Chat Chow TV (HD)

A step inside Takashi, the brainchild of world-renowned Chef Takashi Yagihashi, and you’ll quickly realize that you’re not in Tokyo anymore, Toto. Chat Chow TV sat down with the long-standing favorite (and a Bravo TV Top Chef Masters contender) at his eponymous restaurant in Chicago’s popular Bucktown. Chef Takashi has come full circle in his career, the culmination of which has led to the creation of this untraditional Japanese eatery. The chef’s foray into cooking started as a tale of necessity, helping out in the kitchen and washing dishes to make ends meet. After a move to Tokyo, Takashi realized he didn’t want to put out his culinary flame. Gathering skills as he went, Takashi trained in Tokyo and arrived in Chicago after he jumped on an opportunity to open two Japanese restaurants. “Then somehow I stayed,” Takashi recalls. And that’s when things got interesting. “I changed my direction. I had been cooking Japanese food but I changed to French cooking. So since then, I’ve been cooking, I think, more than 20 years I’ve been cooking French food.” It was this delicious change of direction that turned industry heads. Takashi was recognized for his innovative Japanese-French inventions with a coveted James Beard Award during his tenure at Tribute in Detroit. His Chicago establishment ventures back to Takashi’s Japanese roots. Its unique appeal stems from the Japanese tasting menu, referred to as Kaiseki. Expect customary dishes with uncustomary ingredients, like the Japanese steamed egg custard with seared foie gras, Matsutake mushroom and shrimp. Watch the video above to see what makes Takashi’s succulent twist on Japanese so award winning (and why he’s just a delightful chef in general). Kampai!

Newest to sprout in South Beach is the Regent Cocktail Club, a classic cocktail bar located at the back of the revamped Gale Hotel. Interested to hear about this new concept, Chat Chow TV schmoozed with Joshua Wagner, Miami’s after-hours aficionado and managing partner of Regent Cocktail Club, over Manhattans and Mint Juleps. “Everyone is jazzed up about new trends, food and beverage, everything along those lines,” Wagner observes. “But I think we also need to make the standards of what our basics are, what our pars are, what our standards are as a city. So classics, back to the core, create the standard of what it should be and just really get back to the basics.” And the locals are loving it. Regent draws a mixed crowd, attracted to the venue for its unique recipe of curated cocktails and vintage vibe. “It’s all about approachability,” Wagner says of the atmosphere. “We don’t want this to be pretentious. You walk in here, it’s Fats Waller, it’s Ella Fitzgerald, it’s John Coltrane. It’s a conversation and a cocktail. […] We have got 25-year-old young people inhere to 60-year-old couples that are coming to enjoy great music, great conversation and fundamentally great cocktails.” Club-goers can expect the libation basics to be perfect, with nightly shake-ups in its live music lineup (think Havana Nights or live jazz singers). Daily drink menus shift as well, with six new specialty cocktails to try each evening. Don’t like what’s on-menu? Wagner highly suggests engaging with your barkeep about your spirit preferences—it’s part of the experience. Serious sippers can keep tabs on their favorite tried tipples with Regent’s passport, a VIP amenity for the bibulous barfly that also grants access to exclusive member-only events. Check out the video above to see why Regent exudes a cool-kid Al Capone quality. Then stop in and get your passport stamped.

Chicagoans are no strangers to a juicy piece of meat. But with so many steak joints lining the city streets, it can be hard to choose which meaty morsel to chomp down on. Lucky for you, Chat Chow TV has zeroed in on your top contender, Chicago Cut Steakhouse in River North. Chicago Cut Managing Partner David Flom sat down with Chat Chow TV to explain how his labor of love came about. “I have always wanted to be in the restaurant business since I was about ten years old,” he told Chat Chow TV. “I would cook for my parent’s friends when they would come over to the house through my younger years.” Flom’s food career has since landed him gigs at some of Chicago’s great venues, like Gabriel’s and Rosebud, as well as stints at critically acclaimed Michael Mina in Las Vegas and San Francisco. But the Windy City called him back and shortly thereafter, Chicago Cut was born (thank goodness). Here, it’s all about perfect execution, down to the signature sides. “Creamed spinach [is] something that is very simplistic in nature,” explains Flom. “But if done right with fresh organic spinach, mixed with the parmesan cheese and the cream, and the whole thing, it’ll be a heavenly complement to the steak.” Check out the video above to see why Chicago Cut chooses caramelizing over charring, how their dry ageing process makes your steak taste better, and why the restaurant is such a celebrity hotspot. Mayor Daley even had a hand in naming the resto (so you know it has chops).

