Words on Curds #6

Olivia Rae Okun-Dubitsky

Welcome back to another year of your favorite column, Words on Curds! Get ready for even gooey-er recipes, even crazier recommendations, and even more insider cheese info.

Today, to whet your appetite, I’m giving you the inside scoop on the best dairy dishes in Chicago. From unctuous gelato, to cheddar-crumb-crusted short ribs, you won’t want to miss out on these incredible dishes.

Almendro Cafe - Horchata

I stayed in Hyde Park over the summer, working virtually but enjoying the benefits of living in a big city. One of these benefits was the easy access to stellar cafes, and it’s safe to say I’ve hit up a lot of these cafes. One of my favorites is Almendro Cafe. With beautiful water features and shockingly affordable prices, it is a hidden gem. If you want to escape the UChicago campus but stay in Hyde Park, or study for an exam but not get distracted by friends, definitely sip on Almendro’s delicious horchata and ace your test. The horchata is smooth, rich, cinnamony, and sweet, and it is the perfect treat for the summer or all year round.

Amorino - Gelato

OK, I’m cheating on this recommendation because I technically only ate Amorino in Paris and not in Chicago. Amorino is a craft gelato shop with locations around the world, and they conveniently have a storefront right outside the Art Institute, Amorino’s gelato is the perfect sweet treat, and the employees serve up freakishly velvety, impossible to resist concoctions that led me to visit three times while I did my brief stint in the City of Light. My favorite flavors include amaretto (which tastes like a slightly sour marzipan) and noisette, which is their take on hazelnut. For under $7, Amorino delivers a luxurious eating experience starring high-quality dairy that doesn’t break the bank.

Avec - “Deluxe” Focaccia

Avec, a Chicago favorite for the past two decades, serves up a comforting, unpretentious Mediterranean-ish meal. Luscious truffle oil rounds out their “Deluxe” Focaccia, topped with taleggio, ricotta and fresh herbs. The aromatics alone are enough to get me to swoon. But what makes this dish special is how unusual it is. Focaccia, normally fluffy with a few inches of height, is smashed and made crispy. Those signature little air bubbles are gone, but a beautiful lightness and yeastiness remains. The mixture of the chewy taleggio and lemony ricotta rounds out an unusual but comforting dish.

Culver’s - Vanilla Concrete Mixer

In a departure from the high end, I invite you to venture into childhood comfort food with a little Culver’s, a Midwestern classic. I had never heard of the chain restaurant before, but it is a favorite of the UChicago Mock Trial team so I quickly caught on. After a long day of fake lawyering, nothing hits better than the smooth, creamy taste of a vanilla concrete mixer. Culver’s rich custard milkshake tastes surprisingly fresh, especially with the helpful nudge of the egg yolks. Add in Oreos, sprinkles, or caramel to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Sepia - Ricotta Cavatelli

Sepia, the sensationally seasonal and incredibly inventive joint in the West Loop, serves up the meanest adult mac n’cheese. The chefs enrobe chewy cavatelli in parmesan butter and top it with crunchy toasted pine nuts. I went into my dining experience at Sepia with the expectation to order the cheesiest dish on the menu—not a shocker, I’m sure—but I did not expect to be met with something so delicate, garnished with intricate sourdough leaves and perfected by a glossy sauce.

S.K.Y. - Chili Glazed Short Rib

When this dish arrived at my table at S.K.Y, a modern American restaurant, it announced itself with a sizzle and sass. Spicy, sweet, meaty, rich, Chef Stephen Gillanders’ debut restaurant nailed the dish. Served with brassicas and alliums (fancy language for cabbage and onion), this short rib fell off the bone and straight into our mouths. My friend who ordered it (and later sucked the marrow from the bone) described it as “the most meaty meat” he had ever had. You might ask where the cheese is—it is coating the entire short rib in cheddar crumbles. Don’t miss this unique dish, which was unlike anything I’ve had before.

I hope you enjoyed my roundup of my favorite dairy-first dishes in Chicago. With so many incredible restaurants, it was difficult to pick only a few to share, but these six truly stand out. You “curd” say they are the best of the best. Cheese and dairy lovers, go forth and enjoy!