ML - Michigan Avenue

2015 - Issue 4 - Summer - Art of the City - Hebru Brantley

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photography by anjali pinto "One reasOn Trenchermen and LOcaL FOOds geT aLOng is The shared visiOn OF changing The menu arOund The seasOns." —andrew lutsey The bar at Trenchermen serves a menu of craft cocktails that changes seasonally. above: Lutsey, Rand, and Levitt compare notes over beer and cocktails. AL: This looks awesome. Where'd he get the ramps? RL: He got them from Local Foods. [Laughs] Is this all from Local Foods? DR: Well, the eggs are; some of the mushrooms are. Pat obvi- ously has other purveyors, as every restaurant does. [Laughs] RL: Not for long. Do you have a favorite dish here? RL: We did a gnocchi dish the first time I was here—gnocchi, black trumpet mushrooms, and there was something else. It was fantastic. DR: Some sides are never leaving the menu, [like] the pickle tots. It's a new classic. He cures chicken breast bresaola—like dried beef—and red onion yogurt sauce, and— [Pickle tots are served] RL: Oh, there it is! AL: This is the best day. I mean, he's got better things on the menu, don't get me wrong, but it's such a simple thing, and it's really good. RL: They should have bowls of these at the bar. This would cause everybody to drink more. AL: One of the reasons that Trenchermen and Pat and Local Foods get along so well, so to speak, is the shared vision of changing the menu around the seasons. Dave gets here every month [Levitt laughs]—I'm not as fortunate—but if you get here every quarter or every six months, you're not getting a totally different menu, but there's always something new to try. There's no reason to get stuck in a dish here. DR: Then there's Wednesday burger nights, when they take our beef chuck and fresh-grind it, and [the result is] just a ridic- ulously good burger; it's super simple… [chef Pat sheerin approaches] Pat Sheerin: How are we doing? AL: Just singing your praises. DR: Glowing about your food, man. Not bad at all. [cinnamon-spiced coppa is served] DR: What is this, Pat? PS: That's cinnamon-spiced coppa with date aigre-doux, peanuts, XO, and pickled celery. Ants on a log. RL: [Laughs] Do you know what aigre-doux means? It's a fancy French term for sweet and sour. In Italy, they call it agrodolce. A lot of people are getting excited for fresh produce this summer. What's your personal favorite? DR: Strawberries. Holy schnikes, are strawberries so much better in the Midwest in season! RL: In the last few years [during] the very beginning of straw- berry season, chefs like Pat had guys picking them when they're still green. Green strawberries are really crunchy and sour, and they pickle them and do interesting things to the point where there's a demand now. DR: It's fun to have farmers who are interested in being cre- ative and matching that creativity with the chefs. Final thoughts on the food? DR: This [cinnamon-spiced coppa] is really cool. It's an inter- esting dish. I like the crunch of the peanuts; I like that little pickled celery. RL: It's nice to see somebody doing something with cured meats besides making charcuterie plates—incorporating the flavors and textures into a dish. For me, that's always fun to see. MA 102  michiganavemag.com taste On the town

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