Yes, South Florida does need another Cuban joint. That is, if it’s delivered by chef and owner Albert Cabrera. Luckily, Cabrera is cooking up a new twist on Miami’s most ubiquitous recipes at Bread & Butter in Coral Gables. Chat Chow TV saddled up to Bread & Butter’s counter with the culinary genius for a second time (because he’s just that good) to discuss what he’s up to. Having coined the phrase “gastro counter” (a homey hybrid of a gastro pub and a Cuban cafeteria), Cabrera thinks Miami’s ready for a new take on Cuban food. “Cubans, you know, we’re very traditional when it comes to our food,” he reflects. “But what I think I set out to do was create something that had a base of the traditional in it. Everything that we create—for instance, our flan mágico de queso, we use harina tierna, and we make sure that we use a very authentic recipe. We just give it a different look, a different take, by using things like oxtail instead of pork in it—things like that. So, we’re trying to keep the foundation there, so we can bring both the old and the new together, in peace, love, and harmony, at Bread and Butter.” Watch the video above to see why you should order the pan con lechón (and why it can easily be described as funkadelic). As if the dinner dishes didn’t blow your mind, lunch is revolutionary. “The idea here is that lunch is more of a sandwich shop,” explains Cabrera. “When I hired my kitchen staff, I tell them, this is a think tank. It’s not about me, it’s about coming in and being creative as a team. Everybody has a little bit of say in what we’re doing.” Join in the fun. Shake it up with a nitrogen-infused cortadito (Cuban coffee) concoction topped with sea salt, or choose from other sweet treats like the deliciously dulce merenguitos. You’ll be adicto in no time.

Each year come February, the food and beverage industry’s best and brightest convene in Miami Beach for The Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Foodies from every corner flock to join them for four days of guzzling, gastronomy and pants-loosening. One of the weekend’s, well, best event, is the SOBEWFF’s Best of the Best held at the iconic Fontainebleau hotel, where 47 of the nation’s best restaurants serve up samples of their signature dishes. Fontainebleau Executive Chef Thomas Connell let Chat Chow TV in on his managerial style, and explained just how major this mouthwatering SOBEWFF experience is and what exactly those fortunate event attendees are in for. “We’re very lucky to be able to host [this event] because truly, to me, this is one of the, you know, not to use the pun, it’s the best of the best,” Connell gushes. “It’s really the best of the Food and Wine Festival in my opinion.” “We bring together 82 wineries and 47 chefs from all around the world that all come together. […] We partner up every chef with two wineries so we have a couple of different wines to balance with the product that they are serving, and it’s a great flow throughout the night. People go around and get interaction with the chefs, the chefs are all there cooking and it’s really a very poised and educated group.” It makes sense that powerhouse Fontainebleau plays host for an event of this caliber. The famous hotel contains some of Miami’s most notable restaurants, including the four-diamond-rated Hakkasan, Gotham Steak and Scarpetta. Check out the video above to see how this award-winning, mega meal-making venue pumps out the perfect plate every time (hint: there are 4 miles of underground food and spirit storage involved, including a chocolate room). Then, if you’ve got tix, find us at the event — we’ll be the ones stuffing our faces.

Looking to satisfy a sweet tooth? Warm up at Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, the Wicker Park winner named not just for its selection of the comforting drink, but also for the experience of enjoying it. Although Hot Chocolate’s well-rounded menu also features non-dessert items like juicy burgers, we’re unabashedly drawn to the saccharine side. Like, say, the variations of marshmallow-y hot chocolate goodness, and the baker’s-dozen cookie platter (there’s a chocolate chip and bacon one, you guys. Chocolate chip and bacon.). You have James Beard award-winning pastry chef and Hot Chocolate owner Mindy Segal to thank. Chat Chow TV sat down with the sweet Chef Segal in her newly remodeled, cozy restaurant and chatted about her impressive career over hot chocolate cocktails. Hot Chocolate’s cool concept stems from Segal’s uniquely sweet pastry perspective. “The whole idea of opening Hot Chocolate was to sort of have a restaurant that was through the eyes of the pastry chef,” she explains. “So the food’s very, sort of classic American fare. But we use a lot of local producers and absolutely, you feel the season.” Besides hot chocolate cocktails (try the Syrup, a rich mix of cognac and eggnog hot chocolate), guests can order from a well-edited selection of wines and traditional spirits (because burgers go better with beer). Just be sure to leave room for dessert. “I’m always working on new cookies,” Segal warns with a smile. “I’m always having a new passion about cookies. Definitely, we always have cookies on the menu.” Watch the video above to see what other deliciously delectable flavors you could be sinking your teeth into right now.

