1. Moon ‘N Doggie… I’m hooked!

    Sep 01 2010

    What is a Moon ‘N Doggie you might ask?
    It’s the newest addition to the hot dog family!  And I would only deal in dogs for a good friend…Chef Rick Moonen.  It makes my mouth water just talking about it…take a look at this video about the first ever Moon ‘N Doggie.

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  2. Creating the Cafe Spiaggia Shakerato

    Aug 05 2010

    Last month I had the opportunity to create a new recipe based off on of my favorite Italian specialties – espresso.  Typically, my morning cannot start until I have a double espresso. It’s the only way I can be “on,” when completing my day-to-day routines as chef/partner, such as launching a new menu, like we did last week at Cafe Spiaggia.  Our friends at illy caffe presented us with the opportunity to meet with their master barista Giorgio Milos to brainstorm on a new espresso-based drink together.  Seeing as its summer, I thought of creating a version of the shakerato, an iced espresso drink.  These are served all over Italy in the summer months and generally each region has their own twist on the classic drink. 

    With Giorgio, we created a Cafe Spiaggia shakerato. I invite you to come to the newly refreshed Cafe Spiaggia to experience our version, or, better yet, here’s a video of Giorgio and I making the drink, with the full recipe below. If you make it at home, please leave a comment on how it turned out.

    Cafe Spiaggia Shakerato Recipe 
    Ingredients:
    Chopped Sicilian pistachio and simple syrup as garnish on rim of glass
    ½ oz 62% Valrhona, melted to liquid form
    3 Teaspoons pistachio butter
    1 oz Tito’s Homemade Vodka
    1 double Illy Espresso
    ½ oz simply syrup

    Directions:
    Chop pistachios and roll on the rim of the glass with simple syrup. Make espresso and combine ingredients with ice in the shaker. Shake with ice like a martini and serve in martini glass.

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  3. Top Chef Master Tony Mantuano vs Iron Chef Jose Garces

    Jul 02 2010

    Here is some food for thought for Chicagoans with my buddy Iron Chef Jose Garces, a Chicago native and a Blackhawks fan living in Philadelphia!  Check out this video of how he watched the Stanley Cup Finals and what he was cooking up at this great BBQ in NYC featuring Top Chefs from around the country.

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  4. President Obama’s Favorite Chef!

    Jun 29 2010

    I recently attended the Saveur Magazine Summer BBQ on Pier 66 in NYC this past weekend and caught up with some of my Chef buddies including my former executive chef of Spiaggia Missy Robbins.  We just couldn’t seem to agree on who is President Barack Obama’s favorite Chef but of course we all know who is the real favorite!!!  Take a look.

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  5. PLATELIST on ABC Nightline tonight…

    Jun 04 2010

    Filming this segment was a walk down memory lane with highlights from serving President Barack Obama to childhood memories and recent travels to keep up on renewable cuisine from the Old Country.  It’s been quite a journey along the way and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I’ll be watching with you TONIGHT on ABC Nightline 10:35pm CST! 

    Check out the Nightline website for outtakes and a few of my fav recipes: Lobster with Squid Ink Pasta and Fava Beans

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  6. My Top Chef Masters Experience

    Jun 01 2010

    Watching Season 2 of Top Chef Masters now, months after we filmed in Los Angeles, the stress comes back as though it was yesterday.
    Filming the show was extremely difficult work. The days were long and each episode actually took two days to shoot. Days were filled with cooking, judges tables, interviews and, the most fun part of all, hanging around with the other chefs enjoying some wine and cheese as we awaited our fate.
    Out of all of the episodes that I was a part of, the Tailgating episode was where I felt the strongest about what I cooked. I was very happy with the quality of the grilled pizza and I thought it was delicious! Obviously the judges didn’t agree with me and I was sent packing!
    In the end I was pleased as to how far I got in the competition, we started with 22 chefs and I made it to the the final 6! Not bad!
    Most importantly, we raised $15,000 for Feeding America and the local Chicago Food Depository! We raised another $10,000 by inviting Spiaggia guests to viewing parties held in our newly remodeled Private Event Space at Spiaggia. Guests were encouraged to make donations and we cooked up food that I had prepared on the show. The $25,000 total is enough to purchase 90,000 meals!
    We will continue to support the Chicago Food Depository here at Spiaggia and are currently working on a field trip with our team members to their facility.

