Search Eat Fantastic Blog & Posts

Monday, April 4, 2011

Eli's Original Cheesecake on day 2 of 30

My second day of cheesecake and it was all I could do to wait until today, actually 12:01 AM, to eat my slice of Eli's Original Cheesecake. In my haste to enjoy it, I did not get a chance to put it on a proper plate. I ate it directly out of the package in the dark. I did use a fork, and I feel good about that.

It is really hard to be original here, since so much has been written about this particular cheesecake. Eli's has been the #1 dessert since the very first Taste of Chicago in 1980, and there is a reason for that, it's delicious, rich, creamy cheesecake perfection. Perfect amount of cookie crust to make it a perfection on a plate. Sorry Oprah, I think those are your words but I really don't know how else to describe it.

What I like best about it is the size, which is perfect for someone who cares about exactly what they eat. Because I had a 280 calorie snack at midnight, I adjusted my breakfast a bit and maybe I will skip lunch.

What I was most interested in was if it tasted the same as when I first tried it in while still in high school, and then again when I worked at Eli's, The Place for Steak. Sometimes it's challenging to build a national brand from a single product and maintain the integrity of the original. I have a very good memory, and like most people, food memories have an emotional connection when you remember the first bite, and the circumstances.

For me, the only thing that was missing was being in the Galter Carriage House, and seeing Bea, Paul, Tom, Gus, Willie, Fred, Mrs. Schulman and the rest of the people that made that restaurant a very special place to work.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

On The First Day of Eli's Cheesecake..


Unfortunately I did not make it to Eli's Cheesecake World to get my salted caramel cheesecake because it looked like rain, it was definitely windy, and I drive a scooter.

Lucky for me you can find it almost anywhere, and I did find two pieces; one piece of original plain, one piece of chocolate chip. Here is lesson number one: CHOOSE what you eat with your cheesecake carefully! I found cheesecake at a restaurant called "Charcoal Delights" in my Albany Park neighborhood. Today I decided to take it home and make a cup of coffee instead of enjoying any of their other "delights". If I was only eating cheesecake for one day, I might have had something, but since I had a good breakfast, I was really more in the mood for the pure cheesecake experience.

Back to the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake which was perfect. Creamy cheesecake, bitterweet chocolate on a chocolate cookie crust. Perfect also because it was the right size decadence for me.

My only question is if the piece of original in the refrigerator is going to make it through the day. :)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

30 days of cheesecake!?

Yes, it's true but today is the day that I formally announce my intent to eat a slice of Cheesecake every day for 30 days, and blog about it. In fact specifically I will be eating my favorite, Eli's Cheesecake, for reasons I will explain later, maybe even in another Eat Fantastic blog post. I would have made this announcement yesterday, but did not want it to be perceived as an April Fools prank, which it is not.

You are probably wondering if I am doing this because I like the Golden Girls and they ate copious amounts of cheesecake? No, although for the record it is the still one of funniest shows on TV, and I am a HUGE Betty White fan. Can hardly wait for her new show!

Is it because I like cheesecake? Well, half true I do like cheesecake but that is not the real reason.

Is it because I want to get fat? No, in fact I will likely not gain much, if any weight. Here actually is my reason. I want to prove that dessert is NOT causing the obesity problem in the world, IRRESPONSIBLE EATING is the problem.

Please don't think I believe you can eat as much cheesecake as you want, or do I suggest you try this at home. I am a professional, and to compensate for my Eli's Cheesecake diet, spring is here and my Trek bike is tuned up, so I will be adding some additional miles to compensate for the calories.

Tomorrow, I will have my first slice and explain the reason. I am hoping they still have salted caramel when I get to the bakery cafe. :)

Friday, December 31, 2010

Remembering the people of Eli's, The Place for Steak

This is the most difficult blog post that I have written this year. Because this is the last post of the year, I'd like to say something interesting, profound and memorable. Yet, the truth is, this is as easy for me as remembering one single employer, the Schulman family and the incredible people that created one of the largest specialty bakeries in the US, Eli's Cheesecake.

