Chuck P's Best Bites of 2017

by Chuck P

Another year has come and gone and now with 2018 here it’s time to reflect back on 2017. It was definitely a busy one here at Bite & Booze headquarters with road trips, pop-ups and private events filling up the calendar on a regular basis. Somehow, in between all of that, we found time to try some delicious dishes both locally and regionally that inspired and satisfied our ever expanding palates.

Here are just a few of my favorite dishes from 2017. I promise it won’t be completely filled with burgers.

The Fried Chicken Biscuit at Willa Jean

If you’ve never eaten at Willa Jean then I highly suggest you change that the next time you’re down in New Orleans. Listed under their “Biscuit Situation” section of the menu, this beast of a meal is a must have. A juicy chicken breast sitting between two warm, flaky biscuits in a pool of Tabasco honey. It’s big enough to share, but I’m not giving up a single delicious bite!

The Brisket at Franklin BBQ

This is absolutely without a doubt THE BEST brisket I’ve ever had. Franklin in Austin, Texas is well known, especially their brisket, and it totally lived up to the hype. 

Juicy, smokey and packed with deliciousness. I think I could have eaten it all by myself. Every time I look at that picture I start trying to figure out when I can get back there for more.

Deep Dish Cheese Pizza from Giordano’s

Unfortunately I didn’t get to travel to Chicago to try this but I was lucky enough to try it thanks to my lead singer Hana who ordered one for our guitar players birthday. Giordano’s ships their pizzas packed on dry ice with sauce packaged separately and cooking instructions as well. This true Chicago deep dish is fantastic. The red sauce was really good and it was packed with cheesy goodness. I’m hoping the next time I get to try one of these it’ll be at the restaurant, but I’ll be happy ordering one online until then.

The Slamburger at Brickyard South

I love the fact that one of my favorite hangout spots also has one of my favorite burgers. Danny Moore and Danny Wilson serve up this classic burger every Friday night at Brickyard South for the insanely low price of $5. A simple burger that’s perfectly seasoned, smashed flat and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and Danny Moore’s signature sauce. No gimmicks just a great tasting classic burger.

Jumbo Carrot Cake at BRQ

I’m sure you’re asking yourself why I’m choosing a dessert from a BBQ restaurant. The answer is simple. This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period. No contest. I mean look at that thing! You can feed four people off of that slice! After having this cake I had dreams about it for like, a week after. IT’S THAT GOOD!

Fried Chicken At Willie Mae’s Scotch House

There’s a reason that Willie Mae’s is famous. Their fried chicken is otherworldly; the flavor of the crust and the juiciness of the chicken is unreal. It’s been a staple in New Orleans since it opened in 1957. Presidents and celebrities have eaten here and Food Network declared it as having America’s Best Fried Chicken. There’s no other fried chicken that comes close to it.

The LIT Pizza Burger At Curbside Burgers

This was a special burger for their ‘Curbside Turns One’ anniversary celebration and although every burger that week was really good (and yes, I had all of them) this was the one that stood out for me. An awesome Italian sausage patty, swiss cheese and gremolata sandwiched between two pepperoni pizza buns. The flavor profile for this thing was off the charts. It was everything you would want out of a pizza burger and so much more. I’m hoping this pops back up on their menu as a special soon.


This was a tough list to put together. There were so many dishes I had this year that were really good but these definitely were the ones I still talk about. I’m hoping that 2018 will be just as delicious.

Taking a Bite Out of Chicago

by Hannah Wilson, intern

Eating your way through any city can be an intimidating challenge, especially in one of the biggest cities in the United States. However, being a Chicago native, I’ve spent almost 22 years eating my way through this city. Although I don’t think I could ever eat everything the city has to offer, I can assure you that these culinary inventions of Chicago are worth tracking down.

Chicago Style Hot Dog

A true Chicago classic, an all-beef wiener on a poppy seed bun. You can find these bad boys topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear tomato wedges and a sprinkle of celery salt but never, ever ketchup.

Gene & Jude’s, in the Chicagoland area, is said to have the number one hot dog in America since 1945. They don’t even supply Ketchup in their store.

The Twinkie

In 1930, James Dewar invented this spongy, indestructible treat. In 1980, about a billion Twinkies were sold each year.

