Spinoffs are sometimes not as successful. Remember the TV show Joey ( which Friends spawned )? Not many people do.
However, Bar Takito ( 201 N. Morgan St.; BarTakito.com ) is a spinoff worth remembering.
A spinoff of Ukrainian Village eatery Takito ( I still remember the chipotle margaritas there ), Bar Takito retains many of the aspects of its predecessor, although it also differentiates itself in some ways.
Bar Takito is just as vivid ( if not more so ), thanks to Nina Palomba's colorful mural and the omnipresence of typewriters ( a take on Takito's old-school phonographs ).
However, one significant dishes is in Bar Takito's dishes themselves—they're shared plates that reflect Latin America in general, as opposed to Takito's take on Mexico.
The shrimp ceviche ( served with plantain chips ) ranks among the best I've had, while the octopus a la plancha ( with extra virgin oil, parsley garlic, aleppo pepper and lemon potatoes ) has again made me a fan of the cephalopod. One of my favorite dishes of the evening was the papas fritas—a line of crispy potatoes served with spicy cheese sauce, pork belly, garlic mojo and parsley. The beer cheese arepa ( which can be made with vegetarian, chorizo or chicken options ) is a Colombian-style corn cake with mushrooms, aji peanut sauce, cilantro and pickled vegetables—another winning combination. Lastly, the tacos here are second to none, especially the pork-shoulder variety.
The drinks here are amazing as well. My dining partner had a Pisco Olivo while I had an Apple Pie-Pirinha—one of those dangerous items with a sweetness that hides the alcohol. But, my, is it tasty—so tasty that I broke one of my usual rules and had two of them.
If there was one shortcoming, it was the popcorn butterscotch mousse. It certainly wasn't bad; however, I was expecting more of a butterscotch kick, and it was missing.
However, that's just a quibble. Definitely head for Bar Takito—and one can't say it's inconvenient to get there, as it's precisely at the Morgan stop on the Pink and Green Line trains.
Holidays at Hotel Intercontinental
On Dec. 8, there was a media event featuring Hotel Intercontinental Executive Chef Randy Reed and Pastry Chef Tom Gorzycha demonstrating how to make items for festive holiday gatherings.
Reed made a few items, including the interestingly named Elf That Fell off the Shelf cocktail ( based on the famed "Elf on the Shelf" ), a Chateaubriand with Perigourdine sauce, celeriac mousseline and winter vegetable melange. Gorzycha made a peppermint Yule log ( or Buche de Noel ) covered in a chocolate ganache.
The results of all were very tasty, to say the least. Readers can try their hand at making these dishes; the recipes follow:
Chateaubriand with Perigourdine Sauce
20oz. Center cut Beef Tenderloin
3oz. Foie Gras
3 Crepes
1 Sheet puff pastry
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Sear the foie gras in a pre heated skillet to get deep color on both sides of the foie. Let cool until room temperature. Make a 2 inch length wise incision on the filet to cut a pocket and stuff the pocket with the seared foie gras. Use butchers tine to truce filet to keep foie in place and keep uniform shape. Season tied loin very well with Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sear the loin in a cast iron pan until all sides are brown, baste with butter when nearing the end of searing. Let filet cool before wrapping it.
Preheat oven to 400f
Lay out puff pastry and place seared filet in the middle. Cut away extra puff pastry by removing 4 corners of the dough leaving you with a large plus sign. Lay the crepes on the puff dough to keep the filet juice from soaking into the puff pastry. Fold the ends of the puff pastry up until beef is completely covered. Egg wash the top of the dough so that it will turn golden brown.
Bake in oven until golden brown. If temping with thermometer the fillet should be 120f at the center. Let rest before carving.
Crepes
2 large eggs
c. milk
c. water
1 c. flour
4 tbsp. melted butter
Beat ingredients together than pour 2 ounce into heated non stick pan and spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds than flip for an additional 10 seconds.
Perigourdine Sauce
1c.. Veal jus
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 diced carrot
2oz. Madeira wine
1 tbsp. chopped black truffle
1 tbsp. butter
Caramelize the shallot, carrots and garlic clove. Deglaze with Madeira wine and reduce. Add veal jus and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 1 hour allowing flavors to intense. Strain Sauce than return back to stove, add chopped black truffles and bring back to a simmer. Finish sauce by wisking in 1 tbsp of butter mounting the sauce.
Christmas Cocktail
Elf that fell off the Shelf
1c. Grand Manier
c. Amaretto
2c. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
tsp. Cinnamon
c. Lemon juice
c. Lime juice
c. Grapefruit juice
c. Mango nectar
c. Orange juice
c. Pineapple Juice
1 c. sparkling water
tsp. Lemon zest
tsp. Lime zest
tsp. Orange zest
tsp. Grapefruit zest
tsp. Ginger
c. Sugar
Mix all ingredients together stirring well so that sugar is able to dissolve. Add to cocktail glasses and garnish with piece of citrus fruit. Enjoy
Peppermint Yule Log
Sponge cake:
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup sugar (divided)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Separate eggs. Whip egg yolks with half of the sugar until pale and fluffy in texture.
Separately, whip the egg whites until frothy, and slowly stream in sugar. Continue whipping to medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold both egg mixtures together. Add vanilla and sift cake flour mixture over top. Gently fold in flour. Spread on a parchment lined sheet pan, and bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
7 ounce bar bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl containing the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Let cool to room temperature, and stir in peppermint extract.
Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.
Chocolate Ganache
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz bag chocolate chips
Heat milk to scalding. Pour over chocolate and let sit until chocolate is melted. Whisk to combine. Use to glaze immediately.
Celeriac Mousseline
1 bulb celery root
3 tbsp. butter
gal. milk
tsp. nutmeg
salt & white pepper
Peel celery root place in medium sauce pot and cover with milk. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until celery root is soft. Remove celery root from liquid saving liquid and blend in bar blender until smooth. Add butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper to mixture. If puree is to thick add some of remaining liquid that it was cooked in.
Winter Vegetable Melange
c. diced rainbow carrots
c. diced rutabaga
c. quartered brussel sprouts
c. butternut squash
c. pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp. butter
salt & pepper
Blanch all vegetables just until tender. Heat a cast iron skillet and sautéed vegetables with butter until golden brown. Fold in the pomegranate seeds last minute and adjust seasoning
