Sweet Baby Fiesta

Whether you speak Spanish or not, everyone knows that "Cinco de Mayo" translates to May 5. Right, so what does that even mean? Cinco de Mayo honors the victory of Mexican forces over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. (Not Mexican Independence Day like most of us might think). But, I was never exactly too fond of my history classes...in fact, my knowledge of Cinco de Mayo usually translates to, "let's party."

So where do we celebrate? Most of us might jump to the obvious, and select a Mexican restaurant. But how about something different? Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Restaurant (yes, like the sauce!) in Elk Grove Village, Ill. is celebrating Cinco de Mayo all weekend long: May 2 - May 5.

Chef Jose Alvizos is sharing his family recipes for the occasion. He's chosen appetizers like Cocktail de Cameron, wild caught shrimp tossed with fresh avocado, freshly squeezed lime juice, cilantro and tomato, served in a salted margarita glass ($8.95), and a Chopped Brisket Tostada, crispy corn tortilla topped with refried beans, chopped smoked brisket, tomatillo sals, creme frache, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and Chihuahua cheese ($6.95).

Chef Jose is also offering a Carne Asada Trujillo, grilled marinated skirt steak (yum!) topped with a charred tomato salsa, grilled cebollitas, fire roatsed jalapenos and warm tortillas ($17.95), Smoked Chicken Enchiladas, house smoked chicken wrapped in flour tortillas, topped with rich mole poblano sauce and melted Chihuahua cheese ($12.95) and Pulled Pork Tamales, tender smoked pork mixed with roasted New Mexico green chiles wrapped in fresh masa and steamed in cornhusk, served with a roasted poblano sauce ($12.95). Each of these tasty entrees is served with steamed rice and refried beans.

All this spicy food making you thirsty? Sweet Baby Ray's is also featuring $5 Jose Cuervo Gold Margaritas and Sarah's Prickly Pear Margarita, Cuervo tequila, Triple Sec, prickly pear puree, fresh squeezed lime juice and lemon juice ($7.50). An assortment of Mexican beers, including Dos Equis, Negro Modelo, Modelo Especial and Corona will also be featured.

If that's not enough fiesta time for you, stop by Sweet Baby Ray's on Saturday, May 3 for FREE Latin dance lessons in the bar area from popular dance coach, Paul Mallin. He'll be around from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. showing everyone how to shake it. Ole!
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Sweet Baby Ray's is located at 800 E. Higgins Rd. in Elk Grove Village, Ill. For more information about Cinco de Mayo specials or regular menus, call (847) 437-9555 or visit http://www.sbrbbq.com/.

(Photo Sources: wikipedia.org, gettyimages.com)

Give Mom the Gift of Life for Mother's Day

Don’t know what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? Not even sure when Mother’s Day is? First of all, Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 11 (mark it in your calendar.) Second, if you’re stumped on what to buy the woman who gave you the gift of life, maybe you could give her the same gift. Confused?

A Silver Lining Foundation, which provides uninsured people with information on cancer resources, treatment options and support services, uses its Buy A Mom A Mammogram™ program to fund no cost screening mammograms to qualifying women in a timely and respectful fashion. To purchase a mammogram for your mother (or anyone’s mother, or sister, or daughter, or aunt… etc.), visit A Silver Lining Foundation’s Web site at http://www.asilverliningfoundation.org/, or call them at (312) 345-1322, or visit these three area Jewel-Osco locations throughout the month of May:

May 3, 2008; 7530 South Stony Island, Chicago; 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
May 9, 2008; 440 East Rand Road, Arlington Heights; 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
May 10, 2008; 1220 South Ashland, Chicago; 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Representatives from A Silver Lining Foundation, including founder and breast cancer survivor Dr. Sandy Goldberg (also NBC-5’s nutrition expert), will be at each location to pre-qualify women for these no-cost screening mammograms.

If visiting Jewel-Osco isn’t your style (where do you buy your groceries?), stop by Flirty Girl Fitness™, a women’s lifestyle facility located in Chicago’s West Loop. For every new member that signs up before May 31, Flirty Girl Fitness™ will buy a mom a mammogram through A Silver Lining Foundation.

Now you have a gift for Mother’s Day and you know when Mother’s Day is. Don’t forget to buy her a card.

Powerhouse on ABC 7 News

John Peters, executive chef of Powerhouse Restaurant and Bar (215 N. Clinton St., 312-928-0800), made his live TV debut Monday at the ABC 7 studios.

During his 11 a.m. news segment, Peters demonstrated Powerhouse's signature Slow-Roasted Chicken Thigh with barley, braised artichokes, swiss chard and sorrel sauce. Peters also shared recipes for the Walleye Pike with roasted red pepper falafel, English peas, spring onion and serrano ham, and the Crisp Kurobuta Pork Belly with grilled tart apple, barley, bay leaf and curry.


Yu and her co-anchor Sylvia Perez both expressed their praise for Powerhouse. Sylvia commented on the restaurant being "beautiful" and admitted she was "pleasantly surprised" from her dining experience. Yu also confessed that Powerhouse "is one of my favorite restaurants."


In case you missed the segment, you can watch it for yourself here.


(Pictured: Owner Jimmy Alexander, Linda Yu and John Peters)
Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman
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Curious about Powerhouse yourself? The Fulton River District restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. It even has a separate bar area with a slightly different menu, perfect for an after-work cocktail or dinner. To make a reservation, call Powerhouse at (312) 928-0800 or visit online at http://www.powerhouserestaurant.com/.

Woo-hoo! A Sneak Peek at Shochu

Stephanie, my Kurman Communications, Inc. partner in crime, and I got a sneak peek of Shochu (3313 N. Clark Street; 773-348-3313) yesterday. Shochu will be a unique, first of its kind small plate restaurant and lounge, named for shochu, the #1 Japanese distilled spirit typically made from rice, barley, sweet potatoes or black sugar. Shochu has taken Japan by storm! It has surpassed sake in sales, and has become the “in vogue” alcoholic beverage in New York and Los Angeles.

Yesterday, Chef Josh Hansen was nice enough to let us lucky girls in to take a look around. For months, I have been excited about this opening. This visit made me even more ecstatic. Josh and Owner Lynne Wallack have really done a fantastic job of designing the interior. Green banquets line the exposed brick walls. Lynne is a big fan of photography, and she plans on filling the walls with Japanese-themed photos.

Josh also led us to the back of Shochu so we could see the patio. It’s huge, yet intimate. It won’t open until mid-May, but when it does, I can envision myself spending quite a few summer nights there, nibbling on maki rolls and sipping one of Lynne’s fabulously named (after Japanese royalty) shochu cocktails. Not to mention the fact that Shochu is about a ten minute walk from my apartment… Yeah, this is going to be a great summer for Shochu. And for me.

P.S. I know I’m not the only one excited about Shochu. Media: If you want a sneak peek as well, give us at Kurman a call.