I took some time this week to drive my mom and grandmother from Indianapolis to Chicago, to have lunch at my brother’s bakery. Bill and his partner Terry opened Baker & Nosh in February, and they’ve been enjoying fantastic reviews in the Chicago media and great success. It’s the perfect neighborhood hang-out: better-than-great coffee (they serve La Colombe!), fantastic food and a wonderful vibe.
It was quite a long drive to make for lunch, but Bill fed us well: chicken broth with a fat homemade matzo ball, deliciously creamy mushroom soup. The best blueberry muffins you’ll ever eat: not too sweet, perfectly sized, amply studded with blues. A wonderfully moist apricot pound cake. Sandwiches made with quality ingredients stacked on freshly baked, pillowy ciabatta. [Ever have a sandwich on artisanal bread that’s so chewy your jaw dislocates? Not this bread, no sir.] Crispety-chewy flatbreads with red pepper and feta. All of it simple, flavorful and incredibly well-made. [And I say this as a food writer, not as an admiring sister. Well, maybe as both …]
If you’re in Chicago and find yourself in the Uptown neighborhood, drop in, eat, drink and hang out.
awesome news! my goal is to move up to Chicago to pursue my pastry and baking career in the next couple of years. wonder if he’ll be needing some help in the future!
p.s. just noticed your link to the food renegade website, it’s one of my favourites!!!