Awesome Food: Markethouse

There's always something foodie-esque abuzz in Chicago, and somehow I never can keep up with it all – Restaurant Week (blog post to follow recounting that night's deliciousness at David Burke's Primehouse through photography), Chicago Gourmet Festival, Taste of Chicago, Taste of Randolph, yada yada yada. Tomorrow is the last day of Chicago's Chef Week, so almost all of the 30 participating restaurants were booked solid if you weren't smart enough to make way-in-advance reservations, especially on the last Saturday evening. We managed to secure a late table at Markethouse to check out their Chef Week's $30 prix-fixe, three-course dinner.

Now, I'm not a "food blogger" in any right, but I seriously like to take pictures of food to help me remember a delicious meal. I always have. I am sure I learned this habit from my Mom as soon as my little fingers could operate a camera because all my sisters and I boast competing food shots. Call it the stereotypical Asian cliché (cameras and peace signs and what have you), but I just like the way a pretty dish of food looks – the plating, the styling, the complexity of textures and colors. Referencing old snapshots inspires me to cook up similar recipes, and to plate food in creative ways when I host dinner parties.

Yesterday at Markethouse, our out-of-town guest asked me a really good question (with a bit of incredulity): "What do you do with all these pictures of food? Do you keep a photo album filled of them?"

Well, yes, in fact, I do! It's a Facebook album called "Awesome Food".

There's no point to it, except that I just like it.

Dinner at Markethouse

(Left to Right) Starters: Yellow Fin Tuna with Pickled Kumquats, Blood Orange, and Citrus Vinaigrette; Dessert: Meyer Lemon Pound Cake with Kumquat Jam and Blood Orange

Entree: Cedar Springs Lamb, Smoked Cauliflower,
Wild Rice, and Gooseberry