GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 9 | Page 119
Chicago, USA
Home to Grant Achatz’s Alinea and Curtis Duffy’s
Grace, both Michelin three star restaurants, the
general Chicago food scene is an amalgamation
of fusion cuisine and pimped-up favorites. Here,
the humble hot dog is steamed and given the
royal treatment of toppings. Sandwiches rate
highly, with Vietnamese bahn mi, dipped Italian
meat rolls and burgers in dizzying options. If it
can be dipped in jus or sauce all the better. The
city’s tacos, carnitas and fried chicken claim loyalty points, and the deep-pan pizza and its spin-off:
the pizza pot pie, are reasons to visit. Perhaps the
best indication of the food scene can be found in
the small-scale heirloom produce at the markets,
and the communal tables of hugely popular Fat
Rice that served Euro-Asian comfort food.
8.
7.
7. Classic Chicago deep dish pizza, a must try if you find yourself in the “windy city”.
8. There’s nothing “fishy” about the Italian seafood
markets.Fresh fish such as these are staples in Sicilian cuisine.
Palermo, Sicily
The food of Sicily is deeply traditional and while
not unknown, it’s time for a revisit. Cannolis,
arancini (fried rice balls with assorted fillings) and
granita are comfortable on menus worldwide, but
this is only the tip of the iceberg. At the core, it’s
about simplicity. Take the chickpea fritter rolls
(pane e pannelle), hearty fava bean maccu soup
or grilled lamb’s intestines filled with onions,
cheese and parsley (stigghiola). The climate
renders fresh seafood, eggplant, tomatoes,
olives, citrus and grapes, in abundance. Do not
miss the markets for piles of oranges in dazzling
varieties: try La Vucciria market. For elegant traditional food, visit Restaurant Cin Cin.