FOOD & DRINK

By MIKE SULA

This week some copies of the Reader ’s print edition are served with a lagniappe. Tucked inside 2,700 copies of the paper is the premiere issue of the Chicago FoodCultura Clarion, the culmination of a collaboration between artist Antoni Miralda and University of Chicago anthropologist Stephan Palmié.

Miralda is a Barcelona-born multidisciplinary food artist who explores the role of food in culture. Since the 60s he’s built pillars of vegetables and walls of brightly colored bread, staged parades of giant steaks and ears of corn through Kansas City, and held a wedding between the Statue of Liberty and Barcelona’s Christopher Columbus statue with prenuptial documents written on dried codfish. Last May I wrote about The Magic Banquet, a Miami performance celebrating the international ubiquity of Maggi Seasoning. But Miralda, along with his partner, the Catalan chef Montse Guillen, might be best known for El Internacional, a Tribeca installation that was a fully operational tapas restaurant. In 1984 it was the country’s first (and one with an interesting Chicago connection I’ll explore at another time).

Last fall Miralda and Palmié taught a course at the University of Chicago’s Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry called “Foodcultura: The Art and Anthropology of Cuisine,” during which students fanned out across the city conducting fieldwork on everything from live poultry shops to fried chicken; the connections between Roeser’s Bakery cakes and Bauhaus architecture (River City, Marina Towers) to comparisons between food choices in South Shore and Albany Park.

Their final projects, which took the form of papers, sculptures, videos, photography displays, and a few dinner parties, were meant to be featured, along with a Chicago-centric version of Miralda’s Sabores y Lenguas/Tastes and Tongues collage work, during a two-day symposium in October at the Chicago Cultural Center, but the pandemic put an end to that.

Instead Palmié and Miralda, along with an editorial team consisting of noted investigator of south-side culinary oddities Peter Engler, chef and founder of Roots & Culture Contemporary Arts Center Eric May, and food writer Paige Resnick, put together the Clarion , a 12-page folded insert of original Chicago food writing and artwork. There’s Engler on the origins of Chicago tamales; anthropologist Magnus Fiskesjö on the weird history of presidential turkey pardons; an essay on navigating the pandemic from the point of view of a restaurant by Phillip Foss, and from Miralda, a centerfold “Chicago Tongue,” portraying the culinary topography of Chicago.

May has a piece about 58-year-old Southwest Signs, a family business specializing in the hand-painted grocery store signs found on carnicerias, fast food joints, and car lot windows all over the city. The headlines of the Clarion are all set in this unique Chicago-style lettering.

The 2,700 copies will be distributed more or less randomly all over the Reade r’s distribution area, with a slight concentration in Hyde Park. But if you don’t manage to snag one, you might get another chance when issues two and three publish next year. For those Miralda is soliciting contributions—photos, texts, ideas—for his next “Chicago Tongue” collages at thechicagoclarion@foodcultura.org.

@MikeSula

Quarantinis delivered

Here’s

By JENNA RIMENSNYDER

As we begin to make our way into the winter months, the skies begin to grey, and the streets become windy as hell, we all begin to feel a little like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. To escape the mundane and survive the upcoming Thanksgiving Zoom, we’ve compiled a list of 14 local bars and restaurants offering to-go cocktails for pickup and delivery, all of which are a little more imaginative than Au Cheval’s Pickleback Kit, but just as e ective during your virtual holiday gatherings.

Beatrix

While the restaurant has a variety of beer and wine to choose from, customers can also grab carry-out cocktails (serves two) for $20 each. The selection includes a blueberry gin collins, pineapple-habanero margarita, espresso old fashioned, ginger sangria, and a frozen piña express with rum, coconut liqueur, pineapple, coconut, and lime. Multiple locations, beatrixrestaurants.com

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

The Spanish small plate concept o ers beer, cava, wine, and cocktails for pickup and delivery. Each cocktail o ering serves two and costs $26 each. The menu includes classic cocktails like margaritas, mojitos, and mezcal mules as well as more elaborate creations like La Paloma and El Botánico made with gin, chartreuse, lemon, agave, passion fruit, mint, basil, and orange bitters. 2024 N. Halsted, 773935-5000, cafebabareeba.com

