Cured meat cure-all

Bacon-pix.jpgIt makes anything taste good. And it adds a little bit of crunch and saltiness to things that already taste good, whether sprinkled in chocolate or wrapped around filet mignon. At Saturday’s Baconfest—Chicago’s first annual, started by Andre Pluess, AB’96; Seth Zurer, AB’99; and their friend Michael Griggs—the honored foodstuff was featured in everything from Bloody Marys to doggie treats. Chefs from local big-name restaurants showcased their pork skills, creating masterpieces like bacon tacos, by David Burke's Primehouse chef Rick Gresh, and chicken-fried bacon with homemade pickles, by one sixtyblue chef Michael McDonald.

Serious Eats blogger Daniel Zemans snagged one of the 600 tickets and describes the event in excruciatingly tantalizing detail. Most intriguing thing on the menu: Dragon Turds, jalapenos stuffed with Italian sausage and fig, all wrapped in (you guessed it) bacon. File that under “Putting ThisIsWhyYou’reFat.com to shame.”

Ruthie Kott, AM'07

A delectable sampling of Fest offerings includes a bacon waffle with brown-sugar bacon ice cream, garnished with candied dehydrated bacon from Longman and Eagle chef Jared Wentworth; the bacon Bloody Mary from the Fifty/50; and bacon-covered chocolate from Bleeding Heart Bakery. Photos by Annette Janik.

April 15, 2010