Plate Pics: Mushroom Bruschetta at La Madia
While my colleagues de Mushroom and I are scattered from coast to coast, I’ve noticed that each of us have a profound pride in our cities’ dining scenes (bordering on competitive)- from San Francisco to the Second City and from Portland to Pennsylvania we trade fabled meals from local chefs like baseball fans share stolen bases. Our memories of these meals seem to grow more vivid in time. In fact, my guess is that most people can still name the first time a restaurant awed them, when the last bite was a bit bittersweet (Pumpkin Soup at Pygma-Lion; Amsterdam circa 1996 for me).
I mention this because I’m one of the many many proud Chicagoans constantly seeking and finding fantastic new and new-to-me restaurants. And given that I’ve now come to relate the Internet with my more enjoyable eating experiences (thank you blogging, Yelp, LTHForum, Twitter, etc), I’m often compelled to share them….through stealthy photography.
No flash, no second takes and done in under 5 seconds… these are the rules I have set for myself when I feel compelled to capture a meal on memory card. I don’t want to be rude, I don’t want to draw attention, I just want to have proof. I want to tell people about this wonderful meal and have the visuals to support it. Last night was an excellent example.
It’s been a busy week so my friend Molly and her boyfriend Jai asked if I would be up for a small bite and a glass of wine. Why yes, I thought, I could be lured into that quite easily! So off we went to La Madia- a young, contemporary Italian spot in Chicago’s River North.
As soon as I saw the mushroom bruschetta listed, I set my menu aside. It was Jai’s pick as well so for a tense second or so we considered ordering two rather than sharing but, alas, an incoming swimsuit season got the better of our appetites.
The place was busy. We had our wine and then it arrived. The bruschetta was plated approachably and the taste was familiar but fresh. Sauteed mushrooms with fresh herbs served on Italian bread that’d be given a thin layer of goat cheese . Straightforward and satisfying- I expected as much when it arrived because the all-too-familiar urge came over me and out came the camera.
I was done so quickly that my table-mates didn’t even realize they were being photographed. It may not be the perfect picture but it’s picture perfect when it comes to encompassing the things I love about restaurants- great food and great company.
*If YOU have a “Plate Pic” of a mushroom dish at a favorite restaurant (and can snag it under the radar!), email it to mushroomchannel@gmail.com. I’d like to highlight some of your neighborhood favorites over the next few weeks!
