Former Top Chef competitor Spike Mendelsohn has his hands in many potsincluding being the owner of Good Stuff Eatery, a fast-casual restaurant that has branches mainly in Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia ( although there's thankfully one in Chicago, at 22 S. Wabash Ave. ). There's also a franchise in Egypt, Mendelsohn told Windy City Times, and two opening in Florida. ( He also said there used to be one in Saudi Arabia, adding, "They love burgers there." )
Mendelsohn was recently at his Chicago spot to promote a couple things, such as recipes for Fourth of July ( but which can be made throughout the summer ), and Flippan app that lets people save on their shopping by offering tons of weekly ads, thanks to 2,000 retailers on said app. ( The average user can actually save thousands of dollars each year by simply inputting a zip code and seeing what sales are in the area. ) Mendelsohn said that Flipp helps him cut down his shopping time by helping him plan. ( And a spokesperson said that this app also helps extreme couponers through Flipp's loyalty cards. )
And with Good Stuff being so prominent in the D.C./northern Virginia area, politics figure in the spot's menu, which features items like the Prez Burger ( applewood bacon, onion marmalade, Roquefort cheese and horseradish mayo ) and the Michelle Melt ( free-range turkey burger with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, ruby tomato and lettuce on a wheat bun with South Lawn herb garden mayo ). After talking about the initial Democratic primary debates that recently took place, he said that people tend to be fine with the names of the items, although he added, "We try to stay neutral." ( Interestingly, the Prez Burger is called the Prez Obama Burger in some of the other locations. )
Mendelsohn's recipes are below ( and if this writer can make them, anyone can ):
1. Sliders
- 4 pounds Ground Beef of your choice, leaner the better for sliders, less shrinking
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- salt/pepper to taste
- 1 tbl olive oil
- cheddar cheese slices for melting
* use a large bowl and add all of your ground meat and break it up, add all seasonings, parsley flakes, oil and mix around aggressively. Using a small scale patty up 2 oz burgers and place on a sheet tray. Season with salt and pepper.
Hawaiian rollsenough for everyone to have at least two sliders.
-Using butter spray, spray your buns before grilling.
2. Pineapple Cucumber Slaw
- 2 cups pineapple, small dice
- 2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and small diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, small diced
-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
*In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Bbq Sauce
- 2 cups bbq sauce
- 1 tbl of chipotle in can
- 2 Tbl of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbl Molasses
*Add all of these ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously, season with salt and pepper...
Assembly
- Make sure to grill the burger only for a minute on each side. Melt cheddar cheese
- toast Hawaiian rolls
- add burgers
- add slaw
- add bbq sauce