America’s foremost hamburger expert. Since the release of his documentary film Hamburger America (on the Sundance Channel in 2005), and now the book of the same name (Running Press, 2008/2011), he has been asked daily of his opinion of where to find some of the best burgers in the country. He has taught a course on hamburgers at NYU, and has consulted for many hamburger restaurants. In 2006, Hamburger America (the Film) became required viewing in a food course at Princeton University and was nominated for a James Beard Award. Hamburger America (the book) can now be found in just about any bookstore.

Carlos Larcada of Pao Town, an increasingly popular Asian fusion joint in Coral Gables, has some solid suggestions about how to scrumptiously wok-toss Brussels sprouts and why dry chicken wings are just better. And who doesn’t take the advice of a gentleman in a bowtie? Chat Chow TV pulled up a seat next to Larcada to discuss. “Pao Town really came out of food that everyone loves to eat,” Larcada explains. “We like to joke here that it’s the kind of food that you need to take into a corner, take your shirt off and eat every privately.” And yet, there’s nothing exclusive about Pao Town’s exotically familiar feel. Pao Town takes a cheeky tone, from its kitschy name to Korean video girls looping on flat-screens throughout. Couple that with communal tables, lived-in reclaimed décor, and dishes that Larcada refers to as “’Noms” (because you just wanna munch ‘em all up), and you have an experience that’s anything but taboo. Larcada explains what he was going for: “It goes back to that kind of food you love to eat. We really wanted items that you can come [eat] for lunch with coworkers, but you can also bring your lady on a Saturday night and not make her feel like you’re taking her to grab-n-go chicken.” Complementing the food menu is Pao Town’s well-edited list of libations, from curated craft beers to complex cocktails, like the Sake Sangria (junmai sake, pomegranate and lychee juice, and green and oolong teas blended with fig, lychees, mango, and pineapple). Watch the video above to get a sense of Pao Town’s laid-back vibe, Larcada’s favorite menu item (there’s wasabi ranch involved), and when you can show up for $1 drafts.

Chef Richie Farina knows a thing or two about carving out a name for himself. The Top Chef contestant (and three-time collegiate ice-carving title-holder) is leading Chicago in the art of molecular gastronomy at Moto Restaurant. Putting his own spin on the Moto menu, Farina reconstructs palates with innovative plates like his “Study of Venison,” a seasonal platter of venison inventions (watch the video above to see just how many ways there are to eat deer.) Lending Moto even more street cred is its vertical garden in the downstairs kitchen. “It’s kind of cool to be able to go kind of farm to table in about 5 minutes,” boasts Farina. “When things are fired, we go in there, pick the few micros we need, set it on the plate and send it upstairs. The flavor profile is incredible. I thought that a micro greens was a micro green, but I didn’t know until we grew our own how good they could actually taste.” Moto’s mission of culinary curiosity extends to the sweet tooth. Chat Chow TV sat down with Farina and got schooled in Baking 101—the do-it-yourself dessert dish of cookie dough that you eat right out of the bowl. “It adds to the whole idea behind it,” says Farina of the at-table baking-and-eating experience. “We’re really trying to go towards a way of making every course, everything with the course, have a reason.”

Jose Gonzalez is bringing Old World Cuba to Chicago with Paladar Restaurant & Rum Bar. He’s just made a few modern, rum-infused tweaks. The eatery is heating up the hip Logan Square neighborhood with hearty Havana-inspired dishes and 45 types of rum (that’s right, 45). In this episode of Chat Chow TV, we spoke with Gonzalez about his 46-year-old, fall-off-the-bone oxtail recipe, what makes Paladar’s black beans deliciously different from the rest and how rum should really be enjoyed (watch the video above for his expert tasting techniques). Gonzalez attributes his success to his nostalgic inspiration. “‘Paladar’ is a noun, it means ‘palate’,” explains Gonzalez, the next generation of restaurateurs in his family’s long lineage. “What I was going for is what’s happening in Cuba right now. People are taking their homes and converting it into restaurants. They’re making their dining rooms into restaurants and they’re called ‘paladares.’ That’s what I was trying to do here. I brought that warmth, feeling, that passion that I saw growing up with my parents cooking.” His family recipes keep us coming back. Savor entrees like whole red snapper flanked by full-plate portions of traditional Cuban sides: white rice, sweet plantains and black beans. The buttery yucca is just melt-in-your-mouth good. Stocking 45 types of rum means Paladar makes a mean mojito. Infused with fresh ingredients (think cucumber and guava), these sugarcane-sweet cocktails have secured a place on our ‘best of’ list. Additionally, tasters can refine their ‘paladar’ with a rum flight at the bar. Join us as we work our way through all 45…

