April 26--As the city gets ready to host the 2016 James Beard Awards next week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is prepping the red carpet for the coterie of chefs, sommeliers and culinarians descending upon the city for the fete dubbed "the Oscars of food."
Scheduled to show face at the gala event (and no doubt at the after-parties), Emanuel is a gastronaut in his own right, exploring the city's eateries when he's not being mayoral. We sat down with him for his takes on how he and his wife, Amy Rule, pick a restaurant for date night, his thoughts on Chicago as a culinary destination and more. (The conversation has been edited for clarity.)
On picking date night restaurants: "My job is go out and find the restaurant for date night. I have three 'north stars': Have I explored the neighborhood, is it food I like and are the chefs doing something interesting. I try to go to a neighborhood multiple times to see what its signature is. What happens is we go to a good restaurant in a neighborhood, and we come back three or four times to try other places in three or four months. Take Bridgeport for instance. I've been to Duck Inn, Nana's, Han 202 a handful of times, and they're great. But we have a real struggle in our house: When we find a good restaurant, my wife wants to go back, but I want to explore a neighborhood more, see what else it offers. If we find something we love, Amy wants to go back, and I'll want to recommend it to a friend, but I want to also try something else."
On Chicago's neighborhoods: "There's so much to try. For instance, it won't be long before you see more people in Avondale. I'm out of the loop, but places like Parachute create word of mouth for some of these growing neighborhoods, and next time we visit, there might be something else. Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, of course, Bridgeport, Bronzeville: They have a lot going on. I like going out to places that make a statement, taste new things or do something special. I like eating out and seeing what our chefs do."
On the James Beard Awards: "It's great that Chicago has it. The creativity in our chef community really gets recognized and celebrated. We have great restaurants and chefs. We all know this, sure, but the James Beard Awards establishes Chicago as a global city that's become a destination for food."
On his palate and tastes: "My grandfather used to be a butcher, which is why I like red meat. I kind of have to watch it. I like NY strip, prime rib, but also salmon is a favorite. And growing up traveling, which my parents love, I learned there's nothing I won't try. I love spicy food. If I had to pick between plain grilled salmon, or blackened, I'd pick blackened every time. I gravitate toward ingredients more than the finished dish, so I pick out things that I like and go from there."
On cooking at home: "I make a pretty good grilled chicken. Butter, lemon, garlic. Then garlic, garlic, garlic. Salmon with basil, olive oil, garlic. Sense the theme? The kids love my penne with tomato and ... garlic. We've got a big garden -- kale, spinach, a ton of vegetables -- so we're big salad eaters. I keep it simple, but you can never mistake a mistake with salt, lemon and olive oil. I like a lot of veg -- I like grilled vegetables."
On Chicago's contribution to the food world: "I think Chicago's great skill is taking international cuisine and putting an American signature twist on it. There's a style. I think another of our big contributions are to drinks and to the liquor scene. Look at bars like Tiny Lounge, Billy Sunday and Scofflaw. They've got a great scene, and they're creating new classics."
jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com
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