I only had the opportunity to meet Eli Schulman himself once or twice as a guest, before I actually worked at the restaurant. The interesting thing about great people is that what they create in their life, outlives their actual life span and continues to thrive in the spirit of their name; In this case, the philanthropic and community work of Eli's son Marc Schulman.

By chance, I ran into a coworker from Eli's, James aka "sweet baby James" at an El stop a while back and he told me a story. A story about Herman Vaughn, one of the people I will never forget. You see a guest didn't order, he TOLD you what you were having for dinner. Ladies usually had a small Filet, Gentlemen a New York Strip. Believe it or not but this worked really well for him.

Herman, or "Fish" as we called him, still works for Marc for special events at the bakery. I estimate that Fish is likely at least 90 years old by now and for an industry that is highly age discriminate, this is heartwarming for me. Clearly Marc shares Eli's passion and loyalty to his employees, another rarity in today's environment.

As you can probably figure out by now, What I remember most about the restaurant is not the celebrities and politicians that were our regular diners, but the staff that I worked alongside, all of them contributing to the magical experience that Eli himself had created.

I remember Bea Brady and Paul Brown the best, as I partnered with them when I was promoted to Wine Steward, to fill in for Ramon on his nights off. This was when I enjoyed the privilege of greeting our celebrity clientele at the door. Exactly like a private club, we had to know all of guests by their face. This was no easy task, and why it required three of us plus Mrs. Schulman occasionally to step in to lend a hand.

My favorite servers were Willie Green and Fred House, exact opposites in stature, one short, the other tall, each with the well developed lineage of a private club server, namely The Standard Club. In fact most of our service staff also worked at private clubs, one of the reasons we were able to provide world class service and create an exceptional dining experience.

Another of my favorites was Jesse, who was my front waiter when I was a back server. We always had the front station, a popular place for our regulars like, former Governor James Thompson, Burt Natarus, George Dunne, Jesse White, John Johnson and family, Roland Burris and the late CEO of Bally, Bill "BT" O'Donnell, (whose generosity bought my first computer and paid at least one trimester at Devry as he always tipped with $100 bills, several if he liked you). There were many others but I am trying to keep this short and not name drop like like Perez Hilton.

By day, I worked at The Metropolitan Club in the Sears Tower. I like to say I personally reached great heights, literally and figuratively from these two jobs alone. After all, how many service staff can state they waited on Marilyn Miglin or the Governor, TWICE in one day, at two different establishments.

I also think the fundamentals of twitter was founded at Eli's, because somehow any famous person or event at the restaurant somehow made it's way quickly into Kup's column, written by the famous Irv Kupcinet, even if Kup and his wife did not dine at the restaurant that night.

My favorite celebrities were Orion Samuelson and Jack and Pat Brickhouse. When they walked in the door they seemed to make time stand still, while everyone in the room would stop talking and hope they would stop at their table for a moment. Frank Sinatra also made time seem to stand still in his presence.

Last but not least I remember the music of Hal Roach and Marie who played piano and entertained. As I celebrate the New Year with my family I am going to take a moment and close my eyes and try to remember Marie singing the Patsy Cline favorite "Crazy", or Hal singing "Sunny Side Of The Street", or "How Do We Keep The Music Playing". Somehow I think this is going to be easy, as Eli's, The Place For Steak was a special place and part of the reason Eli's Cheesecake is still around today and the favorite of millions, including several recent Presidents.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

As the warm days of summer end there is really nothing more comforting than a bowl of potato soup. This is my recipe with a bit of spice!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Strawberry Dream Scones

My market still has beautiful ripe fresh strawberries so I decided to make some scones. My scone recipe is intersection between puff pastry and scones. Almost like a croissant with buttery layers so they don't need any butter or jam.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Roasted Poblano Potato Soup

Warm and comforting flavors of roasted garlic, roasted tomato, roasted poblano & aji amarilla chile and a touch of bacon spice up an old favorite. Recipe video coming soon!