The Pubbelly boys are back at it again. In this episode of Chat Chow, we sit with PB Steak Executive Chef, Jose Mendin. This time they are branching out to include beef to their empire. A steakhouse with a difference. “PB Steak is a small-plate joint where you come in with your friends and have a variety of dishes. It’s not going be your steakhouse with bibb lettuce, new york strip and Creme brûlée. Steaks are meant to be shared. And we have extensive raw bar w/ different oysters, crudos, lobster, king crab, stone crab and more. We want you go to home and wonder ‘What happened to me’?” PB Steak is their 5th concept was built together as a team for the locals in the area. Joining Mendin are two female leads – Ashley Dean shaking up some killer cocktails. Mendin’s favorites are The Roquette and Chef’s Old Fashioned. And Maria Orantes, pastry chef who has been baking it up for all Pubbelly restaurants with desserts such as the PB&J Panna Cotta, Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding and Jose’s favorite – Apple Pie. And they aren’t’ stopping there, they already have a another project in the works. Watch the video above to learn more about PB Steak and what’s to come.

From the owners of Miami Beach’s southern-style eatery Yardbird comes Khong River House in Miami Beach. The inspiration for Khong River House emanates from founder John Kunkel’s passion for the celebrated foods prepared in the rural villages and city markets of Thailand, which he became enamored with while living and traveling extensively through its northern provinces. Chat Chow talks to Executive Chef Piyarat Potha Arreeratn (known as Chef Bee) who hails from the small town of Ban Sankhohiang in the Chiang Rai region. The cultures from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and other surrounding countries are the influence behind Khong River House’s Northern Thai cuisine. “Everybody has sticky rice,” says Chef Bee. “But we serve Burmese Sticky Rise that is soaked overnight with turmeric and salt. So its nice and yellow. The next day it is steamed with flash-fried garlic. The smell and aroma is beautiful.” A Thai temple in Homestead, Florida is importing all the produce, giving a new meaning to farm-to-table. Even the decor at Khong River House is authentic with license plates and a tin roof. The restaurant was even blessed by Thai Monks. “Traditional Thai people want somebody with a beautiful mind, beautiful heart, someone superior to give you a blessing.” Watch the video to learn about Chef Bee’s favorite dishes including Curry Boat Noodles, Pork Belly Curry and the eponymous “Killer Bee” cocktail.

Combining a Rockwellian aesthetic and a “Leave it to Beaver” charm and sensibility, Acme Bakery & Coffee’s “farmstead Americana” essence hearkens back to a wholesome era with an irresistible homey charm that is at once inviting and comfortable. Acme Bakery & Coffee is an artisanal bakery and café catering to Miami’s Biscayne/Mid-town/Design-District residents with a selection of fresh, artisan breads, handmade pastries, cakes, tarts and home-made candies combined with a limited-menu served in a casual sit-down environment.

Chef Robert Luna grew up in LAʼs Boyle Heights area where his mother cooked at local restaurants. Following high school, Luna attended Tri-Tech Culinary School and soon after he launched his career cooking for discriminating Angelenos. First, he landed the gig of executive chef at the popular Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant Cobras and Matadors. He currently helms Malo and the newly opened Mas Malo in downtown LA. Located in a 9,500-square-ft foot historic building, Chef Luna has taken on his most ambitious project to date.

HipPOPs follows the old-world tradition of Italian gelaterias with offerings of handcrafted artisan dessert treats, including gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt. Founded on the principle of bringing the highest-quality and healthiest ingredients to the streets of South Florida with a mobile HipPOP Truck run by customer-first “Pop Stars,” the company offers hundreds of customizable variations on its POPs, with an array of delectable dips and poppings. Rich, smooth and made to order, HipPOPs uses only a handful of high-quality ingredients. We source only local, top-quality dairy that adheres to our strict standards, in order to guarantee the freshness our customers expect, plus the freshest fruit from local farms whenever possible.