Italian Beef

Photo credit: followmefoodie.com

Thin slices of seasoned roast beef on a thick, Italian-style roll are the base of an Italian Beef. Chicago natives often order it juicy, which means it’s dipped into the juices that the beef is cooked in, and smother it in sweet and/or hot peppers. This is a Chicago dish that dates back to the 1930’s.

Chicago Mix Popcorn

Photo credit: blogspot.com

An unlikely pair of cheese and caramel flavored popcorn is literal heaven in your mouth. I don’t know where it came from, or who thought of it, but bless your soul. This Chicago staple can be found all throughout the city, almost on every block like Starbucks. You definitely shouldn’t leave without trying it!

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Photo credit: unbirthdayparty

I can best describe this as a pie; it is baked in a deep, steel pan with large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Toppings that would usually go on top of a pizza before being baked are actually baked within the pizza, in-between the cheese and sauce. A native knows that tackling this tasty tradition requires a fork and knife.

There can never be a unanimous “best deep dish” restaurant because everyone has their own opinions, there are different style of deep dish and each one holds special place in my heart. 

The possibilities are endless when deciding what to eat in Chicago, but leaving without trying what the city is known for, would just be a shame.

Emeril's One Pot Blogger Party: Deep Dish Pizza

After a world-wide search for bloggers, I am honored to be one of 20 selected to participate in a "Blogger Party" sponsored by Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook: Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders.  The challenge: make at least nine meals out of the book over the next three weeks, blog about them, and enjoy!  After all, it does mean I'll get to eat pretty well too!  The book officially releases on September 27th, so I'm actually getting a sneak preview, and now through Bite and Booze, so are you!  Plus, I also get to give away a second copy of the book and some other cool items.  Stay tuned for opportunities to win!

To get things started I wanted a recipe for a food that I love but had never actually cooked before.  When I saw the recipe for Meat and Veggie Lover's Deep Dish Pizza, I knew that would be a pie worth baking.  I've long enjoyed the deep dish, especially in Chicago, but I had never attempted to make one myself.  I figured that I ought to be able to make it in a cast iron skillet easy enough (although the recipe does call for cake pans).

Step one was to head to Calandro's Supermarket to stock up on all the essentials... I mean ingredients (yes, that is a six pack of Tin Room Amber in the bottom left of the cart... no, it was not in the recipe).  Calandro's had everything I need to make this pizza from the semolina flour to the fresh kalamata olives.  One stop did the trick!

I actually started with the pizza dough because it needed time to rise.  The dough contained active dry yeast, water, semolina flour, all purpose flour, olive oil, and salt.  Once I got it kneaded and set aside to do its things, I started working on the sauce.  Making a pizza sauce from scratch is definitely the way to go.  I started with toasting a few fennel seeds before adding in some olive oil.  Once the oil was hot the onions hit the pan along with the garlic, oregano and thyme sprigs, red wine, red pepper flakes and other seasonings.  Once all of that was cooked down I added the peeled cherry tomatoes and let it all simmer together.

With the sauce ready, Calandro's hot Italian sausage browned, and mise en place in place, I was ready to return my attention the dough. 

 I actually had enough dough for two pizzas so I cut it in half and then began to roll it out!

Once I thought I had flattened the dough out evenly enough and large enough to cover my cast iron skillet, I laid it on top of the pan and used my chef's knife to trip around the edges.  This skillet was looking delicious already!

First in went a nice layer of grated mozzarella followed by some Boar's Head pepperoni that I picked up at Calandro's.

Next up came the rest of the toppings.  Sausage, bell peppers and mushroom all filled the pie.  The olives were also added before a second layer of grated mozzarella.

Then came multiple ladles of that delicious tomato sauce.  I couldn't believe how delicious this sauce was.  I almost didn't want to put it into a pizza... and then I fortunately thought better of that.  Putting it in a pizza was the BEST thing I could possibly do with it!

The sauce was topped with freshly cut basil and oregano and then layers of sliced mozzarella that I got from the deli at Calandro's.  It ended up working out perfectly for the top part of the pie.  I also added a little more basil and oregano to the top for a little garnish, then into the hot oven it went!

The result made my taste buds leap of my tongue.  After pulling the pie out of the oven I topped it with some parmigiano-reggiano that I grated by hand then allowed it to cool before digging in.  The mozzarella on top had turned golden brown and the crust developed the perfect form and function for a tasty deep dish.  The recipe as a whole took several hours of work, but the kitchen is a good time, and this pizza was completely worth it!  I can't wait to see (taste) which recipe out of Emeril's book I pick next!