Club Lucky

No need to slide by the supper club for a buzz, it can be delivered. Through GrubHub you can order wine, six-pack, or single bottle brews, as well as a Quarantini Martini Kit beginning at $45, loaded with a liter bottle of private label Club Lucky vodka and your choice of olive. There’s also a Ketel One Mule Kit for $59 with your choice of plain, Grapefruit Rose Botanical, or Peach Orange Blossom Botanical Ketel One vodka. 1824 W. Wabansia, 773-227-2300, clubluckychicago.com

Daisies

The midwestern pasta-focused restaurant has a slew of boozy options. From beer to wine to craft cocktails, you can pick your poison for pickup or delivery. The cocktail selection includes bottled and ready-to-drink sips for $9.99 each, like a beet old fashioned, two gin options, and a House Nocino with Nocino li- queur, walnuts, cinnamon, orange peel, lemon peel, cloves, allspice, and vanilla bean. But beware, there is only a limited amount of each selection. 2523 N. Milwaukee, 773-661-1671, daisieschicago.com

Furious Spoon

A ramen-cocktail pairing sounds prime in cold climates. Guests can snag DIY home cocktail kits ($40), as well as beer pong and sake bomb packages ($20-$25). You might not be able to remember Thanksgiving this year with Furious Spoon’s help. Temporarily only offered at Logan Square and Lakeview locations, furiousramen.com

Kanela Breakfast Club

If you’re having a virtual brunch date, Kanela might be the move for pickup or delivery. The breakfast club o ers a Bloody Mary kit with ($50) and without vodka ($20). If you’re in the mood for bubbles, you can order a mimosa package ($30) that includes two bottles of champagne and freshly squeezed juice. Multiple locations, kanelabreakfastclub.com

Kumiko

If you’re looking to switch up your typical cocktail order, take a stroll through the massive Kumiko menu available for pickup and delivery. Just a heads-up, each o ering has a limited quantity and may be sold out. You can pair your spirits with Japanese fare or just sip at your own leisure for an elevated night in. 630 W. Lake, 312-285-2912, barkumiko.com

La Luna

The taco shop o ers up a variety of margaritas, palomas, and spiked agua de jamaica as both single and pitcher servings. Since having just one marg is rare, spring for the pitcher ($25$32.50). You can also swap your tired eggnog for some of La Luna’s spiced horchata. 1726 S. Racine, 312-248-8940, lalunachicago.com

Lena Brava

The West Loop hot spot offers canned cocktails and margarita kits for both pickup and delivery. Canned cocktails serve one to two people, depending on your pour, and range from $12-$14. The kits, however, serve 12 and range from $60-$65. 900 W. Randolph, 312733-1975, lenabrava.com

Lost Lake

Four days a week, Lost Lake offers up grab ‘n go cocktails from the storefront’s pickup window. The menu rotates each week and is available on the bar’s Instagram stories. Check out Instagram (@lostlakelovesyou) story highlights for each week’s menu. The tropical cocktail bar also has private casks for delivery or pickup ranging from $55-$250. 3154 W. Diversey, lostlakechicago.com, @lostlakelovesyou on Instagram

Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

While there’s plenty of merch to choose from, the brewery is also slinging four-packs, eats, as well as cocktail packages. Each cocktail package is $50 and includes a 750ml bottle of liquor, a 4-pack mixer, a Maplewood highball glass, and a cocktail recipe card. 2717 N. Maplewood, 773-270-1061, maplewoodbrew.com

Mi Tocaya Antojeria

Seasonal and signature 7-ounce cocktails are on hand for $16. Need a heavier pour? You can grab a 32-ounce growler filled with your choice of tequila or mezcal for $48. Mi Tocaya also has a selection of brews to choose from for $5 and under. Available for pickup and delivery Wednesday through Saturday. 2800 W. Logan, 872-315-3847, mitocaya.com

Three Dots and a Dash

The tiki bar invites you to escape the cold weather and enter into more tropical vibes with signature bottled cocktails and kits with sips including mai tais, hurricanes, and painkillers. Bottled cocktails range from $14-$15, while the kits will run you $35-$65. You can even add a mai tai glass to your order for $15 to really set the mood. Available for pickup and delivery through DoorDash. 435 N. Clark, 312-610-4220, threedotschicago.com

Virtue

The Hyde Park staple o ers a lineup of pickup beverages including vino, brews, cocktails, and even a martini kit for 12. The limited cocktail selection includes a margarita ($24), old fashioned ($24), and Patience is a Virtue, made with vodka, Creme Yvette, and rhubarb bitters ($26), all of which serve two. 1462 E. 53rd, 773-947-8831, virtuerestaurant.com v @j_rimensnyder