    written by Tony Mantuano · 1 comment

  7. My Mom’s Potatoes au Gratin

    May 07 2010

    This past Wednesday on “Top Chef Masters” we had the wedding wars challenge. We were split into two teams of four and cooked a meal for an entire wedding catered to the bride or groom’s preferences.  My team, consisting of Marcus Samuelsson, Susar Lee and Carmen Gonzalez, cooked for the groom. We immediately learned that he is a meats and potato guy and one of the first things out of his mouth was that he loved potatoes au gratin. I don’t want to give too much away, so I invite you to watch the episode online on Bravo’s site.

    But one of the main takeaways from this episode is learning to listen to your guests. To truly become a successful chef, its imperative to listen to your guests likes and dislikes. If you’re able to create what they really want, while still infusing your style, then the food will be a memorable experience. In this instance, luckily, when i heard of the groom’s desire for potato au gratin, I knew I had to recreate my mother’s recipe for this dish. It won many positive comments from guests and the critics and has been a hit in my family for generations.  While the recipe is posted online,  I wanted to share a bit more accurate version of my mother’s recipe (which rarely happens in Italian families) in honor of Mother’s Day. Thanks Mom! I couldn’t have done this with out you!

    Potatoes au Gratin

    Ingredients, Serves 8
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1 cup whole milk
    1 cup whipping cream
    1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced

    Instructions:
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Generously butter an 11×7x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk the milk and cream in a bowl to blend.  Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of prepared dish, overlapping slightly and covering completely.  Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over, sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese and season with salt and pepper.

    Repeat layering 2 more times.  Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown in spots, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

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  8. The 2010 James Beard Awards

    May 06 2010

    It’s been another whirlwind week for the Spiaggia team.  Not only did the Champions Round of “Top Chef Masters” begin last night, but this past Monday were the annual James Beard Awards. The awards recognize chefs and restaurants around the country as being the best of the year.   

    Myself, my wife Cathy, our Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg, purchasing manager Shannon McBride and Josie Lemon, one of our senior managers, flew to New York on Sunday.  Sunday night we attended Chef’s Night Out, which is the annual pre-awards party hosted by the foundation and Bon Appetit magazine.  We rested up on Monday for what is typically a long, fun night (and when you’re nominated, you add a bit of stress and anxiety).

    Shannon, Jose, me, Cathy and Sarah infront of the fountain at Licoln Center

    Spiaggia was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in America.  We were up against four other great restaurants including two from New York (Daniel and Babbo), one from San Francisco (Boulevard) and one from Birmingham (Highlands Bar and Grill).  While Daniel was named the winner, it is quite an honor to be nominated.  The nomination itself reaffirms all the wonderful hard work the team here at Spiaggia does day-to-day. (more…)

    written by Tony Mantuano · No comments

  9. Spiaggia on Travel Channel

    Apr 20 2010

    Catch the “Best Places to Chowdown – Presidential Edition” Wednesday evening 4/21 at 6 pm CST on the Travel Channel.  Gonna be cool because one of the Presidents’ favorite places to “chowdown” is, of course SPIAGGIA, and no show about Presidential favorite dining destinations would be complete without us being included.

    written by Tony Mantuano · 1 comment

  10. Spiaggia Celebrates 26th Anniversary at the James Beard House

    Apr 16 2010

    On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, Spiaggia turned 26 years old. Coming off a great 25th anniversary filled with surprises and achievements, we chose to mark this occasion with our NYC-based friends by hosting a dinner at the James Beard House.  I was joined by Spiaggia Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg, Spiaggia’s General Manager Jason Goldsmith and Spiaggia Sous Chefs Chris Marchino, Aaron Diener and Megan Neubeck (who used to work at Spiaggia and is now at my other restaurant Terzo Piano).

    Here are a few photos from the night, with a video to come soon!

    Me and the Spiaggia team at the James Beard House enjoying the garden

    more photos after the jump (more…)

    written by Tony Mantuano · No comments