Mondelli's? It was the Italian restaurant on Clark, north of Fullerton, that provided happy diners with big Italian food for years. I went with my family when I was a kid, and leftovers were a given. That doesn't mean I didn't start picking at them in the car, but we left the restaurant with leftovers, nonetheless.
People still mourn the passing of Kelly Mondelli's, but savvy Chicago diners have discovered the next best thing in La Scarola, which, it turns out, is owned by the Mondelli family. That's really no surprise, considering many of the menu items are familiar to Kelly Mondelli fans.
Like Kelly Mondelli, La Scarola focuses on less trendy Italian cooking, in big portions, with many selections, including several daily specials. You'll find many of the same veal dishes, the broiled, cheesy eggplant parmigiana in a thick tomato sauce (you'll hardly even notice the eggplant, but that's the point, right?), and other items that you've missed for years. If you never experienced Kelly Mondelli's, you'll quickly make these items standards when you order, and you'll begin to understand the appeal of the former restaurant.
The storefront space really consists of three rooms, with the front room being the brightest, the second room a bit darker, and the back room feeling, well, like a back room. The only advantage to sitting farther back is the drop in volume as you get further from the front, with its busy flow of customers and open kitchen. Seating is a bit tight, but not too cramped. Really, part of the fun of La Scarola is the boisterous energy of the crowd, many of whom are regulars, greeted by name, and hugging their old-fashioned, no-nonsense, friendly waiters goodbye. Though only seven years old, La Scarola feels like it's been in the same, somewhat desolate West Loop spot for decades.
Something that has been around for decades are the great cheesy framed photographs of various celebs, minor celebs, and who-are-theys, which line every inch of the front room. There's a local newscaster, there's a familiar face, there's someone who looks like Uncle Jerry.
A good place to start your meal is with some rules. Take a deep breath and hunker down for a big meal. Unbutton your pants in preparation, and limit your intake of the crusty Italian bread and rosemary olive oil, or you'll never make it past the appetizers and salads. My favorite is the large Broccoli salad, which is a simple heaping green mound of still slightly crunchy broccoli, served cold, and dressed with generous amounts of chopped garlic and olive oil, and mouth-puckering lemon juice. An ample house salad is a large portion of fresh greens and tomato, while the escarole is great with white beans in chicken broth. This, with the bread, could be a great meal on its own.
But don't stop there. You'll find more room (somehow) for a simple spaghetti and meatballs (three big, almost tennis-ball-sized ones), a hearty lasagna (this brick is not for the faint of heart), and Pasta Primavera, with a medley of fresh vegetables, including flavorful large sliced mushrooms, sliced baby zucchini, and more.
Favorites like Chicken Vesuvio don't disappoint, and will guarantee a swig of mouthwash in the middle of the night to get rid of the garlic flavor. A nice option here is the option to order the chicken boneless. Marsala (chicken or veal or pasta) is also a good choice. A rich mushroom wine sauce is a hearty filler-upper.
This is winter food, folks, and you'll really feel it in the warmer months. Maybe summer demands some lighter seafood fare. I really like the Whitefish at La Scarola. While some hold disdain for the simple whitefish, the fresh Lake Superior catch is light and absent of any hint of fishiness. The portion is huge, a slab of seafood, but they say you're supposed to eat fish for your heart. Here's a week's worth. It is served with sautéed spinach and deliciously sweet and tender homemade sun-dried tomatoes.
Entrée prices are mostly in the teens, but quite reasonable for the platter of food you are served. Desserts are absolutely unnecessary, but tasty nonetheless. Portions are more sensible, but you can still share. And, really, after a meal like that, you should. I mean, do you still need cheesecake after everything else?
La Scarola is at 721 W. Grand Ave., just east of the big Grand, Milwaukee, Halsted intersection. It's just half a block from summer favorite, Thyme. Valet parking is available, but it's usually pretty easy to find a spot on a street nearby. Call them at (312) 243-1740.
