Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/61757
So Many DinnerS (So little tiMe) The Sunday brunch tower appetizer at Allium. continued from page 70 bun to the pickles. Carnivores can head straight to the "Meat Locker," a menu section especially devoted to double-cut lamb chops, corn-fed and dry-aged bone-in rib eye, and other "serious cuts of meat from local packers," says Hickey. Allium's take on the classic s'more. The atmosphere is equally diverse. A sun- drenched dining area is filled with yellow and teal bucket chairs that set the tone for high tea. The marble fireplace and mahogany paneling still pre- side over the front dining room, now softened with such organic touches as a cheetah-print sofa and grass and river-rock gardens. The intimate bar combines the best of both worlds—hooded wingback chairs and couch seating are perfect for sipping a house cocktail or Midwest brew. While the laid-back feel and approachable menu at Allium are new, staying close to home and using high-quality ingredients isn't. "We've been working for years [to stay] focused on local and sustainable producers," says Hickey. "Our volume is going to kick up, but we're not going to go local just to go local— it has to be good. And we're not going to ignore something fantastic." Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware St., 312-799-4900; alliumchicago.com MA GLasses a collaboration with goose island takes allium's drink list to the next level. Roseus-CoLoRed In a craft brew list sourced from the Midwest, it doesn't get more local than Allium Roseus, the red Belgian ale that executive chef Kevin Hickey created with Goose Island head brewmaster Jared Rouben. "[Allium Roseus is] Latin for red onion ale," explains Hickey, who flavored the drink with tangerine peels, vanilla beans, and star anise. "It's like cooking—we cooked the barley, tasted it, poured it in another tank, skimmed it, and added hops." From there the ale went through various fermentation and tasting phases until it was ready. "I wanted something that's not too heavy or dark or idiosyncratic, and is a nice background for food," says Hickey. 72 michiganavemag.com Allium's executive chef Kevin Hickey. Bun Lovin' chef hickey offers up his recipe for allium's irresistible bacon- onion buns. 1/4 lb. bacon 1 medium onion, minced 2 1/3 cups water 6 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. dry yeast 4 cups bread flour 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tsp. salt 1/2 lb. melted butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in the oven until crispy and chop into small pieces. Sauté minced onion until tender. Mix chopped bacon and onion together; set aside. In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, dry yeast, bread flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Mix using a dough hook until combined. Add melted butter and mix for 1 more minute. Add cooked onion and bacon and mix 5 more minutes. Let mixture rest for 1 hour. After it's rested, punch the dough down on a table and cut into 2-oz. pieces. Roll the buns out and let them proof until soft. Brush the tops with egg wash and more sliced bacon. Bake until golden brown. Local CEOs go wild for the bison tartare, and ladies who lunch frequently order the kale and warm sweet potato salad. PhotograPhy by lara kastner