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The buzz is all about Banchet!!! We are just 2 short weeks away from the Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence & Grand Chefs Gala & Supreme Lobster is extremely proud on the recent announcement of our partnership with this prestigious event. The Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence is the only Chicago-based awards presentation that recognizes culinary originality & talent in the Chicagoland area. Forty-four exceptional chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, restaurants & catering companies will vie for the coveted award. This award is often compared to receiving a S.A.G. award due to the fact the nominees are judged by their peers in the industry. At last nights Chef Social, Chicago Chefs cast their votes for who they felt should take home the glory. Last years winners included a list of Chicago royalty like Alinea, Curtis Duffy, Chris Pandel & Koren Grieveson. This years roster boasts an equally impressive list of true artisans & culinary trendsetters. Were looking forward to seeing all of the presenting Chefs & nominees when the awards are presented on January 27th!

Chef of the Year Ryan LaRoche, NoMI Dan Pancake, Autre Monde Giuseppe Tentori, GT Fish & Oyster Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia Pastry Chef of the Year Bryce Caron, Blackbird Meg Galus, NoMI Amanda Rockman, The Bristol Cindy Schuman, Sepia Chef-de-Cuisine Dave Beran, Next Sean Pharr, NoMI David Posey, Blackbird Brian Runge, Graham Elliot Rising Chef Chris Curren, Blue 13 Danny Grant, RIA Chris Macchia, Coco Pazzo Paul Dobroski, NoMI Rising Pastry Chef Aya Fukai, RIA Sarah Jordan, BOKA Stephanie Mazzone, Coco Pazzo Kady Yon, Pump Room at Public Chicago

Best Sommelier Scott Harney, Eno at the Intercontinental Michael Muser, The Peninsula Chicago Dan Pilkey, RIA Aaron Sherman, NoMI Best Mixologist Stephen Cole, Barrelhouse Flat Lynn House, Blackbird Debbi Peek, The Bristol Josh Pearson, Sepia Best Neighborhood Restaurant Autre Monde The Bristol Maude's Liqour Bar Vera Best Fine Dining Blue 13 Coco Pazzo Next Sepia Best New Restaurant Autre Monde GT Fish & Oyster Next Vera Best Catering Company BOKA Catering Catering by Michaels Entertaining Company Limelight

The Professors Report on the State of Local Fisheries Whitefish and Lake Trout are available but numbers are down due to limited fishing. The 180 degree changes in weather have the fishermen and the fish fairly confused. For several weeks now fishermen have had a difficult time fishing with any consistency. Most of the fishermen have only been able to set nets for several hours a day once or twice a week. On Lake Erie the current chit is that Erie fishermen are not fishing for the week. There is too much algae in the water which dirties the net and then the fish avoid the nets. A mild winter is easy on our hearts and wallets but is a disservice to our hardworking brethren and the lakes. Winter ice is the lakes reset breaker, ice kills a percentage of weeds, algae and bacteria, (Some suggest that ice protection prevents sediment suspension and keeps phosphorus, a key algal nutrient locked in sediments. Lower phosphorus levels will reduce the bloom of algae that happens every spring. Algal blooms are considered the prime culprit for the absence of oxygen deep in Lake Erie during the summer months due to the sinking of the algae and their decomposition that consumes oxygen. Courtesy Science Daily) refreshing the water and eco system for another 12 month cycle. There will be fresh White Lake Perch, a small harvest of Lake Ontario Yellow Lake Perch and possibly a few Lake Winnipeg Jumbo Walleye Pike. River fishing has had a few bumps in the water which is ice flowing down from colder northern areas. Supplies have been good with the current weather. Stay tuned with your local monger for changes in fish availability.

Eastern Fisheries took somewhat of a breather due to weather issues in the early part of the week but came back bangin with stellar landings for the ass half of the week. Nova Scotian Whale Cod & smaller Market sized Cod will be on hand along with new kills of Outer Banks Marker Winter Sword, Maine Pink Shrimp, Northern Winter Skate, Vineyard Sound Black Sea Bass, Ipswich Razor Clam, Nantucket Bay Scallop as well as limited amounts of the new Block Island Bleue Moules from the crews of Saltwater Farms Rhode Island; a small family run operation headed up by Bill & Greg Silks. These tiny (1 3/4-2) morsels of salty deliciousness have an incredible succulent buttery meat & outstanding yield due to the small batch limited hands on production the Silks Family is able to offer. Chefs began hitting the inbound inventories early so if youre planning on partying down on Moules for the weekend youd best be dialing quick. (Thanks to Chef Derek Simcik of Atwood Caf who snapped this great pic upon getting his first shipment today) The massive linebacker sized Striper weve been rolling in for the past several weeks have moved & the brief season has concluded. Were now thrilled to welcome back the Winter Run, Chesapeake Bay Fish. These stunningly gorgeous animals are somewhat smaller than their huge counterparts but just as incredible upon arrival with stiff, still in rigor backbones, neon red gills & eyes as clear as the word of God. (Im getting excited!) Were also unloading new drops of Hampton Virginia Summer Fluke, Trap Net Silver Bream, North Carolina Skipjack Bonito, Florida Red Grouper & Matagorda Bay Texas Redfish.

Were also getting outstanding kills with our Pacific Fleets up from Anchorage down to the Northern Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand! Alaskan True Cod, White Horse Yukon Char, Live Oregon Dungeness Crab, Monterey Bay Sardine, Coronado Vermillion Rock Cod & San Diego Yellowtail Kingfish will be on hand along with limited runs of Live Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Spiny Lobster & Maru Ka Golden Uni. Moving off the coasts, were seeing awesome #1++ Hawaiian Big Eye, Fatty Red Ahi Tombo, Palea Blue River Prawn, Iki Jime Killed Tai Snapper, Petuna Ocean Trout & Hauraki Gulf St Pierre or Southern John Dory. These landings have been outstanding for this time of year!

Chefs if you have not yet locked up you menu items for this season's restaurant week then heres your call to arms!! Yes, its that time of year again when the serenity of post holiday calm is about to be shattered by countless nights (actually 10) of 600-1200 covers with thousands of ravenous Chicagoans taking advantage of the discounted rates this promotion brings. Since its inception 5 years ago The Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureaus organization of Restaurant Week has done an excellent job of promoting area restaurants. Were grateful for the exposure this brings on the city because it keep this industry humming during what would usually be a down time. Chicago Restaurant Week 2011 proved to be the most successful Restaurant Week yet. With 207 participating restaurants throughout Chicagoland. The economic impact of the promotion was $19.68 million, serving 377,000 diners over the course of ten days. A spectacle of Chicago's finest culinary talents, Restaurant Week 2012 will remind diners why Saveur Magazine named Chicago " merica's new culinary star." A If youre not already a part of this years promotion contact the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau to have your Restaurant & Menu posted on their site. Supreme Lobster will be running some incredible specials to coincide with Restaurant Week & to accommodate all types of menus. Be sure to keep checking in with your Rep for whats being offered.

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